Dell Studio Hybrid: Low-cost, low-power and made of bamboo

By Rory Reid on 29 July 2008, 1:18pm

Dell's designers have been working overtime to produce a new addition to its Studio line -- but this time it's a green-friendly desktop with an optional bamboo finish.

It's a small form-factor PC, but Dell has sensibly avoided ripping off the Mac Mini -- something many manufacturers can't seem to manage. It's slightly fatter than the Mac Mini, but at 197mm tall (without the stand) by 72mm wide by 212mm deep, it's still -- according to Dell -- around 80 per cent smaller than an average desktop PC. It spits out video over DVI and HDMI, making it potentially very useful next to your telly.

We believe Dell's use of the word 'Hybrid' in the product name is designed to draw paralells with highly economical, supposedly more eco-friendly hybrid cars. And why not? If its calculations are right, the Studio Hybrid will consume around 70 per cent less power than the average desktop.

The entry-level spec includes a 2GHz Intel Celeron 550, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard drive, an integrated Intel GMA 3100 graphics card, a DVD rewriter and Windows Vista -- all for £399.

The Studio Hybrid will ship in a variety of colours, including the aforementioned panda-friendly variant -- though that'll cost you an extra £70. Other sleeve colours will set you back £10.

We'll ask Dell to send us one so we can tell you more about it soon. If you can't wait, it's available to buy right now direct from Dell. -Rory Reid