AsRock ION-330-HT-BD running XBMC (+Silent mod)
The ASRock ION-330-HT-(BD) is a really nice option if you search for a cheap system for XBMC. Its about ~280€ without BluRay and about 100€ more with a BluRay-drive.
Front view
Open case view
The Fanmate2 - a snug fit 
Stress testing...
...and simultaneous playback!
I got the version with Bluray drive, as you can see in the title (for about 370€ at Amazon). I really haven’t tried BluRay playback up to now, because i have no Bluray-Disc lying around right now. I am really content with the performance of the system, and a minimal ubuntu install and the following automatic XBMC install (with this shellscript: http://sourceforge.net/projects/xci/) worked like a charm.
The noise the system produces is a problem though. The case-fan is no problem at the automatic setting, but the CPU-Fan is making a very high-pitched noise. You won’t hear it when you play a movie or music, but when the system is idle, it can be quite iritating.
This is why i decided to take some measures against this problem. I read in different forums about replacing the thermal pads with Arctic Silver 5, but in my opinion, this is too much work (and also voids the warranty).
So i decided to use a ZALMAN Fanmate 2 fan controller for slowing down the CPU-Fan. I set it on the highest level (11,1V) and voilà, the high-pitched noise is gone (and i doubt it has much effect on the airflow). To compensate for it anyways, I undervolted CPU, RAM, and Chipset.
After i completed the installation (about 10 minutes of work), it was time for some stress-testing:
I tried to push the system to its limit by running mprime in a ssh session while playing back 1080p H.264 content.
To my surprise, I didn’t even get any skipped frames! (the 59 skipped frames are from fast-forwarding, as the network can’t deliver the content fast enough during 16x FF). VDPAU is REALLY taking a lot of load away from the processor!
The temperatures did get quite high, but nothing too troubling (since the system will never be under that much load [normal CPU usage while playing back H.264 1080p content: 10-20%). I think the cooling will suffice in the summer, since the maximal specified temperature for the ATOM is at about 82°C and the room temperature will be about 15°C higher. I would be pretty near the maximum, but remember the system will never be at full load (~80% of the CPU-Load are from mprime).
Some other nice features of the system are: power-on from OFF state with IR-Remote, Audio output via HDMI – Only 3 cables required for installation (HDMI, LAN, power), streaming from Samba,NFS,DLNA and about anything you can think about, internet radio playback (just put the playlist files in a folder and you are set), and last but not least: No warranty sticker bullshit!
A newer, beefier version with a intel core cpu (and 3D-playback, allegedly) will be released soon, but i did not see the need for it (more power? what for?) as i won’t have a 3D-screen for a loooooong time 
I am quite happy with my new, HD-capable XBMC box. If there are any questions left open, or if you would like to point out alternatives, please feel free to leave a comment.
6 User Comments
Maybey a dumb question but how do you undervolt the CPU, RAM and Chipset. In the BIOS? And which settings did you use.
hm, I got the same system here (without BD), and without doing any modifications, I already have 82° CPU temp at idel Windows Desktop (trying to run this with Windows Media Center since I don’t find TV integration into XBMC sufficient yet). Should there really be such a big difference between Ubuntu and Windows regarding CPU load?
Hi, thank you for your test.
I bought myself the same AsRock model and after 1 year, the fan is getting louder and louder.
I am going to try the same siled mod, you described. Can you tell me how much you undervolted the CPU, RAM, and Chipset? Thanks
Replace the fan with another one, perferably a high quality FBE one, the OEM fan is of poor quality.
Hey, sounds promising. I think, I will try it as well. Can You tell me, how much you undervolted your system?
About the undervolting: i just set the lowest Setting in BIOS, this did the trick for me.