With its ovoid-cylindrical design, the Dell Studio Hybrid ($874 direct, $1,064 with 19-inch widescreen monitor) is a new twist on the small-form-factor PC. Its size, though, is reminiscent of others in that space, including the Apple Mac mini, the ASUS Eee Box, and HP's Slimline PCs like the s3330f. It's an energy-efficient and environment-friendly design (hence the "hybrid" moniker), but thanks to its Intel Core 2 Duo T8100 Penryn-based processor, it can keep up not only with the other systems in the compact space but with larger tower-based PCs as well. It does suffer from weak 3D performance due to the system's integrated graphics, but if you don't need to play 3D games, the Studio Hybrid is a good alternative to the boxy mainstream PCs that have dominated the market since the dawn of personal computing.

The Studio Hybrid sits in an oval cylindrical case, one that's about 7.8/8.3 by 2.8 by 7.8 inches (HWD in a vertical orientation). Two heights are listed because the Studio Hybrid is customizable with different-colored translucent sleeves. Ours came in "slate," a sort of a grayish blue. The system also comes with a 1.1-inch-high stand to use when you want to display the system vertically on your desk. Or, you can remove the stand and have the system lie horizontally. One nice design touch is that the Hybrid name switches orientation when you turn the system on its side. (There are two backlit logos; one shuts off and the other turns on when the system tilts.)

Since the system is so small, it fits wherever systems like the HP Slimline and Mac mini work: studio apartments, dorm rooms, small dens, home offices, and bedrooms. Like most compact systems, the Hybrid uses a mobile-based Penryn T8100 processor and a slot-loading DVD burner. Blu-ray reader drives (which raise the system's price) will be available in August 2008. The system uses a 250GB notebook-class, 5,400-rpm hard drive, which can be upgraded to 320GB if you build the system to order. The Hybrid's Intel Mobile 965 integrated graphics round out the notebook-based components.

These mobile components mean that the Hybrid is very energy efficient. The system uses only 1 watt of power when off or in hibernate mode, a frugal 26W while sitting idle, and 44W when the system is fully taxed, as on the CineBench R10 test. This is phenomenal power usage and is only a couple more watts more all around than the Mac mini. Like the Mac mini, the Hybrid uses an external power brick instead of an internal power supply, a minor annoyance. The Hybrid also has Energy Star 4.0 certification and a system recycling kit (Dell will help you recycle the system when it is obsolete). Thanks to all of these features, the Dell Studio Hybrid certainly earns its PC Magazine GreenTech Approved rating.

Other good news is an almost complete lack of crapware (aka bloatware). This means that the system is devoid of extra programs you don't want, like AOL, trialware games, and extraneous ads and shortcuts that take you to e-commerce sites. Unfortunately, the system's included 30-day Norton Internet Security subscription is woefully short (I want to see 12-to-15-month subscriptions). At least the Studio's Dell Dock (a Mac OS–like shortcut launcher on the top of the screen) is fairly innocuous and can be useful for people switching from a Mac to Vista. The Dell Dock is a customized software tool made by the Stardock folks that resembles and functions similarly to Apple's Mac OS X dock on the bottom of Mac screens. It's used as a launch pad for your programs and files.

The Hybrid is a decent multimedia PC, with its HDMI port, FireWire port, digital audio-out port (a standard TOSlink connector), an eight-in-one card reader on the front panel, 2GB of RAM, and mainstream dual-core processor. The system was able to finish our Windows Media Encoder test in 1 minute 19 seconds and our Photoshop CS3 test in 38 seconds. Both are above-average scores multimedia PCs with dual-core processors. The system also completed the BAPCo SYSmark 2007 Preview benchmark test with an Overall score of 110 points—a fair-to-middling score similar to that of its small-form-factor peers. These scores show that the Hybrid is a more-than-capable system as long as you keep the workload two-dimensional (photos, videos, and the like).

The Hybrid was able to load both Crysis and World in Conflict, our current 3D games, but at 1 frame per second or less, both games were totally unplayable. At that point, you're not even watching a slideshow; you'd get more enjoyment by standing on your head and whistling REM's Orange Crush. The takeaway: The Hybrid's integrated graphics are fine for Vista's Aero effects, but don't try to play 3D games on it.

The Studio Hybrid is a bit smaller and cheaper than HP Slimline PCs like the s3330f, but the Slimlines are available with internal HDTV tuners and HD DVD/Blu-ray drives. You'll have to wait until August for Blu-ray on the Hybrid, and any tuner you use has to be an aftermarket external USB one. The Hybrid is most comparable to the Apple Mac mini: Both lack internal expansion and use external power bricks. Both have weak integrated graphics, but both are also energy-efficient design statements. Apple's premium pricing means the mini is more expensive than the Hybrid when tricked out with 2GB of RAM and a larger hard drive (160GB), but the Mac gives you the option of either using Mac OS X or installing your own copy of Windows Vista or XP. The Hybrid is limited to Vista Home Premium or Ultimate.

If you buy based on design, the Dell Studio Hybrid should be on the top of your list, along with Apple's Mac products. The Hybrid should also get the nod if you're looking for an energy-efficient PC that occupies very little space and requires few raw materials to build. It will make you feel good to use if you're eco-conscious. There are more-powerful and more-expandable choices out there if you're less concerned about design, especially at the sub-$1,000 price point, and you'll have to look elsewhere if you want expandability. Though the design is the most notable feature, it's a good PC—especially for the space-constrained user.

Check out the Dell Studio Hybrid's test scores.