Unbuntu or Windows 7 for Revo 1600

[Herb]

Hey everybody,

I just bought a Revo 1600 which I'll bump up to 2GB of RAM today.

I've installed XBMC Live, but now I'm leaning heavily towards Boxee.

Am I right in assuming Unbuntu would perform better because of lower overhead? Is it as supported and as robust as the Windows version?

I'm a Mac guy, so please bear with me.

Thanks,

Herb

[NomadDNA]

I'm a mac guy too, but, from what I understand;
1) Windows has supports video acceleration
2) Netflix, currently, is not linux compatible.

[Herb]

Thanks for the info Nomad.

Do you know if the 1600 will run Windows 7 / Boxee alright?

What say you, judgeschambers?

Thanks

[reggie220]

i have a Revo 1600 with just the stock 1gb ram and run Windows 7 Starter N on it which is a stripped down version of 7 they put on netbooks. It doesn't have windows media center or even windows media player for that matter. It runs Boxee perfect for me! I would have kept xp on it, but I have a Vista Remote that wouldn't work with XP. These are the operating systems I tried on it before settling on Windows 7 Starter N:

Windows XP home
Mythbuntu 9.10
Ubuntu 9.10
Xbuntu 9.10
Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows 7 Ultimate
XBMC Live

[mrfatboy]

i'm testing the Acer 230 (single core) with 2gigs ram. I just installed win7 on it. I tested XP last month. Win 7 is definately slower to move around the OS. You don't notice it while in boxee. If you want a snappier OS then go with XP. Don't even think about Vista

[newcolour]

If you are not interested in Netflix and your Revo is beefed up to make up for the lack of hardware acceleration, I would suggest you tried Ubuntu. It is very stable, (still) snappier and more customizable than win 7.

I have said many times in this forum how impressed I was with Win 7, coming from Vista. But IMO Ubuntu w/Boxee is still superior. Again, IF you don't care about Netflix, yadda yadda yadda.

My opinion here, of course. No "holy wars"

Cheers,
S.

[Herb]

Thanks for the input everybody. I do appreciate the advice.

newcolour, When you say beefed up... What do I need besides the extra RAM I added and setting the GPU to 512MB?

I just setup XBMC Live on the internal HD. Can I install Boxee on an external drive?

I had tried the beta on my Core Duo (not C2D) MacBook Pro. It ran alright. Any ideas as to how the Revo will feel in comparison?

Thanks again,

Herb

[newcolour]

Thanks for the input everybody. I do appreciate the advice.

newcolour, When you say beefed up... What do I need besides the extra RAM I added and setting the GPU to 512MB?

Herb

That should be enough. It's a new computer anyway, so I guess you will not have a lot of troubles.

S.

[judgeschambers]

Herb,

I feel that this all comes down to expectations, needs and the proper hardware to meet those expectations and needs. So, consider what you really want today and tomorrow.

Get a cup of coffee or a cocktail.......

First Consideration: OS of choice
With that, you have Linux or Windows. Each has certain issues/limitations and benefits. I will only touch on some of the main points. Please, refer to threads here in the forums under each choice and research further.....

Linux has some config issues with video, sound and some content types...of course NetFlix...or lack of Netflix. But it takes less hardware resources to run leaving more of the CPU to process other functions. I'm not a Linux pro user, so I'm not 100% up on all aspects. But there was enough limitations with it that it was knocked out of my personal OS of choice.

Windows is the most compatible with all content types. But it has resource issues (ram usage) depending upon what all you enable to run (services). Then there is XP, Vista, Win-7. Each of those has benefits and issues. XP is the worst overall, in my opinion. It has a max of DX-10 with ION LE and has not played well with Boxee on ION LE machines (revo 1600). There seems to be some other XP issues based on OpenGL on some older video cards (Not ION LE). Vista and Win-7 are CPU/ram hogs, but they ver play well with most configurations, hardware, video formats and Boxee...provided you have enough CPU Horse Power.

Hardware: Revo 1600 (single core) or 3610 (dual core)
The 1600 is a nice little piece overall, but that single core, ION LE vid chip with the lack of DX support past DX10 are it's major shortcomings. Most posts and forums I've read cover users with major playback issues of Flash and or anything that involves Boxee (sometimes even IE or FFox). Boxee adds another large draw on the CPU and seems to cause some jittery video in many cases on the 1600.

Multitasking is not the 1600's strong point either, so be prepared to run one or two things at once as performance will be slow due to single core.

While there may be ways to tweak, and install minimal OS's etc on the 1600....and you may get reasonable playback on some formats and situations....there is just no substitute for CPU Horse Power. I feel you may just be in for a losing battle in the end, but it would come down to your needs and expectations.

Lastly, the 3610 has much more Horse Power (dual core 4 hyper threads), ION Chip, DX-11 and runs win-7 very, very well. My unit plays everything with no issues at all. But, there have been a few users that have experienced poor playback of any video type...as if GPU acceleration is not working correctly. Some were able to overcome this by using Flash Beta 1p...while others had to return their units for exchange or warranty to get the playback corrected. Have not figured out if this is an Acer manufacturing defect or what...

Many of the fellow posters here (mrfatboy, NomadDNA, newcolour) have done some testing and use of various OS and hardware. They too can offer some personalized insight with your 1600. But weigh your options, expectations, needs, OS and make your choice based on those factors.

Honestly, I know that $199 price on the 1600 is sweet! But, I'd return it and get a Revo 3610 or a Zotac unit for $330+ USD. It will run Win-7 well and playback will be much better over a broader range of formats and uses. Open the box, plug it in, update, install boxee and GO. You'll spend less time messing around with it and just watch some TV.

[judgeschambers]

Thanks for the info Nomad.

Do you know if the 1600 will run Windows 7 / Boxee alright?

What say you, judgeschambers?

Thanks

After my dissertation on last post....

It will run Win-7, but due to the single core it may not be "snappy." You may have to turn off Aero and uninstall all unneeded programs and services to gain some CPU and Ram.

But it will run and playback of all video formats will be there. But...it is only a single core, so there are some limitations to speed you'll have to come to terms with on any Windows OS choice.

MrFatboy has tested both OS's on a similar machine. Maybe he could break down the XP vs Win-7 performance differences.. both benefits and drawbacks of snappiness and video format playback. That's what you really need to make a decision.