Back when the first Shuttle XPC was released, the company started a long reign as number one in the Small Form Factor arena.  It took quite a while for other companies to step up to the plate and provide something similar ? especially when the AGP slots were introduced.  The AGP slot was the key that separated the Shuttle SFF?s from other systems which were thinner but had maybe only one PCI slot and used slim CD drives.  With the XPC, you could use all standard stuff and build a PC that was just as well performing as a large desktop case in a small area.  Today, there are several companies that make SFF based systems like Shuttle, AMS, Iwill and others.  We are now adding another company to the list ? MSI.  MSI has showcased their MEGA PC at various locations including our own SFF Tech event that was held in Santa Clara.  The MEGA (MSI Entertainment and Gaming Appliance) was highly anticipated, especially for me as I was quite interested in it.  Today we are going to take a look at the MEGA and see if it lives up to the MSI name.

 

Specifications:

• MS-6760 Motherboard ? 185 x 290 mm, 4-Layer PCB
  
• Socket 478
  
• SiS 651 Northbridge
  
• SiS 962 Southbridge
  
• Supports up to Pentium 4 2.8GHz
  
• DDR 333 Support up to 2GB
  
• Onboard ALC 650 Sound, 5.1 Channel
  
• Onboard SiS VGA
  
• Onboard Realtek 10/100 NIC
  
• Onboard Actiontec 56K Modem
  
• 2 Front USB, 2 Rear USB (Both 2.0)
  
• 2 Firewire Ports on Front ? One 6-pin, One 4-pin
  
• 2 Onboard USB Connectors (1 Used for Card Reader)
  
• SPDIF Input on Front Panel
  
• Mic In and Headphone Connector on Front Panel
  
• Rear connectors ? One Parallel, One Serial, One VGA, Two PS/2, Mic In, Line In, Line Out, RJ45 (LAN), RJ11 (Modem), SPDIF Out, Antenna Connector
  
• 1 PCI
  
• 1 AGP
  
• 200W PSU
  
• Dimensions:  202 (W) x 320(D) x 151(H)
  
• Equilizer LCM for Power-Off Features
  
• Plays CD?s, MP3 CD?s, and AM/FM Radio with PC Off

The specifications of the MEGA are excellent, and the only thing that I see it lacking is that it supports only up to 2.8GHz Pentium 4?s.  Though, with the small size, running anything higher than that may end up causing heat problems.  But we will look at that later.  MSI has decided to include a parallel port on the rear and also has an integrated 56K modem which I was surprised to see.

 

Back

 

Ports Close-Up

Here you can see the rear of the MEGA and the connectors that are on it.  On the top right is the modem?s RJ11 jack and directly above that is an RCA jack for the included AM/FM Radio antenna.

 

 

Card Reader and Ports

Here are the ports on the front of the system as well as the card reader.  The card reader is installed by default and can be replaced with a floppy drive or a second hard drive.  The card reader will read Compact Flash, Memory Stick, Secure Digital, Smart Media, and MultiMedia Card memory.  I find this to be much more handy than a floppy drive, especially in a box like this that if hooked up to a TV you can put in any of these types of memory and play a slideshow on your TV.  On the bottom are the SPDIF In, Mic, Headphone, USB and Firewire ports.  To the far right is an open hole with the word ?Connect?.  There is an optional wireless keyboard/mouse that can be ordered with the system and I am assuming that is what it is for.  The other black piece to the left of the connect hole and at the top is for holding the panel, not an actual connector.

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• Buttons/Accessories (0 of 10)
• More Benchmarks (0 of 10)
• Test Setup/Benches (0 of 10)
• MEGA Speakers (0 of 10)
• Adequate Cooling? (0 of 10)
• Reassembly (0 of 10)
• More Disassembly (0 of 10)
• Disassembly (0 of 10)
• The Hi-Fi PC (0 of 10)
• Conclusion (0 of 10)