Looking for a new system

    Hi,

    my old NUC (5gen pentium) started to show its age, especially when I switch from FHD to 4K TV. Because of this my daily driver is FireTV Stick 4K Max. However it has it limitations of lack hd audio support and size. I was also forced to connect etehrnet adapter in order to play 4K content without any issues.

    However, after some time I want to run small project and get KODI with HD audio support. The idea is a new intel small factor PC. It will in the background run docker with reverse proxy and cloudflare tunnel to host some web applications outside. Also it'll be used for Plex server and transcode some FHD videos to x265 to save some space on my NAS. In front I want KODI to run it 24/7 and play media from my NAS (4k, HDR, DV, Atmos, DTS-HD, TrueHD). As my LG tv has no support to DTS, computer needs to be connected to the soundbar directly.

    I am looking to get DELLmicro, HPmini, or LENOVOtiny with i5/16-32GB and SSD drives. Are there benefits aiming higher than i5-8500T? Shall I stick to NUC and go with i5-11357G7? In future I may repurpose this PC and add it to the k8s cluster in my home lab and replace with something newer like new shieldtv (if they ever release it).

    Cheers,

    M

    I also have an Intel i5 mini PC that I bought very cheap and it has to use the fan to decode 4K, but I am very happy with it. Using it as a server I don't need to decode 4K because the clients will, besides being my home server it's also my NAS, my home cloud, my media server, my TV server, my acestream server, my emule server, my torrent server, my remote access VPN server, my two security camera storage server, my real-time backup place for smartphones when we are away from home so we don't miss any photos or videos, my remote desktop PC that I use with my tablet when I am away from home, and also uses LE with Kodi but it is not connected to any TV, I only access the desktop with VNC.

    This miniPC is the server of a small network of cheap arm devices with CE spread over four different locations and they have almost nothing to do since the hard work is done by the server, they just have to play whatever the server sends: SD, HD or 4K.

    Edited 2 times, last by elonesna (June 22, 2022 at 6:37 PM).

    I would vote for an Intel Nuc.

    Why ?

    intel is actively developing the kernel.

    means: GPU, WIFI, BT should or do work OTB flawlessly.

    you maybe need to check if you need a separat audio connector

    I have no idea if the GPU is sufficing for transcoding.

    Anyone ?

    as an NVMe SSD I would suggest either Samsung 970 plus (PCIe 3) or 980 Pro (PCIe 4, depends on the CPU on some Desptop CPU's)

    for daily work they don't differ much (writing: 3.2 GB/s versus 5GB/s) and the first got a new controller (don't know if this influences the speed)

    I own both and the elder 970 plus

    have the win11 requirements (e.g. CPU version, etc.) into account, if this could become a need in the future ...

    I guess this is to watch video and listen to audio only in the living room of your house ... this is killing flies with cannon shots with very expensive bullets! 8|

    I don't intend to use it with windows any time soon. Also regarding nvme in real life tests I compared pro with evo and and the price difference at that point was not worth it tbh. Usually when I select the SSD I look at 4kb samples read speeds and DRAM size. I digress.

    Wireless and BT does not bither me at all and on my old nuc I have them switched off.

    elonesna, which kind of mini pc you're using? Are you using LE and docker on this machine? How about support for docker-compose or you deploy only containers by ls.io?

    I have a Unraid, but old hardware (sandy bridge) also limits plex, but my main purpose is to get machine capable of HD audio first, other requirements come second.

    Quote from JoeAverage

    what convinces you to know how big the "flies" are in, let's say: in 5 years, when the box needs to do some other work apart from AV ?

    Well, I'll think about that in 5 years. ;) . I learnt the best way is to meet current requirements and have some buffer to grow but not to plan for 3-5y. Usually, Instead of upgrading components, I replace the equipment when it shows its age or requirements significantly changes. It's much easier to handle, and much less hustle. if I ever repurpose this PC it will be worker part of the k8s homelab.

    That is why I don't care about AV1 support much. There is no material in this codec available and for streaming services there are better options than LE.

    I am buying the optiplex 3090 micro, 10500t 6/12, 16GB, 256SSD. I am upgrading NVME and installing second SSD for data. Shall I install LE to nvme or boot from USB and keep NVME only for containers and data? What would be your approach? My concern is the future upgrade process and possible risk of braking the containers to function.

    Does the latest version support HDR/DoVi/HDaudio and has all the bells and whistles?

    NVMe will be faster and more reliable than a USB stick.

    No (unless using a test build with HDR patches), No (because DoVi is closed-source garbage), Yes (assuming the hardware supports it).

    I use my Nvidia Shield for Kodi. It has really good processing power and everything streams effortlessly through there. It also has dolby vision output to my 4K QLED. It also has dolby digital sound output, which works well with my sonos arc. Honestly, the sound that comes out of that thing is unreal!

    yes I know, but I'm kind of reluctant investing that amount of money into 3yo hardware. And nvidia is not helping making this decission with their firmwares issues happened in last years. However it seems there is no alternatice for all-in-one box.

    I started looking for RPi replacements/backups.

    I found this $129 mini N40 pc from Coofun, Intel Celeron N4020. After wiping out Windows and installing LibreELEC, I'm using a Dell 4k monitor @ 2560x1440p & din 3.5mm for audio out, an LG soundbar. ARC works, but my soundbar doesn't passthrough anything above 1080p. TV shows (1080/720/480) from HDHomerun boxes look crisp, all the IPTV 2160p channels look amazing. Using a WeeChip remote.

    Still got to test with my TV's (LG WebOS) ARC/CEC with dedicated AVR's. (Not holding my breath)