Dell Hybrid Studio - I think I'm in love

I’ve been hankering for a new desktop for a while and I think I’ve finally found an object to desire. I’d also like to point out that I’m a big Apple man and have been an owner of a (not anymore) shiny white Macbook. As much as I love it I have G.A.S. (Gadget Acquisition Syndrome) as well as the desire for a screen larger than 13 inches. Now I could buy myself a bland beige box but I feel that if I’m going to use my PC for dull office work I might as well get something a little more upmarket. The Mac Mini is a nice option but frankly is very pricey.

This week resulted in Dell releasing their new Studio Hybrid Range. Basically it’s a PC the size of a novel much in the vein of small, lower PC such as the EEEBox but a large amount better. With the EEE you need to compromise with the low power Atom processor while with the Dell you get options from a Celeron M all the way up to a Core 2 Duo. The machine supports up to a massive four gigs of ram and the choice between a 160, 250 or 320 gig hard drive. The best benefit compared to the EEEBox is the fact that the device has a DVD writer and even the option for a Blue-ray drive.

Aesthetically the Dell has interchangeable sleeves which means you can choose one of six colours with others an extra cost option. In my opinion this is much better looking than the stark minimalism of a Mac Mini and definitely appeals to me more. The fact that you get better specs and the ability to install upgrades yourself at the same price as the Mini sways me as well. Best of all for all the tree huggers out there Dell has produced the device with less materials than an average PC of that size and it has a low power usage.

The negatives though is that you’re unable to upgrade the processor and unlike the Mac Mini you are limited to Windows Vista as opposed to Mac OSX and Windows Vista or XP. Another negative is price; you can get a similar specced beige box for a vast amount cheaper and you still need to buy a monitor, keyboard and mouse. When you’re paying this much for style you need to pay extra for a decent screen as well as wireless peripherals.

Despite the short-comings I’m shallow and this will certainly be on my desk fairly soon; I mean look at it!