2005-10-26 - PC Pro: "New Benchmark for Small Form Factor Systems"

The SD11G5 is the first Shuttle XPC Barebone to support Intel’s acclaimed Pentium M processor. It should come as no surprise then that the newest Shuttle SFF PC is very quiet, as reported by the editors of PC Pro (UK): "Small, beautiful and astonishingly quiet, this XPC is the new benchmark for Small Form Factor systems."

The magazine's editors configured their Shuttle XPC Barebone SD11G5 with  a 2.13GHz Pentium M 770, 1GB of PC5300 DDR2 RAM and an XFX GeForce 6600 GT. The installation proved a snap: "Without a bulky PSU in the way, [the installation] didn’t take long: once the hard disk rack has been removed, take out the ICE module to access the CPU socket. … It’s an elegant approach that leads to a tidy end result."

Yet even top of the line components didn’t impose any compromises in terms of quietness: "The system proved both fast and able in use, and never got above mildly warm during testing. It’s quiet too, even by the high standards set by previous Shuttle models, with the slow-spinning fan and hard disk being the only sources of sound."

Editors left no doubt as to how good they found this XPC Barebone: "It’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify the noise and heat produced by so many desktop PCs, and this Shuttle just provides one more compelling reason to go for the smaller option." All of which adds up to a PC Pro Recommended Award for the Shuttle XPC Barebone SD11G5.

Verdict:

"Small, beautiful and astonishingly quiet, this XPC is the new benchmark for small-form-factor systems."

Performance:	6 of 6 stars
Features & Design:	5 of 6 stars
Value for money:	4 of 6 stars
Overall:	5 of 6 stars

Source: PC Pro Issue 12/05