MSI Wind Top AE1900 review

Posted by Adam Hartley on Thu 16 Jul 2009

Tip-top

MSI’s latest entry in the burgeoning ‘nettop’ category of low-cost all-in-one desktop computers is the MSI Wind Top AE1900. Yet while this is certainly a computer that has managed to turn heads in the office with its looks, with its lovely 18-inch screen encased in brushed aluminium and transparent plastic.

As with all nettops, the MSI Wind Top has all its processor and chips and innards and gizzards packed in behind the screen. Basically, these computers are an attempt at offering consumers an Apple Mac style all-in-one looker at a (far more) affordable price. But the price tag reflects some prurient cost-cutting on MSI’s part, which raises the question: does the Top perhaps lose a little too much in terms of processing power and functionality along the way? And as always tends to happen with any product design that is so overtly trying to break the mould, opinion has been split pretty much down the middle on MSI’s nettop.

Cheap and cheerful

However, after playing around with the thing for the best part of the last fortnight, we have to admit to having fallen for some of the Top’s obvious charms.

Firstly, the cost. At around £550 this is a tad costlier than similar computers from the likes of ASUS or Shuttle. But it looks and feels better than the offerings from those companies, so you don’t mind shelling out a few quid more. And there is the key to the MSI Wind Top’s charm. It is a hell of a looker.

While the processing power is somewhat negligible – based around the Intel Atom chip that is to be found in most sub-£300 netbooks these days – this computer would look awesome pretty much anywhere you plonk it down, be it in your kitchen, your bedroom or your home office.

Despite the raher slow processor, the rest of the specs are pretty impressive - 250GB of hard drive, 2GB of RAM, integrated Wi-Fi, DVD burner and an SD card slot all crammed cleverly into that big ol’ monitor. Be warned though, if you are looking for a computer to run process-heavy apps (ie if you want to make videos, for example, or play games or pretty much do anything other than surf the internet, use MS Office and watch DVDs) then this is definitely not a machine worth a second look.

But if it is looks combined with a solid (if somewhat basic) functionality is what you want, then that built-in DVD drive at the side of the screen is a particularly nice addition. The screen is lusciously bright and DVDs look superb. If you live in a small apartment this could even double up as your main TV. It is the ideal machine to watch movies on or catch up on Eastenders on iPlayer or just idly surf the web while you attempt to become Jamie Oliver in the kitchen. But then again, at £550, it’s a pretty expensive kitchen DVD/telly combo!

Kids these days!

And this is perhaps the point of the nettop. Whereas we were lucky to have a 14-inch portable telly in our bedroom as kids, MSI wants to sell today’s teens these relatively cheap and cool-looking PCs instead. If your kids are not obsessed with gaming then they will certainly covet the Wind Top.

The other major feature of the Top is the touchscreen, which we were, initially, quite taken with particularly for playing some of the basic (but touch controlled) games that come pre-installed. However, after a few hours it becomes more of a frustration to continue trying to use the touchscreen features and we soon fell out of the habit of poking the screen (plus, it made it all messy).

Perhaps the other minor gripe about MSI’s nettop is the fact that, while the main unit really does look the dog’s proverbials, the keyboard and mouse that ship with the machine are nasty and cheap and will be immediately binned by anybody with an ability to type or use a mouse. Which is everybody over the age of seven.

Link: MSI

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