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World's Smallest Desktop Pentium4?
Valour writes "The Jem Report has just published an in-depth review and installation guide for the new Iwill ZPC, a cool little Pentium4 ultra small formfactor PC. There have been similar designs in the past, but nothing with this kind of power."
Add a bread slot and it will double as a toaster!
Slashdotter are stupid and biased.
If you look carefully, you'll note that they use inches and millimeters that are specifically optimized for the Iwill, thus making it appear smaller and lighter than it really is. When will the manufacturers learn that this kind of "cheating" in mass and volume benchmarks isn't really fooling anyone.
A G5 this small and I'll take it in a heartbeat
The small form factor Pentium 4 is a great idea, but think about: Are the really able to fit all the goods into it? It may make a nice portable system, but when it comes down to it, an Mini-ITX board will be just as function(mostly), and be MUCH cheaper.
Anyways, I'm an Athlon kind of guy.
FoundNews.com - get paid to blog.,
They were obviously using them as webservers too...
Is that a desktop or a workstation?
# init 5
Connection closed.
Oh...
The thing is the size of my hand and will do Quake3 twice as fast as my box that take up my whole desktop.
Shheeettt... I must be getting old to have let my box go this long without an overhaul.
Davak
First of all, heh heh, we broke the Access database web engine. Already
;)
Next order of business, since I can't see the damned article, since we broke it, how are they handling cooling? That's been the big limitation with full (read: AMD or INTEL) scale desktop platforms in a ultra small form factor. Also how will the power supply be rigged? Is this a no PCI low voltage your USB gear better have batteries type thing, or what?
And does anybody know of a mirror
I haven't posted in so long, my sig is out of date.
I wonder how hot it gets. I didn't find any information about that.
I don't get it with these PC makers. All this legacy baggage. At least no parallel port. I'm building a box with the abit-K7-MAX2, no serial/parallel and 6 USB on the back!
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Version 9.0 of what?
A cool Pentium 4?
I really doubt that.
Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me
The nice thing about a computer this size is that you can just place it in a small refrigator... and then overclock the heck of it.
Plus, you have a nice place to keep your sodas/beer chilled as well.
"Honey, can you take out those leftovers? They are making my computer smell like an italian restaurant!"
Davak
Set these up in cubicles outfitted with mouse, keyboard and displays. People can work at any desk at any time, even in a conference room. And take it home and keep working! An exec's dream come true. I would say it could use some type of built-in display, maybe one of those new foldable displays we heard about yesterday.
Q: How many times do we have to see this joke?
A: Every time there's an article about a small product (pda, micro pc, pocket calulator, et cetera)
I really doubt those P4's are running cool right now since they can't hold up to being slashdotted...
Sure makes me want to buy one!
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Manufacturer Iwill USA
Model ZPC
Chipset Intel 845GV
Formfactor Mini ITX/proprietary
Market Portable workstation/fashionable desktop. This machine is primarily marketed to system integrators who will use it to create systems for targeted niche markets like those mentioned above.
CPU support 400mhz and 533mhz FSB Pentium4 processors up to 2.53ghz.
RAM PC2700 is recommended, but PC2100 and PC1600 will also work. ECC memory is not supported. Maximum RAM capacity is 512MB using one 512MB module.
Iwill ZPC
Graphics capabilities Onboard Intel Extreme Graphics
IDE ATA100 (through a conversion daughter board) supports one notebook 2.5" hard drive and one slimline notebook optical drive
Firewire Yes (2) (VIA chipset)
USB Hi-speed USB 2.0 (4)
LAN Realtek 8100B 10/100
Sound ALC650 stereo
Power External 90W DC19V power supply
Dimensions Height: 54mm (2.13 inches)
Width: 184mm (7.24 inches)
Depth: 263mm (10.35 inches)
Weight 1.95kg (4.3 pounds) net weight
3.75kg (8.27 pounds) with hard drive, RAM, CPU, optical drive and power supply
9-pin serial One
Available colors Silver (aluminum) and black
Warranty One year through Iwill
The Iwill ZPC is the world's smallest Pentium4 desktop computer supporting the 533FSB. The initial material that Iwill sent me months ago made it look really cool -- there were a variety of different colors and the design was quite attractive. Unfortunately Iwill scrapped all of the colors except black and silver, and those two represent two different models of the ZPC. The black model is designed for slot-loading optical drives and the silver model supports tray-loading optical drives, but other than that they are identical as far as technical specifications are concerned. For my testing I was given one of the silver models. Here's what the front looks like when fully assembled, and here is the rear of the unit.
The ZPC can be purchased with or without the CDRW/DVD combo drive but considering the fact that you can't buy a comparable optical drive for the difference in price, I would suggest getting the full package including the combo drive unless you're running totally from the network or otherwise have no need for a CD drive. The only extra software that it comes with is Nero Express (version 5.5.10.13)
Assembly was surprisingly easy -- almost too easy, and in fact I suspected it was a trap. I was expecting something at least as complex and delicate as a notebook computer but it was actually more like a mini-PC. I have compiled a complete installation guide (including photos!) which can be found here.
The ZPC is rather expensive; unless you're buying in quantity or directly from the manufacturer you won't find one of these under $450 (no hard drive, CPU, or RAM included) but considering what you're getting, that's not all that bad. As far as price for performance is concerned there are a few things to consider. First of all the ZPC is not versatile; it can never be a good gaming machine and since there is no TV-out or DVI connector you're limited to a VGA display, so there's no video editing possibilities. That means that the ZPC is not a replacement (or even competition) for a mini-PC like the Iwill XP4-G or for VIA's ultra-cheap and somewhat expandable Epia C3 integrated CPU solutions. If you're looking for a portable gaming machine, a low-cost, low-performance low-profile desktop system or a TiVo device, the ZPC cannot meet your needs.
So what is the ZPC good for? A lot of things: as an Internet device or appliance, as a stackable node for a cluster, as a small formfactor workstation for cramped or limited spaces (dorm rooms, RVs, yachts, or even cars and airplanes). Being as it does not have a screen with it, the ZPC is not exactly a laptop replacement although it is smaller, lighter, and more durable. If you need a portable machine to take on special jobs (engineers and technicians often need good
Does anyone have pics/specs?
I've never heard this joke before!
Haven't heard it in every article about a small machine, either!
Gets funnier every time, fellas!
Formfactor Mini ITX/proprietary I thought that part of the Mini ITX specification was that it had a VIA processor. Did I miss something?
Imagine a BW cluster of these to make the Intraweb go faster.
Slashdot:
yeah, right.
Take care you don't burn your...uhhhh....nevermind.
Have you read the moderator guidelines? Well, have you, PUNK? (and I want a Karma: Gnarly option)
They could make it flatter and wider so that they could build the keyboard into it. They probably wouldn't want a mouse dangling so they could add a touch pad below the keyboard. A foldable LCD would be nice, but they could settle for an LCD that is attached to the computer by a hinge, that would fold over the case like a clamshell type thing. Then they could add a battery and really have a winner!
Slashdotter are stupid and biased.
People have done this for years. You get a real smart midget (like Michael J. Fox) to sit inside the empty box. He's the one actually doing the "computing".
Best Windows Freeware
One possible reason why Microsoft has a bad reputation (from the IWILL website):
"The Microsoft Jet database engine stopped the process because you and another user are attempting to change the same data at the same time."
I'm glad Jet is at least honest about why it isn't a real database.
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
You should at least wait til the story scrolls off the front page before copy and pasteing a joke from it.
My journal has hot
Processor
Supports single Intel® Pentium® 4 processor up to 2.53 GHz
Supports single Intel® Celeronâ processor up to 2.4 GHz ZPC
Chipset
Intel® 845GV chipset
â 82845GV Graphics and Memory Controller Hub (GMCH)
â 82801DB I/O Controller Hub 4 (ICH4)
Bus Frequency
533/400 MHz system bus
System Memory
1 x DIMM slot
Supports up to 1GB DDR266/200 (PC2100/PC1600) memory
IDE
ATA/100 IDE
Supports one (1) 2.5 in hard disk drive (notebook type)
Supports one (1) "slim-type" optical drive
Audio
Realtek® ALC650
AC'97 Audio CODEC
VGA
Intel® Extreme Graphics
Integrated in Intel® 845GE, 845GV, 845G and 845GL chipsets
LAN
Realtek® RTL8100B 10/100M Fast Ethernet Controller
10/100 Mbps operations
IEEE 1394
VIA® Fire II VT6306 IEEE 1394 Link-Layer/PHY Chipset
2 x IEEE1394 ports (front panel)
400/200/100 Mbps data transfer rate
Supports up to 63 devices
Supports hot-swapping and Plug & Play
Drive Bay(s)
1 x Internal bay for 2.5 in hard disk drive (notebook type
1 x Internal bay for slim-type optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, DVD/CD-RW combo drive)
â DVD/CD-RW combo not included with barebone; availabl
Like "in soviet russia" and "1:xxx,2:???,3: profit!", it's a tired joke, man.
If you're going to make a small PC, wouldn't using a low-power chip instead of the 845gv chipset (note a lack of details about heat dissipation) make more sense? I realize its not a laptop, so there's no worry, but inefficient power-drain == hot-plate for a small device.
Why not a Centrino or TransMeta? It would be making the smallest desktop using intelligent engineering decisions. How about a cycles/in^2 or sufmin'.
Here are some more photos if you can't get to the iwillusa site.
--I'm not talking about dance lessons. I'm talking about putting a brick through the other guy's windshield.-
I own a Shuttle. It is more expensive than the cheapest desktops and less portable than a notebook, but it has real desktop performance in a reasonably portable form factor. That makes sense to me.
Not interested then. It's fucking hot as hell outside. Holy shit.
For those who just want to see it, check out this pic among many others at the actual review, instead of the IWILL site. Also check out the installation guide
True believers seek redemption from the sin of death.
With all these new "mini" cases requiring notebook hard disks, I wonder what the small case is that supports a regular size hard disk?
A lot of expense goes into the hard disk, and since notebook hard disks are relatively slower and much more expensive, a "mini" case supporting a regular hard disk would be a boon!
Any URLs or anything?
**FREE** Track and view your phone's via CellID and/or WIFI and/or GPS
Reading from the review, (which hasnt yet been slashdotted) they did the same thing I did when I made a briefcase computer. That is, make a hole right above the CPU fan and have it blow out. The powersupply looks incredibly wimpy so it is doubtful that it would generate that much heat. Also, from the looks of it, the AC to DC conversion doesnt take place on the actual powersupply. There's probably a separated power brick for it. Thus, the only heat-producing component in there of any relevance would be the CPU.
1 2 3
/ProductDetail.asp?vID=179
/. automatically tracked hits to articles.
o re everything linked in a submission.
1. ASP
2. Hammering a database
My guess is there's no caching or anything enabled either.
You know what would be nice, is if
It could do this easily by automatically inserting something like:
http://www.slashdot.org/countHits.pl?
bef
Not highly useful, I know... but don't you wonder sometimes just how many hits it takes before it stops responding all together?
no comment
I noticed that it only comes with a 90W power supply. I don't think that is going to work very well, with a P4 consuming upwards of 70W or more of power. How will there be anything left to run the disk drives, video, etc.?
this thing is super-sweet. in case of slashdotting, here are the two coolest pics. anyone know what these things cost? I didn't see it mentioned in the review and iwillusa.com is also down.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
It may be a little larger, but the Pundit case from ASUS is a heck of a lot more stylish and is still smaller than most of the other small form factor cases.
And they have the optional leather seats? They don't stuck them in the trunk ya know. Or on top of the original seats. I'll leave this puzzle up to you to figure out.
Most folk'll never lose a toe, and then again some folk'll...
But get me a Toro and a power washer and I'll have that thang back in tip-top shape, TOOT SWEET.
*rimshot*
You know, you could probably fit a whole Beowulf cluster of these inside my now-seemingly-cavernous Shuttle SN41G2 XPC case!
"Lawyers are for sucks."
- Doug McKenzie
This is true enough, but running an old OS just so you can have a shoe box-sized PC seems like a rather arse-about-face logic to me.
By the way, I'd love one of the PCs :-)
When I am king, you will be first against the wall.
Ok for the past 10 years, things have been getting smaller and smaller.
I've lost my cell phone, my PDA, my laptop, and god knows what else.
Now I have to worry about losing my desktop???
Why worry? Each of us is wearing an unlicensed "nucular" accelerator on his back.
Sig changed for readability by G.W.
I'm more concerned with the fact that they have a PDF RMA request form - right beneath two tech support options.
Hmmm, are they expecting a high volume of "This is crap! Give me my money back!" responses which would necessitate an easily downloadable RMA???
blue
"Remember, you get what you pay for."
But, wait... Maybe it IS an 8-track tape player! Someone finally figured out what to do with all those left over cases after the Muntz company folded sometime last century. Yeah, that's it. Recycling!
Valour writes "The Jem Report has just published an in-depth review....
Valour/Jem, I don't understand why you are hiding the fact that YOU ARE Valour, and YOU ARE the OWNER and writer of TheJemReport.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out that valour@herotale.com is the same person as valour@thejemreport.com - it's on the front page of your site.
If it's karma-whoring, go ahead, because that's not uncommon on Slashdot, but why pretend that you aren't submitting your own review by writing the submission in the third person?
Now let's re-write that first line:
Valour [THAT'S ME!!!!!!] writes "The Jem Report [THAT'S MY SITE!!!!!!] has just published an in-depth review and installation guide for the new Iwill ZPC, a cool little Pentium4 ultra small formfactor PC. There have been similar designs in the past, but nothing with this kind of power."
:)
The system comes with a power brick, just like most printers and laptops. Thus, most of the heat will be generated outside of the case. All they have to cool is the CPU, and in something that small, all that requires in a nice grill overtop of the CPU to vent the hot air directly to the outside world.
With a P4 in that little case, they have to push a lot of air, so this thing will be loud. What they need is:
- Add a second ethernet port, so this can be used as a home gateway/firewall/proxy/etc.
- Use a cooler CPU, such as a Pentium-M (used in the Centrino chipset), VIA C3, Transmeta. Depending on the CPU, it could potentially be fanless.
in your pocket, or are you just trying to Slashdot me?
It seems like the Pentium M, even on a laptop motherboard, would be the ideal way to make an extremely small, fanless (at least for the 7W version of the chip) pc.
Has anyone seen something like this? Would it be difficult to make one?
Why is this? As more and more people are putting in home networks, having at least the option to put in a second Ethernet port become more important.
I want to put in a small form factor, quiet machine running OpenBSD as a firewall, but I can't find what I'm looking for. Anybody got any suggestions?
Call me old fashioned, but I like a dump to be as memorable as it is devastating - Bender
"Somewhere in the environmental controls of the Lying Bastard, there was a point the temperature of a star."
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
It's just that I don't want old baggage! It's like a closet full of old crap you don't want. If it's old enough to use parallel, I don't even want to use it.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'
/include/left.inc, line 139
[Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access Driver] The Microsoft Jet database engine stopped the process because you and another user are attempting to change the same data at the same time.
Who'da thunk it, more than one user getting to the same data at the same time? Amazing how quickly computer technology changes.
Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Penisbird turn on!
Dimensions are about the same -- the Mocha's slightly taller, but shorter in depth and width, 2.4 lb. Max RAM is 1GB, and current CPUs run to 2.4 GHz. It's loud unless placed behind other HW. Tons of ports (serial, parallel, 4x USB, firewire, audio in & out, S/video, 2xPS2, PCMCIA).
And it runs Debian GNU/Linux. Well.
Why, you ask? Portable desktop, fewer parts to break than a laptop. Fits in my book bag. $1300 as configured (1.7GHz, 512MB, 20 GB).
What part of "gestalt" don't you understand?
Quality? You're new here aren't you?
Sanity is overrated...Being CRAZY is much more fun!!!
Obviously this guy doesn't know much about video editing. The firewire on this makes it very video-editing capable. Disk space is more likely to hamper serious video work, but an external firewire drive could be used to gain space.
And your lack of the ability to use the word 'you're' correctly in a sentence proves that you are an even bigger idiot. Good job.
Couldnt Slashdot implement a google-like function that would automagically cache all the text of a linked site/article?
:P
Sign your petition here
It looks like they took an old desktop pc and stood it up, tower-like.
Is it a tower!?
Is it a desktop!?
WHAT A REAL MIND FSCK!
Since the Pentium 4's ratio is locked, Intel has to support three different CPUs for different FSB speeds (400MHz, 533MHz, and 800MHz). This is not uncommon nor does it appear to be drastically hurting sales (in fact, it really is not that much of a nightmare at all). I imagine Intel will be adding more frequencies as technologies allow.
AMD is just following suit, but eliminating one more path the CPU must take to access the memory. If it works for Intel, it'll work for AMD.
Ayup
Also, I'm going to assume that because of the size, some replacement pieces are going to be hard to find, and more expensive than they really ought to be.
Maybe I'm missing the point...
Have any of you seen the Motorola MW800. It's smaller. http://ruggedpower.motorola.com Not only that but it's completly ruggedized. It's completly water proof, has a thick aluminum case. I drove my sisters Jeep over an eval I had. The mother boards only about 4inches by 6inches, with an integraded power. They told me it was the worlds smallest P4 motherboard. It has a 3D shock mounted HD with a heater to heat the HD during extreme cold. P4 1.7Ghz, 2.4 coming. Includes the following integraded. 1 gig ram 40 gig HD Video caputre w digital VCR Firewire USB Bluetooth PCMCIA WLAN Wideare network support, GPRS, iDEN, CPDP Etc GPS 10/00 Built in power supply with sorts of portection. The back of the unit also has an AUX port for GPIO and will provid 5 and 12V regulated power to external devices. Supports dual digital/analog display
A commercial site on access, nice.
http://www.iwillusa.com/home/home.asp
I don't know what the big deal is about all this size stuff. My high-end state of the art desktop was smaller than the keyboard. It even has the keyboard built-in!
Well, OK. Fine. It was high-end for the 80's (128KB and CP/M Bee-otch!).
Careful... if it gets dark you could get eaten by a grue.
Mmm, donuts.
Make that "I hope hardware isn't as "cheap" and inefficient like their db." It is sad when you have to edit your unread comment.
Condensation becomes a real issue if you try that.
Get off my launchpad!
for $350 off ebay, I bought a Cappuccino mini-pc :
1.0 ghz P3
256mb ram
20 gig hdd
slim dvd drive
it is in my truck, for mp3, dvd/divx/(s)vcd/GPS/naviagation/games
Its MUCH more powerful than any of the EPIA mini-itx systems (like, by a lot) and it was cheaper to boot (the cost for the dvd/ram/hdd alone is more than what I paid)
Yeah that'd really be a pain. It'd be like having the same speed chip released in versions with different multiplier settings so you could run it at different FSB speeds. I mean the confusion would make it completely unprofitable. Good thing nobody ever does anything like that. It's much easier and cheaper to upgrade my $100-150 motherboard to support new ram speeds every year or two than buy a new $100-150 CPU AND a new motherboard every time I buy ram. I mean why would you wanna replace a perfectly good 800mhz cpu just because you got DDR400 and a better motherboard? I mean what would I do if I had to replace the CPU too, build a completely new machine and have two? Ludicrious!
Introducing the new Occam Fusion! Now with sqrt(-1) fewer blades!
ItÂs no use to be small if it sounds like a dustbuster anyway.
It will blend in nicely on your living room so that people will arrive in your place like:
"You got a really cool place dude! but... whereÂs this awfull noise coming from?" IÂd like to see a AMD-XP in a SFF running with passive cooling. that would be cool! and probably a lot cheaper, too.
I'm sick of these small yet proprietary mini ITX boxes. Yes, they're small, but you can't put much in them. Read the review, he couldn't even put in a corsair 512MB DIMM because the heat spreader made contact with the chassis?space? That's CRAMPED.
My box is 5.5" by 11.5" by 11.5", houses a 300W power supply INSIDE IT (not externally, ala ZPC), can handle any standard micro atx formfactor motherboard, as much RAM as I want, a full size AGP videocard, etc. It will hold whatever hard drive and CDROM I want...Oh, and it weighs less than the ZPC since it's aluminum. I have expandability and as much power as I want. Did I mention the geargrip for small PCs works beautifully with this?
I've got a Solarism LM1530, it's a pretty nice 15" LCD monitor and has a fast response LCD (16 ms instead of a more typical 30 ms) for under $300. You can get a 17" version as well, for under $400. It works well with my Shuttle SN41G2. I have the black Shuttle case, and it looks great with the black Solarism monitor.
The reason I mention it to you is that I read some article where someone was speculating about how it might be good for LAN parties, since the monitor stand basically folds up and you can carry it flat. I can't say I've brought my monitor to a LAN party, but it is quite easy to carry around when folded flat.
Check out the review on GamePC for more info. I haven't seen any others yet, since this monitor is fairly new (on the market about a month, I think...). Anyway, I thought it was a great deal, since it runs about $150 less than the Hitachi CML174, and about $250 less than the Planar PX171M, which are also 16 ms response time LCD monitors. The only down side for me is that the Solarism doesn't have DVI, but the picture is still awesome for analog.
We have a bunch of these in our labs. We've had these for almost a year now... Notice its a few inches smaller as well... The PIII and PII versions are much smaller as well, as we have those in our labs too. Cool little buggers...
Of all cases nothing can beat a nice cooler master.
Makes sense to me. ;-)
Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
Intel and AMD swear up and down that I MUST use some 350-400W PSUs that generate heat like they were mini fission plants and sound like a 747 sitting under my desk. Bah.
Dell has their SX270 although twice the volume still pretty neat. The power supply is external but 150W
Dell SX270
try the VIA Nehemiah M10000, you can use the 55W PSU instead of 90W PSU used in this article.
If you want a truly small P4 computer, buy a small laptop, toss away the keyboard, display and battery, and put the rest in a custom made box.
These case fads come and go (isn't that the definition of a fad?). Two years ago it was aluminum cases, then there was cases with windows, then there was cold cathode lights, then there was watercooling for the masses, and now tiny boxes and old-fashioned horizontal boxes seem to be in.
Next year I predict you'll see leather-skinned computers, followed by wall-mounted computers.
Regards,
--
*Art
Great, something else to lose own the back of the couch.
I'd say the submitter hasn't checked out the latest from Shuttle, the SB61G2, which by comparison will blow this Iwill machine to pieces. The Iwill box uses the dated 845 chipset while the new Shuttle not only has more expansion options it also uses the 865 chipset. Check out some reviews and you'll see it can keep up with even the most powerful full size desktops.
"There have been similar designs in the past, but nothing with this kind of power."
Sorry, but smaller, equally powerful machines have been quite available for a while now. Notable examples include the SaintSong Latte P4 (specs here) and the Jadetec Micropc4 just to name Pentium4-capable solutions. In cases where a slower CPU will do, even smaller options are available, such as the SaintSong Cappuccino or Espresso systems (specs here and here).
The main unifying factor of all these systems is that all claim to be the world's smallest. Currently, the title of "World's Smallest Desktop Pentium4" claimed in the article title actually belongs to the Latte (above), which has a volume of about 1951 cm^3 (although the Micropc4 comes close at 1976 cm^3). The iWill ZPC in the article is comparatively huge, at over 2613 cm^3, although Shuttle's XPC systems are over 11000 cm^3, so the iWill is certainly a small system. However, while the iWill looks to have other interesting innovations as far as minimizing temperature and noise, it fails to beat the competition in both size and performance.
There is no sig.
Every box I've had, it's been painfully easy to accidentally knock the keyboard plug out of the PS/2 port... and when that happens, it's hard-reboot time, because the computer goes into a stupor.
At least USB is hot-pluggable.