Would this work as a cheap cost efficent mini pc?

[holbob]

I'd like to have a quiet super efficent pc running slimserver next to the squeezebox. The pc would be doing nothing else other than running slimserver. I tend to think the NAS boxes are very expensive for what they are. After a bit of research I stumbled along this :-

http://www.tranquilpc-shop.co.uk/acatalog/T3N.html

Too good to be true, can anyone see any drawbacks with this? Any advice welcomed as i've never had any experience with either Nas's or servers.

[aubuti]

That should be fine for running SqueezeCenter. And it's not "too good to be true" at all. There are several products out there with comparable specs and prices. I run SC on a basic MSI Wind desktop that uses the same Atom CPU. I recommend getting at least 1GB RAM. I have 2GB and actually run *two* copies of SC on it: the current stable release (7.3.3) plus the 7.4 nightly on a "virtual machine" that runs on the same box.

I wouldn't exactly call that computer (or my own SC server) "super efficient", because there are options out there that have a much lower power draw. But still, 20-30 watts running isn't bad, and if it supports Wake-on-LAN and ACPI suspend-to-RAM then you can use the excellent SrvrPowerCtrl plugin to suspend the server automatically after your SBs have been idle for a certain period of time. In suspend mode the power draw is probably on the order of 3-5w.

[morris_minor]

Yes - this should prove more than OK for Squeezecenter. Had it been available when I bought my T2 I may well have gone for it myself . . .

[RonM]

This will work fine for SqueezeCenter. It uses a similar processor to the one in my FitPC2, although the Atom 530 in the Fit has lower power consumption (I believe). The Fit2 is working just fine as a music server for me.

Bear in mind that you will have to buy a hard drive and install an operating system. And don't forget monitor and keyboard (fine if you already have them, but extra cost if you don't), at least for the initial install.

You could be better off getting a netbook (same processor range typically used) with a HD and an OS already installed, which (of course) includes a keyboard and a monitor. Or consider the Fit2, which is lower power and readily uses a standard (non-green) 3.5" drive. Or buy with a hard drive and Windows XP for twice the price, less for Linux. Could net out cheaper.

R.

[RichardEvans]

I'm running a atom based Tranquil PC. The only difference is that mine has a dual core processor. I installed 1Gb of RAM and a 1Tb 3 1/2" hard drive.

Previously I was using a Qnap TS-109, and the TranquilPC is in a completely different league, much much faster.

For an OS I installed Vortex Box. It needed to connect a CD ROM drive to do boot up and install it. You can buy an external Optical drive, but I didn't want to do this just for a one off install, so instead I managed to connect one of the CD-ROM drives from my old Desktop PC to an IDE connector that was on the TranquilPCs system board. I also used my PC as a power supply for the CD-ROM. That part was a bit of a bodge, but I only had to do it once. Once Vortex box was installed the rest was easy.

Richard.

[dBerriff]

I too am considering this with one of the Green Power (GP) drives and maxing out the RAM. Attractive as the Vortex Box is, this might be an even quieter, equally cost effective option for UK buyers who do not need automatic ripping and who are prepared to install and configure the OS.

I am thinking about Ubuntu Netbook Remix as the OS as this can be installed from (or even run from) a USB pen drive. Anyone tried this combination?

VortexBox as the distro is another option of course and I am by no means discounting that if it can be installed off a USB drive.

[NeilT]

Don't limit yourself to the Netbook Remix. If you use Unetbootin (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/) you can make a bootable USB drive for most common Linux distros.

Neil

[dBerriff]

Don't limit yourself to the Netbook Remix. If you use Unetbootin (http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/) you can make a bootable USB drive for most common Linux distros.

Neil

Thanks for the lead - I will take a look. As the box will only be used for SC and possibly a Samba share I'm not too worried about limiting the capability - but it is all good info to think about. :-)