[breez]

But is the Pentium4 a strict requirement? I don't see why it should be!

 

[bangraman]

I don't either. C3 / EPIA-SP is possible, but bear in mind the technical / performance requirements.

 

[bangraman]

Ah yes... I've just spotted it, a typo. I mislead everyone!!!!!!

I meant to put in 2Ghz P4 class. Sorry folks.

 

[j8x]

Here's a link to a site with P4 mini ITX motherboards.

http://www.logicsupply.com/default.php/cPath/55

They have cases there for them also. Have they been suggested before?

 

[Hello]

I think AOpen is releasing an updated micro-atx pentium M motherboard, that will have things like DVI, HDMI, compononent output, etc. It will probably cost around 200.

Also, Shuttle has some interesting barebone systems that you may want to look into. I think the Shuttle Zen is a nice choice for HTPC because it's by far its quietest model (Though, the Zen lacks an AGP slot).

I think you'll be hard pressed to find a PC solution that is better than the mac-mini in every way, for less than 450. But, anyways, it seems like you like the Mac-Mini, so why not just get one?

 

[IstariAsuka]

Well, tell me what you think of the following cases.

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...163-006&depa=1
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...129-142&depa=1
http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...163-042&depa=1

Any of these meet your fashion requirements?

This will help me get started on your challenge.

BTW if this is supposed to "match" the mac mini, why must it have a matching mouse and keyboard? Mac mice and keyboards don't match the Mini very well; it's silver, they're white and clear.

 

[bangraman]

You don't have to ask me if a style is right. I've set out the requirements, so all you have to do is to fill it by your interpretation of the requirements.


"Match" ~ It's a loose term, open to interpretation. Put the Mac Mini, Wireless Keyboard and Mouse together and they have certain common style cues although they're not a 1:1 design match. Obviously the PC solution doesn't have to match the Mini, but the components should share styling cues, which should in turn be living room friendly. If there's a borderline mismatch, we'll turn the opinions over to everyone here

And "Hello", I already have a Mac Mini. This will be a PC equivalent and when a system that does actually satisfy the requirements is built, I will pit the two against each other. Also, I might already have tried what you might suggest so I know what doesn't work. But just to keep it fun, I'm not going to tell you until I start getting more responses

 

[kamaurul]

Here we go...

~2Ghz P4 class
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Socket 939) - $146.00

>=80Gb storage
Seagate 80 GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA - $71.00

512MB RAM
Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - $48.00

LAN, basic audio onboard
USB2.0 and Firewire
DVI out
MSI "RS480M2-IL" ATI Radeon XPRESS 200 Chipset Motherboard - $92.50

DVD-ROM drive as minimum
SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive - $26.00

Wireless keyboard and mouse stylistically matched to case
Logitech Cordless Desktop LX700 Keyboard and Mouse - $59.00

OEM copy of Windows XP
Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 -OEM - $92.95

Enlosure: Either a similar footprint to Mac Mini (no more than 1.5x deviation in height and length and no more than 1" deviation in width), OR an enclosure which will match a typical contemporary Japanese Hi-Fi component (Let's take as a reference the Sony DVP-NS975V) in terms of style and dimensions. In either case must be aesthetically pleasing and decor-neutral.
SILVERSTONE Black All Aluminum Alloy ATX Desktop Case, Model "SST-LC01" - $165.00
Needs a PSU: Enlight ATX 300W P4 SATA Power Supply, Model "EN-5602443" - $30.50
Or if you prefer a nice, small Micro-ATX case (accepts half height expansion cards only though):
ANTEC Piano Black Slimline MicroATX PC Case with 220W Power Supply, Model "Minuet" - $65.49

Bluetooth and 802.11G BUILT IN (i.e no front protrusions, extraneous cables, huge rear aerials or blocking of rear USB ports with dongles)
I give up on this one. The best I could come up with are these:
IOGEAR Bluetooth to USB Adapter, Class 2, Model GBU211 - $29.00
SMC EZconnect g 54Mbps Wireless PCI Ethernet Adapter - $39.00

Programmable remote control of any PC function via bluetooth mobiles and PDA's with visual feedback
I don't understand you. If it's software, is this what you mean?
Bluetooth Remote Control for Smartphone
Review of the above

As silent as Mac Mini
I don't know how loud this setup is going to be.

Must not exceed $900.
Well, currently this setup is at $798.95 ($668.94 if you took the smaller case), so maybe the surplus could be used to remedy the shortcomings of it (quiet heatsink, internal bluetooth/wireless g, remote, etc). And if Silverstones don't make the grade, you might wanna check Soldam out for sexy cases: http://www.soldam.net/

Edit: PSU for Silverstone case.

 

[IstariAsuka]

Darn, I go out for a bit and someone beats me to it.

Quote:

Bluetooth and 802.11G BUILT IN (i.e no front protrusions, extraneous cables, huge rear aerials or blocking of rear USB ports with dongles)

Note that the PCI card that kamaurul suggested does not have a huge rear aerial--you can probably run it without the antenna, and even if you cannot you can just position it sideways along the back of the case. Therefore I think it meets your requirement.

As for quiet, you should be able to get this guy pretty quiet. If you want super-silence, swap the HDD for a samsung, or even go towards a 5200 rpm laptop drive (a la Mac Mini (though some of theirs are 4200...)). That would also create less heat. This, combined with the fact that there is basically NOTHING in there but the processor to make heat, means you could probably get away with a very quiet fan on the CPU. And, if the case fans are too loud, replace them too. Or even, since we're underbudget, do a fancy watercooling setup. ;P

 

[dknightd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bangraman Programmable remote control of any PC function via bluetooth mobiles and PDA's with visual feedback

Sorry to sidetrack this post - might as well since likely nobody can put together
the PC system you want - not sure why you'd want it anyway...

I'm not bluetooth capable (or savvy) yet, trying to figure out if I really want/need
to be yet. How are you handling bluetooth control of your mac. Can any bluetooth "mobile" (I assume phone?) or PDA be used? Can it really control everything? Being able to control any function with visual feedback seems like a really nice thing! How do I do this?

To be honest for a home based system I think I'd start with a G5. Right now I'm using an old flat screen iMac g4 as my audio server. It has about 1.2 TB of firewire disk hanging off it. The mac mini wouldn't add any functionality. A new G5 would add a couple of things I'd like. Specifically, better performance with a large iTunes library, digital out, a bigger box so I could use internal disk instead of external. I don't know how the volume of an macmini compares, maybe it is quiet enough to justifying
over a imac g4 flatscreen to make it worthwhile... A better setup would be a NFS fileserver in the basement (linux would work nicely) and a quiet
gui in the front room. (so far I still prefer apple guis, but the MS ones are closing in fast).
I think the mac mini would make a killer car based system if good compatible touch screens are availalble. The mini uses essentially laptop stuff so should be able to survive in a car. GPS navigation and itunes should cover what I need in a mobile system (plus an easy text entry system for
when I came up with a good tought on the road. Pull into the driveway at the end of a trip and reload maps/tunes for the next trip. A bluetooth keyboard/mouse could be carried around to perform what couldn't be done via touchscreen.

Anyway, good luck with your chalange.

 

[bangraman]

Sailing Clicker is what I've purchased.

 

[mshan]

That Sailing Clicker seems very nice. Is it essentially plug and play on the Apple platform?

Don't know if it has BlueTooth support, but Girder allows a lot of customization within the Windows domain:

http://www.promixis.com/

 

[commando]

Get a Shuttle mini-PC - they perform as well as larger PCs, are quiet, have lots of features, and are expandable. I wish i'd gotten one instead of my huge tower, the new model arrived in the country 2 days after I ordered the big ugly system

 

[kamaurul]

Well, if you're thinking of taking the sff (small form factor) route, this model uses the same chipset as the aforementioned MSI motherboard:
Shuttle XPC ST20G5
Should be available in a few weeks, with an ERP of ~$350.00.

So the price for this setup would be
$798.95 (previous setup)
- $92.50 (MSI motherboard)
- $165.00 (Silverstone case)
- $30.50 (Enlight PSU)
+ $350.00
= $860.95

Sacrificing the only available PCI slot for the Wireless G is gonna suck, so spending $65.00 on Shuttle's custom adapter makes a little sense here.
PN15g - Shuttle XPC IEEE802.11b/g Wireless LAN Kit

So now it's
$860.95
- $39.00 (SMC 802.11g PCI)
+ $65.00
= $886.95

Edit: Complete specs
AMD Athlon 64 3000+ (Socket 939) - $146.00
Seagate 80 GB Barracuda 7200RPM SATA - $71.00
Kingston 184 Pin 512MB DDR PC-3200 - $48.00
Shuttle XPC ST20G5 - ~$350.00
SONY Black 16X DVD-ROM Drive - $26.00
Logitech Cordless Desktop LX700 Keyboard and Mouse - $59.00
Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 -OEM - $92.95
IOGEAR Bluetooth to USB Adapter, Class 2, Model GBU211 - $29.00
PN15g - Shuttle XPC IEEE802.11b/g Wireless LAN Kit - $65.00

 

[Edwood]

If you want it to be as small, as quiet, as a Mac mini, while havint 2GHz P4 performance with a $900 budget, it won't be possible right now.

Even with the upcoming NanoITX boards, you still won't have the raw performance. But the Mac Mini doesn't either.

Best bet? Pentium M based Mini-ITX. But it probably won't fit into the budget. It could just barely. Maybe if you could stretch your budget a bit.

-Ed