Dell's $499 Studio Hybrid mini-PC is their smallest, greenest PC yet

Dell's answer to the Mac Mini ups the ante with an HDMI output, optional Blu-ray drive, and some seriously green credentials.

The Studio Hybrid uses 20% of the material of a standard desktop mini-tower, and as little as 30% of the energy to run. Packing materials are 95% recyclable and have been reduced in weight by 30%. The printed documentation has also been reduced in weight by 75%. This gives the Studio Hybrid the title of Dell's most environmentally friendly PC.

The $499 base model features:

1.86GHz Core 2 Duo T2390 processor (533Mhz FSB/1MB cache) 1GB DDR2 RAM (Expandable up to 4GB) 160GB 5400RPM SATA hard drive Intel X3100 integrated graphics HDMI and DVI output 5 USB ports and 1 4-pin FireWire port Gigabit LAN Slot-loading 8X CD/DVD burner 5.1-channel S/PDIF digital output Windows Vista Home Basic

An extra $250 replaces the DVD burner with a Blu-ray drive, adding high-definition movie playback to the device.

The Studio Hybrid is available now from Dell in six colors (Slate, Emerald, Quartz, Ruby, Topaz and Sapphire) and, if you're willing to drop an additional $130, Bamboo.