VIA Technologies and Zotac are showing an ultra-small form factor nettop powered by the latest VIA Nano chipset at Computex this week.  This new nZotac ZBOX nettop is even smaller than any of Zotac’s existing line of tiny desktops. The folks at PC Master.de snagged a picture which measures 4.7″ x 4.7″ x 1.6″.

The VIA Nano X2 dual core processor is a low power 64-bit chip which can run at speeds up to 1.6 GHz. The 40nm chip is pin-to-pin compatible with VIA’s older C7, C7-M, and Eden chips, which makes it easy for manufacturers to update existing products with the new processor.  VIA’s X2 chip features a VX900 media system processor with ChromotionHD 2.0 graphics and HD video acceleration for MPEG-2, WMV9, H.264, and VC1 video.

This is Zotac’s first  ZBOX to use a VIA chip and we can’t wait to get our hands on one to try out!

Habey has a new barebones (no RAM or HDD) called the  EPC-6563.  It uses the 1.83 GHz Intel Atom D525 dual core processor and has 2 memory slots and 2 mini-PCI Express slots for expansion inside a nice steel and aluminum case.  There are also 2 USB ports, an Ethernet jack, VGA and HDMI ports, and S/PDIF audio.  Those two  PCIe slots should come in handy, as you can throw in a TV tuner, HD decoder, wireless card, or other expansion device, which could make this a great platform for your HTPC.

The Habey EPC-6563 is available from Amazon for $199.99.

At the Google IO conference just a few weeks ago, Google suggested that Samsung would launch a low power (ie. nettop) PC running Chrome OS.  Now, it’s come out that a company called Xi3 may beat Samsung to the punch with a nettop computer running the open source version of Chrome OS. Their  Xi3 ChromiumPC is due out on July 4th.

The ChromiumPC is a small form factor computer measuring about 3″ x 3.7″ x 3.7″. The system is modular, with three components:

• Processor Module with CPU and RAM
• Primary I/O module with communication ports
• Secondary I/O module with Ethernet, video, and power connections

The XI3 is modular in nature, which should  make it easy to upgrade the computer just by removing a side panel, sliding out an old module and sliding in a new one.  Xi3 says the computer will use less than 20W of power, but the closest the company gives to a description of the processor is that it will be a dual or single-core 64-bit x86 processor.

There’s also no word on the price yet.



SeaMicro has begun offering the SM10000 server packed with 256 Intel Atom N570 dual core 1.66 GHz chips.  The main benefit of using the Atom processor, the company says, is that the system uses about 75 percent less power than a typical server in its class and takes up less space. The SM10000 takes a nettop-like approach by using low power processors to achieve tasks that are normally handled by chips that are more powerful and more expensive.

Tux-Planet reports that Mozilla recently acquired an SM10000 server to help distribute Firefox 4.

via Blogeee

Up until now, the Asus Eee Box line of nettops has been exclusively powered by Intel Atom chips.   Sure, some high performance models had NVIDIA graphics processors, but under the hood every Eee Box had Intel inside. Now, however, two new Intel Eee Boxes will be powered by the brand new AMD processors.

The Asus Eee Box EB1021 has a 1.6 GHz AMD E-350 dual core processor and Radeon HD 6310 graphics. It supports Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit or Windows 7 Professional and can handle up to 4GB of RAM. The computer will be available with up to 320GB of hard drive space, 802.11n WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, and a decent array of ports including HDMI and D-Sub out jacks, 2 USB 3.0 ports, and 4 USB 2.0 ports.

The EB1021 consumes between 11W and 27.5W of power which is pretty good by desktop PC standards, even if it seems like a bit of an energy hog compared to its sibling, the Asus Eee Box EB1020.

The Eee Box EB1020 uses between 9W and 19W of energy, thanks to a 1 GHz AMD C-50 dual core processor and Radeon HD 6250 graphics. In my test, this chip offers Intel Atom-like performance for most tasks, but much better performance with 3D graphics and HD video.

The EB1020 is nearly identical to the EB1021. Both models measure 8.7″ x 7″x 1.2″ and weigh 2.4 pounds. Both models include a desktop stand, so you can use them on your desk or you can mount them to the back of a display with an optional VESA mount.

via Notebook Italia