Reusing a old Dell Optiflex 755 as HTPC/Steam streaming client?

JMCosta

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Jun 21, 2014
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Hi

I have a old Dell 755 Tower, and I'm wondering if it is worth the trouble of doing anything with it.
I'm thinking living room low end HTPC and (hopefully) as a Client for Game streaming (Steam). Definitely not as a main PC...
So, the machine present specs are:
CPU: C2D E6550
RAM: 4Gb DDR2
HDD: 160 Gb
PS: 380 W (I think)

As for the GPU, I already know that, if I decide to use this PC I have to get a discrete PCI-e Card, if only to have a HDMI port (The PC's MB does have a normal PCI-e 16x, and it's the mini tower variant of the Optiflex, so I wont need a SFF Card).

So, my doubts are:
1 - Will it work as a HTPC with, for example, a 2nd hand low/mid range GPU (I have a spare Radeon 5450 around, so if that would be enough) ?

2 - Will it work (acceptably) as a steam streaming client? (720p30FPS or 1080p24FPS) (the server is a i5 4690 + 8Gb + R9 280X, so, no issue there), and which type of GPU would preferable (I think there is something about hardware decoding that the E6550 can't do, so it must be transferred to the GPU)

3 - Should I keep Win7Pro 64bit (the current OS) or should I think about some form of Linux?

4 - Should I just forget about it and just get some cheap 2Gb Baytrail Z3735 with Win 8.1 little box?

All Comments/Suggestions/Ideas will be very welcome!
Thanks
JMDC
 
Hi JM,

I don't know why everyone was so rude and didn't weigh in, but that sounds like an awesome HTPC !

I'm in the process myself and have learned from others just how little power you need to have a very fast machine for MCE or XMBC / Kodi.

The computational bandwidth is not terribly demanding for these applications. If you look around and see what people are selling - new - for home theater, they're going pretty light in both the CPU and GPU. Lots of dual core, core 2 duos, etc.

I don't know much about Steam, but from what I've read, the intense rendering usually gets done elsewhere and is then fed to the destination machine, so the brunt of the work has already been done.

That just leaves you needing to run the main apps, whether Steam or Kodi or whatnot, and having a GPU competent enough to play some video - which is far less work than gaming.

Your GPU should at the minimum be able to run the usual formats, and if there is anything the E6550 doesn't do, it's probably Blu Ray and 3D, which you definitely want.

Your 5450 will definitely work - I'm starting mine off with the 3450, and consider upgrading, but if I find that the picture quality is not lacking in any way, then I might not.

And if you compare the specs of your old Dell to one of those cheap-o boxes, I dare say yours comes out well ahead.

I also see that a lot of people run these on Linux - until I went over to AVS forums and found that a ton of people use Win 7 as well because it is so rock solid stable. No need to switch as I see it.

Also, I got a great tip for adding an Infrared Remote Receiver to the setup, so you don't have to have a clunky keyboard and mouse on the sofa. Check out the little USB device called Flirc - it's compatible with Win 7 x64 and with their little interface, you can take any old remote you're not using (or buttons you don't use on your current remote) and set the buttons to operate your PC, and whatever software you want to run (Steam, etc). It's brilliant.

Anyway, if you've done it already, let me know how it worked out, and if you haven't, then let's get started!

Cheers,
Dan
 
Thanks for the answer MasterHiFi!

I don't think the lack of fast answers is a question of rudeness. It's more a question of slipping through the cracks...I mean I do have to compete with the Windows 10 launch circus and (as of yesterday) Intel's latest attempt to persuade people to replace their Sandy Bridges...

I think I'll give it a go, and I'll keep Win7Pro! Hopefuly the 5450 still works (it did when I salvaged it form the partially charred remains that resulted from an ill advised atempt to forcefuly OC my previous budget gaming I3 2130), because I would really like to avoid spending any more money...

And if you compare the specs of your old Dell to one of those cheap-o boxes, I dare say yours comes out well ahead.
I agree, that it will outperform any Baytrail Win 8.1 w/bing box as long as I get the dedicated graphic card working. I do have a tablet with those specs, and I've tested using it for the purposes I described on the OP. 2 Gb Ram are really not enough, the less said about the available storage space the better, and the lack of USB ports and dedicated Ethernet port (which forced the use of an Ethernet-USB adapter) speak for them selves but...the CPU itself, especially considering the IGPU, is not that bad, and it did run everything I asked of it (yes, including Steam Streaming gaming to the TV at 1080p24/30FPS). However the format in which they "wrap" these little Atoms Z373x quadcores is very poor...


As for the IR suggestion, not a bad idea and if it was a pure HTPC I'd go for it, but, due to dual usage the setup is going to have, I already have both a X-box type controler and a small Wi-fi keyboard/trackball...

Anyway, if you've done it already, let me know how it worked out, and if you haven't, then let's get started!
I'll start this weekend, and I'll post the results here!

Thanks!
And Cheers!
 
Hi JM,

No, I don't think it was rudeness, just said it tongue-in-cheek, but I I am glad you are going ahead with the project. I really find that through these forums we help keep each other motivated, and often that is the biggest hurdle.

I must admit, two months ago I had no idea what an HTPC was - didn't even recognize the acronym, though I deduced....

I had tried a few years back to run a Plex server on my main Dell PC out to the app on my Roku, but my weak little Dell couldn't serve out the data fast enough, and Plex was not so reliable then either. Kept locking up on some files, thought my processor might explode.

As I've always been a fan of the various open source projects, I was pretty excited to read about XMBC (already re-branded as Kodi) AND learn from users just how stable it had become.

But it seems that Kodi is a lesser choice for serving multiple boxes, which is where Plex steps ahead, though with diligence I think Kodi can do this also.

And now it appears that the logical progression for many users who already have spent time with these formats is to transition into NAS. So I wonder how much effort / money I should spend on this if setting up a NAS is the final destination...

But heck, we learn as we go, right? I'm sorry to hear about what happened to your i3 - over-clocking is a dicey business at best. I am looking forward to hearing how the performance is with the 5450. So yes, please do post your results here, and I'll let you know how it goes on this end as I move forward. I've invested a modest amount on a used HP 8200 Small Form Factor, with a just passable 4GB of RAM and a too small 250GB HDD, but.... it does conceal a nice little i7-2600, so there is something to build on. The 3450 graphics card is already in there, so I figured why not give it a try, particularly since I don't do any gaming.

I even have available to me a nice SilverStone HTPC case for a paltry $20, but the HP case, though profoundly ugly, is so compact that I'm not entirely convinced that I want to swap cases.

I think I'll have a better idea when the HP arrives, which it hasn't. But I'll keep you apprised of my progress when it's underway.

Keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Best,
Dan