Talk:Supported hardware
Desktop
CPU ++ SSE |
x86 or x86_64 processor such as: Intel Pentium 4, Intel Pentium M, AMD Athlon XP/64, AMD Opteron, or newer CPU. Anything made in the last few years does.).
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RAM | Note: Some platforms - the video playback acceleration, a minimum of 512MB dedicated VRAM is required set in BIOS
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Graphics |
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Video decoding |
For hardware video decoding, which may be necessary on various low-performance CPUs to playback 1080P content, make sure your GPU or VPU supports either VAAPI, VDPAU, or CrystalHD.
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Drive space | The XBMC binary generally takes up between 100 to 200 MB of space, depending on how it's compiled. Technically speaking, if your hardware supports netbooting, you don't even require a hard drive for either the OS or XBMC.
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Optical Drive |
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Ethernet port |
Note: A wired connection is preferred over slow wifi network, some 5gHz environments may affect wifi signal quality/strength and reduce bandwidth or cause signal fluctuations that affect streaming |
uNiversal 07:51, 29 March 2014 (EDT)
- For starters, the RAM requirement is wrong. The minimal RAM requirement for XBMC to run on linux hardware, even for v13 Gotham, on x86 systems, is still 256MB. The CPU requirement has been replaced with a recommendation. That recommendation of "dual core" means nothing because XBMC doesn't use more than one core for video decoding, and has only gained the ability to use more cores in v13 Gotham if specifically set to do so, and even that setting discourages turning that on.
- If you want to update the GPU text, please do so, but don't format it using that table. That table is a big step backwards in formatting. -- Ned Scott (talk) 02:45, 28 March 2014 (EDT)
- YEs, things can always be improved, however you have left out the legacy stuff which is a must because the questions will be ask:ed.
- Here. You don't need USB or an optical drive at all (plenty of people have installed directly to the drive and then installed that drive on the other hardware), but you would be hard pressed to find any hardware that is able to run XBMC that doesn't have a USB port. It's virtually impossible, and it's a given that you need some method of installing.
- Same for optical drives. It's completely obvious that if you want to play a DVD then you need something to physically read a DVD. People aren't just setting bare DVDs on top of the HTPC case and expecting magic.
- That being said, I would not object to a mention of USB (and ethernet, for that matter) in the context of being able to playback media. A lot of people do have the mistaken impression that USB 3 or gigabit ethernet is required for HD content, when USB 2 and 100meg ethernet will do just fine. -- Ned Scott (talk) 03:43, 28 March 2014 (EDT
- For gpu acceleration yoou need minimum 512MB Vram in addition to the 256MB system ram, so we already at 700MB+RAM so ya 1GB minimum depending if shared or not.
- Yes, unfortunately, we should do the obvious more often, not everyone gets the obvious, no matter how much we want to belive that. Yes ether port mim100meg is ok and usb2 is also ok, unless you streaming over wifi a 50mbit bitrate file, Ive added a few things above lookup from the uvd2.0 page and whatnot to add to the table when your done reformating it again ;)
- The usb port I mean a USB drive you can installinux to a USB drive or Intall to hdd or install to ssd, I didnt means that you need a usb port, though its obvious ;) that most everything has one of those these days.uNiversal 04:34, 28 March 2014 (EDT)
- I don't know who told you that 512 MB of VRAM was needed, but they're wrong. I run XBMC on an x86 Pentium M with 64MB VRAM and 256MB system RAM. Raspberry Pi is ARM, but it runs XBMC using 256MB on the model A, total, both VRAM and system RAM.
- Even for 50mbit files, USB 2 and ethernet 100 is more than enough. There is no recommended gigabit ethernet. It's faster, but it makes zero difference for XBMC. BluRay ISOs don't go higher than about 40. Even then, it's not a requirement, just as an optical drive or an IR remote are not requirements. -- Ned Scott (talk) 11:31, 28 March 2014 (EDT)
- What about the above I polshed it up a bit,
- RAM: Sure 256 is minimum but thats just system wise, video playback requires 512 dedicated vram for accelerated content, + system ram your already on 700MB+
- A video bitrate and the bandwith is not the same, a 100MB port maxes out at 12MB/s, but in wifi connections a 40Mbit bluray will suffer depending on newrok equipment/signal quality and strenght, though ok now we can fill buffers and whatnot.
- Ive added more specific notes about legacy amd cards, we cant ignore these yet, they can run xbmc even with fglrx just no acceleration on video playback.uNiversal 06:22, 29 March 2014 (EDT)
- Hardware video decoding does not require any additional RAM. None. My main HTPC hardware, which I have been using for the last three years on a daily basis, decodes every format that any other major VPU can, including MPEG2, VC-1, and more, and has a grand total of 320 MB of RAM (256MB system RAM, 64 MB VRAM). Whoever told you that XBMC ever needs 512 MB of VRAM is simply wrong.Ned Scott (talk) 22:08, 29 March 2014 (EDT)
No... it is not... Maybe your platforms work fine with no RAM assigned or bare 64MB to video card in Bios, you try running a ION or some Nvidia cards for e.g or some AMD cards under Linux and not assign them 512MB ram in bios and see what happens when hardware decode time comes. It will work perfectly wont it? It not XBMC, the hardware just needs it to operate optimally naturally it has nothing to do with XBMC. Sure you can with some platforms but not everyone using xbmc has your hardware. like me for e.g.uNiversal 02:04, 30 March 2014 (EDT)
Sure, But its ok for you to talk about netbooting which is definitely not a xbmc requirement? Im suggesting better ways to put this forward because it makes sense and logical, Can it always be imporved? Sure! Doant mean you have to have it or use it. what a terrible suggestion idk what I was thinking in this day and age.uNiversal 02:04, 30 March 2014 (EDT)
- There's already a big bright note for Ubuntu users about their older AMD cards. It specifically says that, for Ubuntu 12.10+, users need to use an AMD card that is 2.2 or higher, with a link to a list of cards, if they want to use hardware video decoding. The reason there are two sections, one for GPU in the UI context, and one for GPU/VPU in the video decoding context, already explains that the older cards can still be used for the GUI.Ned Scott (talk) 22:08, 29 March 2014 (EDT)
Yes there is, but its does not tell you that you need to use fglrx and that it needs to be a specific version, the intended audience here, need to be told this specifically and clearly beyond any doubts or have to tell them each and every time they ask, Im not a parrort, thx. uNiversal 02:04, 30 March 2014 (EDT)
- I don't see any point in listing arbitrary acronyms under the storage space requirements. As a requirement, it doesn't matter if the user is using a mechanical hard drive, SSD, nor does it matter if they connect with USB, Firewire, SATA, PATA, eSATA, mSATA, PCIe, Thunderbolt, SD, mSD, CF, or a custom eMMC module connector.Ned Scott (talk) 22:08, 29 March 2014 (EDT)
Its not the connectors acronyms Im listing, whatever gives you that idea? ;) but yes I suppose it could be any medium these days so ya. I agree with that comment, under that premise.uNiversal 02:07, 30 March 2014 (EDT)
- If the point here is to list suggested hardware, like what many threads do in the hardware forum, then that is different and should be done on a different set of pages than this one. Such a page should be marked as a community suggestion, and likely needs to be in context of the specific OS that is also being suggested. For example, a page could be called "Recommended hardware for Ubuntu" or "Recommended hardware for OpenELEC". -- Ned Scott (talk) 22:08, 29 March 2014 (EDT)
mmm, right?! lets make these things as painful as possible, perhpas there could be better ways to do these things, but Im not doing them, because well I wont be the one doing it, if you like, do write it yourself and teach me the world as it should be according to Ned Scott. And I will learn :) uNiversal 02:07, 30 March 2014 (EDT)