aweisling

I'm going to be running a patch in a gallery for 6 weeks and need to buy a computer to run Max. The issues of stabilizing the patch, controlling power and restarts, etc. are all things I'm looking into as well, but I was just hoping to get some input from the community regarding mini PC (or other equipment) options.

I'm on a really limited budget, but am running a pretty straightforward patch and hope that I can make this happen without going over a few hundred dollars for the machine. The patch does take one input (accelerometer) and put out one output (vibe board) via an Arduino (plus producing a visual output) but other than that all it does is step through frames of a small video (slowly). The only other complication is that I'm using GL, so the old laptops I have at my disposal aren't going to have graphics cards that are capable of running the patch.

Has anyone come across good options for this kind of situation? Or, is there anything I might not be considering? I'd love to hear from anyone who has had experience with running similar setups. Thanks in advance!

mini-pc-for-installation

This site has a lot of info on low-cost PC's:

I did a bunch of research on this recently, but my application was a bit higher performance than what you're describing. We ended up going with Mac Mini's because they were actually price-competitive for similar feature set.

The lowest cost PC system we were considering was the Shuttle NC01U3.

http://www.thebookpc.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=NC01U

Another interesting model is the MSI ProBox 23 - it is rated at Mil Spec so could be a bit more reliable.

http://www.thebookpc.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PROBOX23

This site has a lot of info on low-cost PC's:
http://www.thebookpc.com/

I did a bunch of research on this recently, but my application was a bit higher performance than what you're describing.  We ended up going with Mac Mini's because they were actually price-competitive for similar feature set.

The lowest cost PC system we were considering was the Shuttle NC01U3.
http://www.thebookpc.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=NC01U

Another interesting model is the MSI ProBox 23 -  it is rated at Mil Spec so could be a bit more reliable.
http://www.thebookpc.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=PROBOX23


It seems like the NC01U3 is about $500, and the ProBox 23 is about $400--is that about what you were looking at, budget-wise?

Maybe I'm just dreaming when I ask if there's anything out there that's $200-$300. This is a good place to start, though, thank you very much!

Thanks for the insights!
It seems like the NC01U3 is about $500, and the ProBox 23 is about $400--is that about what you were looking at, budget-wise?

Maybe I'm just dreaming when I ask if there's anything out there that's $200-$300. This is a good place to start, though, thank you very much!


Our budget was a bit higher, but we did look at the lower end because we needed several of these systems. This site was the best resource I could find.

I'd be surprised if you could locate a Max-capable computer with OpenGL support for under $400 at this point.

Our budget was a bit higher, but we did look at the lower end because we needed several of these systems.  This site was the best resource I could find.

I'd be surprised if you could locate a Max-capable computer with OpenGL support for under $400 at this point.


Well, a Mac mini core 2 duo can be found for well under $400 on ebay, but I get your point. And I appreciate the advice!

You may be interested in this new device:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/udoo/udoo-x86-the-most-powerful-maker-board-ever/

Mini PC for Installation?