Shuttle Introduces The KPC At CES
Shuttle introduced the KPC at CES 2008, which will be available as either a barebones or a complete system. Let's see what they have planned for us.
Shuttle KPC
The KPC is slated to sell for $99 as a barebones and $199 for a complete system. It appears that it will also be available in four colors, with removable face plates that can be easily customized.
Black KPC
Smiley Blue
Red Flower
A Cup of Coffee
The last three seem a little more stylized than the one shown at CES. They provide the fun appearance needed for the target market.
The KPC is in a Shuttle form factor, measuring 6.4" in height, 11" in length, and 7.5" in width. These numbers could change slightly, but at this size the unit is appealing as an inexpensive PC, HTPC or other appliance.
Side View
While the final hardware is not completely determined yet, Shuttle has confirmed that the following components will be used.
The Motherboard
- Intel 945GC Express Chipset
- Intel Core 2 Duo processor, Intel Pentium D Processor and Intel Pentium 4 Processor supporting HT Technology
- Built-in Intel GMA950 graphics
- 800/533 MHz FSB
- Intel Flex Memory Technology
- Dual channel DDR2 533/400
- Intel HD Audio 5.1 channel
- 4 USB ports
- 10/100 LAN using Intel 82562G Ethernet Controller
- One PCI slot
- SATA 3 Gbps ports (most likely 2, but could be up to 4)
- PATA 1 for 2 devices
While this board could support a PCI Express slot, it is not included in the planning at this time, and should not be expected at this price or size. The lack of these extra features allows Shuttle to use a 100 watt PSU for the KPC. This completes the barebones unit, which will be quite compelling at the $99 price.
The complete system has an Intel Celeron CPU with heatsink and fan.
The CPU
- Intel Celeron 420
- Operating Frequency of 1.6Ghz
- 65nm architecture
- 512 kB L2 cache
- 800 MHz FSB
- Intel 64
- Execute Disable Bit
- Thermal power of 35 W
- Voltage of 1.0-1.3375 V
- Multimedia instructions MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, SSE4, EM64T
Shuttle is also planning to include an 80 GB HDD, 512 MB RAM, and Linux with a Shuttle theme. There are to be several possible upgrades, such as an external optical drive and the Shuttle PN20 802.11 b/g unit.
There are still some details to be worked out, so we will have to wait to see what makes it into the final product. We should have a full review of the KPC before it hits the streets in late February or early March. Until then, it seems that Shuttle has a very unique entry level system, if they can deliver the KPC as promised.
