Skyhawk echo-Q IMC6375 SFF PC
Introduction
Normally, when a new Small Form Factor PC arrives in the lab, the unit is generally a single manufacturers combination of form and function. Inside and out, everything is designed by only one OEM in a singular effort. From Shuttle to Epox and more recently Foxconn, the outer chassis is meant to support the technology within. Not to be left out in the cold, SkyHawk/Eagle Technologies has come up with their own line of mini-PCs. But the difference this time is that they provide the outer shell only; the inner workings have to come from another source.
It sure sounds plausible enough to work. Many DIY builders put together their own "wish-lists" which include not only the motherboard, video card, and drives, but also the chassis to put them all in. Lian-Li, Chieftech, and Thermaltake are three big names in this market, whose main focus is providing eye-catching chassis'. So why not put generic motherboards in custom SFF cases as well? The system we received for review was the Skyhawk echo-Q IMC6375 which comes with Acorp's 4865GQET motherboard. The 4865GQET is based on the Intel i865G chipset, providing a stable, mature base with on-board graphics included. Although we have tested a few other SFF PCs based on the i865G, we'll cover the specifications of this particular model and check for any major differences.
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Motherboard Chipset Cooling System |
Front-panel I/O Rear-panel I/O Drive Bays Material |
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The Bundle: The IMC6475's bundle was as complete as we could have hoped for, considering the price of the system (approx. $250). Rather than skimp on add-ons in order to come in at this price, SkyHawk has provided not only the basics, but a few bonuses which make it a really good value. For setup, there were all of the cables we would usually expect to find with a new motherboard. This included two "rounded" IDE cables, a floppy cable, and even a SATA cable. At first, it seemed normal to find these items in the bundle until we stepped back for a second and realized that this was a mini-PC - usually these cables are already attached to the board and pre-routed by the manufacturer for better airflow. We also found a floppy drive bezel that matches the exterior paint job (incidentally, a silver CD-ROM bezel was also included and is pre-installed). There was also a remote control that can be used for media playback. Finally, we've got two manuals, one that covers the motherboard fairly well, and another covering basic installation steps. The latter is scant on wording, but has pictures throughout to help guide the user. A driver CD completes the package, although the software was often outdated. |
