A decent mini-barebones system?

[btvillarin]

Did anyone read the article here at THG for a tiny barebones computer system by Shuttle? I was kinda looking into that. If anyone has actually bought that, and built a computer with that base, was it difficult or fairly easy? I was thinking (since it's not for gaming or anything) <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=3&manufactory=1465&DEPA=1" target="_new">$250 for this Shuttle SV24 at Newegg</A>, <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=14&manufactory=1302&DEPA=1" target="_new">$111 IBM 60GB 60GXP</A>, <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=6&manufactory=1336&DEPA=1" target="_new">$30 Lite-On CDROM</A>, <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=manufactory&catalog=224&manufactory=1157&DEPA=1" target="_new">$99 P3 733</A>, and a <A HREF="http://www.crucial.com/store/PartSpecs.asp?imodule=CT32M64S4D7E" target="_new">$63 256MB stick of Crucial memory</A>. I wanted to run Windows XP on it, too. For $553, this seems pretty good for a compact computer. Anyone this this'll be feasible?

<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/btvillarin" target="_new">My Website</A> - updated basically everyday.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

problem with that is an extra 150 or so you can get a 1500+ cpu, iWILL xp333 MB, 256MB of kingston ram, IBM 60gxp (or 120gxp not sure) 40GB hard drive, pioneer 16x dvd, 3com 56k modem, enlight case, floppy drive, and a ati 7200 radeon video graphics card, and the sound is built into the motherboard and a enlight case to house the parts. that was like close to 700. And this has a better upgrade path then that.

Was considering building a computer for my girlfriend and thats what i put together. However she's not gonna need it for awhile so by the time i get the parts that will be even cheaper. You can easily make that more affordible too. get a duron for 50 bucks and it's 600 bucks for it compared to your measly pentium III 733.

just something to think about.

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

 

[btvillarin]

Well the thing is that it's supposed to be a compact computer, not a humongous tower. I'm thinking low profile right now. It's not gonna be for any gaming or "that much" music. I don't need a high-end CPU, since it won't be utilized that much. I know that I can get a cheaper Athlon system, but low profile is what I'm lookin' at. It'd be mainly a business-type computer.

With this setup, the NIC is built in, no 56K modem needed, integrated video will suffice, and no DVD drive needed. The sound is integrated, because I'm sure that not everyone would wanna listen to a bunch of racket (I'd get in trouble). I know it's a measly PIII, but it's not meant for high-performance.

I was just curious about it, if it sounds like a good low-profile computer. But, the more I think about it, the more I'd rather have a full tower with better components (not to mention an AMD processor instead of Intel).

<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/btvillarin" target="_new">My Website</A> - updated basically everyday.

 

[xxsk8er101xx]

ya it does look cool and something i would consider getting for my girlfriend even.

My thinking though is why pay this much for that when you can pay a little more for something better. Thats my thinking. Because i know for myself i think that i'll only do business with it but then i'll start wanting to play games and all this and later i'll buy a peice of business software and it needs like a faster processor or something.

but hey it's cool. If you want it get it. it is a nifty little thing.

<A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?id=9933" target="_new"> My Rig </A>

 

[btvillarin]

Yeah, I know what you mean. If I was tight on space, I'd probably get it to be used for at least web browsing, music listening, and word processing stuff. But, it'd be something I'd keep in mind if that was the majority of their work, and they really didn't think of a reason for upgrading in the future. Otherwise, I'd go for a Mid tower with non-integrated stuff. Quality baby...

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[BGates2B]

Instead of using the Shuttle that relies on the Via PLE chipset, why not use the MSI 6215 booksized system that has the Intel 815 chipset with support for Tualitin P3's? It runs for $205 over at <A HREF="http://www.newegg.com/app/specification.asp?item=56-101-202" target="_new"> Newegg </A>. It has 815 graphics, onboard sound, Lan, USB in front and rear, speaker and mike ports front and rear, built in IR, and firewire.