HTPC - Looking for NUC input

[gunner007]

Forgive me, but it's my first time looking into this ultra compact market and I'm a bit confused as there's so many options and I want to make sure I'm getting what I need, and not spending more than needed.

What I'm looking for is a silent/quiet NUC that can play back just about anything I can throw out at it. I don't really have a ton of blu-rays ripped (maybe 1-2) and want to play them back on our 50" plasma TV. Storage inside isn't an issue as all our family videos and movies are stored on my local NAS for playback. For a long time we've been using our old PS3 to play movies, but I guess on the higher quality MKV, it tends to start chunking to the point of being unplayable. The NAS can play directly, but being a passive solution, the fan kicks into vaccum cleaner mode and ruins the experience.

My other plan is that my wife and I love playing old games. (think gog.com) Most of these games were from prior to 2000, so the graphics demand isn't super high, but I imagine anything with DirectX support. (I tried a VM through my NAS, but they don't support video drivers so the gameplay was super choppy - even on something like Might and Magic 6)

Sorry for the diatribe

Here's what I do have lying around to use:

1) 90GB Corsair Force3 SSD (2.5" - Ideally would love to reuse this since I won't be storing data)
2) 8GB of 1.35V DDR3-1600L memory (Salvaging this from the NAS since I won't be using the VM/Media features anymore)

The biggest thing I've come across is the decision of the processor. I would be springing for any of the new 5th generation units. Right now it's coming down to price, SSD 2.5" support, and whether or not I need an i3/i5.

My biggest question to you experts out there is, is there a need for an i5 in my setup? My plan is to play just about anything I can throw at it short of 3D or big blu-ray rips. I would like to play my retro games (think might and magic VI or say old DOSBOX games, maybe newest thing would be something like Diablo2?)

I've narrowed my choices down to the Gigabyte Brix and Intel NUC units, and I'm finding some pros and cons. The Gigabytes seem to be cheaper, but lack the 2.5" SSD option meaning I'd have to purchase another HDD to use. The Intel NUCS are more expensive, but support IR features out of the box which is nice for the Harmony remote we use.

The real thing for us is we like a unit that remains quiet in operation and isn't a vaccum cleaner during video playback. I linked some units below at a local Fry's retailer for reference. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Intel NUC: i3-5010U - http://www.frys.com/product/8378317?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN...
Intel NUC: i5-5250U - http://www.frys.com/product/8378307?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN...

GigabyteBrix: i3-5010U - http://www.frys.com/product/8491618?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN...
GigabyteBrix: i5-5200U - http://www.frys.com/product/8491508?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN...

Oh forgot pricing:

Intel i3 - $279
Intel i5 - $368

Gigabyte i3 - $259
Gigabyte i5 - ($299 for limited time - normal price $349)

When I think about it, if the i3 is ideal, then the Intel might make the most sense due to the ability to reuse my SSD and IR and save cash since the Gigabytes only can use mSSD. If the i5 is a option, the $70 price drop is tempting even with the need to purchase a new mSSD. Also the unit will be conencted via GbE lan (wireless isn't really needed at the location, but if it could stream at that speed, that's cool too)

Wow that's one wall of text. Sorry for all of that, but if you read this far, I'd love to hear any input from someone who has one. (I know I can build a HTPC for a lot cheaper, but I'm also looking at this as something I can just pick up and toss in my overnight bag when I travel and throw the odd movie onto a flash drive or the internal SSD)

Thanks all

[Vash The Stampede]

My biggest question to you experts out there is, is there a need for an i5 in my setup? My plan is to play just about anything I can throw at it short of 3D or big blu-ray rips. I would like to play my retro games (think might and magic VI or say old DOSBOX games, maybe newest thing would be something like Diablo2?)

These are using laptops parts which means an i5 and i3 aren't really a big difference. They're both dual core with hyperthreading. The i5 can "turbo" to 2.7 Ghz while the i3 is stuck at 2.1 Ghz. But that turbo speed depends on its cooling.

When I think about it, if the i3 is ideal, then the Intel might make the most sense due to the ability to reuse my SSD and IR and save cash since the Gigabytes only can use mSSD. If the i5 is a option, the $70 price drop is tempting even with the need to purchase a new mSSD. Also the unit will be conencted via GbE lan (wireless isn't really needed at the location, but if it could stream at that speed, that's cool too)

The i3 is the better choice because you're not getting anything much with the i5. But for that much I'd rather build my own HTPC? A quality ITX system isn't that much compared to those NUC's and you still need to do some assembly with them and install an OS. Compared to those laptop CPUs, the A10-5800K is probably faster anyway with better graphics. A game like Diablo 2 would be no problem, including Crysis 3 on low.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD A10-5800K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor ($81.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock FM2A78M-ITX+ Mini ITX FM2+ Motherboard ($56.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($37.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Silverstone Sugo Series SG05W Mini ITX Desktop Case w/300W Power Supply ($109.00 @ NCIX US)
Total: $285.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-08-08 16:55 EDT-0400

[gunner007]

Thanks for the input. I did see after reading it was really the same # of cores and threads, so i5 is probably way more than I need.

I don't really play FPS games, and probably never will on this machine. (I don't really play game, but my wife is mainly playing things like old Might and Magic games, and things like Carmen Sandiego etc.. (stuff that would run on early XP machines and even DOS)

Watching our 1080p movies is nice.

I wish I could build a HTPC as you listed, but the bigger issue we have is portability and our entertainment cabinet. There isn't room enough for 15" deep cases without putting them behind a glass door (which I imagine is murder on air-flow)

I'll look into the HTPC parts though, I'm just worried that if it doesn't work, we have to go through the return process with 3 different vendors.

Thanks for your help!

[fixx]

But for that much I'd rather build my own HTPC? A quality ITX system isn't that much compared to those NUC's

Even the smallest full ITX cases (where you can put in own PSU and graphics card) are ten times bigger than NUCs.

I wish I could build a HTPC as you listed, but the bigger issue we have is portability and our entertainment cabinet. There isn't room enough for 15" deep cases without putting them behind a glass door (which I imagine is murder on air-flow)

I'll look into the HTPC parts though, I'm just worried that if it doesn't work, we have to go through the return process with 3 different vendors.

Silverstone has much better cases meant for HTPC use than the one linked above. Milo series is meant for livingroom compatible ITX computers that fit into the HiFi rack along with other devices.