Product Reviews

Back in issue one of PC Pro, we were amazed to see a "well specified and very quick" PC packed into a case the size of a pizza box. The PC featured a "clock-doubled" 486DX2/66 processor, 8MB of RAM and 250MB hard disk in a case measuring only 279 x 279 x 51mm - a PC that was "one of the quickest 486/66 systems we've looked at". We declared the small size "a format which will come in handy", and 13 years later, this Shuttle has repeated the feat by packing a powerful PC into a smaller-than-a-shoebox-sized 209 x 298 x 57mm case.

The XPC mini X series is one of the most visually and technically appealing of Shuttle's diminutive PCs. Aggressive on price, tiny in size, near-silent and fast, it's hard to criticise. The case remains the same as the previous model, the mini X 100HA with its minimalist matte black and the attractive silver stripe. That means you still get the slot-loading DVD drive, the handy front USB port and the almost completely disguised media card reader underneath the power button.

Those front inputs and the supplied remote control are enough to make the mini X 200M a very capable media-centre PC; it has a hybrid miniPCI TV tuner and comes with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. Our system also came with a DVI-to-HDMI converter for HD panels (save £8 by removing this from the website configurator). It also came with a splitter to convert the single DVI output to a DVI and DSUB connection if you want a two-screen Desktop (save £7 if you're fine with one).

At the rear, you'll find a further four USB ports, plus two PS/2 ports to connect any keyboard and mouse you want. You could add a keyboard (for £41), but the one on the mini X 200M configurator looks poor when compared with the excellent Shuttle RF keyboard we used with the XPC M 2000M.

Inside, you'll find an Intel Core Duo T2050 running at 1.6GHz and a hefty 1GB of RAM

ADVERTISEMENT

- the overall application benchmark score of 0.84 is perfectly respectable. And the Intel GMA integrated graphics will run the Vista Aero effects without problems if you want to upgrade, although it isn't really up to any serious 3D gaming.

Sliding the lid off the mini X 200M reveals a layout sympathetic to modification or repair. Immediately visible are the two SODIMM slots that each hold a 512MB module, and the mini-PCI TV tuner is easily replaced should you find a dual-tuner model (there are very few on the market at the moment). Changing the hard disk is also surprisingly easy. The underside has a hatch, and the drive caddy with its 300GB Samsung SpinPoint hard disk pops out with the push of a lever and a gentle pull of a plastic tab. We'd even be fairly confident of upgrading the processor - the configurator allows for up to a 2.13GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6400.

The £720 price of our configuration is very reasonable - particularly in the context of that diminutive 486/66 Elonex WS-466, which cost more than £1,500, albeit with a 15in CRT monitor. But just as we found criticisms with the Elonex machine - a lack of PCMCIA slots, having to run that monitor at 800 x 600 to get more than 256 colours - we also found some faults with this system. You no longer get the FireWire port of the X 100M, and the Ethernet controller has dropped to 10/100 speeds rather than Gigabit. Elsewhere, the replacement of the Radeon Mobility X1400 with an Intel GMA 950 makes little practical difference, although it does almost completely rule out all but retro 3D gaming. And the new model costs £39 more too. But then this does buy you an extra 512MB of RAM (making Vista more viable), as well as an extra 100GB of storage space.

Just as with the Elonex WS-466, these criticisms are minor points that should be considered, but certainly aren't fatal issues. The extra RAM and storage space is welcome, to the extent that we'd now heartily recommend this system to anyone looking for a small yet powerful PC. Just remember that Shuttle has a fiddly way of ordering systems. Visit www.pcpro.co.uk/links/150_shuttle, do a search for X 200 to add and remove system elements, then hit Refresh Price before choosing a supplier. The custom-built system will then be sent to that retailer. And for once, rip-off Britain isn't in force, as the euro price will be converted to pounds sterling at the current rate.