Shuttle XPC Nano NC03U3 Core i3 PC Review

Shuttle XPC Nano

Tired of the limitations of a desktop computer? Sure, there are obvious advantages to a full-sized system, but they’re far from suitable for all occasions. The same is true of a laptop, sure you get the portability, but they’re often still too big for some scenarios. With that in mind, it’s time to go Nano, with the Shuttle XPC Nano to be exact.

This compact system is going to take up a tiny amount of desktop space. Of course, for those seeking a clean and tidy workspace, this is a big win. It can be mounted horizontally, on its own vertical mount so it takes up even less space, or even on a VESA mount. By using the VESA, it’ll sit behind your monitor, up and out of the way completely. Of course, that last one could also be handy for digital signage usage, where the system will be securely and discretely mounted.

Why Nano?

That tiny desktop space you have, that HTPC you always wanted, or some slick portable solution for business applications. There’s a lot of reasons to invest in a system like this. As you can see below, it’s compact, yet still packs an Intel Core i3-700U, room for M.2 and SATA SSDs, integrated graphics, DDR4 memory support, and much more. It may be small, but it’s not lacking in features.

Chassis

Dimensions: 142 x 142 x 42 mm (LWH) = 847 ml

Processor

Model: Intel Core i3-7100U (ULV)
System-on-a-chip architecture (SoC): no chipset required
BGA1356 package – directly soldered onto the mainboard
Code name: Kaby Lake-U (7th Generation Intel Core)
Cores / Threads: 2 / 4
Clock rate: 2.4 GHz

Integrated Graphics

Intel HD graphics 620
GPU clock frequency: 300~1000 MHz
Execution Units (EUs): 24
Two digital audio/video ports support two independent screens (dual monitoring):
Supports Ultra HD / 4K resolution at 3840 x 2160 Pixels

Memory support

2x SO-DIMM slots with 260 pins
Supports DDR4-2133 (PC4-17000) SDRAM at 1.2 V
Dual Channel mode
Supports a maximum of 16 GB per DIMM, maximum total size: 32 GB
Supports two unbuffered DIMM modules (no ECC or registered)

2.5″ Drive Bay

Supports one Serial ATA hard disk
or one SATA SSD drive in 6.35 cm / 2.5″ format
Device height: 15 mm (max.)
Supports Serial-ATA III, 6 Gb/s (600 MB/s) bandwidth

M.2 Slot for SSDs

The M.2 2280 BM slot provides the following interfaces:
– PCI-Express Gen. 2.0 X4 with up to 32 Gbps Data Transfer Speed
– SATA v3.0 (max. 6 Gbps)
It supports M.2 cards with a width of 22 mm
and a length of 42, 60 or 80 mm (type 2242, 2260, 2280).
Supports M.2 SATA SSDs (with B+M key) and M.2 PCIe SSDs (with M key)

Shuttle’s XPC nano Series gets a performance boost

“The NC03U series is powered by Intel’s power-saving ULV (ultra-low-voltage) processors of the Kaby Lake generation. Compared with the NC02U series, it brings higher clock frequencies, improved graphics performance and support of faster DDR4 memory up to 2x 16 GB. Furthermore, one 2.5″ drive up to 15 mm in height as well as one M.2-2280 NVMe SSD card can be installed. The DisplayPort connector delivers video resolutions of up to 4K at 60 frames per second while a second display can be connected via HDMI. USB peripherals use either the type A or type C ports. Professional users will appreciate Intel Gigabit-LAN and one serial port which indicates what purposes the NC03U series is mainly intended for: Digital Signage, POS, control, office or even multimedia.” – Shuttle