Shuttle's XPC small form factor cases continue to be some of the best designed and made on the marketTheir XPC H7 5800 continues this excellent design with an aluminum exterior and a compact form that still manages to fit a full setup of desktop components within itThe system is designed for performance and it does this well in some areas but could use some work in others

Powering the XPC H7 5800 is the high-end Intel Core i7-920 quad core processor that provides it with some outstanding performanceThose looking to spend a bit more can get a higher grade 950 or 975 processor modelWhile the performance from this is very strong it is hampered slightly by the memory layoutThe Core i7 900 series processors use a triple channel memory system for enhanced performanceDue to space constraints, the system does not have sufficient slots to run its DDR3 memory in this mode preventing it from running at its full potential.

Storage wise, Shuttle has managed to provide space for two full sized desktop hard drives and an optical drive within the XPC H7 5800The standard configuration on the system is to have a single 500GB hard drive that is a bit small for the overall cost of the systemThey do provide options for larger drives, faster 10000rpm drives and solid state drives plus a secondary driveA dual layer DVD burner handles playback and recording of CDs and DVDsBlu-ray drives are available for those willing to pay for the upgrades.

One of the big features of Shuttle's XPC systems was their ability to use desktop graphics cardsThe XPC H7 5800 can still use standard desktop cards but it is restricted in which models it can use nowThanks to the growing size of the high performance graphics cards, only older and more moderate graphics cards can be usedIn fact, Shuttle's base card for this is a very dated NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT graphics cardThis is suitable for graphics up to 1680x1050 but it lacks support for the latest Direct X 11 graphics or for the highest levels of detailThis makes it slightly less optimal for those looking to use it as a dedicated gaming platform.

The biggest problem with the XPS H7 5800 though is its priceWith a base price of $1899, it is priced well beyond the cost of putting the same system together from the same Shuttle XPC barebones and the various partsIt also doesn't compare as favorable against some offerings from companies like Falcon Northwest that offer more for the same price or CyberPower that offers a functional solution for much less.