Neutron Mini PC on Kickstarter

B

Baracoa

n00b
Joined
Jun 21, 2014
Messages
29
I just saw this and wasn't sure which forum would be best, but I figured people might be interested. I hasten to add I'm in no way connected to the project! Are people keen to pick something like this up or would you still rather build your own?

Atom say they want to explore new form factors.

Kickstarter Page

d9d74b27a87935d9651260fa491e1a11_large.jpg
 
Am I missing something? It's basically a NUC in a translucent, neon-coloured case sold for a most ridiculous price. Who on earth would pay that much for what they offer?

Edit: wow they've got a working prototype? Well Newegg must have had some nice prices so they could get it working with all the extraordinary stuff they needed like...a NUC, some RAM and an SSD.
Oh and the case. Now that case is sure worth the extra 400-500 dollars compared to a stock NUC with added stuff!
 
Last edited:
I really dig it, but $750 to $1250 just seems insane for a NUC.

i5 NUC = $350
AC/BT = $30
480GB MSATA = $250
16GB RAM = $140
WIN8 = $100

Total = $870, leaving $380 for the acrylic case, IR, power button, power adapter, assembly & shipping. And that's retail pricing on individual components versus 100 to 200+ unit bulk pricing. Pretty cool, but just too pricey for what it is, imo.
 
The i5 haswell nuc comes with the case (with 2.5in bracket as well), IR receiver is built into the board, power supply adapter, its assembled out the door for $350. This project should be reported to kickstarter for violation of terms.

Under section 9:

You won’t submit stuff you don’t hold the copyright for (unless you have permission).


At no point in the description do they call out that they are using the NUC, and at every point they tout it as being a computer they designed.
 
Kaos_Drem said:
The i5 haswell nuc comes with the case (with 2.5in bracket as well), IR receiver is built into the board, power supply adapter, its assembled out the door for $350. This project should be reported to kickstarter for violation of terms.

Under section 9:

You won’t submit stuff you don’t hold the copyright for (unless you have permission).


At no point in the description do they call out that they are using the NUC, and at every point they tout it as being a computer they designed.
Click to expand...

Would they still be in violation if they use the NUC mobo-only SKU (LINK)?
 
I'll retract part of my comment based on about half way down the page they say NUC boards. But its still pretty lazy, a ripoff, and not feature complete.

This system will not pass EMI (the nuc does). The other components will end up overheating on that thing as they have no passive convection currents to cool the ram and storage. Thats why the nuc has the slats in the side.
 
There are quite many fanless NUC cases nowadays with all kinds of options: Akasa, Impactics, TranquilPC, etc.
I cannot imagine, why would anyone buy this plastic ripoff.
 
niksus said:
There are quite many fanless NUC cases nowadays with all kinds of options: Akasa, Impactics, TranquilPC, etc.
I cannot imagine, why would anyone buy this plastic ripoff.
Click to expand...
Indeed. The scary part is, the project has already gone over its $30k goal, with just 158 backers...

8 people have pledged over $750 which is crazy enough but the next part is downright shocking...

32 people have pledged over $1k!

What's even more odd is the $1099 and $1199 pledge points (which have the majority of the over-$1k pledges) only get the ability to purchase a Neutron at a "special Kickstarter-only price". But at $1249 you actually get a Neutron Pro, which is just $50 to $150 more than the other two points. Wouldn't people pledging over $1k just go for that option instead? I mean unless the "special price" is $100, why would it make sense to pledge those amounts? Unless of course these are your family/friends pledging these amounts?

The creators also seem to have the audacity to say the following when questioned with what others have brought up in this thread...
"There is nothing that you can currently buy that is exactly the same as Neutron. We think our colorful and fun take on mini-PCs makes us unique enough to at least be on Kickstarter."

Jokes.

I dunno, seems like a scam to me lol.
 
It would be a scam if you could buy the exact same thing in a store closeby. This is just a product that adds $400 for 5 minutes of install work (for a noob) and a childish acrylic case. I wish I could pull this crap off without feeling bad, because stupid people with too much disposable income seem to be the main KickStarter currency.
 
I reported this thing due to basically reselling an Intel NUC somehow claiming to be of their own inveition in a cheap-o-plastic case. We'll see.
 
Phuncz said:
It would be a scam if you could buy the exact same thing in a store closeby.
Click to expand...
No there's lots of scams on Kickstarter otherwise... What I'm wondering is, if this is even actually a real product that will ship?

If it does it's not a scam per se, no; but, it's still a rip-off. If the creators suddenly disappear, that's another story. Personally I think the way the backers have fallen in place seems a little suspect but maybe that's just me. (Again, why pledge $1200 to buy the thing at a "special price" when you could pledge $1250 and actually get the product?)

I dunno, one thing is for sure I would advise everyone not to go anywhere near that, even if they do like the case. For way less than $400 you could make/have made that exact same acrylic/polycarb. housing, then add the rest of the NUC and you're good.
 
I disagree that this is a scam. Not everyone can put together their own computers like the average [H] member. What they are actually selling is that service. But I don't think it should be on Kickstarter. It's like this Yogurt Maker thingy I bought; it turned out they were only using kickstarter for marketing.
 
It is a scam. They are marketing the product as "something unique" when its not. You get a NUC, plug the SSD and ram and... have a Neutron for $500 less.

Yes, its a scam, as they are marketing it as something it isn't.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top