Photograph: Marc SimonTired of banging your knees on the monster tower lurking under your desk? Thinking about adding a second computer at your workstation, but put off by the bulk and noise of two systems? Contrary to conventional thinking, a PC doesn't have to be big or noisy, as we found when we looked at ten small-footprint units. Modestly priced, moderately powerful, and often stylishly designed, these machines can be a great choice wherever space is at a premium--from the shrinking cubicles in corporate offices to the family living room to the kitchen counter.
The small PCs we saw fall into three categories: mini-boxes, thin-profile units, and all-in-ones. The last two categories have been around for years, mainly in the corporate world, but mini-boxes are relatively new--a format made viable as computer components got smaller and more powerful. Though a number of manufacturers now sell such toaster-size models, Shuttle Computer deserves credit for defining the category. Nevertheless, Apple's Mac Mini--a capable computer stuffed into a square case smaller than a lunch box--is getting most of the attention now.
All of the leading names in business computing--Dell, Gateway, HP, and IBM--make thin-profile models that sit flat on a desk or, when put on their edges, look like exceptionally narrow towers. They differ from mini-box systems only in the layout of their components. As thin towers, any of them can look fairly elegant alongside a slim display. If even that much of a footprint on your desk is too much, consider an all-in-one configuration: basically a computer bolted to the back of an LCD monitor for maximum space efficiency. Add a wireless keyboard and mouse to one of these systems, and you can reduce your cable clutter to almost nil.
What's not to like? Well, small PCs share some of the same shortcomings as notebook PCs: limited expandability and lower performance than full-size desktops offer. Computer users who love to tinker with and upgrade their systems will find these small units unappealing, as will power users who want top-end CPUs and graphics, plus the ability to install multiple optical and hard drives. In our speed tests, the average WorldBench 5 score for the small systems we appraised was 83--a far cry from the 110 and higher marks we've recorded for the fastest power models in our Top 15 Desktop PCs chart.
Small systems will suit users who don't upgrade much--just memory, the hard drive, or (if the unit has a PCI, AGP, or PCI Express slot) graphics, say. And small units are fine for people who want to buy a machine, set it in place, and never open the case (still the majority of PC users).
With a small PC, your best expansion option is via USB ports; most such systems have at least four ports for external hard drives and other peripherals. But that strategy can be self-defeating: As additional devices blossom alongside your system, the overall footprint grows, and not particularly neatly. You can end up with so much clutter that you might eventually decide to go back to a spacious tower that fits all the extras inside.
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Perhaps the biggest challenge for small PCs isn't component size, but heat. Processors, hard disks, power supplies, and other PC components generate heat, and system makers have learned that just cramming standard components into a smaller case tends to create too hot a product. PC makers have solved this problem in a variety of ways, some obvious and others quite subtle. For instance, one of our all-in-one units, from UK maker Pelham Sloane, uses a Pentium M notebook CPU for cooler operations. Another solution--getting rid of the on-board power supply and using an AC "brick" adapter instead--removes a major source of heat and noise from the case but adds to the annoying litter of bricks already strewn under your desk.
A more complex technique involves carefully arranging internal components, segmenting the interior of the case into discrete airflow zones, and strategically situating fans and vents. The Shuttle XPC i8600b we tested provides the best example of how these techniques can reduce heat and noise in a small system. The machine's dual 3.5-inch internal drive bays occupy a cage at the very top of the system. You can access the cage--which relies on its own airflow source and uses rubber isolators to shield the drives from vibrations--without tools. The power supply sits below the cage and vents through the back panel of the case, while the motherboard and processor cool off via a set of vents recessed into the front edges of the case. As a result, the Shuttle can rely on quiet, software-controlled, low-rotation fans for air circulation.
The ten small systems we reviewed for this Spotlight roundup include two mini-boxes: Apple's Mac Mini and Shuttle's XPC i8600b. The thin-profile PCs--units that can sit flat or stand on edge--are Dell's OptiPlex SX280, Gateway's E-4300 4-Bay SB, HP Compaq's Dc7100 Ultra-Slim Desktop, and IBM's ThinkCentre A50. Gateway's Profile 5.5C, MPC's ClientPro 414 All-in-One, Pelham Sloane's PS1500M, and Sony's VAIO VGC-V520G TV-PC make up our all-in-one group. The Dell and HP thin-profile machines can mount behind their monitors to form all-in-one PCs. For more details on all of these systems, see our online reviews.
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