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Wal-Mart Mini-ITX system?

K

KevySaysBeNice

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Dec 7, 2001
Messages
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A while ago I made a thread looking for a good, low consumption system to use as a file server/server in general, some of you recommended a Mini-ATX board.

Anyway, I just saw this today and I'm wondering what all of your thoughts are... I'm not too terribly (read: not at all) familiar with small form factor systems, but this seems like it might be a sweet thing to pickup. especially considering you can pick this thing up in WalMart I believe...

Thoughts!?!!?!

Posted on engadget,

Make no mistake, Everex can build 'em some kind of ugly. Still, they have learned to spin their gear as green, not underpowered, which counts for something. The TC2502 gPC (that's "g" as in "green," not crap) is out cluttering Wal-Mart shelves with a low, low $199 price tag. Inside, you'll find a 1.5GHz VIA C7 CPU sitting daintily on a Mini-ITX motherboard. A Linux OS, 512MB of memory and an 80GB of disk are tossed in just for kicks. So why that huge-ass case? That's the best part. Research indicates that Wal-Mart shoppers equate the size of the system to its capability. As such, Everex swaddled all that nothingness in a 2-foot by 2-foot monument to plastic. Now go ahead, Greenpeace, we beg you, rip it apart and let us know just how much non-recyclable polymer and dangerous PVC and BFR this pup really contains.

(http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/31/everexs-199-green-pc-attention-ignorant-wal-mart-shoppers/)
 
Should be okay as a file server, but don't expect much more out of it. A 1.5GHz VIA is about equal to a 400MHz Pentum 3. They are commonly used in carPCs, because they consume very little energy and are fast enough to play music.
 
sleepeeg3 said:
Should be okay as a file server, but don't expect much more out of it. A 1.5GHz VIA is about equal to a 400MHz Pentum 3. They are commonly used in carPCs, because they consume very little energy and are fast enough to play music.
Click to expand...

Ehhh, I think you're short changing the C7.

http://www.x86-secret.com/articles/cpu/c7_luke/c7_luke-8.htm (from wikipedia) suggests at 2.0Ghz it's similar to a 1.3Ghz P3. @ 1.5Ghz I'd say it's more like 1Ghz P3. Which isn't too bad for a media PC. Should play standard def MPEG4/MPEG2 stuff fine.
 
OK, time for a series of really dumb questions (ordered from least to most dumb)

1) How many HDs can be fit into this thing? Is there a "standard" for Mini-ATX boards?

2) Is there a standard number of expansion slots? I'm wondering if there is a PCI slot, perhaps I could installa RAID pci card or something of the sort...?

3)I am assuming the Mini-ATX form factor is pretty standard, and if I were to purchase this computer I could stick it in a much smaller case (anybody have any CHEAP recomendations for a case that can handle 2 or 3 HDs??)

4) Here is the worst: I'm assuming this C7 CPU is a 32 bit cpu that I could install windows XP/2000 on, correct? If I purchased this I'd probably install XP Pro on it, with all the "fancy" graphics turned off of course.
 
I think it interesting the market research showed that customers equated the size of a computer to its capability.
 
KevySaysBeNice said:
OK, time for a series of really dumb questions (ordered from least to most dumb)

1) How many HDs can be fit into this thing? Is there a "standard" for Mini-ATX boards?

2) Is there a standard number of expansion slots? I'm wondering if there is a PCI slot, perhaps I could installa RAID pci card or something of the sort...?

3)I am assuming the Mini-ATX form factor is pretty standard, and if I were to purchase this computer I could stick it in a much smaller case (anybody have any CHEAP recomendations for a case that can handle 2 or 3 HDs??)

4) Here is the worst: I'm assuming this C7 CPU is a 32 bit cpu that I could install windows XP/2000 on, correct? If I purchased this I'd probably install XP Pro on it, with all the "fancy" graphics turned off of course.
Click to expand...

OK i cant answer all of your questions but i can answer a few of them :)

2) On a Mini ITX board theres ONE PCI slot so yes you could put a raid card in it

3) from all of the Mini ITX boards ive seen (and owned) they are all standard form factor

4) Yes you can run XP/2000 on it (Im running windows XP Home with all the "fancy" graphics ON on a 800Mhz Via C3 board....and it runs very nicely with 256mb memory :) )

I hope that answered some of your questions
 
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