Ask Engadget: What's the best nettop out there now?

We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget question is coming to us from Jamison, who can't seem to settle on a minuscule new desktop to handle email, web browsing and the occasional Skype call.

"All of these new nettops have me intrigued. I'm looking for a small, quiet and cheap PC to replace my aging tower in my home office, and all it really needs to do is load Microsoft Office, check email and surf the web. Is there a particular nettop that's better (or a better value) than another? I know it's a rather new segment, but hopefully someone has taken a chance on one already. Thanks!"

Look, we know you're scared to admit that you own a nettop, particularly in front of your hardcore gaming pals. But trust us, there's no shame in using an underpowered machine to handle low-power tasks. Toss your opinions in comments below, and feel free to send in a question of your own to ask at engadget dawt com.

[corksean14 @ Jul 9th 2009 9:13PM]

Im waiting for this asus keyboard...

[Haha @ Jul 9th 2009 9:13PM]

Samsung NC10

[hamerhead_12 @ Jul 9th 2009 9:17PM]

NetTOP, not netbook. However, the aformentioned netbook is pretty nice.

I would have to go with the asus keyboard for nettop.

[arkon @ Jul 9th 2009 9:20PM]

Acer AspireRevo

[JohnTitor @ Jul 9th 2009 9:18PM]

Aspire Revo w/ Ion
or that eee PC with the ATi Radeon
really anything but GMA

[Mushman @ Jul 9th 2009 9:22PM]

I have owned the following (all from newegg open box specials):

MSI Single core Nettop
MSI Dualcore Nettop
Shuttle X27D - dualcore also

The MSI single core was just too slow - painfully so.

The MSI dualcore is great and I can run just about anything on it. I have it setup in my kitchen desk as an extra PC for the kids and it does a great job, even with Hulu website.

I just setup the Shuttle last night and by far my favorite now. It seems faster than the MSI dual core. It is less than half the size.

The benefits of the MSI dual core is it uses:
Standard DVD player/burner - SATA and about $20 at newegg
Regular 3.5" HD - SATA and just too many low deals on these - uses laptop DDR2 memory (very cheap).
Has a slot for an internal WIFI card (same as laptops) - got an Intel wireless N internal from ebay for about $20 shipped and works AWESOME.

The Shuttle uses Laptop HD and DVD drive but desktop memory. A little more money on the components but worth it in my mind.

The Shuttle wins in my book...

[Microdot @ Jul 9th 2009 9:32PM]

i'll second the msi dual core. ive retrofitted one of my clients offices with these (45 in total) and they work great. actually more power than they need to run their little point of sale & management apps. they run quiet and cool (just dont throw in a 10k rpm velociraptor) and very stable. you can deck it out nicely for around $250 total. my only gripe is the wireless setup... but, its easy enough to add usb wifi.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16856167037

[Mr Wendal @ Jul 10th 2009 5:06AM]

I have the shuttle x27D too. Buyers keep this in mind though ...Atom based nettops cant do fullscreen youtube videos.

[Sammy Brence @ Jul 9th 2009 9:24PM]

I have a Dell Mini 10 (1010) and if it wasn't for the GMA 500 graphics and no(limited) graphics support for ubuntu. And Lack-ability to upgrade the Ram. But overall I think because of the style of keyboard, big keys clear display. The Dell Mini 10v Would have to win it.

Just to be Clear. the Dell Mini 10v You can upgrade the Ram to 2Gig, and the Ubuntu supports the graphics. Whearas the Dell Mini 10(1010) graphics are unsupported by ubuntu and the ram is not upgradable.

but they both have a Awesome Keyboard, and HDMI support. and Very Light Weight I carry mine in my Leather Portfolio I carry around with me. I use mine at work with Ubuntu (there is a hack to make the graphics work on the 10 but dont expect to watch YouTube Movies) I use Tomboy for Notetaking and Syncing. I Mainly use my netbook for quick email and good searches and mainly to store all the PDF documents I Have to have. And Associated notes to go with it all. I love Netbooks. Like I said if it wasnt for the Dell Mini 10 (1010) having the GMA 500 video, Itd be awesome. The New Version is the 10v which has better graphics support and its cheaper I think.

[nivlack @ Jul 9th 2009 9:49PM]

im blind, can you read the title for me?

[Kevin @ Jul 9th 2009 9:25PM]

http://www.aceraspirerevo.com/forum

[Gori @ Jul 9th 2009 9:26PM]

Dell Studio Hybrid!!! and the Apple Mac Mini!!!
They both have Core 2 Duo unlike the rest of the nettop!

[Joshua Walters @ Jul 9th 2009 11:12PM]

Mac Mini is more power than they are looking for, and way more cost, Im sure.

The Atom does a decent job, and the entire idea of a nettop is affordability, and while the Mac Mini may be the most affordable Mac, its still $600. And you can get a normal nettop for under $400.

[varun @ Jul 10th 2009 9:07AM]

I'm in the unusual position of having to endorse a Mac as a "cheap" suggestion. The previous generation Mini (the mid-2007 refresh) can be had in its base config for under $400, sometimes as low as $350 after a rebate - check Microcenter for example. While it shares Intel craptastic GMA950 with most nettops, the Core 2 Duo makes it infinitely more useful and powerful - and of course, you can run Windows or Linux on it alongside Mac OS X.

If your budget is below $300, then the Mac Mini is not for you; if your budget is closer to $400, it may make sense for you to look into the Mac Mini, since that gives you performance that's more than adequate for Hulu, in a size often a little bit smaller than the average NetTop.

[Alan Strangis @ Jul 10th 2009 10:17AM]

@ varun: Not so sure about that 'old Mac Mini' suggestion. A dual core Atom 330 (overclockable to 2.1GHz) with built in Nvidia ION graphics can be had for about $350.

In fact, there's no reason to recommend any Intel GMA solution unless it's dirt cheap (sub $250) and you don't need a graphics power house.

[Fanfoot @ Jul 10th 2009 11:26PM]

Well, once again, THERE IS A REASON.

The Core 2 Duo can handle full screen "HD" flash video from sites like Youtube or Hulu, while the Atom, no matter whether it has an Ion GPU or not, CANNOT. See numerous articles on the web (or just go over to anandtech.com) to confirm this.

And that's any Atom, either single or Dual core, overclocked or not.

[Denaro @ Jul 9th 2009 9:29PM]

I am a happy FitPC2 owner. It's easily the smallest nettop out there. Does everything I want it to do.

[kojo87 @ Jul 10th 2009 12:03AM]

those look pretty sweet. the website says the PC is smaller than a CD which i fail to believe

[SK @ Jul 9th 2009 9:28PM]

ASUS EEE PC 900HA, for a few simple reasons:a netbook should have 8.9" screen or less, SSD's still not up to snuff for routine use, and cheap.

900HA will do everything required by Jamison with specs out of the box.

[nivlack @ Jul 9th 2009 9:46PM]

just so you konw, that's not a nettop....

[darkstar @ Jul 9th 2009 9:30PM]

HP mini series!
nice, slim, very modern design without the big butt like Asus and others with those bulky VGA. if u still need vga, HP uses those adapter.

[Josh @ Jul 9th 2009 10:12PM]

*facepalm*

NetTOP not netBOOK. There's a difference.

[AtomicPlayboy @ Jul 9th 2009 9:31PM]

Anyone have suggestions for a nettop that works well when attached to a TV? I know that Ion can do 1080p video, but how is it for web surfing, and, optimally, for old-school (emulators and old PC) gaming?

[ebinroy @ Jul 9th 2009 10:13PM]

My 1.6ghz atom Eee PC with the crappy GMA graphics runs emulators just fine (I've tried emulators up to the N64 & PS1 with no problems), so If you get a nettop that can handle 1080p video you should easily be able to run any old school emulators.

[advanceking @ Jul 9th 2009 9:38PM]

apples are garbage

[Craig @ Jul 9th 2009 9:41PM]

We have an Asus EeeTop and it's stellar at doing very mundane things like the OP mentioned. Quiet, reliable, and cheap...what's not to like?

[nyoro~n @ Jul 9th 2009 9:54PM]

ASROCK ION 330 :)

[Alan Strangis @ Jul 10th 2009 9:26AM]

I second the ASROCK ION 330. Great little machine that works well with Windows 7 & Media Center/Boxee, or alternatively run Linux and Boxee. The non-Blu Ray version can be had for less than $400 US if you're more of an MKV person.

[Pointy McButterpants @ Jul 10th 2009 10:44AM]

I can't seem to find where to buy one of these; all of their links provided go to sites that sell their motherboards.. i just want to buy the box :'-(

[vansmack @ Jul 10th 2009 1:28PM]

Ebay is your friend...

[pablo_gyds03 @ Jul 12th 2009 4:48PM]

I totally agree, i wanna get one of these and make it a Mythbuntu DVR + BR player.

[Dux @ Jul 9th 2009 9:54PM]

The amount of people commenting on this story who can't read astounds me.

We're talking about netTOPs people, not netBOOKs!

From what I've heard, any nettop with Atom 330 (dual core) and Nvidia ION graphics (9400M) would be great for general tasks. The 330 has the performance equivalent of a single-core Pentium 4 chip (This Anandtech review puts the Atom 330 CPU + Nvidia 9400M GPU performance in perspective: http://is.gd/1sV27 ) which is fine for the tasks you mentioned. Any video optimised to run on the 9400M graphics will be smooth and stutter free.

Can't say the same for the Atom chips paired with Intel integrated graphics. They would be cheaper though.

[Pretol @ Jul 9th 2009 10:03PM]

The more prevalent problem is not that people can't read, but that people just don't know what a nettop is.

[EricksonLK @ Jul 9th 2009 10:24PM]

How many people are posting without reading the title. If they don't know what a nettop is: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nettop

[nh @ Jul 10th 2009 8:16AM]

I had never heard the term Nettop before either, and even the link in the article itself is dead. If no articles have even been tagged nettop on engadget it's hardly a mainstream term.

But yeah, if you don't know, google.

[Tony @ Jul 9th 2009 10:00PM]

Asus EEE 1000HE

Seriously, it's a nettop, that's PORTABLE! Gasp!

But if you must have a desktop, anything with ion will do, since the configurations between different brands are pretty much the same.

[James G. @ Jul 9th 2009 10:03PM]

If you want an atom powered nettop, then without a doubt its the Asrock 330 ION


dual core atom
9400m
ddr2 800 (max 4gb)
320gb hd

[il1019 @ Jul 9th 2009 11:03PM]

I'm looking, and the only place I can find those are on eBay. Have you seen them elsewhere, or are they just not released in the states yet?

[James G. @ Jul 9th 2009 11:29PM]

actually you can pick up a Asrock ION 330 from www.ncixus.com an alternate to ebay. btw thats the US version of the Canadian ncix site if you didn't already know.

[Thoth @ Jul 10th 2009 1:21AM]

I don't know about other places, but I bought one off of eBay and I'm really happy with it even in the 2GB and DVD configuration. Works great on blue-ray movies and full-HD MKV.

[Alan Strangis @ Jul 10th 2009 9:47AM]

Yep. The DVD version is on ncixus for $350. You can also find them in Toronto computer shops along 'computer alley' (College & Spadina sea of little computer shops) for just shy of $400 Cdn.

[Jonathan @ Jul 10th 2009 10:59AM]

I found the ASRock ion here: http://www.ncixus.com/products/40737/ION%20330/ASRock/

But it doesn't seem to say whether it comes with a Windows license. Anyone know?

[Dave @ Jul 9th 2009 10:04PM]

The Mac Mini

[Pretol @ Jul 9th 2009 10:04PM]

There's nothing about iPhone that is nettop. You might as well suggest a Honda Civic.

[asoccer345 @ Jul 9th 2009 10:06PM]

Mac mini

[jhu @ Jul 10th 2009 12:03AM]

And @Dave. Epic failure to both of you. The iPhone can't run office and is not good for browsing the web because of slower read write speed and small screen. NETTOP not apple's version of a NETBOOK.

[jhu @ Jul 10th 2009 12:07AM]

Sorry mis read for another apple product (iPhone). Not used to all of apples products

[Kelvinyam @ Jul 9th 2009 10:11PM]

I like my Dell Studio Hybrid. Its appearance matched my Philips LCD pretty well.

[ebinroy @ Jul 9th 2009 10:24PM]

I didn't know the iPhone could run Microsoft Office...

If you're going to suggest an apple product you could at least go with the only one that makes any kind of sense in this situation, the Mac Mini.

[Greg @ Jul 9th 2009 10:37PM]

The new mac minis are really pretty good. The ASRock Ion is supposed to be good as well.