Conclusion - Fast, expensive, loud and partly too hot
Just looking at the specifications of Shuttle’s new XPC SX38P2 Pro will make most hardware enthusiasts drool and want to go to the nearest store to pick one up. The powerful little cube can be upgraded with virtually anything gamers could wish for. Connectivity is also excellent, and Shuttle’s miniature PC even offers two eSATA ports on the back of the case. The (not always completely reliable) fingerprint scanner as well as the SpeedLink feature round off the package that comes with a €500 price tag.
What the XPC SX38P2 Pro demonstrated in our Tom’s Hardware lab was anything but average. Let’s start with the positive. Shuttle’s newest barebone offers very good expandability options and will work with pretty much anything you care to install. However, you’ll notice very soon after starting the system up for the first time that this stylish little barebone is anything but quiet. Sure, this isn’t as much of a factor at a LAN party. However, if you set up the XPC on your desk at home, you’ll quickly wish you had ear protectors. When both the CPU and the graphics card are under load, we measured a full 60 db(A)of noise. Watching movies or listening to MP3 files under such circumstances is more borderline torture than relaxation. Even changing the fan speed settings in the BIOS did not improve the situation. In the end, we can say that this is certainly the fastest mini-PC system you’ll be able to find. Fast as an F1 race car – and just as loud.
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integrated fingerprint scanner huh?
what if u cut yourself and won't be able to use your comp?
j/k
neat stuff,but only for people with too much money to spend
It's a great product in many ways I'd say comfining the potential of most decent gaming PCs to that size is an accomplishment.
However I'm a strong proponent of quiet computing, and I normally believe tomshardware under estimates how loud some products they review are, if they say this is loud, then I'd probably want it set up in a different room to me while I'm using it. Personally if I was to get one, I'd try quietening it in any way possible, only use a dual core cpu, put a passively cooled 8800GT (if I could fit one). Or perhaps external watercooling would be ideal though it might contradict the point of space saving and would be inpractical for lan parties.