New HTPC

[RudeCurve]

Erm.. what's the point on proposing a business-oriented LGA775 barebone with no upgrade options for a 2012 HTPC?

The point is it satisfies most of the OP's requirements...nobody cares about YOUR requirements...

Also just because Shuttle says it's targeted at businesses doesn't mean it couldn't be built to be a small capable HTPC...

Outfitted with 8GB, 2.93GHz Core 2 Duo, slim Blu-ray drive...it could be a very capable HTPC for a long time...why would you upgrade it any further for HT use???

FORM FACTOR Mini-ITX MB
3.5 L chassis
PROCESSOR Intel 65W LGA 775 CPU
CHIPSET Intel G41 + ICH7
MEMORY 2 x 240 pin DDR3 DIMM slots,4GB per DIMM (Max 8GB)
Dual Channel DDR3 800/1066
VGA Integrated Intel X4500
DirectX 10 Support
DVI resolution 2048 x 1526
HDMI V1.3
DVI + HDMI dual display
AUDIO Realtek ALC662 5.1 channel High Definition Audio
ETHERNET Realtek 8111E X2
IEEE 802.3u 100Base-T specification revision 1.0
100Mb/s and 1Gb/s operation
Support Wake-On-LAN function
STORAGE INTERFACE (3) 3.0Gb/s bandwidth SATA II

ONBOARD CONNECTORS (2) SATA connectors
(2) 1x5 pin USB 2.0 header
(1) ATX main power connector
(1) ATX 12V power connector
(2) set 4pin fan connectors
FRONT PANEL (2) USB 2.0 ports
(1) Microphone-In
(1) Earphone-Out
Power-On button
Power LED
HDD LED
BACK PANEL (2) RJ45 Gigabit LAN port
(1) DVI-I VGA port
(1) HDMI
(4) USB 2.0 ports
(1) SP/DIF out
(1) RS232
(1) RS232/RS422/RS485
(1) Line in port
(1) Line out port
(1) MIC in port
(1) Clear CMOS button
(1) Kensinton luck
(2) Wireless Antenna fixture
EXPANSION BAY (2) 2.5" HDD / SSD bay
(1) Slim ODD bay
(1) PCI-E x1 slot

DIMENSIONS 240(L) x 200(W) x 72(H) mm
POWER 90W adapter

ACCESSORIES XPC Multilanguage Quick User Guide
XPC DVD Driver (XP and Vista 32 / 64 bit and Win7 32/ 64 bit)
1* Power cord
1* SATA cable (pre-install for HDD)
1* SATA cable (pre-install for ODD)
1* 4 pin to SATA power cable
Screws
EXPANSION SLOT (1) Mini-PCIE socket




Here's the same small barebone PC form factor but accepts Sandy Bridge CPUs...

http://www.shuttle.eu/products/slim/xh61/overview/

 

[Alexko]

Does G41 even feature hardware acceleration for H264 playback?

 

[Malo]

Or 7.1 HD Audio HDMI?

Without DXVA1/2 hardware acceleration for h264/MP4 and HDMI 7.1 HD Audio, it's useless as a HTPC

 

[RudeCurve]

You don't need GPU based hardware acceleration to playback h264 if you've got a 2.9GHz Core 2 Duo. I've got a 2.5GHz C2D and I could play 1080p Blu-ray movies just fine using PowerDVD all in software. BTW there is HDMI audio support as well as optical out on the Shuttle XG41 box.

Stop being pricks and making lame excuses and just admit to yourself that YOUR definition of a HTPC is not the end all be all that was handed down from God...