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The mini PC we are dealing with is not a device that is typically intended for homes as a bedroom or living room desktop computer, although you could. In fact, it is designed for more professional and industrial environments.
As its name suggests,
it is a slim-fit PC with a minimalist design that hardly takes up space. It
uses special components that do not require active ventilation for its
operation in 24x7 mode (24 hours a day, 7 days a week).
The Shuttle company
specializes in these systems, offering Mini PC formats of all kinds such as
Cube, XPC Nano, XPC All-in-One, as well as the one we analyze here, a Slim
format without fans.
Design and qualities
As an image says more than a thousands words, just look at the appearance of the Shuttle XPC Slim to verify that it is a box of just 1.3 liters of capacity and 39.5 mm thick, which you can place in a vertical position, horizontally or even hanging from the back of a monitor aided by the VESA system.
The mini PC can be
used in countless environments such as offices or shops, although its design
goes further by guaranteeing uninterrupted operation in environments such as
ATMs, kiosks, digital signage, shop windows or POS points of sale.
It is a Fanless
system which uses passive heatsinks to cool its internal components. For
practical purposes, this makes it a very quiet system. Despite which, it
is designed to operate 24 hours a day without interruptions.
The aluminum material
used in its chassis, makes the equipment robust and resistant for harsh
environments, in addition to offering ventilation grills throughout. It
has legs that act as a base, raising the table system to promote ventilation.
The system uses an
external 5-volt power supply, although being an industrial solution, it also
has a special 4-pin connector in order to provide the equipment with power if
you choose to mount it in a rack cabinet.
Thinking about this fact, all the number of connectors that the Shuttle XPC Slim has are located on the front and back of the equipment, to favor accessibility. In the front, we have 2 USB 3.1 ports, another 4 USB 3.0, SD card reader and microphone and headphone jack.
It is complemented by the system's power button, as well as two very practical LED indicators that allow you to visually know if the system is working. Already at the back, we find the main bulk of connections.
The power connector
is accompanied by 2 Gigabit Ethernet network ports, 2 USB 3.1 ports, an RS-232
COM 1 serial port designed for industrial solutions, as well as three video
outputs to handle 3 monitors: HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.2 and VGA . We also
have antennas for the Wi-Fi signal.
Custom configuration
Being a barebone
system, it means that Shuttle sells it with a series of basic components
inside, such as the motherboard and the integrated processor, thus allowing it
to be purchased at a cheaper price. Later you will have to add RAM and
storage disk.
Two covers on the top, easily manageable by means of screws, allow access to the expansion slots to install these components. You can install the RAM memory modules recommended by the brand, the 2.5 ”disk or the M.2 card.
You can also buy it
as standard with all the components, such as the configuration that we have
received from tests for this review, in which case the DS10U5 even includes the
Wi-Fi wireless connectivity module.
In this way, the
motherboard with a Core i5-8265U processor of the Whiskey Lake U family of 15 W
of TDP value, is accompanied by an amount of RAM of 8 GB (2 SODIMM modules of 4
GB of the Crucial brand), and a Samsung 250GB M.2 Type V-NAND Storage Drive.
Additionally, the
equipment offers the possibility of adding a 3.5 mm disk or SSD with SATA
interface, or reaching the value of 64 GB of RAM if we use 32 GB DDR4-2400
memory modules.
Shuttle has also
provided this test unit with 802.11 n Wi-Fi connectivity, and it is also
possible to add an LTE module if you want the equipment to have connectivity
wherever the equipment is installed, no matter how remote the place is.
Thinking in these
environments, there will be many stores or warehouses that choose to connect
video surveillance cameras in a network so that the equipment can send the
signal in real time or send alerts when an intruder is detected.
Performance
Next, we can see the
values that the different benchmark tests that we have run on the Windows 10
computer have offered us. However, we must analyze them from the point of view
of a computer that is very energy efficient speaking.
With tools such as Cinebench, FutureMark and AIDA64 Extreme, we have tested the performance of the CPU, obtaining results even better than those offered by laptops that run with the same Intel U-series chip, based on the optimization made on its setting.
An example is the
data obtained from 3634 with PCMark 10, where the tests associated with
essential and productivity programs obtained high values within their
category. Now with CineBench R23 it is clear how in multi-core
performance, the team manages to measure up.
They are optimistic
values to tackle any self-respecting task associated with an office use of
the PC or web management, but with few possibilities for games. The fact
of depending on the graphics power of the Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip, limits
it for other purposes.
That does not mean
that we can use a triple monitor configuration, aided by the video outputs it
offers, with DirectX 12 support and AVC and VC-1 hardware decoding. Both
the HDMI output and the DisplayPort, both support Ultra HD resolutions at 60 Hz
with handling of 4K resolutions.
If you need higher
performance, Shuttle still allows you to choose a higher processor
configuration. The Core i7-8565U manages to increase the values if you
are thinking of tackling multitasking environments where the handling of
different CPU cores prevails.
For its part, the Shuttle
XPC Cube configurations maintain the
essence of compact equipment but with the possibility of using PCIe-X1 type
expansion slots with which it is possible to install external graphics cards to
improve the graphics area.
In any case, whatever
your choice of XPC Slim, the brand guarantees you a totally silent computer
whose working temperature can range between 32 and 45 degrees Celsius when we
subject the hardware to stressful situations.
Price
We have already
commented previously that these professional Shuttle equipment are marketed in
the form of barebone, so that the variety of configurations is very wide, with
the possibility of acquiring the basics and saving money on the purchase.
Of course, you will
have to calculate if it is worth purchasing the rest of the components
separately. Installation is extremely simple even in cases where computer
skills are the most basic.
The configuration
that we have tested and that you can check in the specifications sheet,
corresponds to the Shuttle XPC DS10U5 model, so that it includes the Intel CPU,
but without the RAM, the M.2 unit and the Windows operating system.
In this way, the
final price of the DS10U5 equipment amounts to € 610. The
company has diversified the teams so that it now has solutions based on AMD
Ryzen processors, such as the DA320 , or 10th
generation Intel Core processors, such as the DH410 and DH410S.
Verdict
If you have been
interested in the format of these ultra compact, silent and low energy
consumption equipment, you can take a look at the manufacturer's
website , since it has different product lines depending on your
needs.
It also has models
for home and gaming , although the strength of
Shuttle's Mini PCs seems to lie in the professional environment, providing
stores, points of sale, kiosks, offices or industrial warehouses, with
computers that will work in 24x7 mode. .
You may find other
similar options on the market at a lower price, but it is unlikely that they
will guarantee you the same level of robust design and energy efficiency that
you will find here with the corresponding European certifications.
Handles carefully
assembled components to withstand any type of harsh environment. Its size
is also conducive to installing it anywhere or in a box, with the added
attraction that consumption is only 6 W in light mode (34 W in intense mode).
The configuration
that we have tested can be used to tackle any office automation task, as well
as to handle various panels or monitors that you have connected in a shop
window or store.
To the two Gigabit
Ethernet network ports offered as standard by the equipment, greater
connectivity has been added with the dual-band Wi-Fi connection module and the
two external antennas with which it guarantees a much higher signal coverage.
If your tasks do not
demand graphic performance, the DS10U5 may be the configuration you were
looking for, with the possibility of expanding certain sections such as RAM and
storage, which is not bad for a computer of this compact format.
Specifications
- Model Shuttle XPC Slim DS20U
- Intel Core i5 Whiskey Lake U
Series Processor
- Memory: 2 DDR4-2400 sockets
(max 64GB)
- Storage: 1 bay 2.5mm and
M.2-2280 SSD
- Graphics: Intel HD 640 chip
- Video outputs: HDMI 2.0a,
DisplayPort 1.2 and D-Sub VGA
- Front connectors: Card
reader; 2 USB 3.1; 4 USB 2.0 and microphone and headphones
- Rear connectors: 2 USB 3.1; COM
serial port; 2 Gigabit Ethernet; Kensington
- Wi-Fi 802.11 n connectivity
(optional LTE module)
- VESA 75/100 mm mount
compatible
- Windows 10 operating system
(not included)
- Dimension: 200 x 165 x 39.5
mm
- 1.3 liter capacity