My in-laws wanted a computer to surf the web, e-mail and do some word processing. What a perfect time for me to try one of those Shuttle XPC (since cost was not the leading factor). I am running it stock with a 1Ghz Duron and 10GB hard drive (from personal spare parts) and 512MB of RAM. The install was fairly simple. Once you remove the drive rack everything is right there.
The only issue I had was mixing an old two-sided memory stick with a newer one-sided stick. It would crash during the windows install. I removed the newer stick, installed windows and later added another two-sided stick. Not a crash since. It runs a little hot compared to my fan-filled Antec 1040, but it is very quiet.
These XPC's are really slick and perfect for my in-laws small workspace, especially when combined with a 15" LCD monitor.
The only issue I had was mixing an old two-sided memory stick with a newer one-sided stick. It would crash during the windows install. I removed the newer stick, installed windows and later added another two-sided stick. Not a crash since. It runs a little hot compared to my fan-filled Antec 1040, but it is very quiet.
These XPC's are really slick and perfect for my in-laws small workspace, especially when combined with a 15" LCD monitor.