All-in-one PC by stefan @ 2014-07-17
The Slim PC chassis from been reincarnated in the shape of the DS81 which supports the latest Haswell processors with a TDP up to 65W and supports 4K video output thanks to the DirectX 11.1 IGP. The DS81 chassis features a 1.3-liter slim design with a thickness of only 43mm, so it is suitable for many commercial applications; a VESA mount is also included as a bundle in order to mount the device behind the monitor.
At first we would like to thank Shuttle Europe for offering a sample of their latest DS81 Barebone for testing and reviewing.
"Shuttle Inc, founded in Taiwan in 1983, is specialised in development and production of innovative mini PCs. The joint-stock company is represented worldwide by a network of branch offices in Germany, the US and Japan. Since 2001 the attractive cube-shaped PCs have conquered nearly any field of application and have become the core business of the company headquartered in Taipei / Taiwan. Widely acclaimed by customers and press across the globe, Shuttle founds its success on effective management and long-term experience in making mainboards of highest quality standards. Since years Shuttle's mini PC barebones and fully-configured systems are the first choice of many system integrators, VARs, OEMs and ODMs banking on the high reliability and build quality. With appealing mini PC solutions Shuttle meets the requirements of consumers excellently and seeks to provide further user-friendly solutions of consumer electronics for the digital home environment."
Multiformat card reader
At last – no more searching for missing digital camera leads. Simply insert the memory card and you can access all stored photos and videos immediately.
HDMI interface
Goodbye cable spaghetti! Modern flat-screen TVs and large-format TFT screens can be connected to this Mini-PC with just a single thin cable. Often the audio output is also transferred in brilliant quality via the HDMI cable. If your Mini-PC already has a Blu-ray drive, the path to high-definition entertainment is clear.
Dual network connection
In this model two gigabit network controllers ensure maximum data transmission rates via load balancing and maximum availability via the failover function.
The fastest connection to external peripheral devices available to date
The USB 3.0 connectors of this model allow for data transfer of up to 5 Gbit/s (625 MB/s). This enables external devices such as USB hard disks to be connected and run at nearly the same speed as their internal siblings. USB 3.0 is downward compatible so that also devices of previous USB generations can be hooked up.
Pre-assembled cabling saves time
The most important power and data cables are already routed and just have to inserted into the relevant components. This saves valuable time when setting up the system.
Intel chipset inside
Play it safe with the reliable chipsets from the world's largest chip manufacturer. Intel chipsets have proven themselves over many years, have been presented with awards by the trade press and offer the best possible degree of compatibility.
Anti-theft protection
The Kensington Lock forms part of the anti-theft system. As with many other Notebooks, this Mini-PC can also be safely locked, ensuring long-term enjoyment from your Shuttle product.
You can rely on SSD
This is where an energy-saving "Solid State Drive" should be used. This drive technology guarantees extremely short access times, the highest data transmission rates and considerably lower energy consumption compared to conventional hard disks. SSDs have no mechanical components at all, are therefore subject to less wear and tear and consequently benefit from a longer service life.
Just 2.5" HDDs
An extremely compact PC housing offers less space for drives, that's why this Mini-PC uses slimline 2.5-inch hard disks. The advantage of this is that there's less noise, less heat generated and reduced power consumption. However small hard disks in a small housing does not have to mean less memory. Modern 2.5" HDDs are every bit as good as their 3.5" brothers.
Fan-less external power supply
A highly effective external power supply provides the Shuttle Mini-PC with its energy. And since it works without a fan, it is completely noise-free.
Optimal air flow
Warm air is transported out of the chassis by means of cleverly arranged components, which enables a large number of parts to be cooled simultaneously in the air flow. At no time can heat build up and adversely affect the stability of the system.
Remote Power-on
If because of space constraints the machine cannot be switched on by pressing the front power button, it can be started with a separate remote control. You will find an appropriate four-pin connector on the back panel of the PC (pitch 2.54 mm).
High-resolution DisplayPort
The DisplayPort connector allows for connections with digital high-resolution displays. Depending on processor and display model resolutions of up to 4K/Ultra HD (3840x2160) can be achieved. Besides picture signal, DisplayPort cables can also lead digital sounds signals in excellent quality.
Always-on Jumper
This machine is provided with a hardware solution to keep it permanently switched on (e.g. after a power outage). If you remove the jumper documented in the manual, the PC then starts as soon as the power supply is restored.
Chassis
Nettop PC with black chassis made of metal
Dimensions: 190 x 165 x 43 mm (LWH) = 1.35 litres
Weight: 1.3 kg net and 2.1 kg gross
Two holes for Kensington Locks and numerous threaded holes (M3) at both sides of the chassis
Storage bay
1x 6.35 cm / 2.5" storage bay supports one hard disk or SSD drive
Device height: 9.5 or 12.5 mm (max.)
Operation System
This system comes without operating system.
It is compatible with Windows 8 / 8.1, Windows 7, Linux
Mainboard / Chipset / BIOS
Mainboard: Shuttle FS81 (8 layer design)
Mini-ITX form factor 17 x 17 cm
Chipset: Intel® H81 Express Chipset
(Intel DH82H81 PCH, code name "Lynx Point")
AMI BIOS in 8 Mbit EEPROM with SPI interface
All capacitors are high quality solid capacitors
Supports hardware monitoring and watch dog functionality
Supports Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) [2]
Supports power on after power failure [8]
Power Adapter
External 90 W power adapter (fanless)
Input: 100~240 V AC, 50/60 Hz
Output: 19 V DC, 4.74 A, max. 90 W
DC Connector: 5.5/2.5mm (outer/inner diameter)
Processor support
Socket LGA 1150 (H3) supports the fourth generation of
Intel Core i7 / i5 / i3 / Pentium processors
Maximum supported processor power consumption (TDP) = 65W
Codename "Haswell", 22nm process technology, up to 8 MB of L3 cache
Supports the new generation of "Haswell Refresh" processors
Not compatible with older Socket LGA 1155 processors.
Does not support the unlock-function of Intel K-Series processors.
The Processor integrates PCI-Express, memory controller and the graphics engine on the same die (depends on processor type)
Processor cooling
Heat pipe processor cooling with two 60 mm fans on the upper side of the chassis
Memory support
2x SO-DIMM slots with 204 pins
Supports DDR3-1333/1600 SDRAM memory (PC3-10600/12800)
The maximum memory clock rate depends on the processor type.
Supports Dual Channel mode
Supports max. 8 GB per DIMM, maximum total size of 16 GB
Supports two unbuffered DIMM modules of 1.5 V
Integrated Graphics
The features of the integrated graphics function depend on the used processor type.
Supports Dual-Independent-Display at Full HD 1080p resolution
Supports Blu-ray (BD) playback with HDCP
Supports one 4K display running at 3840 x 2160 (2160p/60Hz) high resolution when connected to its DisplayPort video output
HDMI and DisplayPorts supports HD video plus multi-channel digital audio via a single cable
Optional D-Sub/VGA connector
Mini Slots
DS81 features two Mini expansion slots:
1) half size Mini-PCIe, supports PCIe 2.0 e.g. for WLAN cards
2) full size mSATA, supports SATA 6G
e.g. for Mini SATA (mSATA) flash memory cards
Audio
Audio Realtek® ALC 662-VC High-Definition Audio
Two analog audio connectors (3.5mm) at the front panel:
1) 2 channel line out (head phone)
2) microphone input
Digital multi-channel audio output: via HDMI and DisplayPort
Dual Gigabit LAN Controller
Dual Realtek 8111G Ethernet network controller (Gigabit)
Supports 10 / 100 / 1.000 MBit/s operation
With two RJ45 ports (dual network) supports Teaming
Supports WAKE ON LAN (WOL)
Supports network boot by Preboot eXecution Environment (PXE)
Drive connectors
1x Serial-ATA III, 6 Gb/s (600 MB/s) bandwidth
1x Serial-ATA II, 3 Gb/s (300 MB/s) bandwidth
With Serial-ATA power connector (onboard)
Supports Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
Card Reader
Integrated card reader
Supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory flash cards
Supports boot up from SD card
Front Panel connectors
Microphone input
Audio Line-out (headphone)
4x USB 2.0
SD card reader
Power button
Power LED (blue)
HDD LED (yellow)
Back Panel connectors
1x HDMI connector [1]
2x DisplayPort connectors (DP, supports 4k resolution)
Optional 1x D-Sub VGA connector (Accessory PVG01 [9])
2x USB 3.0
2x USB 2.0
2x Gigabit LAN (RJ45)
2x RS232 serial ports (5V/12V, 1x switchable to RS422 / RS485)
DC-input connector for external power adapter
Four pin connector (2.54 mm pitch) supports
- external power on button
- Clear CMOS function
- +5V DC voltage for external components
Perforation for optional Wireless LAN antennas (2 holes)
Other onboard connectors
Power on after power fail (hardware solution, Jumper 4) [8]
1x analog VGA graphics output (2x10 pins, 1mm pitch) [9]
1x USB 2.0 (4 Pins)
2x serial interface (COM) occupied for back panel connectors
Fan connector (4 pins) occupied by the cooling system
LPC interface (2x10 pins)
Audio connectors (7x2 pins)
Speaker connector (2 pins)
Power connector for SATA drives (4 pins)
Scope of delivery
Multi-language user guide
VESA mount for 75/100mm standard (two metal brackets)
Four thumbscrews M3 x 5 mm (screws together VESA mount and PC)
Four screws M4 x 10 mm (to fix the VESA mount to the external device)
Four screws M3 x 4 mm (to mount a 2.5" storage into the bay)
Driver DVD (Windows 7/8 32/64 bit)
1x SATA cable
External power adapter with power cord
Heatsink compound
Optional Accessories:
(1) WLN-S: Wireless LAN kit consisting of a Mini-PCIe card,
two antennas and appropriate antenna cables.
(2) PVG01: optional D-Sub VGA video output [9]
Environmental Specifications
Operating temperature range: 0~50 °C [7]
Relative humidity, non-condensing: 10~90%
Conformity/Certifications
EMI: FCC, CE, BSMI, C-Tick
Safety: CB, BSMI, ETL
This device is classed as a technical information
equipment (ITE) in class B and is intended for use in
living room and office. The CE-mark approves the
conformity by the EU-guidelines:
- EMV-guideline 89/336/EWG electromagnetic tolerance
- LVD-guideline 73/23/EWG use of electric devices
within certain voltage-limits
In this article we will be able to take a look at one of the more recent compact barebones from Shuttle, which carries the DS81 code name, while supporting Haswell processors with a TDP of maximum 65W. The enclosure box art is pretty basic and the design resembles the one from the previous units we have tested from the same company:
The box is provided with a plastic handle in order to carry it with ease:
On one of the sides, we will get to see a summary of hardware specifications, along with some serial numbers:
Inside the enclosure we will find that the contents are fully protected by molded protective foam:
The rest of the product bundle is located in a separate box, while the documentation in multiple languages can be found in a transparent and re-sealable plastic bag:
The documentation is well redacted, with photos of the unit inside and outside:
Let’s take a look in the bundle box too:
Besides the power brick, we will also receive one power lead, the VESA mounts, necessary screws, mounting paste inside a small syringe, but also the motherboard CPU socket cover:
The power adapter was manufactured by Ac Bel and is rated on the output as 19V, 4.74A:
A driver DVD is supplied for fast and easy install:
The barebone enclosure resembles an external DVD drive and in the frontal side we have multiple interfaces accessible:
On the left side of the power button we have the microphone and headphone jack, but also the power and HDD LEDs:
To the right there is the card reader along with four USB 2.0 ports:
On the top side of the unit we have a removable metallic cover, with drilled holes for the two internal cooling fans:
On the sides we also have ventilation grills along with Kensington Port holes:
Two COM ports are to be found in the back side of the device, the one on the left supporting RS232/RS422/RS485 while the one on the right being RS232 only; here we also have the DC-IN port, two LAN ports, two USB 3.0, two USB 2.0, dual DisplayPort, one HDMI port, Clear CMOS and Power Button (remote) pins:
The bottom side of the unit is equipped with four small rubber feet:
Multiple stickers can be also located here:
The internal components are well arranged for optimum air ventilation; the HDD support can be completely removed in order to be able to mount the rest of the components:
The dual fan setup keeps the large CPU heatsink cool and connects to the same 4-pin port:
After its removal we will be able to uncover the CPU socket, along with the H81 chipset, which is covered by its own, smaller heatsink:
The audio interface is supplied by the well-known Realtek ALC892 CODEC:
Nearby we will find an additional 4-pin fan header, one Speaker header, but also an USB header:
The CPU VRM does not feature additional cooling:
On the board we also have not one but two Mini PCIE slots:
Two SATA ports are mounted in the vicinity; the one with the SATA cable pre-installed is SATA III while the spare one is SATA II:
Two DDR3 SODIMM slots are available for mounting a total of 16GB system memory:
The SD Card reader is nearby:
The VRM is driven with the help of the ISL95820 Green Hybrid Digital Four Phase PWM controller:
Shuttle was nice and has also supplied the CPU to be used in this evaluation; this time we are talking about the two-core Pentium G3220 processor:
If we look on the back side of the heatsink we will discover the two-heatpipe cooling system; the four mounting screws do not feature rubber grommets for safety and neither the motherboard holes have protection so we must be very attentive when fixing it in order to avoid PCB scratching:
For the test we have also installed a single 4GB DDR3 1333MHz RAM module from AVEXIR:
The 2.5’’ HDD has been secured with four supplied screws onto the metallic frame:
Here is a final shot with all necessary hardware installed:
Shuttle DS81 does feature the regular Aptio Setup utility, which is the UEFI without the nice interface and the main menus are located on the top side. The Main menu shows a system summary and here we will be also able to change the current date and time:
The Advanced menu comes with multiple sub-sections like Power Management Configuration, TPM Configuration, CPU Configuration, SATA Configuration, USB Configuration, Hardware Health Configuration or Onboard Device Configuration:
Power Management Configuration menu allows modifying the Suspend Mode, Wake Up by USB and EuP functions:
TPM Configuration takes care of the Security Device Support section:
CPU Configuration menu shows advanced details regarding the installed processor and here we will be also able to modify the number of active cores, enable V.T., EIST or C States:
SATA Configuration menu allows SATA Mode Selection and enabling Hot Plug:
USB Configuration menu only allows us to enable or disable the USB 3.0 controller:
Hardware Health Configuration menu permits configuration of fan speeds and here we will be also able to take a look at the current fan speeds, temperatures and voltages:
Onboard Device Configuration menu takes care of the onboard interfaces like audio, LAN and from the same menu we can configure the IGD memory size and the Serial Port Configuration:
The Boot menu allows working with the drive priorities, adjusting the boot mode and can allow or disallow booting from an USB device:
The Security menu has the usual Supervisor/User password settings and from here we can enable/disable Flash Write Protection and access the Secure Boot Menu:
The Save & Exit menu allows us to save, discard or restore the setup BIOS defaults.
In order to start testing the DS81 Barebone from Shuttle, we equipped it with the supplied Intel Pentium G3220 processor, one AVEXIR 4GB DDR3 1333MHz SODIMM memory module, but also a Hitachi Travelstar 5K250 250GB HDD. We installed the latest Windows 7 x64 from scratch and got the tests going. Here is some information that we could obtain on the internal hardware, thanks to the specialized programs:
CPU-Z CPU Information Tab
CPU-Z CPU Caches Tab
CPU-Z Mainboard Tab
CPU-Z Memory Tab
GPU-Z Graphics Card Info Tab
AIDA64 gives us even some more details regarding the computer components:
CPU Information
Motherboard Information
IMC
H81 PCH
More in-depth information regarding the IGP can be explored with the help of AIDA64:
To test the computer thermals, we have first left the computer in IDLE for about 30 minutes and then we fired up 3DMark2003 in loop mode, for an additional 50 minutes. The minimum and maximum temperatures of all internal components were recorded by the latest HWINFO utility. During the time of testing, the ambient temperature was 25.5 degrees Celsius:
System Full Load measurement was recorded while running the AIDA64 System Stability Test and checking on Stress CPU, Stress FPU, Stress Cache, Stress System Memory, Stress GPUs.
In IDLE, we have recorded a value of 33.90W, while in Full Load about 60.66W.
The Slim PC chassis from been reincarnated in the shape of the DS81 which supports the latest Haswell processors with a TDP up to 65W and supports 4K video output thanks to the DirectX 11.1 IGP. In order to support various usage types, we have plenty of connectivity options available, including USB 2.0, USB 3.0, RS232/422/485, SATA 6Gbps and Mini PCIe; the Mini PCIe slots can be used for fitting mSATA SSDs and WiFi modules, enhancing the product functionality even more. Speaking of an optional Wi-Fi module, the DS81 enclosure also features pre-drilled holes for antennas in the back. The dual-heatpipe heatsink covers most of the motherboard and gets cooled by two slim PWM fans.
The DS81 chassis features a 1.3-liter slim design with a thickness of only 43mm, so it is suitable for many commercial applications; a VESA mount is also included as a bundle in order to mount the device behind the monitor.
The Dual-LAN Gigabit interfaces of the unit support 10Mb/s, 100Mb/s and 1000Mb/s transfer capacity as well as Wake On LAN and Teaming Mode functions; the Teaming works in both Load Balancing or Failover modes or we can consider the links as two completely separate connections.
In various applications we may need to consider a remote Power/Reset CMOS button and this can be enabled via the four pins located in the front.
Regarding the system performance, we were very pleased to see that it performed flawlessly while keeping the temperatures at safe levels; if we ever feel that the storage space is not enough for various applications when mounting a large 2.5’’ HDD along with a mSATA SSD, we always have the options to plug in external storage to the USB 3.0 ports in the back side of the unit, making it a very cool multimedia system for playing the latest 4K video content.
Shuttle uses to price their barebones pretty good as of late and the DS81 makes no exception; as a barebone, we will be able to spot the product online for about 185 Euros, which is quite good if we are in need of a compact system which can be equipped with the CPU, RAM and storage of our choice.
We would like to thank Shuttle Europe for making this review possible!