Rocking NeXt GeNeration Computers.....!

Net Tops

A nettop is a very small form factor, inexpensive, low-wattage desktop computer designed for basic tasks such as surfing the Internet, accessing web-based applications, document processing, and audio/video playback.

The word nettop is a portmanteau of Internet and desktop, similar to the portmanteau netbook (Internet + notebook) Compared to ordinary desktop computers, nettops are not only smaller, lighter and cheaper, they also consume much less power. For example, CompuLab's fit-PC2 consumes no more than 8 watts of power whereas a typical desktop would easily consume more than 100 watts of power. Consequently, nettops are often fanless with an external power supply. Some do not have an optical disk drive and use a solid state disk, making them completely silent. The trade off is that the hardware specifications and processing power are usually reduced and hence make nettops less appropriate for running complex or resource intensive applications.

Hardware

There are three platforms that are primarily intended for nettops and
netbooks:

Intel's Centrino Atom platform,
Nvidia's Ion platform
VIA's Trinity Platform.
Some nettops have also adopted system-on-a-chip designs. Although many major parts such as chipsets, video cards and storage devices can also be found on desktops, the CPUs that are put inside nettops are the fundamental component that differ them from normal desktops. The list below contains a range of hardware components that a typical nettop may be assembled from.

CPU
Intel Atom (x86)
VIA Nano and VIA C7 processors (x86)
AMD Geode (x86)
ARM Cortex-based CPU (ARM)
Loongson (MIPS)

GPU
Intel GMA 950
S3 Graphics Chrome
GeForce 9400M
PowerVR
Chipset
945GSE and 945GC Express chipsets
Nvidia ION / GeForce 9400M
VIA VX800 IGP Chipset

RAM
typically 512 MB to 1 GB SDRAM, DDR or DDR2 memory
Storage devices
at least 1 GB flash memory
2.5" hard drive

Network
Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi

I/O ports
LAN, USB 2.0, video out, audio out
Being first released to the market, Intel's Atom platform has been adopted by the majority of hardware manufacturers, such as ASUS, MSI, and Sony, for nettops. Nvidia has also released its first generation ION platform, which puts GeForce 9400M Motherboard GPU alongside Intel's Atom processor to provide better high definition video playback ability and lower power consumption. In addition, Nvidia has announced that its will support VIA's CPUs this year.To further reduce the manufacturing cost and improve power efficiency, many manufacturers and start-up companies have chosen to use CPUs that were originally targeted at embedded computing devices such as AMD's Geode and ARM Cortex-based CPUs.

Operating systems

Many net-top models are X86-processor-based and as such are capable of running standard PC OSs. There are also operating systems designed specifically for nettops and other machines in the same performance class. Linux distributions of this type include Moblin and Ubuntu Netbook Remix. Windows XP has been one of the popular choices as its hardware requirements match nettop capabilities. Some high-end nettops and upcoming models are capable of running Windows Vista and Windows 7.Linux has also been adopted by some nettop manufacturers as it costs little to no money to install and supports a wide range of CPU architectures. Google's Android operating system is another option. Although Google's Android was originally announced for smartphones, it has also taken a seat in the nettop market

 

Acer Veriton N260G  

Acer's new Veriton N260G Atom nettop is primarily aimed at businesses and comes with novel features like "OneButton Recovery" system restore and "eLock Management" for data security, but the pricing seems way out of line to us: the NVIDIA Ion-powered AspireRevo starts at $299, while the Veriton uses the far less powerful Intel GMA 4500MHD chip and costs $399

  

Asus EeeBox PC EB1012

ASUS has a new EeeBox PC EB1012 touting a dual-core Atom N330 (just as rumored), NVIDIA MCP7A ION graphics, a 250GB SATA hard disk, 2GB of DDR2-800 memory expandable to 4GB, gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, S/PDIF 5.1 audio jack, and HDMI out. As such, this little 222 x 178 x 26.9mm box should handle your hardware accelerated 1080p content just as readily as it does full-screen Flash video from Hulu and beyond -- a place where single-core Atom-based Ion nettops fail. It also features an eSATA jack, 4x USB ports, and an SDHC card reader for plugging in more media.

 

MiNEW A10

MiNEW A10 is the most outrageous nettop to ever see the light of day. The wildest part is that existing A10 owners can even make their relatively sane looking machine morph into cuteness overload for the tidy sum of ₩150,000 ($123). 

  

LG XPION X30

LG's just announced the XPION X30, its first Ion-based nettop. This little fella features an Atom N230 CPU, 2GB of RAM, 250GB HDD, and ships with Windows Vista (for the time being, at least). Aside from sporting six (count 'em!) USB ports, it weighs in at a mere 2.4 lbs, draws just 40 watts of power, and can be VESA mounted to the back of your LCD.  

Lenovo IdeaCentre Q100 / Q110 

The IdeaCentre Q100 / Q110 nettops are said to be "some of the thinnest nettops in the world," and while the teaser image is certainly a looker, for better and for worse we can already smell the Atom processor from here. Also on the menu is the IdeaCentre D400, the company's first home server. We Got Served did a little digging, and as it turns out, the D400 was released in Asia at the beginning of this month, with four hot swappable bays, four USB ports, and an eSATA port.  

Linutop 3

The Linutop 3, sporting a custom Linux OS atop a blistering 1GHz VIA C7 CPU, 1GB of RAM and a tremendously capacious 2GB SSD, is just that sort of machine. It asks for a mere €340 ($485) and 20 watts of power, and lets you expand storage by adding an internal hard drive or plugging a memory stick into one of six available USB ports. Sure, you're unlikely to use it for more than the bundled Open Office and Firefox applications