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ASUS Barebones: Multimedia Even Sans Hard Drive
technomegalomaniac writes "This new stylish
barebones combo from ASUS (case+motherboard) is going to outdo Apple in 'the way it looks matters' department. Customizable to your heart content, no OS included (obviously, since you need to buy your own hard drive). Comes with 'Instant On' software that lets you play CDs, DVDs and MP3s without entering the primary OS thus bypassing the long boot process. Definitely a living room toy." Doesn't beat Apple hardware in my eyes, but still looks like a nifty box.
I'd be worried about cooling if you crammed more wattage in, especially since my current rig has a tendency to overheat even with two extra fans + an external fan blowing onto the case.
Climate thing possibly (summer in Sydney)
Screw you all! I'm off to the pub
MSI make something similar and have a few different models. MSI's look better I think but functionally they're very similar.
Here's the link
It looks like it's going to cost around $250USD, according to Froogle, anyway.
MythTV is a great suggestion.
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Some guys are using the Intel Integrated motherboards with no problem, although I don't think they are using the graphics part.
Here is a better case in that case.
http://www.athenatech.us/a100bb.htm
Also, http://www.byopvr.com/ has dome good case suggestions.
PC Alchemy has some nice stuff like this:
http://www.pcalchemy.com/images/silverston
Now thats something to brag about.
There are DVD players with network cards now.
http://www.momitsu.com/dvd_880n.html
This has been around for a while, and I think everyone but the person who submitted this would agree it's hideous. This thing has been getting called ugly for a long time now.
According to an article here:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=19922
It's instant-on software is an embed version of Linux! Supercool! I want one!
And street pricing seems to be about $250 for it...so it's cheap! Now that's just a bare-bones system, but still, you could have a nice PVR for under $600 USD!
Sweet!
ttyl
Farrell
CAN-CON 2019 - Ottawa's only book oriented Science Fiction Convention! October 18-20, Sheraton Hotel, Ottawa, Canada h
Well from what I have read about the life expectancy of electronics in general, has a lot to do with how much you turn the unit on/off, the environment, humidity, temp, air circ. etc.
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p ec_MTBF .htm/ spec_MTBF .htm
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The expansion and contraction of solder joints due to temp flux causes micro cracks that expand over time and eventually cause the malfunction.
So that really is a hard question to answer.
EPIA for those who may not know:
http://www3.sympatico.ca/howlettfamily/epi
Here is a good forum for those teeny DC PSUs:
http://www.eio.com/public/psupply/
Good definition of MTBF:
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/qual/s
And the turn on/off debate:
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/perf/qual
I like Tom's look at PSUs:
http://www.tomshardware.com/howto/20030609
Here is the kicker though:
"An overwhelmed power supply may not be able to keep adequate current flowing to your PC's components, and that can mean error messages, strange behavior, or even system shutdowns. But instead of those obvious signs of trouble, an overworked power supply may just pump extra heat into your PC, speeding up the system's aging process and pushing your PC's components to an early demise. If you suspect your power supply may be about to give up the ghost, replace it. PC Power and Cooling is a good source for quality power supplies."
Source:
http://www.pcworld.com/resou
Regardless, things will vary depending on your specifics. Call the manufacturer to verify specs and do some line testing with a handy dandy multi-meter.
i have the Kiss 1500, and it fulfils all of your requirements, it even has wireless capability. plays most DIVX, XVID etc, and is sufficiently easy to use that even my mentally sub-normal girlfriend is happy with it. does have blue LEDs though...
http://www.kiss-technology.com/?p=dvd&v=users
Well, first off, don't buy extra RAM from Apple That alone will save you a couple hundred bucks. Second, if you're doing music, skip the $600 video card. The less expensive video cards support dual monitors as well. Third, the Apple 20" LCDs are $1300 each, inflating your price by $2600...skip those and go with a third party equivalent and save another couple hundred bucks. And fourth, your crazy European VAT isn't Apple's fault, but wow, that sucks.
Those changes alone bring the price down to ~$4500 US (pre-tax). Still not cheap, but more realistic.
Mine's in my living room connected to my Wega. They didn't take off because they were priced VERY close to a G4 tower at launch. People don't forgive Apple when they make a mistake, even if they correct it (lowered the price A LOT). I didn't care, the thing is modern art and I figured I had a chance at owning the next Colour Classic (I was right). I used it for 3 years until something better finally came out: the G5.
I myself cannot understand why a case manufacturer could not hire some design majors and clean up in the PC case market. It's not THAT hard to make an aesthetically pleasing computer case, Apple's been doing it for over 20 years, sgi for near that.
Not since Marie-Antoinette played milkmaid has looking simple and honest been so fake and complicated.
I agree. That thing looks really ugly.
What I don't get is why Sony doesn't get more press on Slashdot, except for their robots and PS2. Among the PC manufacturers, they are the most stylish, and are probobly the most innovative in terms of design. They also are closer to achieving the "digital hub" than Apple, to boot. Too bad their best stuff is relased only in Japan.
Check out some of their kickass designs:
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGX-X90P/ - The Type X models, a PC media server with P4/3.6 Ghz, 1920x1080 TV display, 6 simultanious channel TV tuner, 1TB storage (127 hours of high-quality Mpegs), remote control, DVD recorder, network video server, and remote control.
http://www.vaio.sony.co.jp/Products/VGC-M50B/ - Type M model, a PC that can be used as a TV or a standalone stereo with its keyboard folded.
Couple of nice notebook designs:
http://www.dynamism.com/x505/main.shtml
http://www.dynamism.com/u101/main.shtml
There are several DVD players with network (fixed or wireless) and with (optional) harddrive that can do this, plus also play Divx and Xvid, for example some of these. The later generations support more and more options, e.g. GMC and qpel.
According to Nintendo, the GameCube is 4.3 inches tall. According to Asus, this thing is 7.1 inches. That's freaking huge for an AV component, unless you're talking about a receiver, which this thing is not. So you're half right: it's like a gamecube blown up to x-box proportions.
It's shaped like a case of Coke... Not the ideal for stacking with the rest of my equipment.
How about the D-Link Media Player instead? It's about an inch and a half tall, and plays all my media to the TV (wirelessly) and without a hard drive either.
No, according to the info on the web page (What?!? You didn't *read* the referenced material?!?!?) venting is in the sides, out the back.