Even before Netbook burst onto the scene, there was a different kind of small computer available. Not nearly as ground-breaking as the Netbook, these were slowly gaining acceptance, and appear to be here to stay.
Okay, enough of the pseudo-suspense already , it’s only going to be a letdown…

SFF, an acronym for Small Form Factor PCs

The main impetus behind these Small Form Factor Desktop PCs was initially in corporations where desktop (or – that dreaded word -  cubicle) space was limited. Instead of a mid tower PC, a Small Form Factor PC is used. Why not a laptop? Because portability is not a requirement, but a small foot print is. These also are in demand from consumers.

Currently, one of  the more popular Small Form Factor PCs is the HP Pavilion Slimline s3700f Desktop. Even though it has a small form factor, this PC features an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5400+ / 2.8 GHz Dual-Core processor, 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 8500 GT  Graphics card, 2 GB RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, combo Blu-Ray and HD-DVD reader, built-in Wi-Fi and a 15-in-1 card reader.

The Apple Mini has been around since 1995, but it is more about merely being small Mac than a SFF PC. Although it is still quite unique and useful, its limited upgrade options and price put it in a different category to the Small Form Factor Desktop PCs.