Aria Arianet XPC+ 2500T review

Although small, this system's Shuttle case accommodates the same parts used in 'normal' PCs.

It has a solid core spec: 80GB of hard disk space, plus 512MB of RAM. You also get a decent Sony DVD writer that handles both the DVD+ and DVD- recordable disc formats. Oddly, there's no modem. Even if you're lucky enough to have broadband Internet access, a standard dial-up connection is a worthwhile backup option.

In a group test based around flat-panel displays, you'd hope to get a decent TFT for your money, and Aria has come up trumps with the Iiyama ProLite E431S. Its sharp, high-contrast picture is one of the best we've seen in the Labs this month.

The real downside of Shuttle-based systems is their lack of potential for expansion. The XPC+ 2500T has only one free PCI slot - so you're limited to a single internal upgrade card - and there's no room for extra internal hard disks. There's also no room for a second optical (CD or DVD) drive, which all its rival PCs offer this month. This system does, however, have plenty of USB 2 and FireWire ports on its case, so external plug-in drives are certainly an option. Turn to our group test on page 88 to see some of the models currently available. This system also lacks a parallel port, used to connect older printers.

The Aria's performance isn't outstanding, but it managed a respectable 2D benchmark of 1,269. Its mid-range graphics card (based on ATI's Radeon 9600 chipset) scored 9,796 in our games test, 3DMark2001. This means it has enough graphics processing power to handle today's games, although you may need to turn down some of the more elaborate visual effects.

Due to the limitations of the Shuttle case, the Aria can't offer the same upgrade potential or range of features as the other Labs entrants. It's a solid system, but only worth considering if small size is an overwhelming priority.