Aleutia H1 Hotel PC review

Aleutia is not a well-known brand in the UK, but it's making a lot of friends in far-flung places due to its specialisation in low-powered, Linux-based PCs for use with solar power in developing countries.

The H1 uses Nvidia's Ion chipset and is Aleutia's first Windows-powered nettop, but it's also available with Linux. You can buy a Deluxe version, with a dual-core Atom processor and WiFi, for £50 extra. There's also a version with a 30GB SSD instead of the 320GB hard disk for the same price, and you can choose other processors when ordering.

The H1 is roughly the size of a car stereo, and will happily fit under a monitor stand or on a shelf. You'll have to make sure you don't block the perforated metal vents on the case, though, as the H1 relies on passive cooling. This also means there aren't any noisy fans, so if you need a quiet PC, this is ideal.

Like Acer's Revo, the H1 can run Windows Vista rather than Windows XP. This is partly due to the faster graphics processor and partly because there's 2GB of RAM. You can optionally upgrade this to 4GB for £25 when ordering, or add your own memory thanks to the free slot.

Since Aleutia doesn't include a monitor, mouse or keyboard with the H1, it's easy to compare it with the Aspire Revo. The H1 has a 320GB hard disk - twice the size of the Revo's - but no WiFi or memory card reader. The Revo lacks the H1's DVI output, but both have VGA and HDMI outputs.

In fact, aside from the hard disk and the H1's three-year return-to-base warranty, which is three times longer than the Revo's, there's nothing to justify the steep price. For just a little more money, you could buy two Revos. The only way to slash the H1's price is to opt for Linux rather than Windows, which saves an astonishing £200.

Both machines were at the bottom of our benchmark charts, but no-one will be buying the H1 for its performance. The silent running and small size are its strengths, but these aren't enough for it to compete with the much cheaper Revo.

Author: Barry de la Rosa