13 Barebones Reviewed Are Anything But Square

Test Candidates With AGP Graphics Slot

AOpen XC Cube Family: The Three Tenors

AOpen wants to jump headlong into the barebone sector with a slew of models. What's under the hood hasn't changed at all: they still use Socket 478 and an i865G chipset. However, the exterior has been designed differently to suit various tastes. The XC Cube AV, which is the black one in the picture, can do somewhat more than its brothers. It is the only one that ships with a remote control and optionally with a TV tuner and a DVI-ADD card.

In addition, there is special software that makes it possible for the mini PC to load a Linux operating system in only a few seconds, which then serves as a multimedia center. Another unique feature of the XC cube series is that only the AV version has a large display that shows all the information about your DVD, audio CD or TV tuner.

The fearless three from AOpen

Standard back panel including a printer interface

One for all: when it's hot, the CPU fan becomes loud

Temperature Measurements

Due to the almost identical interiors of the three AOpen systems, they tend to generate an equal amount of heat.