Product Reviews

While the Cubit (see p104) undoubtedly runs off with all the beauty prizes this month, it doesn't offer anywhere near the level of performance expected from a desktop PC. This is where Aries hopes to redress the balance with the SpaceCube 2200XP. It's based on a pre-designed Shuttle XPC SS40G and Aries has packed it to the hilt with performance components such as the 1.8GHz Athlon XP 2200+ and 512MB of RAM.

It's a fast enough system, and the overall 2D benchmark score of 1.22 is nearly as quick as the 2.8GHz Dell OptiPlex SX260. More to the point, this is almost three times faster than the Cubit and means the SpaceCube could feasibly replace a desktop tower.

Expandability is the only thing you really lose. The two PCI slots are already occupied, there's just one spare DIMM socket and no more room for extra drives in the case. But, to be fair, a network adaptor, modem, 120GB hard disk and combo drive are already provided. Would you honestly need more? The only notable omission is an AGP slot, which rules out high-end 3D graphics performance.

If you're a gamer, this certainly isn't the PC for you, although the SiS650 graphics offer enough power to play minimal 3D games at low resolutions. We ran 3DMark2001SE at 1,024 x 768 in 32-bit colour and got a score of 1,356, but this goes up to 2,220 if you drop to 640 x 480. However, Shuttle is already working on an nForce2-based case (see p121), which not only offers faster GeForce4 MX-class graphics but also comes with an AGP slot.

Otherwise, the SpaceCube is incredibly well featured. The three audio jacks on the back double up as three stereo outputs for 5.1 surround sound, and the VideoLogic ZXR-500 speakers turn it into a full-on surround sound system - you could even plug it into your TV with the S-Video output for a full home entertainment system.

There are also two USB 2 ports on a VIA PCI

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card, along with two more USB ports, two FireWire ports and two serial ports on the back. There's no parallel port, but most printers come with a USB port now so it's not really an issue.

All that's just on the back of the SpaceCube, and even more can be found on the front panel. You'll find an optical audio output, a mic and headphone jack, two more USB 1.1 ports and a third and final FireWire port. Basically, you're unlikely to run out of ports, no matter how many peripherals you connect to the SpaceCube.

However, the Cubit really impressed us with its unique and beautiful styling, and while the SpaceCube undoubtedly looks great, it doesn't have the same degree of sophistication about it. It doesn't help that Aries has filled the drive bays with a beige floppy and combo drive, especially when silver drives are readily available. However, the Shuttle case design has one major bonus over the Cubit, and that's accessibility.

You only need to remove three thumbscrews to slide off the SpaceCube's lid, and after removing the optical drives, you'll have no trouble accessing the relatively uncluttered insides. There, you'll notice the Shuttle's advanced cooling system. Both the CPU and the insides are cooled with Shuttle's ICE heatpipe system, with an extra exhaust fan at the back.

The most amazing thing is that all this costs just £779, even including a 15in TFT monitor. What are you missing? Well the monitor's the obvious area of cost cutting. A TFT is a great inclusion for the money, but the unbranded 'LCD monitor' supplied isn't great. The colours are over-saturated and the picture's slightly fuzzy. You can compromise by taking the contrast right down, but the viewing angles are awful, particularly vertically.

Similarly, the A4 Tech wireless keyboard and mouse both look and feel cheap. But what do you expect for £779? This is just £20 more than the Cubit, and the SpaceCube's a lot faster and has a great speaker set too. You could look at the 15in TFT as a free giveaway, although you'd be better off buying the SpaceCube without the monitor for £529 and partnering it with a better quality third-party model.

The SpaceCube may not have the flashy elegance of the Cubit, but it has speed in its favour, and is an absolute bargain. If you're a gamer, it's worth holding out for PCs based on the Shuttle XPC SN41-G2, but for everyone else, the SpaceCube is a stylish, space-saving and fast PC with almost everything you need.