The tech
specs are all well and good, but the total shock value of the AOpen Mini PC MP945-VX as
it sits on a desk is priceless; people always ask "what's that?" when looking
at the system for the first time. The sleek design allows the AOpen MP945-VX to
be placed, and used, just about anywhere you need a high powered multimedia
system.
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The
low-profile Aopen Mp945-VX barely occupies any space on the rear of the
massive Samsung 50" plasma screen (here positioned for size comparison).
Home theatre PC's have truly been reduced to the smallest possible size -
this one is only 1.36L in volume. There is enough empty space behind the
panel to integrate a full computer in there, perhaps one day PDP makers
will include space for microITX systems to
reside?
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The small size
of the AOpen Mini PC MP945-VX makes for some potentially interesting applications. In the PCSTATS
labs we even jerry rigged a custom mount and placed the entire AOpen Mini PC system behind
a large 50" Samsung plasma display, keeping the miniPC MP945-VX out of sight yet useable
as a home theatre entertainment system. It has multiple video connections through a special dongle
cable (analog/digital), and High Definition Component (Y, Pb, Pr) outputs as
standard.
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As tested,
the AOpen MiniPC MP945-VX came pre-loaded with a 1.86 Core Duo T2400
(Yonah) CPU, 1GB PC2-5300 DDR-2 RAM, an 80GB hard drive, 802.11b/g wireless LAN card and
DVD/combo drive. The system is based on the AOpen 945GMx-F miniITX motherboard.
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Compared
to other small formfactor
barebones kits on the market, the AOpen Mini PC MP945-VX is pretty competitively priced. Of course the Intel Core Duo
processor, notebook memory and a small notebook HDD significantly add to the
price of the system. Small formfactor toaster sized PC's that work with standard desktop computer hardware can
save a bundle here. Of course what you get though is a much larger system in
those cases.
One
area where no other small formfactor PC (aside from AOpen Mini PC's) can match
the MP945-VX is noise level. Since
the system uses notebook parts, it is guaranteed to generate little heat which means
there is not much need for large, fast fans which create a lot of
noise. During testing, even under 100% load, PCSTATS found the AOpen MP945-VX operated on a nearly
silent basis. There is only one small 40mm fan inside the actual system, and
it's a laptop grade cooling fan.
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