Sparkle's CUTi n30 finally launched, loses stackability, appeal?

Remember the CUTi n30 we spotted at the Sparkle booth back at Computex in June 2009?

Back then, we described the stackable HTPC concept as both interesting and unique. Fast forward some seven months, and Sparkle has finally launched the product in a notably toned-down guise.

Gone is the cool-looking aluminium finish and stackable multi-component design to be replaced by what's essentially just another plastic-shelled nettop. To see just how drastic the change actually is, take a look at Sparkle's original design.

Get past the disappointment of what could have been, however, and you may conclude that the CUTi n30 is pretty useful as a compact HTPC solution. Sparkle has opted to equip the system with a dual-core 1.6GHz Intel Atom 330 processor, sitting atop of NVIDIA's ION chipset and GeForce 9-series graphics.

What's useful for the HTPC crowd is that Sparkle reckons the system creates just 26 dB of noise when under load, and that drops right down to 3 dB when idle. Power consumption, too, will remain low at between 14-30W.

There's still no mention of price, but Sparkle's complete specification now looks like this: