Engineering Lifestyle
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WKetel
My choice is still the "grandfathers box" type of tower computer. Aside from ...
clematis
Or was it "easy as cake"?
Xi3: Most un-boring desktop PC ever
Sylvie Barak
10/8/2012 7:14 PM EDT
If you thought the desktop computer was dead, think again.
Hardware startup Xi3 says it’s on a mission to “change the way computers are built, serviced and upgraded,” by eliminating obsolescence and stuffing as much into a tiny, gorgeous little cube as it can. Welcome to modular computing at its cutest.
“The trend in technology is not to have a smaller computer, the trend is to have a more powerful computer in a smaller space,” said Jason Sullivan, inventor and CEO at Xi3, which has just launched its Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of raising $250,000 by the end of October.
“Form really needs to follow function. In order to build something great, you need to understand the problem,” he said noting that “when things are designed properly, lots of other things fall in line.”
One of the biggest problems with desktop computers, according to Xi3, is that they need to be replaced every few years, creating monstrous amounts of waste, as well as being costly. They’re also boring, says the firm.
Enter the Xi3 Modular Computer, possibly the least boring x86-based desktop computer on the planet, a 4.27x3.65x3.65-inch cube (roughly the size of a grapefruit).
Packed into the tiny space of the initial X5A-5342 model is a Dual-Core 64-bit, x86-based processor running at 1.8GHz, with 2GB of RAM, 16GB-1TB of solid-state storage, dual monitor support, 6 USB 2.0 ports and 2 eSATAp ports. The device also includes a patented tri-board to replace the standard computer motherboard to purportedly make repairs, modifications and/or upgrades a piece of pie.
The logic behind this is that a regular motherboard can be divided into about three key pieces, but by separating them and slotting them together like bits of Lego, the whole system becomes infinitely easier to tinker with.
“It’s never been done before so we had to invent all sorts of technologies,” said Sullivan, noting that the firm already had no less than six international patents for its design.
Not only is it award winningly innovative (The X5A-5342 Xi3 Modular Computer won an Innovations Award in the Computer Hardware category for the 2011 International CES trade show) it’s also virtually indestructible, as videos of it being driven over by a truck prove.
Requiring a mere 20 Watts to operate versus the average 100-300 Watts it takes to run a comparable computer, the Xi3 module is pretty eco-friendly too.
If it’s already so great, though, why does the company need another cool quarter million in funding? You may well ask. Well, the X5A-5342 model was just the beginning, and Xi3 is now busy planning two new models, the power user, gaming mean machine X7A and the more entry level X3A.
Click on next page for more >>>
Hardware startup Xi3 says it’s on a mission to “change the way computers are built, serviced and upgraded,” by eliminating obsolescence and stuffing as much into a tiny, gorgeous little cube as it can. Welcome to modular computing at its cutest.
“The trend in technology is not to have a smaller computer, the trend is to have a more powerful computer in a smaller space,” said Jason Sullivan, inventor and CEO at Xi3, which has just launched its Kickstarter campaign in the hopes of raising $250,000 by the end of October.
“Form really needs to follow function. In order to build something great, you need to understand the problem,” he said noting that “when things are designed properly, lots of other things fall in line.”
One of the biggest problems with desktop computers, according to Xi3, is that they need to be replaced every few years, creating monstrous amounts of waste, as well as being costly. They’re also boring, says the firm.
Enter the Xi3 Modular Computer, possibly the least boring x86-based desktop computer on the planet, a 4.27x3.65x3.65-inch cube (roughly the size of a grapefruit).
Packed into the tiny space of the initial X5A-5342 model is a Dual-Core 64-bit, x86-based processor running at 1.8GHz, with 2GB of RAM, 16GB-1TB of solid-state storage, dual monitor support, 6 USB 2.0 ports and 2 eSATAp ports. The device also includes a patented tri-board to replace the standard computer motherboard to purportedly make repairs, modifications and/or upgrades a piece of pie.
The logic behind this is that a regular motherboard can be divided into about three key pieces, but by separating them and slotting them together like bits of Lego, the whole system becomes infinitely easier to tinker with.
“It’s never been done before so we had to invent all sorts of technologies,” said Sullivan, noting that the firm already had no less than six international patents for its design.
Not only is it award winningly innovative (The X5A-5342 Xi3 Modular Computer won an Innovations Award in the Computer Hardware category for the 2011 International CES trade show) it’s also virtually indestructible, as videos of it being driven over by a truck prove.
Requiring a mere 20 Watts to operate versus the average 100-300 Watts it takes to run a comparable computer, the Xi3 module is pretty eco-friendly too.
If it’s already so great, though, why does the company need another cool quarter million in funding? You may well ask. Well, the X5A-5342 model was just the beginning, and Xi3 is now busy planning two new models, the power user, gaming mean machine X7A and the more entry level X3A.
Click on next page for more >>>
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Jack.L
10/8/2012 9:06 PM EDT
Doesn't having all these different model in someways negate the whole premise of a unit that is easy to upgrade. Sounds like they are creating completely new hardware every time and all that stays the same is some of the hardware.
Rather expensive too ... and not expandable.
Yes it's small ... and.....well that seems so far to be about it. What do others think?
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any1
10/8/2012 9:25 PM EDT
I guess it's sort of a PC version of an Apple Mini. There could be a market for it if it's done well.
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Bert22306
10/8/2012 9:40 PM EDT
Very cool! I'm not sure about price comparisons, however. At least, not yet. You can get quad core x86 desktops, 1TB hard drive, an 6 GB of RAM, for less than $1000. But that's just quibbling.
Best I can tell from the video, looks like a separate bare bones motherboard, I/O card, and power supply module. Three modules, not laid down flat, but as three sides of a cube, where cooling fins and a fan fill up the middle.
The hard drive is replaced with a solid state drive, which saves a lot of space, but still costs a lot more than an HDD, for similar size storage.
Perhaps the upgradeability is overstated. What is hard to upgrade in standard desktops is not the hard drive, the I/O, or the graphics. The I/O and graphics can always be upgraded by adding adapter cards which, when installed, take over those functions from the motherboard. And swapping the hard drive or adding RAM is fairly simple too. What obsoletes a desktop is the processor and perhaps also the memory bus. So I don't see where this concept really solves the obsolescence problem.
Desktops started incorporating functions like Ethernet, other I/O, sound cards, and graphics cards, into the motherboard to save money, since most users needed those functions anyway. For desktops, it's not really correct to imply that the I/O, graphics, etc. built into the motherboard are a limit.
Still, the form factor is hard to beat. Apple has proved that coolness is not necessarily related to raw performance. This should be a winner. I want one too!
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CJS2
10/9/2012 7:32 AM EDT
"a piece of pie"? Don't you mean "a piece of cake"?
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clematis
10/12/2012 8:16 PM EDT
Or was it "easy as cake"?
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RTewell
10/9/2012 2:58 PM EDT
A "piece of pie" is pretty easy...ever seen "2010: The Year We Make Contact"?
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RTewell
10/9/2012 3:02 PM EDT
Besides "Piece of Pie" has better alliteration. Actually...it HAS alliteration and we "ALL like alliteration"...
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SylvieBarak
10/9/2012 3:34 PM EDT
Rick, my hero ;)
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davewooff
10/10/2012 11:42 AM EDT
Does the power adaptor plug latch in place? Sounds like a bit of a problem if you accidentally unplug it while trying to plug/unplug a peripheral.
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David.Bley
10/10/2012 11:43 AM EDT
I would like wi-fi and win xp. Can't stand win 7. More RAM is necessary in base model.
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Phluph
10/10/2012 12:36 PM EDT
And I'd like to fly and spit diamonds... WiFi certainly should be included in the package but XP? Just ain't ever gonna happen.
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WKetel
10/13/2012 1:45 PM EDT
My choice is still the "grandfathers box" type of tower computer. Aside from being much simpler to work on and having a much wider selection of add-ons, it offers the additional advantages of a lower heat generation density, and being much more difficult to steal, since it would be difficult to conceal the larger box.
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