Shuttle has a ton of experience in building slim-PCs, and the DS57U is a very good example of it. It manages to offer decent performance for 2D applications and consumes very little energy in all situations. Its low TDP Celeron CPU (Broadwell) is also passively cooled, which nullifies noise output and keeps maintenance requirments at a bare minimum since there are no cooling fans. Shuttle says it to be capable of operating around the clock in even harsh environments, which makes it a very good choice for digital signage applications that are operating around the clock. A heavy load has the DS57U's Celeron CPU operate at very low temperatures, so it won't run into any problems in even hot environments with an ambient of up to 40°C. I should also note here that the optimal way to install it is in its vertical position, using the provided stands, as such an orientation would allow for optimal airflow thanks to its mesh-styled side panels. There is also a large yellow arrow on its bottom to indicate which side has to face upward when you install it vertically.

To wrap this review up, the DS57U is an affordable barebone that only needs two 1.35 V SO-DIMM RAM modules and a disk, preferably an SSD, before you install the OS (no OS is provided, but you can install a free version of Linux if you don't want to spend any money on Windows). Its solid casing will protect it well in harsh, but dry environments, and its many I/O ports will easily cover any application you had in mind. My only objection with this slim-PC is the complete lack of USB 3.0 ports at its front, but equip it with an SSD and it won't produce any noise, all while operating in incredibly hot environments despite its passively cooled design, which is pretty awesome. Its TDP CPU obviously needs no more cooling than the DS57U's massive incorporated heatsink can provide.