Updated: AOpen MiniPC – Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
by Jarred Walton on March 3, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Price, Availability, and Alternatives
Here's where I get to the only real problems with the MiniPC. I've looked around online, and it's most readily available as a barebones system, at least when checking all of the major search engines. A system like this pretty much demands a pre-configured unit if people are going to take it seriously, or else it will only appeal to a very small segment of the population. Right now, you're looking at $330 for a small case, and you still need to add the CPU, RAM, HDD... you might even need to find an optical drive as well, depending on where you purchase the case. Once you've bought all of those components, you'll be spending around $700 minimum, plus another $100 for Windows XP Home. As configured, our MiniPC would probably sell for closer to $900. Sure, it's more powerful than the old Mac Mini, but with Apple moving to Intel processors, we should hopefully see a Core Duo powered unit that can run OS X as well as Vista in the not-too-distant future. (We're still waiting on Vista, while the Core Duo Mac Mini is now available for $800.)
A bit more searching (and some help from AOpen) did turn up a few locations that allow you to get the MiniPC pre-built, but prices were even higher. If money is no concern, VoodooPC makes their Idol systems using this chassis, and while the price "starts at $900" you're really looking at closer to $1200 with an OS installed and shipping. The only other partner that we could find with configurable MiniPC systems is Jetta (a company I personally am not familiar with). Prices are a bit better there, though you miss out on the paint jobs that VoodooPC offers. You can even get a Mac Mini competitor for $650, although that uses a slower 1.4 GHz Celeron M chip. That's at least reasonably priced, but we're still looking for more choices.
We've mentioned that the expansion options on such a system are very limited. You can add a few devices via USB, but internally, the only changes that can be made involve ditching the current hardware and replacing it with some upgraded component. Larger hard drives are available, and you can also get faster CPUs and a larger DIMM. Since there's only a single DDR2 SO-DIMM slot, we would recommend going straight to a 1GB DIMM. That should be enough for most office tasks. 512MB is enough RAM to keep Windows more or less content, but 1GB helps ensure that you won't need to crack open the case and upgrade the RAM any time soon.
Here's the real problem, though: you have a small box with a decent amount of computing power, and it's nice and portable if you need that. However, there's another type of computer that is similarly equipped that will get the job done equally well in most cases. We're talking about laptops, of course, and you can get a complete laptop with an OS, display, and keyboard all in one device for less than the cost of the MiniPC. The laptop might be larger and a bit slower - especially with all the budget 256MB RAM models - but unless you're really just looking for a very small computer, it's difficult to see the point in purchasing the MiniPC over a similarly priced laptop. $1000 will get you a pretty well-equipped laptop from any of the major OEMs, including truly mobile support courtesy of the battery pack, and an integrated LCD, keyboard, and trackpad.
One last item to mention is that the MP915 reviewed here is the older model, and AOpen should be releasing a Core Duo and Viiv compliant MP945 version in the next few weeks. Whether or not that model addresses any of our concerns remains to be seen. Price will likely be a bit higher as well, though really only the CPU cost should be significantly different. If you're sure that you don't want a dual core CPU, the MP915 will work well, and you might even see them discounted once the new version is released. For most people, we would say that the MP945 has all the good points of the MP915 and adds a bit more power, making it the preferred choice. Viiv support may indicate that it will also have better A/V connectivity, though TV tuners aren't actually required for Viiv, unfortunately.
Here's where I get to the only real problems with the MiniPC. I've looked around online, and it's most readily available as a barebones system, at least when checking all of the major search engines. A system like this pretty much demands a pre-configured unit if people are going to take it seriously, or else it will only appeal to a very small segment of the population. Right now, you're looking at $330 for a small case, and you still need to add the CPU, RAM, HDD... you might even need to find an optical drive as well, depending on where you purchase the case. Once you've bought all of those components, you'll be spending around $700 minimum, plus another $100 for Windows XP Home. As configured, our MiniPC would probably sell for closer to $900. Sure, it's more powerful than the old Mac Mini, but with Apple moving to Intel processors, we should hopefully see a Core Duo powered unit that can run OS X as well as Vista in the not-too-distant future. (We're still waiting on Vista, while the Core Duo Mac Mini is now available for $800.)
A bit more searching (and some help from AOpen) did turn up a few locations that allow you to get the MiniPC pre-built, but prices were even higher. If money is no concern, VoodooPC makes their Idol systems using this chassis, and while the price "starts at $900" you're really looking at closer to $1200 with an OS installed and shipping. The only other partner that we could find with configurable MiniPC systems is Jetta (a company I personally am not familiar with). Prices are a bit better there, though you miss out on the paint jobs that VoodooPC offers. You can even get a Mac Mini competitor for $650, although that uses a slower 1.4 GHz Celeron M chip. That's at least reasonably priced, but we're still looking for more choices.
We've mentioned that the expansion options on such a system are very limited. You can add a few devices via USB, but internally, the only changes that can be made involve ditching the current hardware and replacing it with some upgraded component. Larger hard drives are available, and you can also get faster CPUs and a larger DIMM. Since there's only a single DDR2 SO-DIMM slot, we would recommend going straight to a 1GB DIMM. That should be enough for most office tasks. 512MB is enough RAM to keep Windows more or less content, but 1GB helps ensure that you won't need to crack open the case and upgrade the RAM any time soon.
Here's the real problem, though: you have a small box with a decent amount of computing power, and it's nice and portable if you need that. However, there's another type of computer that is similarly equipped that will get the job done equally well in most cases. We're talking about laptops, of course, and you can get a complete laptop with an OS, display, and keyboard all in one device for less than the cost of the MiniPC. The laptop might be larger and a bit slower - especially with all the budget 256MB RAM models - but unless you're really just looking for a very small computer, it's difficult to see the point in purchasing the MiniPC over a similarly priced laptop. $1000 will get you a pretty well-equipped laptop from any of the major OEMs, including truly mobile support courtesy of the battery pack, and an integrated LCD, keyboard, and trackpad.
One last item to mention is that the MP915 reviewed here is the older model, and AOpen should be releasing a Core Duo and Viiv compliant MP945 version in the next few weeks. Whether or not that model addresses any of our concerns remains to be seen. Price will likely be a bit higher as well, though really only the CPU cost should be significantly different. If you're sure that you don't want a dual core CPU, the MP915 will work well, and you might even see them discounted once the new version is released. For most people, we would say that the MP945 has all the good points of the MP915 and adds a bit more power, making it the preferred choice. Viiv support may indicate that it will also have better A/V connectivity, though TV tuners aren't actually required for Viiv, unfortunately.
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plinden - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
Yeah, when are we getting the ability to edit our posts?siliconthoughts - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
When a genuine mac mini costs less, is more upgradeable (dual core, 2 DDR slots, digital audio, WiFi, Bluetooth, 4 USB ports, faster graphics) comes with a nifty secure OS and includes a whole suite of apps, why would anyone buy this? XP just isn't that great that I'd spend a $300 premium for it on an inferior box.Googer - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
These are nice, but It is my suspicion that a Turon in an Mini PC would be the faster choice.NegativeEntropy - Saturday, March 4, 2006 - link
Agreed -- a Turion "version" would be interesting. That said, I think this statement from the review could use a bit of modifying:"...if you really want low power, you can go with one of the Pentium M platforms. End of discussion. "Tech Report recently found that the Turion can compete pretty well with the PM on power consumption http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q1/pentiumm-vs-t...">http://techreport.com/reviews/2006q1/pentiumm-vs-t...
JarredWalton - Saturday, March 4, 2006 - link
This isn't meant as a far-reaching statement. What I'm talking about is small form factors, or systems that will compete with the MiniPC. Turion support on socket 754 platforms is lacking, meaning that there are boards that support it but there are definitely boards that won't support it. Most of the socket 754 small form factors are pretty old, so I don't know how many of them would support Turion.The article at Tech Report is interesting, but idle power draw is only half of the question. 94 W at full load really isn't that much better than the rest of the Athlon 64 line. I mean, the HP DX5150 with an old ClawHammer core running at 2.4 GHz is only about 20 W higher. If you were to use a 90 nm Athlon 64, that would cut off 10 W or so right there.
Basically, the Athlon 64 design is really good, and it doesn't require all that much power. However, it still can't really compete with the Pentium M. when you shift to laptops, the whole system probably doesn't consume more than 45 W, so 20 W more for the processor is a major deal. Using desktop systems to try and determine laptop suitability is definitely not the best way to go about it. Ideally, you would want identical laptops, with the only difference being motherboard, chipset, and memory. But that's a story for another day.
Googer - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
I would love to see this Aopen MINI PC rebench marked with a Pentium M 733 or 753 Ultra Low Voltage Processor that has a Maximum of 5W TDP! I would love to see it compaired against the higher 27W TDP Pentium M 740 in both Power Consumtion and Application benchmarks.I bet that at full load the power usage on full load will drop from 38W (with 740) down to 16w and even lower at IDLE! (10W maybe?) With a processor like that this would be the perfect pc for those guys who like to intergrate computers with their cars. Bye bye VIA C3! (C3 Will have http://www.metku.net/index.html?sect=view&n=1&...">other uses though)
JarredWalton - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
Actually, with the HDD and other components, the system is probably using around 18W for the system and 7 to 20W for the CPU. It might even be 20-22W for the system. Still, 38W at maximum load (i.e. HDD activity along with 100% CPU) is hardly going to tax a car, I don't think. (But I'm not a car A/V guy, so maybe I'm wrong.)michael2k - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
You would think, with AOpen's resources, that the AOpen MiniPC would be cheaper than the more powerful and featureful Mac mini.What is AOpen doing that is making it more expensive? It's got an older chipset, slower CPU, less USB ports, no rewritable optical drive, no bluetooth, and no wireless networking.
It's an odd day when buying a Mac is cheaper AND more powerful.
Questar - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
AOpen isn't isn't a computer manufacturer, they are a board maker. What could they do to bring down the price of a system?jconan - Friday, March 3, 2006 - link
It's the economy of scale! Apple definitely has this contract manufacturing capacity considering its hardware/software business as well as its distribution channels. AOpen is just a manufacturing firm and is not in the software business to install an in house OS and plus it doesn't have sufficient sales offices out in the distribution side to push its wares. They have to rely on major OEMs to buy in bulk quantity to leverage prices with them.