Recently, the popularity of nettops has been growing rapidly. This is due to their availability, small size and ease of use. Because unpacking the box, we immediately get a ready-to-use device, without straining too much with the choice of components and their compatibility. However, do not forget that it is aimed primarily at working on the Internet, Web-surfing, working with office applications and running games with very simple graphics. Today there are two main platforms on which these devices are built: Intel Atom and nVidia ION. Of course, nVidia ION is more promising and more productive, but it also costs more.
3Q has been on the market since 2006. Has proven itself in the manufacture of desktop cases, power supplies and external drives. In a quest for miniaturization, well, simply deciding to occupy a new niche in the market, the company released its first nettop - 3Q Qoo.
The main feature of this nettop is its incredibly small size and very attractive price. These dimensions are only 178 x 23 x 158 mm. It is so small that it looks more like an external tuner or external HDD. Included with it were: a power supply, a network cable, a stand for installation on a table, a VESA adapter that allows you to attach a nettop to TVs with holes for a VESA MIS-D bracket, instructions, drivers and an "Intel Atom Inside" sticker.
After removing the device from the box, let's start assembling. I decided to put the nettop on the table, it was not difficult to screw the stand from the kit. There is a rubber layer on the bottom of the stand, which prevents the device from sliding and prevents furniture from scratching.
The rear panel contains a standard set of I / O for a nettop of this level. As you can see in the photo, there is a VGA output, four USB2.0 ports, an analog audio output, a power connector and an RJ45 network adapter port. Also, for ease of access, two USB ports are placed on the front panel, they are hidden under the lid along with “jacks” for headphones and a microphone.
The arrangement of the device's elements is very interesting. Everything is packed very tightly: a 2.5 '' 160GB hard drive connected via UATA, one single SO-DIMM RAM slot with a 1GB bracket installed, a large aluminum radiator that covers almost all the free space. He is responsible for cooling the power supply and processor.
On the reverse side, a metal plate is tightly attached to the motherboard, which serves to remove heat from the chipset. Because of this solution, for the best cooling, the nettop should be used in an upright position.
3Q Qoo! Powered by a 1.6GHz Intel Atom 270 processor and a SiS 672 chipset, this is a modest configuration that can handle the lightest office applications. SiS chipsets are the hallmark of budget computers. The chipset has a Mirage 3+ graphics core. Despite the praises of the developers, nothing special should be hoped for. Its performance will be at best not worse than that of the integrated core of Intel chipsets.
The nettop is preinstalled with the operating FreeDOS, and there is no floppy drive. So you should immediately get a bootable USB flash drive with a normal operating system. Better to let it be Windows XP or some not too demanding Linux distribution. There shouldn't be any problems with the drivers. Ubuntu 10.04 installed and worked without problems.
With such modest characteristics, I don't see much point in conducting any performance tests. Subjectively, Windows XP and standard applications run quite fast. When working in a browser, even with a large number of simultaneously open windows, no discomfort was observed. The main thing is not to demand more from the nettop than what it is intended for. When watching regular AVI, the processor load reached 90%, so you can not even rely on watching HD video.
This nettop 3Q Qoo has performed well enough, mainly due to the democratic combination of cost, performance and appearance. It is worth paying attention to those who are looking for just a computer for surfing the Web, who save space on the desktop, or just those who love everything tiny. There is a lack of a Wi-Fi adapter, although there are many external USB devices that can compensate for this deficiency. You can also use it as a home print server, distribute the Internet or just download torrents. Silence and low power consumption are also important factors.
Buy this nettop!
