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The words "quiet" and "small" usually aren't associated with desktop PCs, but a new desktop system from AOpen weighs less than many notebook PCs and promises never to drown out a movie or video game.

The AOpen XC Cube Mini MZ855-II is the latest small desktop from AOpen, a Taipei-based PC company that manufactures PCs for larger vendors and also sells systems under its own brand name. It uses Intel's Pentium M processor, normally found in notebook PCs, to power a desktop system that operates at a fraction of the size and noise specifications of most desktop PCs. PC World reviewed an earlier AOpen system based on the Pentium M, the EY855-II XC Cube, which came with a 1.7-GHz Pentium M, AOpen's i855GMEm-LFS board, 512MB of RAM, an 80GB hard disk, and integrated graphics.

With the latest generation of Pentium 4 desktop processors from Intel capable of consuming up to 115 watts of power during peak operation, sophisticated and often noisy cooling fans are needed to prevent the inside of the PC from melting into an expensive pile of sludge. The noise from those cooling fans is hard to avoid, especially if the PC is being used to replay a video or to work in a quiet office. Advanced Micro Devices' Athlon 64 desktop chips are a little cooler but can still reach peak power consumption levels of up to 89 watts while processing demanding applications.

Intel's Pentium M processor, however, consumes only 27 watts during peak operation and still delivers performance comparable to that of the Pentium 4 processors. Intel is eventually expected to make a derivative of the Pentium M the centerpiece of its processor architecture for desktop, notebook, and server chips, due to its power-friendly design.

For now, PC users looking for an inexpensive yet quiet unit can take advantage of the Pentium M's performance in systems such as AOpen's XC Cube Mini. It measures 7.75 inches wide by 4.25 inches high by 12.75 inches long and weighs about 4 pounds. The noise produced by the XC Cube Mini will not exceed 27 decibels, even when the system is working on demanding applications, says Al Peng, senior director of AOpen's Business Integration Division.

Tiny Cube Specs

The XC Cube Mini is half the size of the other Pentium M-based Cube desktops in AOpen's product line, Peng says. It uses Intel's 855GME chip set, which features integrated graphics technology, he says.

AOpen is selling a bare-bones version of the XC Cube Mini for $449 that comes without much of a PC's basic hardware. The idea is that a PC enthusiast could purchase a Pentium M processor, hard drive, and memory chips at retail and install them into the system on their own, an AOpen spokeswoman says. The stripped-down system does include a motherboard and a choice of optical drives.

Complete systems for less-confident PC buyers will also be available, the AOpen spokeswoman says. Pricing and configuration information was not immediately available.

AOpen and other PC companies such as Shuttle have been selling so-called small form factor desktop PCs for some time.

Earlier this year, Apple Computer unveiled the Mac Mini, a pint-size desktop PC that sells for $499. The Mac Mini is 6.5 inches square, according to Apple's Web site. It features the basic computing components, such as a processor and a hard drive, but does not ship with a monitor or keyboard for that price.