Crystal945

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  • MSI's new Crystal 945 barebones all-in-one

    by 
    Paul Miller
    Paul Miller
    10.03.2006

    While barebones PCs are nothing new, and neither are all-in-one form factors, it's seldom that we see the two ideas meet. MSI's new 17-inch Crystal 945 barebones PC, however, does just that, allowing you to build a family-friendly PC with the heart of a hacker. Well, almost the heart of a hacker. The 945G chipset running this thing only supports up to a Pentium D processor, so you're not going to get a lot of power no matter how well you spec the rest. Most everything else looks pretty snazzy otherwise, including a 7-in-1 card reader, a PCI Express x16 slot (and integrated graphics if you don't want to spring for a full-on GPU), a mini-PCI slot for WiFi action, gigabit Ethernet and a bunch of other perks. With all that expandability, the Crystal is a bit on the bulky side for an all-in-one, measuring a full 3.8-inches thick, but there's really a lot to love here if you can overlook the processor limitations -- and if you've got the DIY spark to build your own PC in the first place. No word on price or availability.[Via Randomly Accessed]