Introduction

We would like to thank Shuttle for supplying the review sample.



Shuttle is well known for its compact PC offerings. Its newest addition to the XPC nano category is the NC02U line, successor to the NC01U series. The entry NC02U model is equipped with a weak Intel Celeron CPU, but higher models come with a more capable i3, i5, or i7 CPU, with the flagship unit featuring an i7-6500U CPU. This means you can have a really strong palm-sized PC that will fit anywhere thanks to its 0.85 liter form factor.

Up to 32 GB of DDR3L low-voltage RAM can be installed into these PCs, and their integrated HD graphics will be enough for 4K media content. The main difference to the previous line is that the NC02U models use a new design that makes installing both storage and memory modules easier. A single 2.5" HDD or SSD with a height of up to 15 mm is supported, and the NC02U units are equipped with a lot of I/O ports, including HDMI, DisplayPort, a bunch of USB 3.0 ports, including a Type-C port, Gigabit Ethernet, and even an RS232 port. As you can see, these tiny PCs are fully loaded, and not only for the standards of their compact form factor.

The most affordable NC02U model comes with the Intel Celeron 3855U CPU, while its bigger brothers use the i3-6100U (NC02U3), i5-6200U (NC02U5), and i7-6500U (NC02U7) CPUs. We will evaluate the NC02U in this review in order to figure out whether its weak processor is enough to cover the basic needs of an average user. We don't expect it to set new performance records but would like to see decent multimedia performance since such small PCs are usually used for multimedia tasks, light office work, and Internet browsing.

Specifications