14 DAY TRIAL // Maybe saying that an Intel Bay Trail central processing unit provides “desktop-level performance” is a bit of a stretch, but when you're talking about web browsing, doc viewing and editing and other normal stuff like that, it's more than enough.
Knowing this, and the preference of a fair few people for smaller devices, Biostar has formally launched the iDEQ-T1 series mini PC.
It kind of goes with the company's regular policy of launching mini-ITX and micro-ATX motherboard, and small-form factor technology in general.
Sure, the company has its fair share of standard motherboards and the like, but it does seem to be more active on the mini PC front than others.
The Biostar iDEQ-T1 computer
First off, it is built around an Intel Bay Trail processor, but don't worry: it's not an Atom, since the company seems to be leaving that brand in the dust. Instead, it's a Celeron Processor N2940, with up to 2.25 GHz clock and 2 MB cache memory.
Dual-channel DDR3 memory backs it up: two SO-DIMM DDR3L 1333MHz memory slots, for up to 16 GB RAM. You get to decide which, since this is a nettop ultimately.
That means that you don't get a default memory or storage capacity option. Instead, you can outfit it with those products on order or afterwards.
The BIOS is quite advanced as well, with features like "RESURE BIOS" which allows the BIOS to be automatically loaded on a flash drive, for example.
The "Super Rescue Function" is another thing. If the iDEQ-T1 is attacked by a virus, you can recover the BIOS with this function, like a total factory reset basically.
In truth, the BIOS abilities aren't that big a deal on a small PC that you'll never overclock or otherwise tweak, but it's still good to know the options are there.
Everything is held together by a mini-ITX motherboard, though you'll have to make do with the integrated GPU is on the CPU (HD graphics) since the lone Mini PCIe slot can only hold a Mini PCIe /IEEE 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi card.
Availability and pricing
Biostar didn't mention them in its press release, but sales should start soon enough. Businessmen might find the mini PC quite useful, especially since they can hide behind a monitor via a VESA mount. Home users can have them behave as pseudo-media players too, since they can be mounted at the back of TVs too.
