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Modular PC Handtop Review
captainJam writes "The Modular PC (MPC) is a device with a simple concept centering around one 'core' that can be used in a variety of 'shells'. While the use of any laptop, tablet or desktop is immediately limited by the design of its components, the MPC can expand on its functionality with the introduction of new shells to house the core which contains the CPU, GPU, etc. Handtops.com has a review of the device and touches on its strengths and weaknesses. Overall, it is a great concept and decently executed, but the price will be prohibitive for most."
I tested this device for a couple weeks as a candidate for running some software I was developing. This was last summer, mind you. The results were awful. The MCC (modular computing core) can run in one of two "shells". One is a hand-held, passively cooled device (TFA calls it a "Micro Tablet") with a touch-screen LCD and a couple USB ports. It has a velcro strap that lets you easily carry it in one hand by strapping it around your palm. The other "shell" is a desktop docking-station with a fan for cooling and keyboard/mouse and VGA connectors. TFA calls this one the "Desktop Dock".
/.), it was still unbearably slow.
Let me tell you that this thing ran *hot*. After working with it for a few minutes in the handheld, my hands became so sweaty that I worried it was going to slip out of them. Also, since it's sensitive to heat, it would throttle the CPU back to 300MHz, and Windows XP would slow to a crawl. I found that I could lock the CPU in a 1000MHz frequency, but then it just got even hotter.
The desktop docking station was no better. I tried playing a DivX movie in both modes, and the playback ran at about 1 frame per second. I would expect a 1000MHz CPU to do better. Obviously, this thing has other bottlenecks.
Even for regular productivity applications, like MS Word and friends (err, enemies, this *is*
In short, this thing is a great idea in concept, but failed to pan out in reality for me.