In terms of home theater PCs , size matters — and it doesn’t get an excessive amount of smaller than Sapphire’s original Edge HD mini PC, pictured above. In truth, Sapphire saw no reason to fiddle with the Edge’s diminutive form factor when designing the HD2, and instead poured itself into improving the HTPC’s specs. Not just is the updated mini-rig sufficiently small to mount behind your HDTV, however it also packs a 1.8GHz dual-core Intel Atom , 2GB RAM, and a 320GB harddrive. All this (and 1080p VGA / HDMI out, for sure) at 30W, “20 times less power than an ordinary desktop PC,” in accordance with Sapphire. No word on price (or pics, for that matter), but be at liberty to leap past the break for an official press release with full specifications.
Building at the success of its first Mini PC, hailed because the smallest PC on earth, SAPPHIRE Technology – the sector leading manufacturer and supplier of PC graphics cards and mainboards has just introduced a brand new model – the SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2. The SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 shares a similar slim, stylish outline because the earlier model but delivers slightly higher performance and is now also available with a pre-loaded operating system. At under half a litre in volume, it’s slimmer and smaller than most wireless access points – in actual fact round the size of a paperback book! Its stylish design and easy pedestal mount make it equally at home next to a TV or business monitor whilst occupying the minimum of desk or shelf space.
Responding to customer demand, the recent SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 is offered optionally pre-loaded with Windows 7 Ultimate Edition, and this version is obtainable with a VESA compatible mount to permit it to be unobtrusively fitted behind a monitor or TV.
Despite its small size, the SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 is a completely featured PC for home, education or business use. Specifications include a second generation 1.8GHz dual core processor, 2GB of DDR3 memory, a 320GB hard disk drive and inbuilt wireless connectivity in addition to high speed LAN port and 4 USB ports. It provides high resolution graphics output with a whole HD (1920×1080) HDMI interface (with an HDMI cable and HDMI-DVI adapter also supplied) in addition to a VGA monitor output and it has built-in audio with mic-in and line-out sockets. All of this makes it greater than able to handling daily Office tasks in addition to streaming video or browsing the web.
The SAPPHIRE Mini PC family is a top scorer in power efficiency. Consuming lower than 30W even under load, the members of the SAPPHIRE Mini PC family use around 10 times less power than a standard desktop PC – and no more than most notebooks – making it one of the vital Greenest PC solutions available. Power and space savings alone can justify switching to the Mini PC for most businesses*.
The SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 Mini PC is perfect for integration into an office or education environment. The tip user or system integrator has a free selection of keyboard or mouse, which are either wireless or USB connected.
The recent SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 is optionally supplied pre-installed with Windows 7 Ultimate edition, or pre-loaded with FREE DOS, ready for the reseller or end user to put in the well-liked collection of operating system. All appropriate drivers are supplied on CD.
SAPPHIRE EDGE-HD2 Specifications:
CPU: Intel Atom D525 1.8GHz with 1 MB Cache
RAM: 2 GB DDR3-800 MHz
Storage: 2.5” SATA 320GB HDD
Graphics: nVidia ION2 with 512MB RAM
LAN: Built-in Ethernet supporting 10/100/1000 Mbps
WIFI: Built-in WIFI supporting IEEE 802.11 b/g/n
I/O: VGA x1, HDMI x1, RJ45x 1, 4 x USB 2.0 Ports, Audio-In x1, Line Out x1
Power: AC 100~240V 50/60Hz,19v~3.42A 65W
Dimensions: 19.3(L) X 14.8(W) X 2.2(H) cm
Weight: 530g
Operating System: Optional Pre-installed Windows 7 or FREE DOS
NPD: Apple grabs over 1 / 4 of the mobile PC business in Q4 2011 (including iPads), HP tops with laptops
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