It might be small, but it sure ain't pretty
Having seen the rumoured images of ASUS' Eee desktop PC, we began to believe that small-but-sexy systems would be on the way from various manufacturers.
Today, we've got a super-small PC from MSI, but regrettably, it's anything but sexy.
Yep, there it is, the rather sad-looking Titan 700. The system is based on the Mini-ITX form factor and comes with a VIA CN700 CPU and 8237R chipset. There's a slim DVD burner, a 120GiB 2.5in SATA hard drive and connectivity in the form of Gigabit LAN, I/O ports, USB 2.0, SATA, PS/2 and 5.1-channel audio.
MSI states that a user needs to "just add software", we're guessing therefore that no OS is bundled with the system. Though, we wouldn't recommend trying to run Vista anytime soon. Windows XP or Linux will be your best bet.
It's no powerhouse, but of course, that isn't the idea. The Titan 700 is the "perfect combination of size and performance," says MSI. The size is certainly something to appreciate, the whole system measures a tiny 185 mm x 240mm x 70mm. You won't need to worry about energy efficiency either, its powered by a 60W external power supply. Under full load it'll make noise of less than 35dB(A), and only 20dB(A) whilst idle.
To put the size into perspective, here's the Titan 700 standing up next to a regular can of Coca Cola:
It's certainly small, we just wish it could have been that little bit sexier. Still, for £234.99, it doesn't seem a bad little box. Here's the complete specification, as provided by MSI:
- Processor: VIA C7 Series (V4 Bus) NanoBGA2, 2.0GHz
- Memory: 1Gb DDR2
- Storage Interface: SATA 2.5" HDD (120G) and Slim Type ODD (DVD+/-RW DL, IDE)
- LAN: Gigabit LAN from Realtek
- Front I/O: 1 AC'97 Mic In, 1 Headphone Out, 2 USB2.0
- Rear I/O: 2 PS/2, 2 Serial Ports, 1 VGA, 1 Mic In, 1 Line Out (5.1Ch), 1 RJ45 LAN, 2 USB2.0, 1 TV Out
- Audio: 5.1 Channel AC'97 Audio
- Power Supply: 60Watt Adapter, Active PFC
- Dimensions: 70mm Height, 185mm Width, 240mm Depth, Volume - 3.1 Litre