Shuttle SS51 XPC

Conclusion

Never having used one of these mini bare-bones systems before, I came in with an attitude that it was a compromise between performance and size. After some thorough testing, my initial fears have been assuaged.

The SS51G is extremely well-built, stylish and can be made into a deceptively powerful machine. You receive the basics in a chassis, motherboard, PSU and cooler, and then are free to add-on what you see fit. The very fact that the motherboard comes with a plethora of integrated extras should compensate you for the lack of PCI slots.

Today we see a number of add-on cards that give your full-size PC extra connectivity options. What's remarkable about the SS51G is that it ships with 4 USB2.0 ports, 3 IEEE1394a (Firewire) ports, S/PDIF in and out, on-board VGA, sound (via the capable ALC650 CODEC) and LAN. I'm trying to think of more than a couple of full ATX motherboards that can lay claim to this. The FS51 motherboard houses a full AGP slot, one PCI slot and the latest SiS chipset, one that fully support all current Pentium4 processors. The cooler is a nice touch, too.

I'd say that anyone who is able to build a desktop PC will have no real problems with the SS51G. The modular design lends itself to easy assembly. The well-written manuals ensure that nothing is overlooked. There is space for a couple of hard drives as well as a CD-based drive, all contained within a form that is not much larger than a common toaster.

Although we are presented with a number of overclocking options in BIOS, I would personally not be too ambitious. The enclosed space naturally generates a great deal of heat.

Performance is adequate with the on-board video enabled, but is exemplary when you substitute your own AGP card. The freeing-up of system memory makes this little box as competitive as any desktop solution. Equipped with a fast processor, fast AGP graphics card and lots of memory, I can't see why the SS51G cannot be a direct replacement for your desktop PC, assuming you don't require a number of additional PCI slots. A number of uses spring to mind.

Direct desktop replacement - As above, I see no reason why not.

Dedicated DVD/DivX/MP3 box - With the possibility of adding a DVD drive and 2 hard drives, coupled with the fan in quiet mode, you could have an impressively powerful box. TV-out is well catered for, too.

Fileserver - Strap in a couple of 120GB drives and away you go.

LAN Box - I've already demonstrated just how well it performs with a dedicated AGP card. Couple this with a TFT screen for some portable gaming.

That's just the ones that I can think of immediately.

With all the good points out of the way, I do have a couple of gripes. The small form factor leads to increased cost. I've been informed that it will retail for around $350 when launched in the US. Expect a similar price in pounds here.

Heat is an inherent issue that is hard to work around. At 2.26GHz / 1.40v, the CPU was reported as being at 57c when just playing a DVD with the fan in quiet mode. The fan in normal usage is subjectively too loud.

The on-board graphics make a token effort at today's 3D games, you really would need an additional AGP card to do the system justice. The 2D quality of the on-board video was subjectively poor at anything above 1024x768x32.

Having said that, I really do like the idea behind it. It's executed extremely well by Shuttle. The SS51G is a multi-purpose PC, and if you are in the market for something that is bucks the trend, looks good, is P4 compatible, and performs on a par with desktop systems when paired with a decent video card, look no further. I've enjoyed my time with it and feel that it deserves an Editor's award based on innovation, practicality and performance.

Highs