Inexpensive mini computers with ARM-based chips have gotten a lot of attention this year. But if you’re willing to spend a few dollars more you can get a much more powerful and versatile system with an x86 processor.
Recently we took a look at the
Asus C60M1-I mini-ITX motherboard with an AMD C-60 dual core CPU. A feature that makes this mobo especially attractive is the addition of a DVI port allowing for
dual monitors. It’s an $80 system that can be used as a full-fledged Windows or Linux computer when you add a
power supply,
storage, and
memory (and optionally a
case). But it’s hardly the only CPU+board combo in that price range.
Note: Under the word storage above both mechanical and SSD are presented. Here is the break down, stor = mechanical hard drives & age = SSD
Newegg has at least 2 dozen motherboard+CPU combo deals available at the moment, and many of them include low power processors and low price tags. Here are a few examples:
•
ECS VX900-I 1.6 GHz VIA L2007 combo for $50 after rebate
•
ASRock E35LM1 AMD E-240 combo for $55
•
JetWay JTAE24G AMD E-240 combo for $70
•
Foxconn D250S Intel Atom D2500 combo for $70
•
Gigabyte GA-E350N AMD E-350 combo for $75
•
ASRock AD2700B-ITX Intel Atom D2700 combo for $75
All of these systems feature
mini ITX cases, which means they should fit into standard small form-factor PC cases. And they all have x86 processors, which means they should be able to handle a range of operating systems including Windows 7, Windows 8, Ubuntu, or other Linux-based operating systems (although some of the integrated graphics cards are better supported than others under Linux).
