Affordable starting point

So now back to earth... As much as I'd like to make this a 64bit box. It's really non needed. The Shuttle SN41G2BV2 is a really much better and realistic starting point.

To begin with, they have the GeForce 4 MX built in, and they run off Athlon XP or Duron CPUs. When money is tight, and performance is not the #1 priority, these boxes will still be overkill. even though IR is still missing, and the universal card reader would need to be added I could see starting the project with one of these boxes.

The great advantage of starting with an SN41G2 is that for the same price as the SN85G4V2 you get the video components and the CPU covered, with room to spare for extra RAM. One nice feature of all these Shuttle boxes is that they come with integrated heat pipes. Save about $20 bucks by going with an OEM CPU instead of a boxed one. (Pricewatch comparison of Athlon 2200+)

In reality, I'll probably start with a Microtel PC just to get the ball rolling.