I am looking at purchasing a nettop, in particular the Asus Eee Box 1012. This machine comes with an atom N330 which I understand to be a Dual-Core 1.6GHz processor. I will be installing Windows 7 on it, etc. I want to know if it will run Street Fighter IV? The min requirements is a Intel 2GHz processor. Being a dual-core 1.6GHZ - how does that compare/work?

"I will be installing Windows 7 on it, etc. I want to know if it will run Street Fighter IV?" Not a chance. They're called "Netbooks" & "Nettops" for a reason...they're designed for internet useage & not much more. The Atom CPUs are weak, so are the integrated graphics (usually Intel GMA 950). They generally don't have a whole lot of RAM or a large HDD & they also don't have a CD/DVD drive so you'd have to use an external. And if you don't have one, there's an added cost. A netbook is NOT a gamer & can NOT be turned into one. And because of the weak hardware used & lack of RAM, it's NOT a good candidate for Win7. Increase your budget & buy a gaming notebook. Here's some examples of what you can get for under $1000: http://www.msimobile.com/level2_pro...

In regards to external peripherals, I think the external optical drive is a valid point in consideration. Getting the installation files onto the machine are not an issue, it's just whether or not they are required to run the game I guess. In relation to graphics, the machine comes with a 256MB card, so that meets min specs. I guess it was always the CPU which would be the deciding factor. So dual core 1.6 won't match even the single core 2GHz requirement huh? The game does support dual core CPUs, so I was hoping it would be on the right track.

First off, you seem to be conflating -- as many also do -- these low-powered machines from ASUS: The Eee Box is not the same thing as the Eee Top which is furthermore not the same thing as the Eee PC ... Way-to-go ASUS! The Eee PC is the fairly popular low-powered mobile system commonly referred to as a NetBook; Mini-notebook; etc. It is supposed to cater to people whose computer needs are not robust enough to require the purchase of a full-fledged computer. Since it is priced much cheaper than a standard notebook & usually offers better battery time, it has become quite popular as a handy-dandy notebook for a lot of people. The Eee Box is supposed to be the "desktop" version of the Eee PC -- cheaper, more compact & also energy-efficient. Although, it is not as popular as the Eee PC because of the demanding nature of the productivity desktop market. But it comes in handy as a simple & inexpensive digital home entertainment center for home theater enthusiasts. The Eee Top reminds me of the "Instant AOL" -- All-In-One Internet Device -- from AOL/Gateway from a few years ago. It is a miniature all-in-one desktop computer with touchscreen capabilities. It looks promising, however, I doubt I'll ever run into it at anyone's home. I seem to think of it as something for the showroom-type office environment ... but who knows. Coming back to your question, the Asus Eee EB1012 is NOT a netbook but an Eee Box, just in case you are looking to purchase a netbook. It will run Windows 7 fine & the Atom 330 is better than its predecessor the Atom 230 -- basically 2 Atom 230 CPUs within the same substrate -- but it remains an Atom CPU nonetheless. So, I wouldn't be looking at using the machine for anything but mediocre gaming -- it is not designed for that purpose; as jam hinted in response #1, but not bad for perhaps an HTPC setting. If indeed you are looking at acquiring an Eee Box, you might want to ditch the EB1012 & go for the EB1501, it is supposed to come equipped with an optical drive, HDMI & S/PDIF output & also pre-loaded with Windows 7. Windows 7 News!

Guys, thank-you so much for your responses. I guess I will shy away from an eee box for now.