Shuttle’s latest miniature desktop computer is even more miniature than usual – and that goes for price, too.
The X27 mini-PC is a little larger than genre mainstays like the Mac Mini, but slashes the tag to $189, which is $60 cheaper than the recent Eee Box from Asus. Inside lurks an Atom CPU, GMA 950 video and a gigabit ethernet controller. It has 4 USB ports.
Uses? Heart of a MAME cabinet; carputer; NAS with extras like reliable web and music serving; monolith to awaken nascent gerbil civilization.
Shuttle’s Atom-powered mini desktop gets a price: $189 [CNET]
How much power does it use, and how much heat and noise does it put out, compared to a low-power (Via C3) Mini-ITX system (which is enough for playing MP3s, serving files and doing various batch jobs)? I think that getting a PC capable of running Windows Vista with Aeroglass switched on and playing WoW, and one which needs fans to keep its CPU from burning out, is overkill for something that’s going to be just sitting in the background performing a few fairly light tasks when required.
The eeeBox is tested to handle 4Mbps 720p h.264 and can easily take on 720p Divx. It’s got the lowest-end desktop Atom, so any of the desktop Atoms should be able to swing it.
It’s 1080p that they have problems with.
This could be the perfect solution to house a future Linux XBMC install (with the lovely Aeon UI, of course).
Now to find out if an Atom is enough to decode 720p h.264.
Nice price. And the bigger case probably allows for the use of regular 3.5″ hard drives instead of the 2.5″ drive found on the Eee Box.
However, the thing I like about the Eee Box is the size. It’s so small. It comes with a VESA mounting kit and you can attach the Eee Box to the back of your LCD monitor/TV or plasma.
Just found an article on engaget that says this is only for the barebones pc, too bad. http://www.engadget.com/2008/08/29/atom-based-shuttle-x27-priced-at-189/