It’s been a hectic few months, but I’ve managed to find some time polish up the H.264 prototype I put together earlier this year. It’s looking better than ever and I think it’s now clear to say that the Pi is perfectly usable as an everyday thin client.
… which got me thinking …
How much would it cost to build an ultra cheap, performant, ALL-IN-ONE thin client? HDX shouldn’t necessitate the need for vendor specific hardware; Citrix has a long-standing history of performing well on a wide variety of devices, and the Pi shouldn’t be any different.
So, I decided to set myself a challenge with a £100 budget. Parts purchased new, all prices in GBP, inc. tax:
Raspberry Pi……£28.49
15.6″ LCD TV…..£54.99
Pi mount…………£ 5.99
Keyboard………..£ 3.98
SD card………….£ 2.49
Mouse……………£ 1.70
Pi power…………£ 0.99
HDMI cable……..£ 0.99
Total…………….£99.62 (*phew!*)
£99.62 is approximately $162.70 (at the time of writing). Excluding taxes, this figure is closer to $130. Factoring in that the parts were purchased at retail prices, it’s not entirely implausible to suggest that building an all-in-one thin client could be done for around $150. Granted there aren’t any of the usual costs associated with management software and support, but this is after all your own personal thin client that you proudly built yourself 😉
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Each Friday is PiDay here at Adafruit! Be sure to check out our posts, tutorials and new Raspberry Pi related products. Adafruit has the largest and best selection of Raspberry Pi accessories and all the code & tutorials to get you up and running in no time!