[WeirdG]

I just ordered an ID36, and I'm receiving it today via courier. All of the documentation and reviews I've found seem to indicated it will work with 4GB, but there's no mention of what happens if I install 8GB. I purchased two 2GB memory sticks and was wondering what would happen if I installed to two 4GB sticks. Will the ID36 recognize all 8GB of memory and be able to use it if I install a 64-bit OS? I'm planning to install Win8 64-bit with XBMC(Eden). I was going to go with Linux, until I saw it can't do Netflix and might have trouble with blu-ray playback.

WG

[le_willard]

WeirdG, on 01 November 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

I just ordered an ID36, and I'm receiving it today via courier. All of the documentation and reviews I've found seem to indicated it will work with 4GB, but there's no mention of what happens if I install 8GB. I purchased two 2GB memory sticks and was wondering what would happen if I installed to two 4GB sticks. Will the ID36 recognize all 8GB of memory and be able to use it if I install a 64-bit OS? I'm planning to install Win8 64-bit with XBMC(Eden). I was going to go with Linux, until I saw it can't do Netflix and might have trouble with blu-ray playback.

WG

WeirdG, welcome to the Z-Spot forums.

According to the specifications, a maximum of 4GB is supported. Here is the link: http://www.zotacusa....blu-ray-3d.html

You could try 8GB, and report in on what happens. I don't think it'll destroy the ID36 if it doesn't work.

[WeirdG]

le_willard, on 01 November 2012 - 05:14 PM, said:

WeirdG, welcome to the Z-Spot forums.

According to the specifications, a maximum of 4GB is supported. Here is the link: http://www.zotacusa....blu-ray-3d.html

You could try 8GB, and report in on what happens. I don't think it'll destroy the ID36 if it doesn't work.

I know, but I also don't want to waste my money on 8GB of memory if it's not going to work. I currently have 4GB installed, and I just finished installing Win8 Pro. I doubt I'll even need more than 4GB of memory, since all I'm using my ZBox for is video playback (XBMC and blu-ray playback). Just an FYI, all of the drivers were installed during the Win8 install. :D After the install completed, only the wireless card and video card needed updating.

WG

[le_willard]

WeirdG, on 01 November 2012 - 10:27 PM, said:

I know, but I also don't want to waste my money on 8GB of memory if it's not going to work. I currently have 4GB installed, and I just finished installing Win8 Pro. I doubt I'll even need more than 4GB of memory, since all I'm using my ZBox for is video playback (XBMC and blu-ray playback). Just an FYI, all of the drivers were installed during the Win8 install. :D After the install completed, only the wireless card and video card needed updating.

WG

Good to hear. I would just install 4GB of RAM anyways. For video playback, 4GB is plenty.

[WeirdG]

On another note, using Netflix in Win8 is a completely different experience. It almost seems like the Win8 GUI is more optimized for HTPCs and tablets instead of conventional computers. Thinking from a WinXP/Win7 perspective, I went to the netflix.com site using IE. When I tried loading a movie, it asked me if I want to use the Netflix app instead. This kind of put me off guard, because I wasn't expecting it. I ended up installing the app and tried it out. I watched a few shows, and everything appeared to load quickly. I even launched Captain America which is an HD film. No problems at all. Fast loading, and no stuttering or glitching at all, The experience with the ID36 running Win8 has been like butter. I expect the experience to be even better once I receive the SSD I ordered. I still have yet to try blu-ray and 3D blu-ray playback, but so far I'm liking what I see. This weekend I plan to install XBMC.

WG

This post has been edited by WeirdG: 02 November 2012 - 12:35 AM

[_gooses]

WeirdG, on 02 November 2012 - 12:33 AM, said:

On another note, using Netflix in Win8 is a completely different experience. It almost seems like the Win8 GUI is more optimized for HTPCs and tablets instead of conventional computers. Thinking from a WinXP/Win7 perspective, I went to the netflix.com site using IE. When I tried loading a movie, it asked me if I want to use the Netflix app instead. This kind of put me off guard, because I wasn't expecting it. I ended up installing the app and tried it out. I watched a few shows, and everything appeared to load quickly. I even launched Captain America which is an HD film. No problems at all. Fast loading, and no stuttering or glitching at all, The experience with the ID36 running Win8 has been like butter. I expect the experience to be even better once I receive the SSD I ordered. I still have yet to try blu-ray and 3D blu-ray playback, but so far I'm liking what I see. This weekend I plan to install XBMC.

WG

That's awesome!! Very good to hear, WG I'm really happy to know about your pleasant experience with our ZBOX.

_gooses

[WeirdG]

_gooses, on 02 November 2012 - 04:03 PM, said:

That's awesome!! Very good to hear, WG I'm really happy to know about your pleasant experience with our ZBOX.

_gooses

Yup... loving the experience so far. I'm sure the Win8 compatibility really helped with the performance too. I streamed a couple of 720p MKV movies with high bitrates, and one 1080p MKV movie. All three worked successfully. I'm also connecting to my router using a wireless bridge. My Zbox ID36 is connected to the bridge.

BTW, I did have brief a problem with the video, but then I went into the BIOS and set the optimal settings. The problem went away when I booted back into Windows.

I also had a suggestion for improving the device. I'm not using any sort of remote with my Zbox. Instead I'm using the Lenovo Multimedia Remote N5902A. I can turn off the HTPC without any issue but when I want to turn it on, I need to hit the power button on the front of the unit. Is there any chance Zotac can add a setting in the BIOS to enable a USB mouse or keyboard to power on the Zbox? I've had that functionality on two of my motherboards in the past, and it's great. I hit the spacebar or move my mouse, and the computer powers up and boots into Windows. It would be a great option to have for those of us that only use a mouse and keyboard, and no MCE remote with our Zboxes. Please let me know.

Thanks,
WG

This post has been edited by WeirdG: 03 November 2012 - 12:47 AM

[le_willard]

WeirdG, on 03 November 2012 - 12:44 AM, said:

Yup... loving the experience so far. I'm sure the Win8 compatibility really helped with the performance too. I streamed a couple of 720p MKV movies with high bitrates, and one 1080p MKV movie. All three worked successfully. I'm also connecting to my router using a wireless bridge. My Zbox ID36 is connected to the bridge.

BTW, I did have brief a problem with the video, but then I went into the BIOS and set the optimal settings. The problem went away when I booted back into Windows.

I also had a suggestion for improving the device. I'm not using any sort of remote with my Zbox. Instead I'm using the Lenovo Multimedia Remote N5902A. I can turn off the HTPC without any issue but when I want to turn it on, I need to hit the power button on the front of the unit. Is there any chance Zotac can add a setting in the BIOS to enable a USB mouse or keyboard to power on the Zbox? I've had that functionality on two of my motherboards in the past, and it's great. I hit the spacebar or move my mouse, and the computer powers up and boots into Windows. It would be a great option to have for those of us that only use a mouse and keyboard, and no MCE remote with our Zboxes. Please let me know.

Thanks,
WG

WG, I think in order to turn on the ZBOX via USB mouse or keyboard, there will always need to be USB power running through the system... which I don't think the engineers accounted for. I'll look into it though.

[WeirdG]

le_willard, on 05 November 2012 - 10:16 AM, said:

WG, I think in order to turn on the ZBOX via USB mouse or keyboard, there will always need to be USB power running through the system... which I don't think the engineers accounted for. I'll look into it though.

Yes. The USB ports must be powered for the ZBox to cold boot. Since the architecture is still newer, I'm hoping the functionality can be added to the BIOS via an update. Since I plan to install an SSD within the next couple of days, I'd rather cold boot my Zbox instead of putting it to Sleep or into Hibernation. My understanding is, Sleep/Hibernate are not good to use on SSD drives. Also, since SSDs have significantly faster read times, it would be quicker to boot into the OS compared to a regular SATA drive. There would be no point in using Sleep/Hibernate, since the machine is turned off, and it would consume even less power than being in one of those states.

BTW, USB ports are powered when the ZBox goes to Sleep. I hope they can be powered while turned off.

WG

This post has been edited by WeirdG: 05 November 2012 - 01:08 PM

[WeirdG]

le_willard, on 05 November 2012 - 10:16 AM, said:

WG, I think in order to turn on the ZBOX via USB mouse or keyboard, there will always need to be USB power running through the system... which I don't think the engineers accounted for. I'll look into it though.

Hi le_willard,

Any word on what I asked?

[le_willard]

WeirdG, on 15 November 2012 - 06:14 PM, said:

Hi le_willard,

Any word on what I asked?

WG,

It has been suggested to the engineers. I'd expect they'll implement this feature in future BIOS updates.

[WeirdG]

le_willard, on 15 November 2012 - 11:18 PM, said:

WG,

It has been suggested to the engineers. I'd expect they'll implement this feature in future BIOS updates.

Excellent. Thanks for the update. Hopefully a BIOS update with this feature comes soon. I look forward to it. My only beef is when I turn off my ZBOX, I can't turn it back on with the keyboard/mouse. Love my ID36 though. It's played everything I've thrown at it, including 1080p MKV files with DTS audio. :D

WG