My home laptop is on the way out, and with 95% of what used to be my computer time now being taken up by the iPad, I'd like to look at a small desktop as my next PC purchase. It's not an absolute must, but I would like to go with a very small form factor. My primary use of the machine will be leaving it on as a home theater Plex media server, so I'm seeking something that can run cooly and quietly while being on all the time with at least a 500 GB hard drive. I will likely hook it up to my main tv (thus the desire for small form factor in an already cramped media cabinet) and would like to have the ability to stream to my Chromecast on the bedroom TV via the Plex iPad app. I believe this requires the PC to transcode the video, so I'm wondering how much processing power will be necessary to serve HD video in this manner. I've found some options that fit what I'm looking for overall, but am not sure the specs will fit my needs, particularly in processing power or RAM. Does anyone have feedback on the following options?
Asus Vivo VM40 - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VivoPC-VM40B-02-ASUS-Desktop/dp/B00KU54KPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406078050&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+vivopc
1.5 GHz Intel Celeron, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $249
Asus Vivo VM60 - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VM60-G067R-ASUS-Desktop/dp/B00J2DXUWQ/ref=psdc2_t3_B00KU54KPQ_B00J2DXUWQ
1.8 GHz Core i3, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $433. This machine is also available with a 1.8 GHz Core i5 and 1 TB hard drive for $548.
Lenovo Q190 - http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=714E1CE6CB3E6B9AE0640BA4246C8A1D&action=init
1.6 GHz Intel Celeron, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $249
Mac Mini - http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-mini?afid=p219%7CGOUS&cid=AOS-US-KWG-MAC
2.5 GHz Core i5, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $599
The Intel Nuc looks to be the only other option, but I prefer not to build a kit.
Asus Vivo VM40 - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VivoPC-VM40B-02-ASUS-Desktop/dp/B00KU54KPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406078050&sr=8-1&keywords=Asus+vivopc
1.5 GHz Intel Celeron, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $249
Asus Vivo VM60 - http://www.amazon.com/Asus-VM60-G067R-ASUS-Desktop/dp/B00J2DXUWQ/ref=psdc2_t3_B00KU54KPQ_B00J2DXUWQ
1.8 GHz Core i3, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $433. This machine is also available with a 1.8 GHz Core i5 and 1 TB hard drive for $548.
Lenovo Q190 - http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087¤t-category-id=714E1CE6CB3E6B9AE0640BA4246C8A1D&action=init
1.6 GHz Intel Celeron, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $249
Mac Mini - http://store.apple.com/us/buy-mac/mac-mini?afid=p219%7CGOUS&cid=AOS-US-KWG-MAC
2.5 GHz Core i5, 4 GB DDR3 RAM, 500 GB Hard Drive - $599
The Intel Nuc looks to be the only other option, but I prefer not to build a kit.