Giada Launches New Haswell Barebones Mini PC
Although developed for the signage market, the new F300 could make for a nice HTPC.
This week Giada launched a new mini-PC in the United States, the F300. Although this device is geared for the digital signage market, there’s enough hardware inside this device to use it as a small dedicated home theater PC instead.
According to the specs, this is a barebones system with no memory and no hard drive. Running the show is Intel’s fourth generation Core i5-4200U “Haswell” processor clocked at 1.8 GHz (2.7 GHz Turbo), integrated Intel HD Graphics 4400, and two DisplayPort 1.2 ports with audio support. A fanless heatsink keeps things cool and quiet.
This new mini-PC also provides two USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports, two COM ports, Gigabit Ethernet, an on-board IR module for an optional remote, and the DisplayPort jacks on the back. On the front, the mini-PC provides two USB 3.0 ports, an SD card reader, an IR sensor, a microphone jack and a headphone - S/PDIF combo jack. Wi-Fi connectivity is an option, and is not included in this barebones.
Although this barebones system has no installed memory, there is one SO-DIMM slot for up to 16 GB of DDR3L-1600 memory. Also included is one SIM card slot, three mini PCI Express slots, and a SATA 3 slot for a 2.5 inch drive. The overall size of this device is 10.3 x 6.9 x 1.4 inches.
“As a barebones system, it is not hard to customize your ideal product,” reads the company’s press release. “Customers just need to easily unscrew two screws, and then lightly pull away the shelf. The F300 contains plenty of I/O ports to cater to various needs. With 2 DP ports, it supports up to 4 ultra-HD mosaic screens with max resolution 3200 x 2000. It also sets aside 3 cables to make 3G, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth available.”
The actual availability and pricing is unknown. We’ve reached out to get the info, so stay tuned.
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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shafe88 AMD version pleas. Maybe make an AMD version that's a hair taller to fit a laptop optical drive and add an extra ram slot. An AMD processor paired with an SSD and Blu-ray drive the ultimate HTPC with the ability to play older games and newer games on lower settings.Reply -
AndrewMD ReplyAMD version pleas. Maybe make an AMD version that's a hair taller to fit a laptop optical drive and add an extra ram slot. An AMD processor paired with an SSD and Blu-ray drive the ultimate HTPC with the ability to play older games and newer games on lower settings.
Buy something else... WTH! -
Lightbulbie ReplyAMD version pleas. Maybe make an AMD version that's a hair taller to fit a laptop optical drive and add an extra ram slot. An AMD processor paired with an SSD and Blu-ray drive the ultimate HTPC with the ability to play older games and newer games on lower settings.
Or.. You know.. A laptop..? -
Saljen This looks like it could be perfect for a streaming SteamBox. Hopefully it's priced below $300 so when adding an 4-8GB stick of ram will keep it below $400. That would mean XBMC and SteamOS would be a perfect fit for a living room entertainment system as long as you have a beefy gaming PC to stream to this little guy. As a side note, I love the design. Form over function, but it still looks pretty striking.Reply