Medion Akoya E2006D

In the series of mini PCs, we asked Medion to send us their Akoya E2006D for testing. This product is part of the manufacturer’s Evolution series and is positioned as a desktop PC with all you need for internet access.

Handling, design and build

After having tested the Asus Eee Box and Acer Aspire Revo, we were expecting something more compact from Medion. Announced as an ultra compact in the marketing blurb, we’re not really sure this is accurate. It is much more compact than a standard PC but gigantic compared to the Acer and Asus minis. It is almost 4 Kg in weight and is 5 times the size.

This “mini” is relatively noisy overall. The fans kick in when it is transferring files or processing with the CPU. It isn’t a turbine but you can hear it and it is not as quiet as the competition.

It has the following connectivity: 6 USBs, 1 VGA, 1 RJ45 and 8 mini jacks (2 at the front and 6 at the back) and 1 memory card reader. According to the manufacturer, the VGA out is likely to be replaced by a DVI on the models coming out as of mid-September. To this, add the DVD burner that you won’t find on the Acer and Asus minis (see inset).

Processing

The Intel Atom processor gives little flexibility in terms of computer performance. Performance is more or less identical from one machine to another. Here, it is a little less rapid than the netbooks with the same components because of the fact that Vista is installed, much more demanding than XP. If you compare it with a machine equipped with a powerful dual core processor, expect processing times of between 3 and 6 times as long.

Playing videos, you’ll find it won’t manage heavily encoded Blu-Ray type HD files or anything from a camcorder that is recorded in AVCHD.

4 USBs, RJ45, VGA	6 mini jacks
2 mini jacks, 2 USBs, SD reader	DVD burner

Gaming

Gaming with netbooks (same graphics components as this mini) is strictly for the hard core fans. Here, an extra element to take into account is screen definition. The higher it is, the more difficult it’ll be for gaming.

Audio

A headphones socket and a microphone socket at the front and 6 mini jacks at the back. The lightest available Realtek HD Audio chip then. No optical S/P DIF and overall the outs are mediocre but useable.

Under the bonnet

You can remove the right hand panel to get into the machine. Inside you find a 3.5 inch hard drive, a thick LG DVD burner, fanless cooling for the processor, a 2 GB Swissbit bar of RAM and a 60 mm fan. Those who like to fiddle around inside their computers will be able to develop the machine by adding other components. There is however a limitation on how far you can go: the heart of the machine, the Atom processor.