Shuttle XPC G8300 SFF

(8/18/04) - Shuttle has primarily been a OEM component manufacturer, but with their success in the small form factor kits they decided to also sell complete desktop systems based around these tiny PCs.

The Shuttle XPC G8300 is based around the SK83G XPC kit and features the AMD Athlon 64 2800+ processor. While not the fastest of the Athon 64 processors, it still provides plenty of computing power particularly for multimedia and gaming applications. This is matched up with 512MB of PC3200 memory.

Space is limited inside such a small desktop case and this limits the number of options available for storage. It comes standard with an 80GB Serial ATA hard drive and a 52x CD-RW optical drive. This is below average for the mainstream segment but upgrades are available at purchase and it is advisable as there is no addition space for a second optical or hard drive. The G8300 also comes with a 6-in-1 media reader standard that can be swapped out for a second hard drive.

Graphics are very sub-par for the mainstream desktop market. The system uses a very limited S3 Unichrome integrated graphics card. This card is not capable of any true 3D graphics acceleration but is sufficient for those who don't need 3D. For those wanting better graphics, an AGP slot is available as are graphics card upgrades.

What sets the XPC G8300 apart from the competition is its small size. Users get a full desktop powered system is a box that is only about 1/4 the size of a standard desktop.