most games were severly CPU limited to the point of being unplayable. A Geforce 9300 variant stripped down to 8 shaders might be plenty. Reducing the shaders wouldn't effect the HD capabilities. But if nVidia gets the MCP79 below the 9.3W TDP of the 945GSE + ICH7M, I won't complain. I'm not a gamer...

NVIDIA's picoITX Atom+GeForce 9400M reference design. Atom is honestly fast enough for many tasks, delivering the performance of a mainstream notebook from 4 years ago. The problem is that there are some applications that are commonplace today that can’t run on Atom. HD video playback isn’t poss...

Looks interesting for a low end server. However, I think the price point ($299) is too high. You could put together a similarly configured Shuttle K45 system (with a Celeron 430 & 512M RAM) for around $150. Also, the K45 is only a little bigger dimensionally. Pro -- Better CPU & chipset, along with...

I like the Idea of having a ftp server with just the addonics and a drive! Yeah, that's why I posted it. Silent and it only sips power. No risk of exposing main machine on net. FTP or bittorrent client, or... One thing you can count on when sending MIR's is plenty of xtra spam. Never thought of tha...

Dunno, I don't even live in the US so I've never used a MIR. Are they that bad?. Nothing against the ASUS device. As you say, it is quite popular. Mail In Rebates are another matter. MIRs are always chancy. The reputable vendors, like NewEgg, are somewhat less chancy. Others, like TigerDirect, have...

Mats wrote:I'd prefer a WLAN router with USB ports for $60.

Nice unit. Some common functions, some different functions.

But $60??? You really believe in Mail In Rebates? The Easter Bunny? Father Christmas?

I love NewEgg, but I'm always dubious about MIRs.

This fanless little US$55 gizmo could replace a server for some folks: - Enables any USB hard drive to be placed onto a network for network access - USB port can be used to power most 2.5" USB hard drives (1.5A@5V) - SMB (Server Message Block) and the open source Samba network protocols - Support Sa...

Via announced a "mini-server kit" that targets home media storage. Touted as being the same height as a CD, the Linux-compatible Artigo A2000 includes two 3.5-inch bays for hard drives, a bootable CompactFlash slot, gigabit Ethernet, three USB ports, and a wireless LAN option, says Via.... Availabi...

As part of OCZ Gold series, the PC2-6400 2GB modules deliver the performance and speed gamers require for today graphic-intensive DirectX 10 PC games. At 800MHz, the 2GB Gold Edition runs at 5-5-5 latency timings and offers unprecedented stability on the latest AMD and Intel platforms. Amazon price...

DHL cuts 9,500 U.S. jobs Delivery firm to end U.S.-only operations, will continue shipments to other countries. By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer Last Updated: November 10, 2008: 10:15 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Global delivery company DHL announced Monday that it was cutting 9,500 jo...

Order placed Friday evening, ship confirmation emails received Saturday morning and DHL truck delivered Monday at 1:30. (Was really scheduled for delivery tomorrow.) FYI: Fry's/Outpost shipped from Airborne Logistics Services, Wilmington, Ohio 45177. DHL owns Airborne. DHL usually has the USPS deliv...

Being paranoid, I decided to check the order. (Their "real soon now" email hadn't showed in an hour.) By using Fry's Track option, my order number, and email address, I was able to verify the order. Still, Newegg is my favorite. Never any surprises with them. Anandtech did a couple of articles on th...

Saw this on another forum and thought people here would be interested. Thank you! Your timing was perfect. I needed a budget micro-ATX case and would have gotten something cheaper and nastier if I hadn't seen your post. Ground shipping was only $10.70 to Virginia. Second Day was about $10 more, but...

Very useful info in your posts. Thank you! Can you comment on how usable the Mini is with common flash-based sites like YouTube and Hulu? Some more info on the machine -- http://tycheent.wordpress.com/2008/10/14/mini-mine/ http://tycheent.wordpress.com/2008/10/17/update-on-mini-mine/ http://jonrob.w...

Notice that the system requirements call for a 1.8 GHz Core Duo, not a Core 2 Duo. A Core Duo is roughly 30% slower than a Core 2 Duo at the same clock speed. The 2.3 GHz AMD you've selected should do quite nicely; as far as I can tell, Athlon X2 and Core Duo are nearly identical clock-for-clock. T...

While reading up on Adobe's new Flash 10, I happened to notice the Adobe system requirements page. While Flash 10 claims performance improvements and the page only lists system requirements for Flash 9, they are a useful guide. http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/productinfo/systemreqs/ Adobe'...

I'm pretty sure you won't even need a 20->24 pin adapter, as such a low-powered system should be perfectly content without the additional juice. You're correct. From the mobo manual -- The main power connector is compatible with power supplies with 2x10 power connectors. When using a 2x12 power sup...

If you're content with the noise and efficiency of your current power supply, you might as well stick with it. I'm pretty sure you won't even need a 20->24 pin adapter, as such a low-powered system should be perfectly content without the additional juice. The Antec is noisier than I'd like, but I c...

Youtube's new "Theater View style" http://www.youtube.com/blog?entry=F1xABdzKby4 has convinced me that I need to upgrade a box. My Duron is not up to viewing it. Goals: - Cheap, but reliable AM2 mobo w/ integrated video - CPU adequate for streaming media and light general computing - Doesn't need to...

Source -- http://www.heise-online.co.uk/security/Asus-warns-of-a-virus-infection-in-shipping-Eee-Boxes--/news/111691 The Japanese division of Taiwanese computer and component manufacturer Asus is warning customers that shipping versions of its Eee Box B202 desktop computer are infected with a virus....

Excellent article explaining component choices and trade-offs . A good starting point for someone creating a budget, if not quite SPCR quiet, system. Hopefully, SPCRs will critique and offer suggestions/alternates. Full article -- http://arstechnica.com/guides/buyer/guide-200810.ars The Ultimate Bud...

Windows Vista with 1gb RAM was painfully, painfully slow with this system. XP is quick, although it can still be a bit slow at times when opening up more than 2 web pages and having things like an AVG Anti-Virus Free running in the back ground. I can watch DVDs fine with no slow down, but 720 and 1...

Can anyone tell me if the EEE B202 has a BIOS option to turn back on when power is restored after a power failure? The manual doesn't appear to be available online. You might have better luck directing your question to an ASUS support forum at http://vip.asus.com/forum/ The manual is most definitel...

Doesn't the Eee Box use an N270 and a mobile chipset (945GSE) instead of the X27's standard 230/945GC combo? That would explain the lower power consumption. Bingo! You're right. http://hothardware.com/Articles/Asus-Eee-Box-B202-Desktop-System/ I still prefer a box with an optical drive, but the rea...

Comparing apples & oranges? more like comparing an apple with another apple from the very same tree. I can take or leave the internal optical drive, after all USB optical drive is fine for burning and watching DVDs on the few occasions I would use it for that. of course there's the PCI slot but wha...

pricing will be key. competition is basically the Eee box. 38W not that good, Eee box is about 20W at load. How so? I thought both used 945GC, so paower should be similar. Comparing apples & oranges? At any rate, the inclusion of a slot for an optical drive will be important. This is one reason why...

Shuttle Incorporated unveiled a "nettop" computer claimed to offer "almost fanless" operation and use just 38 Watts. The mini-ITX based "X27" includes an Intel Atom 230 processor, a gigabit Ethernet port, DVI video output, a 2.5-inch hard drive bay, and a PCI expansion slot, says Shuttle.... measur...

Bicster wrote:Can anyone tell me if the EEE B202 has a BIOS option to turn back on when power is restored after a power failure?

The manual doesn't appear to be available online. You might have better luck directing your question to an ASUS support forum at http://vip.asus.com/forum/

shouldn't be that hard to use LGA775 with gm45, but Intel probably doesn't want it. Might heat be a consideration favoring a mobile CPU (as well as mobile GPU) on a densely populated mini-ITX board? It's hard to get great ventilation (or room for a big heatsink) in a mini-ITX box. Gotta give props ...

p5ycho wrote: MSI announced the GM45 based IM-GM45 mini-itx mobo with a standard LGA775 socket

Got a link for that? The only IM-GM45 info I can find says something like

Intel® 45nm Mobile processor with socket P (Penryn)

http://global.msi.com.tw/index.php?func ... cat_no=388