MSI Wind PC
From LinuxMCE
The MSI Wind PC is a very small, ultra low power consumption Intel Atom based PC that can be used as an MD. This is a low end, very low cost barebones PC that already includes a CPU. So for MD useage, you just need to add a stick of RAM and you're done!
The cheapest I have seen it is at NewEgg (they do not ship internationally) for US$139.99, here.
Advantages
- Small foot print - 300x260x65mm
- Support UI2 with overlay and 1080p (HD) video playback - VGA out only (note it supports 1080p resolutions, but will struggle with UI2 or HD media at this resolution, 720p is best, and avoid high bitrate/advanced codecs like H264)
- 7.1 Surround sound - analogue minijacks
- Almost noiseless
- Low energy consumption - less than 40w at full speed, this is probably including a HDD which isn't needed for LMCE
- Low price
Disadvantages
- Video is analogue - no DVI or HDMI
- Audio is analogue - no SPDIF out
Known Issues
- Photo Screen Saver sometimes causes issues with the Intel graphics chipset - this causes the unit to lock up. Resolution: disable PSS. It is possible in the next version (0810) of LMCE the driver updates will fix this.
- There is an issue with the NIC drivers that means the unit can't PXE boot properly. Resolution: follow this article to correct the drivers. Probable that the next version of LMCE (0810) will correct this.
