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
Two new models, the X7A and X3A
Xi3 wants the X7A to be powered by a new Quad-Core 64-bit, x86-based processor running at up to 3.2GHz, integrated with up to 384 graphics shader cores and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. This, says the firm, should make it completely capable of handling graphics-rich computer games like Crysis 2 with ease.
The X7A should also be able to run up to three high-definition monitors simultaneously, will boast four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four eSATAp ports, four USB 2.0 ports, a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, with up to 1TB of super-fast solid-state storage inside. All in a similar tiny chassis the size of a softball measuring 4.27x3.65x3.65-inches and running on just 40Watts of electricity or less.
Xi3 says it plans to begin shipping the X7A in early 2013 for around $1,000 a unit, at least half the price of its bigger desktop rivals.
Meanwhile, the entry-level X3A will be powered by a Dual-Core 64-bit, x86-based 1.65GHz chip and 4GB of DDR3 RAM, with 32GB of solid-state storage (upgradeable to 1TB), able to support two high-definition displays simultaneously and sporting two USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four eSATAp ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port.
That 4.27x3.56x3.656-inch cube will apparently only require 18 Watts of power to run and is slated to begin shipping in early 2013 at prices starting at under $500.
With upcoming I/O Boards that feature new components/connectors, Xi3 believes its little modular computer cubes could enjoy between six to 10 years of life, instead of the paltry three to five of traditional desktop PCs, making them a compelling buy for the price.
Interested? Want to know more? Check out the video below and if you’re suitably impressed (as I am) head on over to the KickStarter page and pledge an amount.
A pledge of $3 gets you a place on Xi3’s fan appreciation page and monthly newsletter, while $33 gets you a founder autographed t-shirt. $253 gets you a spot at a group dinner of 100 or fewer guests with Xi3 Founder and CEO, Jason Sullivan, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, while $499 snags the current Xi3 model. $503 and $603 pledges receive X3A models with Windows 7 /Windows 8 installed on them and varying specs a full week before general distribution, while a pledge of $1,103 bags an X7A model.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, however, a pledge of $9993 will net you a X7A housed in a special gold or platinum coated chassis with delivery two weeks prior to general availability. Worth its weight in gold? What do you think?
Xi3 wants the X7A to be powered by a new Quad-Core 64-bit, x86-based processor running at up to 3.2GHz, integrated with up to 384 graphics shader cores and 8GB of DDR3 RAM. This, says the firm, should make it completely capable of handling graphics-rich computer games like Crysis 2 with ease.
The X7A should also be able to run up to three high-definition monitors simultaneously, will boast four USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four eSATAp ports, four USB 2.0 ports, a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port, with up to 1TB of super-fast solid-state storage inside. All in a similar tiny chassis the size of a softball measuring 4.27x3.65x3.65-inches and running on just 40Watts of electricity or less.
Xi3 says it plans to begin shipping the X7A in early 2013 for around $1,000 a unit, at least half the price of its bigger desktop rivals.
Meanwhile, the entry-level X3A will be powered by a Dual-Core 64-bit, x86-based 1.65GHz chip and 4GB of DDR3 RAM, with 32GB of solid-state storage (upgradeable to 1TB), able to support two high-definition displays simultaneously and sporting two USB 3.0/2.0 ports, four eSATAp ports, four USB 2.0 ports, and a 10/100/1000 Ethernet port.
That 4.27x3.56x3.656-inch cube will apparently only require 18 Watts of power to run and is slated to begin shipping in early 2013 at prices starting at under $500.
With upcoming I/O Boards that feature new components/connectors, Xi3 believes its little modular computer cubes could enjoy between six to 10 years of life, instead of the paltry three to five of traditional desktop PCs, making them a compelling buy for the price.
Interested? Want to know more? Check out the video below and if you’re suitably impressed (as I am) head on over to the KickStarter page and pledge an amount.
A pledge of $3 gets you a place on Xi3’s fan appreciation page and monthly newsletter, while $33 gets you a founder autographed t-shirt. $253 gets you a spot at a group dinner of 100 or fewer guests with Xi3 Founder and CEO, Jason Sullivan, held in Salt Lake City, Utah, while $499 snags the current Xi3 model. $503 and $603 pledges receive X3A models with Windows 7 /Windows 8 installed on them and varying specs a full week before general distribution, while a pledge of $1,103 bags an X7A model.
If you’re feeling particularly generous, however, a pledge of $9993 will net you a X7A housed in a special gold or platinum coated chassis with delivery two weeks prior to general availability. Worth its weight in gold? What do you think?
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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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