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Hardware

1.0GHz P3 In A CD-ROM Drive Bay 313

Posted by timothy from the thick-as-a-briq dept.
Migraine Man writes "Similar to the PPC-based Briq, the folks at Stealth Computer have introduced an Intel-based PC that's built into a 5.25" CD-ROM-sized enclosure. It's got a 1.0GHz P3, 256M RAM, 20G HD, 10/100 eth, CD-ROM, USB, FireWire, video, and sound. At USD 995, it's reasonably priced too. You could put three of 'em on a 1U rackmount shelf, or stuff several into a mid-tower and build your own desktop cluster. A summary datasheet is here. Very cool."
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1.0GHz P3 In A CD-ROM Drive Bay More

1.0GHz P3 In A CD-ROM Drive Bay

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    • heat!

      They mention having a "fanless" Celeron-based version, so I betcha that the heat isn't that bad.

      They probably use laptop parts for the most part (SODIMM memory, etc), and as far as I've seen, only laptops with very hot-running CPUs need fans. Even then, the fans are mainly to cool the CPU. So the amount of heat is probably related to the CPU only, and there are ways of dealing with that (e.g. heat pipes).

  • couldn't you do a via eden for $? (Score:5, Informative)

    by draziw ( 7737 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:09PM (#4833611) Journal
    Something like a VIA EPIA EM 6000, for way way less $. (eg: under half the cost). And you would have a system that is Mini-ITX Form Factor, Micro ATX Chassis Compliant. - Not a custom hard to fix type system.

  • Servers (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MattCohn.com ( 555899 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:09PM (#4833614)
    I totaly agree, I think those are very cool. Especialy for servers. Imagine having a stack of 10 dedicated servers you were leasing out in a neat little stack. Only question is... upgradeability? Are these going to be disposable computers, or will one be able to replace parts inside? (CPU/RAM/HD...)

    • Re:Servers (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Golias ( 176380 )
      If you were worried about keeping up with hardware advancement via upgradability, you would not be buying a 1 GHz P-III computer right now, woudja?

    • Re:Servers (Score:2, Interesting)

      by werschi ( 69587 )
      If you like them you will love blade servers [nexcom.com.tw].
      But of course no self respecting server would use 2,5" harddisks, not even in RAID 1 configuration.

  • Heat dissipation? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by JessLeah ( 625838 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:09PM (#4833615)
    What happens if you shove four of these in four consecutive (vertically) 5.25" drive bays? Would they overheat? That might limit the usefulness if you had to space them out... you'd have to buy twice as big a case as physically needed. Maybe if you alternated... P3, coolerunit, P3, coolerunit, P3.... ;)
    • Perhaps the Drivebay fans in this case [supermicro.com] might be of use? :) Plus you can fit 6 of them :).. well, five I guess if you want a CD reader/writer or whatever for the host box
  • Neat idea, but what about cooling?

    A 1Ghz P3 generates quite a lot of heat. Wouldn't stacking them vertically like CD drives overheat them?

  • Wait.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by dirkdidit ( 550955 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:11PM (#4833626) Homepage
    So techincally I could put these in the open 5 1/4" bays in my desktop? And have a self contained beowulf cluster? And enough heat to make the sun seem insignificant? w00t Where do I sign up???
  • It's got a 1.0GHz P3, 256M RAM, 20G HD, 10/100 eth, CD-ROM, USB, FireWire, video, and sound. At USD 995, it's reasonably priced too.

    Kinda like a laptop?

  • Opportunity for Humor... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Quaoar ( 614366 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:12PM (#4833642)
    Someone needs to buy the biggest computer case they can find...fill it with half a dozen fans, neon lights, a see-through panel, colored wiring... ...and then just slap one of these bad boys in the 5.25" bay. Hilarious!

  • What niche (Score:5, Interesting)

    by 1984 ( 56406 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:15PM (#4833659)
    This isn't a troll, but what exactly is the niche? For not a lot more size, but less money, you could have a shoebox PC like a Shuttle SS40. For not a lot more space you could buy a laptop of the same performance, and have screen and keyboard. And you still have to plug all the wires in the back and (by the looks of it) provide top and rear venting, so you can't just pack 'em in a rack like crazy.

    So, serious question: what's the niche? They're cool, yes, but beyond that?

    • Put it in your car (Score:2, Insightful)

      by noitalever ( 150546 )
      With the DVD option, and a some monitor creativity, you have a pretty cool car unit that is a full function computer, add a gps, play mp3's, dvd's, cd's, whatever... and it wouldn't take up a ton of space.

    • Re:What niche (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Here is a niche device [paradyn.org]

    • Re:What niche (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ChronosX ( 18644 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @05:08PM (#4834207)
      Your arguments are sound. The folks at Stealth Computers Corporation appear to agree with you. They aren't going after those markets.

      The webpage [stealthcomputer.com] the Little PC's outlines some targeted markets:
      Applications:

      Digital Signs & New Media Applications
      Kiosks & Public Access Displays
      Information Appliance
      Embedded Systems
      Process Control & Factory Automation
      Mobile Applications, trains planes & autos
      Ideal for any space constrained application

      If you're making a digital sign or a wall mounted kiosk in a mall, you could literally screw this little beast to the back of the unit (or inside) and no one would ever know it's there.

      The size does make all the difference in the world when you want the computer out of sight/out of mind and space is a luxury you don't have.

      It doesn't appear this device was ever meant for home use or a replacement for blade servers.
    • Alright, here's my nonexistent example:
      I have three units INSIDE one standard PC case at a client's site. One unit serves files, one syncs the server to the third unit every hour. If the first one fails I swap the third one into the first's shelf, and plug a new one into the third shelf. As they die every few years they get replaced with new ones with better specs. The server EVOLVES. This is just an example, it can be done with fewer machines or in different ways. You just have to write a few scripts to handle whether the machine is a slave, master, or cloner in the mix.

  • Why the CD ROM? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by melonman ( 608440 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:15PM (#4833662) Journal

    Wouldn't it be about 3 times smaller if it didn't have the CD ROM? Then you could plug in a USB one when you need it, or share one CD between half a dozen units, or whatever.

    • Re:Why the CD ROM? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Alethes ( 533985 )
      According to the datasheet, the "Slim CD-ROM/DVD-ROM, CD-RW" is optional. I don't know if that means you have to pick one of those, however.
    • They really don't add much space. And if you look at the back of the case, it's pretty stacked with connectors - they can't really make it much shorter without getting rid of some of them. On the other hand, it's got an external power supply, which is annoying, though it's probably not very large, since it's only 60 watts.

  • reasonably priced? (Score:2, Interesting)

    by DarkHelmet ( 120004 )
    At USD 995, it's reasonably priced too.

    1.0ghz for $1000? Where do you do your computer shopping? Macy's?

    Maybe it's me, but MORE POWERFUL, not smaller should dictate the expense of computer parts.

    You can put a 286 inside a wristwatch, it doesn't make it worth 5000 USD.

    Just my $.02

    • Re:reasonably priced? (Score:5, Funny)

      by ThogScully ( 589935 ) <neilsd@neilschelly.com> on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:24PM (#4833720) Homepage
      You can put a 286 inside a wristwatch, it doesn't make it worth 5000 USD.

      Imagine a Bluetooth beowulf cluster of these watches from the combined people walking around Times Square at any given moment.
      -N

      • Re:reasonably priced? (Score:2, Informative)

        by Proc6 ( 518858 )
        http://www.earthcam.com/usa/newyork/timessquare/

        If that is accurate at all, you're talking about 200 people or so. The 80286 ran at 25Mhz at the fastest, and did far less per clock cycle than any modern CPU, but giving both the benefit of the doubt. That would be what looks to be about 200 people times 20 Mhz, so 4 Ghz. Impressive. I think a dual Athlon 2000+ is $450 on Pricewatch. :P Sorry, I know you were making a point, but I couldn't help myself.

    • Re:reasonably priced? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by beckett ( 27524 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:33PM (#4833772) Homepage Journal
      miniaturization does carry a price, and people do pay more for small computers [slashdot.org]. This article [msn.com] illustrates the differences between the market that asks for speed, compared to the market that asks for good design.

      this computer is not powerful at all, but how much power would someone need for office chores? this is perfect for the office environment. good for anything that can't have a large bulky computer case lying around.

      I think it's laudable that mfgs. build different designs, especially smaller designs. i think that computers would be way more useful if they were designed for the purpose in mind, rather than simply cramming a hot running processor into the cheapest, ugliest box and calling it a "gaming machine". once people start thinking of computers like appliances rather than "OMG 3ghz box!" then we'll see a dramatic change in the way people use computers.

      Gradually, we'll see people become less concerned about raw speed and more at making computers actually fit your lifestyle, rather than the other way around.
    • Please take that "reasonably priced" comment in-context. You're paying a premium for something that's small. Yes, you can assemble a Flex-ATX system for about half the price, but it's also going to be six times the size. You wouldn't consider a $1500 laptop to be unreasonable, would you? You're paying for portability there, and willing to fork over the extra bucks because it has value to you.
    • For some people, smaller is worth more than more powerful. You are obviously not one of them, so you're not part of their intended market. These things could be used in car stereos easily, for example. Try cramming your $500 commodity-part athlon system in a car dash. Besides, this is actually a very feature-rich offering. Hell, it has firewire, which is more than 90% of PCs out there.

  • This isn't too new of an idea =) (Score:5, Informative)

    by nekdut ( 74793 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:16PM (#4833669) Journal
    The Cappucino TX-3 has had similar or even better specs for quite a while now, and its pretty similar in size:

    -Intel 815 motherboard
    -1.2 Ghz Intel Pentium III processor
    -512MB 144-pin PC133 RAM
    -30 GB internal hard drive
    -Your choice of 24x CD-ROM, 8x DVD-ROM, or 8x/8x/24x/8x DVD/CD-RW combo drive
    -Built-in 10/100 base-T ethernet (RJ45)
    -Internal 56K V.90 modem
    -Four USB ports (USB 1.1)
    -Two FireWire ports (IEEE 1394)
    -No operating system installed.
    -All standard I/O ports built-in
    -Dimensions: 6" x 5.75" x 2.25"
    -Manufacturer Warranty: 1 year

    Also, CappucinoPC have the Mocha P4 machine which is slightly bigger and has specs rivaling current fully loaded computers.

    Check out these links:

    Cappucino TX-3 at Thinkgeek [thinkgeek.com]
    Mocha P4 at Cappucinopc.com [cappuccinopc.com]
    A review of what appears to be the Mocha at Tomshardware [tomshardware.com]

  • Honestly, this is really, really impressive. I can't even visualize how one would fit the cdrom tray, cpu, chipset and hard drive in a box that small, even using mobile componants on custom boards. And don't forget the heatsinks needed for a fanless sealed design like this.

    Yes, very impressive indeed.

    -Chris
    • Look carefully at the dimensions listed on the website (10" x 5.7" x 1.6") -- This thing is compact, but its not *that* small.

      The Cappuccino TX-3 mentioned in an earlier post is (6" x 5.75" x 2.25") by comparisson, which, while only .65" taller, is a whopping 4" shorter (ie. more parts are stacked vertically in the Cappuccino versus laid out horizontally in the LittlePC).

      I've been looking for a small PC for an automotive application, and since it doesn't specifically have to fit inside a PC drive slot, I would buy a TX-3 over the LittlePC anyday.


  • Slashvertisment? (Score:5, Funny)

    by I Am The Owl ( 531076 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:19PM (#4833684) Homepage Journal
    All you're missing are links to this product as seen on ThinkGeek.
    • Actually, I stumbled across this product while looking for a 1U rack-mountable chassis. I checked the date on the PDF file, and searched /. looking for previous posts. Finding none, I wrote the story. My company has an application for something like this, and we're probably going to purchase a few. I hadn't heard of this product until today. We'd seen the Briq a while ago, liked it, but couldn't use the PPC architecture.
  • Everybody is saying how a nice "beowulf" cluster of these could be made in say... a full tower, but what you're missing is that all the IO ports are on the back, this may be more practical as a standalone system...

    You would need another open bay just to run all the I/O wires! That, coupled with the fact that a vent seems to be places on the top makes this seem to be a "PC the size of a cd-rom drive bay" rather than a "PC that goes into a cd-rom drive bay"

    Also there seems to be no place for mounting rails, but that can be solved with a little krazy glue or duck tape :)

  • One for my car, please (Score:5, Interesting)

    by whterbt ( 211035 ) <m6d07iv02@sneakemail.com> on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:29PM (#4833753)

    This would be a great thing to install in your dashboard. You could have a self-contained computer that works as a GPS moving map (connect the GPS antenna to the USB port), CD/DVD player, MP3 player, game system, wireless internet, and so forth. You'd just need to pick up an LCD screen to go with it.

    Not that I'm advocating people typing email messages or playing UT while driving -- they're distracted enough as it is. But this would be great for the passengers, especially on road trips!

    • I agree - my car is definitely a place I'd see a great deal of usage from a computer. Certainly, there are going to be stupid people who can't drive well enough to begin with browsing the web while driving if this becomes popular, but you can never avoid stupid people doing the stupidest things.

      While browsing the web while driving may be a bad idea, the multimedia possibilities for this are great.
      -N

    • A good friend of mine wasn't 'leet enough to have a full PC, but he did have an LCD screen, DVD Player and Gamecube in his front seat. We used to play Smash Brothers and Monkey Ball in drive thrus and in Chicago traffic. Being able to do something fun while the employees at Steak & Shake take their sweet time is so damn great. He used to watch movies on the interstate, but I can't recommend that.

      -B
    • When the Eden first came out, that's EXACTLY what I did.

      EPIA 800 MHz. 5.6" LCD screen (TV resolution, but who cares?) 4GB IBM Travelstar. DVD Drive. GPS. MP3. Wireless/Wired network. 7" acrylic cube case. Built in mouse, infrared remote, flexible/indestructible keyboard.

      Then I drove to Peoria Illinois on July 17, and back on July 22. Anyone else who was in Peoria that weekend give me a shout cause I got MCL. It's about a 16 hour drive for me. The passengers loved it, I loved it. Never bored.

      The only thing I've used it for since is to show some friends some music videos I downloaded off the net at concerts.

      Now, I don't consider it exactly wasted because the computer itself is portable, and very convenient as a portable DVD player as well as computing device. And the LCD is mostly portable. One bolt and it's out of the car. And I've got a tripod I can screw it onto, and a 12V power supply. Since I do digital mixing live for parties, it's been a great help. No more dragging around a huge monitor everywhere.

      Point being, it hasn't been used in my car except on a roadtrip. The week after I built it when I was still all excited about it. There are two primary issues:

      1. It's not permanently wired. It takes some work to wire it in. And I don't always have the time to wire it in when I bring it out from my house or a gig or a friend's house or whatever. I plan on fixing that with a cradle. I only use about 20 wires when it's in the car (mouse+keyboard+gps = 5-wire USB port, video = 2-wire RCA, audio out = 3-wire stereo headphone jack, infrared = 9-wire RS232, power = 2-wire DC), and I'm basically just gonna hook all those up to a centronics connector and that should solve that problem.

      2. Usability. It's not incredibly useable. First off, it's not instant on which is a problem. I can mostly fix that, but not all the way. The user input isn't unified. You use a combination of mouse and IR remote commands to control everything. The main problem there is I have a few different pieces of software. Hopefully Windows Media Player 9 will get slightly better support for DVD and I can use that. Then all I gotta do is get a better remote. My IR software is learning, so it works with any remote. I just gotta get one with all the buttons I need. Easier said than done, and if you're a computer or remote control manufacturer and you want my advice, feel free to contact me with regard to this. The short is I'm gonna ditch the Windows Explorer interface and use Windows Media Player as the primary interface to interact with the computer, and wire that up to be controlled in toto by a remote control.

      So, if you're planning on building a car computer make sure that those two issues are covered. BTW, a keyboard on the dash doesn't work so don't even think about it. My only other advice is install a seperate lighter socket for it if you're gonna power it off that and not permanently wire it in. Whether you wire it in or not, put in a relay. You want that power off when the car is off. Even in standby mode (computer Instant-Off, LCD in standby) it sucks down a battery in a couple hours without the alternator on. Hard drives are cheap. Car batteries/electrical systems are not. Plus, your car will run without a hard drive. It won't run without a battery.

  • barebones version (Score:5, Informative)

    by narada ( 187367 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:31PM (#4833761)
    You can get the barebones version of this computer from caseoutlet (http://www.caseoutlet.com/NWPc/Sumi/Sumi.html) for significantly less (about $330 to be specific). it you put a via c3, which can be passively cooled, you have a ultra small, super silent puter. of course, you'd probably be better off getting one of the new via epia m mother boards and putting it in a custom case; it end up being about the same size, cost less, and offer more (usb 2.0, tv out, etc).

  • Imagine. (Score:2, Funny)

    by halftrack ( 454203 )
    Try imagining _not_ imagining a beowolf cluster of these.
  • Looking at the picture there's a big cooling vent on the top. Putting it on a 1U rackmount shelf with another shelf directly above it would kill the airflow and probably melt the thing down. Other than that, cute idea. They really should have put the fan in the back, using a cooler-running (slower) CPU if need be. Oh well.
  • so when will i be able to put this inside my case, and then a smaller pc inside it and... ow, my brain.
  • Oh, I get it. That means $995, doesn't it? Maybe I'm behind the times, but I glazed over the "USD 995" part of the article as if it had no meaning other than maybe a part number or something. I'm not trying to flame here, but I would have saved several minutes of my life if the article had said $995 or US $995 or $995 (US). Instead, I sat there going "This is cool, but I wonder what it costs."

    • Re:USD 995 (Score:2, Informative)

      by KieranElby ( 315360 )
      Tsk. Haven't you heard? We're all using ISO 4217 nowadays.

      Seriously though, the article makes no mention of where Stealth Computers are based, so that $995 could (with varying degrees of credulity) have been Australian, Canadian or Tuvalu Dollars.
  • 1.0GHz P3....built into a 5.25" CD-ROM-sized enclosure....Very cool.
    I think not. Im guessing at that size its going to get quite warm very quickly

  • six words (Score:2, Funny)

    by dermusikman ( 540176 )
    Beowulf cluster in a server case!

  • Perfect HTPC! (Score:3, Interesting)

    by essell ( 446524 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @03:50PM (#4833857)
    When I saw the pictures of this tiny little unit, I thought one thing: HTPC (That's Home Theater PC).

    It would be especially nice to fit these units with a DVD-Rom to make a compact home-brew DVD/PVR/Photo/Video Jukebox. Especially considering your video input options for the PVR portion: DV/Firewire, USB capture device... whatever.

  • hmmmm (Score:2, Funny)

    by Vilim ( 615798 )
    so what is the melting point of siicon?
  • Let's see-- I've got 5 drive bays and 6 PCI slots. With PCI blade computers and these new puppies, I could theoretically have 12 (counting the normal one) computers in one case. Does this seem like overkill to anyone? Sure they're fun, but what are they for?

  • TV inn/out? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by PsychoKiller ( 20824 ) on Saturday December 07, 2002 @04:11PM (#4833938) Homepage
    This doesn't have TV out, which would be nice for making a PVR box. Are there any USB TV in/out adapters (supported in Linux, natch) that could be used with this thing?
    • First of all, this kind of machine is going to use a much wimpier video display than a PVR wants, because it doesn't need anything really fancy. It you're adding TV handling, you want a higher-end video card, so you probably should go with a small-form-factor box that's got an AGP slot (unless you can find what you want in PCI).

      Besides, if you're doing a PVR box, you want a much disk capacity as you can get away with, and you won't get that on laptop drives. Sure, you can probably get 40GB by now, but you'd be a lot better off with a box that's 3-4 times as large that can hold removable drives (e.g. the 3.5" 120-200GB drive in 5.25" form factor drawers, and you'll need enough power supply to drive the disks. If you really wanted to put one of these things in a 3-disk case, I suppose you could, but you should be able to find better form factors.

  • SUMICOM [caseoutlet.com]

    Super Mini computer barebone system . Features:

    * Super mini size 5.7" x 1.6" x 10"(WxHxD).
    * Accept PIII & Celeron Processor(Optional).
    * Ultra light extruded Aluminum body.
    * Two standard slim device space for Notebook
    CD-ROM & 2.5" 9MM HDD(Optional).
    * Heatsink/fan for CPU(included).

  • imac wannabe (Score:2, Insightful)

    by sickmtbnutcase ( 608308 )
    Now all we need is a 15" or 17" flat-panel with a spot in its base for this little sucker to slide into and...tada...something like an imac. I could see some companies maybe wanting something like this: Low power consumption and if the monitor fails, you can just slap the pc into the base of a new monitor. Or easy monitor upgrades...harder to do that with an imac.


  • If Moore's law keeps on going strong, I should be able to have rudimentary AI in my RealDoll [realdoll.com] by 2012 thanks to innovations like this!

    • If Moore's law keeps on going strong, I should be able to have rudimentary AI in my RealDoll [realdoll.com] by 2012 thanks to innovations like this!


      I'm not sure you want it able to go shopping on the internet while you're making use of its "peripherals."

  • Nice but.. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by grub ( 11606 ) <slashdot@grub.net> on Saturday December 07, 2002 @04:22PM (#4834017) Homepage Journal

    As nice as these small units are, I'd like to see some wee machines built that stick in dual processors and a couple of 10/100/1000 NICs. No fancy 3D video, no firewire. Just beef to cluster together.
  • I could get one of these, a 15" flat panel screen, keyboard and mouse, and be more comfortable, and it could all fit in my laptop case. Don't get me wrong, I like my laptop, as laptops go. I haul a full-sized USB keyboard around sometimes since I type better with it. I just think this may be a better set-up.
  • I can see the usefulness of this device, but it's price performace ratio is not quite what I want.

    I would love to have something about this size, with USB, two 100mb ethernet ports, netboot in prom, 128 to 512 megs of RAM, a gig of hard drive and about the performance of a 300 MHz PIII. A G3 would be nice for the power requirements. That's it. It seems like you could do it cheaply.

    Anyone know of something like this??

  • ...In my day, they were called drive bays, as in floppy drive bays. :-)

  • Wow! (Score:2, Funny)

    by DarthWing ( 632088 )
    Now THAT'S what I call a cupholder! (ducks)

  • Look at the power input it takes. This is not intended to go inside another PC.

    It has a 12VDC minijack, and includes an AC adapter. If you managed to fit it into your computer (I was thinking it would be a cool device to have in my Mac) despite the lack of rails to attach it with, and managed to deal with the cooling issues despite it needing airflow above it, then you'd have to run a cable bearing power from the inside of your PC to the outside. In short, suck.

    This is a small PC, not a "stick it in your PC" PC. Compare it to the SparcPlug, the old Sparc 20-conforming 5 1/4" full-height system that was actually designed to stick in your PC.

    Something like that would be great, but only for a very limited audience - the companies that have done this sort of thing in the past have had to kill them, or go under. The form factor that seems to work is processor-on-a-PCI card, like the SUNPCi card or TotalImpact's quad-G3 PCI card (which I think is gone now, although their briQ is heavily resold by Terrasoft - but you'll note that the briQ does not fit in another computer!).

    • Sorry, the briQ does fit in another computer- same as a CD-ROM drive, like folks are saying they want from this one, and it can get power from the internal power supply.

      It doesn't have all the stuff this one has- GHz processor, optical drive, firewire, etc.- but it does have a VF display on the front, and its power requirements are much lower.

  • This thing is nifty but hard to stick in a standard case judging by the power connector. Looks like some adapter needs to be made to connect it to a standard ATX power supply. Otherwise you'd have to run the little transformer block outside the case if you wanted to stick this in a standard case.

    Of course you could just put a power strip inside the case since you'd have all kinds of room if you didn't install a motherboard but that isn't an ideal solution.
  • ahh yes, the "CD-Rom drive bay" ... or sometimes known as a "5.25 inch expansion bay", or "5.25 inch floppy bay", or even better, a "half-height drive bay" ...

  • I'm sorry, but the idea that you want to make a cluster with duplicate firewire and other ports, not to mention the waste of extra drives, is pretty silly from a cost basis.

    This is cute, but way too expensive if you're serious about clustering. Unless you really really have space issues in your rack, you can buy stripped 1G P3 machines for cheap and use those instead.

    If you're clustering and you do have space issues, the optimal configuration for each unit would be to have only two connectors: power and a very high speed data bus. (One connector, if you can put power on the bus without there being surge issues for a stack :) ) Also, a processor with high internal cache makes more sense than one with less caching and more "system" memory, since pretty much all transactions should stay on the data bus.

  • Stackability (Score:2, Interesting)

    by cemysce ( 622241 )
    It's probably not a good idea to stack these. If you look at the pictures, the CPU fan's ventilation holes are on top, so stacking these would cover those holes. You may be able to stack the Celeron models, though.

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