I am looking at adding a HTPC for my Den. I am considering getting a 1.83GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Mac Mini and running XP with Media Portal under Bootcamp. Most of the files I will be watching are h264 720p, but I have a few 1080p files as well. Does anyone know how well the Mac Mini will play these? Just looking to get some performance feedback from anyone who might have a similar set-up.

XP and Media Portal queries here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=816450

Why not build a beefy PC desktop for cheap and use an Apple TV as the server? My Mac Mini is great, but sluggish with regular definition files. If you go this route, max out your RAM.

Why not build a beefy PC desktop for cheap and use an Apple TV as the server? My Mac Mini is great, but sluggish with regular definition files. If you go this route, max out your RAM.

I was considering just building a HTPC, since I knew that would give me enough horse power and more options on upgrades in the future. But I really liked the idea of the small and quite Mac Mini, if it coud handle what I needed it to do. I don't really want to use an Apple TV, so I will go with a Mini or just a HTPC I build.