AOpen have outed their latest nettop, but whereas we’re used to apologetic Atom processors holding us back, the AOpen XC Mini GP7A-HD takes regular Core 2 Duo CPUs instead. The barebones kit also packs NVIDIA’s Ion graphics chipset, which adds up to Full HD performance and a machine that could actually do a little gaming on your big-screen TV.
Otherwise there’s a DVD burner, two DDR3 memory slots (4GB max, though it’s unclear if that’s per-slot or overall) and a 2.5-inch HDD bay. Connectivity includes HDMI and VGA outputs (which will work simultaneously), together with gigabit ethernet, six USB 2.0 ports, eSATA, audio in/out and a 6-in-1 memory card reader. There’s no standard wireless connection, but two empty PCI Express Mini Card slots inside are enough for both a WiFi b/g/n card and a TV tuner if you should so wish.




Intel are preparing two new 






