Dell Inspiron Zino HD SFF desktop debuts

Dell's compact desktop, the Inspiron Zino HD, has finally made its way out of the shadows and into your online basket.  Teased all the way back in August, the Zino HD might only measure 7.75 x 7.75 x 3.5 inches but Dell have squeezed in up to AMD's Athlon Neo X2 6850e 1.8GHz processor, up to 1TB of storage, 8GB of RAM and an optional optical drive; you can even have discrete graphics, in the shape of ATI's Radeon HD 4330.

That makes it a pretty viable general desktop machine, and Dell seemingly have Apple's Mac mini in their sights.  The Zino HD has WiFi b/g or b/g/n along with gigabit ethernet, together with four USB 2.0 ports, two eSATA, an HDMI, 4-in-1 memory card reader, VGA and various audio in/out connectors.

Pricing starts at $229 for the entry level machine with no DVD burner, and rises to $929 if you throw in the fastest CPU, largest possible RAM and hard-drive, and opt for a Blu-ray drive.  It's expected to begin shipping November 26th.

[via HotHardware]

Press Release:

DELL INSPIRON ZINO HD PUTS DESKTOP COMPUTING BACK ON THE DESK

· Brings Compact Size, Versatility and Power to Home Computing

· Expands to a powerful High-Definition home media center

· Personalized with different lid colors, range of options

ROUND ROCK, Texas, Nov. 12, 2009 – Dell today introduced the mini-sized Inspiron Zino HD, which is versatile enough to handle tasks from basic computing chores to driving a big-screen, High-Definition TV media center. With a choice of colors, the Inspiron Zino HD can be easily personalized to add flare to any room in the home.

The News:

Starting at $229, the Inspiron Zino HD includes standard HD-capable integrated graphics, HDMI output and built-in networking that make it smart for typical home and student computing activities such as word processing, e-mail, organizing photos and music, and surfing the Internet.

The economical Inspiron Zino HD with optional additional memory, hard drive storage, combo Blu-ray disc player, HDTV tuner, wireless remote control and Windows 7 Media Player and turns into a powerful home media center computer. In that capacity the Inspiron Zino HD can record and play your favorite TV shows, display high-definition content from the Internet, and store and deliver music, video and photos very well.

The Inspiron Zino HD is also ideal as an additional household PC that can fit in tight spaces and make home networking a cinch. It measures about 7.75 inches square and 3.5 inches tall. While small in size, the Inspiron Zino HD is a big performer with:

· Ultra-small form factor designed to fit almost anywhere.

· Easy personalization with nine color choices for Inspiron Zino HD.

· Choice of AMD processors or dual core Athlon Neo X2 6850e.

· Up to 8GB dual channel DDR 2 memory.

· Up to 1TB internal hard disk storage.

· Combo DVD/CD RW drive with optional Blu-ray Disc combo.

· Integrated 10/100/1000 networking with wireless option.

· Optional TV tuner, wireless keyboard and mouse.

· Built in 2.1 high-definition audio and 4-in-one media card reader.

· Integrated ATI graphics adapter with standard HDMI and VGA video connections, and optional 512MB discrete graphics adapter.

· Four USB ports (2 front/2 rear); two eSATA ports (rear).

· Energy-Star 5.0 compliant.

A basic Inspiron Zino without High-Definition capability or upgrade options will be offered in some regions.

Quote:

"The Inspiron Zino HD proves again that great things can really come in small packages," said John Terwilliger, Director of consumer products. "It is a fashionable and functional computer that is small enough to fit almost anywhere in the home and can be personalized for the style-minded."

The Inspiron Zino HD is available today directly from Dell at www.dell.com with a choice of operating systems from Windows Vista Home Basic through Windows 7 Professional.