The age of the mini computer has returned. Booksize and netbooks are back in
vogue, the monsters of yesteryear are soon to die out. Maybe.
When I first started using computers they were palm size calculators that could
do more than calculate. As a matter of fact Radio Shack had a computer that was
almost as small as a cell phone of today and it had a whopping 256K of memory!
In those days the PC was maxed out at 640K of memory. The little Radio Shack
computer had a LCD display and would display four lines of text (no graphics)
but you could program it to do all sorts of stuff. Mainly mathematical but still
it was a boon for a guy studying Boolean Algebra and Digital logic.
A blogger has put forth the idea that the Mini Computer is making a come back.
I agree that there are times and places where a small foot print computer would
be better than a full tower that will not fit on a desk let alone under it.
There are a lot of manufactures making the Booksize and Netbook computers.
As with anything that is small you have to take what the computer can do with a
grain of salt. That is because of the size of these computers you will not be
jamming a Intel Core 2 Quad processor and 8 Gig of memory in them. Also the on
board video will be of low resolution. The best video I could find was SVGA at
1280x1024.
Why would you opt for one of these types of computers?
Well lets look at what they offer:
Low Price!
Small size
Fairly quiet
So what is in them?
You can get either the Booksize or Netbook with a low end Intel or AMD
processor. (The Intel processor is the Axiom - Dual Core 1.8 GHz not
overclockable!)
Most of them only have the capacity of
1 Gig of Ram (one had two slots
so it could go to 2 Gig of Ram)
One hard drive, most were 2.5 inch form factor
One CD/DVD
Most did not have an expansion slot, no slots no upgrade for Video or
Network
Most have Giga Bit Network capability
VGA or SVGA video, low resolution.
All were of the Bare Bones configuration, you have to purchase memory,
hard drive, mouse, keyboard, and monitor separately.
The Booksize desktop computer ranges from $140 to $250 but you need to add the
cost of the hard drive, memory, mouse, keyboard, and monitor. That will add
another $200 to $300 to the price depending on the size and quality of your
selections.
The Netbook computer ranges from $250 to $500 this again depends on the hard
drive and memory. The low end Netbooks are by a company I personally would
never purchase from again, two times I have been sorely disappointed with their
products - ACRE. How ever the company ASUS is manufacturing the Netbook and
their prices are reasonable.
With a mid range priced computer, a gig of Ram, a SSD (Solid State Drive) and
SVGA monitor you would have a low cost, low nose, low power consumption
computer. And they don't take up a lot of space on your desktop. All for under
$400.. If you need a new computer but don't want to spend a lot or upgrade this
may be the way to go.
This would be a good small cheap computer for your business, for your children,
or even a simple file server this may be a viable alternative to the larger more
expensive upgradeable computers.
As I always say: Buy cheap, get cheap. They may last a couple of years but for
$400 total what do you expect?
And last but not least - The Booksize computers require you to install the
additional hard ware and the Operating System!
Are you a member?
Does your Computer need some TLC?
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