2005-08-03 - Barebonecenter.de: "Silent-, Performance- and Silver-Award"

"Users expect fluently running Windows that doesn't interfere with anti-virus scanners, chat programs or any other applications running in the background," explain the editors of the German SFF PC website Barebonecenter.de. The best solution for a stable system are Intel dual core processors. Of course, the latest Shuttle model, the XPC Barebone SD31P provides a home for these next generation processors: "Shuttle, as the market leader in the barebone segment, won't let this opportunity pass and introduces the SD31P." The first SFF PC for Intel's dual core processors could convince completely and took away three awards at once - Silent-, Performance- and Silver-Award.

"One might be sceptical at first realizing the hard facts of the Pentium D dual core processors," write the editors of the German SFF PC community Barebonecenter.de before the test of the Shuttle XPC Barebone SD31P. Those processors would be very power consuming. "Apart from a higher electricity bill it will be even more difficult to keep'em cool," realize the editors the consequences, but also adding: "It will be a tough challange that Shuttle is facing."

But it's not only the CPU that's new with the Shuttle XPC Barebone SD31P. The chipset was improved either due to an incompatibility of i915 and i925 to the Pentium D processors. "The Shuttle XPC Barebone SD31P uses the smaller one of the new chipsets, the i945G, with socket 775 and ICH7/R Southbridge. Additionally, it features the integrated Graphics Media Accelerator (GMA) 950." And also for the sound they had a lot going on: "The final striking innovation is the Creative P17 onboard sound with which Shuttle will meets the demands for higher onboard sound quality," write the editors. The Shuttle XPC Barebone SD31P comes with the stylish and acclaimed P-design. "The interior doesn't show up with obvious surprises compared to other models of the P-series but smooth evolution can be seen," explain the editors. "Room for two hard disks on the top and perfectly pre-routed SATA cables."

Whenever it comes to high-end CPUs and high power consumption, the noise level plays an important part and Barebonecenter.de isn't an exception. "This is the most pleasing aspect of the Shuttle XPC Barebone SD31P," conclude the editors. The first SFF PC for Intel dual core processors does an excellent job managing high temperatures: "Our two CPUs were excellently cooled with SmartFan even in hot summer days. Even running the fans at the lowest level is sufficient to keep the temperature down and still, it is nearly inaudible. "

Conclusion:

"Shuttle's march into the new dual core world leaves a very good general impression. [...] The noise level of this barebone with most of the available socket 775 CPUs is very good. The CPU fans stay very quiet thanks to SmartFan and for sure, it is the quietest solution from Shuttle ever. [...] The Shuttle XPC Barebone SD31P really earned our Performance-Award. The dual core CPUs that demonstrated their impressive power were a part of this award. SATA2 and DDR2 at 667 MHz are the basis for even higher levels of performance [...]."

Pros:

• Very quiet with SmartFan
• Good cooling system
• State-of-the-art equipment with all current and upcoming standards
• Support for oversized graphics cards
• Very good chipset i945G and ICH7/R
• Good onboard graphics for office applications.

(Source: http://www.barebonecenter.info/articles.php?id=48&page=11)