Xi3 Modular Computer is a Work of Art

Gorgeous aint it?

That hunk of loveliness is actually a computer and not just any computer.

This machine, the one that wouldn’t look out of place in the hippest lounge or classiest office is made by hardware startup Xi3.

The wonderfully crafted aluminium case houses three separate boards – one holds the AMD Athlon 64 processor and 2GB of DDR2 RAM, another the power / video card, and the third takes care of the input / outputs.

As you may have guessed, the 20 watt modular system is meant to be toyed with – hence, it has only two sides, eight screws, and that colourful chassis; the company will sell additional modules on its site.

So, how much will this work of art hurt your wallet/purse?

Well, the press release says:

Retail priced at less than $1,000, the Xi3 Modular Computer is available in limited supplies today for evaluation and proofs-of-concept purposes. General mass market availability is slated for early 2011, with other Xi3 products slated for introduction throughout 2011.

Word is that the base model which includes a 1.8GHz AMD Athlon 64 processor, 2GB of RAM, and 8GB of flash storage rings up at $850 – apparently it’s aimed at “the embedded market and cloud computing customers” – so don’t expect it to come with Windows.

You can grab one now here or perhaps wait til the new year:

Xi3 Corporation will exhibit in Booth #26003 in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at the 2011 International CES tradeshow January 6-9, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

I’d love to try one – Xi3, I said I’d LOVE to try one! 😉