What spec NUC do I need to run Kodi on Windows 7/10 and play 1080p DTS etc?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › What spec NUC do I need to run Kodi on Windows 7/10 and play 1080p DTS etc?

ping182nz

188 posts

Master Geek

#175503 1-Jul-2015 21:27

Hi,

What spec NUC do I need to run Kodi on windows 7/10 and play 1080p DTS etc ?

Do i need Celeron, i3 , i5 or i7?

I stream my content from a file share...

D.W

747 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 91

#1335432 1-Jul-2015 21:59

Take a look at this thread for some good info on the DN2820FYKH celeron nuc:https://communities.intel.com/thread/48173?start=90&tstart=0&forceNoRedirect=true

Personally I'd just go for an i3 which handles any media requirements easily. I used one as a Plex server/player and ran 30GB+ files with DTS-HD, TrueHD etc no problem.

Disrespective

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#1335497 2-Jul-2015 08:47

When I was looking to buy mine, everything I read said a celeron would do fine, but make sure you have a bit of ram, too. An i3 would be better especially if you're playing BD rips. And an i5 was overkill, assuming all I was going to do with it was play media.

I ended up with the i5 because I want to do more, but YMMV.

garvani

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#1335511 2-Jul-2015 08:54

A celeron would be capable but i would personally go with the i3. I play 20gb blurays with DTS off my amazon fire tv so the i3 isn't going to have any issue whatsoever.

Talkiet

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#1335514 2-Jul-2015 08:59

Yeah, the D2820 is fine for what you describe, but I upgraded to an I3 for things like Youtube, Lightbox and Netflix which struggled on the Celeron.

Spend the bit extra and get an i3.

Cheers - N

Please note all comments are from my own brain and don't necessarily represent the position or opinions of my employer, previous employers, colleagues, friends or pets.

timmmay

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#1335516 2-Jul-2015 09:00

A $50 Raspberry Pi 2 should do the job fine. I haven't tried 1080p recently, but I know 720p worked on the old much slower v1. It doesn't do streaming AFAIK, just playing from shares.

Sideface

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#1335518 2-Jul-2015 09:02

i3 - as above.

Sideface

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nickrout

221 posts

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#1335710 2-Jul-2015 13:16

A $220 asus chromebox running openelec would do a better job.

stevenz

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#1336041 2-Jul-2015 20:22

The Celeron will struggle with some 1080p (and above) material. i3 or above will cope with anything you throw at it.

@nickrout - Where are you getting a Chromebox for $220 from? Best I can find is about $300 for the base Celeron model.

Some of the NUC's have native CEC support which is a biggy, otherwise you can get a CEC adapter for about $90 from memory, pretty expensive but it looks like one company has a monopoly on the things, hence the price.

The Raspberry Pi2 will handle 1080p just fine, _as long_ as it's a codec supported by the hardware decoding (i.e. h.264). If it has to do it in software then it won't cope at all. Fantastic little devices.

Or, as another option, you could use an nVidia Shield TV as I'm doing which works well. Cheaper than a NUC, but not as versatile.

@KnightNZ

driller2000

936 posts

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#1336055 2-Jul-2015 21:17

i've posted this link before - but it is still relevant:

http://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=94268

nickrout

221 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 38

#1336174 3-Jul-2015 08:56

stevenz: The Celeron will struggle with some 1080p (and above) material. i3 or above will cope with anything you throw at it.

Depends which "celeron" it is. There are various celerons with different chipsets, generalisation is not helpful.

@nickrout - Where are you getting a Chromebox for $220 from? Best I can find is about $300 for the base Celeron model.

Trademe. There is one seller consistently offering them at $400, but others come up in the $220-$240 range. Brilliant Kodi machine with OpenELEC.

The Raspberry Pi2 will handle 1080p just fine, _as long_ as it's a codec supported by the hardware decoding (i.e. h.264). If it has to do it in software then it won't cope at all. Fantastic little devices.

and MVC 3D and HEVC to 720p!