Windows 7: Tiny Cube Might Be Your Next PC

profdlp · 15 Mar 2012

Since I have trouble fitting even the smallest Shuttle on my yacht (hey, times are tough - I had to sell the big one), this might be an alternative:

Quote:

The Xi3 can fit anywhere: crowded desktops, sales kiosks or attached to a high-definition display to support interactive advertising. Dedicated and expensive server rooms aren't necessary to house these PCs. They can be stacked densely in small racks in just about any room or closet.

Read it all here:

Why This Tiny Cube Might Be Your Next Office PC | Entrepreneur.com

Manufacturer's Website: Xi3 | Introducing Xi3 Architecture

mr pc · 15 Mar 2012

gotta bring the price down - a standard machine (without the bells and whistles and Linux) is close to $900

seekermeister · 16 Mar 2012

It won't be my next PC. I'm still working on HAL.

Phone Man · 16 Mar 2012

Its cute, but .... Comes with a 16Gb SSD. Can't run much on that. Processor and Ram are old technology. (dual core Athlon and DDR 2). They say is will last longer then a regular PC since the parts are modular and you can upgrade just what you need. Duh, I do that now. The price is too high for what you get.

Jim

M1GU31 · 17 Mar 2012

looks like a pencil sharpener

anyways pretty amazing what they can run in such compact space, wonder how hot the parts get.

bug67 · 17 Mar 2012

I'd rather have a Mac Mini.

jimbo45 · 17 Mar 2012

Hi there

Actually imo what's much more likely to happen is a Smart phone that can have an external keyboard ,an HDMI external monitor, and a USB hub for attaching external disks etc.

Portable, already Wifi enabled, plenty of processing power, 64 GB available on micro HD card so enough to load any version of Windows / Android or whatever. Sound card already enabled etc etc.

I'm surprised this actually happened already.

Now this would be a portable and robust system and a lot cheaper too.

Cheers
jimbo

ken9122 · 17 Mar 2012

Have to agree with Jimbo on this.

Ken

profdlp · 17 Mar 2012

No argument here. I wouldn't pay $400 for a phone, nor $600 for a tablet. I sure wouldn't pay $800 for this. The yacht can lump it.

The only thing I can see as being even marginally practical is the following:

Quote:

...The Xi3 can also be used as a virtual work station. The company sells an outboard processor ($250) that allows four users to work on a single device...

At roughly $1,000 (Base Unit + Outboard CPU), setting up four users might not be an awful value, assuming your company was deep into the cloud computing game.

If they sell any of these for the above scenario, it will probably be due to this reason more than anything else:

Quote:

...And it can save on electricity costs. The Xi3 requires only 20 watts of electricity to operate compared to most other units that drain 100 to 400 watts on average...

windude99 · 17 Mar 2012

I would rather keep my current config. I have a Seasonic power supply that is an energy saver, so power isn't much of an issue.

Windows 7: Tiny Cube Might Be Your Next PC

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