Gigabyte’s external-GPU BookTop M1305 and M1405 notebooks aren’t the only machines relying on a separate graphics boost at CeBIT 2010 this week.  Shuttle have brought along their interpretation, in the shape of the I-Power GXT Mini, a compact box fitted – in this case – with an ATI Radeon HD 4650 that hooks up to Shuttle netbooks via a special GXP port that looks a little like a larger HDMI port.

Video demo after the cut

According to NetbookNews, when attached the netbook saw a tenfold increase in graphics performance, benchmarking around 5,000 marks in 3DMark06 compared to around 500 when the CULV machine was tested alone.  It’s not just for graphics cards, though; since the i-Power GXT Mini box basically gives you a PCI-Express slot to play with, you can slot in a desktop TV tuner card or a USB 3.0 card.  There are also a couple of USB 2.0 ports on the front panel no matter what guts you opt for.

Shuttle will apparently sell both preconfigured versions of the setup, with a video card already in place, and barebones versions.  Meanwhile the GXT port itself will be showing up on netbooks and nettops from the company, such as the one demonstrated in the video below.

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Shuttle is well known for making small form factor computers for use in the home or office. The tiny systems can be used for all manner of things from gaming to HTPC rigs taking up little space. Shuttle has announced its latest SFF PC called the XS35 that will be seen at CeBIT next month.

The tiny SFF PC is only 3.3cm thick and is HD compatible. This may well be the best SFF PC Shuttle has for use as an HTPC machine in the living room. The chassis used for the XS35 is 1-liter class and has a standard VESA mount interface. That interface means you can mount the PC to the rear of a TV or LCD display.

The machine is complete, runs the Intel Atom D510 processor at 1.6GHz, and uses the NM10 Express Chipset. Graphics are handled by the NVIDIA GT218, otherwise known as the ION 2 platform. The machine has HDMI out, five USB ports, VGA out, LAN port, memory card reader, 2.5″ HDD, and an optical drive. The machine will be available in Q2 2010 at an undisclosed price.

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The big name in small form factor computers is Shuttle. The company has been making smallish SFF machines for gamers and home theater PC enthusiasts for a long time now. Shuttle has unveiled its latest SFF system called the XPC Barebone SG41J1 using a new J1 chassis.

Shuttle says that the new system is nearly a 100% redesign and was developed for versatility. The J-series machines now support the mini-ITX standard to allow for more upgradability. A new linear fan cooling system and larger ventilation holes keep things cooler inside the small chassis.

The new cooling system allows for dual slot graphics cards to be used and up to 8GB of DDR2 memory. The cables inside the machine are pre-routed and the machine is based on the Intel G41 chipset. Graphics are via Intel GMA X4500 and the machine has a single PCIe x16 slot and a PCI slot for upgrades along with a 250W PSU. The machine will sell for EUR 146 in Europe plus VAT. There is no word on US availability.

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