There are thin client alternatives.

[Swansen]

There are a multitude of tiny desktop PCs coming out that use hardly any power, but are still quite functional as an everyday machine. Off the top of my head is an Eee Box, which is made by Asus and is a spin off of their Eee PCs. Its a mini-ITX based system which used hardly any power and uses an Intel Atom based processor. Alternatively, you could just build a mini-itx system yourself. Lastly, it is possible to set up a micro-ATX system to use very little power, yet be just as powerful as any computer out there, and still take up a small amount of space.

[momo]

There are a multitude of tiny desktop PCs coming out that use hardly any power, but are still quite functional as an everyday machine. Off the top of my head is an Eee Box, which is made by Asus and is a spin off of their Eee PCs. Its a mini-ITX based system which used hardly any power and uses an Intel Atom based processor. Alternatively, you could just build a mini-itx system yourself. Lastly, it is possible to set up a micro-ATX system to use very little power, yet be just as powerful as any computer out there, and still take up a small amount of space.

when you say, "hardly any power" ... the T5710 takes under 10 watts
how much less are these other alternatives? ... and does the Eee Box use XP

[Swansen]

The Asus Eeebox is rated for 20w of consumption, with varing prices from $250 into the $300s. The point being here though, they will be very functional as a daily use machine, being able to take care of pretty much anything you would need to do. Yes, you can get an Eeebox with Windows XP.

[stroths]

The point of a thin client is its small and once you set it up, you leave it alone and not worry about it. If you want to use it as a PC as well, then something like you suggest would be a good alternative.