14 DAY TRIAL // MSI has officially introduced today its new WindBox, a computer system designed to take advantage of Intel's highly-successful Atom platform and provide users with a small form factor PC that can easily be attached to an LCD screen, consequently reducing the space required by the PC. The new system has been expected for some time, as it has been leaked on the Internet at the end of 2008.
The company's new nettop system is built with the same Intel Atom N270 processor as most of the other netbooks currently available on the market. Based on Intel's 945GSE and ICH7M chipset combo, the small PC can provide users with support for up to 1GB of DDR2 memory, 1 VGA port, 3 USB 2.0 ports, built-in Ethernet LAN, wireless 802.11 b/g and the integrated Intel GMA 950 3D graphics engine, which provides support for DirectX 9 and OpenGL 1.4.
One of the most interesting features of MSI's new WindBox is its support for VESA wall-mount interface, which allows the system to even be installed at the back of a normal LCD, basically enabling PC configuration that resembles a typical all-in-one PC. Despite its low-power specifications, the Taiwanese motherboard maker claims that the WindBox could be used by various companies, governments and institutes, as it is capable of providing support for basic computing applications.
There's no word on the system's storage, but the WindBox is featured with one SATA II port and a 3-in-1 card reader. It weighs just 1.08kg and only requires a 40W power supply.
Overall, WindBox looks like another Atom-powered nettop targeted at the digital storage, thin client, value PC and POS market segments, according to MSI. The company is yet to disclose the details on the pricing and availability of the system.
