Shuttle XPC SZ170R8 Barebones PC Review

Peter Donnell / 8 years ago

Final Thoughts

Pricing

The Shuttle XPC Cube Sz170R8 Barebones is available from most major retailers. CCL Computers stock it for just £286.18, which is fantastic value. Even more so given the capabilities and pre-installed hardware. Equipped with a built-in 550W 80+ Bronze Power Supply, support for a Skylake CPU and DDR4 memory, a built-in CPU cooler and a great quality chassis. The XPC is certainly quicker and cheaper to deploy than buying the basic components on their own.

Overview

Shuttle has already impressed us with their barebones systems, as we reviewed their powerful and ultra-compact XH110V, and while the new SZ170R8 is more than a £100 more expensive than that model, you do get an awful lot more for your money. While I do stress that a barebones system really is what you make of it, as your choice of memory, processor and storage will really dictate the vast majority of your system’s performance, the hardware the comes bundled in this barebones package is a solid foundation for a versatile system. With support for the latest Skylake i3/i5/i7 CPUs, as well as lightning fast DDR4 memory, and multiple hard drives, there’s no doubt you could build a compact rendering workstation, office system, even a modest gaming PC with this setup.

Where to put it?

The chassis is a cube type, but it’s still surprisingly compact and finding a spot for it under your TV, on your desk or even moving it from one event to another as a digital signage powerhouse, it’s just the right size to suit the job. It’s also aesthetically pleasing, with a brushed aluminium finish and a very nicely finished front panel, so don’t feel that you have to bury it under your desk or behind your display as it’s going to look great out on show.

Easy to use!

Working with this system is a joy. The removable hard drive tray is a big bonus, especially for those installing multiple drives. It’ll certainly make your life easier. If you’re building a NAS or similar type system, the fan in the front panel blows right over the hard drives. Overall, this should help with stability for your system.

Great Performance

Finally, performance is certainly robust and it supports many of the latest components. I especially like that the compact PSU is built right into the chassis. It delivers 80+ Bronze efficiency, meaning it’s going to be cost-effective to run. Of course, it delivers more than enough grunt for builds that will be running more intensive workloads.

Pros

Nice aesthetics
Excellent connectivity
Easy to work with
Cost effective
Quiet
Good efficiency
Ideal for workstation/NAS type build

Cons

None

“Perfect for when you need to deploy a powerful workstation without spending ages picking the right components or setting up the majority of the hardware. The XPC from Shuttle is a fantastic and comprehensive solution at a great price.”