Here is our review of the Shuttle XPC Cube SZ270R9 Barebone Mini PC.
Shuttle, the leading mini-PC designer, introduces its new Gaming Mini-PC model SZ270R9, supports the 7th Gen Intel Core i7 processor and set to deliver the best perfrmance for gaming and VR use. With RGB lighting technology, the all-new R9 model can be truly adapted to represent your lifestyle by color scheme set up. Designed to performance enthusiasts, the SZ270R9 provides dedicated XPC Overclock Software and a hardware physical turbo button on the top of the front panel allows real-time overclocking using single button. Small as it gets, the new R9 chassis offers a space for up to four 3.5” Hard Disk and two NVMe SSDs, it is able to support large size dual-slot graphics cards. Built-in Dual Intel Gigabit LAN, 500 Watt 80 PLUS SILVER PSU, three M.2 and ten USB ports, the SZ270R9 comes packed powerful and expandability in a small package and it’s definitely a gamer’s pick to LAN parties.
Specifications
| FORM FACTOR | Shuttle Form factor |
|---|---|
| PROCESSOR | Support Kabylake/Skylake 95W Core i3/i5/i7 LGA 1151 CPU processor |
| CHIPSET | Intel Z270 Express chipset |
| MEMORY | (4) DDR4 2133/2400MHz support dual channel up to 64GB (16GB*4) |
| VIDEO OUTPUT | Integrated in CPU |
| AUDIO | Realtek ALC662 5.1 channel High Definition Audio |
| ETHERNET | Intel Chip i211*2 10Mb/s,100Mb/s,1Gb/s operation Support Wake-ON-LAN function |
| STORAGE INTERFACE | SATA 6Gb/s |
| ONBOARD CONNECTORS | (2) 4 Pin fan connector (4) SATA 6.0 connectors (1) ATX main power (2*10) (1) ATX 12V power (2*2) (1) RS232 header (1) Front USB3.0 (1) Front AUDIO header (1) 2×5 pin USB header |
| FRONT PANEL | (2) USB 3.0 Port (1) External microphone jack (1) External headphone jack Power button Power led Turbo button Turbo led |
| BACK PANEL | (4) USB 2.0 Port (4) USB 3.0 Port (1) Line in jack (1) Line out jack (1) Audio MIC in (1) HDMI+DisplayPort (2) LAN (1) CMOS clear button (2) DisplayPort (3) Antenna hole |
| DRIVE BAYS | (4) 3.5″ HDD bay *Support up to 8*2.5″ HDD by using 4*PHD3 HDD rack when system extra SATA or RAID card |
| DIMENSIONS | 332(L) x 216(W) x 198(H) mm |
| POWER | 80 Plus 500W power supply Input:100 – 240V AC Support 80 PLUS silver |
| ACCESSORIES | XPC Multi-Language quick guide XPC DVD Driver SATA cable x4(For HDD) CPU Thermail Grease Power cord Screw package |
| EXPANSION SLOT | (1) PCI-E X16 slot (1) PCI-E X4 slot (2) M.2 2280 type M socket (1) M.2 2230 type A,E key socket |
| OS SUPPORT | Windows 7 & Embedded series O.S Windows 10 & Embedded series O.S Linux |
Who are Shuttle?
From their website:
“Established in 1983, Shuttle Inc. is headquartered in Taipei Taiwan and is a global information technology and manufacturing leader. Established as a manufacturer of computer motherboards, Shuttle utilized highly regarded Research and Development capabilities and patented cooling technologies and expanded to offer computer products. Today, Shuttle XPC computers consisting of consumer and commercial products including; Cube (mini-tower), Slim (1.3L and 3L), Nano, and All-in-One PCs. Shuttle also offers Digital Signage Media Players, Notebook Computers, and Tablets.”
What’s in the box?
The box contains the XPC cube, some instructions, cables, screws and thermal paste for the processor.
A Closer Look
Final Thoughts
One of the first things you notice when you take the XPC Cube out of it’s box is the size – it’s quite small! Don’t worry that it may be small but it can fit a lot in it! It also looks very good too. There is sufficient airflow down both sides of the case as well. There are front LED’s that you can configure to be different colours if that’s your thing.
The top has a power button and a turbo button, along with two USB 3.0 ports and a headphone and mic socket. The rear of of the cube has all the other ports you need.
Gaining access to the insides is just a case of unscrewing two thumbscrews and slipping off the case – it’s really simple. And just as simple to put it all back together again.
The cube itself includes a power supply and a motherboard and also the CPU cooler, but you will need to supply your own hard drive, processor and memory, and you can also add your own graphics card too if you want to use something extra, two in fact, and if you are building a games machine you will probably want to do that so that you have the best graphics you can. The Shuttle website has a detailed list of supported components you can use, so make sure you check that out before you go ahead and buy anything.
Everything is already connected for you as well making it just a case of adding those components – everything else has been done for you which will both save you time and make it less fiddly.
I’m not going to talk about the performance of the cube because this will all depend on what you decide to use, but whatever you select it is very easy to fit into the cube and be ready to game!
I mentioned the turbo button, this is there to be used to overclock the cube when configured. You can then turn off the overlocking when you don’t need it just by pressing the button again.
So if you are in the market to build your own compact gaming PC but you don’t want to start from scratch then you should definitely take a look at the XPC Cube as it has everything you need to get you on your way to building a kick ass gaming PC – highly recommended, you should get one today! My one is currently sitting in pride of place on my desk.
The Shuttle XPC Cube SZ270R9 Barebone Mini PC is available now priced around £350.
