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AOpen EX915 XCube SFF PC Review
AOpen EX915 XCube SFF PC Review - PCSTATS
This is a 'barebones' kit, meaning that you get the case with the motherboard pre-installed, but you need to purchase and install the processor, RAM, hard drive and optical drive(s) yourself.
 100% Rating:   
Filed under: Computer / SFF PCs Published:  Author: 
External Mfg. Website: AOpen Mar 11 2005   C. Sun  
Home > Reviews > Computer / SFF PCs > AOpen EX915 XCube

Power Supply and Installation

For a normal computer system a 275W PSU is quite small, but in the land of SFF PCs, 275W is a monster! In fact with the PC assembled, we didn't experience any power related problems even when running with a Radeon X800XT PE, or GeForce 6800GT! It's nice to know that despite the small size of the XCube, you can still use the latest graphics hardware.

Installation of the HDD, Floppy and optical drives is very easy because users do not have to take everything apart for a simple upgrade. Swapping out the HDD is a piece of cake since the hard drive cage is removeable. While you have to remove the Floppy/Optical drive cage to install those devices, it isn't very complicated either.

Elsewhere in the AOpen EX915 XCube, items like the CPU, expansion peripherals, and memory are readily accessible; making future upgrades a straightforward affair.

Oddly, there is thermistor in the center of the CPU socket. According to AOpen's documentation, users are supposed to pull it up first, and then place the CPU in the socket so it is directly on top of the thermistor. I think the system should have just used the processor's internal temperature probe instead.

Overclocking the EX915

We didn't have much luck overclocking with the AOpen EX915 XCube SFF PC, but then again it's not intended for hardcore overclockers in the first place. The maximum FSB we were able to hit was a measly 206 MHz, and I'm not sure what was holding it back as raising the voltages didn't help much. Up next, a look at the BIOS and then the benchmarks.

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Contents of Article: AOpen EX915 XCube
 Pg 1.  AOpen EX915 XCube SFF PC Review
 Pg 2.  More than meets the eye
 Pg 3.  Inside the mini beast
 Pg 4.  — Power Supply and Installation
 Pg 5.  The Blue BIOS
 Pg 6.  Benchmarks: SYSmark2004
 Pg 7.  Benchmarks: Winstone 2002, Winbench 99
 Pg 8.  Benchmarks: SiSoft Sandra 2004, Super Pi
 Pg 9.  Benchmarks: PCMark2002, PCMark04
 Pg 10.  Benchmarks: 3DMark2001, Comanche 4
 Pg 11.  Benchmarks: X2: The Threat, UT2003
 Pg 12.  Loads of power!

 
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