Okoro Media Systems's OMS-AX100 amps up your boring HTPC

For some there's nothing better than the warm glow of indicator lights coming from a huge stack of home theater equipment. Others, though, prefer consolidation, and that's what Okoro Media Systems's upcoming OMS-AX100 will offer: an HTPC with an integrated 5.1 channel amplifier from D2Audio (a 7.1 version is also avail). With 100 watts per channel you can plug your non-powered speakers right into the unit and, through HDMI and component inputs, connect other sources, too. However, with only one of each, you're going to have to choose favorites among gaming systems. Orders can be placed now to ship in June, and a base Windows Vista-equipped machine with 500GB of storage, 4GB of memory, and an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5050e 2.6GHz processor will set you back $1,650. A Blu-ray drive bumps the price another $190, which seems like a worthy upgrade -- if only because you might have a hard time finding an empty input for an external one.

[Via eCoustics]