Clearly, MSI™ opts for the look of a modern compact system. The light metal aluminum dominates among the MSI™ MEGA PC, which is a significantly lower overall weight compared to the hulking PCs from discount warehouses.

If you want to use your mini-PC additionally as an audio system, you'd be best served by the MSI™ model: there is a factory-equipped stereo radio with a display at the front. As an optional feature, a CD/ DVD drive can be ordered, which reproduces normal music and MP3-coded CDs and DVDs - without powering on the PC.

The MSI™ Mega PC is a mini-PC in audio-system design.

The chic barebone system from MSI™ is barely recognizable as a PC.

A view of the connections on the back.

Good workmanship on the MSI Mega PC.

Feed system for card reader

There is a cubical antenna for radio reception.

The remote control unit for the multimedia center in Windows XP and cover panels.

Audio CD/ DVDs can also be played without starting the computer, but only with a drive from MSI™.

Of all the competitors, the MSI™ Mega PC looks most like an audio system at first glance. A large display on the front combined with a rotation controller and the aluminum housing are more reminiscent of a compact system. MSI™ has actually integrated a stereo radio that also works when the PC is switched off. The below-average reception quality (high noise component) can be explained by the cubical antenna that comes with the product. The optional CD/ DVD drive is interesting, allowing normal music and MP3-coded CD/ DVDs to be played without having to start the PC. Overall, the barebone system is convincing, with very good workmanship. MSI™ also supplies a special model for effective CPU cooling.

Brilliant Performance in Test Competition.

OpenGL-Performance "Quake 3 Arena"

File Compression - Winrar 3.1

Video-Encoding MPEG-2: Main Concept

For more information about this article, please refer to Tom's Hardware Guide site at
http://www6.tomshardware.com/howto/20030722/index.html