XPC SB62G2

"I'm astonished to be able to say that the installation of Mandrake 9.2 Discovery Edition was actually quicker and slightly easier than that of Windows XP Home Edition", exclaimed Paul Howland, SFFTech reviewer. (...) ”Shuttle and Mandrake are onto a winner,” reiterated Paul. “The SB62G2/Mandrake combination should appeal to many people.” (...)  “The bottom line is, yes, Linux is now ready for the desktop,” explained Paul.

Conclusion of the review:

(...) The Shuttle SB62G2 is an excellent member of the Shuttle XPC line-up, suitable for both the gaming enthusiast (with its AGP 8x port, overclocking options and PAT-enabled BIOS) and small server application (with its SATA RAID and dual LAN) alike. With its enhanced 220W power supply, the SB62G2 promises to be rock-stable even when fully loaded with disks and its sleek black case allows it to sit comfortably within the most elegant of environments.
The combination of the SB62G2 and Mandrake Linux is, however, stunning. You can forget the old stereotypes of Linux. This combination just works - and works beautifully at that. Installation is a breeze and it is quicker and easier than even a Windows XP installation. (...) Mandrake support is excellent - they boast support for 63 languages (...). (...) If you're running a small office or home server and concerned about the reliability, security and cost of running Microsoft Windows, then this is definitely for you. The combination of the SB62G2 and Mandrake Linux offers rock-solid reliability and a server or office desktop solution whose price is hard to beat. (...)
The combination makes the ideal Linux starter-kit, giving you a rock-solid and enjoyable Linux system which can be used at a superficial point-and-click level by the novice, or offer the springboard into the exciting world of kernel-recompiles and device-driver writing for the aspiring geeks amongst you. (...)
As you should now realise, we are seriously impressed by the SB62G2 and Mandrake Linux combination. At last there is a realistic alternative to the beige box and Windows - and we encourage you to try it. For this reason, we award the SB62G2/Mandrake combination our SSFTech Recommend Product award and wish Shuttle and MandrakeSoft a long and fruitful partnership. (...)

www.ofb.biz/...
12. Jan. 2004

(...) Once the system is up and running, you will encounter another great feature about the system sure to impress those fortunate enough to get one: it is extremely quiet. While Apple's PowerMac G5 has been hailed for its extremely quiet fan system, we would argue that the XPC is even quieter. The XPC's intelligent cooling system keeps the fans blowing cold air over small pipes that cool off the heat sink at a very slow speed. The system can throttle up to a faster fan speed if things get toasty, however the system remained very quiet during our entire time testing it.

It is hard not to see the XPC SB62G2 as a piece of art - it works so well in such a small amount of space. For the aesthetically concerned, its black metal and plastic case with a "brushed" effect on the front is sure to please. However, at its reasonable price, there is no reason even those not worried about such matters shouldn't consider the XPC.

In our second piece on the XPC, I will consider one of the most exciting parts of the system: the inclusion of the Shuttle-edition of Mandrake Linux 9.2 (apparently modified from the "Discovery Edition"), including hardware compatibility. We will also report on how well the system works with other GNU/Linux distributions and explain why we are calling this system "Best of the Year."

Shuttling Along: A Second Look at the SB62G2

(...) Mandrake Linux, (...) worked very well in our tests and, like the Discovery Edition, provided a streamlined installer, task-oriented menu structure and pre-installed Macromedia Flash. (...) Thus, we also tested the system with Knoppix, (...). Knoppix had absolutely no trouble with the hardware on the Shuttle XPC and booted up very quickly. (...) Using either distribution, we could feel a definite speed increase over our similarly configured Dell-built Pentium 4 2.6 GHz system, thanks to the XPC's included support for Hyper-Threading, Serial ATA and faster PC3200 ram. (...)

In summary, it is worth reiterating that this system offers a stunning amount of high-end features for its low-end price and those added performance boosters mentioned above really made using the system a pleasure. In our last article, we expressed our view that the XPC is one amazing piece of hardware that is well worth deploying from a hardware standpoint (in fact, it is hard to recall a PC system that just seems so perfect). As this article makes clear, we can put our full endorsement behind it for GNU/Linux friendliness as well. The XPC is definitely a serious solution for those who require a fast, affordable GNU/Linux box. With the well thought-out location of hardware internally (for easy access), convenient port locations on the front and back, and a whisper quiet cooling system, we are left to wonder what the fine folks at Shuttle will do to top this system. (...)

• Overall: A
• Installation: A
• Functionality: A
• GNU/Linux Compatibility: A
• Upgradability: A
• Total Cost of Ownership: A

Shuttle's XPC offers a great blend of price, performance and compactness that makes it an ideal workhorse, whatever your needs may be. 

(...) It gratefully accepts and cools a 3.2GHz Pentium 4 without issue or murmur. It has a number of useful features, spanning on-board video, front-mounted connectivity, tiny footprint, dual LAN and quiet operation. There's a lot of good here, absolutely no doubt about that. (...) We can see this cube sitting in offices, bedrooms and lounges. It has all the requisite features and can match most modern hi-fis in the looks department. (...)

It's an extremely rapid package,(...). (...) It's a Shuttle XPC, which is a selling point in itself. It's fast, stable and reasonably featured.

(...) We want it all, all without compromise. (...)

+ outward form
+ size
+ cooling systems

Finally in this review, the picture of Shuttle's Barebone SB62G2 is extremely positive: Shuttle confirms that their own conception of mini barebone PCs is a powerful solution, from the elevated quality to construction (...). The obtainable velocity and performance in this new Barebone are of optimal level, (...). Shuttle confirms with the SB62G2 the own ability in producing innovative solutions, (...).

Conclusions:

Now, though, I'm a convert; the price difference has shriveled, there's no performance shortfall, (...) and, let's face it, these little suckers are just cool. Recommended.