Thoughts
EPoX's brief when launching a new SFF system was to be a little different from the rest. There was no value in launching a Shuttle clone. We reckon that EPoX has succeeded in bringing to market a product that is sufficiently unique to be a real alternative to the masses of other competing systems currently available. We like the look of the Mini Me, and the funky LCD serves more than a purely aesthetic purpose. We also like the simplicity of building into the toaster-shaped chassis. It's prudent to have the optical drive's cable already attached, and we also like the cooler's design, which allows for simultaneous cooling of the CPU and Northbridge.On-chip SATA support isn't RAIDable. That's no great omission with the limited space inside the Mini Me. There's the usual glut of ASICs that add in the kind of feature support that we're used to now. Apart from the close fitting of the AGP card, we have no great complaint wit the way EPoX has approached SFF design. The PSU could be stouter and quieter, especially when the unit is turned off and the BIOS could do with a voltage refresh, but the package redeems itself with the user-friendly software and comprehensive bundle.
There's enough here to make the eX5-300S Mini Me SFF system sell on pure merit. We can just see enthusiasts using the highly overclockable Northwood Pentium 4 200MHz CPUs and decent graphics cards for true desktop replacement action, or it could be used as a fileserver, glorified media box or quiet, low-power system. That's exactly the role of any SFF PC, to be fit for more than one use. There are only so many ways to design a SFF system, EPoX appears to have chosen a good one. Initial pricing puts the Mini Me at around £200. That's good enough value. The potential buyer's most difficult decision revolves around which SFF to buy and which ones to discard. EPoX makes that job a touch more difficult.
EPoX adds its name to the growing list of attractive SFF systems.
