14 DAY TRIAL // MSI's Eee Box competitor was announced as early as the beginning of June this year but, since then, the Taiwanese manufacturer has failed to start shipping the product. Known as the Wind PC or the Wind Nettop, this desktop system has been designed to compete with ASUS' Eee Box for the title of the best small-sized, low-power desktop computer system available on the market.
Despite early rumors according to which the nettop was supposed to arrive in mid-July, MSI's Wind PC did not make an appearance - or so, until now. The German-language Geizhals website has already listed three versions of this highly anticipated product.
Two of these models are provided with a Linux operating system, while a third one is based on a Windows XP Home OS. The Linux versions have a price tag ranging from ?236.52 to ?304.08, depending on the reseller and on the amount of RAM memory provided. For an amount situated in the ?291.24 to ?349.86 range, users can choose one of the listed Windows XP-enabled systems.
Both Linux and Windows XP configurations are equipped with the already famous N270 Atom processor, which powers most of today's netbooks, including ASUS' Eee PC and MSI's Wind netbook. The systems include a 320GB hard drive, which should provide users with just enough storage space to accommodate a good number of personal photos and other media files. There's also a DVD burner option for all configurations.
It is yet uncertain when the nettops will become available or which their design features will be. What we do know for sure is that certain retailers have listed the Wind Nettop as being available in stock, while others have listed it as going on sale in one to three weeks.
You should also know that the price tags are a bit high compared with the MRSP. The Linux versions should start at ?199, while the Windows XP models should have a starting price point of ?249.