music & computer

Shuttle XPC P2 4800 Deluxe Small Form Factor Desktop PC
Shuttle makes some surprisingly good small form factor kits available to consumers. They are a bit expensive but if you buy a system built entirely by Shuttle, the pricing ends up being ridiculous. The XPC P2 4800 Deluxe has a price tag of around $1800, but if you build the same thing from comparable prices, you can save roughly $700 or more off that cost. While performance is good, there are better options available from other companies or just build it on your own. About the only real benefit here is the Windows XP operating system if you really dislike Vista and can't wait for Windows 7.

Shuttle XPC P2 4800 Deluxe Small Form Factor Desktop PC
Shuttle makes some surprisingly good small form factor kits available to consumers. They are a bit expensive but if you buy a system built entirely by Shuttle, the pricing ends up being ridiculous. The XPC P2 4800 Deluxe has a price tag of around $1800, but if you build the same thing from comparable prices, you can save roughly $700 or more off that cost. While performance is good, there are better options available from other companies or just build it on your own. About the only real benefit here is the Windows XP operating system if you really dislike Vista and can't wait for Windows 7.

Pros

* Windows XP Downgrade
* Fingerprint Scanner Built-In

Cons

* Far More Expensive Then If You Build One Yourself
* Mediocre Parts Selection

Description

* Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 Dual Core Desktop Processor
* 2GB PC3-12800 DDR3 Memory
* 250GB 7200rpm SATA Hard Drive
* 22x Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW Burner
* ATI Radeon HD 4650 Graphics With 1GB Memory and Shuttle XP19 19-inch LCD Monitor
* Intel HDA 7.1 Audio
* Dual Gigabit Ethernet
* Eight USB 2.0, Two eSATA, Two DVI-D, Fingerprint Scanner, 23-in-1 Card Reader
* 12.8" x 8.7" x 8.3"
* Windows XP Professional

Guide Review - Shuttle XPC P2 4800 Deluxe Small Form Factor Desktop PC

Sep 28 2009 - Shuttle's XPC P2 4800 Deluxe desktop system is based on their XPC SX48P2-Deluxe barebones kit. Essentially, it is a complete system build that the company offers to consumers who aren't up to putting together their own system from their kit and the various components you must buy to complete it. Unfortunately, Shuttle has decided to charge a very large premium for this service plus a warranty.

The components that Shuttle includes in their $1900 version of the XPC P2 4800 Deluxe are very moderate. The Intel Core 2 Duo E8300 is one of the slower dual core desktop models and the 2GB of memory is half of the typical memory found even in budget desktop PCs. The 250GB hard drive is extremely small considering it uses a standard size 3.5-inch desktop SATA hard drive. And with the space for two graphics cards, the ATI Radeon HD 4650 offers up moderate performance for those looking to use it for PC gaming.

So, what does one really get that is fairly unique out of the XPC P2 4800 Deluxe? For one, it is possible to get it with the downgraded Windows XP Professional operating system rather than having to use Vista. This may still matter to some, but with Windows 7 soon to be released it is really only a minor bonus. The system also has a built-in fingerprint scanner for security but so does the barebones kit it is based on.

The problem is that if one decided to build a similar system from components including the free 19-inch LCD monitor, it would be possible to build it for around $1200. This makes the price premium for Shuttle to put it together and support it for one year very high. In fact, those looking for performance would be better served going for something like the FragBox 920.