Shuttle continues to gladden us with their barebone PCs. With every new model they manage to offer more and more performance and features, so, it looks like some day they will offer us something as advanced as our typical desktop PC systems with variety of expansion capabilities and also very high performance. The first step towards it was the XPC SB51G with the Hyper-Threading Technology support (see this news-story) and the second step is the release of the new XPC SN41G2, based on the nForce2 IGP core-logic.

Weighing only 5.4Kg and measuring only 295x200x180mm, the SN41G2 incorporates GeForce4 MX graphics core, dual VGA outputs (to drive two independent displays), Dolby Digital 5.1 audio system and an AGP 8x slot for future graphics expansion. For digital connectivity, the SN41G2 supports a S-Video-out, four USB 2.0 and three FireWire ports.

Here are some more technical details about the new XPC SN41G2:

• Supports all Socket A Athlon XP/Athlon/Duron CPUs with 200, 266 or 333MHz FSB;
• NVIDIA nForce2 IGP chipset with NVIDIA MCP-T I/O controller;
• 2 DIMM slots for up to 2GB of PC2100 and PC2700 or DDR400 memory. Dual-channel memory bus support: the memory modules should be identical and installed in pairs;
• 1 PCI and 1 AGP 8x slot;
• 2-channel integrated ATA-33/66/100/133 controller;
• 10/100/Mbit/s Ethernet controller;
• 6 USB 2.0 ports;
• 3 FireWire (IEEE1394) ports;
• Integrated AC'97 6-channel audio solution with Dolby Digital support;
• 1x 5.25” Bay, 2x 3.25” Bays (one external and one internal);
• Aluminum Chassis with 200W Power Supply, Dimensions: (L) 300mm x (W) 200mm x (H) 185mm;

As all other Cubes from Shuttle, the SN41G2 also makes use of Shuttle's patented Integrated Cooling Engine technology (ICE), which allows the efficient cooling of high-speed processors without the fan noise associated with traditional high-end PCs.

The SN41G2 is available worldwide, from a variety of online resellers, authorised retailers, system integrators and distributors. Manufacturer's suggested retail price is 388 Euros (excluding tax).