Aopen XC Cube AV

A multimedia barebones PC that packs a punch

The current flagship of Aopen's SFF PC XC Cube range is the multi-talented AV multimedia barebones PC.

As well as the usual motherboard and CPU fan of normal barebones packages, the AV also comes with a PCI TV/FM card and its own Linux-based OS called Instanton. This OS takes up just 100MB of disk space and allows the AV functions to be ready to use within six seconds, great for playing DVDs, watching TV or listening to music.

The installation is easy and the accompanying booklet guides you through all the steps to get started. Instanton must be loaded before you install Windows or any other OS. For ordinary Windows, the Intervideo Home Theater application is provided. The Instanton DVD, audio and Home Theatre functions can be controlled via the supplied infrared remote control.

The system is well built and looks good in its black finish. It features a multifunctional front display panel and controls that light up blue when the unit is switched on. At the heart of the XC Cube AV is one of Aopen's own UX4SG-1394-II motherboards, built around Intel's 865G chipset.

This supports Socket 478 Pentium 4s with 400MHz, 533MHz and 800MHz FSB speeds up to 3.2GHz (including Prescott versions), but it may be wiser to install a less powerful CPU because of problems with the heat generated by larger processors.

The CPU cooling fan is very loud when the system is first switched on and, although the noise level drops after a while, the AV is not what you would call a silent PC. Two Dimm slots support up to 2GB of DDR266/333/400 memory, depending on which processor you fit.

To fit the processor and memory, the whole drive cage can be removed by undoing two screws. The drive cage contains a seven-in-one card reader, but if you don't mind empty slots in the front of your AV you can remove it and fit a second hard drive.

Above and below the card readers are the 5.25in and 3.5in drive bays. Aopen supplies a Sata data cable and specially shortened parallel ATA cables to use on any standard hard drive.

The integrated graphics supplied by the Intel 856G chipset is fine for everyday applications, but that's about the limit. For serious gaming you should add a decent 3D card in the AGP slot.

However, with the TV/Radio card sitting in the PCI slot, there's not much room to get rid of heat generated by the graphics card, and the graphics card will need to be a slimline model that doesn't need more than a single expansion plate.

Apart from these reservations, the XC Cube AV offers the chance to make a true multimedia PC in a format that will grace any room.