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Lian Li masters PC chassis marketing, gets our attention with T1 'Spider' video
It's a well known fact ('round these parts, anyway) that Lian Li is one of the more creative PC chassis manufacturers on the planet, but who knew the company responsible for crafting a case in the likeness of Dubai's own Burj Al Arab had a top-notch marketing staff, too? In the video past the break, the company's innovative new open-air Mini-ITX benchmarking case is revealed to the world, and while the device itself is a fantastic creation, it's the pitch that really sells it. Essentially, the highly flexible T1 Pitstop "Spider" is made for hosting smaller systems for limited amounts of time, making it easier to test and benchmark a litany of systems without having to crack open a traditional case with each setup. We're still trying to determine whether or not Lian Li truly expects to build and sell this thing, but whatever the case, the clip awaiting you below is totally worth a watch.
Design Hara reminds us that our living room computer needn't be an eyesore, nor an ode to testosterone
A home theater PC with a softer side? Design Hara's new "green" computer HTPC houses a mini-ITX board in what can only be described as a beautiful wood case. Coming in cypress wood and rose wood flavors, the computers don't seem to available for sale just yet, but when they do become available they should offer up a nice smattering of specs like Core 2 Duo or Quad processors, 4GB of RAM, 1TB hard drives and Blu-ray drives. We don't know the price either, but we'll assume "much" and leave it at that.
Zotac Ion-based IONITX-A SFF motherboard review roundup
Jonesing for a new small form factor PC, are you? Not so keen on selecting a pre-fabricated unit? If you definitely fit the bill here, it's worth taking a gander at Zotac's recently released IONITX-A motherboard. As the first of its breed to actually ship, a whole lot is riding on its solder points, and according to reviews found 'round the web, it's done a satisfactory job of living up to expectations. The test bench-abusin' kids over at Hot Hardware found that Zotac's board (and the included dual-core Atom 330 CPU) performed "as expected," notching results that were "significantly better than any of the single core Atom 230-based systems." The unique DC power input was also lauded, and the silent nature made this a perfect candidate for a low-power, highly-capable carputer building block. All in all, this here mobo won't transform your life, but it's certainly a welcome extra in the all-too-stale DIY SFF market. Check the links below for all the bar charts you can handle.Read - Hot Hardware ("most appealing of the Ion-based products")Read - PC Perspective ("an impressive motherboard for its size")Read - The Tech Report ("as good as the Ion platform gets")Read - Tom's Hardware ("it's most promising destination is in the HTPC space")
SolidLogic GS-L10 Mini-ITX wraps itself in blanket of heat sinks for comfort, fanless existence
Okay, so it's not exactly a looker, but Logic Supply's SolidLogic GS-L10 Mini-ITX is probably meant to be kept out of view anyway, and given its fanless operation, won't give away its whereabouts. Culled from a Serener case and MSI MS-9818 motherboard, the heatsink-laden unit supports three different Intel Montevina processors ranging from the 2.16GHz Celeron M CM585 to the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo T9400, up to 4GB memory, options for either HDD or SSD storage, and your choice of Windows XP, Vista, or Ubuntu. Connection-wise, we're looking at two ethernet and four USB 2.0 ports, as well as VGA, DVI, and HDMI for video. Prices start at around $861 if you opt out of a pre-packaged HDD, but if you're wanting the full kit and caboodle here, expect to shell out closer $1,900. [Via Windows for Devices]
Zotac jumping in Ion-filled waters with new Mini-ITX motherboards
We'd heard a few whispers rolling through the gentle breeze that Zotac would be hopping on the Ion bandwagon early on, and sure enough, it looks like said firm is indeed latched on. Reportedly, the outfit will be producing a few Mini-ITX motherboards in the near future that support Intel's Atom 230 / 330 processors and come loaded with NVIDIA's GeForce 9400M G chipsets. The mobos would also include all of the basic amenities: Ethernet, two RAM slots, HDMI / DVI / VGA outputs, a trio of SATA ports and a WiFi module. There's still no word on what system maker is looking to slap these into their next-generation nettops, but who knows, maybe this will end up being the first standalone Ion-based board for the DIYers in attendance.[Via Expreview, thanks Shawn]
Modder shoves VIA EPIA-based PC into 15-inch LCD, calls her i-EPIA
Okay, so maybe those all-in-one PCs have their positives, but seriously, who really looks forward to paying good money for something that's so impossible to upgrade? Tim Schellekens sure doesn't, and rather than biting the bullet, he chose to snap up one of VIA's EPIA motherboards, an old school 15-inch LCD and a bit of fiberglass. The four pages waiting for you in the read link detail the transformation, and while we personally wouldn't have gone to such extremes (buying two monitors to get one?) just to craft our own web surfing desktop, we definitely admire the dedication. Behold, i-EPIA.[Thanks, Ewan]
Video: Mini-ITX 2.0 with VIA Nano really does play Crysis
Today VIA announced their Mini-ITX 2.0 platform for mini PCs. The standard calls for a high-performance, power efficient x86 processor like the VIA Nano, DirectX 10 graphics for Blu-ray Disc playback, 6-channel surround support, and a PCI Express x16 slot for video expansion. An optimized 2.0 system combined with a 1.8GHz Nano processor, CN896 chipset, nVidia GeForce 8600 card and 64-bit Windows will even kick its way through Crysis just as VIA has been saying all along. Don't believe us? Check the video after the break.Read -- Mini-ITX 2.0 announcementRead -- Crysis
Atom-powered D945GCLF Mini-ITX motherboard now available
We've heard lots of racket about Intel's hot new Atom chip courtesy of all those subnote manufacturers who plan on using it, but Tranquil PC has noted that the first Mini-ITX motherboard to get powered by said processor is now available for ordering. The Intel D945GCLF comes loaded with a 1.6GHz Atom 230 CPU and support for high-definition audio, 10/100 LAN, PCI, SATA II, GMA 950 graphics and DDR 2 533 / 667 (just to name a few highlights). The board can be ordered up as we speak for £52.90 ($103), and shipments are expected to make their way out during the first week of June.[Via Tranquil PC's Weblog, thanks David]
MSI Titan 700 mini-PC gets announced
MSI's been making some noise with the Wind lately, but the company is still busy turning out solid-but-uninspiring PCs as well, like the new Titan 700. The mini-ITX PC features a VIA CN700 processor at 2.0GHz, 1GB of RAM, dual-layer burner, and a 120GB 2.5-inch drive, all in a 2.7 x 7.2 x 9.5-inch package with Gigabit Ethernet and 4 USB ports. The only thing you won't be getting for your £234 ($458) is an OS -- you'll have to supply your own. Of course, for $500 you can probably get a slightly-larger computer with much more powerful processor and an actual OS, so unless you're somehow taken with the Titan's industrial-chic case, you're probably not too sad that this thing hasn't been announced outside of the UK yet.[Via TrustedReviews]
Show and Tell: Super Princess PC
It may take a village to raise a child, but it only takes three people to build one of the coolest custom computers we've seen in a long time. DS Fanboy reader (and prizewinner!) Jason Barnes, who posts as Ganthor, wrote in with this story, and we just had to share. Seems his friend Emily picked up a Mini-ITX motherboard and wanted a custom case for it, but didn't want to build it herself. Luckily, Jason did, and he recruited another friend, Jason Letterman, to help him get the project underway. Once he had permission to build the case, Jason was free to pursue a dream: building a computer in a lunch box. Of course, just any lunch box wouldn't do; it had to be something special that suited Emily's tastes (which are clearly excellent). After taking some measurements and checking out the various Nintendo lunch boxes, he ordered the one shown above.But that was the easy part!%Gallery-22379%
Everex's $199 green PC: attention ignorant Wal-Mart shoppers
Make no mistake, Everex can build 'em some kind of ugly. Still, they have learned to spin their gear as green, not underpowered, which counts for something. The TC2502 gPC (that's "g" as in "green," not crap) is out cluttering Wal-Mart shelves with a low, low $199 price tag. Inside, you'll find a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU sitting daintily on a Mini-ITX motherboard. A Linux OS, 512MB of memory and an 80GB of disk are tossed in just for kicks. So why that huge-ass case? That's the best part. Research indicates that Wal-Mart shoppers equate the size of the system to its capability. As such, Everex swaddled all that nothingness in a 2-foot by 2-foot monument to plastic. Now go ahead, Greenpeace, we beg you, rip it apart and let us know just how much non-recyclable polymer and dangerous PVC and BFR this pup really contains. [Via Gadget Lab, thanks Rob G.]
Keepin' it real fake, part LX: JetWay's mini-ITX PC strikes a Wii pose
It doesn't take a blatant knockoff to land you a KIRF badge, sometimes it just takes a bit of "inspiration." In this case, it's pretty clear where JetWay was getting its ideas for its latest VIA and AMD-based mini-ITX PCs over at Computex 2007. No shame in the game, we can imagine worse form factors for those parts to end up in.
Via's VT6047 mainboard becomes first in Pico-ITX lineage
Making good on its promise to deliver an uber-small mainboard for tight-space and media-centric applications, Via has announced its first product in the 10- x 7.2-centimeter Pico-ITX lineup. Checking in over 75-percent smaller than Mini-ITX boards of the past, this x86-based reference design seeks to embrace a "new world of ultra compact embedded PC systems and appliances." The board was purportedly designed to be powered by one of Via's own C7 or Eden CPUs, and should be available shortly to board vendors and hardware designers interested in concocting even smaller PCs for their customers. The design also relies on the firm's VX700 chipset and provides Ethernet, eight-channel HD audio, four USB 2.0 ports, a SATA connector, and a multi-format card reader. Reportedly, the VT6047 will be priced anywhere from "$300 to $500," but we guess that's just the premium you pay for a palm-sized PC.[Via LinuxDevices]
Compubeaver case mod: the PC-stuffed beaver
Granted, we were admittedly taken aback when an off-kilter modder shoved a PC into a cow enclosure, but cramming a full-fledged computer into an actual animal takes things to a whole 'nother level. Animal activism aside, this bizarre creation obviously utilizes a stuffed beaver in order to house the components of a fairly respectable PC, and while we can't be sure, we're guessing the 2GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 160GB hard drive, 1GB of RAM, Panasonic DVD writer, and AOpen motherboard are all enjoying their stay in the now-empty stomach region, while the 80-millimeter Tornado fan is chillin' right on the beaver's backside (shown after the break). Of course, mere text alone can't fully describe just how freakish this thing really is, so be sure and hit the read link for a barrage of construction photos if you dare.[Via Wired]
Albatron showcasing Nano Abox V2.0 Mini-PC at CeBIT
It looks like Asus' LED-backlit laptop and NVIDIA's three-way SLI will have to share the limelight with someone else at CeBIT, as Albatron is planning to showcase its wee Nano Abox V2.0 Mini-PC for literal computing on the go. While not quite a laptop per se, this miniature PC has a 6.1- x 3.4-inch LCD screen flanking the top, and while a brief glance may bring back delightful memories of the Wii laptop design, this multimedia-centric device isn't just fun and games. Aside from boasting Viiv certification, it packs an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 2GB of DDR2 RAM, integrated graphics, DVI output, eight-channel audio, USB 2.0, FireFire, and gigabit Ethernet. Of course, no pricing or availability details have yet been divulged, but if you're looking for an average HTPC that can hit the road without taking up too much space, Albatron's got you covered.[Via 64-Bit-Computers]
P.Guerra's FLeX 4.2 HTPC packs B&O and Core 2 Duo
Check it Mini-ITX fans, we've got the FLeX 4.2 home theater PC for you straight from Italy's P.Guerra. On one side of the folding chassis, we've got 400W RMS ICEpower audio amplifiers from Bang & Olufsen which work just fine without turning the PC-side of this HTCP on. A special IR receiver and software developed by P.Guerra allows the Flex 4.2 to be integrated into other B&O A/V systems. On the other side of the chassis then, we've got an Intel Core 2 Duo Mini-ITX motherboard with choice of up to a 2.33GHz Core 2 Duo T7600 processor; 3.5-inch vibration-damped SATA disk offering up to 750GB of storage at 7200rpm; up to 2GB DDR2 667 memory; Intel GMA950 graphics; choice of satellite, cable, or terrestrial DVB tuners; WiFi; 7.1ch analog audio or TosLink digital; dual-layer DVD±R±RW writer; Gigabit Ethernet; a slew of Firewire and USB; and DVI, VGA, Component, S-Video, and Composite video outputs. They claim that HD DVD, Blu-ray, and Vista are on the way. Until then, a fully spec'd kit will set you back about £2,342 or $4,569.%Gallery-1633%[Via Mini-ITX.com]
Make your own laptop using Mini-ITX components
The main appeal of laptops tends not to be their upgradability: that's what desktops are for, right? Well, if the recent trend for "deskbooks" is anything to go by, then that assessment isn't true anymore. Entering the same league as commercial 19- and 20-inch desktop replacements, and tipping the performance vs. portability scale heavily towards the "need two people to carry it" category is Torquil Harkness' "ITX-Laptop," a computer designed around Mini-ITX components so that it simultaneously maintains a modicum of portability alongside full upgradability. Torquil admits that the end result could have been far smaller had he used Nano-ITX -- or Pico-ITX -- components, but in order to make it "as powerful as a regular desktop" he decided to go for larger parts. Despite Torquil's statement that performance was the aim, we'd have to say on first glance at the specs -- 2GHz, 1GB RAM, and a PCI-based ATI Radeon 9200 graphics card -- that some degree of compromise took place. Still, we believe him when he claims that he "could slot in a motherboard with PCI Express in the future" because this thing's wide open for future upgrades, and that's the point. Never mind the limited specs or the questionable chrome paint job: just lean forward, take a closer look at those computer guts and think "I can do that too." That's the way to stick it to the man.[Via BoingBoing]
Via Epia PX motherboard spawns Pico-ITX SFF form-factor
Although it wasn't too awfully long ago that AMD unveiled what it hoped would become an accepted standard for small form factor PCs, it looks like Via is already trying to one-up DTX. The forthcoming Epia PX media-oriented motherboard will clock in at just 3.9- x 2.8-inches, which provides "half the surface area of its already-tiny 4.7- x 4.7-inch Nano-ITX" standard and looks utterly dwarfed beside the 6.7- x 6.7-inch mini-ITX. Via's boards have become commonplace in applications which can sacrifice raw horsepower for low-power requirements and cool operation, such as being housed in Mini-Box's VoomPC-2. Consequently, the the Epia PX will purportedly tout just a 1GHz C7 processor (at least initially), and there's speculation that some flavors might actually support HDTV resolutions and video-in, but most of the expansion will be done through pin headers. Via hasn't opened its mouth to divulge details surrounding price nor availability, but it's assumed that this wee motherboard will run folks between $250 and $350 whenever it finally lands.
Mini-Box unveils VoomPC-2 for in-car computing
While folks have been spinning the whole "PC in your whip" idea for nearly as long as trunks have become acceptable substitutes for low-hertz safe havens, many get a bit turned off when thinking about the lengthy DIY involvements. Mini-Box has unveiled the second rendition of its VoomPC, and aside from bearing an eerie resemblance to your average automotive speaker amplifier, looks to pack a decent set of specs into a tight package at a reasonable price. The VoomPC-2 is again based on the Mini-ITX standard, and houses a 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor, CD-ROM to 2.5-inch IDE adapter, open hard drive bay, and an assortment of ports including VGA, S-Video, USB 2.0, FireWire, Ethernet, PCMCIA, GPRS / WiFi options, and 5.1 audio output. The standout feature, however, is the M1-ATX intelligent power supply that "manages downtime battery use by cutting off various functions at predetermined times and shuts the PC down completely when the car battery drops below 11.2 volts." Additionally, the unit only draws 15 to 35 watts in operation, and has been tested to work in environments ranging from -40 to 55 degrees Celsius. So if you're looking to take your tunes, media, maps, and company projects along with you to check out while waiting in various forms of traffic jams, you can pick up this barebones kit for $395 starting right now.[Via MobileWhack]
Linux box built out of an Apple Studio Display
While the vast majority of recent Mac modifications have dealt with the headless Mac Mini, the Toolman decided to go a different route with his gutted 17-inch Apple Studio Display. As with most mods, he simply had too many enticing parts lying around without a proper home, and chose to combine them using whatever it took, resulting in a Mac-ish clone at worst, and a sweet all-in-one computer at best. After heavy modifications to front button PCBs, adding a mic for VoIP usage, rewiring everything numerous times, "butchering" an i2c bus, and using a heat gun to make the pesky plastic conform to his wishes, he still had to get the thing to boot up. After initial memtest errors and a few bouts with frustration, he finally loaded Ubuntu Linux successfully from the external optical drive. He also noted that the possibility remained open to one day affix a slot-loading drive, but left it out initially due to the inability to truly find an "elegant place" to install it. Regardless, this well-constructed mod most certainly didn't come easy, and for those who'd dare give something like this a go on their own, be sure to continue on for a look at the YouTube demonstration, and hit the read link for a bevy of photos.[Via Digg]
