BIOSTAR A68I-350 Deluxe AMD Fusion MB/CPU + 8 GB GSkill Ram for $60 NewEgg
 

UPDATE: No rebate necessary now as it's $60.

link [newegg.com]

The included RAM is $40 if you were to purchase it, so (and it gets 5 Eggs with 1,062 reviews so it's not junk), so for an extra $20 you get a MB/CPU combo...

$10 rebate link [newegg.com]

I didn't see this posted (and "yes" I searched).

This is obviously for HTPC (more XBMC / OpenELEC [openelec.tv] I'm not sure about Netflix or HULU), MAME or "grandma" use, but it's a good start for a low-power usage client. The DOA reviews concern me a little, but there are many NewEgg reviewers that shouldn't be doing anything with computers, so I'll take a chance on this.

Model
BrandBIOSTAR
ModelA68I-350 Deluxe
Combo TypeMotherboard/CPU ComboBundle
CPUAMD Fusion APU 350D
With CoolerYesSupported CPU
CPU TypeAMD APUChipsets
North BridgeAMD A68Memory
Number of Memory Slots2×240pin
Memory StandardDDR3 1066/800
Maximum Memory Supported16GBExpansion Slots
PCI Express x161 x PCI-E x16 2.0 Slot (x4)Storage Devices
SATA3 x SATA 6.0Gb/sOnboard Video
Onboard Video ChipsetAMD Radeon HD 6310 graphicsOnboard Audio
Audio ChipsetRealtek ALC662
Audio Channels6 ChannelsOnboard LAN
LAN ChipsetRealtek 8111F
LAN Speed10/100/1000MbpsRear Panel Ports
PS/22
Video PortsD-Sub
HDMI1 x HDMI
USB 1.1/2.02 x USB 2.0
USB 3.02 x USB 3.0
Audio Ports3 PortsInternal I/O Connectors
Onboard USB4 x USB 2.0
Other Connectors1 x Printer Header
1 x Front Audio Header
1 x Front Panel Header
1 x S/PDIF-OUT Header
1 x CPU FAN Header
1 x System FAN Header
1 x Serial HeaderPhysical Spec
Form FactorMini ITX
Dimensions6.7" x 6.7"Features
FeaturesSocket BGA FT1

AMD A68 Chipset

AMD Radeon HD 6310 Graphics

Mini size (17 x 17cm ) for flexible use

Case + PSU which is often on sale for $35 or so (although it's currently $49): link [amazon.com]

Another case +PSU option which is currently $35 (thanks BinaryDemon): link [walmart.com]

BIOSTAR A68I-350 Deluxe AMD Fusion Motherboard/CPU Combo + 8GB (2x4GB) GSkill DDR3 1066 Desktop Memory $60 after $10 Rebate + Free Shipping
 

Newegg.com has BIOSTAR A68I-350 Deluxe AMD Fusion Motherboard/CPU Combo + 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1066 Desktop Memory (added to cart automatically) for $69.99 - $10 rebate = $59.99 with free shipping. Thanks dvdapex
Link for the G.Skill Memory (for reference)

This post can and should be edited by users like you :)
 

HOW-TO:Install XBMC on Ubuntu with AMD GPU

http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?ti...ur_system:

http://youresuchageek.blogspot.fr...linux.html

I have recently purchased a HTPC with E-350, and Hulu works real great. Except when you multitask (e.g.: updates, etc) it does not skip. If you do multitask, then the video becomes a powerpoint presentation :)

Added the link to the $10 rebate.

I am seriously considering this for a Linux based (xbmc or openELEC) htpc. I have heard that the e350 is not great for Netflix HD streaming. Anyone have any personal experience? How about handling h.264 encoded 1080p files? The price is so tempting and if it isn't a good htpc I will find something to do with it.

I bought this exact RAM about 2 years ago for $60 alone. Crazy the kind of deals you can get now.

Except for everything it lists about the details about this bundle...I can't even see what the heck the actual CPU is (or, "APU" yes yes) or clockrate it runs at. I assume it's basically a E-350 from the name? So 1.6ghz, and basically the same CPU as what the c-50/c-60 netbook processors do except at a higher clockrate?

And on a related note...any cheap Mini-ITX case/PSU combos out there?

This is often on sale for $35 or so.
link [amazon.com]

1080p files depend but so far they tend to skip but every 10 seconds or so (very annoying). I am trying to play 1080p DTS AC3 x264 or similar encode.

Oh and Netflix HD lags pretty bad and its very annoying!

Linky no worky. You linked it to your purchase history.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it.

This seems like a decent deal - http://www.walmart.com/ip/Raidmax...y/16318466

Normally I wouldn't trust a Raidmax PSU in my desktop but given that this E-350 uses like 35w loaded, its probably safe enough.

Well, that was dumb of me. I've fixed the link.

Wish I had seen this about a month ago. I paid full price for a amd e450 motherboard, which was double this... and I still had to buy ram separately.

I was worried about the lag as well, but it hasn't been an issue for me. I can play blu-ray, bluray rips (via handbrake, high profile) extremely smoothly on ubuntu. It did require the catalyst drivers to enable hardware decoding.

It can definitely be used as a "grandma" system once it has been set up. I use mine as a file server and HTPC, not a primary computer. Very pleased with my purchase, except for having to spend $80 more than this deal.

Never tried netflix, but hulu / youtube works.

Oh, and there is very little difference between the e450 vs e350.

Dang it. I already have a htpc, NAS, and my desktop.
What is a good excuse to purchase this lol

Link to the E-350D specs [amd.com].

OST capacitors.

Not sure if want.

I bought this which means I now have 2x as many HTPCs as I do TVs / Projectors in the house. BNTL ("Buy Now. Think Later") that's the SD way! :)

The height on the ripjaw might be an issue for some HTPC builds.

Didn't need it, but bit anyway. Will go nicely with the Lian Li mITX case I got 2 weeks ago for $45.

I did not have this board personally but I had a msi board with the e-350 (essentially the same). IF the video can be accelerated via gpu then the machine will play it wonderfully. The dual core cpu is ok in normal tasks, about the speed of a dual core atom but still much slower than a dual core sb or ib.

Now the problem arises with netflix which for reasons unbeknownst to me have disabled gpu acceleration for computer playing (including mce plugin and browser). Thus no hd netflix will play smoothly on this motherboard. Now you say to yourself that you can live with SD and that may be possible the annoying part comes up when you have another machine like a roku, android phone, or something along that line that does get gpu acceleration enabled. Then you have to keep going back to your account via browser and turning HD on or off. Unfortunately you can not select hd or sd per episode or movie.

Now if you have not bit on this deal yet and are interested in an htpc I HIGHLY recommend getting a cheap 1155 board with hdmi and a g530/540/550/620/630/640/645....... pretty much any 1155 celeron. This chip and mb combo should run you around 100 bucks maybe a little more for a mini itx. The beauty of this setup is that if gpu acceleration fails the cpu is more than capable to churn it out. Power use also is not very much higher than the e-350.

Hope this helps

AVoid the 350 CPU, it's really not up to do much of anything, and the moment the GPU acceleration isn't 100% used the CPU is brought to it's knees. Spend $50 more and get something with a better CPU...

Netflix = silverlight = unsupported on linux--no GPU assist

GPU can hardware decode highest Bluray profile, 3D video, audio bitstream highest.

Anything requiring CPU power (encoding, transcoding, etc) will suck on this.

Nice deal and TU'd even though I won't be purchasing. You can build a low-end desktop PC for next to nothing now, incredible. I've had the same rig since probably 2002 or so, think I'll wait another 6 months to a year for more deflation.

if you use windows 8 with this machine, the new netflix app will play HD fine.

Spend double the price. :) A product that is two generations behind should lose when compared.


_____________

FYI E-300, E-350, E-450, E1-1200, E2-1800 are all two year old products and EOL. Quadcore kabini is coming in <6 months which will perform around Trinity.

Just as an FYI, I built an HTPC with the E350. Works great but you cannot natively run Netflix on Linux. Has to do with Silverlight. Amazon Prime runs fine with Linux and XBMC

Thanks! Will upgrade my server from an AM2 Sempron that uses 65w. Should pay for itself in power in a few months!

PLEEZ people. Biostar as a FP deal? Even if free I wouldn't touch this w/ yours. Just another NE wounded bird.

Biostar is just fine for all of our parents, sorry it doesn't overclock to the max, brosef.

They've got an old Dell Dimension 3000 (Pentium 4) that is just screaming for an overhaul.

Perfect deal, considering that I've got a few SATA hard drives around here doing nothing, the deal comes with RAM, and everything else (CPU/Video/Network/Audio) is integrated on the mobo.

Gives me something to do for Thanksgiving instead of something dumb like eating non-stop or worse, freezing in those Black Friday lines.

been running Biostar for years , it runs fine, never had problem with it.

HOWEVER, my $15 rebate never came...buyer beware. Newegg avoided me when i called them about the rebate.

It seems the CPU is "fused" onto the mobo. I mean can i take it off the motherboard when i want to upgrade the cpu ?

Question, I have an extra 512 mb video card laying around. If I use it on this motherboard, would the CPU perform better than you guys are saying it will? I'm reading here that it skips etc during 1080P video playback. So will it not skip now that I would be using a non-integrated video card?

Does the 350 need a fan? I've seen some mobos with just a heatsink.

Thanks , just got this for a new NAS setup

It's socket FT1, which is EOL, meaning, there's nothing to upgrade to (well, besides a Zecate core).

http://pclinks.xtreemhost.com/cpu...#socketFT1

No. No CPU upgrade is possible.

The CPU is a 'netbook class' CPU. Upgrading the videocard won't yield much improvement since the CPU wont have enough power to feed it data. Most of the comments with bad playback are either related to netflix or using very high quality 1080p codecs. Netflix uses silverlight for playback which currently puts most of the workload on the CPU.

Oh man do I need a reason to buy this....

time to build a NAS?

Depends your looking out for deals. I got a celeron g540 (40 bucks) and a ecs micro atx mb for (20ar) so for me it was about the same.

I was giving non sale prices so it can be useful anytime.

Now this quadcore kabini maybe interesting if they can keep costs low

It does have a PCI-E x16 slot so you could put in a better GPU. I'm not sure about this as a day to day machine but I have an Atom 230 which is significantly slower than the e350 and it runs XBMC (Linux) really well. So if you have a HTPC, this would be a good option even for Windows with Media Center since you can put in a PCI-E tuner card.

The PCI-E slot is x16 (in length) but limited in performance to x4.

Have had this case for a year or two it has its pros and cons. Power supply is pretty loud for HTPC use since the speed is not varied whatsoever. Also there is a piece of plastic under the fan that covers 2/3 of the fan. I have used the case for an gigabyte e350 build and am currently using it with an i3 2100/asrock h67m-itx build but have replaced the PSU with a PicoPsu I purchased on ebay. Really wish w8togo supported apps so I could see how the netflix app works though.

This is a hell of a deal for $60 AR. For $60 you get:

CPU
GPU
Mobo
8GB DDR3 RAM
USB3
Gigabit
6gb SATA

Damn, technology, you gettin' cheap!

despite having SATA3, does anyone know if this chipset also has issues with SSD where speed will be limited to SATA1 only?

this is a bit off topic, but some of you guys might know.

bought a a6 3500 cpu, and the fan on that guy loud. can i buy a same size fan to replace the cpu fan?

Not interested in swapping the whole heatsink, just take out the loud cpu fan and replace it with something a little more quiet.

Can i replace it with a case fan with the same size, or does it have to be a cpu fan?

Thanks guys.

Does someone have a good link on the reasons to build an HTPC over let's say a Roku or tricked out PS3 or other media device?

I think lot of people are looking at this as Ram with free MOBO :)

No one can answer that for you. It really depends on what you watch/ use and how you store your media. For ex. If you just use Netflix then a htpc or even a ps3 is a huge waste of power.

Newegg has a bunch of boards that they are throwing in 8 GB of RAM with. Might be better going with another board if you want a better CPU:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...H-_-MB-L1A

i built my first htpc couple of weeks ago, and to be honest - well worth it. i put w8 on it (http://slickdeals.net/f/5386070), and it will pretty much run anything. Hulu, Netflix, and whatever else you throw at it. Those streaming boxes are limited IMO. Plus that way you will have a spare pc for whatever reason.

used these deals to put together mine:
CPU/MOBO/RAM - http://slickdeals.net/f/5346602 - pretty slick deal
SSD - kingston 120gb - http://slickdeals.net/f/5371292 - missed out on the $60 so bought it for $70
case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811154087

The E-350 AMD CPU is much, much faster than the C-50 (and don't get me started on the Atoms). Passmark gives it a rating of around 800, so it should even outperform some older core2duos. Even without GPU acceleration it should be able to decode 720p video using pure cpu power, even the pesky 10-bit 720p anime encodes (just install LAV filters and Media Player Classic Home Cinema for Windows7). The GPU can hardware decode H.264 high profiles (16ref frames, 8bit) up to 1080p. Blu-rays should run flawless on this thing, so should 1080p Youtube.

What else do you do on it besides Netflix and Hulu? My PS3 can run Hulu through PlayOn. And, of course it can run Netflix and Amazon too. Just wondering if there are any really cool things I could do on an HTPC that I couldn't do on my PS3. Thanks.

I don't see what a full HTPC can do that something like an MK808 can't for less.

couch browsing, espn3... and I cut my cable, so i watch all the shows i missed online. i mean for me it is a do it all box.

Use considerably less power doing the same thing. Playstation 3 uses 170–200 watts under normal use. A HTPC can use as little as 15 watts doing the same depending on setup.

For me, biggest value of my HTPC is automatic recording of over the air TV broadcast, and the free TV guide.

I unplugged the fan on my Gigabyte e350 and used a 120mm case fan. You just have to be creative on mounting it depending on what case you put it in.

Got enough memory already. Waiting for free/cheap SSD or better CPU deals

ok... i don't see a reason why i couldn't use a case fan on a cpu if i wanted to replace a loud one. thanks.

I don't run Netflix, but I built an HTPC with the MSI flavor of this CPU. It works great. I have no problems with any media content that is located on my local network, that includes 1080p content.
I ran this with OpenELEC and now Windows 7 (only done because I wanted live streaming support and it is much easier to do in Windows than OpenELEC or Linux - but it can be done, just with a little more work/time than I wanted to invest).
I did this for just about the same price, I think my ram ran about $10 more about 5 months ago.

Soldered on. No replacement possible.

With a good heatsink, you don't need a fan. But realize that changing it is not an easy process. I don't know how good the heatsink on this motherboard is.

It really depends on your own use/needs. I used to rock a WDTV Live (and loved and advocated for it). I just found after a while, it started to run short for my own needs. So I built an HTPC. It does all I need and I know that a little more work, I can add functionality that I find I need in the future.

So really it comes down to: Does the PS3 or Roku do what you need or does an HTPC seem more along your needs? And like someone else said, that is a question you need to answer.

BTW - to those knocking the E350 - for an HTPC, this processor does it's job. There are better, and it does have it's limitations (I don't know if it can handle 3D-1080p). But it does it's job admirably. And at a price point that is really hard to beat.

What card and software do you use to do this?

FYI. A T7200 Core 2 Duo (ca. 2006) plays Netflix HD streams and complex 1080p MKVs quite capably, with only the help of a lowly Intel GMA 950.

http://www.htpc-reviews.com/time-...theater-pc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T970YM3w1LY

Some of the benefits are:

Upgradeable
Unlimited media formats
Gaming / Emulators (nintendo, etc.)
Remote/Control options (control with smartphone/tablet for example)
Integrated Storage or via network
Option for built in tv tuner
Torrent/Download capable
Customizable Interface
Mature (things like XBMC are extremely mature and polished)

You will have to run a vm with widows to do Netflix on Linux. This CPU would accomplish this poorly.

I have one HP PC 242n, something like that. I want to use the case and this type of mother board and cpu combo. Any ideas, I hate the idea of junking a working PC.

I hear you. I was able to snag deals for g630 systems from the lenovo outlet for <$140; however, those intel systems like yours require fans, larger (micro vs mini), etc.

The future of desktop PC's are going to be mini/nano itx machines as regular desktops just aren't selling. AMD looks to be positioning Kabini for that market.

AMD showing what is to come:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/0...-hands-on/

Intel is even scared shitless to make their own:
http://www.intel.com/content/www/...ction.html

$300-$350 barebone Intel NUC (not i3 for that price) vs $150-$200 barebone Kabini livebox
Performance: (Intel G-series vs Trinity)

I'll be replacing every desktop/htpc I have with kabini boxes.

There was a time that CPU's had only very small heatsinks on them. Granted, those were the days of 586/K6/Pentium, but still.

There are lots of variables that I'm not addressing, for instance, you may be using an ultra skinny case, etc, but speaking on most generic terms, you could look for a bigger and quieter 120mm case fan that moves the same amount of air (bigger blades, less RPM, less noise, same volume since it's 50% larger) and get an adapter. They have a bunch of different ones, but this picture is just to illustrate : http://www.endpcnoise.com/e/images/c..._120mm_fan.jpg

Was looking to upgrade my parents E6600 system, but this would appear to be slower than that cpu by benchmarks.

These celerons can be put in mini itx board so form factor other than the nano box can be met. As far as the nano boxes I will trade size (especially a desktop) for upgradeability. The intel nuc box needs msata, and your chip upgrade options are limited. I assume the same will be for the new amd boxes. Also I don't forsee the kabini boxes being that cheap I have a feeling they will creep up to near 300

+ No streaming content blocking (Roku requires hulu+ sub; free with a htpc)


The only thing holding back HTPC's are size/heat/noise. Intel fixed that with their NUC and AMD is matching performance with Kabini livebox soon.

I use MS Media Center, and the tuner card - don't recall now. Been running MCE for about 10 years, and can't believe more people don't do this. Last year I had a cable card, but hated the cable bill, so dropped it. My motherboard/video card is just a hand-me-down from one of my old systems (I build a gaming system every 2-3 years). This is the 3rd or 4th build of my HTPC. For a remote I use the standard $15 MCE remote (which I find is the best). 30 sec skip forward means NO MORE COMMERCIALS!!!!

If I were to offer any advice, I say this. Get/build a stand alone machine, get it running well, and don't use it for anything else but an HTPC. Don't even brows the web on it. The only time I get on the web for is drivers and codecs (and Netflix, of course). MCE downloads the TV guide automatically. The last thing I want to do is work on a PC when I want to watch the latest episode of Nova.

MCE is a slick piece of software, and I'd buy it if it didn't already come with every copy of Windows.

Yeah, some are tiny though.

Under 3 inches tall and 8 inches across
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-M...=m350+case
http://www.amazon.com/Universal-C...=m350+case

Intel NUC:
I don't think consumers are going to have a choice in size anymore as large boxes aren't selling as consumers and holding on too long. The consumer desktop is going to be "tabletized:" very tiny soldered MB/CPU or SoC x86 that doesn't allow for internal upgrades. PC manufacturers want that quick upgrade cycle back.

Is upgradeability going to be a problem? HDhomerun is an external tuner. Thunderbolt external HDD.

Ridiculous warranty:

i don't need one but i have a spare tower and PSU just bored. i could use it to play with freenas and/or vmware. i have used a similar setup in the past and it ran fine... decisions decisions...

Unless you have Windows 8, which has done away with it. Or Windows starter/home basic

It's also very resource hungry. If you don't use the PVR functions and you have a small form factor htpc, Windows Media Center is probably a bad choice.

I have no idea what kind of computer is that, can't find any info, but if it is a regular ATX/Micro Atx format case then you should be able to install this Amd fusion board in there.

Just have to make sure the Psu has the right connectors, 24pin (if not get 20 to 24pin adaptor) + 4pin mother board power plug, sata power connector (if not get an molex to sata adaptor), also will need Sata hard drive.

enthusiasts are not going anywhere. As long as gamers are gonna game there will be diy parts. I have heard that same arguement about laptops and yet desktops still exist. Even the nuc boxes require some diy

+2 for nova. really good stuff.

Thanks for the tip, might have to get 120mm and an adapter like you suggested.

I am only speaking of consumer desktops/htpc's. Regular desktops will still exist as will enthusiasts. Laptops aren't going anywhere either.

Quick question:

Can this play 1080p .mkv cleanly in a Windows 7 setup using Media Player Classic or XBMC?

Any good deals for a tower/psu for a server application? TIA

Thanks. Been looking to build a HTPC, and I hope this works out. I intend to most likely run Win7 with mostly XBMC, and probably Win Media Center and Itunes occasionally. Pull media over network from my desktop, and control via smartphone remote control apps (Hippo, or one of several XBMC remote apps.)

I also just order this case for $30 AR:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811208049
It is a micro ATX/mini ITX case with 300W psu. Nice that it has a built in card reader, and opening for optical drive. So I may add a blu-ray player later.

Not bad so far for $90 AR. Should be in for about $150 once I get an SSD.

Undervolt (no affect on performance) to lower heat and replace the fan with something quieter. You may get away with only just a heatsink and case fan but watch those temps.

Case?
 

Hello SDers. Anybody found a deal for a case with power supply?

What do you think about this $30 AR free shipping?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811208049

Edit - fyta2000 beat me to the same deal

Correctly encoded backups will play perfectly. Illegally downloaded, incorrectly encoded crap may have problems.

This would be a downgrade.

well most consumers are not buying this motherboard either so your point if kind of moot

the reviews aren't pretty for this one, but if you take the plunge the e-350 is a pretty decent htpc machine although if you use it as a daily pc and are a multi-tasker there WILL be times when you are sitting there waiting for something to happen...i know because this was my daily pc for about 1 year...and this is probably obvious but the quad core amd laptop that replaced this is night and day difference, am so so glad i don't have to put up with the e-350 machine anymore

err...not THIS one but an e-350 based pc, it was ASUS mobo

not encouraging but,
illegally downloaded files is no different then ones you encode yourself.

^^^^ True. Good summary.

Have also heard complaints about Netflix 1080p.. I'm not holding my breath, but it's even possible that Microsoft has fixed Silverlight by now. Thanks to SDer DirtBag for the info.

No, some web stuff is said to have odd encodings. Nobody using a rational encoding is going to encounter problems.

we talking about 1080p mkv, not some random web stream flv files.
what I am saying is that if someone bdrips the files from disk and then uploads it illegally, what you get is the same thing as if you do it yourself.

Tempted by this, but the Newegg reviews on this are not giving me the impression of something that stands a good chance of being what you'd call reliable.

Well badly encoded video won't play on even the best setup, but I think I have my answer. I ordered earlier, because I didn't know how long the free RAM would last.

One last question (for anyone): Would adding a more powerful low-profile video card alleviate some of the playback 'stress'?

Repped.

CPU+mainboard+chassis+65W PSU

If mouthbreathers can upgrade RAM in a laptop, then they can handle four screws for the NUC. There is some kind of demand beyond a few people for Intel to design, retail package, and sell this.

I resemble that remark...

I'd pretty much guarantee the "illegally" downloaded ones are encoded to higher standards.
Unless it's just some random crap some kid ripped

Apu 350d?

Guys, what would be a good cpu a few steps above this? I'm trying to build a basic (cheap) lab computer (3 actually) for Server 2008/12 that won't be too expensive or suck up too much power.

This is a hybrid GPU/CPU optimized for HTPC/light gaming.

I'd recommend a low TDP Athlon or Phenom. You can check this list for power specs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...I-based.29

You must not have been to a Bestbuy/Staples/Apple/Circuit City store recently. Normal People still pay to have their ram upgraded

The Elite 120 is also available with rebate (thru the 20th?)

Cooler Master Elite 120 mITX PC Case - $40 AR/FS - Newegg.com

I can confirm this.

Tried to test this on my e350 using W8 ToGo and the damn app fubars with a graphics error but works fine using Explorer. I always test the HD streams against the first episode of Legend of the Seeker.

The 3 year warranty pushed me over the fence.

I got the Intel Combo 2 years ago with 3 year warranty, and i had to replace it two times. The warranty was a good security blanket.

Thanks OP.

This one has a hd 5450 [anandtech.com] . I had that in my win 7 htpc, I had to upgrade as it failed the "digital cable advisor" test required for cable card tuners. It worked well for most 1080p (h264, vc1, mpeg2) content, I think WMv codecs stuttered. Also for those planning to use this as a desktop, you can speed things along by turning off aero and some of the transparency / animations in win7

How this deal compares to the FP one

"Foxconn Mini/Booksize Barebone System: AMD Dual Core E-350 1.6GHz, Radeon HD 6310 w/ HDMI, WiFi N + 64GB OCZ Agility 4 Solid State Drive (SSD) $110 after $10 rebate"

of last month?

Seems like that one has included the memery also, and the Harddrive and Case/PSU. Let alone the gift 64GB SSD.

This deal has almost the same hardware specs with that deal.

Any comments? Is it a better deal than that or not?

Thanks.

I've had a $10 Biostar rebate go MIA too. It is in their online system as accepted and awaiting payment. Been that way for the past YEAR! It was for a TH61 ITX motherboard.

So, consider this a $70 deal. :mad:

Nice find OP.

Thanks! What power rating is considered "low"?

Bikeman,

I don't have the case yet, but I just ordered it. It should be ok. All my last year builds have been mini-itx and I have gotten a few itx cases. They r all ok, it just comes down to what you wanna use them for. In my case, I use them for home/small office file servers so they are ok. Considering the price, it's a nice deal. I've been waiting for a case to go to the 30ish price range, I haven't seen them go down below 30 in the last year or so. I dealt with the thermaltake element q, apex mi-008, the coolermaster elite 120, and some off brand that i got from ebay. The elite 120 is a very nice case, but this is a MONSTER compared to the other ones. Also, I like the fact that the element and the apex u can add a 120mm fan on one of the sides. The xion can take a 80 mm fan, that should do. Overall, I think you can't go wrong with any of the ones mentioned here. Just my 2 cents.

Gees, I got the Foxconn nanopc last month for $110AR with the 60gb ssd last month. Played youtube and it couldn't play do 720p. Is there a special setting?

It depends on your actual needs and budget. Usually newer processors are more optimized and consume less watts per computing power.

I would go with something around 30-45 for a regular use light desktop. The ones on these motherboards should in in 10-15 range...

Good Point but if you ever want to overide that failed test and see how your video card does witht that cable card turner you can overide the digital cable advisor. See this link for details and a link to the hack

http://rricketts.com/digital-cabl...-override/

Had a new Cooler Master 650W PSU lying on the original box since 2007, so what the heck, for $100 I can have this Biostar MB+CPU+RAM and the Cooler Master Elite 120, which should make an OK HTPC.

Also ordered TomTop remote keyboard+mouse for $30.21:

http://www.urlhasbeenblocked/comp...ntrol.html

Am debating whether to buy a SSD, or just use one of my spare old 500GB SATA-II HDD lying around somewhere, for a pure HTPC I don't think a SSD is needed, but if I can snatch a 64GB or 128GB SSD at a good price, I might go for it. SSD certainly would make the boot time a lot quicker.

Enable hardware acceleration for flash in the settings and update to latest flash drivers / AMD video drivers. (Turn off AERO if you haven't also). This APU can do 1080p youtube videos from first hand experience without breaking a sweat.

Those C-50 and C-60 only run at 1 GHz and have the AMD HD 6250 and HD 6290, graphics, respectively. C-60 has "turbo" to 1.3 GHz. Both processors have 512K L2 cache per core.

The AMD 350 has the same cache but runs at 1.6 GHz and with better hardware virtualization features for VirtualBox, Hyper-V, Xen, and VMware fans. It features AMD HD 6320 graphics at almost double the clock speed and faster graphics memory interface. All this combines for significantly higher performance.

Not the least to say that I have yet to find the C-50 and C-60 in desktop motherboard form factors, unfortunately.

I have. I see normal people are buying the "cool thing" now which is tablets/smartphones. People have no need to upgrade anything about their desktops because there is no reason anymore. 5+ year old hardware works just as good today as it did when purchased. Once these tiny PC's get popular, they will be the next thing they move to. By then the nano boxes will come with RAM, HDD, and everything OOTB ready.

I think nano "PC's" will be in boxes right next to external harddrives on the shelf. Enthusiasts and businesses will have to order online only (like they do now anyway).

I concur with said statements. Of my 50+ rebates, only three never came in and two were Biostar

Don't the bonus 8 gigabytes of memory count for anything?

It does for me.

Same here, Biostar is hit or miss for me, did total of 3 biostar rebate before, 1 I got, 1 I had to enlist the help from Fry's electronics, and the very last one from beginning of this year was approved and waiting for payment, well the payment never showed up and by the time I remember to check (around 6 month time) it magically disappeared from the system.

Some people are lucky and get all theirs but I stay away from Biostar rebate unless its a really good price before the rebate, and this seems to be one of them, and yea Biostar is the only 2nd rebate that I never got in 10+ years.

Buying a case for this mobo combo, what is the wattage I should be on the lookout for? Should I worry about the power connector, or is it pretty much standard?

How is this for a NAS box running WHS 2011? Might add a dedicated RAID card to it too...

Biostar is one of those City of Industry, CA rebates. It never comes on its own. They think most people won't even bother for $10, and they are probably right. They have flat out ignored my emails for their M/B rebate I submitted in August, which has not been paid yet. They are pretty bad, don't count on getting the rebate.

I want to upgrade my old Optiplex 765 with this mainboard and processor. Will this fit in the same case? ANyone has any experience in installing non dell motherboard into optiplex? I searched in google and it seems it wont fit but not sure though.

What CPU is it?

I can verify this
 

YEs, i have an asrock E350m1 with windows 8 installed. Yes the windows 8 Netflix app runs great on my E350 mobo/cpu combo. It wasnt smooth when i was running windows 7 and using the buiilt in netflix in Windows Media center but window8 has been great so far

this is actually nothing compared to tiger's 99 dollar combo. you gonna find a case and psu which will run another 30 dollars or more.. so between that and
AM3 Motherboard + Phenom II X4 945 3GHz Quad Core Processor + 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory + Thermaltake Case w/ 450W Power Supply.


of course, you can argue the e350 is good for HTPC and what not, but having the e450 and i can tell you they are too slow for my need.

Dang it. I clicked "OpenElec" link in OP's post, thinking it would take me to a webpage, informing about OpenElec. Instead, Google Chrome downloaded a 115MB file, without prompting me, except for an information bar at the bottom of the browser. Good thing I wasn't using my own prepaid internet service. I have changed the Chrome setting to prompt.

That tigerdirect deal isn't miniITX right?

Noob question. How do I know if this will support 64-bit OS? Thanks.

Not OOS yet?! Since 6am. I might have to pull the trigger.

My PS3 doesn't seem to handle many video file types, from my NAS. It would be nice, since I have a remote for my PS3. I've Googled but don't know what the fix is.

Whereas my XBMC, it can pretty much run any media file type.

You don't even have to count the numbers. In my room, PS3 can practically be my heater. Whereas my Proliant N40L doesn't seem to output as much heat.

Wouldn't this be good deal for a server? The ram alone is what you would be after, for the server. Although, you can find AR 8GB ram, for around $25 on occasion.

Good point. This one still needs case, psu, HD, wifi, purchases ... if you don't already have those. Which would pretty much put the price point at about the same.

Here ya go [newegg.com]

AFAIK last deal didn't come with memory, but IMO it was the better deal.

Hmm, pull the trigger? I'm kind of turned off that this was posted since 6am and has not been OOS/DEAD.

Did you download the newest version of flash and turn on hardware acceleration? That's what the gpu is for.

You have to keep tracking Biostar rebate and e-mail or call them several times. They won't send out rebate until you contact them.
I had 4 rebates and all need to call them and e-mail them several times. Keep photo copies everything because they will ask for it.

do they sell any PCI-E cpus?

preferably with hdmi.

In for 1.

I will use it as an XBMC box. Hopefully running entirely off a USB stick hdd and playing media stored on a local NAS via wifi.

I was all set to buy it till I read the reviews at New Egg. Plus, what's the big deal on the price? The regular price is only $10 more without the rebate, $79 regular instead of $69. That is not fantastic savings IMO. And everyone is saying not to count on the rebate even arriving to bring it down to $60.

Think I'll wait for something with better reviews and more than just $10 off with an unreliable rebate for another $10.
Besides the Black Friday deals are only a week away.

It includes (for free) highly-rated RAM that would normally cost $40...

Yeah it does say "limited Time" on the memory. Good point, I thought that was included at the regular price too.

But the reviews on the MB are still bad.

Biostar is really committed to the A68I-350. Newegg likely has stock in-depth.

Plus, this is really a niche' market. Most people (including most Slickdealers) are thinking "I can get 10x the power for just 2-3x the price.". But for the always-on and/or htpc purposes, it's a good deal (and lower-power is often a good choice because it means lower electric bills).

Looking for a desktop to basically run quickbooks, surf net, and stream media. Does it support dual displays?

I have no idea, would it? Can the cpu handle it?

Dead now, memory no longer included
 

It appears the memory is no longer included. Mine is already out for delivery, hope to do a build this weekend to try out WMC and Ubuntu Server on it.

Looks like I waited too long, oh well/ Know there will be others down the road

Yes ...

In that case, is the following deal any good? (Was an earlier package deal, not sure if I should keep it)

E350 cpu
GIGABYTE|GA-E350N Mobo
HD 1T ST SATA6.0 32M HD
4Gx2|G.SKILL Ram
ISTAR case

For $175

Deal is back

Wish they would have free shipping on their other XION mini itx cases; like the black one earlier, however which is OOS.

It's not bad if you needed the 1TB hard drive.
Nice to see that the a case is included. I'm looking for a nice deal on an ITX case and PSU now too.
I'd say it's at least on par with this deal.

I concur with drleephd. If you value the hard drive at 60, it's an OK deal (considering that hard drive prices are all over the place). Normally e350 boards go for 60, ram (8gb) for around 25 (with rebate), and itx case for 30. So, 175-60-25-30=60 for the hard drive. I don't know exactly what hard drive is included in that combo deal, but just to put things into perspective, there was a 1tb seagate hard drive for 50 a couple of days ago.

it's technically a desktop! yes it does suppport 64bit. I have an E350 board and i ran Windows 7 ultimate 64 bit and now running windows 8 pro 64 bit. Runs fine without issues.

No more free memory. Now I have non-buyer's remorse.

this thing sucks in 22-25W idle. that's the same as my lenovo AIO running an i3 sandy... so the power consumption is not THAT low, but it's not too bad for 70 bucks...

Do I need a SATA optical drive to connect with the motherboard? I can't figure it out how to with my current one.

if you use an optical drive. this board has 3 X SATA slot. so yes it has to be sata.

That's for everything. Is that the entire system or just the CPU. That can't be right because the spec shows 18w TDP.

Without it, how to install windows/linux system? Any other ways? USB Boot may be a good idea.

install from USB drive. I always do that, I have a 16GB USB drive with multiple distros on there, another one with window 7 and another with windows 8... never use a DVD.

I'm surprised this is still on-- free RAM and all.

Just got mine. Installed OpenELEC fusion and without any tweaks, it runs XBMC about as well as my AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black (running W7 and XBMC). That's not to say that this fusion build is anywhere near as powerful, it just means that the Phenom is way overkill as a media player and the fusion build is just right.

As far as power usage goes, with SSD, and 4GB RAM, it's idling at 24-27 watts and it's pretty darn quiet (except for when it first boots up, the CPU fan puts out a high-pitched whir, but I doubt if I'll notice it when I'm not actually listening for it).

Anyway, glad I got in on this.

Thanks! I bit on this, going to get rid of cable one of these days and use this to stream

Case+PSU that OP mentioned in the headline just dropped down to $35.99, as prophesied.

http://www.amazon.com/MI-008-Towe...ywords=itx
(was $49.99 when this was posted, Probably the cheapest shipped ITX case I can find without any rebates right now).
Looks small and ideal for HTPC. Free super saver shipping too.


Already got my mobo, but they shipped my RAM separately through DHL who tendered it to USPS somewhere in Washington state. I probably won't get my RAM until after thanksgiving.

Now $59.99, no rebate
 

Same low price, but no rebate.

doh! bump for an even better deal!

got openelec fusion-build running now.
I got video sound working through HDMI-Out using the following settings
system:audio output
-- audio output : HDMI
5.1, boost, ac3, and DTS checked
audio output device: HDMI (alsa)
passthrough output device: iec958 (alsa)

still working on getting menu sounds working. It seems I might have to edit a config file.

hmm, any chance that they might price match with the egg guarantee for those who bought it already with the rebate?

Pretty unlikely , especially if the MOBO was delivered already.

I am chatting with them now, they are slow to respond...I haven't received the motherboard yet


They told me to go to their price match guarantee page and submit a request...person also said that they use their own site as a price match

I used Shoprunner whcih has free return shipping. I dislike rebates enough that if Newegg won't price match, then I might return my order and re-order the $59.99 deal.

Are you asking them another $10 discount on top of $10 rebate?

Not worried about the rebate if they price matched...I would rather not fool with it, but if they dont match, I will send it in

Doesn't Newegg charge 15% restocking fee?

Oh, what the heck.

This case (APEX MI-008) is on sale at Newegg too so combined with the deal you have an almost complete HTPC for under $100.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Pro...6811154091

Will this combo fit my BTX form factor Dell desktop case? I'm dying to know....!

Update to title as it's been pointed out it's now $59.99 with no rebate.

I'm novice to this setup. Can you give some steps to install software? Basically, I will be using for HTPC and media center. Thanks.

my setup might be slightly different from yours, but I think it's an ideal way to use this device.

I'm running an OpenELEC distribution of XBMC.

OpenELEC is a stripped down linux distribution designed for embedded and low-power computers like this one.

It boots up very quickly, About 16 to 30 seconds, depending on the speed of your USB drive or HDD.

you're going to need two USB drives. Size doesn't really matter much. I think they only have to hold 200mb or so.
One drive will boot the openelec install program, and you can erase that drive later.
another drive which you will install openELEC onto. Your computer will boot from this drive use it as a hard drive. (or you could install an actual hdd with lots of free space if you're going to store your movies on the player locally, but I didn't. This is SlickDeals and USB drives are $5. I have a network share on my windows machine which has all the videos this machine will be playing.

There is an AMD Fusion chipset-specific version of OpenELEC specially designed to support most of the hardware on this motherboard without needing very much configuration at all.

it can be found here::
http://releases.openelec.tv/OpenE....0.tar.bz2

Download that file, and follow the instructions on OpenELEC's site, they're much more well written than something I'd scratch out here. I only have about two days experience with messing with this, and my installation isn't perfect yet.

http://openelec.tv/installation/i...-1-windows
http://openelec.tv/installation/install-2

currently I have almost everything working on this device within OpenELEC.

I am using HDMI to output audio and video.

sound is working (with configuration I posted above, a while ago)
It didn't work right out of the box, but just had to change a couple settings. very not hard.

Remote control interface is working.
I'm using a HP windows media center remote control receiver.
I think most MCE remotes are supported by default.
No configuration was necessary. Plugged it in and it works.
Some of the buttons on my remote are not labeled correctly as to what their functions are within XBMC. No surprise there.

Ethernet is working right out of the box, no configuration necessary in openelec.
You might have to set DHCP settings depending how your router is configured, and whether you want to give this machine a static IP address on your network.

WiFi is something I don't plan to address on my installation.
I prefer wired Ethernet for reliability.

Video works great right out of the box.
I tested a sample high bitrate 1080p video: "h264_1080p_hp_4.1_40mbps_birds.mkv" (109MB and just 23 seconds long) it plays very well.


currently, the only thing that is still an issue for me is that the menu sounds aren't playing.
audio while watching videos or playing mp3s works, but there is a separate known issue I need to resolve to configure sound within openELEC.
If I solve it before someone else does, I will update here with how I did it.

and for uninitiated, this is what XBMC / Openelec looks like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T970YM3w1LY

Thanks for lot of information. Do I have install Windows or Ubuntu operating system before I install XBMC? OR what have you installed?

My current PC is a dell which uses that same (horrible) BTX configuration.
I can say for sure that you won't be able to use the PCI-e addon slot since BTX form factor is backwards and has the slots on the wrong side.
You probably won't ever need the PCI-E slot though. :p

It really all comes down to power connections.
You need a 4-pin 12v connection for CPU power and a 20+4 pin (or 24pin) ATX power connection. I'm not sure if BTX24 pinout is the same. I'd imagine the plugs are at least keyed differently.
you might have to modify motherboard standoffs if they don't line up. I kinda think they wouldn't.

I'm sure there is a way to get those connections from a BTX power supply, but I'm not familiar enough with BTX pintouts. It seems it would be easier to use an ATX (or SFX if it's a dell slim case) power supply.

Currently I'm using NO CASE, until mine arrives from Amazon.
I've connected mine to an old pentium-4 ATX power supply and turn the machine on by jumpering the on-off connection with a small piece of metal. (pins 7-8) on the orange "PANEL1" connector, next to the sata ports.

You can run XBMC on Ubuntu or Windows.

OpenELEC runs XBMC (and nothing else) It's technically linux, but you'll never see any of that part.
It's designed to run XBMC as an appliance.

OpenELEC boots right into XBMC and all the operating system configuration is all done from within XBMC. with a remote control even.

So, I fixed menu sounds in OpenELEC. Here's how to do it.

create a new text file, "asound.conf"
located in /storage/.config/asound.conf
A file shouldn't already exist there.

You can copy files into the filesystem with an SFTP via SSH client. I've always used FlashFXP in windows for this.

The file you create should look exactly like this

I had to change my sound settings in XBMC too. They now look like this:

so those who output to hdmi.. you guys output to a surround sound receiver? decodes everything fine? dts/dd/dts-hd/etc?

How'd your request go? Mine was rejected yesterday.

"We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you. Your request for a price match cannot be processed because the item you purchased is not an Iron Egg Guaranteed product."

I was shot down by 2 CSRs with the same hotkey response.

How long before you turn those off? I always hated hearing them for every.single.click.I.did. :)

Repped for posting the info.

I have installed openelec from the previous links (OpenELEC-Fusion.x86_64-2.0.0) and I am unable to get audio through the analog plug. Suggestions? Everything else seems to be working fine, but no sound at all.

Any help would be appreciated.

I haven't heard anything yet...doubt it will work, but was worth a try

XBMC 12.0frodo and OpenELEC 3.0beta1 have the new xbmc audio engine enabled.
release notes for frodo say "HD audio support, including DTS-MA and Dolby True-HD, via the new XBMC AudioEngine. (DTS-HD / True-HD not support on AMD GPUs)"
currently I'm using an old amplifier which doesn't have HDMI input, so it's HDMI to my TV and SPDIF out from the TV to my receiver.

your solution will (probably) be similar to how I got the HDMI audio to work.
I copied a .wav file onto my USB drive and called it up from an SSH command terminal.
basically I just tried all the different possible deviceID combinations until I found the one which made audio come out via HDMI. You could do the same thing with analog, having some headphones plugged in.
basically I threw this command at the terminal
this method is explained here http://wiki.openelec.tv/index.php...e_Easy_Way
and while the title says HDMI audio, I think it should be equally applicable to analog audio.

Also, if you want to have xbmc output analog and HDMI audio at the same time, you may need to have a more complicated asound.conf file.

If you go to the actual product itself, you can see that it does have an Iron Egg Guarantee... so I don't understand why they're saying that it doesn't.

I was told:
1. It didn't at the time I bought it.
2. Even if it did, it doesn't apply to combo deals (even though I pointed out that it's not a combo, it's "free RAM with the motherboard" and it's the same free RAM that was offered at $69.99 and at $59.99)
3. NewEgg's "Iron Egg" guarantee only applies to price differences with competitors, not themselves.

All-in-all it was a terrible customer service experience and one that will put me off NewEgg for quite a while.

Just ordered one... Wondering if this will fit a regular sized case seeing as the mini itx case someone linked is no longer $35. Thanks!

help with analog sound
 

First, thank you for the help. I have tried the steps you outlined and linked to and have located my wav file through SSH. This combo works: aplay -D plughw:1,0 /storage/music/Front_Center.wav, but I still cannot get audio to work from the 350.

I have it set in audio output settings as follows:
analog
speaker config 2.0
boost volume level down mix checked
audio output device (I have tried them all, even custom)
when custom is selected, I tried plughw:1,0 and 0,1, or 1,1 etc but get no sound.

Suggestions?