View Full Version : World's smallest HTPC from Lenovo
Hi Everyone,
I’ve just bought one of these – a Lenovo Nettop Q180 with Bluray/HDMI etc.. see http://www.ebuyer.com/319075-lenovo-ideacentre-q180-nettop-vc72huk) for a full specification, but in summary they are:
Atom D2700 dual core processor @ 2.13Gz
Intel NM10 Express Chipset
4Gb DRR3 RAM
750Gb 5400RPM HD
AMD Radeon™ HD 6540A 512MB graphics with DirectX® 11
Blu-ray Disc™ drive
Full HD and Blu-ray 3D™ support *
Up to 7.1 Surround Sound
4x USB 2.0, 2x USB 3.0, and 8-in-1 card reader supporting SDXC format
VGA and HDMI outportsENERGY STAR 5.0-certified
VESA Mount for optimal placement, including on back of monitor
Dimensions are 155mm x 40mm x 192mm or just 22mm thick for the model without the add-on optical drive.
All models have a 2.13Ghz dual core Atom processor and the latest and greatest Intel NM10 chipset. They can do full 1080P playback from a Bluray player, so it has to be reasonably brisk.
There is also a ‘budget’ model with 2Gb RAM, 320Gb HD for only £169 inc. vat with the same processor and display adaptor. A slightly up-scale version with 4Gb and 500Gb is £258. Both would be perfect for an XBMC or Mint installation. The 2x USB 3.0 ports allow you to add tons of external storage with plenty of I/O bandwidth, as well as an Blu-Ray external drive such as this Plextor PX-B120U External Slim Blu-ray Player (currently £29 from Amazon!).
Just thought you might be interested if you were tempted or were looking for a cheap media PC. £169 is a steal for a system with that specification.
I'll post some pictures when it gets here on Thursday...
Regards,
Alex
The Vinyl Adventure
02-04-2012, 17:01
Can it sit on its side ...
I've been looking for somthing to replace my blur-ray player and acer net top in one box...
You beat me to it Alex, I was going to post about this tonight - they look like a great alternative for many to use as a music server. I may try it out myself :)
And yes Hamish, you can stand them up or sit them flat.
Alex, I would be interested to know if there is a fan or if it's passive? If it has a fan I won't work for me. It looks too small to have a fan, but if there is one it's likely to be small and noisy, so a heads up would be great. ;)
aquapiranha
02-04-2012, 17:45
This other Lenovo looks the business too, and cheaper...
http://www.ebuyer.com/288843-lenovo-ideacentre-q180-nettop-vc71huk
I reckon I could install Mint and XBMC on there easily and add my USB HDD full of tunes! the optical put will go straight into the BDAC too.
Well spotted Alex.
It's the £169 version I am thinking of getting Steve. I was going to buy the latest WDTV Live with Spotify support, but I wouldn't have to with this, as it will do it all - it looks pretty good. Pop in an SSD drive and Bob's your Uncle.
aquapiranha
02-04-2012, 18:01
Yes that is the one I linked to Tim, looks like great value, just a shame I am always skint! lol.
bobbasrah
02-04-2012, 18:09
Why is that Bob always gets to be the Uncle....Hmph
Looks rather neat that Lenovo. Do please post an update Alex in due course, and on the audio side see what the PSU brings to bear...
These little Atom machines are fantastically quiet devices even though they do seem to have small fans (You would have to be hard agin it to know it is running Tim). There is a Lenovo and Hp version here and they are barely audible at any time, turn on the music at whisper volume and they simply do not exist.
A great solution for many at that price too.
If you're strapped for cash and are looking for a really cheap server then the HP thin clients T5720/20 are good value. They are capable of running squeezecenter on a full OS like XP/Linux or running Vortexbox..you need to be able to perform a bit of DIY as they need an HDD and a memory upgrade.
About £50 off ebay (prices have risen :rolleyes: ) they consume 15~20W, passively cooled and have 6 USB 2.0 ports...
Mark Grant
02-04-2012, 19:17
This blog says they are silent :)
http://techhelphome.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/lenovo-ideacentre-q180-review/
Looks great for a simple streaming / web browsing PC
The wireless keyboard/mouse looks good.
http://zhesty.net/58-lenovo-ideacentre-q180-the-worlds-smallest-desktop-7-photos-video.html
Can it sit on its side ...
I've been looking for somthing to replace my blur-ray player and acer net top in one box...
Hamish,
It looks like you can... the pictures show some small rubber feet on one side. I am thinking of getting the minimal spec one too without an optical drive to experiment with!.
Cheers,
Alex
This blog says they are silent :)
http://techhelphome.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/lenovo-ideacentre-q180-review/
Looks great for a simple streaming / web browsing PC
The wireless keyboard/mouse looks good.
http://zhesty.net/58-lenovo-ideacentre-q180-the-worlds-smallest-desktop-7-photos-video.html
Thank you Mark - I was hoping that it was fanless!.
Alex
The Vinyl Adventure
02-04-2012, 20:35
I'd be interested to hear how people get on with them ...
My acer is pretty quite but the optical out has never worked properly meaning I have to have a USB - coax converter as well as an external drive
I also don't watch enough blurrays to warrant having a dedicated player
I could get rid of 4 boxes and replace them with one!
Thank you Mark - I was hoping that it was fanless!.
Alex
Drat... actually it has a laptop-style heatsink/fan module very much like the CPU cooler on my Macbook Pro. I hope that it stays quiet when it isn't working too hard.
Regards,
Alex
Drat... actually it has a laptop-style heatsink/fan module very much like the CPU cooler on my Macbook Pro. I hope that it stays quiet when it isn't working too hard.
Oh well, that's ruled it out for me as anything to do with music delivery. Thanks for letting us know Alex. I kind of guessed it would have to have something, due to the size of the case.
Tim,
To be expected i think. It doesn't necessarily mean that the fan is audible though... Watch this space as ill do some testing on Thursday when it is delivered. All of the reviews i have read suggest that it is so quiet that most people think that it IS fanless !. The cpu consumes a maximum of 10w, usually much less so it won't need much cooling.
Cheers,
Alex
bobbasrah
03-04-2012, 13:56
It should be an extremely quiet fan Alex, as they are assisting airflow in a thin enclosure rather than cooling by convection as would be possible in a larger case...
I only become aware if one is on when I pass within 1m (they are set on shelves at chest height) and only after switching everything off before to go to bed. The rain is louder through the double glazing...
For me it's not so much the noise, as I would expect it to be very quiet and likely inaudible in normal circumstances - it's more to do with with having a mechanical device in the chain and the fact that the hardware/software will be actively controlling it. That's not something I want in a music server, it has to be totally passive for me to be happy. I guess I could deactivate it, but I wouldn't be happy doing that either, its passive or nothing. I was only interested from a curiosity aspect TBH, but that interest has now gone if it has to be actively cooled ;)
technobear
03-04-2012, 21:25
According to that eBuyer page, this ships with the DOS operating system. Wassat then?
They can't mean MS-DOS. It doesn't exist any more does it?
No wonder it's cheap!
TBH you wouldn't expect a Windows O/S on there for £169 would you?
That's an amazing price for what you get and you can install Ubuntu on it, which is free.
aquapiranha
03-04-2012, 21:31
Yes, I would be installing Mint on it or Ubuntu, both free! both virus free! neither lining the pockets of microshaft!
bobbasrah
04-04-2012, 06:08
According to that eBuyer page, this ships with the DOS operating system. Wassat then?
They can't mean MS-DOS. It doesn't exist any more does it?
No wonder it's cheap!
In all probability Chris, it will be FreeDOS.... The trend with non-Win machines of late seems to be FreeDOS or Linux...
No S/PDIF out - but I see most of the Nettops have lost that.
Pity, but at the price I shouldn't complain.
technobear
04-04-2012, 14:21
No S/PDIF out - but I see most of the Nettops have lost that.
Pity, but at the price I shouldn't complain.
I think you might be wrong there. It looks like there is an optical output at the top on the back.
I think you might be wrong there. It looks like their is an optical output at the top on the back.
Yes there is :)
http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/lenovo.jpg
technobear
04-04-2012, 15:56
...and thanks for not pulling me up on that typo! In my defence I was concentrating on my rPAC review :D
Yep. I see it, but I couldn't see it in the specs.
The Vinyl Adventure
10-05-2012, 07:56
Did anyone get one of these in the end?
Have you clicked on the links and seen how much these have gone up to?
The Vinyl Adventure
11-05-2012, 12:07
I thought they had gone down??
Hi,
The top of the range model has gone down by £60 (bugger!). I can't see the basic model any more - in hindsight I could easily have made do with this as 320Gb is plenty for my needs, and I have windows licences to burn!.
I did get the 4Gb/Blu-Ray version, with the ping-pong bat remote. It is very nice, and although it isn't super fast with an Atom processor, the GPU video acceleration works well with DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming media, even 1080P playback is smooth and glitchless.
I'm quite impressed - it is also quiet... no louder than a laptop when not working flat out.
Regards,
Alex
The Vinyl Adventure
11-05-2012, 14:54
all good news!
Sorry boys! I misread the costs in the first post.
Apologies for drifting off topic but I need a couple of windows 7 licenses to upgrade my two daughters' laptops. Is there a low cost way to get them?
Thanks in advance.
The Vinyl Adventure
11-05-2012, 18:40
We bought ours oem from ebuyer
Sorry boys! I misread the costs in the first post.
Apologies for drifting off topic but I need a couple of windows 7 licenses to upgrade my two daughters' laptops. Is there a low cost way to get them?
Thanks in advance.
Software4Students
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