DIY Pico - ITX computer kit by VIA

This kit by VIA allows us to construct a x86 PC based on the Pico-ITX motherboard standard. The computer can be so small that it could fit inside of a drive bay on desktop PC. It may not be the most powerful machine, but it can take care of most basic tasks. Here’s a complete rundown of the specification:

• CPU - 1GHz VIA C7 Processor
• Chipset - VIA VX700 Unified Digital Media IGP Chipset
• Memory Support - 1 DDR2 533 SODIMM Socket, Up to 1GB
• Hard Disk Support - 1 UltraDMA 133/100/66 IDE 2.5″ Hard Disk
• Operation System Support - Windows 2000 / XP, WinCE, XPe, Linux
• USB Ports - 4 USB 2.0 ports
• LAN Port - 1 10/100Mbps RJ-45 LAN port
• Audio - Build-in High Definition Audio
• Audio Ports - 1 Microphone-in jack & 1 Line-out jack
• Display Port - 1 VGA port
• Dimensions - 15cm x 11cm x 4.5cm
• Average System Weight - 520g

This will come out in market by the Dec 14, for around $300.

NitroAV SATAStar

NitroAV SATAStar Plus has started to ship its latest PCIe chipset based 4-Port external host adapter that was specially designed for the ultra fast PCIe bus found on Apple MacPro, PowerMac G5 PCIe based desktop computers, Windows and Linux.

The 4-Port PCIe provides fantastic bandwidth for data throughput with its native PCIe host connection, utilizing the Silicon Image 3132 chipset and compatible with 4x, 8x and 16x PCIe slots. This 4-Port PCIe host adapter is designed for optimum performance and reliability required for large data storage needs as well as digital audio, digital video and graphic professionals alike. For video professionals this SATAStar Plus adapter supports 10-bit uncompressed HD, 8-bit uncompressed HD, DV, HDV, DVPRO HD, 8-bit and 10-bit SD video workflow. Sustainable transfer rate is the gauge and tests show throughputs with 4 drives OS stripped utilizing AJA KONA Systems Test exceeding 295Mb/s reads and 301Mb/s writes sustained and even faster with larger number of drives.