Thanks again to everyone who responded to this question.

In particular, thanks to Joseph Sinclair for such an excellent explanation
of the new options that are now available for low-power, low-heat. Sounds
like *exactly* what I was hoping to find.

Outstanding information.  Many thanks!

Joe


> I've been replacing desktop computers for a lot of people with Atom-based
> nettops running Linux lately.
> The dual-core Atom chips (original 330, or the new D510) are absolutely
> wonderful for general day-to-day tasks.
> They're VERY low power as well, so the system generates less heat overall
> and runs more quietly (fewer fans running slower, or no fans at all).
>
> I recently installed a (slightly older/cheaper) Zotac MAG Atom 330 ION
> unit with a 160GB magnetic drive ($299 on newegg) for my uncle who lives
> in a crowded and minimally cooled 1-bd apartment; It's working great
> fanless hooked to his 23" 1080P HDTV via HDMI (he wanted to be able to use
> the monitor as a TV most of the time, since he doesn't use the computer
> much).
>
> The newer Zotac ZBox with the D510 chip[1] includes ION2 video for 1080p
> video support, and a barebones kit is under $250 on newegg[3].  There's
> also an AMD Neo[2] with Radeon 3200 if you prefer AMD, but I'm not sure
> where to buy it.
> Add a 32GB SSD from OCZ[4] ($85) and a single 4GB[5] ($175) or 2GB[6]
> ($55) DDR2-800 SODIMM, and you're up and running cool-and-quiet for as
> little as $390 ($515 with 4G RAM, more if you choose a bigger SSD) (Note,
> the machine only has 1 RAM slot, so only buy a SINGLE stick, not a paired
> set).
> The whole system is designed fanless, and works great as long as the room
> temp stays below 85(F) when it's running (higher is OK when it's off).  If
> you're using it in an environment hotter than that, you'll need to get a
> more industrial-class system.
> Startup is about 90 seconds for Kubuntu 10.04, and around 45 seconds for
> Xubuntu 10.04; lighter O/S options may be much faster.
>
> You'll want a separate external drive or NAS for data storage, the box has
> lots of USB ports and an e-SATA port for that purpose.
> A 2TB external USB drive is under $150 most places.


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