Today marks the simultaneous launch of three XPC cubes on the market on the European continent. The "XPC" series from the Taiwanese Mini-PC manufacturer has been impressing users since 2001 with its compact design and wide range of possible applications. The SH570R6, SH570R6 Plus and SH570R8 models are based on the Intel H570 chipset, which is suitable for Intel Core processors of the 11th generation (Rocket Lake) and 10th generation (Comet Lake). Shuttle states that the current top-performing model is the Intel Core i9-11900K with 125 Watt TDP, 8 cores, 16 threads, 16 MB cache and a turbo frequency of 5.3 GHz.

To match the comprehensive processor support, up to 128 GB of RAM, spread across four slots, can be installed. There are also very few upper limits when it comes to suitable mass storage devices. Fast NVMe SSDs can be fitted in the M.2-2280 slot and, thanks to the four SATA ports, so can the corresponding number of hard drives or SSDs. The R6 chassis provides space for two 3.5" data carriers (one internal, one external) and a 5.25" drive; the R8 model, by contrast, can be fitted with four internal 3.5" data carriers - with a corresponding adapter 2.5" formats are of course also suitable."Their small dimensions of just 33.2 × 21.5 × 19.0 cm allow them to be used at different locations very easily," explains Tom Seiffert, Head of Marketing & PR at Shuttle Computer Handels GmbH. "This is ideal for producing mobile content, for example."

As well as the way they look and the amount of space available for data carriers, the three models also differ in their cooling system and the power supply unit fitted in the machines.

• SH570R6: 2× 3.5" + 1× 5.25", 300 Watt power supply (80 PLUS Bronze)
• SH570R6 Plus: 2× 3.5" + 1× 5.25", 500 Watt power supply (80 PLUS Gold)
• SH570R8: 4× 3.5", additional cooling system for drives, 500 Watt power supply (80 PLUS Gold)

All variants feature an established heat-pipe cooling system that transports the heat generated by the processor directly out of the chassis through four heat pipes. The large chassis fan which is associated with this produces a negative pressure, which specifically makes fresh air flow into the chassis and cool vital components.

Spread across the front and back are USB 3.2 connectors with 10 Gbit/s bandwidth, three 4K monitor ports and - of particular interest for central network applications - two Gigabit Ethernet connectors for separate networks, failover or load balancing. The M.2-2230 slot on the mainboard is also suitable for expansion with WLAN, for example.

The H570-based XPC cubes are the first of their type to feature the practical remote power-on connection. The 4-pin connector on the back of the machine, which is well known from the "XPC slim" family and can be used to start machines remotely, is now also included here. This feature requires a two-pin wire, the appropriate socket connectors and any button. Shuttle offers the appropriate accessory with a 2-metre supply cable.

Available accessories include a 2.5" installation frame (PHD3), a WLAN/Bluetooth module (WLN-M), a COM port adapter (H-RS232) and the connecting cable for the remote power-on connection (CXP01).

The recommended retail price from Shuttle for the XPC Barebone SH570R6 is EUR 346.00, the SH570R6 Plus Plus sells for EUR 396.00, and the SH570R8 costs EUR 413.00 (ex VAT).