Shuttle XPC G5 8300M

Just as Hoover is now the universal name for vacuum cleaners, so Shuttle has become synonymous with do-it-yourself small form factor (SFF) PCs. Having stayed loyal to the concept since its beginnings, the company has often been copied but very rarely equalled.

To stay one step ahead of the competition, it has now launched its own pre-built machines. The G5 8300M is a Windows Media Center PC perfect for people who want a space-saving system without having to build one from scratch.

Style is as important as specifications when it comes to SFF PCs. With its black aluminium cover and mirrored front panels, the G5 8300M looks the part. The well-built case also features a colourful integrated LCD panel, which displays media information relating to the current mode. It's not 100 per cent essential but adds that extra touch.

The rear offers more expansion than you'd think possible in a PC of this size, including two USB2 ports, Firewire, audio and PS/2 connectors, while a dropdown panel in the front fascia hides mic and headphone sockets, another two USB2 ports and a 4-pin Firewire port. A remote control is also provided, but it's important to note that the price tag doesn't include a keyboard, mouse or monitor.

The high build quality continues inside with all cables clipped out of the way. The system is based on Shuttle's XPC SB83G5 barebones chassis and features the company's own FB83 motherboard, which uses Intel's 915G chipset backed by the Raid enabled R version of the ICH6 Southbridge. A Pentium 4 530 (3GHz) processor sits in a Socket 775.

The 915 chipset can either use DDR1 or faster DDR2 memory, and Shuttle has chosen to go down the former route with two sticks of 256MB DDR400 Ram set up in a dual-channel configuration. The system can be expanded to a maximum of 2GB via its two Dimm slots. The FB83 motherboard also boasts integrated Gigabit Lan and 5.1 audio.

The Shuttle uses a 250w SilentX power supply and a single cooling fan/heatpipe arrangement to keep the processor cool and the noise down to the bare minimum. When you first turn the system on it's a little noisy, but this soon settles down to a barely audible level.

In terms of storage you get a Maxtor 200GB Sata drive, a 6-in-1 USB2 card reader and a Lite-on SOHW1653S 16-speed DVD burner. The DVD drive supports both plus and minus RW formats and can write dual layer discs at four-speed.

To help with media duties there's an Avermedia M1500 Ultra MCE PCI TV card, while graphics are taken care of by an ATI Radeon X300 card. The latter is a PCI Express card device, but isn't great for those looking to play hardcore 3D games at high resolutions. However, it should be fine for occasional gamers who don't mind slightly lower settings. When tested with Far Cry at 800 x 600 pixels and low detail settings, the system managed a more than adequate 73fps.

Although this pint-sized PC comes with Windows Media Center Edition 2005 pre-installed, its Sysmark 2004 score of 178 is comparable with desktop PCs and shows that the system is very capable.

All in all, we we're impressed with this well-built and stylish system. If you're looking for a Media Center PC that's perfect for the home office or the living room, it's a tempting choice.

Contact:
Shoe Box Computers 0871 220 1115
www.shoeboxcomputers.com
www.shuttle.com

Specifications:

• Intel Pentium 4-530
• 512MB DDR400 Ram
• 200GB hard disk
• ATI Radeon X300 128MB
• Liteon Dual-layer DVD
• 6-in-1 card reader
• Windows Media Centre 2005
• 2yr on-site warranty