Absolute cheapest desktop to watch movies online?

Fire sticks are crap even as compared to current cheap chinese HTPC boxes.

The site she uses will require an internet browser to access.

Thanks. Is Intel Core 2 Duo good enough for 1080p streaming without lag?

Always go cheap used office station, anything with 2nd-4th series intel i3 or 5 should cost next to nothing and do this and 1000x more.
AIO computing shit like firesticks etc are dogshit trash that shouldn't even be on the market

Absolutely wrong. There's nothing wrong with the PC op linked. It's even better than a used office one because the power supply wouldn't be burnt out and it will run faster because it's new.

>The site she uses will require an internet browser to access.
So fucking what. Android phones stream EVERYTHING thru the chromecast. The button is right there in the notification bar. Are you an applefag by any chance?

>Is Intel Core 2 Duo good enough for 1080p streaming without lag?
fuck no. 3rd gen intel core-i iGP (a.k.a intel HD 4000) is the VERY oldest you can go without lag at 1080p. 3000 and alder will shit the bed.

>And the absolute cheapest new is a ~$25 Android HTPC box they already play 1080p videos - even HEVC at good frame rates.
This. There's plenty of low-cost ARM Android TV box on ebay that you can buy to get a decent "mini computer" option.

There's also some option into how to convert these cheap android arm boxes into Linux boxes with various degree of support.

>linux-meson.com/doku.php

>Thanks. Is Intel Core 2 Duo good enough for 1080p streaming without lag?
Not same user, but while theoretically they're pretty much all overall more powerful than the $25 Chinese HTPC boxes I mentioned before, many of them or the GPU they had in laptops and stuff back when were too old to get hardware decoders for HEVC and actually perform worse.

Desktop core 2 have a reasonable chance of being fast enough even for that, and anyhow most videos still are x.264 on many torrent sites and stuff.

Also just FYI, these android boxes are stronger than any of the old i3/c2d for video playback due to advances in hardware support. You can play just about anything 4k 60fps on these tiny boxes, and they cost ~$20-$30.

Aren't there newer versions of the Dell Studio though? I thought there were. The old one I have I don't use for 1080p. It has a smaller monitor and streams YouTube for music in my shop fine though. I am wondering now because I was thinking to bring it in for an htpc lately.

link to a 4k/60 box at $20 please

Ebay, sort by "S905" either S905X(4K 60fps) > S905W((4K 30fps) works fine. Limit price from ~$20-$35. The cheaper models have older android (6/7)/1GB ram the more expensive models have newer (7/8)/2GB. You can increase the price limit higher for more options.

Can anyone tell what plex is and how is it different/better than kodi?
I don't even hear kodi anymore and people just talk about streaming everything on plex.

There's also the RK3229 models too, but their CPU is quite a bit weaker than the S905 models.

There have been so many laptops that can play 1080p x.264 (and prior to that, xvid) and by now also a lot of laptops that can play 1080p and 4k HEVC and even AV1.
Up to 4k HEVC these playback capabilities have slipped even into the lower end of current devices anyhow.

I really had or have no reason to pay attention to or suggest one specific Dell line of products. Did you use that laptop for a long time or something? It's pretty normal that you can do that.

> RK3229
Ya, pretty much don't get these.

Only thing worth considering is if you don't want to pay $25 extra for a RK3328 or S912 with often 3-4 times more RAM.

OOOOH, one of these with an i5, throw some extra RAM in there, and a GTX 1050ti would be a GREAT, cheap slightly lower mid teir gaming PC.

I picked up a Dell Studio Hybrid 140g for $10 at an ARC thrift store last summer is how I came to have mine. I tossed a SSD in it, installed Win7 and it rocks for a little shit box. I do basic stuff with it, pdf reader, open office, web browser, youtube, forums, ect. Here are its specs cnet.com/products/dell-studio-hybrid-ddpcln1/specs/ Will it really not play 1080p? Now I'm anxious to find out.

Attached: dell studio hybrid 140g.png (187x269, 50K)

What would be the best option for an old person that wants to watch shows/films on their tv in the living room using a remote to navigate? I see a few people here saying theyre shit but this is the only method i know tbat uses a remote

Might be able to play 1080p h264, but probably not HEVC or VP9. Don't even dream about 4K on that machine.

I'm going to guess it will play 1080p x.264 just fine.

It may not play 1080p HEVC or AV1.

See above comments on Android TV boxes. These $25 S905 usually come with remote and playback anything modern @ 4K. Whether that's h264/h265/vp9/10 bit of either.

They came with bluray player as an upgrade. It'll probably wont do 4k but it will do 1080 though. Idgaf about the 4k meme. My tv is a sweet Sony 1080p model I wont be upgrading any time soon. The 140g I have has the Intel GMA 3100 graphics. More info here cnet.com/reviews/dell-studio-hybrid-review/
If OPs mom only has a 1080p tv then no reason to look for a 4k capable PC if cost is a concern. So long as the codec she needs are on the PC it would be good to go. If she just streaming she may not even need the newest codecs right?

According to this techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/gma-3100.c1793
it will run 3840x2160 which is 4k resolution.

Brainlet.

Explain. I don't fuck with 4k so please no bully. What's the issue here?

4K desktop screen is not 4K video playback different technology.

Just get any cheap laptop with HDMI off Craigslist or Facebook market place

Looking into them some claim theyre bad some good, is this nvidia shield one any good seems to be the only o e with decent ratings. Seems overkill in price for its intended use.

Firesticks are laggy according to some anons

I gave you the specific SoC model number. S905. Nvidia Shield is not S905. Nvidia shields costs ~$200. S905 costs $20-$30. The latest Firestick does not use S905, but rather a weaker MediaTek SoC. The older Firestick uses even weaker Mediatek/Broadcom SoC.

Also, S905 is under the hood of the latest Amazon TV Cubes, which Amazon sells for $80.

Apple fag? Yes I am

Rock64. Just attach it permanently to her TV and have her browse on that
Even better if you buy your poor mother a 4K TV, since the rock64 can handle 4k60 HDR HEVC for 4k UHD blu ray rips

well that explains a lot. Here in 2019 we can just stream our phone to any screen using android and a chromecast, with resolutions up to 4K. If whatever shady site your mom needs can be used in chrome (or any other browser) on an android phone, you're done. No need for dated HTPC shit.

ARM boxes are shit, be it android or otherwise. They will lag on web streaming sites. Don't bother.

Used pic related ex-corporate mini PC off ebay with a wireless keyboard/touchpad. i3/i5/i7/AMD APU your choice. Get at least Haswell (2014) or AMD Carrizo for accelerated video.

Attached: hp_elitedesk.jpg (1280x720, 120K)