Shuttle has announced a new barebone PC – the DS81. This barebone PC is built to handle CPUs that drop into the LGA1150 socket, with TDP's of up to 65 W. Intriguingly though, the unit is unlike most other barebones – at just 43 mm thick. Wired to the CPU is an Intel H81 chipset, as well as two DDR3 SODIMM slots, allowing for up to 16 GB of RAM to be installed. In addition to these, to complete the barebone, users can install a single 2.5" hard drive or SSD, as well as two Mini-PCIe devices. The Mini-PCIe slots have support for mSATA drives.
Shuttle has built the unit to be more robust than traditional PCs, and also more resistant against heat. "The robust DS81 attracted a great deal of attention at CeBIT," said Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. "The reliability of the model even at ambient temperatures up to 50 °C and under full load was clearly demonstrated live in Hannover."
The system is also built to be permanently switched on, as it has a jumper onboard, which if enabled will ensure that the machine is always powered on so long as there is power. Furthermore, the unit also has a header on the rear I/O, which will allow you to wire a power switch to a remote location.
Front I/O is handled by four USB 2.0 ports, a card reader, as well as the standard set of HD audio jacks. Rear I/O connectivity is dealt with by a pair of two DisplayPort outputs, as well as an HDMI port, serial ports, a handful of USB ports, topped off with dual Gigabit Ethernet.
Pricing for the unit is set at €179 excluding taxes, which translates to about $240.
