MSI extends Wind line to desktops

MSI follows Asus’ strategy and will use the Wind brand name not only for small, lightweight laptops, but also for desktops. The Wind PC has to compete with the Eee Box from Asus.

MSI will be exhibiting the first Wind desktop system at the Computex trade show, which will be held June 3-7 in Taiwan. However, Vr zone already got the first one photos in hands. The Wind PC measures 70 by 215 by 300 mm and the manufacturer equips the system with an Intel Atom CPU that runs at 1.6GHz. MSI combines the 945GC north bridge with the Wind PC with the ICH7 south bridge and the company also supplies the desktop system with 1GB DDR2 533 SO-DIMM memory, which can be expanded by a maximum of 1GB.

Finally, the system also includes a 160GB hard disk, a thin optical drive, an integrated CF card connection, a 4-in-1 card reader and a 7.1-channel HD audio chip. Wifi connectivity and a TV tuner are not included as standard, but can be added as an option. MSI has tried to keep the Wind PC quiet and economical, which according to Vr-zone has resulted in a noise production of less than 30dba and a consumption of about 30W. The operating system of the computer is based on Linux, but it is still unknown whether it is a home-brewed variant, just like the first generation of Eee PCs.