Asus Teases the EeeBox PC EB1012 HTPC

Written on Sep 1, 2009 by Brian and filed under News

The entry-level HTPC space is about to get more crowded. With Lenovo and Dell already announcing micro-sized HD HTPCs, Asus is playing catch-up by teasing their new box, the Asus EeeBox PC. The EeeBox features an Intel Atom N330 Dual Core processor, 2GB RAM (supports up to 4GB), SATA 250GB hard drive, eSATA port,  NVIDIA MCP7A IONgraphics, Ethernet, WiFi, HDMI out, S/PDIF out, multi-card reader, USB ports and the other usual suspects.

From a design perspective, Asus is following along the lines with most others, going with a small shell, in this case available in either white or black. The footprint is only 8.75″ x 7″ x 1.06″ so it will easily wiggle into almost any home theater setup.

Along with the good looks, the spec sheet proves the EeeBox more than capable to handle HD output and full-screen streaming from online services. The only negatives are of course the lack of Blu-ray option at present and the included keyboard/mouse are both wired.

Even so, the box definitely has the chops to find its way in this increasingly crowded market. The release date and pricing have not yet been announced, though the $500 range seems reasonable, as the other budget HTPCs seem to be forming up in that price range.