Apr 28, 2009

ASUS Nova P22 Mini PC Is No Small Wonder

Asus2

If you like a liquid-cooled, oversized, overclocked, loud-as-a-harrier-jet, game-scorching PC tower, then ASUS’ new Nova P22 is not for you. At 9 in x 7.2 in x 2 in, it's a little longer and wider than a Mac Mini, in an aesthetically pleasing not-square chassis. Inside: a 1.8-GHz Core 2 Duo chip, an adequate Intel GMA 3000 graphics processor, 1 GB of ram, and a 160-GB hard drive. Almost enough oomph to run Vista — but not Doom. That’s OK, though, because the Nova was designed for your living room, not your game lair. Essentially it acts as a media streamer. We grabbed a DVI to HDMI cable, jacked it into our TV, and were using the Nova to pull movies off our home network within minutes of hitting the swank, touch-sensitive power button. Gaming be damned —Nate Ralph

Asus3_2WIRED: Decent price for the form factor. Media savvy as advertised. Analog and digital audio outs. Small and quiet. Sleek black finish is purty. 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.0 hardwired beneath its tiny carapace. Looks a lot like a Wii, if that does anything for you.

TIRED: Accidental shutdowns courtesy of the touchy power button. Strictly DVI video outputs, and this is an HDMI world. Built-in pencil holder (!) is useless if you stand the machine upright. Onboard “hi-fi” speakers could barely fill a small closet with sound. Cord management is tricky since all the inputs are on the back. Slightly underwhelming stats aren’t much good for tasks beyond media playing and sharing. $899, asus.com (story Link)

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