Miniaturization has given us LCD monitors thinner than a paperback, digital cameras smaller than a credit card and CompactFlash hard disks the size of a nickel. So why is the average retail PC still a slab that could double as a coffee table if you added legs?
Scores of people have told me they'd love to pump their PC-based MP3 music collection out over their home stereo system, watch streaming Internet video on a widescreen TV or have e-mail and instant-message access in various rooms. But they're often discouraged by the simple fact that unless you aren't getting enough of that "office cubicle" look at work, dropping a big noisy desktop computer anywhere but on a desk doesn't do much for a home's décor.
Responsibility for the stubborn obesity of PCs can be laid at the feet of computer manufacturers. Rather than shrinking their wares, they've stuck to a standard motherboard size that can be churned out in enormous volume, concentrating instead on reducing the size of the PC price tag. Don't get me wrong, this is mostly a good thing, since you can now get a great computer for around $600 (Canadian) and all the parts are standard.
It's just that from time to time, the creative soul pines for something, well, Interesting. Something Tiny. Something eXceptionally cool.
Internet Links
- Mini-ITX.com
- Extensiontech.net
- VIA Technologies Mini-ITX page
- Burnoutpc.com
- SFF Tech forum on Mini-ITX
- Ian Johnson's previous The Chic Geek columns
In fact, that 'something' is already out there for PC buyers in the know - a computer design called Mini-ITX. It can be used to create an affordable digital multimedia centre for the living room, a tiny machine for e-mail, instant messaging and surfing anywhere in the house, or a basic workhorse PC for the desktop. And if you've got a Dremel cut-out tool and some creative inspiration, Mini-ITX motherboards are a hobbyist's dream.
But first, a basic hardware lesson for the uninitiated.
The motherboard is the big circuit board in your PC that holds the computer's processor and memory, connectors for hard disks and CD drives, ports for the mouse and keyboard, and slots for PCI expansion cards (modems, sound cards and so on). More complex motherboards have things like a network connection, sound capabilities and video accelerator chips built right into them.
Motherboards come in several standard sizes. Desktop tower PCs usually have what's called an ATX-sized motherboard built inside a case that has space for several drives and add-in cards. Other motherboard specifications called Micro-ATX and Flex-ATX allow for slightly smaller computer cases, with the tradeoff that there aren't as many drive bays or PCI expansion slots on the motherboard.
All these types of computers, even the Micro- and Flex-based ones, take up a fair amount of room. They're also pretty noisy as a result of the fans needed to cool their high-powered processors, big power supplies and drives. These factors are not exactly conducive to earning PCs a place of honour in your living room to feed MP3s to your stereo, or on the kitchen counter so you can surf for recipes and check your instant messages.
VIA Technologies, the Taiwan-based hardware giant, tackled both the size and noise issues about a year ago by developing a new specification called Mini-ITX. It's the world's smallest "native x86 motherboard," which is a wordy way of saying that despite their diminutive size, Mini-ITX systems can run all the normal software, add-on cards and peripherals made for mainstream Windows and Linux-based PCs.
Mini-ITX motherboards are just starting to go mainstream, and they're real beauties if you want to save money and space. They're about the size of a CD jewel case and sell for between $75 and $200 (U.S.), depending on the speed of their built-in processor. All you have to do is add a case, memory and a hard disk, load an operating system and plug in a monitor, and you're off.
The main down-side is that Mini-ITX boards can't really be upgraded. They usually have a single memory slot and PCI connector, a set of built-in audio/video features, and a VIA processor that's fixed permanently to the motherboard.
You're looking at the ultimate disposable PC here, but to be honest, upgrading a motherboard to a faster processor isn't usually the best return on investment anyway, since motherboard and chipset technology improve at about the same rate as processor clock speeds. Putting a new chip onto an old motherboard is, in many cases, like dropping a Formula One engine into an old pickup truck. When a PC gets long in the tooth, you're often better off buying a motherboard matched to the new processor, since the old motherboard likely won't be able to take full advantage of all the power in your next-generation chip.
One of the latest Mini-ITX boards, VIA's Epia M10000 (see review), is based on a Via 1 GHz processor. That's pretty slow by today's standards, but these systems are not speed demons designed for cutting-edge gamers and CAD designers. Mini-ITX boards are meant to be built into general PCs that will be used mainly for things such as Web surfing, e-mail, instant messaging, word processing, perhaps some general consumer-type photo-editing … and one of the M10000's real strengths, high-quality multimedia playback.
The processors on Mini-ITX boards are power-misers that create little heat, so they don't need huge power supplies or bulky, noisy, gale-force cooling fans the way faster chips do. The result is a tiny, low-powered, extremely quiet machine that's an affordable workhorse.
Mini-ITX PCs also make fabulous digital audio-video centres. The Epia M10000, for example, comes with built-in 5.1-channel surround-sound audio and TV-out ports, as well as an onboard DVD decoder for smooth video playback (a pricey option on standalone video cards). It also has a 10/100 Mbps network port, FireWire and USB 2.0 connectors. Install a cheap DVD drive, hook the M10000 up to your home theatre sound system and a large-screen TV, and presto — an instant high-end DVD system with capacity for thousands of MP3 or WMA music files on its hard drive, and an Internet connection to make things even more interesting. Add a wireless keyboard and mouse, and you can surf the Web and do instant messaging on your TV from the comfort of the couch. (Although the video settings can take a bit of tweaking to get the picture to appear perfectly on a TV screen, and you have to use large fonts in order to read text on a TV. I haven't tried it on widescreen 16:9-aspect-ratio screens, but a reader wrote in frustration that he has been unable to get it to work on his model of widescreen display, so you may want to check your television's compatibility with the M10000 before you buy.)
Even with all these features, Mini-ITX motherboards still fit into a computer case smaller than a TV-top video game console, a size that will slip nicely into the average entertainment unit or even onto a bookshelf. In fact, some new Mini-ITX computers are not much bigger than a portable CD player.
You can buy some really flashy Mini-ITX systems ready-made, or pick up a special ITX case like the Travla C138 from Casetronic (see review), to build your own. Anyone who can use a screwdriver should be able to assemble a Mini-ITX system in well under two hours, although some of the cases out there require that you buy slim hard disks and optical drives, which can be a bit difficult to track down.
But even more fun for the do-it-yourselfer is the fact that since Mini-ITX boards create so little heat, they can be built into just about anything big enough to hold them.
This has spawned an innovative underground hobbyist movement. Find a techie with time on their hands, give them a tiny motherboard and some basic tools, then turn 'em lose and it's amazing what they'll come up with. There's a dizzying array of ingenious projects out there where Mini-ITX boards have turned everyday objects into computers. Examples range from an old U.S. Air Force bomb tail, a toaster and a plastic Millennium Falcon model, to an old Commodore PET computer chassis, a motorcycle crash helmet and an empty Molson Canadian beer 'Bubba' (a mini-keg the size of a football — the owner's consumption of the original contents likely inspired the project).
Whether you're a hardware hobbyist, an audio-videophile who wants to expand a home theatre's capabilities, or someone who just needs a basic PC and likes to save money and space, Mini-ITX is definitely worth checking out. The pre-built systems and do-it-yourself kits are equally cool, and some of the latest designs look so good you'll probably want to show them off, rather than hide them away like a traditional PC.
And if you go the build-your-own route, there's something strangely satisfying about pointing to a little Mini-ITX multimedia machine sitting quietly beside the stereo or coffee maker and telling a guest, "Yeah, I built it myself. Neat, eh? Check out what it can do …"
