Foxconn NetBox-nT525 nt525-0H0W-B-A-NA-BOX 1 x 200Pin SO-DIMM Black Mini / Booksize Barebone System

Pros: As Stated in my earlier comments just prior to this review.

Cons: As Stated in my earlier comments just prior to this review.

Other Thoughts: I finally received the Nt525 in question ( it was sold to a client ) and the quick and skinny is that the Foxconn Nt525 remains a fine piece of work ! Turns out the client had used questionable SD card media for " Ready Boost " and the OS hung on the drive during start up. My apologies to Foxconn for making an uneducated pre-judgement. But please,.. treat your employees with respect and dignity. Again my humblest apologies.

Pros: Small form factor. Fairly powerful pairing of graphics and proc. Good spattering of inputs. Cool and Quiet.

Cons: Gave up the ghost after 1 yr. Have yet to do the post mortum but it looks hopeless. Did some MS updates and after the req'd re-boot gave me the LBSOD ! I ask wha !!? drive OK but unit unable to boot from
ext drive ( live disk ) More investigation will reveal what actually fried.

Other Thoughts: Out of luck on the warranty. Did not see many other reviews where
failures were imminent. Unit was on 24/7 and thought it was OK since I read people were using them as media servers ?? Have an earlier
nettop with the nVidia graphics and works flawlessly al-be-it a little hot running. Lesson learned. I am trying out a Zotac next.

Manufacturer Response:

Please call our support team at 714-626-6909 for further assistance. Our hours of operation are (M-F from 830am-530pm, PST, excluding public holidays).

Best regards,
Foxconn support team

Pros: I have deployed over 25 of these in the field as little utility servers running Linux. Plop in a hard drive and memory, it can't be any easier for bare bones mini system. I really hope NewEgg continues to sell this product.

Cons: None.

Other Thoughts: I have used one with Windows7 as a media server, it plays 720 over HDMI just fine. Makes a great Home Theater Computer.

Pros: * Compact size
* Dual core Atom 525
* HDMI output (locked to 720, limited resolutions)
* Lot of USB 2.0 ports
* WiFi b/g/n (I'm not using it)

Cons: * Flimsy and fragile case, poor case design
* Audio not working through HDMI in Win 7 Pro
* Memory limited to 2 GB
* No DVI outout
* No integrated Bluetooth

Other Thoughts: I'm running: Windows 7 Pro, Kingston SSDnow V 100 96GB, 2 GB. Some of the major issues I faced (some unresolved):

1) I did not have problem installing memory or SSD drive. What happened after couple of open/close attempts was any bit of pressure on the part of case just above and below the power & reset switches shorted the board and I couldn't even press the power button comfortable without resetting the system. I had to take apart the entire system part to part, and noticed that the conductive material (added to inside of case) below the board is reason for problem. So I attached some electrical tape at the affected area and put everything back. Problem was resolved.

2) I cannot get audio through my HDMI cable no matter what setting I try. I'm currently using line out port.

3) I cannot get perfect fit when connecting via HDMI to 40" Panasonic Plasma TV. The screen is about 1-2" larger than visible portion resulting in menus or windows not being fully visible. Can Anyone h

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer, We apologize for the experience you had with your Foxconn product. Which version BIOS have you use?Could you flash BIOS to the latest version A58F1P05 have a test?Please download the BIOS from our website.http://www.foxconnsupport.com/download.aspx?models=en-us0000067&category=C000000003&Series=en-us0000003&keywords=&sort=bios
About How to flash BIOS pls check this link as below
http://www.foxconnsupport.com/faq.aspx?faqid=F000000066
Best Regards
Foxconn Technical Support

Pros: Very small and silent package. CPU feels snappy in Linux (Mepis 11) and Windows 7 Ultimate 32 bit. Great as a headless server or 720p client. Mepis recognized all the hardware without a hitch. had to download chipset and video drivers from Intel for Windows 7.

Cons: Gets a bit hot. BIOS is abysmal. No AHCI, really? HDMI is limited to 720p. Could not make 1080p working properly over VGA. Desktop is shifted 2" right on 40" LCD. Latest BIOS flash bricked the unit. Resetting CMOS by pressing sleep button for 4sec did not resurrect it. RIP little fella, but you won't be missed. Back she goes...

Foxconn website is slow as molasses.

Other Thoughts: Be careful with BIOS flashing. I've been building PC's for almost 2 decades and made countless Mobo/GPU flashes. This one did not go as smooth.

Had X-25M 80Gb installed with 2 gigs of RAM. Will see how replacement does.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer
We apologize for the experience you had with your Foxconn product.Please contact FOXCONN Americas Technical Support center: Tel: 1.909.978.6556 (8:30am - 5:30pm PST; excludes national holidays) We will be glad to assist you with your Foxconn product in any possible way. Thank you.
Foxconn Support Team

Pros: Silent. Built in wireless. Simple to open case and quickly install components. Mounts to back of tv with included VESA bracket. Linux Mint 10 installed from flashdrive and booted without device issues. Wireless and compositing work without issue. Win7 x64 installed from flashdrive and device issues were resolved with drivers from the included disc copied to a flashdrive. HDMI audio works without issue. HDMI and VGA output looks great. Hulu, Youtube and Netflix (Windows only for now) looks great. Mint as primary OS is very responsive and fun to use on this little computer. Retail packaging is solid. Glossy manual. I'm enjoying surfing the internet from the couch.

Cons: Ubable to get 1080p output over HDMI or VGA. Foxconn has a slow website that is clunky to navigate and has minimal Linux support. Although pretty, the manual lacks detail.

Other Thoughts: Coretemp with low load 25C. Coretemp with video load 40C. Case and power brick are just warm to the touch.

Unable to disable the internal speaker in Linux after trying several methods. This is a Linux issue as Win7 disables the speaker with a checkbox.

As always, check the manufacture for supported RAM and hardware when building a computer. Build:
- G.SKILL 2GB 200-Pin DDR2 SO-DIMM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Laptop Memory Model F2-6400CL5S-2GBSQ
- Crucial M4 CT064M4SSD2 2.5" 64GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

Pros: Excellent for my use of it as a 24/7 linux server. 14 watts from outlet. Has been on about 4 1/2 months strait with only a couple reboots. Paired it up with a SSD and it is super fast. More than enough processing power for server functions. Super quiet. Foxconn hit a home run with this small energy efficient computing device.

Cons: None for the price. Would like to make this into a router on steriods by having at least one more ethernet port. Next-gen atoms are coming out soon and AMD's version.

Other Thoughts: Running ubuntu server for Web, Email, SQL and Samba.

Pros: I bought this primarily for the improved processor and tested it in several capacities before choosing it to replace an aging laptop as my Windows Home Server. It is VERY quiet and has more than enough USB ports. I couldn't be happier.

Cons: None

Pros: -Small
-Low Power Consumption
-Surprisingly Quick and Nimble
-Hyper Threading on the Proc
-Price/Performance Ratio... My Entire barebone cost less than $300 after shipping. And performs amazingly well (for my needs).

Cons: -A little worried opening the case, as it is plastic and snaps apart to add the bits. Would have felt better if it was a latch or a quick pop off.
-Max RAM is 2GB
-I cannot Speak to Graphical Capabilites, as I am running as a headless server with no GUI even installed.

Other Thoughts: Ordered this with:
-30GB OCZ Vertex2 SSD
-2GB GSKill RAM

Added:
-External 500GB 7200RPM Lacie Rugged USB Drive

Installed:
-Debian 6.0
-Asterisk, FreePBX
-Minecraft Server

It is running Great! Hardly any mem used, Temps are reasonable. I would highly reccommend this for anyone who wants a small server for home (media streamer/PBX/Minecraft/Downloader).

Pros: Simple setup, small size, packed with features. Very neat design.

Cons: The latest two (2) Netbox devices both have Display issues and crash on Windows 7 Pro.

I had big hopes for these in my seven (7) branch locations. Now a little gun-shy.

Other Thoughts: Quality Control seems to be slipping. Support isn't readily available when I call.

Using:
- ADATA DDR2 800 2GB Memory
- Western Digital Sorpio Blue 160 GB HD
- 10242 x 768 on a 17" LCD
- Windows 7 Professional

Both Units cannot complete the Windows Experience Rating without locking up and the display getting stripes and colors vertically. And now even after bootup they crash and become inoperable.