AOpen EY855-II Pentium M SFF barebones system

April 26, 2005 by Mike Chin with Devon Cooke

After AOpen introduced the i855GMEm-LFS motherboard, it was only a matter of time before they followed up with a small form factor system based on the Pentium M processor. Called the XC Cube EY855-II, the new model has been eagerly awaited by computing enthusiasts hoping for another quiet SFF PC option. The low power consumption of the Pentium M is reason enough to expect a very quiet PC. With the increase in acoustic level of recent SFF offerings from Shuttle, consumers have reason to look harder for quiet SFF system choices.

If there is a flagship model in AOpen's XC Cube line, the EY855-II is probably it. The range of features is long and varied, as is the case with so many SFF systems these days.

The usual full-color fancy retail box.

Goodies in the box include three different types of AC cords (for different regions), various HDD data cables, manuals and quick guides in multiple languages, drivers CD, utility CD, and the front "bench" foot to tilt the unit up.

AOpen EY855-II Specifications
SIZE WxHxD (mm)	200x185x320
SIZE WxHxD (inch)	7.9x7.2x12.6
Volume (liters)	11.84L
Weight (Kg/Pound)	3.8kg / 8.4 pound (N.W.)
CHIPSET	Intel 855GME+ICH4M
Power Solutions	Two-phase voltage stabilization
MEMORY / TYPE	Choice
MEMORY / DDR	266/333
CPU / TYPE	56
CPU / FSB	400/533
VGA / CHIPSET	71
VGA / Port	x1
CPU Thermal	3
PCI Slot	x1(Max length 185mm)
AGP Slot	x1
PCI Express x16 Slot	0
Built in AC97 5.1 or High Definition 8 Channel (High Definition Audio, previously codenamed Azalia) / Line-In (Surround-Out L/R) Line-Out (Front-Out L/R) Mic-In (Central/Subwoofer out) Front Mic-In Front Earphone-Out S/PDIF / Optical-In S/PDIF / Optical-Out S/PDIF / Coaxial-Out	x1
ATA Connector	ATA 100 x 2
USB 2.0	2 Rear, 2 Front, 2 On Board
IEEE 1394	1 (Rear) / 2 (Front - 4 pins and 6 pins)
VGA output Port 15 pins D-Sub	x1
PS2 Keyboard Port	x1
PS2 Mouse Port	x1
Parallel Port (Printer) 25 pins D-Sub	x1
CHASSIS / 5.25"	x1
CHASSIS / 3.5" HDD bay	x1
Power Supply	PFC 275W(24 Pin W/8CM FAN)
Input Voltage	AC 100~240V
Operating Temperature	10 ~ 35°C
Storage Temperature	-10 ~ 48°C
Operating Humidity	5 ~ 95% RH
Supported OS	Windows XP/2000
Note	Super quiet design (below 27dB)

The 855GME chipset is the same one used in the AOpen i855GMEm-LFS (and the DFI equivalent) motherboard. It includes Intel's integrated Extreme Graphics 2 onboard video, suitable for 2D applications but not up to snuff for 3D gaming or anything multimedia intensive. Still on the topic of video cards, there is an AGP slot; the 855 chipset does not support PCI Express.

The power supply is the same as the one in the EX915. 275W is actually much higher than necessary; the most power-hungry Pentium M processor demands only a little over 20W at maximum power.

Other features:

• SilentBIOS, a BIOS-level utility that manages fan speeds, cooling and noise in far more sophisticated ways than most commercially available systems. SilenTek, a Windows-based utility for sophisticated fan control, is also supplied.
• EzWinFlash allows BIOS updates in Windows for simplicity and convenience.
• JukeBox turns the XC Cube into a full-function CD player that turns on almost instantly.