Shuttle XPC X50V6: silent AIO barebone for less than 400 eur

Ľubomír Samák

6 years ago

Performance tests: transcoding and Mafia II

There are not many cheap high-quality computers out there, so the design of XPC X50 is quite a pleasant surprise. It offers a lot of attractive features: display, robust mobile body, dust and liquid resistance, passive function, and the economical Kaby Lake. Shuttle managed to elegantly combine all of it into one handy device.

Basic parameters


Shuttle XPC X50V6 (test configuration)
CPU	Intel Celeron 3865U@1.8 GHz base clock
iGPU	Intel HD 610@300 MHz base clock \| 900 MHz boost clock (max. resolution 4096 × 2304 px@60Hz)
RAM	optional 2× DDR3L or 2× DDR4 SO-DIMM
SSD/HDD	optional 1× M.2 (42 – 80 mm) or 1× 2,5"
Connectivity \| ports	2× USB 2.0, 2× USB 3.1 gen 1, 1× mSDxC, 2× 3,5mm audio jack, 1× HDMI 1.4b, 1× RJ-45 (1 Gb/s), WiFi 802.11b/g/n, DC in
LCD	15,6" (1366 × 768 px) TN
Power supply adapter	65 W (19 V \| 3,42 A max.)
Measures (and weight)	392 × 329 × 43 mm (3060 g without RAM and drives)
Approximate price	386 eur

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Details and assembly

It is important to mention that Shuttle intended this computer to be a solution for cash registers, a computer for self-service Kiosk, or a mobile device for presentation rooms.

The design of the chassis is basically the same for every generation (this one is the sixth). Its appearance might not be appealing to everyone (some call it outdated), but the functional design is excellent. That’s probably the reason why it haven‘t changed over the years. Although it is a low-end case, it is really robust. It’s made of hard plastic, and the front panel is glossy but very easy to scratch. It’s also quite simple, except for a webcam and well-placed stereo speakers. By the way, they are decent. The sound output is not extraordinary, it‘s well balanced and clean.

There’s a massive steel arm with hinges at the rear panel. It works as a stand and as a holder for carrying. Its adjustment angle is wide enough. Handy, practical, and solid.

To get inside, you must first remove the decorative cover and the bracket underneath it. The lid is held by four screws. Access, assembly, and work with components is comfortable.

The processor and chipset share a common block which is connected to a well-designed heatsink via a heatpipe. PCB cooling under CPU voltage regulators is simply efficient. The heat is transferred by a thermal pad to a metal plate. It would be literally perfect if there was an anti-vibration mounting system for disks. There’s just one position for a 2.5″ drive, and one full-featured M.2 slot (80mm/NVMe). And there‘s also one external USB connector inside the case, which may come in handy when you want to use a Wi-Fi adapter.

However, the display (15.6″) is far from perfect. It may be satisfactory for declared purposes of XPC X50, but it is definitely not suitable for multimedia use. The static contrast is only 260:1, the resolution is low (1366 × 768 px), and the colours are poor (see the diagram in the title photo, measured with the X-rite iDisplay Pro calibration device). The blue channel is the worst, only the white channel is acceptable. One positive thing that can be said about the display is that there’s no clouding nor dark spots, the backlight is properly balanced.

The viewing angle is below average even for a TN display. The panel does not respond to pressure change, but otherwise it works just fine. The contact layer is resistant and its surface can “survive“ in areas with higher air humidity. The screen can react to greasy fingers without problems, and it can handle even rough cloth washing (when you have nothing else at hand). Its degree of protection is IP54.

The most troubling drawback is intensity of brightness. The maximum value we measured is only 148 cd/m2, which means bad visibility in a bright environment. You can reduce the brightness by linear steps up to 7.15 cd/m2. The difference in consumption between the maximum and minimum level is 2.4 W.

Test procedures

We worked with four levels of heat intensity. They were configured with regard to a common use. The lowest one was “idle” mode, the next one was video (120Mb HEVC), the third was compression of images (from RAW to JPEG), and the last one was simulated in IntelBurnTest (5 GB). After each measurement, the components were cooled by an external fan to their default temperature. Each of the tests lasted 15 minutes, which is the time necessary for temperatures to stabilize. They tend to rise a bit even after 15 minutes, but it’s common in passive configuration, and the difference is not bigger than 2 – 3 °C.

Temperatures were subtracted from internal CPU sensors, chipset, and SSD (Crucial MX300), and we also used thermocouples that were in contact with the RAM chip casing (2× 4 GB Silicon Power SP004GBSFU240N02) and the hottest MOSFET of the power supply circuit.

The consumption was measured by Extech 380801 power meter 5 minutes before the end of each mode. We acquired 150 samples of which the average value was put into charts. The brightness of the screen was 100% during these tests.

Performance tests

During these tests we also monitored performance. What is the average time of a frame when playing a video (milliseconds in charts). The ideal time in this case is 16.7 ms, which is the inverted value to 60 fps. In the test of compressing images (10MB NEF) to JPEG, it was important how many of them can the processors compress in 15m. You can also connect all the performance features in IntelBurnTest (Custom: 5 GB, GFLOPs).

The conversion of images was set to maintain the highest quality possible

We also used several tests where we measured only performance, like encoding 40 Mbps FHD video using H.264 and H.265 codecs with all available encoders. The settings used correspond to those illustrated in screenshots from the HandBrake interface (v1.0.7).

A gameplay performance is simulated in Mafia II. We logged first 70 seconds of the second chapter (a ride through Empire Bay sequence) with PresentMon. The result is represented in frame times, minimum and average fps.

For a better comparison outside of our internal database, we also used synthetic benchmarks. CineBench R15 and 3DMark (Fire Strike, Sky Diver, Cloud Gate, and Ice Storm).

In idle

Video decoding

We used Media Player Cinema Home Classic v1.7.13 and Jellyfish (120 Mb/3840 x 2160 px, HEVC, Main 10). The video is available at jell.yfish.us

Frame times

Kliknutím na graf prejdete do vysokého rozlíšenia 2560 × 1355 px

Image compression

In burn

Thermal images

Performance tests: transcoding and Mafia II

Frame times

Synthetics: Cinebench and 3DMark

Conclusion

XPC X50V6 made a good impression. Due to its low cost, it’s the best compromise possible. The performance of dual-core Celeron is not exactly astonishing, but it is sufficient enough, the system and casual application run smoothly.

Obviously, lower performance means lower consumption, which is a good thing for passive cooling. The cooling system works splendidly. The coils are encapsulated and they don’t produce any annoying sounds (the power supply adapter is also completely silent). In addition, the cooler can handle a lot more than is required here. Even at maximum power, no component was hotter than 45.8 °C, which is the max. VRM temperature that we measured. The computer is well prepared for use in an industrial environment, and it is more resistant and durable than other cheap AIO PCs.

The display is not its strongest side. The backlight is well balanced, but everything else is below average. It is not appropriate for multimedia or office work.

If you are looking for an inexpensive AIO for your shop, showroom, or workplace, there’s probably no relevant alternative for X50V6. You will appreciate both the flexibility of the stand/holder as well as the closed construction without fans.


Shuttle XPC X50V6
+ great product for the money
+ it is completely silent: no fans and no noise produced by coils
+ well-designed and efficient heatsink
+ an adjustable stand/holder
+ solid construction
+ it is durable and suitable for industrial environment
+ good workmanship
– low brightness of the display
– bad viewing angles
– no USB-C

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Continue: Synthetics: Cinebench and 3DMark