Acer Revo, Asrock Ion 330 or Macmini?

**jburist** · November 10th, 2009, 08:59 PM

I'm getting set to buy my first htpc and I'm torn between the Acer Revo, running W7; the Asrock, running Ubuntu, or a mac mini.

Will the extra $$ for a mac mini buy me any better hulu performance? Or is flash going to be a problem no matter what?

Flash is somewhat of a concern, but I'll mostly be using this for my iso backups.

I've read all the threads here, and I think I understand that ubuntu=hardware acceleration, while W7=netflix streaming (not a priority for me).

Anyone have a strong opinion one way or another? Thanks for any suggestions.

**judgeschambers** · November 10th, 2009, 09:38 PM

Personally, I've got my Revo ordered at Newegg.

I've read that some say that Hulu already plays well in a browser on Revo with latest flash, but of course not perfectly. The Flash 10.1 update for the Ion vid chip due out early 2010 is supposed to make the playback flawless on Windows. I'm willing to gamble on the release.

Mac Mini-I've no experience and no interest in changing or adding yet another technology into my Windows home network of PC's, Server, and Xboxes. Nice product I'm sure, but not willing to learn it and work out "possible" compatibility issues.

I want to run Boxee or XBMC on the Revo and use FF or IE to hit the web sites needed for the balance of my Internet TV needs. A one box fix.

The AsRock sounded cool, but has no OS and for the money has the exact same hardware as the Revo. So, I opted to stay with the Revo because of the preinstalled Windows 7 64 bit. Tired of jacking with things to make them work. Connect and go.

**cuve** · November 16th, 2009, 10:08 AM

I have an Asrock ION 330, installed ubuntu mini, and some graphics drivers, auto boot Boxee and I have myself a very nice htpc.
I wouldn't trade it for a box with windows, but I can image that some people don't want to go through the trouble of doing some stuff theirselfs :-)

**judgeschambers** · November 17th, 2009, 07:37 PM

Originally Posted by cuve

I have an Asrock ION 330, installed ubuntu mini, and some graphics drivers, auto boot Boxee and I have myself a very nice htpc.
I wouldn't trade it for a box with windows, but I can image that some people don't want to go through the trouble of doing some stuff theirselfs :-)

Curve,

It really comes down to expectations, needs and preferences. Same as yourself, I have many. Personally, I like Linux for some things, but not an HTPC. That's cool, it's just my preference.

But it has nothing to do with not wanting to do stuff myself. At least me. I build all my systems, networks and servers. But, in this case, I'm just tired of jacking with custom builds and Beta software and drivers to get things to work. I want the HTPC to just work! Not saying that your setup does not work, but there are some issues with Linux based HTPC's that I don't want to deal or settle for. Just like the Linux guys feel about Windows. But this is the route I decided to take that fit my needs best

That's why I decided on the Revo 3610. Update the Flash Driver, add MPC-HC & Ffox, Hulu Desktop and Boxee. Done!

**unisonband** · November 17th, 2009, 08:46 PM

TBH you can't go wrong with the Mini! It does everything I want, and no flash video ever skips on me.

**judgeschambers** · November 17th, 2009, 10:05 PM

Originally Posted by unisonband

TBH you can't go wrong with the Mini! It does everything I want, and no flash video ever skips on me.

Mini's are cool too. But throw enough CPU power at it and flash won't skip on any machine.

**alawrence101** · November 24th, 2009, 02:04 PM

Originally Posted by unisonband

TBH you can't go wrong with the Mini! It does everything I want, and no flash video ever skips on me.

What are the specs on your mini?

I just got a Acer Revo (3600), and hulu and high def video are unwatchable on it. I'm kicking myself for going for the cheap option, and now I'm considering getting a used Mac Mini instead. I'm curious what sort of specs I would need to play hulu and other flash content (and, of course, hd content) at 1080 p without skipping.

**judgeschambers** · November 24th, 2009, 07:28 PM

Originally Posted by alawrence101

What are the specs on your mini?

I just got a Acer Revo (3600), and hulu and high def video are unwatchable on it. I'm kicking myself for going for the cheap option, and now I'm considering getting a used Mac Mini instead. I'm curious what sort of specs I would need to play hulu and other flash content (and, of course, hd content) at 1080 p without skipping.

How are you having trouble with the Revo 3600? I just got my 3610 (which runs Win-7 64), updated to Flash 10.1 Beta and latest Nvidia drivers. Hulu Desktop and ANY flash based video in IE or FF plays FANTASTIC. HD videos play perfectly at 1080P.

Now, any HD or Flash videos played WITH Boxee will NOT play well on any PC because Boxee does not support GPU aceleration or off loading.

Dot09 posted that he has an Asrock, which has the exact same hardware and he runs Ubuntu. His rocks too.

So, can you elaborate on your troubles? File types, updates you've installed? Because, you did not cheap out...that thing should rock! Heck, I'm playing an HD video and typing this at the same time.

**drhoades** · November 25th, 2009, 01:09 AM

I just ordered the following combo at newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.293807

It costs less than $500 and comes with quad core proc, 1tb drive, 4 gigs memory, built in ati 4200hd on the mobo, and a bluray drive.

I think its a great deal at under $500. I think it'll make a pretty good setup for boxee in the living room.

**judgeschambers** · November 25th, 2009, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by drhoades

I just ordered the following combo at newegg.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboB...t=Combo.293807

It costs less than $500 and comes with quad core proc, 1tb drive, 4 gigs memory, built in ati 4200hd on the mobo, and a bluray drive.

I think its a great deal at under $500. I think it'll make a pretty good setup for boxee in the living room.

Yeah, that looks like a great set up! You'll be able to do anything with no issues with lack of CPU power. I did not check, but I believe that vid card does support GPU acceleration too. If so, Flash vids and any HD vid will hit the GPU and not the CPU.

Nice.

For me, the only issue is cost vs. usage. At $500 with no OS, that's gonna hit over $600. For me, I did not need that much CPU and blue ray, so I could go the cheaper route with the Revo 3610 and get the same 1080p playback.

Like I mentioned before, just comes down to your needs and expectations.