Mac Mini power performance

["JonShaw" <semi.jon@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One of the most impressive things about the new Mac Mini is its idle
power
consumption -13W - which for me would make it a perfect HA platform in
terms
of power electrical and compute for normal everyday workloads and camera
work when the house is unoccupied.  However without a COM port its useless
for Cortex and I'd like a couple of PCI slots for voice-modem and camera
card.    I was hoping the Atom boards would have at least addressed low
power but claimed low power Mini ITX systems seem energy hogs compared with
the Mac Mini.  While Fit PC is very low power (and has COM port!)   it is
more than half the price of a Mini but a compute weakling by comparison.



Are any of the manufacturers of PC or mini ITX boards planning to build
something that competes of the power-performance of the Mac Mini?  I am
beginning to wonder if a active-standby  Cortex system might work out
cheaper (high & low power machines with high power machine on only when
house unoccupied)!



2p

Jon



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