Updated: AOpen MiniPC – Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
by Jarred Walton on March 3, 2006 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Installation and Setup (cont'd)
The whole package has essentially no wasted space, though we really wouldn't mind a fractionally larger case if that meant a few other extras. A couple more USB ports would be great, and the lack of standard PS/2 mouse and keyboard connections means most people will need a new keyboard at least. Still, you can't fault the design too much, as it does exactly what it's supposed to do.
To give you an idea of the time that it takes to build a system like this, I disassembled the unit, and then checked how long it took me to put it back together. The result? It took about 35 minutes, but that's with everything I needed readily available. If you're fishing for screws, unpacking parts, etc., it would probably be about a two-hour task (counting OS installation time as well as some time spent referencing the manual to make sure it was done properly). You'll also want some small screwdrivers, perhaps with magnetized bits to hold the screws. (You're not supposed to use magnets around computers, but I've been using such screwdrivers for years without any problems, and it's far more convenient than constantly dropping tiny screws into a case or carpet and then trying to find them. However, follow my example at your own risk.)
Getting the case open is the trickiest part, but the small wire connections and the extraction of the plastic drive cage also take some finesse. If you're not really comfortable working with PC components, you really shouldn't get one of these units as a barebones - and AOpen recommends that most users purchase pre-configured systems.
With the system fully assembled, software installation follows the standard routine. Being a slightly slower HDD and processor relative to most other modern PCs, XP will take a bit longer to install, but it's not really significant. AOpen's EZInstall tool remains as user-friendly as ever, providing one-click installation of all the drivers necessary once you have Windows up and running. Overall, the assembly and setup process was uneventful; it took a bit longer than some of the other SFFs that we've looked at, and everything was smaller and a bit more difficult to work with if you have larger hands, but anyone familiar with building PCs won't have a problem assembling the MiniPC.
The whole package has essentially no wasted space, though we really wouldn't mind a fractionally larger case if that meant a few other extras. A couple more USB ports would be great, and the lack of standard PS/2 mouse and keyboard connections means most people will need a new keyboard at least. Still, you can't fault the design too much, as it does exactly what it's supposed to do.
To give you an idea of the time that it takes to build a system like this, I disassembled the unit, and then checked how long it took me to put it back together. The result? It took about 35 minutes, but that's with everything I needed readily available. If you're fishing for screws, unpacking parts, etc., it would probably be about a two-hour task (counting OS installation time as well as some time spent referencing the manual to make sure it was done properly). You'll also want some small screwdrivers, perhaps with magnetized bits to hold the screws. (You're not supposed to use magnets around computers, but I've been using such screwdrivers for years without any problems, and it's far more convenient than constantly dropping tiny screws into a case or carpet and then trying to find them. However, follow my example at your own risk.)
Getting the case open is the trickiest part, but the small wire connections and the extraction of the plastic drive cage also take some finesse. If you're not really comfortable working with PC components, you really shouldn't get one of these units as a barebones - and AOpen recommends that most users purchase pre-configured systems.
With the system fully assembled, software installation follows the standard routine. Being a slightly slower HDD and processor relative to most other modern PCs, XP will take a bit longer to install, but it's not really significant. AOpen's EZInstall tool remains as user-friendly as ever, providing one-click installation of all the drivers necessary once you have Windows up and running. Overall, the assembly and setup process was uneventful; it took a bit longer than some of the other SFFs that we've looked at, and everything was smaller and a bit more difficult to work with if you have larger hands, but anyone familiar with building PCs won't have a problem assembling the MiniPC.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
54 Comments
View All Comments
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.