Nettop for email, youtube, and starcraft

ironic_sobriquet

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Feb 17, 2010
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okay, so I know this isn't a "home built" question, but I couldn't find anywhere else to post this,
I'm looking for a computer for my kitchen, primary use is for looking up recipes and playing music while cooking and the occasional bout of star craft when we need an extra computer... oh an occasionally using it to load pictures from my camera to the network if I'm too lazy to run to my room after a shoot
oh and the catch, I've only got about $300 to blow...
I don't need a wifi card, since I already have wires routed from my server...
I don't need a huge hard drive since I have network storage (just upgraded to 5tb :D )
I don't need ps/2... or any legacy for that matter
it does however need plenty of USB ports and fast Ethernet
I also wouldn't mind solid state... that would probably cost more... but for the speed I might be willing to dish out a bit more...

I also like the idea of an external PSU... it's kinda cool in a way, and saves a ton of space in the case!

edit: I was looking on newegg and found the ZOTAC IONITX-G-E
the Zotac caught my eye due to it's miniPCIe port... I could plug a 64gb ssd in there and not even need a hard drive... talk about space saver! I just couldn't tell if it was a half height port or full height... anyone here know? I suppose it wouldn't be much of an issue it could just hang over the edge... but it would be nice to screw everything down proper...
 

False_Dmitry_II

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Starcraft is so ancient that I'd be surprised if it wasn't playable on that kind of thing.

Another option to building/buying something new would be to build something old. If you've got DDR1 laying around, or can get it cheaply, you could just buy a athlon xp 3000+ (or less) and a mobo on ebay for like $50. You've probably got things like an old hard drive and dvd drive laying around. (though this wouldn't exactly be super small, and if that's the goal I'd personally go for a mini ITX setup with a VIA or AMD CPU, not a nettop.)
 

ironic_sobriquet

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Feb 17, 2010
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@jitpublisher:
I don't mean to be offensive, but I said netTOP not netbook... a nettop is a super tiny all in one PC about the size of an external hard drive, that you can usually screw to the back of a monitor...
I've worked with lots of netbooks, I personally love the EEE1005 with the n280... awesome little thing...

@False_Dmitry_:
yeah, I've been checking ebay for good deals on miniITX boards...



I'm thinking that the ZOTAC IONITX-G-E may be the perfect board for what I need, it has a atom 330 (dual core!) and nvidia ION graphics (bitchin'!), and a mini PCIe slot for a SSD (even more bitchin'!)
add some 2gb(per) DDR2 800 dual channel sticks and a case with an external PSU... I think I can keep it under 15kg...
I'll let you know when it starts to come together!
 



Whoops! No offense taken! I guess I should have put my contacts in before turning on the PC, sorry about that!
But aren't they basically the exact same thing without a monitor or keyboard?
 

ironic_sobriquet

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Feb 17, 2010
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haha, it's cool, I do that a lot...
basicly, though since nettops don't run on battery, they're more inclined to use slightly more powerful hardware (by more powerful, I mean less conservative...) such as a dual core atom... instead of a single core (which saves a TON of battery life!)
otherwise they're pretty much used for the same thing... except one is stationary and can be plugged into a 30" monitor... and the other can fit in big gangster kid pockets...

-Ian