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Author Topic: Will a ZBOX-PI320 be up for the task of being a pure MC20 system  (Read 1203 times)

kiwi

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Will a ZBOX-PI320 be up for the task of being a pure MC20 system
« on: September 16, 2014, 03:09:54 pm »

I'm thinking about getting one as a dedicated PC for running MC20.  Will it have enough grunt to handle all MC audio needs?  ideally, being able to play to a couple different zones at the same time.

ZBOX-PI320
GPU: Intel HD Graphics
Name: Intel Atom Z3735F (quad-core, 1.33 GHz) Burst frequency up to 1.83 GHz
Memory Type: DDR3L
Memory Speed: 1333 MHz
Capacity: 2GB (integrated)

Basically, I'd toss an external drive on it and maybe find a small touch LED screen for it.

Thanks
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AndrewFG

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Re: Will a ZBOX-PI320 be up for the task of being a pure MC20 system
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2014, 04:10:41 am »


My audio player PC is Atom based. The only issue is that if it does not have a CPU cooler it will get very hot; so you will need a case fan. I bought an ultra quiet case fan and set the BIOS for variable speed control, so most times you can hardly hear it at all. (Especially when you have music playing).

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astromo

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Re: Will a ZBOX-PI320 be up for the task of being a pure MC20 system
« Reply #2 on: September 17, 2014, 04:29:32 am »

Take a look at the comments in this piece:
http://liliputing.com/2014/08/zotac-zbox-pi320-pocket-sized-bay-trail-desktop-pc.html
around Zotac and their reputation in terms of cooling (or otherwise). Personally, I don't have the depth of experience to confirm or refute.

I would say that I'm going OK so far with the Brix unit and my setup posts a JRMark (version 20.0.15): 906, using Linux.

Personally, and I may be wrong, but I'm expecting that the hardware will be happier on Linux than Win8.1. I'm guessing that it should have a lower resource overhead which should help keep it cooler. I'll see how the hardware survives.

Reading this:
http://www.avsforum.com/forum/26-home-theater-computers/1576330-gigabyte-brix-fanless-atom-gb-bxbt-2807-a.html
I think it's wise to avoid putting the unit under the stress of video. Audio playback is the limit of duty for my plans as they stand.
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kiwi

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Re: Will a ZBOX-PI320 be up for the task of being a pure MC20 system
« Reply #3 on: September 30, 2014, 12:16:41 am »

Thanks for the replies... Maybe I'll just give it a try.

@AndrewFG - I don't think that I can add any CPU cooler/case fan to it.  It's a self contained device.

@astromo I'm guessing the linux will be much happier... but that MC will run much better on windows.
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