5. Conclusions

If you haven't already done so, click on one of the links below to see performance charts for and pictures of the four mini PC systems in this review.

slide shows:
PC Alchemy Mini M1B HTPC
PC Alchemy Mini M2B and Winbook Jiv HTPCs
Shuttle XPC X100
Performance Charts

We didn't really design this review as a head-to-head competition so that a winner could emerge; instead we set out to survey available mini PC systems that could serve as usable Media Center PCs. That said we certainly uncovered a clear winner as we worked through comparisons across all four of these systems. Let's review:

Though the Shuttle unit costs $999 (base price; $1229 to match the WinBook Jiv, except for CPU), it came equipped only with a T2050 processor (1.6 GHz). Thus, though it sported a bigger, faster hard disk drive than any of the other units we reviewed, we didn't find that its performance lived up to the edge that this more capable hardware should have delivered were there more CPU power to burn. Adding a T2400 raises the system price by $125, a T2500 by $150, which would even things up but would also bring total system cost to $1,354 (T2400) or $1,379 (T2500). The only rays of sunshine among those results come from the capable ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics chipset included with the system and the XPC 100's more capacious internal hard disk (storage, and still more storage, is invariably a must on most Media Center PCs, where audio and video recordings tend to accumulate in great profusion).

Though better 3D performance isn't essential on a Media Center PC, it is nice for those who do like to play the occasional game or who want to run more demanding graphics applications on their machines as well as to provide media playback services. But given the price to power ratio for this system, we'd rate the Shuttle unit as delivering enough less bang for the bucks it costs as compared to its counterparts to slide it to the bottom of our rankings. Also, as small as the XPC 100 is, it is the biggest and heaviest of our bunch of mini PCs, and uses the largest power brick as well. In fact, its volume is 207.85 cubic inches, whereas the M1B comes in at only 84.5 inches^3 and the WinBook Jiv and M2B units at just over 122 in3.

The WinBook Jiv and the PC Alchemy M2B practically tied for second place. Nevertheless, we give a slight edge to the M2B because of its slightly more generous bundle of hardware and software components. For $70 more, the M2B also offers a T2400 and faster memory (PC-4200 DDR2 on the Jiv, PC-5400 DDR2 on the M2B) to slightly one-up the Jiv Mini's core components. That said, careful shopping for a good deal on the WinBook could easily turn these tables. We couldn't find any discounts on it just yet, but the unit's been for sale for only a short time, and most "real deals" tend to emerge later in the product life cycle. But while demand for mini PCs remains high and their novelty value great, we believe such deals will be fleeting and hard to find. This lets the PC Alchemy unit squeak just barely ahead in the rankings.

The winning unit in this field of candidates is the PC Alchemy M1B Mini Media Center PC. With an absolutely tiny footprint, and a great combination of built-in and bundled components and capabilities, this unit looks ready to slide into entertainment centers all over the place. With at least decent performance characteristics (if not typically better than that, as our scoring shows) and lacking only wireless networking, Bluetooth capabilities, and an HDTV tuner out of the box to be as fully equipped as one might wish, this unit offers a great combination of small size and capable power. In fact, when combined with an external USB hard drive of 300 GB or larger, it occupies only slightly more volume than does the WinBook Jiv or M2B (when combined with our Acomdata 300 GB USB drive, the total volume for both units is only 139 in3, or just 17 in3 more than the Jiv or M2B case). The tiny powered, four-port USB hub and the equally small IR transceiver make it easy to use and expand on, and offer a great value for the $1,200 discounted price currently available from PC Alchemy.

Those less entranced by "small is beautiful" than your humble reviewers might be more inclined toward the M2B or the WinBook Jiv Mini. In that case, we can't fault our readers for that preference, even though ours award top honors to the unit that does the most with the least (or at least, in the smallest volume).