JDNewell

[JDNewell]

Even if you add something like a Crystal Broadcom card?  I read about one guy doing that and he was happy with the results.  Actually the writing is on the wall.  I think a Sandy Bridge in maybe 3 months or so would be a much better decision.  A new computer is more of a need than a want right now.

I do like that ZBOX with the Celeron SU2300 though, just for its compactness.  Looking forward to the review.

[JDNewell]

Sounds good.  I may go the Sandy route after all, and I see no good reason not to put a Sandy Bridge in the compact Isk 100.  OK, maybe the cost of 2.5 inch drives and lack of expandability, and being limited to external DVD drives and TV tuners.  After researching things I decided my first build should be the more conventional micro-ATX.  Even a slim case should have good functionality/expandability.  If I feel like building a second box then I might consider doing an ultra compact box, but not right now.

Thanks for everything and let me know when you think the Z-BOX review might be published.

John

[JDNewell]

Michael,

I am very interested to hear your review.  I was thinking of making a similar unit but with the Conroe chip for its low power, reliability, and dumping it into an Antec ISK100.  Certainly small and cute, but maybe I should just consider the SU2300 (ZBOX ND22?), although I am not sure how well it would do with a TV tuner card.  Do you care to leak such information before publishing the review?

Thanks–John

[JDNewell]

Michael,

I can certainly avoid NVIDIA, but can you tell me the reason?  I guess if I go Sandy Bridge the graphics is in the chip itself, correct?  Along that argument I am assuming you would also avoid intel GMA4500 as well, correct?

 

This all started when I discovered the net boxes like the Zotac SU2300 which seemed like a really good idea, if it can deliver on its promises.

 

Thanks,

John

[JDNewell]

My budget is $300 max, and preferably less.

I know I will not get high performance on such a budget.  I am doing this more for the fun of it and the learning experience.  Eventually I may turn it into a Linux box.

I just want to know what to expect and what the limitations are.  Would I be better off ditching the onboard video and getting a cheap graphics card?  My understanding is the onboard shares buss and memory and the external card does not, but for basic streaming and maybe a TV card it may be overkill.

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