Exclusive First Look: QuietPC Moneual 701

 

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Posted on 16 Oct 2008 at 17:12

Most PCs are box-like, but QuietPC's intriguingly shaped Moneual 701 is an elongated ellipsis. It resembles Roku's SoundBridge network music players, or possibly a prop from a Bond film. It's certainly more distinctive-looking than any other PC we've seen recently. It's nearly silent in operation, thanks to its passively cooled graphics card and quiet cooling fans.

The 701 is designed as a media center PC. It comes with a slot-loading DVD writer, but no Blu-ray drive. This is a shame as it's more than powerful enough to play high definition video thanks to its Core 2 Duo T7500 processor and Radeon HD3450 graphics card.

A high definition TV can be connected to the 701's HDMI port. There's an optical S/PDIF port, or 5.1 phono output, for connecting a surround sound speaker system. A front-mounted seven inch touch screen is fitted for displaying media center information, such as the current music track, as well as data from the internet, such as the weather and news headlines.

There's no room inside the 701's cramped case for a PCI TV tuner, so a USB model will be provided instead. Details of which tuners are to be included haven't been finalised yet. A 3.5in 500GB SATA hard disk is fitted for storing your TV recordings and media files. It can be replaced with a larger disk, but disassembling the 701 is a tricky procedure.

A Microsoft Media Centre remote control and a cordless keyboard with built-in trackball are included. Usefully, the receivers for both are neatly integrated into the 701's case - leaving the four USB ports free for peripherals. The keyboard feels too springy for serious work, but it's fine for a media centre use.

The Moneual 701 is a distinctive-looking, and quiet media center PC - but we were disappointed by the lack of Blu-ray given it costs £1,500 inc VAT. The 701 can be purchased from www.quietpc.com from the beginning of November.

Author: Alan Lu