More nettop PCs start to appear

MORE SMALLISH desktop PCs are tipping up led by Taiwan's Micro-Star International (MSI) and the UK's Novatech.

In the same class as the ASUS Eee desktop PC, these 'nettop' systems combine low-power CPUs and small but adequate memory and storage sizes with full-sized keyboards and LCD screens, and... affordable prices.

MSI markets its MSI Wind netbooks and manufactures the Eeetop for ASUStek but has also announced its own nettop line it calls the MSI Wind Neton series.

The MSI Neton will come in three categories, each with at least two models – one with a single-core Intel Atom processor and a second loaded up with a dual-core Intel Atom CPU. The single-core chipped Netons will be preloaded with Windows XP while the systems with dual-core processors will come with Windows Vista.

The top of the line MSI Neton M22 will have a 22" 1920x1080 touch-screen LCD display, TV-card, Blu-ray player and remote control included, and will retail for about $800. The M16 will have a 15.6" 1366x768 touch-screen LCD display and sell for about $500, whilst the M19 will have an 18.5" 1366x768 screen and cost around $400. Both the M16 and M19 models will have a TV-card installed, but will have no Blu-ray player or remote control.

No specifications regarding MSI Neton memory and storage sizes have been released yet.

Novatech is selling a similar nettop system right now, it says. The Novatech Ion PC has a 1.6GHz Intel Atom CPU, a 160GB hard drive, 1GB of memory, a DVD-RW/CD-R burner, 5.1 sound, integrated Intel DirectX 9 graphics, and comes preloaded with Windows XP.

The Novatech Ion PC sells for £209 without a monitor included and costs £279 with a 17" widescreen LCD display. It's just in time for the traditional winter solstice festival season.

With internal specifications like ultramobile netbooks, these machines offer reasonable if not blazing performance for normal computing tasks – email and chat, web-surfing, social not-working and light indulgence in audiovisual entertainment – along with keyboard and screen sizes that are useable rather than cramped.

At netbook-like prices, they'll be cheap. µ

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Engadget China
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