Cheap MP2 client spec - Dell Optiplex (2 Viewers)

[Lehmden]

would it actually be capable of doing what I want?

Yes, but it is on it's limits... Especially the GPU is as absolutely minimum level.

specifically mentions being able to support 4k video.

This is not really the truth. Theoretical you may be able to play 4k Video, but only on low bitrates and especially not with h265 codec (the standard codec for 4k).
I had a Core i5 from the same generation than the N3050 with a GPU some levels above. Even this i5 is not really able to play h265 4k content without blowing the CPU over the limits.. The GPU did not support h265 so everything needs to be done by the CPU. The Core i5 I own is many times as fast as the Celeron N3050. And even the Haswell i5 is pretty much as it's limits while decoding a h265 4K video... I really doubt it would work with an average 4k video on a N3050. only with specially adopted (transcoded) ones...

Drivers for Win 7 are no longer be available for many things, not only NUC... So you may be forced to use Win 10 sooner or later nevertheless...

By the way, Im absolutely sure Win7 can be installed on this device. No special hardware is installed on those systems. Aside this you always can install Win 7 via USB 2.0 ports. The NUC 6cayh has two internal USB 2.0 ports so you only need a cheap (less than 1 GBP) connector. Probably you will have one laying around from an older computer somehow. I'm sure I will find at least a dozen of them, if I dig deep enough into my storage..

 

[Digsy]

@Lehmden Maybe we need to take a step back here...

My main HTPC in the lounge is a Core i5 with in-chip Intel HD graphics 4600, which according to this page, is a generation older than the graphics on the NUC.

Given that my NUC will not need to do anything that my main PC cannot, surely the N3050 should be OK? Or is that not true because in reality on my main system the CPU does a lot of the work, and the CPU in the NUC is much weaker?

 

[Lehmden]

n reality on my main system the CPU does a lot of the work,

It does all the work, at least if it is about decoding h265. The HD4600 is not able to decode h265 at all. Seems to be the same i5 I had (have it is now running as a seldom used NAS). It's replaced by a Pentium J5005 equipped with an UHD605 GPU. New system is cheaper a lot, needs much less energy (only a quarter of the energy the i5 needed), is completely fanless (absolutely quiet) and much faster when it comes to h265 decoding. For h264 (and all old stuff like Mpeg2 or DivX or such) it is equal to the i5 with HD4600..

the CPU in the NUC is much weaker?

Indeed it is.

 

[Digsy]

So how can I find out precisely what each CPU can / can't do? I keep finding conflicting info on the web.

I found this on another wiki page which still suggests that the NUC is more powerful than my main HTPC (although as you say nothing about H265 decoding), but if my main system cannot do it, then the NUC won't have to.


All I really want to do is:
Handle live and recorded TV over satellite from my MP2 server (SD and HD).
Play ripped SD DVDs
Play blu-rays (physical discs - main system only).

I really don't want / need a high end system for what I want to do. I can appreciate future-proofing, but things move so fast with PC hardware that this it is really difficult to future proof. If you ignore the whole 4K / h265 thing, will the N3050 NUC be OK?

 

[Lehmden]

If you ignore the whole 4K / h265 thing, will the N3050 NUC be OK?

It should be.