13 Barebones Reviewed Are Anything But Square

Pros And Cons

Pros:

• Radio reception, MP3 and music CD playback without Windows XP;
• Large color display;
• PC Alert 5 support;
• Transposed PCI/AGP positions;
• Easy installation of hardware;
• Edge ground down;
• Space-saving cable routing;
• Parallel interface;
• Remote control.

Cons:

• Writing in the display;
• Poor radio reception via external antenna;
• Loud CPU fan;
• No serial ATA interface support;
• Not much clearance for installation.

Temperature Measurements

Brief Conclusion

The MEGA 180 is one of the few barebones for AMD Athlon XP and Sempron processors. With the onboard graphics of the nForce2 chipset, two monitors can be controlled at the same time. It has a very elegant design, thanks to its unusual dimensions. The integrated radio and the built-in music player for audio and MP3 files also work without WindowsXP. It is easier to use the remote control and the large display to operate it than the front buttons. The optional TV tuner card will turn the MEGA 180 into a full-blooded private video recorder (PVR).

Many connectors: but unfortunately no DVI connector.