Review Shuttle Barebone PC DL30N: compact PC with many configuration options

Aad Munsterman

Shuttle is known for delivering compact and silent PCs in barebone form. This means that not all components are present as standard, but can be added personally or can be included with the order. This gives the user freedom of choice with regard to the components to be used. A processor is present.

Performances and technology

The DL30N is compact at 19 x 16 x 4.5cm. The motherboard features the Intel N100 Adler-Lake processor with 1 to 3.4GHz Turbo, a working memory slot can handle up to 16GB/DDR5/4800. An 8cm PCI-3 M.2 NVMe slot offers space for an SSD card, there is also a 3cm PCI slot for a Wi-Fi 6E adapter or LTE adapter with antennas that can be mounted on the back. There is also a SATA3 slot for a standard SSD. The 2 RJ45 Ethernet connections offer 2.5Gbps transfer speed and there are 8 USB-A 5Gbps connections. Two RS232 COM ports are available for connecting other equipment with serial communication. The processor has an integrated graphics controller that delivers up to 4K on HDMI 2.0b or Displayport 1.4a and full HD on the VGA port. There are no built-in speakers, but there are 3.5mm jackets for microphone and headphones.

Technical installation

For the test we add a 16GB/DDR5/4800 Corsair memory chip and a Samsung 990 EVO NVMe M2 SSD. The network connection we connect directly to a 1Gbps switch. The second HD/SSD slot is available for separate data storage or for a second operating system, such as a Linux variant. The DL30N can be mounted to the back of a screen using an included VESA kit.

OS installation

To install an operating system for a barebone more computing experience is expected, as components and drivers need to be added to make it a working system. The drivers can be found on the Shuttle website under the product number and OS used. Microsoft has the option Install without network deactivated in the latest installation version of W11. At that installation point, you can shift + F10 and the command OOBE\BYPASSNRO will reactivate that option.

Test results

The SSD provides a maximum sequential speed of around 1800 MB/s via the PCI bus. There is only one slot available for memory, which limits the throughput between processor and memory. PCMark10 indicates that the best performance is achieved with essential KA tasks and that the system is not suitable for production work and processing of digital content. The power consumption is very favorable and ranges from 11 to 26 watts. The system is suitable for 24/7 use and can be activated via Wake-On-Lan.

Conclusion

The DN30L is a compact and silent PC for KA activities and also suitable for more business or hobby applications where many connections have to be made based on COM and USB ports.

Product: Shuttle Barebone PC, Model DL30N