The Mailman Has Arrived: Four Mini-PCs on the Test Bench

Shuttle XPC SB61G2: First-Class Equipment With Weaknesses

Shuttle Barebone SB61G2 with Intel 865G chipset.

Reverse side of the Shuttle with a look at the connections.

Aesthetic SP/DIF connections on the back.

In terms of workmanship and aesthetic use of materials, Shuttle is still ahead of its competitors - even if it is only a matter of nuances compared to MSI. At the end of the day, Shuttle still sells the most barebone systems. The manufacturer with the longest history has more experience than its rivals and consistently improves its Mini-PC series, at least where appearance and surface touch are concerned. In addition, there are low tolerances in the case of the housing, which is completely made of aluminum, and quality you can feel as regards the operating keys. The user can choose from a selection of different panels to obtain a color-coordinated PC. The housing can be opened up within seconds by means of knurled screws.

While connections such as USB 2.0, FireWire (small) and audio are provided on the front of the housing, network, graphics, 4x USB 2.0, 5.1 sound and optical SP/DIF interfaces are available on the back. The interior construction is very similar to previous models - the equipment includes heat pipe cooling of the processor. Lastly, the Shuttle XPC SB61G2 has the most up to date hardware (based on the FB61 circuit board with the Intel 865G chipset) of the whole test field. Optimum performance can only be achieved in combination with a CPU for 200 MHz FSB clock rate, as the faster dual DDR 400 memory can then also be fully utilized. Otherwise, the memory clock pulse is 166 MHz (DDR 333) or 133 MHz (DDR 266), depending on the FSB clock rate selected (133 MHz or 100 MHz).