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I'm currently planning hardware and software for a small themed room. This room will have either an LCD monitor in the wall, or a projector casting down from above.

What I need in particular is a small PC:

  1. capable of running Windows XP or 7
  2. is intended for my use case, to be hidden and mostly autonomous
  3. will simply be running a custom slideshow / video playlist and a Twitter stream all day (to give you an idea of its software task)

What are some good choices here? I see Fit-PCs that are fanless and very small, but a Mac Mini also comes to mind (if I need a little more horse power).

Overall, for x86 what are some proven and reliable hardware choices to consider here?

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Shopping recommendations are off-topic for SU as per the FAQ. There are MANY small form factor PC's to choose from, and any recommended here will be out-of-date in the future (hence the reason they're not allowed). Look into Mini-ITX for some ideas. – techie007 Dec 6 '11 at 22:19
Rather than a small form factor computer, get an old decomissioned laptop or netbook. They draw very low wattages (important for an always on, low requirements device) and can be had for peanuts as corporate castoffs. – Myrddin Emrys Dec 6 '11 at 22:24
@techie007 I approached this the wrong way. Really I need to know where to start period for embedding an x86 PC. Do you think my question is rephrasable in that spirit to be on-topic? – DuckMaestro Dec 6 '11 at 22:58
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closed as off topic by techie007, studiohack♦ Dec 6 '11 at 22:19

Questions on Super User are expected to generally relate to computer software or computer hardware, within the scope defined in the faq.

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