Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 20 June 2008 18:02
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
While there’s no local launch date for the Eee PC desktop edition as
yet, those lucky blighters in the UK are getting the first non-notebook
Eee PC in less than two months. It bodes well for a rest-of-the-world
launch long before the end of the year!
Hankering for some Eee PC goodness, but in an inexpensive desktop configuration instead of a tiny little laptop?
Then a report in
The Register signals the good nEeews that’s on the way – desktop Eee PC’s will soon be on sale to save the day – and they look very much like a Nintendo Wii games console.
One potential issue The Register has uncovered is the fact that initial models will only be available with Windows XP pre-loaded, but those looking for a little Linux lovin’ will get their wishes fulfilled “later this year”.
According to El Reg, the specs are very similar to the
previously announced Eee PC 1000H.
That means it’s using a 1.6GHz Intel Atom “230” processor with 512KB of L2 cache, which is the notebook version that consumes only 2.5W of power.
The Register was expecting it to contain the Intel Atom N270 intead, which has the same specs being 1.6Ghz and 512KB of L2 cache, with one crucial difference being a higher power consumption of 4.5W.
There’s no explanation as yet for why the notebook version of the chip is being used, but if they’re otherwise equal in performance then the lower power consumption is a better thing anyway as it means a lower power bill at the end of the month.
That said, I’d have expected the desktop version to have cost less than the notebook version, so perhaps there are supply issues over at Intel and Asus are going with what they’ve got, but that’s just speculation until we hear differently.
So what else is inside, and how much should it cost? Continued on page 2.
