Shuttle XPC M1000 review

Given Shuttle's record with small-form-factor PCs, we were excited when we heard news of its foray into the world of hi-fi-style Media Centers. The result is this, the Shuttle XPC M1000, and it's undoubtedly the closest thing we have to an entertainment chassis. It looks and feels like a games console, or a VCR with modern curves.

The front panel is jet-black and houses a bright digital display that shows useful information. If the rest seems a little bare, there are hidden panels on both sides of it; flip them down and you'll find USB ports, card readers and an innovative 2.5in hard disk slot. Shuttle even bundles the matching hard disk case: simply install your own disk and you can use it for plug-and-play removable storage, offering a vastly superior capacity to standard USB flash drives or media cards.

Under the hood sits a 1.73GHz Pentium M 740, giving enough performance yet producing very little heat or noise. It wasn't as quiet as the Tranquil in our idle tests, but it registered just 28dBA. It was the quietest machine when playing a DVD; one of the M1000's biggest strengths.

There's also 512MB of PC2700 memory and a 250GB Seagate hard disk. The latter is a consumer electronics disk, intended for ultimate quietness. Quietness is clearly the primary aim of the DVD drive too: it only writes to single-layer discs, and rather slowly at that. The presence of a GeForce 6600 means gaming is a possibility with a reasonable level of graphical detail. We saw playable frame rates at 1,280 x 1,024 simply by turning off AA and AF.

At the rear is a fantastic array of outputs, consisting of DVI, VGA, S-Video and the rare but welcome component output. Audio-wise, it's more of the same, with optical and coaxial S/PDIF connectors, 7.1 channel RCA-out and stereo RCA-in sockets - this Media Center PC will connect to your existing equipment with minimal hassle. A selection of cables is included, but they don't cover every interface.

The keyboard and remote match the M1000 with their black and silver styling, and Shuttle has wisely opted for a trackball instead of the woeful joysticks and directional pads of some other keyboards on test. Our M1000 came equipped with two analog tuners, but you can opt for digital ones for no extra cost.

If you're looking for a stylish Media Center PC with a wide array of interfaces and silent operation, the Shuttle XPC M1000 is a superb purchase. If money is no object, buy it!