MSI Wind Box DC111 System Review

[section_title title=Introduction]Introduction

Manufacturer: MSI
Model: Wind Box DC111
RRP: £167.98 (At time of review)

MSI or Micro Star International have been a foundation of the computer industry for the best part of 2 decades but don’t let me tell you that; just look at the products they produce, the admiration they receive and of course the awards they win.  Their catalogue of products are also growing and some have proven very popular especially their range of Gaming notebooks and even their recent Nightblade gaming system; check it out, it looks awesome.

So what is it that I’m going to be putting through the motions today?  Well we have something very new and different from the MSI Gaming mainstream branding and I will be taking a look at their latest small form factor PC, the MSI Wind Box DC111.  This small system features a sleek white aesthetic and as you will see from the specifications, it has a very small size for what you get.  Inside we have an Intel Celeron (3^rd Gen) 1037U dual core processor, 1 x 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SO-DIMM memory module, Intel on-board graphics (HD) and enough ports to make this a viable media centre option for those who would choose to do so.  This is complimented by the inclusion of the Windows 8.1 operating system on a 500GB 5400RPM HDD which really does add substance to this new MSI release.

Some might look at the Wind Box DC111 and automatically think, does this actually have any power to game?  Well this isn’t designed for gaming, pure and simple; it should handle very low demanding games but any sniff of any AAA title such as Battlefield 4 etc will bring this to its knees; after all, it has a Celeron Dual Core with on-board graphics.  Aside from that, at sub £200 it looks a very desirable option for an HTPC or a basic office computer; easily mobile too due to the fact it only weights 900gramms.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the full list of specifications and see if this is the low-cost small form factor PC you have been dreaming of…

Specifications

• OS
  Windows 8.1
• CPU
  Intel® Celeron® 1037U Dual Core Processor
• Chipset
  Intel® NM70
• Memory
  4GB DDR3 1333 / 1600 DDR3 SO-DIMM * 1 slots / Max. to 4GB
• VGA
  Integrate Intel® HD Graphics
• Storage
  2,5″ SATA III 500GB 5400 RPM
• Communication
  802.11 b/g/n
• I/O (Front)
  3 in 1 card reader (SD, MS, MMC)
  USB 2.0 x4
  Headphone out / Mic-in
• I/O (Rear)
  VGA out / HDMI-out
  USB 3.0 x2
  LAN jack
  Line-out
  S/PDIF
• Power Supply
  40W
• Dimension
  191.8 X 150.93 X 34.94mm
• Weight
  900g