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Zotac's ZBOX HD-ID11 starts shipping for $250
You've seen the sneak peek, you've dug into the review, and now you're more ready than ever before to part with $249.99 in order to get your grubby mitts around one of the world's smallest Ion 2-based small form factor PCs. You've already dreamed up the perfect application for this pint-sized rig, and now it looks as if Newegg is shipping out the orders that it receives right now. Go on and head down to the source link if your mind's made up, but remember, we can't be held responsible for buyer's remorse effective March 13, 2004.
Zotac ZBOX HD-ID11 and its Ion 2 innards reviewed
Small form factor? Check. Low power consumption married to 1080p video playback capabilities? Of course. Quiet cooling? Naturally. Those are the basic requirements for, and their fulfillment is the means by which we judge, a good home theater pc. They're also the highlights of Zotac's Ion 2-powered ZBOX HD-ID11 barebone (you have to add your own RAM, storage and OS) nettop, which recently visited AnandTech's labs for some old fashioned review action. It's a highly illuminating read, particularly for those interested in the differences between NVIDIA's Ion generations, which throws up a mixed bag of results. While you'll be quite alright watching Full HD Blu-rays on the ZBOX, Flash hardware acceleration -- yeah, that old nugget again -- is not yet implemented well enough, resulting in a maximum of 480p resolution before Hulu streams started glitching out on the reviewer. A June driver update from NVIDIA should rectify this issue, and we're encouraged to wait it out and see what we might see then. In the mean time, you can just delve into the complete analysis which awaits at the link below. [Thanks, Wowzers]
AOpen's Ion-powered XC Mini GP7A-HD puts the 'choice' in 'nettop'
There's a decent chance you North Americans in attendance won't ever see the likes of AOpen's XC Mini GP7A-HD, but for those in places where having a say on what innards are shoved into their next nettop (we're lookin' at you, Japan), this mini PC is apposite to fill quite the void. Boasting only a small frame, NVIDIA's Ion graphics technology and space for a multicard reader, it's up to the buyer to slap in a Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of RAM, a 2.5-inch HDD or SSD and a DVD burner or Blu-ray drive. You'll also find six USB 2.0 sockets, an HDMI port and a VGA output, and while gigabit Ethernet is included, it looks as if the WiFi module is on you. Mum's the word on pricing, but we're guessing it'll be as close to nothing as NVIDIA will allow.
Shuttle intros Atom 330, SUSE Linux-packin' X270V nettop
Go 'head, Shuttle -- break on out of that shell! The company notorious for pumping out the same barebone rectangle with a different model name and a few extra ports has finally seen fit to do something a touch different, and what we're dealt is the X270V. This so-called Mini-PC relies on Intel's 1.6GHz Atom 330 to push the computations, while up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM keeps things in order. There's also gigabit Ethernet, 6-channel audio, a PS/2 connector for the retro folks, six USB sockets and VGA / DVI outputs. Shuttle also claims this bugger is energy efficient, though it doesn't go into great detail about just how much it'll save you each month. Oh, and it also comes loaded with openSUSE 11 (a Linux flavor, for those unaware). Interested? Move to Europe and plop down at least €299 ($390).[Via Slashgear]
Shuttle's new XPC barebones get hooked up with HDMI and DTS
Sure, it may not look that different than previous Shuttle offerings, but the company's new XPC Barebone SN68PTG6 rocks quite a few under-the-hood features that might make you take a second glance. The first model in the company's G6 line features AMD Athlon 64 X2, Athlon 64, and Sempron processor support, an NVIDIA GeForce 7050PV graphics chipset, a PCI and PCI-E X16 slot, up to 4GB of RAM, 802.11b/g, Bluetooth 2.0, USB Speed-Link, and a built-in fingerprint scanner, plus a whole batch of ports including USB, Gigabit LAN, Firewire, and eSATA. The system really gets interesting on the audio and video end -- especially if you're looking for some media center options -- as it includes eight-channel HD audio with DTS support and an HDMI output (in addition to the standard D-SUB jack). Shuttle also offers a stripped down version of the system called the SN68PTG5, which axes the WiFi, amongst other things. The system will be available in the next few with weeks, with the SN68PTG6 clocking in at €315 ($427), and the SN68PTG5 at €239 ($324).[Via casedesigns]
Shuttle X38-based desktop spotted at Computex
It looks like blistering fast DDR3 RAM and new Draft 2.0-spec 802.11n gear aren't the only new wares taking the stage at Computex, as an X38-based SX38P3 Deluxe was spotted comfortably residing within a Shuttle XPC. Of course, this isn't the first motherboard news coming from the Shuttle camp of late, but the camera-wielding crew at HotHardware was able to snap a few shots of the new flagship system all the while. The SX38P3 will reportedly replace the SD37PV2 as Shuttle's high-end Intel based barebone system, and will sport a single PCI Express x16 slot alongside a vanilla PCI slot -- something the SD37PV2 lacked and received healthy amounts of criticism for. Interestingly, the rear of the machine purportedly held no legacy ports whatsoever, instead opting for six USB 2.0 connectors in hopes that you've upgraded your input peripherals and printer relatively recently. As expected, no availability and pricing details were to be had, but feel free to click on through for more sneak peeks at the newfangled rig.[Via Inquirer]
ASUS' C90S whitebook laptop: upgradeable everything
Not every mag has the option of hitting up the corporate headquarters for their hands-on shots. So check NotebookReview who managed to pull the C90S out their hat while tooling about the ASUS headquarters in Taiwan. Yup, that's their new ASmobile C90S barebone laptop up there which offers far more expansion options than your average bear. Everything -- we mean everything (according to ASUS) -- can be configured and later upgraded to your liking right on down to your choice of processor, MXM graphics, and 15.4-inch LCDs. Now get out of here kid and check the pics after the read link. We're not expecting this to ship until midish-Mayish but you'll need the time to convince your CIO that platform upgrades -- not leases -- are the way of the future.
Shuttle XPC SD39P2 handles Core 2 Quad, Core 2 Extreme
Although Shuttle's been known to kick out a few majorly fresh offerings that deviated from the company norm from time to time, the XPC SD39P2 seems to be sticking quite firmly to the beaten path, as it retains the stylish good looks of its all-black predecessor and just adds support for a few new pieces of hardware. The SFF barebones kit boasts Intel's 975X / ICH7-R chipset and supports up to 8GB of DDR2 RAM, Intel's latest Core 2 Quad / Core 2 Extreme processors, NVIDIA's 7950 GX2 / 8800 GTX and ATI's Radeon X1900 graphics cards, and eight-channel HD-audio as well. Moreover, users will find expanded BIOS settings for CPU clock ratio and DDR2 voltage, a PCI-Express slot, room for a trio of 3.5-inch hard drives along with a single optical drive, gigabit Ethernet, a whopping seven USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, eSATA, and a 400-watt SilentX power supply. The 12.8- x 8.7- x 8.3-inch box also sports Shuttle's I.C.E. heat-pipe cooling module and linear fan control to keep the heat (and noise) out of your machine, and while we still dig the idea of a portable LAN gaming rig at our disposal, we'd certainly think twice before dropping €419 ($554) for just the enclosure.[Via TGDaily]
