Shuttle's XPC SB86i mini-barebones system @ TechReport

Published by

Shuttle has pushed the limits of small form factor design more than any other manufacturer, and they should. After all, they virtually invented the genre. Shuttle's pursuit of cubed perfection has led it to adopt new core logic chipsets and CPU sockets aggressively. The company has also put considerable effort into chassis design, continually refining, massaging, and tweaking its cube form factor with each new XPC model. Every once in a while, they come up with a completely new chassis, too.

Shuttle's latest chassis is the i-Series, which makes its debut with the SB86i. The i-Series is Shuttle's first new chassis in more than six months, and in many ways, it's a big departure from XPCs of old. Based on Intel's Balanced Technology eXtended (BTX) form factor, the SB86i could usher in a new standard in small form factor layout and cooling. And, of course, style. Can Shuttle make BTX work in a cube? Read on to find out.