Sunday, October 14, 2007

Small Lovin: Fit-PC Sips on 5W of Power, Is Super Tiny

iglx-enc-m.jpgFrom CompuLab, the Fit-PC is a tiny, no frills Linux PC that uses a mere 5W of power to operate. That's one-fifth what some computers burn in standby. And the specs may be better than you'd expect. An AMD Geode processor runs at 500 MHz, supported by 256MB DDR memory (non-expandable), 40GB 2.5" hard drive and SXGA graphics controller. And none of that needs fans to cool. The inclusion of 2 USB ports mean that the Fit-PC will actually work with normal peripherals...though we're not certain how much power those ports will supply your devices.

At 5" long and only 1.5" thick, the Fit-PC will fit anywhere. And at $285, we think we're in eco-love. But what did ExtremeTech have to say about the function?

We fired up Firefox and spent some time browsing the web. Some Flash-intensive web sites rendered slowly, but most web browsing seemed no worse than running on an older laptop with integrated graphics. We also loaded up OpenOffice apps to check them out. After we had six windows (and six apps) running, the system definitely became sluggish...

While you can build a PC that's nearly as inexpensive, or buy a used laptop for not much more, the fit-PC's unique form factor gives it an edge in any environment where space is at a premium.

Also, its extremely low power usage means you can keep the system running all the time. In any application that requires always-on usage and a light duty applications mix, the fit-PC may indeed be an ideal fit.

So as expected, the Fit-PC is no powerhouse. But it's a really neat little piece of tech. [extremetech via slashdot]
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