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Decided recently that the mountains of DVD’s would grow to a point that I could never conceivably store them in such a manner to make them easily retrievable. It started to dawn on me as to why would I ever by a DVD movie again. But, with the help of the eeBox, I can now have a method of serving up digital content to my HD TV. Through media sharing and open source software that I installed on the eeBox, I’m now serving up Movies/TV Episodes/Music/Picture content on my TV (much like an AppleTV). The HDMI output on the eeBox was the selling point for me. After recieving from Amazon, there were initially a couple hang ups with the product. If you don’t have PC/Technical support knowledge, they could be quite frustrating. But, the problems are definitely fixable if you know what you’re doing.

1. Upgrade the BIOS. Do this the first time you start it up and connect to the internet. The BIOS has been updated as of January 2010 that fixed a problem with the boot sequence. I bought my eeBox in December and about every other boot up, it wanted to restore from the backup Windows image that is on another partition. I could cancel out of it but frustrating at first. Upgrading the BIOS fixes this issue.

2. The eeBox wouldn’t connect to my home wifi network. First off, screw in the antenna that comes with the device. It’s buried in the packaging so you’ll have to find it. Secondly, if you have problems connecting, the easy fix is to uninstall the wifi adapter and have Windows re detect and it will reinstall the drivers. Once I did this, it worked.

Overall, I gave this product really good review because it fit my specific requirement really well. It’s sleek, doesn’t take up a lot of room and is very quite. It sits nicely next to my other AV equipment and always generates conversation “what’s that?”. That’s when I can show off my movie library. The keyboard does have some sticking key issues but I’m content as I will purchasing an PC Remote to handle the navigation controls of the media software.

ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC – White Feature

• Intel Atom N270 Processor 1.6 GHz
• 1GB DDR2 RAM, 1 x Slot, 2 GB Max
• 160 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400 RPM)
• Windows XP Home Operating System
• ATI Radeon 4530 (DX9) GPU with dedicated 256 MB of DDR2 VRAM; HDMI port

ASUS Eee Box HD 1006 Nettop PC – White Overview

The Eee Box HD mini desktop PC is the latest addition to the Eee Box family. This newest incarnation now allows users to enjoy crisp and clear high definition content by means of a HD hardware decoder. Still retaining its svelte design, the Eee Box HD’s portability lets you turn virtually any space into a high definition entertainment zone for maximum enjoyment. Let the Eee Box HD blow your mind with a high definition experience that is simply out of this world! Ever wish you could avoid cumbersome desktop systems hogging valuable desk space? Now you can! Built as small as a paperback novel, the petite Eee Box HD even has an option to be mounted onto your LCD display, virtually occupying no space at all! While it’s great on saving space it also great on saving power. Constructed with earth-friendly materials, the Eee Box HD has the environment at heart. Consuming only around 20 watts of power, it does so much, for so little. It also makes it so easy to learn, work, and play. With the Eee Box HD’s Easy Mode, using Windows has never been easier. The intuitive graphical user interface makes finding and running the Eee Box HD’s programs a breeze. To further sweeten the deal, the Eee Box HD also comes with a fully-customizable program launch shortcut bar found on the Windows desktop—Eee Bar. Bypass confusing menus, and get straight to the application you want every time! The package contains 1 year warranty card, Eee Box, keyboard, optical mouse, and VESA mount.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 09, 2010 08:24:36

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Acer AspireRevo 3610-U9022 Nettop – 1 x Atom 330 1.60 GHz Overview

AspireRevo 3610-U9022 Nettop Mouse Keyboard Adapter Power Cord Acer Arcade Deluxe Acer eRecovery Management Adobe Acrobat Reader eSobi (OEM, not full-featured, version) McAfee Internet Security Suite (trial version) Microsoft Works 8.5 (full version) Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 (60-day trial) MyWinLocker Nero 9 Essentials (OEM, not full-featured, version) Oberon Gamezone 533 MHz Nettop 1.20″ Height x 7.10″ Width x 7.10″ Depth PT.SCX02.051 http://www.acer.com The AspireRevo 3610-U9022 Nettop is a revolution in computer size, shape, design and affordability. This is the perfect everyday desktop for cruising the Internet, accomplishing your daily work, staying connected via instant messaging, and enjoying photos, music, videos and more. 4 GB RJ-45 Network 15-pin HD-15 VGA DC Power Jack Mini-phone Headphone Mini-phone Microphone HDMI Digital Audio/Video eSATA Toslink S/PDIF 2 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 – USB Front 4 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 – USB Rear 1 Year 2 GB Windows 7 Home Premium x64 Yes Acer, Inc 3610-U9022 AspireRevo 3610-U9022 Nettop Mouse 1.60 GHz Atom AspireRevo Serial ATA 3610 Acer 1 MB DDR2 SDRAM 330 DDR2-800/PC2-6400 Dual-core Yes Energy Star Included Yes Intel nVIDIA ION Yes Serial ATA 5400 IEEE 802.11n Not Applicable 1 Yes Not Applicable 160 GB Gigabit Ethernet 1

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 08, 2010 11:36:04

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Viewsonic VOT530 Nettop Overview

VOT530 Nettop Power Cord Power Adapter Remote Control Antenna System Recovery CD Quick Start Guide 800 MHz Nettop 1.97″ Height x 6.50″ Width x 6.50″ Depth VOT530_BJEB60 http://www.viewsonic.com VOT530 Nettop is an outstanding solution for downloading and managing digital content. Its powerful Intel Core 2 Duo processor is just right for creating your own media and entertainment hub. This streamlined, space saving device is also eco-friendly ? made with less plastic and saves up to 45% in energy usage. eSATA 6 x 4-pin Type A USB 2.0 – USB DVI Digital Video RJ-45 Network S/PDIF Out Mini-phone Microphone Mini-phone Headphone 1 Year 2 GB 3.10 lb Black Windows 7 Home Premium Viewsonic Corporation VOT530 Nettop 2.20 GHz Core 2 Duo Serial ATA Viewsonic 2 MB DDR2 SDRAM T6600 Dual-core Yes Intel Intel GM45 Express Yes DVD-Writer DVD-RAM/±R/±RW Serial ATA IEEE 802.11n Not Applicable 1 Not Applicable 320 GB Gigabit Ethernet

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 05, 2010 10:36:07

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CybertronPC Leggero NetTop PC ALIT491E, Black, Intel Atom 230 (1.60GHz), 1GB, 160GB, 200 Watt Power Supply, Windows XP Home LCPC Edition, 1 Year Parts & Labor Warranty Feature

• The small footprint makes this a system that will fit nearly anywhere.
• The Intel Atom Processor helps make this a very energy efficient system.
• 10/100 Ethernet connection for LAN or High-Speed Internet.
• Built in the Heartland of the USA, backed by a 1 year warranty and Free LIFETIME U.S.-Based Technical Support.
• Windows XP Home LCPC Edition

CybertronPC Leggero NetTop PC ALIT491E, Black, Intel Atom 230 (1.60GHz), 1GB, 160GB, 200 Watt Power Supply, Windows XP Home LCPC Edition, 1 Year Parts & Labor Warranty Overview

• Intel Atom 230 1.60GHz
• 1GB Fast DDR2 Memory
• 160GB Hard Drive
• DVD-ROM Drive
• 10/100 Ethernet
• Integrated Video
• NetTop Space and Energy Efficient Chassis
• 200 Watt Power Supply
• Keyboard and Optical Mouse
• 1 Year Warranty on Labor and Parts
• Free Lifetime U.S. Based Technical Support
• Windows XP Home Edition

The Leggero NetTop PC – Powerfully Easy.

The CybertronPC Leggero NetTop PC is a simple, compact and affordable desktop solution ideal for light computing tasks like email, web browsing, multimedia, and social networking.

Designed to be remarkably easy to use, this NetTop PC comes running the Windows XP Home LCPC Edition Operating system, the simplest version of Windows XP available!

For a versitile system wrapped in a stylish and compact package, check out a CybertronPC Leggero NetTop PC!

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 04, 2010 10:29:13

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This fit-PC2 is a great little computer.

I am the IT admininstrator at my company. We bought two of these, one with XP Pro without wireless, and one with Win7 Pro with wireless.
They work great and are perfect for our needs. We have the XP machine running an HDMI display for our production area. The Win7 is connected to a mobile bagger and acts as a print server.

They are feature rich–you can load a full version of WinXP Pro or Win7 Pro, four USB 2.0 full-size ports, 2 mini USB 2.0 ports, HDMI port with an included HDMI-to-DVI cable to hook to a DVI monitor, 1GB RAM, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n wireless, IR receiver, line-in and line-out and microphone ports, miniSD memory slot. Mine came with a standard 160GB SATA drive, but you can instead put in a standard solid state drive if you don’t want any moving parts. You can attach a keyboard, mouse and DVD drive via USB. It also boots to USB fine, and I reloaded Windows XP and 7 successfully from the included DVDs.

They have no fans, so the metal case is the heat sink and gets quite warm to the touch. So, you’ll want to make sure you don’t stick it in a drawer or some enclosed place it where it may get overheated.

The Atom processor is noticably slower than a Core processor, but that’s the trade-off you make for the PC’s tiny size. It is fine for typical light business or home use–Internet, MS Office, Adobe Reader, listening to music, antivirus. I didn’t try any video such as YouTube on it, but I bet it would do fine.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that I think the price is high for the Win7 version (0 on Amazon). The XP model was at least 0 cheaper. Much of that price is the Windows license, and you could likely load/order Linux instead and save a bundle–if you like Linux, which I don’t.

All-in-all, these are great little PCs.

CompuLab Fit-PC2 Win7 Professional Nettop PC Feature

• fit-PC2 Win7 Professional is an amazingly small fanless PC.
• fit-PC2 is the greenest, most power efficient PC available.
• Now providing an enterprise ready solution with Windows 7 Professional preloaded.
• fit-PC2 is Flat-screen TV friendly with Full-HD, 1080p video playback and IR receiver.
• fit-PC2 is the most power efficient PC on the Energy Star list.

CompuLab Fit-PC2 Win7 Professional Nettop PC Overview

CompuLab has made an amazingly small fanless PC that consumes under 10 Watts of power! This machine is the most power-efficient computer on the Energy Star list, and it’s perfect for those who are on the go. Equipped with an Intel ATOM Z530 processor, 1GB of DDR2 memory, and a 160GB hard drive, this tiny PC comes pre-loaded with Windows 7 Professional, making it the an enterprise-ready solution. The versatile CompuLab Fit-PC2 XP HD Nettop PC is capable of driving a Full HD display, playing 1080p video and running all Windows software including Microsoft Office.

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 03, 2010 10:25:21

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The Wind PC is ***NOT*** intended to play videos or games. How foolish can anyone be to assume so when it has a 1.6GHz dual core processor ? This CPU *typically* uses less than 1.0 watt of power. It is intended to be used as either a basic web-surfing/email/basic tasks utility PC appliance or else a perfect platform for creating a home file server (can stream videos, but *not* play them). Look into FreeNAS. Its *really* easy to set up. Did I mention that FreeNAS is free ? No knowledge of *any* Unix/Linux/BSD is required.

If you are really into green machines then choose a green HDD for slightly less total system power consumption. For use as a server, temporarily hook up a USB external or SATA internal optical drive and any old monitor. For less than 250 bucks TOTAL for adding a hard drive (+50 to 75 bucks) and less than 30 bucks for a single 2GB memory stick you will have a great and complete home server with a 100Mbit or 1Gbit wired LAN connection. Or, add a good USB wireless-N or -G adapter to eliminate the LAN cable. There are *very* many bad ones out there, so do your homework and thoroughly research to find a good one.

There is no cheaper complete solution using brand new (waranteed) hardware.

Unlike the Wind PC 100 model, this one does *not* have a PCI expansion card slot. There will never be a Compact Flash G or N wireless adapter.

Using a USB FLASH drive to hold the OS and boot from is definitely a bad idea. The FLASH technology used has a limited write-cycle lifetime and it is *guaranteed to wear out*. However, solid state disk (SSD) drives (also known as MLC FLASH) use a better technology and will never wear out (in your lifetime).

SSDs are still new technology and the performance differences between early models that are still being sold and the newest ones are great. The newest large capacity SSD drives add a big RAM cache buffer to speed up the overall operation (just like HDDs and CPUs). Shop carefully, read the user reviews and look for the best performing models.

Almost all SSDs come in the 2.5 inch hard drive form factor that is intended for laptop PCs. However, they all have the standard SATA power and data connectors. To install in a non-laptop PC a 2.5″-to-3.5″ adapter bracket is needed.

Remember that the OS drive needs to be only 32GB or less !!! Prices for the large SSDs are *very* high due to current production techniques for this technology. Like LCD displays prices will fall rapidly in time.

Some Recommended models (i.e., many good user reviews):

RiDATA RDESSD16G-R-BX 16GB USB 2.0 & eSATA EXTERNAL THUMB DRIVE ***MLC*** SSD ~
This model’s interfaces appears to be unique at the moment. Good for FreeNAS, Freebsd and XP. Linux ??? Too small for Vista and Win7 (they are pigs !).

OCZ Vertex Series OCZSSD2-1VTX30G 2.5″ 30GB SATA II MLC ~0 w- mail-in rebate

OCZ Agility Series OCZSSD2-1AGT30G 2.5″ 30GB SATA II MLC (64MB On-board Cache) w- mail-in rebate

Transcend TS32GSSD25-M 2.5″ 32GB PATA MLC SSD ~0

SUPER TALENT UltraDrive ME FTM32GX25H 2.5″ 32GB SATA II MLC ~0

SUPER TALENT MasterDrive EX2 FHM32GF25H 2.5″ 32GB PATA/IDE MLC ~5
This model’s interface (IDE) appears to be unique at the moment.

Corsair Extreme Series CMFSSD-32D1 2.5″ 32GB SATA II MLC ~0 w- mail-in rebate

SUPER TALENT MasterDrive SX SAM64GM25S 2.5″ 64GB SATA II MLC ~2

Corsair Extreme Series CMFSSD-64D1 2.5″ 64GB SATA II MLC 0 w- mail-in rebate

Patriot Torqx PFZ64GS25SSDR 2.5″ 64GB SATA II SSD ~5

OCZ Vertex OCZSSD2-1VTXA60G 2.5″ 60GB SATA II (On-board Cache: 64MB) ~0

Kingston SSDNow V-Series SNV125-S2BN/128GB 2.5″ 128GB SATA II MLC SSD ~5

Crucial CT128M225 2.5″ 128GB SATA II MLC Internal Solid state disk (SSD) (64MB DRAM Cache) ~0

Patriot Torqx PFZ128GS25SSDR 2.5″ 128GB SATA II SSD ~0

OCZ Summit OCZSSD2-1SUM120G 2.5″ 120GB SATA II MLC (128MB On-board Cache) ~0

Patriot Torqx M28 Series PTX128GS25SSDR 2.5″ 128GB SATA II SSD (128MB DRAM Cache) ~5

Most users seem to love the OCZ “Vertex” series. Certain other competitor’s models are equivalent. I think it has to do with the large on-board caches for these large capacity models.

MSI Wind Nettop 120 Desktop – Black Feature

• 1.6Ghz Intel Atom 160 GB Hard Drive 1GB RAM 1x SO-Dimm Slot 2GB Max Wireless b/g 4-in-1 Card Reader 6 x USB Ports 1 x D-sub 1 x LAN Windows XP
• Super Multi DVD Tray(Burner)
• 160 GB SATA Hard Drive, SuperMulti DVD Drive
• SuperMulti DVD Drive
• Box Contents – MSI Wind Nettop CS120, 65W Power Adapter; Software Bundle – Windows XP Home, 1-Year Limited Warranty

MSI Wind Nettop 120 Desktop – Black Overview

INTEL 1.6GHZ ATOM 230 CPU ON BOARD 533FSB, INTEL 945GC+ICH7,GMA 950,1GB DDRII SO

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*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Mar 02, 2010 09:56:14