Scan 3XS Hoojum CUBIT 5 media centre system

All roads lead to chrome

As far as upgrading goes the Hoojum case is quite different from the norm. As it's a solid piece there's no lid to lift off. Instead you have to slide the inside out by removing four screws at the rear. This makes it easy to work on the insides as you can get to all the components but as soon as you try and slot the interior back into place your enthusiasm for the case might start to wane. The parts have to be lined up exactly right which is tricky. Once you take out the insides the connections for the front panel come off too, so you have to take of the front panel too in order to reconnect it.

The Scan system was supplied with a Cherry wireless keyboard and mouse. This has a wireless USB dongle connector rather than a PS/2 connection, so you'll have to give up one of your USB slots. The mouse is not that comfortable to hold and the keyboard is something of an acquired taste. It's very thin, which is good, but the travel in the keys is almost non-existent. The layout is also odd with function keys down the sides. There are lots of hot keys at the top though for quick access and it's very configurable thanks to the supplied software.

Verdict

The Scan is a good Media Center system but you're paying over the odds for the funky case design. The digital tuner is sensible but the lack of Wi-Fi is disappointing. The GeForce 6600GT graphics card also means it's not really suited to quiet environments. Ultimately unless you have to have the Hoojum case, the conventional Shuttle MCE system, which Scan also sells, offers far better value.

Review by

Scan 3XS Hoojum CUBIT 5
Rating	70%
Price	£1438
More info	The Scan site

Recent reviews

OQO Model 01 handheld PC
Palm LifeDrive Mobile Manager
O2 XM music phone
Orange SPV M500 smart phone
Samsung SPP-2040 dye-sub photo printer
Fuji FinePix F10 Zoom digicam
Asus P5WD2 Premium i955X mobo
Sony Ericsson K750i