KooboxKoobox has just introduced its latest configurations. Designed to be strictly functional, the new Essential system is only equipped with a Celeron D 356 processor, with 256MB of RAM and an 80GB hard drive. The stock optical drive is just a CD-RW model, and if users don’t already have a spare display, they’ll have to buy a CRT or LCD of their own. It does however come with an optical mouse and 2W stereo speakers, as well as the OpenOffice productivity suite.

The stripped-down Essential system costs $300; for $339, users get a DVD-RW drive, plus SurfSafe and VirusSafe for website blocking and anti-virus protection. Shoppers can now also upgrade the company’s existing Multimedia configuration. For an extra $100, the processor can be switched to a Pentium D 930, the RAM can be doubled to 1GB, and hard drive space can be expanded to 250GB. The normal system costs $400 and uses a Pentium 4 630, 512MB of RAM, and a 160GB hard drive. [via]