I'm sure you could find some second-hand early 4-5 year old Mac Mini computers at low prices. They're pretty robust little buggers. But even at $500 you're buy

I'm sure you could find some second-hand early 4-5 year old Mac Mini computers at low prices. They're pretty robust little buggers. But even at $500 you're buying a computer that has an excellent track record for reliability and industry-leading warranty support. It might seem like overkill but compare that to the time investment you'll sink into a hacked and unsupported solution. (Believe me, I've played with enough of those cheap Atom PCs to know that I'd never, ever rely on them.)