14 DAY TRIAL // Barebone PCs are called such because that's what they are: the bare bones of personal computing. Systems that lack all but the skeleton. Shuttle has just introduced such a barebone, called All-in-One PC Barebone X50V4.
That's right, this barebone PC included its type into its very name. Just so no one suffers any nasty surprises we suppose.
Otherwise someone may read “touchscreen” in the product name and retail entry and may make false assumptions as to what other “good stuff” is involved. The answer to that being none.
Instead, Shuttle just added a touchscreen to an otherwise low-end, modest computer based on an Intel Celeron processor. Although we suppose it's not as bad as using an Atom chip, like on older models.
The Shuttle All-in-One PC Barebone X50V4
This computer uses a dual-core Intel Celeron 2957U central processing unit, which has two cores running at 1.4 GHz, each.
A pretty low speed really, but the point was to allow for a very low power consumption, comparable to frugal notebooks and even some tablets: 15W. The rest of the hardware adds to that of course, especially once you buy the missing pieces, but that's still a remarkably low TDP (thermal design power).
The underside of the all-in-one PC offers HDMI and VGA video outputs, as well as a pair of USB 3.0 ports, two USB 2.0 connectors and one Gigabit Ethernet port.
Headphone and microphone jacks are included in the design as well, along with WLAN, a card reader, integrated stereo speakers, a 2-megapixel webcam, and a standard VESA mounting interface (compatible with both monitor arms and wall mounts).
As for the hardware that isn't included (this is a barebone after all), you will have to look for appropriate storage and memory on your own.
The Shuttle X50V4 has one 2.5-inch hard drive / solid state drive bay, room for one mSATA module, and space for 8 GB of DDR3L SO-DIMM memory.
That last bit is actually pretty impressive because you won't find a low-cost, low-end, low-power barebone PC with that much RAM support anywhere else, only 4 GB at most.
Availability and pricing
With either black or white cases, the Shuttle All-in-One PC Barebone X50V4 is up for sale in Europe for €292 / $344. Fully-configured Windows, Linux or OS-free systems will be available soon as well. Some accessories and a carrying bag will also be available.
