Shuttle X50 - all in one PC

A RC version of Windows 7 has been installed on the machine for the test. There were several reasons for this. The first was that we were wondering how well the hardware could handle the new system. The second reason is that the RC also includes Tablet PC features, meaning you can find a notebook on it, for example.

Here’s the moment to figure out what the X50 can be used for. For the first run, when we sat down in front of the plane, we thought of nothing. What good is a machine that has no mouse or keyboard, no battery to carry and use on buses, trains, and so on, what's the point of such a machine, even if it has a touch screen.

We first tried to write with the stylus. Failed. If we laid the machine in our lap, he was still left, but who is the one who takes notes on the machine laid on his lap at home? Then you prefer a notepad, you don't need an outlet. If the display was set up, writing was a torment, you couldn’t feel how much you were pushing the pencil on it, some of the letters didn’t show up, text recognition meant nothing.

Unfortunately, we could not find the software in the picture on the Shuttle site

Okay, so unsuitable for that. Then what might it be suitable for?

We started breaking our heads about where we could use it in an apartment. There were also some meaningful and some pointless tips.

Bathroom: Computers don't like moisture, but if you want to watch TV while bathing, or want your favorite series, the X50 is already a solution with a USB tuner and remote control.

Restroom: Well, not here. If we already want to read, take a newspaper, just stick for a few minutes without internet. Plus, I certainly wouldn't like to feel the screen…

Living Room: Here we already know some of the tasks that lie with the Shuttle machine. When not in use, it acts as a basic electronic picture frame. If we want to use it, we already have a videophone on the coffee table, we can access the internet while watching a movie and order pizza, or we can just watch the fresh program guide, read news during the commercials.

Kitchen: Strange as it may seem, I would make the most of it here. I like to cook and I collect recipes from the net. These should be taken to the kitchen in print. How much easier it would be to read from the display right away how much to pour. The other problem is that I would also watch while mixing on the weekends e.g. MotoGP. I can see the TV from the kitchen, but it's not real.

Study: Yes, sure, there may be room for the machine even in the study. If you get a normal key-mouse pair, then for simpler tasks like word processing, correspondence, internet, a little online poker is completely satisfying.

What is very important is that the machine operates essentially silently. This is more important to me than tuning to carbon and splitting 3DMark. In other words, it can be used in any environment, if only because it is not ashamed of its appearance.

Of course, we also tested whether the structure could play a DivX-encoded movie without a hitch. Of course, it would have been ugly if it was a problem, it didn’t. What was disappointing, however, was the sound. Let's just say he has a voice.

In the end, one more thing that is not the machine, but rather the merit of Windows 7. The new operating system does not have a tiny virtual keyboard like XP, but a large application that can be used by tapping the screen with your finger. This is surprisingly good, the only flaw is that it covers a sizable surface. You can protect against this by typing it on the tray after typing. The point is that with this virtual keyboard you can already use chat, you can even write a letter or type Internet addresses, which means that you really won't need a keyboard or mouse in the kitchen, for example.

There was nothing left but to gauge a little to see exactly the performance of the machine.

Measurements

We have already mentioned that the machine operates very quietly, its operation is almost imperceptible in terms of noise. We were curious about the price of this silence, in other words, how hot the components of the X50 get. To find this out, we used the Everest System Stability Test again this time. During the test, along with the CPU, the cache, FPU and memory were also sweated, and we monitored the temperature of the processor, motherboard and hard drive. In an unloaded state, the dual-core atom showed 43 degrees, while the motherboard and HDD sensors stood at 38 and 36 degrees, respectively. After the half-hour load, these values ​​changed to 51, 40 and 51 degrees. It is interesting that the hard drive was not directly loaded, but its temperature increased significantly during the test. All in all, however, we have to say that both the "IDLE" and "LOAD" values ​​were very good with such quiet operation, especially if we also add that the measurement was carried out in a room with a stove-heated temperature of 28 degrees.

Everest CPU ID, memory and cache speed measurement:

We also did some performance tests on the X50. Since it is practically a netop from the inside, which is also the same as an average netbook in terms of structure, in addition to the results reported in the table, we also list the results of three Eee PCs as a basis for comparison. Turning things around a bit, so we can also get an answer to what a netbook with a dual-core, HT-atom, 2GB of dual-channel DDR2 would know. Unfortunately, no progress has been made in the field of graphics, and in the Shuttle machine, the fossil GMA 950 is also fighting for the display of pixels.

We didn’t want to go past the X50’s hard drive without a word either, so we launched an Everest HDD Read Test Suite. Again, we also placed the relevant values ​​of the three Eee PCs seen above under the image of the results, thus setting opponents to the 320GB Seagate Momentus 5400.5 (ST9320320AS) HDD working in Shuttle.

Shuttle X50

For comparison: 1101HA, 1008HA and 1004DN