Dell launches its smallest desktop PC yet
Dell Computer Corp. launched Monday what it says is its smallest desktop computer yet. The OptiPlex SX260 is 50 percent smaller by volume than the company's current OptiPlex machines and comes with an LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor.
The machines, which were launched in Tokyo by Michael Dell but will go on sale worldwide, are designed to take up less space on the desk than current computers and can be placed either horizontally or vertically, said the company. Roughly square in shape measuring 24.7 centimeters by 24.1 centimeters and 8.5 centimeters thick, they weigh 3.5 kilograms.
Continuing with the space-saving theme, an optional LCD (liquid crystal display) monitor is available with a companion bracket that acts as the monitor stand and does double duty as a stand for the main PC, meaning the two take up even less desk space.
Part of the size reduction in the PCs has come about from taking out features like PCI or AGP slots, which means users won't be able to connect their own graphics boards or other add-in cards such as SCSI adapters. Dell has chosen Intel's 845G chipset which includes integrated graphics.
There is also no floppy disk drive as standard but the machines are the first OptiPlex line models that support booting from USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory keys. Dell said it plans to launch such a device in November and that it expects the higher reliability and storage capacity to make such modules more popular than floppy disks for booting machines.
Should users want a floppy drive, the computer's hot-swappable media bay accepts the same modules as Dell's Latitude C range of notebook computers.
Users have the choice of a Intel Corp. Pentium 4 or Celeron processor and up to 2G bytes of DDR (double data rate) SDRAM (synchronous dynamic RAM). Other technical features include six USB 2.0 ports (two front and four rear), integrated AC97 audio and integrated Intel Extreme graphics support.
The cheapest OptiPlex SX260 costs US$599 but a typical system will come nearer to $1,499. Such a machine includes an Intel Pentium 4 processor running at 2GHz, 256M bytes of DDR SDRAM, 20G-byte hard disk drive, 24X CD-ROM drive, Intel Gigabit Ethernet networking adapter and a 15-inch LCD monitor.
ITworld.com
Symantec Backup Exec 12 and Backup Exec System Recovery 8 deliver industry leading Windows data protection and system recovery. Download this whitepaper to find out the top reasons to upgrade and how to get continuous data protection and complete system recovery.
Data and system loss — from a hard drive failure, malicious attack, natural disaster, or simple human error — can happen anytime. Don’t leave your business vulnerable. Make sure you have a secure recovery strategy in place. Symantec's latest backup and system recovery technology can efficiently restore critical applications, individual emails and documents and even restore your entire system in minutes in the event of a loss.
Businesses face a growing challenge to ensure that the IT environment is properly protected. Backup Exec 12 integrates with other applications in the Symantec family of products, to complement your current data protection strategy, keep your data securely backed up and make it recoverable when you need it most.
