HP 260 G1 Mini PC as Windows based media player

[cjed]

Anyone currently interested in a Windows based media player PC should consider the HP 260 G1 DM Mini-PC. The base model includes an Intel Celeron 2957U CPU (with Intel Quick Sync video), 2GB DDR3L RAM and a 32GB M2 SSD pre-installed with 64bit Windows 8.1. I/O consists of Displayport and 15-pin D-Sub VGA, 4 x USB 3.0 (2 front and 2 back) and 2 x USB 2.0 (back), Gigabit Ethernet, and microphone and headphone ports. All that in a case just a little larger than an Intel NUC.

Best of all it's currently available for under £130 in the UK.

For most home use you'll probably need to spend another few pounds on a Displayport to HDMI converter cable. It can also be expanded to take up to 16GB of RAM and an internal 2.5" SATA hard disk. There's an internal socket for a PCi-e WiFi card such as the Intel 7260AC.

I got one a couple of weeks ago and have been quite impressed. There are drawbacks, there's no IR fitted, and the only way to add one is as an external USB dongle. Some of the internal cabling and fittings to add the 2.5" hard disk and the WiFi aerials are not supplied (although they can be obtained from the on-line HP Parts store). And although it's a very low power unit, it still has a cooling fan (which is about as quiet as the Intel NUC one).

I've upgraded mine to include dual-band WiFi, a 500GB 2.5" hard disk, and an additional 4GB of RAM (to give 6GB in total). If anyone is interested in the part numbers and sources for the SATA hard disk fittings, cable and WiFi card and aerials let me know and I'll post details.

 

[San Miguel]

Can you tell me what audio is sends over the Displayport connector please ? ( Stereo,DD,DTS ..etc )
I'm considering one of these instead of an Intel N2820 NUC which has an HDMI output.
The lack of internal parts on an HP doesn't surprise me. I've setup several at work and HP are swines at using custom fittings and not including the blue grommet screws for the hard drives.
I bet there's no sata cable for the HDD and that's an HP custom cable as well...
Thanks

 

[cjed]

You get the same audio over the Displayport as HDMI, including the HD formats Dolby TrueHD and DTS MA (you also get these running a Windows OS, which you don't get from the N2820 NUC).

And yes, you're correct, the SATA disk cable (not supplied) is a custom HP part (and different from the similar one they use in their laptops), and they don't include the special grommet screws either. I made up replacements for the screws with standard bolts and vibration reduction washers.

The big advantage over the N2820 based NUCs is that you get an SSD and RAM supplied as standard, and a Windows 8.1 licence for around the same price as a barebone NUC. The major disadvantage compared to the NUC is the lack of on-board IR for a media remote (I use Bluetooth for the HP 260 G1).

 

[BehroozM]

Hello Cjed, i am looking at the 260 G1 as it is well below the other celeron PCs in term of price and tick all my boxes (5.1 7.1 audio passthrough, 24p and win8 as a freebee).
Could you share the references for the HD mount parts (couldnt find them on the website) ?

My only concern is that the unit may be a bit slow (compared to a i3) and with lower picture quality. did you have ever had the chance to compare ?

P.

 

[cjed]

You should be able to see the parts list on the HP Parts Surfer site using this link. The SATA cable is part 805299-001, the special disk mounting grommets part 594220-001 (pack of 4). They also have the internal WiFi aerial assembly as part 805303-001. The only part I actually ordered from HP was the SATA cable, I fudged the other parts from different sources.

I wouldn't call the unit slow, it's significantly faster than the BayTrail Celerons such as the N2820 and runs Windows fine (especially since it's running of an SSD). As for picture quality, I can't tell any difference between it and a 4th generation i5 NUC I run as a media player.

 

[BehroozM]

Thanks v much for the detailed replied. i think i'll give it a try and put it together this week-end !

 

[cjed]

These boxes are now available for < £100 from Dabs and eBuyer.

 

[BehroozM]

i changed my mind at the end and bought a lenovo m93p mini PC for gbp 180 (bargain too given the specs, i5 4th gen 4gb 128ssd, win 8, 2y onsite warranty) ,
i want to use it as a server as well (plex, usenet, spotify) and the extra cpu power may come handy.
only drawback vs the HP is that you dont have the msata slot so cant have ssd+hdd in the box, and the higher cpu wattage which may make it run a bit hotter.
I wanted a NUC v much but the price doesnt make sense for someone who wants to use Windows.
I am hoping 24p and audio passthrough will work smoothly just as with the HP.

What software would you recommend for windows (plex, xbmc, people talk about MPC-HC but it looks horribly time consuming to set-up)

I am looking forward to retire my lenovo q180 after 3 years of trying to get rid of judder/horizontal tearing.

 

[cjed]

I've finally got around to posting some photos of the 2.5" SATA HD and Wi-Fi upgrade to this gallery. Some of the photos have informational text displayed when you click on them, there are links to a couple of the items (such as the Wi-Fi aerials) I used.

 

[BehroozM]

Thanks for the pictures.

i am back with the HP G1

i am still waiting for the SATA connector to add a 2.5 HD (looking to add 2tb from a seagate portable drive - gbp 52 on flubit !) expected delivery in September for order place on Jul 7th !

i love the PC. Pretty fast (even under win 8) and great picture quality.

Dirt cheap with decent specs: GBP 210 for 6gb ram+128ssd+2tb 2.5 HD !!!!

i use it mainly as usenet server, spotify and some streaming (use a nvidia shield primarily)

 

[cjed]

If you have problems getting the internal SATA cable from HP, there are alternatives. These are similar cables for HP laptops, for example, I've used the this similar cable from eBay, if you search for part number 6017B0421501, you'll find a few, they're longer than the specific HP part for the 260 G1, but work fine.

 

[BehroozM]

Thanks, just ordered one !

 

[grecian2015]

Hi being a noob to doing this I am trying to locate where you plug in sata cable for new ssd. Have looked and can't see anywhere at the top where I have usb 2 and usb 3. Can only see where the small existing ssd is connected buy this doesn't look like the cable shown in eBay pics. Have looked at the pics posted but still can't work out can anybody clarify pls

 

[cjed]

The HP 260 G1 doesn't have a standard SATA port. It requires a special cable, you can order one from HP (I think they currently have stock). The socket for the special cable is under the internal plastic frame for a 2.5" HDD, so you need to remove that to see it. There's a huge amount of information on upgrading the 260 G1 on this (very long) thread in the Kodi forums. Here are pictures of the special cable and fitting it into the socket on the motherboard :

 

[ronnie2015]

Fitted one of the cables from Ebay today and my Sata Drive is detected okay.

Where can I get the Drive Grommet Screws from. Can't seem to have much luck find things on HP Part Surfer

 

[cjed]

The drive screws are on the HP site, however, they don't seem to be orderable :-(

You can use standard large headed screws with a couple of 1mm thick vibration reduction washers as in this photo :

 

[ronnie2015]

Thanks for the reply

 

[Kabeinto]

Hi from Spain. I am also interested in this PC, but in the i3 one. I wonder whether two storage units HD + SDD are also possible to install for this model, as it is for the Celeron one you are dealing with.

Thx

 

[Deleted member 173019]

Hi Guys, I am running one of these devices to play movies, music and various TV shows through Kodi. My main issue is that I now need headphones (to avoid disturbing The Mrs...lol). I had considered Bluetooth, but the HP isn't equipped, so do I just buy any old, cheap BT2.0 dongle and some headphones?, will the audio then play over BT rather than through the HDMI cable to the TV?

I'd like it as seamless as possible with no cables as the HP is a good 4 meters from the bed, any suggestions?

Many thanks,

Rich

 

[cjed]

Bluetooth will work - but it won't switch between HDMI and Bluetooth for Audio automatically, you'll need to do that through Windows. As well as a Bluetooth dongle, you could add an internal WiFi/Bluetooth mini-PCIe card and internal aerials.

 

[plum23]

To save switching outputs would the dual audio fork of Kodi output sound via both hdmi and BT? I know it works for hdmi + optical.