ASUS Via C3 budget box
Forum: Hardware Talk
Topic: ASUS Via C3 budget box
started by: dougz
Posted by dougz on May 14 2006,20:51
Noticed this box in a thread on < Silent PC Review > Features: VIA C3 800MHz, mobo w/ 1 PCI, case w/ 4 drive bays, 165 W PSU. On-board VIA UniChrome 2D/3D & audio. Sockets for 2 184-pin DDR DIMMS. Case is only 7.1" x 10.8" x 11.8".
User reviews on Newegg indicate that it runs quite a number of Linux distros (including Knoppix) and can boot USB pen drives. Yes, there is USB 2.0. Uses well-supported VIA CLE266 northbridge & VT8237_CD southbridge.
User reviews praise the reliability & quiet. Best part is the price. US$103 (plus shipping) includes processor, mobo with video/audio/etc., case, PSU, CDROM, and floppy. Add memory, HD (if desired, ATA/SATA), KB, mouse, display.
Seems like a natural for DSL fans. Cheap, quiet, appropriate. Anyone have any experience with it?
< Newegg product page with user reviews >
< Manufacturer's overview >
< Manual >
No, I really don't work for Newegg or Asus...
Posted by kerry on May 14 2006,21:35
Not bad. But i'm in hawaii(HI) it say's it don't ship here 
Posted by dougz on May 15 2006,00:05
| Quote |
| Not bad. But i'm in hawaii(HI) it say's it don't ship here |
Good news & bad news. They do indeed ship to Hawaii, just not 3-day for $10.99. I added one to the cart, plugged in Zip Code 96701 and the cheapest shipping is $44.05.
I guess that is part of the price for living in paradise.
Posted by kerry on May 15 2006,01:21
Yeah everything cost's to much! 
I usally just ask friends and family to grab the things i want when they go for vaction and bring it back as carry on. I got mom bringing me back a targus dual mode mouse this weekend from fry's. If i ordered it it wolud cost over a hundred dollars, But it just cost me $25.00 from the store and mom brings it back for free. 
It so wierd they don't even have that mouse anywhere in hawaii.
Posted by humpty on May 18 2006,16:52
Surprised to see it with a cpu fan (it shouldn't need one).There's a nice review of the Via C3 here;
< http://www.dansdata.com/c3.htm >
"If you want quiet, though, the C3's the only no-tinkering way to get it. Water cooling and lagging the case panels and building your PC in a fridge and so on are all valid alternative computer-silencing strategies, but the C3 Just Works with a passive sink of unremarkable proportions."
Posted by dougz on May 21 2006,16:17
| Quote |
| Surprised to see it with a cpu fan (it shouldn't need one). |
Lots of 800 MHz C3s came with fans. Tradeoff was enormous (expensive, too big) heatsink or cheap heatsink/cheap & noisy fan. < LinITX page > < SPCR page >
| Quote |
| The Eden is also guaranteed to run without a fan while the C3 is not. < Fanless not guaranteed > |
As is so often the case, "it all depends..."
For only 14 watts, one can get a 1.4 GHz processor for AMD Socket A. Same chipsets used as with AMD Athlon cpus (e.g., KM266 Pro+ VT8235).
Large Socket A heatsinks may well allow fanless. Certainly, one could achieve lower noise than C3 fans by use of undervolted 80mm fans on Socket A cooler. < CPU Overview > < CPU specs > < CPU & Micro-ATX mobo for US$85 >
Via has always been kind of half-hearted in supporting C3/C7 and Mini-itx/Nano-itx for consumer & hobby use. Promises made, unmet, etc, etc, etc. Driver issues for Linux.
AMD, OTOH, never bothered offering Geodes for consumer/hobbyist. Doesn't mean we shouldn't use them. I've even seen them on mini-itx.
I think the Geode probably offers the best performance/watt in low power, low cost CPUs. I don't think the Vias can touch them.
Add US$25 256 MB DDR memory, salvaged Socket A heatsink/fan & ATX/micro-ATX case and one would have a pretty nice US$110 DSL pendrive machine. If one had to buy case & HSF, add US$40.
Needless to say, DSL & DSL-N would be extremely fast on a Geode. Substantially faster than on a C3.