Desktop computer the size of laptop

archelors

Distinguished
Nov 6, 2011
7
0
18,510
Hello,
I have a 17" Dell Flat screen (Mornitor), a Dell enhanced keyboard and I want to know if there is a central processing unit (Desktop) about the size of a laptop. Desktop CPUs are too bulky and I wonder why manufacturers don't make one the size of a laptop without keypad and screen.
 


Ummm....because it costs a lot more to use tiny laptop parts than full size desktop parts......and also cooling is an issue in a tiny case.
 


Thanks for your response. I know about the cooling aspect but one would like to believe that since most of the time desktops are used in airconditioned environment, that shouldn't be a problem. A desktop the size of a DVD player should be ok.
 


I am laughing out aloud. You know the 5 gallon thing is what puts me off. I have portable DVD player, portabe minidisc player, portable tuner, portable amplifyer, so why should my desktop be as huge as a whole desk? It doesn't make sense to me and moreover I don't have space.
 


Yeh the bigger the better indeed, I am sure you are still using the very first mobile phone manufactured. As for me the smaler the better. This is the nanao age. wake up.
 

Agree! I have a Cooler master HAF 932! Wish it were a little bigger, then I could use it as a storage closet also!
 
Your best bet is the Apple Mac Mini.

http://www.apple.com/macmini/

There is no comparable PC computer equivalent. The closest would be a "Nettop" which uses an Intel Atom CPU. An example would be the ASUS Eee Box EB1501P-B016E. Note that not all Nettops will have an optical drive.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883220050

Of the two, I would probably go with the Mac Mini and then install Bootcamp so that I can install Windows 7. The Mac Mini has better specs than a Nettop and the starting price is not excessively more than a "higher end" Nettop.
 



Woah there, hold just a minute. Just because you like using underpowered hardware on tiny screens doesn't mean everyone else does. Useless tiny pieces of crap with tiny little keys and tiny little screens, not everyone enjoys using small hardware. Maybe you are only like 5' tall and 80 pounds or something. Try using a smartphone if you are 6' 3" and weigh 265 pounds. My finger covers about 5 buttons at once on most of them. Really annoying to try and use for sure.
 


I did say computers and not mobile phones, btw.

In any event, I must really be behind the times because I still use initial caps, punctuation, and I have no idea what nanao is.
 


Heh, well my desktop IS my desk 😀..
 


I would say the Mac Mini is a better option since it has a more recent Sandy Bridge Core i5 CPU and the integrated Intel HD 3000. At best those SlimPros have a Core 2 Duo and integrated GMA 900 graphics core I beleive; probably 1/3 the speed of the Intel HD 3000. Definitely not good enough to play Blu-Ray or HD video. The higher end model ($800) comes with a Radeon HD 6630 video card. Those SlimPros don't even have an optical drive.

 


There are good points and bad points to the Mac Mini. It might be the smallest machine with that much power, but if you can go a bit larger you can build your own machine with mini-ITX motherboard and use a SB processor plus the other parts of your choice.
 



The ones in my link can be had with core2due and up to an I7 SB and they are not much bigger than the size of a box of greeting cards or a wireless router.
 


Ahhh... so they do...

The link was to the SlimPro series, none of which had a Core i3/i5/i7 as an option. Upon further investigation the Digital Engine series do have the latest Intel CPUs.