Mini PCs: Reshaping the Hardware Landscape - Mini Market and Mini Use
(Page 2 of 3 )
Shopping for Minis
One of the major concerns when shopping for Mini PCs is cooling. Due to the smaller size of the case, better cooling is vital to prevent components from heat damage generated by processors and hard drives. Generally, more powerful fans translate to a noisier PC, which can be an unpleasant background to your music and video games. For those too lazy to turn off your computers at night, a Mini PC in your bedroom could keep you awake. In computer labs and server rooms full of Minis, even murmuring would seem not so quiet. To respond to such demands for silence, all Mini PC manufacturers use specially adapted cooling technologies. At the expense of higher prices, these solutions cool quietly. Some companies, like Hush Technologies, are building fanless Mini PCs. Yet for some brands, noise is still a problem though.
Generally when buying a Mini PC, you would purchase the case and the motherboard together. It would include the all on-board cards, and it is up to the user to add a processor, memory, hard drives and optical drives. The consumer can also replace the on-board cards if the small design allows. This is basically to say that the Mini PCs are currently sold as “barebone” systems. You can buy normal desktop barebones and laptop barebones systems as well, and it basically means that you buy a skeleton of a computer and choose all the other components to be added. In this respect, Mini PCs are still targeted at hardware geeks who know the best processor, RAM, and drives to add. There are only a few companies that sell assembled Mini PCs for non-technical users; one of those companies is Apple.
A most notable “sweet petite” is the Mac Mini, released earlier this year. It is expected that Mac Mini will increase the sales of Apple. But as it often happens in marketing and sales, Mac Mini promotes not only itself but the whole class of products it belongs to, including Windows and Linux versions. The Mini is already being used in a variety of different applications, and shows a lot of promise.
What Are Minis For?
The short answer is: almost everything you can use a laptop or a desktop for. Since it is a full-fledged computer, its functionality is not limited by its size. It is a complete desktop replacement and a 17” LCD monitor looks enormous in comparison to a Mini PC. Even today, Mini PCs are everywhere: taking up minimal space on the corner of a bedroom desk, hiding under a pile of papers at the office, at airport terminals, and banks. There are even servers that run on arrays of Mini PCs. In the tight space of a server rack, its tininess is appreciated. Some hosts even set up racks of Minis and rent them individually to small companies that want a dedicated server but have no reason to pay for a huge one.
One use that the Mac Mini definitely opens up is the possibility of use in a home entertainment system. With HDTV connectors in the back, Quicktime and iTunes integrated into the system, and a very attractive little case, it wouldn't look bad sitting next to a stereo reciever. Connected to broadband internet, it could make quite a programming-on-demand system.
The Mini's Market
In the beginning, the idea of miniaturizing PCs was to replace laptops. Laptops' quality and prices certainly call for an alternative, but this one just hasn't caught on yet. This is to some extent due to the fact that they are a new product.
Since most Mini PCs weight 3 or 4 kilograms (some are even under 2 kg) and come with special bags for carrying them, it is no doubt a portable computer. Well, it is not exactly a travelmate's laptop because you need a monitor, keyboard and mouse to attach to it. Also, it has no battery, so computing on the road won't work out very well. Incidentally, a Mini cannot really replace a laptop. But it moves around fairly easily and is far better performance per cost.
In regards to portability, a Mini PC definitely beats a desktop. If you just need to take your machine to the office, a buddy's house, or a LAN party, it couldn't be easier. Today, a Mini PC looks more like a desktop replacement than a laptop one. On average, a Mini PC is 20% to 40% more expensive than a desktop with comparable power and components, which mainly is due to the higher prices of the specially designed case, motherboard, and cooling. Soon they will be very popular not only among enthusiasts with 3 or more computers, but also among ordinary people who only use one PC. To many users, the Mini may even become a high-tech status symbol.
Next: Different Shapes, Different Sizes >>
More Computer Systems Articles
More By Tsvetanka Stoyanova
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
