Thanks to the increased base frequency, higher Boost speeds and also a higher frequency for the iGPU, the Shuttle DX30 Mini-PC can distance itself from the ECS Liva Z which did feature a lower-specced N3350 Apollo Lake SoC. Both models come with a 1296-ball Flip Chip Ball Grid Array design and while the N3350 SoC is mostly meant for low-powered devices such as tablets or 2-in-1 devices, the J3355 was specifically built for Mini-PCs.

For this new generation, Shuttle has redesigned the chassis and internal aspect of the XPC slim and now sports a more elegant look. Thanks to the technological improvements, the new Intel low power Apollo Lake CPUs can run only on passive cooling, so if we choose to install a SSD and not a mechanical 2.5’’ drive inside the unit, the DX30 will practically be noiseless.

After running the usual AIDA64 stress test, the CPU has only got to a maximum of 77 degrees Celsius in HWiNFO64, which is more than acceptable for passive cooling:

This type of Mini-PC can be successfully used as an office PC, for browsing the web but also for different industrial applications thanks to its integrated COM ports. Considering the fact that the system is certified for 24/7 operation but also does consume very little (6.47W IDLE, 18.9W Full-Load), we can leave it on for days or even months.

Besides simple 3D applications, we can also run multimedia content in hardware, thanks to the included acceleration for 4K video encoding/decoding with H.265 and VP9; on HDMI the only limitation in 4K is the refresh rate of just 30Hz, since DX30 does ship with a 1.4b version of the port. If we do choose however to run with the DisplayPort 1.2 video output, we can get 4096x2160 @ 60 Hz without any issues.

It is recommended to check the compatibility list from the website before acquiring the product:

http://global.shuttle.com/products/productsSupportList?productId=2114

The RRP of the Shuttle XPC Slim DX30 is 172 Euros excluding VAT.

Shuttle XPC Slim DX30 Barebone is Recommended for:

We would like to thank again to Shuttle Europe for making this review possible!