The desktop computer has typically come in two sizes: medium and large. There were a few attempts to make a smaller or less obtrusive box, but none of them gained much popularity, especially among business users. For most office workers, the standard PC has been the midsize tower in squared-off beige-painted metal.
Suddenly, there are viable alternatives that are much smaller. I'll discuss three small-footprint PCs I've used: Compaq's iPaq, Hewlett-Packard's e-Vectra and IBM's NetVista line. Before getting to specifics, however, consider what these units have in common.
They are much smaller than the usual tower. They come in plastic cases molded in two-tone shades of black and blue (is there a subliminal message here?). Everything that can be made part of the motherboard is, including graphics, sound, and network connections.
They come in two forms -- the one called legacy-free lacks any of the ports and connectors that used to be considered standard. What's missing? Serial and parallel ports, mouse and keyboard connectors, expansion slots and multiple drive bays. Instead, there are typically several Universal Serial Bus ports, plus network and monitor connections. They have 500- to 700-MHz processors, 64MB of RAM and good-size hard drives. They're inexpensive -- starting around $600 without a monitor. And they've all been designed for Windows 2000, though some are available with Windows 98 or Windows Me.
These machines can be smaller, in part, because they have been designed using some components that were originally designed for laptops. But because they don't have the severe space and weight restrictions of portables, they can afford to use larger, heavier, previous-generation components that are relatively cheap. Price is another driving force for eliminating the older peripheral connections.
It's iimportant to say that these are business machines, not home computers. They're designed for easy management and maintenance. All make it easy to replace memory or hard drive quickly and without tools. All are designed to be connected to a network and managed by a server, though they aren't thin clients in the traditional sense.
An overall view
These are remarkably good machines for the money. Each is, in its slowest incarnation, faster than any computer that I regularly use at this time. And because I haven't felt particularly held back by the processing power of my 400-MHz laptop or 433-MHz Celeron desktop -- both of which cost at least triple or quadruple what these machines run -- it follows that any of these machines would suit most of my needs at the office. What they lack, primarily, is expandability and flexibility. But for the price, they can almost be considered disposable items (albeit probably not by the IRS).
iPaq
Compaq Computer Corp.
www.Compaq.com/ipaq
Starts at $499
500-MHz Intel Celeron with 64MB synchronous dynamic RAM, a 4.3GB hard drive, Windows 2000 and integrated Fast Ethernet.
The iPaq is easily the most memorable of this trio, combining the most exuberant shape with the lowest price. The CD-ROM drive isn't standard, which may be a welcome feature for information technology managers who want to really control what software users can load on their machines. But one of Compaq's current laptop drives - a CD-ROM, DVD, CD-RW, LS-120 SuperDisk or floppy - can be added in the built-in, lockable bay. Like HP's e-Vectra, the whole machine can be locked down physically. Its vertical orientation means it has to sit next to your monitor, like the IBM machine.
e-Vectra
Hewlett-Packard Co.
www.hp.com/
Starts at $879
566-MHz Intel Celeron with 128MB SDRAM, an 8.4GB hard drive, a CD-ROM, a 3Com integrated LAN and Windows 2000.
This is physically the smallest of the group, and it can be oriented either vertically or horizontally. Designed with soft curves on the case, it tucks away unobtrusively almost anywhere on your desk and can be used horizontally or vertically. I found the case to be a little more awkward to open than that of the iPaq, but it offered the same easy access and is available with or without "legacy" ports. I found that using this horizontally simplifies access to the CD-ROM drive as compared with the iPaq or NetVista S40.
NetVista S40 Legacy-Free
IBM
www.ibm.com/
Starts at $699
Intel Pentium III or 500-MHz Celeron with 64MB SDRAM, an 8.4GB hard drive, two low-profile Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) slots and Windows 2000.
IBM's entry is quite similar to the others but with a more no- nonsense-looking case that also offers two half-height PCI slots. Some models have smart-card-based security, and there's an attachable cradle for a Palm personal digital assistant. Like the e-Vectra, this can be positioned horizontally, but it seems primarily designed for a vertical configuration. This is bulkier than the HP machine but not as intrusive on your desk as the iPaq. Whether that's an advantage is up to you.
