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While I’m going to hold off buying a new computer until our house is finished, the amount of time it took me last time to pick computer I figure I better start now. The quantity of cash left after the house is finished might have something to do with what I pick too, and I might hold it back a few more months while the bank account replenishes, systems less then $1K seems to fit what I want to do with it. This will mostly be the entertainment system in the new kitchen, I already have speakers, a keyboard and a VGA monitor and stuff so all I need is the box.

My goal, I think, is a Mac Mini, with GNU/Linux, likely Kubuntu. I am not going to pay for a non-libre operating system so any Mac is out of the question. Something with quiet fans, and not to ugly, with a path running down the middle. AOpen’s cubes look cool, but that only comes with Windows, so far I found:

• HP’s Compaq 7000 series fit the bill, I can even get a Pentium D in it! Even though the Ultra-slim model doesn’t look that bad, it ain’t no Mac Mini.
• Thinking it would be cool to have a 64-bit system I found Genesi’s Open Desktop Workstation. It’s a PPC system that I think would work great, but it seems to only come with ½G of memory, I was hopping to get 1G. It lacks pictures of the back of the system, so I don’t know what ports I’m getting.
• Last, for now, is Groovix’s the LINI™ PC, an AMD64 system. Again seems everything I want, again no picture of the back. Plus no hint of a USB ports, it’s gotta have USB2 ports, no? It also worries me that it ships with “Ubuntu + Groovix Enhancements”. So normal Ubuntu will not work?

Purely due to being able to find all the questions I had about the system, I think HP is winning, but I’ll take other suggestions. The new kitchen cabinets arn’t arriving until the end of April so nothing is happening before then.