The system’s small, non-intrusive design makes for a welcome sight in almost any environment. Even with its compact size, the layout of the system is such that it’s generally quite comfortable to work with from a user’s standpoint, in addition to being a very sturdy system. Through the course of regular use, the system fan is generally pretty quiet, although I wouldn’t classify it as music studio quality. The setup is well supported by Linux, so there’s no need to use another OS if you’re working on a tight budget. If you do choose to run Windows, the tools included are great to make sure your system’s running in good condition.
Cons
The use of the Intel 845 chipset is rather disappointing to me. This was the same chipset used in the first version of the TA4, and given the processing power that this thing is capable of packing, the use of this chipset prevents it from being used as a great little multimedia system. When working with the hardware, it’s particularly challenging to comfortably take the system out of the case, and even more so to put back in. The lack of Linux support from the software side of things defeats much of the promise for this unit.
Since their first release, the TA series has consistently been awarded the Taiwan Symbol of Excellence. This gives us an indication as to the quality to which they hold the TA4. It’s surprising then to note that although the system is popular in some countries (particularly France and Japan), Giga-Byte has yet to do much of a push for these systems in the US. It has set up partnerships with retailers and wholesale distributors for this PC, meaning that they are likely to start up sales in the near future, but you’re not likely to find these systems sold in many places at the moment. A cursory glance at Google for information on the TA4 revealed a good amount of sale locations in France and Japan, but I was unable to find either an American or Canadian site where I could buy the unit. That’s pretty sad, considering that this unit is the perfect solution for those who need a computer that’s both generally quiet and compact, such as a customer relations management center, point of sale system, someone needing a thin client solution, or someone building a small Beowulf cluster.
The system doesn’t offer much in the way of graphics power, so expect to get wiped out a few times if playing Unreal Tournament against someone with a better video card. If you’re using Photoshop, then good luck; with enough RAM and a good processor, the lack of graphics abilities can be somewhat compensated for. But don’t expect to use this thing for any sort of intensive – or, for that matter, even relatively light – 3D modeling. If you need a small, non-intrusive system for regular day to day business use, surfing the internet, and maybe watching a few movies, and you're willing to do a little tweaking, then this is by all means a great choice for you.
We’d like to thank Giga-Byte Technologies for sending us this unit for review. I’d also like to say special thanks to Dev Hardware contributor DMOS for his help in writing this (my first!) system review. If you have any comments regarding the article, feel free to drop me a line, or better yet, come join us in the Dev Hardware forums. If none of those tickle your fancy, then by all means, feel free to drop by our front page or news page for more great information.
DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.
KEITHLEE2/home/servers/www.devhardware.com/www/zdeconfigurator/configs/INFUSIONSOFT_OVERLAY.php/home/servers/www.devhardware.com/www/zdeconfigurator/configs/ OFFLOADING INFUSIONSOFTLOADING INFUSIONSOFT 1debug:overlay status: OFF overlay not displayed overlay cookie defined: TI_CAMPAIGN_1012_D OVERLAY COOKIE set: status off
/ 28 
Since their first release, the TA series has consistently been awarded the Taiwan Symbol of Excellence. This gives us an indication as to the quality to which they hold the TA4. It’s surprising then to note that although the system is popular in some countries (particularly France and Japan), Giga-Byte has yet to do much of a push for these systems in the US. It has set up partnerships with retailers and wholesale distributors for this PC, meaning that they are likely to start up sales in the near future, but you’re not likely to find these systems sold in many places at the moment. A cursory glance at Google for information on the TA4 revealed a good amount of sale locations in France and Japan, but I was unable to find either an American or Canadian site where I could buy the unit. That’s pretty sad, considering that this unit is the perfect solution for those who need a computer that’s both generally quiet and compact, such as a customer relations management center, point of sale system, someone needing a thin client solution, or someone building a small Beowulf cluster.