Getting Under the Hood Of the New Mini-PCs

One of Intel's major objectives in introducing its new Core Duo family of processors last year was to bring out a fast, powerful dual-core processor with low power-consumption requirements. Of course, Intel's business objective was to counter AMD's ever-increasing market share, especially concerning low-power parts.

Released in July 2006, Intel's family of Core 2 Duo mobile processors (code-named Merom) fit the LGA 775 socket and work with Intel 945 chipsets (or newer). Intel now appears poised to impact the notebook PC market, where lower power consumption means longer battery life and quieter operation.

In this recipe, we examine a new category of mini-PCs that's just hitting the market: media centers.

Digging Deeper Into The Core Duo Processor

It just so happens that the combination of the Intel Core Duo processor, along with the company's Viiv technology, can be bundled inside a small, potent package, making for a great system that can handle all kinds of media, including movies, music, videos, TV and more.

Due to the cost factor, these mini-media bundles aren't for everyone. An average mini-PC with media-center capabilities costs about $1,200 for a retail turnkey version. Systems builders will be hard-pressed to buy all the needed parts for less than $900. Parts for a full-featured offering could end up costing more like $1,000. In contrast, the retail price of full-featured desktop PCs ranges from $500 to $600; low-end media-center PC offerings are between $800 and $1,000 at full retail.

That said, these systems must be seen and experienced to be fully appreciated. Many buyers will find them irresistible. They also offer great value propositions for PC users who want compact, quiet systems for home or small-office use. Bottom line: Their tiny footprints, quiet ways and sleek, good looks are sure to attract both attention and interest.

Today, there are three key platforms that represent the emerging trend of building small, powerful PCs around the Intel Core Duo CPU, along with the Intel 945G or the Mobile Intel 945GM Express chipset.

1. Systems built around the ECS P60 bare-bones PC (aka Digital Home P60): These systems are built by a major Taiwanese system house called Elitegroup Computer Systems, known for bare-bones offerings, as well as complete systems. This product includes support for the dual-core Yonah processor, DDR2-667 SODIMM RAM and a Serial ATA (SATA) hard drive. It also includes integrated Intel Tekoa Gigabit Ethernet LAN circuitry, Intel Pro 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN, and support for Bluetooth and Intel Viiv, with Intel high-definition 5.1 audio. The Digital Home P60 also includes Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005 software, an integrated standard TV tuner and an MCE-compatible remote control.

In this recipe, we used the Winbook Jiv Mini-P60A from Micro Center (see photo). It's one of a number of units available in the U.S. market built around the ECS platform. It's larger than the AOpen box, but smaller than the Shuttle XPC 100.

2. Systems built around the MP945-VXR bare-bones PC: These are built by a Taiwanese system house, AOpen, which is known for its motherboards and other PC components. This product includes support for the dual-core Yonah processor, though a recent BIOS upgrade adds support for the newer Core 2 Duo Merom processor as well, DDR2-400/533/667 SODIMM RAM and SATA drives. The standard networking capabilities are supported on this unit, although Bluetooth is an add-on. A mini-PCI TV tuner card is also available.

3. Systems built by Shuttle Computer: AnotherTaiwanese firm is Shuttle, which offers the largest system of the three, the XPC X100. This unit can accommodate standard 3.5-inch SATA drives. It also offers two SODIMM RAM slots and includes a 4-in-1 memory-card reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS-pro). Wired networking uses the RealTek 8110 10/100 Fast Ethernet circuitry--not Gigabit Ethernet, as with the other two units. The box also includes an integrated Intel 3945 mini-PCI 802.11 a/b/g wireless LAN interface.