Foxconn e-bot Small Form Factor PC
Introduction and Specifications
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In what seems to be an ever expanding market, we've got yet another look at a new Small Form Factor system on HotHardware. This time the system comes to us by way of Foxconn. The same company that's been putting their stamp on motherboards and other OEM hardware since 1991. Following their recent successful foray into the retail market with their own branded motherboards, Foxconn has a new offering pulling together their motherboard architecture skills with their flair for PC enclosures. The results, as you will see, appear to be right on target. |
Foxconn's initial entry is called the e-bot, which arrived on our doorstop in a bright orange and blue box, similar to the colored packaging of Intel's P4 product line. Initially, it conjured up odd thoughts as to what, or who, an e-bot was, as there was scant other information on the exterior. Delving into the contents of the box, we pulled out a shiny silver, black, and orange case which had a faint similarity to a pop-up toaster. All kidding aside, the Foxconn e-bot seems all at once to take SFF PCs from its humble beginnings to a whole new level, similar to the jump made when PCs shed their beige, boxy casings to the now ubiquitous multi-colored, windowed, and LCD-screened rigs of today. Powered internally by a custom Foxconn board based on the SiS661FX chipset, it has all the makings of a successful marriage of form and function.
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CLICK ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE
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Motherboard Chipset |
Front-panel I/O Rear-panel I/O |
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The Bundle: The rest of the contents of the box mostly revolved around three main areas: installation, power, and cooling. There weren't as many items included as one might have expected, and the bundle surely was not as comprehensive as what we saw with the Epox eX5-320S a few months back. Two manuals cover the hardware side pretty well. The thicker of the two manuals is a comprehensive guide that covers all aspects of installing and using the system, including BIOS entries and how to use the accompanying software. The other manual is a quick installation guide, for those who want to just jump right in and get to work. All the necessary drivers are included on the driver CD, although DirectX 9.0b was one of them, with DX9.0c being readily available for some time now we would have expected the newer version to be included on the CD. Foxconn has also thrown in a licensed copy of Nero Burning ROM, which will allow for immediate use of the included slim-DVD/CD-RW drive. The cooling solution came in a separate box, and we will cover that on the next page with our installation notes. That left us with a small baggie with assorted screws, twist ties, and keys for locking down the PC. We also found a two piece cable with a transformer on it. Upon closer review, it was rated at 200W, which made this unit the actual power supply. Sure enough, a peek inside the chassis showed no oversized box of coils, transistors, and fans, thus freeing up interior space as well as keeping internal heat build-up to a minimum. |
