All XPC systems come in a very nice packaging arrangement. Each box has a plastic handle on the top for easy transport. Inside, you’ll see that the XPC is packed in between some Styrofoam pieces and is well protected from the rigors of shipping. I will probably keep all of my XPC boxes since they are an ideal way of storing and shipping XPC systems when one moves. Here are some pictures of the packaging.

Front of the box	Back of the box	Inside Packaging

Here are some of the accessories:

The book of accessories	laid out for all to see.

External Look and Feel

The XPC SB51G has a smooth black aluminum case and a dark grey/brown front bezel. The aluminum case is well made and has a solid look and feel. The acrylic front face isn’t the toughest part of the case but you won’t really need to worry about it.

Front of the case with the plastic protective sheet still on	Front of the case

The front of the case offers two external bays – one for a 5.25” bay and one for a 3.5” bay. Most of you will never really have a need for 3.5” floppy drives so you can utilize that 3.5” bay for an extra internal hard drive. The front of the case has buttons for powering on and resetting the PC. All Shuttle XPC systems have easy to access front ports – the SB51GB is no exception to this. From left to right, you will find an SPDIF out, Microphone In, Line Out/Headphone Out, Two USB 2.0 ports, and one FireWire port. I know – why does Shuttle make the SPDIF an out instead of an in on the front? Beats me!

Close up of the front ports

The back of the case has all sorts of I/O ports for you to play with. You can find the pictures of the rear of the case here.

Back of the case	The fan connected to the ICE system	rear ports

The sides of the case have small vent holes to help with the internal airflow.

Left side of the case	Right side of the case

Interior – it’s a bit crammed!

As with most SFF systems, the XPC has very little space to maneuver around in. It’s often amazing how much functionality is packed into something so small. To get into the XPC SB51G, you need to remove three thumbscrews located at the rear of the case. Once these screws are off, just slide the black case right off and you’re in. Here are some pictures of the interior of the case.

Inside of the case through the top	Left side of the case	Right side of the case

The top front of the case contains the drive rack which is used to house the 5.25” and 3.5” drives that the system can support. You can easily remove this rack via two small screws on the top rails of the system. Once the rack is removed, you have clear access to the interior of the case. The left hand side of the system contains the AGP and lone PCI slots. The right hand side of the system is blocked off for the most part by the 200W power supply. You don’t need to remove the power supply to get your barebones system up and running.

The Shuttle I.C.E. heat pipe technology resides towards the rear and center of the system and covers the 478 pin socket.

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