Lenovo is taking a second stab at building the ultimate HTPC remote control with the N5902 Multimedia Remote with Keyboard. There are a number of companies making tiny wireless keyboards that have been marketed to HTPC enthusiasts. Most such devices are about the size and shape of a cell phone, but the Lenovo keyboard remote is the first I have […]
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I’ve been a fan of the cube or shoebox cases since Shuttle Computers was big on the small form factor scene. Most case manufacturers have at least one cube in their lineup, usually geared toward mini-ITX systems, however few manufacturers devote as many resources to reiterating those cube designs as Silverstone. The Silverstone Sugo lineup of mini-ITX cube cases are […]
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Intel isn’t the only CPU manufacturer launching new platforms. VIA recently announced the VE-900 Mini-ITX motherboard geared toward low-powered media PCs. VIA doesn’t get alot of attention these days, but they have been focused on small integrated systems for a while now. The Nano X2 processor and VX 900 media processor that team up on the VE-900 board probably wouldn’t […]
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Over the last couple of years, as I have striven to build smaller and quieter HTPCs, I have come to appreciate the size and acoustic advantages of 2.5″ laptop hard drives. The smaller drive platters result in better performance at lower spindle speeds. The only thing you give up to a desktop drive is storage capacity, and even that advantage […]
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Another day, another E350 review. This time Gigabyte is representing the Brazos platform with the E350N-USB3. The inclusion of USB 3.0 support is certainly a nice touch, though I would prefer to see more SATA connections if I was looking to use the board in a low-power server build. The inclusion of a CPU fan for use in partcularly demanding builds […]
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I love PC build guides. I always find it interesting to see how someone approaches a build, the parts they choose to achieve a particular purpose. Building a PC is always about balancing compromises. The idea of an HTPC that purposefully eschews TV tuning capabilities seems like a waste of perfectly good hardware, but building an HTPC around the base […]
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AMD’s Brazos family of low-powered APUs was intended to help AMD compete in the netbook and nettop market, and the higher-end Zacate chips have been a popular choice for folks looking into silent HTPC builds. Now word comes that Brazos is expected to receive a refresh in the first part of 2012. At this point the refresh, known as Brazos […]
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Cryo PC, a custom PC builder in the UK, has a line of home theater PCs. The mid-range Alto, like all of Cryo’s PCs, can be tweaked in a variety of ways. Cryo’s list of HTPC case choices is particularly extensive. XSreviews took an Alto built in a Zalman HD503 for a spin and found a lot to write about. This […]
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I’ve mentioned before that, for whatever reason, the recent launch of the AMD E-350 Zacate chips did not excite me as much as the E-300 launch did. Perhaps it was the release of the 35W Core i3 processors or the Celeron G500 processors that put a damper on the diminutive Fusion chips. That being said, ASUS has put together a […]
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I enjoy reading motherboard reviews, even when I’m not in the market for a new system. However, when I am planning a new build, my favorite kind of motherboard review is a good old-fashioned platform showdown. Today we’re looking at a new breed of Mini-ITX motherboards from Asrock called the Z68M-ITX/HT and A75M-ITX. The former is an Intel Z68 board that supports Intel’s […]
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