Shuttle makes small computers, but the X2700 is its smallest. The thermodynamically-unlikely dream of a true gaming box in such proportions remains elusive–it has but a humble Intel GMX 950 graphics chip–but at just an inch fatter than the Mac Mini, it’s hard to complain.
At $400, it’s pretty cheap, too, though it comes with Foresight Linux instead of XP. That gets you an Intel Atom 230 1.6GHz processor, 1GB of RAM, an 80 gig hard drive and a DVD player. You can double the RAM for $30 more, and add a 120GB drive for $20 (or up to 64GB of flash, if you’re super-rich), but there’s no option for Blu-Ray.
Does it have HDMI output? It does not, which puts it at an ease-of-use disadvantage against similar stuff from other makers (Brownlee just got Asus’ miniature desktop model, and is loving it). Counterpoint: it looks cool and has 6 USB ports.
Product Page [Shuttle]
“though it comes with Foresight Linux instead of XP”
Instead of XP? What kind of a crap statement is that? Where did you get the idea that computers were *supposed* to come with Windows?
XP, for those that want or need it, is an additional expense. This unit’s unusually competitive price is so explained by Shuttle’s choice of a Linux-based operating system.
Thank you for today’s hilarious episode of Assumptions in Action.
…though it comes with Foresight Linux instead of XP…Does it have HDMI output? It does not, which puts it at an ease-of-use disadvantage against similar stuff from other makers…
So it isn’t full of proprietary crap and DRM. That’s a feature, not a bug.
I really don’t care about freedom when it comes to cabling standards, sorry. It matches what I have already bought, or it does not get bought.
Bigger fish to fry.
you could just buy something like this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812226015 for 5 bucks and turn that dvi into an hdmi
The only problem with DVI > HDMI adaptors is that you’re still left having to connect the audio through stereo RCA jacks. Which in itself isn’t terrible, but most HDMI-equipped TVs have only one HDMI that can get its audio from RCAs, if that.
HDMI minus audio, you mean.
HDMI is like an iPod. It can be used for DRM, but it doesn’t have to be. It is a tabula rasa of component interconnection .
And just like an iPod, it’s so much nicer than what came before it. Full digital audio and HD video in a single cable is… nice.
Missing HDMI is not a big problem, there is sheap dongle to convert digital DVI to HDMI (no sound).
Jaak http://shop.it.ee/
There are a ton of good points on here and a lot of shots, too.
Personally I’m just a filthy hippy gamer who doesn’t want to fire up one of my more power-hungry rigs just to do things like listen to SomaFM’s Secret Agent Radio while I’m cooking dinner, wandering around IRC, or downloading bits and pieces of the annual Ultrahang fest.
At 36W max and 24W idle that’s just what I want. I’m not sure where the “needs more power” argument is coming from, Scotty – if OpenOffice and pidgin need that much power on your system you may want to clean up a bit.
A bit specific, yeah; annoying to people who fancy XP, of course; but Shuttle’s always worked in a pretty shallow niche and I think a few commercials on the Green Channel (or pop-ups on the same’s website) should catch it some attention.
If anyone knows of a nicer machine (Geode maybe) with similar consumption I’d be interested in a link.
Just my two cents.
Don’t buy this fucking thing. The Acer Aspire X3200 costs exactly the same, has a beefy processor, 2GBs of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, 9 usb ports, one firewire port, a million other connectors and valves and includes Windows Vista. It even has open PCI slots for a beefier video card (though it comes stock with a GeForce 9300 with 256MB of memory). It’s also totally silent and drains a surprisingly low amount of power.
Marvin, you left out the bit about the X3200 being big enough to eat two whole X2700s and still have room for more.
Not having an HDMI port is not a disadvantage by any means just get a DVI to HDMI cable if anything it’s good since the DVI connector is much more robust then the HDMI connector.
Who even designed the HDMI connector flunked mechanical engineering 101.
Now if one were to attack short comings in the machine I’d point out he Atom processor is an extremely slow processor about as fast as a 900MHz celeron.
I would not buy this machine instead I’d just get a Jetway JNC62K AM2+ board and a cheap sempron 64 board and place that in a case.
For the same price you get something anywhere from 4 to 8 times as powerful.
But will it run OS X?