Just a couple of weeks after the launch of the world’s first netbook using hybrid storage, MSI has launched the company’s first dual-core nettop. The MSI NetTop D130 is based around Intel’s dual-core Atom 330 processor and 2GB of DDR2 memory.
In keeping with this week’s theme of super small computers packing specs that are a little bit unusual, the D130 includes a built-in Super-Multi DVD burner and 7.1-channel surround sound output. That said, the D130 doesn't lose out on what the Wind line is famous for -- low-power computing. Considering its reputation for reducing power consumption, this latest addition to the line uses the same “ultra energy-saving" power design, which means it can save up to 90 percent on electricity over a traditional tower PC. MSI puts the full speed operation of the Wind D130 at 35W.
MSI is marketing this as a sort of replacement or alternative to a standalone DVD player. The company emphasizes how easy it would be to hook this up to your LCD in your living room and pushes the advantage of the DVD drive for playing movies. That said, we think it'll all depend on how much this thing costs. There's no point replacing a perfectly good existing DVD player or even DivX-enabled games console with something that's not as cost effective.
North American pricing is unknown, though expect it to be at least in the low $200-range. We also don’t know whether it will be available in Europe, but we'll let you know once all the nitty gritty details are released.
