Shuttle XPC SZ270R9 Review: a barebone mini PC for gaming

Shuttle XPC SZ270R9

The Shuttle SZ270R9 means a clear evolution in terms of the design that Shuttle was developing in its barebones. It is true that it does not renounce the high quality materials such as aluminum but as true as the previous statement is that Shuttle is one of the last manufacturers in which we would think that it is going to point to the fashion of LED RGB lighting. And that is called Marketing or, as some say, renew or die. There is a growing desire to give that touch of originality to the PC and, in a world where everything is invented, that touch of originality is obtained with designs, at least, carefree, cheerful and, why not, a little aggressive.

Of course this does not mean that Shuttle has renounced its identity. The quality of materials, minimalism and elegance are still present in their creations.

But leave aside the design, which is still important, and we will know more in detail what Shuttle offers us with its new SZ270R9. The name already says it all, Z270 is the chipset that incorporates so the barebone will be compatible with Sky Lake and Kaby Lake processors. It is important to keep this in mind because, if you want to set up your equipment with this base, you must take into account that you have to buy a separate processor, storage device and memories.

On the positive side, without doubt, the large number of possibilities in terms of storage devices, the expansion capacity with dedicated GPUs of great length and, above all, another original note by the manufacturer, the very facility that the manufacturer offers us. to be able to take advantage of our “baptized” processor with the K to take out those megahertz more than it offers us an overclock.

But the question arises when you find the price. Is 400 euros a logical price? we can not answer that question because the value of money is different in each person based on their purchasing power but we can make an affirmation. Given the need to include memories, processor and storage system, this is a PC that is around 750-800 euros using the integrated graphics card of the processor itself. The debate is ready for each of us to make our own conclusions. In any case, reality dictates that Shuttle is the king of the barebones.