ECS' Newest EZ-Buddie: Ultimate Convergence
by Kris Kubicki & Wesley Fink on January 24, 2004 11:20 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
EZ-Buddie Versus VIA/Apex ApeXtreme
So, how will the new EZ-Buddie compare to existing SFFs (including VIA's ApeXtreme)? So far, only ECS and Shuttle have had significant revisions to their existing small form factor computers. Shuttle and ECS also appear to be leading the pack in R&D efforts. ECS has the enormous advantage of mass production, and with that they can deliver incredible price points. Our ECS representative at the show claimed that the newest EZ-Buddie will debut below $200. Obviously, this is without memory, CPU, hard drive and optical storage, but certainly, still a great value considering the costs of other mainstream SFF computers today.These EZ-Buddie price points are impressive, but the new ECS mini could still be facing some stiff competition. The ApeXtreme will debut at $400 for the entire system, which includes a game pad and component video outputs. It will not debut with an integrated radio tuner, or PVR capabilities, and of course, its largest downfall will be S3 graphics. Shuttle is now also shipping a new Zen SFF with the external power brick and an even tinier footprint. But nothing we have seen harnesses both Linux and Windows in such a unique approach to the Multimedia PC.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
1 Comments
View All Comments
Sengir - Sunday, April 18, 2004 - link
ECS Sucks. I'm a Service Technician at a major (In CA and Texas) electronics store which has a large deal with ECS and includes them in their systems as well as sells their laptops and PCs (Great Quality)..#1 reason of returns and RTV (Return to Vendor) is the motherboard. (ECS)
I wouldn't touch a ECS motherboard with a ten foot pole when building a computer for anyone I care about.. And I generally warn people away from ECS. I wouldn't wish that trouble on anyone.