What are Mini-ITX Builds used for?

[Alai]

They just seem so gimped... I feel like they barely have enough to be an HTPC or gaming machine. I'm only guessing they can only be used for web surfing and word processing?

 

[Spaceman_Spiff]

I use mine connected to my bedroom tv for online video, streaming media to my other pcs, as a file server, and for magic jack. What can you NOT do with a tiny form factor pc with a real socket and a pcie slot?

 

[Nenu]

They are low power small form factor.
If you have no need for those, they arent for you.

Some boards have have built in acceleration for blu ray video so they dont need a powerful CPU to play back HD video.

 

[engiNURD]

They are low power small form factor.
If you have no need for those, they arent for you.

Some boards have have built in acceleration for blu ray video so they dont need a powerful CPU to play back HD video.

QFT. Other examples of usage (in addition to HTPC, Media Extender, Portable Gaming PC, WHS) are CarPC, NAS, and ModPCs (pc in a book/software box/etc).

 

[amd_ftw]

24/7 bt server *cough *cough

 

[Zetro]

They just seem so gimped... I feel like they barely have enough to be an HTPC or gaming machine. I'm only guessing they can only be used for web surfing and word processing?

I agree in a sense... I have an Atom 230 build just sitting in my closet as I can't figure out what to do with the blasted thing.

It was my HTPC until it couldn't playback anything higher than 480P, it was my WHS until a drive died (needed RAID...), and now I am testing Server 2008 64-bit on it . If you were wondering it is dreadfully slow!

 

[Alai]

24/7 bt server *cough *cough

This is somewhat a good point, but when I build a server, I want it to act as a storage server too... which means I need alot of room for hard drives.

Thank you all for your responses.