Don't get me wrong, I like my mini-itx machine: I use it every day,
and I keep looking for ways to upgrade it. But bang-for-the-buck, a
cheap laptop beats it easily.

Thanks Jeff; I hear you. The new VIA mini boards (EPIA EX with the
CX700M2 chipset or EPIA EN) look very cutting edge, and cliam 13.2
watts power consumption without the screen as you pointed out.

Laptops are now outselling desktops and they are getting better all
the time. It's the fanless aspect that really appeals to me; perhaps
fanless would work in a purpose-built environment. I haven't
researched laptops yet beyond learning that the newer, faster laptops
use less power that the older, slower laptops.

Cheers, Jim