Medion Akoya E2005D Nettop review

Netbooks have become exceedingly popular thanks to their low prices and small dimensions.

Nettops such as Medion's Akoya E2005D share these characteristics. They aren't as powerful as fully fledged desktop PCs, but they're ideal for less intensive tasks such as email, web browsing and office applications.

The E2005D is around the size of a DVD player and comes with Windows XP pre-installed. It isn't the smallest nettop we've seen, but it's still impressively compact. A Logitech optical mouse and a laptop-style keyboard, with no numerical keypad, is included. There's no monitor, although a model with a 19in widescreen display costs £349 including VAT.

Like many other nettops, the E2005D has an Intel Atom processor and GMA 950 integrated graphics chipset. The 1GB of RAM can be upgraded to 2GB, but there's only one RAM slot so you'll have to replace the existing memory module. As expected, it isn't suitable for video encoding, watching HD video or 3D gaming, but it's easily fast enough for web browsing, watching programmes on BBC iPlayer and office work.

Unlike the Eee Box, the E2005D comes fitted with a DVD writer so you can install software from discs, back up files to DVDs or watch movies. The 160GB hard disk should be more than enough for office documents, but you may want more if you have an extensive music and photo library. The hard disk and DVD writer are standard desktop models, so replacements are cheap and readily available.

Replacing the internal storage components is trickier than it should be. Removing the assembly containing both the hard disk and DVD writer required an alarming degree of force. Unsurprisingly, there's no space for adding extra hard disks or optical drives. Neither are there any expansion card slots for adding an internal TV tuner or dedicated graphics card. However, wireless networking, Gigabit Ethernet and a memory card reader are present.

The E2005D is a compact and inexpensive PC that's ideal for everyday computing tasks. There are slightly better deals around, though. If you want an even smaller nettop, the updated Eee Box B202 has a 160GB hard disk but costs £87 less from www.oyyy.co.uk. It doesn't come with an optical drive or a keyboard and mouse, but these can be added fairly cheaply. It's easy to upgrade the hard disk on the B202 if required, but as it uses 2?in laptop hard disks this would be more expensive than an equivalent upgrade for the E2005D.

If you want a complete nettop system, our pick is Novatech's Ion. It's identically specified to the E2005D, but lacks built-in WiFi. However, there is a PCI slot for upgrades and its storage devices are simpler to replace. Best of all, it includes a 17in widescreen display, yet costs £20 less. It's a better, if less attravailable, choice.