Dell Zino HD compact desktop PC
The Dell Inspiron Zino HD is a new affordable compact desktop PC introduced last week and suitable for a wide range of tasks – everything from basic computing to media center activities. Measuring a mere 7.5 inches square and 3.5 inches tall, the Zino HD looks great anywhere in the home or office. Outfit the system with an optional Blu-ray drive and a dual-core AMD Neo processor and the Zino HD could very well function as a low-end HTPC system.
The Zino HD has a starting price of $229 and is available in 10 colors making it an attractive option to folks considering nettop systems. Features of the Zino HD include:
- AMD processors or dual core Athlon Neo X2 6850e
- Up to 8GB dual channel DDR2 memory
- Up to 1TB internal hard drive space
- Combo DVD/CD-RW drive with optional Blu-ray disc combo
- Gigabit Ethernet with wireless option
- Optional wireless keyboard and mouse
- Built-in 2.1 HD audio and 4 in 1 media card reader
- Integrated ATI graphics adapter with standard HDMI and VGA video connections and optional 512MB discrete ATI graphics adapter
- Four USB 2.0 ports and two eSATA ports
One thought does come up with the Zino HD – is this system a better choice than say the Apple Mac mini? It’s not entirely clear in our opinion. On the low end of the spectrum, it’s hard to argue with the price of the $229 Zino HD. However, configure the Zino HD with more powerful AMD processor options, and it’s harder to say which is the better deal. If you’re concerned about processor performance than the $599 Mac mini clearly has the better processor with the 2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo. However, you’ll get more hard drive capacity and more system memory with the Zino HD in this price range – both important for media center considerations. You can even configure a Zino HD with a low-end AMD processor, 3GB RAM, DVD burner, 500GB HDD, integrated graphics and an 18.5 inch HD monitor for $549 – $50 dollars less than the Mac mini.
Not a bad deal – especially if you need a fully configured basic PC system.
