C.H.I.P. is a new mini computer that aims to provide powerful hardware at the ridiculous price of just $9 (€8), not to mention the fact that it's incredibly small.

Some of you will immediately think of the Raspberry Pi mini PC and you would be right to do so. C.H.I.P. is actually much smaller than Raspberry Pi 2, and it has roughly the same hardware capabilities, even with some improvements. It's hard to imagine how the makers of C.H.I.P. have managed to cram all the power and features into such a small space, but it looks like they are actually constrained by the size of the connections than anything else.

When you hear about a mini PC, you immediately think of something that can be connected to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse and feature some form of integrated space for an operating system. That is completely true for C.H.I.P., which also brings some extra new features like integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth controllers. These last two are sorely missing on the Raspberry Pi, for example.

C.H.I.P. on Kickstarter is already a success

With the promise of a great hardware, C.H.I.P. was quick to raise the funds it needed and more. In fact, the project still has 29 more days to go, which is actually very good news for the project.

"C.H.I.P. is a computer for students, teachers, grandparents, children, artists, makers, hackers, and inventors. Everyone really. C.H.I.P. is a great way to add a computer to your life and the perfect way to power your computer based projects. At 1Ghz and with 512MB of DDR3 RAM, C.H.I.P. is powerful enough to run real software, and handle the demands of a full GUI just as well as it handles attached hardware. Best of all, CHIP runs mainline Linux, which means it’s easier than ever to keep teaching it new tricks without inheriting a pile of kernel patches," reads the entry on Kickstarter.

The fact that it comes with a 1Ghz processor, 512MB of DDRAM3, and 4GB of space makes it ideal for all kinds of integration. It can be used as a regular PC, a media center, a core for a bigger project like a console emulator, and much more. The prospects are endless.

To make things even more interesting, the makers of C.H.I.P. are also providing a single cell LiPO battery that can power the device for hours and that can be charged through it. This means that it's also mobile.

For more details about this awesome mini PC (it runs Debian by default, other distros will work), you can check their Kickstarter entry.