Final Thoughts
I’ve always been a fan of the mini PC idea. They take up less space, require less power and are extremely easy to take with you places. I only really thought of them as web-browsing or light work machine, until now! Giada really has pulled out all of the stops with the D2305!
Let’s first talk about the design. The D2305 looks awesome with its curved edges, aluminum design and of course small size. Now it is larger than some mini PC’s, but considering what is under the hood that is understandable. The D2305 keeps its sleek look by hiding the front connections behind an easy to open door. Did I mention it has a slot-loaded optical drive? When was the last time you saw a slot loaded optical drive on anything?! If you had the D2305 sitting in your home theater people would probably think it was some sort of nifty Blu-ray or DVD player rather than a computer!
Under the hood you have a very impressive list of components. Powering the system is an Intel Core i5-3427U and NVIDIA GeForce GT 640 graphics. These two components teamed together make for a very solid system. You will have no problem doing basic tasks like checking e-mail, web browsing, word processing and listening to music. This system can even handle to more intensive tasks like HD movie playback, photo editing and of course gaming. I was really surprised that I could play pretty much every game that I own on this system. With the Steam’s Big Picture mode set to launch next month this could be the perfect Steam box for your home theater. Beyond that this is the perfect system for students who need a small system for their dorm room, but still want to be able to play games.
As far as expansion goes this system has you covered as well with three USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 ports and even an eSATA port. So if the 500GB hard drive installed is not enough for you, you can connect a few external hard drives. Also this system has HDMI out so it would be very easy to connect to your HDTV. I really like the front ports on the system. They allow you to easily connect a storage device or a headset. Also keep in mind this system has both Bluetooth and WiFi so you can pair it with many different devices and you can put it practically anywhere there is a WiFi signal.
Now right now since this product is so new I could not find it anywhere for sale, but Giada tells us it will retail for $680, which is not a bad price considering the performance and all of the features of the system. This thing blows the socks off any other mini PC that we have tested! Overall ThinkComputers gives the Giada D2305 Mini PC a 10 out of 10 score and our Editor’s Choice Award!
Pros:
– Small and compact unit
– WiFi and Bluetooth
– Amazing performance
– Can play almost any game out there at 1920 x 1080 resolution
– USB 3.0 and eSATA
Cons:
– Availability
