Using nVidia’s nForce 4 chip set and SLI technology, the P 2600 is Shuttle’s first dual-graphics-card PC. The design is mighty impressive. Two full-size EVGA 7800GTX cards fit side by side in the 12.6-by-8.3-by-8.7-inch case. Also elegantly stowed inside are an AMD X2 4800+ CPU, 2GB of memory, two 400GB hard drives, and a DVD burner.
The P 2600 notched a WorldBench 5 score of 123 (placing near the top of our power desktop category). Predictably, the machine also scored very well in our graphics tests. Despite its high-performance pedigree–and its seven internal fans–the system is quiet.
If the P 2600 has any weakness, it’s zero expandability. The system has no open PCI or PCI Express slots, no unused bays to add hard drives, and no free memory sockets.
And then there’s the steep price. My loaded shipping model–including a 17-inch LCD (complete with carrying handle)–sells for $4635.
Nevertheless, I found this fast, well-designed system a blast to use. It should certainly please anyone who wants power in a small package.
