Introduction
AOpen XC Cube EZ18-120 SFF ReviewShuttle's really doing it. ABIT's done it. MSI's even tried it. ASUS, Soltek, Biostar, DFI, amongst others, have had a stab. That roll call of honour's all had a go at making a small form factor system. Why?. Because that market is experiencing growth that comfortably outstrips standard towers'. It's easy to see why. Choose a chipset, add in a large feature count, utter stability, and simple installation into a chassis that's not much bigger than a toaster. The end result is a system that's on a par with high-speed desktop equivalents, looks far sexier, and is portable to boot.
Now it's AOpen's turn to raise the SFF system bar. AOpen's historically been known for producing high-quality kit, ranging from motherboards to optical drives, so an AOpen-branded SFF has to be taken seriously. The consumer's bound to benefit. The more choice, the better companies have to be to push their products into the must-have category.
AOpen has a range of SFF systems that fall under the umbrella naming scheme of XC Cube. Today we're having a closer look at an nForce2-based XC that goes by the memorable name of AOpen XC Cube EZ18-120. Just rolls of the tongue, doesn't it?.