We're experiencing hard times at the moment. Our economy is in freefall, global warming is about to eat the world, and New Kids on the Block are threatening a comeback. The world needs a saviour.
An unlikely messiah might be found in the form of an Advent Eco PC. This tiny desktop is only the size of a shoebox, but it's been engineered to use far less power than a traditional PC and is built from recycled components. It could, in the long run, save you money and prolong the life of Mother Earth.
It uses an Intel Core 2 Duo CPU T5250 running at 1.5GHz, 2GB of DDR2 667MHz RAM, a 160GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD rewriter drive, four USB ports and 802.11b/g Wi-Fi. You also get DVI and D-Sub video outputs and surround-sound capability.
It costs a fairly hefty £600, but just think of the power savings. Advent says the Eco PC uses 25W during idle, 78 per cent less power than a standard desktop PC, which it says uses around 105W.
Going by these calculations, the Eco PC could save the consumer a whopping £8 per year -- based on four hours of use per day. Yes, friends, it could be paying for itself within 75 years.
We'll give it a thorough once-over this week and get back to you with a full review. In the meantime, have a look at the pics over the following pages. -Rory Reid


