Samsung has quietly launched a modular desktop PC that looks set to rival Apple’s Mac Pro.
The Samsung ArtPC Pulse has mysteriously (and silently) arrived on Amazon over in the United States, and looks like an overweight Amazon Echo, albeit with significantly greater computing heft. It features a slick cylindrical aluminium chassis and includes a multi-directional Harmon Kardon speaker module on top. There’s also a 1TB HDD module available too.
But perhaps the biggest perk of the entire system is its dinky proportions; the ArtPC Pulse’s dimensions are 5.51 x 5.51 x 12.18 inches. That means it’s very similar to the Sonos Play:1 in terms of thickness, and around half the height – the Play:1 speaker has dimensions of 6.36 x 4.69 x 4.69 inches.
There are two different variants, as follows:
Samsung ArtPC Pulse ($1,199.99): Intel i5 (2.7GHz), 256GB SSD, 8GB DDR4 RAM, AMD Radeon RX460 GPU (2GB VRAM)
Samsung ArtPC Pulse ($1,599.99): Intel i7 (3.4GHz), 256GB SSD, 1TB HDD, 16GB DDR4 RAM, AMD Radeon RX460 GPU (2GB VRAM)
The main unknown quantity at this point is exactly how modular the PC is. It’s not clear which components can be traded out – is the GPU swappable, for instance? In any case, we’ll know more once the October 28 shipping date rolls around. Until then, all you can do is book in a pre-order.
Unfortunately, we can’t find the Samsung ArtPC Pulse on Amazon UK, and it’s not clear if it will ever land in Britain. We’ve asked Samsung for comment, and will update this article with any response.
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What do you think of Samsung’s new modular PC? Let us know in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
