14 DAY TRIAL // Personal computers come in a very impressive variety of shapes and sizes, from large, towering gaming systems to the more unusual ones, which take on the forms of different beasts from the wild. Among all of them, however, there are some that have the uncanny knack to stand out through their ability to escape notice. Known as small form-factor PCs or HTPCs, these computers are small enough to fit inside a drawer or be easily mounted on a wall.
Though they don't exactly have any chance of rivaling, performance-wise, the larger and stronger species of computers out there, HTPC systems are still quite capable of packing a significant punch. This is possible because CPUs have become so advanced that they consume far less power than their ancestors. Zotac decided to put this efficiency to good use and, thus, came up with the HD-ID11 barebone PC.
The HD-ID11 was initially showcased at CeBIT and turned heads thanks to its use of the NVIDIA next-generation ION graphics solutions, otherwise known as the GT218 GPU (512MB DDR3 memory). The configuration itself is based on the Intel Atom D510 dual-core CPU, with a clock speed of 1.66GHz. This chip has an FSB of 667MHz and can be backed by a DDR2-800 module. There is also an SATA 3.0 Gbps port, DVI and D-Sub video outputs, Gigabit Ethernet, a number of USB ports, a 6-in-1 card reader and 802.11 b/g/n WiFi.
For now, Zotac's berebone is only available for purchase in the United States, where it is listed with a price tag of $249.99. End-users from other countries need not despair, however. The product should soon start selling in other regions, as it is suggested by it already being available for pre-order in Europe, priced at 190 Euro. The package includes a VESA monitor mount and a DVI-to-VGA adapter.