Gigabyte STA Thin Client

Conclusion:

This is our first encounter with a Gigabyte thin client or barebone system, but we are pleased with what is presented by the GB-STA-C7V7. This mini-ITX barebone is very small, and it is built well and includes a VIA 1.0GHz processor with a Gigabyte motherboard. This unit isn't widely available yet, but its suggested retail price is a mere $200 USD. One e-tailer that should be carrying this product soon is Bell Micro. At this price, this fan-less unit is ideal for not only those needing it for thin-client business purposes, but even for enthusiasts looking at making a silent mini server or a system to easily take with you. This unit is flexible supporting Serial ATA 2.0 as well as a 40-pin IDE flash module and six USB 2.0 ports. Unfortunately though, the slim hard drive mount is not included by default. For those concerned about security, the GB-STA-C7V7 supports VIA's PadLock Security Engine. When it comes to Linux compatibility with this product, we were pleased that the unit had worked with Fedora, Ubuntu, Mandriva, and even the lightweight SLAX desktop.