Xtreamer Pro

The Xtreamer Pro is based on the original Xtreamer (2.5) and the Xtreamer SideWinder. So what's different here? Well, this Pro version has room for two 3.5-inch internal hard drives and also integrates eSATA support. Let's take a look at what this third model in the Xtreamer range has to offer.

There's little point writing a whole new article about Xtreamer media centres as the internal software is exactly the same across all three models. We'll therefore focus solely on the differences that set this model apart from the brand's other media centres.

The Xtreamer Pro looks more like an NAS device than a media centre designed to be placed alongside your home hi-fi equipment. However, as mentioned above, it can house two 3.5-inch hard drives, which are very easy to insert.

This boosted storage space is a very good idea, as it means you can keep a huge collection of multimedia files in one central location. We were just disappointed to see that you can't use the system in a RAID configuration for backing up files.



We were also disappointed with the heat and noise output from this Pro model. There's a small fan at the rear of the device but its location means it can't effectively remove hot air from the hard drive compartment. In fact, only the chip is actually cooled. In hot weather, after using the Xtreamer Pro for around one hour in an ambient temperature of 28°C, we measured 45°C on the outer casing. In the long term, your hard drives might not like that. What's more, the aluminium casing doesn't keep out the noise of the hard drives working, and even serves to amplify it. Your best bet is to pick hard drives running at 5,400 rpm and branded as Green or Eco if you want to minimise the risk of breakages.

For the rest, take a look at our review of the Xtreamer SideWinder. Here, you'll find more information about the internal interface, network transfer speeds and multimedia compatibility, which are exactly the same as the Xtreamer Pro.