Shuttle is a bit of a pioneer in the world of barebones PCs, and is one of few manufacturers to have a range of systems on offer and not just a couple of basic units. Its also the only one in this roundup to offer a barebones based around the new Athlon 64.
Shuttle is a bit of a pioneer in the world of barebones PCs, and is one of few manufacturers to have a range of systems on offer and not just a couple of basic units. Its also the only one in this roundup to offer a barebones based around the new Athlon 64. This may seem like a little overkill for a living room PC, but it makes a great option for a mini power PC.
With an integrated front mounted memory card reader, this attractive black and white Perspex look works aesthetically, while the usual swag of front connectivity will keep you plugging and playing.
We did find the XPC a little difficult to work with inside, which is uncharacteristic given our past experience with Shuttle barebones systems. It comes shipped with the basics: IEC power cable; driver CD and printed manual, and sports all the regular features, like AGP slot, integrated optical audio, FireWire and Serial ATA.
Opting to go with the nForce3 chipset, this machine is suitable for the new Athlon 64 3200+ processors and features dual channel DDR memory care of the on-die memory controller. As AMD ships more 64-bit processors and prices drop, this should be more feasible for the cash strapped users after the top end in terms of performance.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012