When Shuttle launched their first SFF PC a few years ago we already suspected it would launch a whole new category of SFF PCs from other manufacturers, some with good and innovative designs, rivaling or besting those from Shuttle, others with blatant copies and some that were generally not worth spending your money on. The AOpen XC cube can easily be qualified in the first category; it is a SFF PC which has all the right ingredients to make it a success. Build quality and attention to detail is excellent, the sleek and stylish exterior is a welcome change from most other SFF PC’s that have face plates that are difficult to match with off color peripherals.
Fig 6. A look at the face plate with all doors open and the small ATX power supply of the XC cube.
Fortunately AOpen chose not to skimp on performance and used Intel’s i865G chipset to power its SFF PC. The results are not disappointing, with performance on par, or just a tad bit below that of similar configured full size PCs. Fortunately AOpen has taken appropriate means to quiet the beast down, so no whining fans or other noise that’s all too common with many full size PCs. Naturally this all depends on what components you chose to mount, but if you pick those carefully, you’ll end up with a quiet and powerful SFF PC that can hold it’s own. For those looking for a stylish and well rounded SFF PC, the AOpen XC cube deserves serious consideration, it comes well recommended.
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