This little marvel is VIA’s ARTiGO system, recently arrived in the Labs. Despite its minuscule frame, it’s a proper PC, with a 1GHz C7 processor capable of running a standard installation of Linux or Windows XP – though Vista refused to install, complaining that the BIOS wasn’t sufficiently ACPI-compliant.

The tiny motherboard includes VGA and Ethernet controllers, as well as the USB and audio connectors you can see at the front. There are also internal headers for DVI and PS/2. You need merely to supply your own RAM (in the form of a single SO-DIMM up to 1GB) and a 2.5in IDE hard disk.

Unfortunately, as is so often the case, the tiniest things turn out also to be the most fragile. The chassis is sturdy enough when it’s all assembled, but changing the hard disk or installing RAM involves pulling the entire motherboard out of its enclosure… and while trying out different hard disks I’ve somehow managed to kill the entire system dead. I guess I must have shorted something. Or perhaps I’ve accidentally broken a connection somewhere. Whichever way round it is, I’ve been wholly unable to resuscitate it.

VIA aren’t very happy with me, but they’re trying to get me another one sent over from Taiwan. Hopefully this time I’ll at least manage to run some benchmarks on the thing before I destroy it.