Since you are new here, some friendly advice. Never ask what's the best ______? That's like asking what is your favorite color. Everyone has different opinions. The only constant you will get here is for the DVD drive and that is the Samsung.
As for my opinion on dashboards, it is all in what you are looking for. Evox is probably the simplest dash to use and maintain. I put Evox on modded Xboxes just to keep it simple and from people deleting or getting into things they shouldn't.
UnleashX and Avalaunch offer a lot of bells and whistles that Evox doesn't include. I have never used them, but those that do love them.
I am using XBMC with the MC360 skin. It makes it look just like the Xbox 360. The reason I use it is I really like the media center aspect of it. I can access my music and videos through the PC and my Replay TV. It easily connects to Xlink so I can play others over the Internet.
Do a lot of reading here. That is the way you are going to learn things. There are those that will help you along the way if you are having problems, but patience wears thin when you are new and keep asking questions that are covered over and over. Start in the Newbie forum and read the FAQs. Then move into the other forums and start reading.
When I first started here I read about 50 pages of the newbie forum, selecting topics I wanted to learn something about.
You make the decision on whether you want a softmod or a chipped Xbox. Both have advantages and advocates.
Good luck and welcome to the scene.
