Shuttle is famous for popularising the 'small form factor' computer a few years ago – a PC in a far smaller box than the enormous tower boxes we were used to at the time.

The company's latest, the mini X 200, is a step even further – it's significantly smaller even than Shuttle's normal cases, which is saying something.

The design is understated, with a sleek black trim offset by an aluminium stripe recessed into the top of the case. This extends over the front panel, and it's where the power button and memory card reader are located. There's also a single USB2 port to one side, and a slot-loading DVD writer, but apart from those the front panel is bare.

Oddly, it's possible to buy the computer with either Windows XP Media Center Edition, or Windows Vista Home Premium, pre-installed. The prices are roughly similar for either, so we're not sure why anyone would opt for the older XP, since Vista Home Premium includes all the Media Center features, but the choice is there for those who want it.

Being a media computer, the X 200 includes a 'hybrid' TV tuner card as standard, which can pick up either analogue or digital television signals (although it can't do both at once, so it's not possible to record an analogue channel while watching a digital one, for instance). The tuner also doubles up as an FM radio tuner, if it's in analogue mode. There's even a stand in the box to sit the case vertically if you're short of room where the TV is located.

Being such a small computer, it makes use of components designed primarily for notebooks, such as the Intel Core Duo T2050 processor which runs at 1.6GHz. Both this and the memory (1GB in the model we looked at) can be upgraded at the time of purchase (Shuttle's website even allows you to configure the computer and send the selection automatically to a UK retailer who will reply with a quote)

Again, to cut down on space and heat, there's no separate graphics card, which means it won't cope with newer games, although video and DVDs are no problem. The 320GB hard disk is ample.

The back panel includes both a DVI socket for connecting to a monitor (though being a media center PC it doesn't come with a monitor as standard), and an s-video socket for connecting to a TV. Handily, it also includes adapters for VGA and HDMI ports, so you can connect it to older monitors and newer TVs as well. However, it's not HDCP-compliant, so it can't play back high definition content on newer flat-screen TVs (for instance, if you were to plug an HD-DVD drive in to watch films).

There's also an aerial for connection to a wireless network, digital and analogue audio outputs and four more USB ports.

There are two distinct advantages to the Shuttle mini X 200: firstly, Shuttle offers a two-year collect and return warranty as standard, and secondly, the system draws far less power than most, primarily to its use of low-heat notebook components. It drew only about 50W in testing, under half of what a comparable computer might use.

On the down side, it's possible to buy smaller PCs that are just as fast, for less, including Apple's Mac Mini and the Mini PC from Evesham, so it's fair to say that the X 200 has a hard job standing out from the crowd.

Vista compatible: Yes