Dell just released the new Studio Hybrid– a "first step" in a series of eco-friendly PCs. Noting that most tower PCs use about 300 watts of power (which I can attest to with my quad-core behemoth), the Studio Hybrid sips less than 65w and is 80% smaller than a Mac Mini desktop. Add Blu-Ray, HDMI out, an 8-in-1 card reader and tuner option (including Digital Cable) and this looks like a winner. Even in the processor department, a 1.73 Dual-core, 1GB of RAM, and 160GB HDD w/ Vista will set you back only $499, beating back Apple on performance, size, price and a run at style.
I hope Dell succeeds with this design and I’m now drooling over it as a possible HTPC or Windows Home Server. This may also make a great replacement for my father’s ailing WinXP system. I worry about fan/drive noise though- any in the wild reports/feedback are appreciated.
More at Electronista
2 responses to “Dell Studio Hybrid sips power, doesn't disappoint on style”
Wait a minute, the site claims "80% smaller than standard desktops". Doesn’t say anything about it being smaller than a Mac Mini.
I’d love to see how low the power usage could go with an Intel Atom (likely at the expense of a little performance).
Did you see where a company just announced the availability of a external hard drive with a bamboo and aluminum enclosure? The company states the bamboo is grown near the factory.. When can we expect to see Microsoft use eco friendly packaging and inks?