Higher CPU Usage?, Prime-Network or Ceton-USB? ZBox Mini-PC

[JazJon]

I'm thinking of switching to a Zotac ZBox mini-PC.
(moving soon and will need to have Media Center in my bedroom instead of the livingroom)

Since Mini-PC's are Slightly under powered compared to your average home built system it got me thinking.

Which CableCard tuner would put less load on the CPU for recording HD channels? The Ceton InfiniTV USB 2.0 hardware tuner or HD HomeRun Prime over the network virtual tuner?

I tried a ZBox ID82 with a USB Ceton tuner, but failed.
http://www.zotacusa.com/zbox-id82.html
I has a Intel Core i3 2330M 2.2 GHz Dual-Core, but I think the Intel HD Graphics 3000 is what makes it choke! (recording to external USB 3.0 WD 3TB drive) What happens was, recordings would have bars of pixalation at the bottom at random, and audio would drop out for a split second every few minutes. I use the same hard drive and same tuner on my current powerful Shuttle PC I'm now and it's smooth sailing. (even connected the hard drive via USB 3.0 as a test no problem)

Would switching to a Prime Network Tuner possibly record smoother on a ZBox? I'd want to buy two, to get 6 tuners then as well.

The ZBox AD12 is out soon with a AMD Radeon™ HD 7340 but it has a slower AMD E2-1800 APU 1.7 GHz Dual-Core
http://www.zotacusa.com/zbox-nano-ad12.html

[barnabas1969]

Both are network tuners. It shouldn't make a difference. Both do all the processing internally, and re-encrypt the copy-protected channels... thus requiring the CPU to decrypt the stream and then encrypt again with PlayReady.