Features of the
RISCube and
SpaceCube range

Compact size and stylish looks

Our RISCube and SpaceCube machines are small, yet fully featured, and even allow a sensible level of upgrading. A typical machine is just 19cm wide, 18cm high and 29cm front to back. That's about the size of a stout shoebox! It is easy to assume that such a petite machine would be forced to make sacrifices in order to achieve its goals, but in fact that isn't true. Our machines use the same "full size" components as larger machines - hard drives, floppy drives, DVD drives, and even allow for expansion via AGP, PCI and (on some machines) PCI Express. It is even possible to do multi-disc RAID hard drive arrays if you're really adventurous! As you'll find out below, innovative technology ensures that heat simply isn't a problem (these machines run cooler and quieter than most larger machines), and you can utilise the fastest processors and components you wish.

High tech cooling for minimal noise

When building computers, we are extremely conscious of two competing factors - heat and noise. We aim to deliver some of the quietest machines around, yet also offer top-tier performance. With performance comes heat, and to get rid of heat, you often need fans which make noise. To solve this, various unique technologies are employed to allow us to achieve our goals.

Starting with the chassis, the aluminium construction gives not only light weight, but also much higher heat absorption than traditional steel or plastic designs. We pick our components with utmost care, taking into account heat, noise and reliability - we prefer graphics cards without fans, for example, as fans on graphics cards can be extremely noisy. Careful positioning of components ensures smooth airflow through the machine, preventing heat build-up.

At the heart of our systems is the heatsink, heatpipe and fan arrangements used to pull heat away from the components and exhaust it as efficiently and quietly as possible.As you can see in the diagram, the heat is drawn away from the processor/ motherboard via convection through the heat-pipes (heat rises) and then the slow-spinning (for low noise) fan exhausts the hot air out of the rear of the computer. Normally a computer would just swirl hot air around inside by mounting a (noisy) fan on top of the processor - by exhausting it out, our machines are usually around 10 degrees cooler than larger systems!

RISCubes and RISCBooks run RISC OS and Windows

The presence of the letters "RISC" in our product names indicate that a machine ships with two operating systems installed - RISC OS and Windows XP. For the sake of brevity, we'll assume that you are familiar with these two operating systems, but if not, feel free to contact us. The diagram below shows how the two operating systems can work together to produce a system that is more than the sum of its parts...

Our systems bring the two operating systems together, so that you can drag and drop data between the two, whilst you work. This means that you can utilise both Windows and RISC OS applications together, giving you the best of both worlds. Our UniPrint technology allows RISC OS to print to virtually any printer available thanks to this amazing technology. When on the Internet you will be able to use top RISC OS programs such as R-Comp's Messenger Pro alongside the likes of Internet Explorer.

When you turn a RISCube on, you have a choice - RISC OS or Windows. If you select the RISC OS option, you boot straight into the RISC OS desktop, ready to run your software at StrongArm speeds and often beyond! But of course, sometimes you may wish to boot into Windows. Perhaps your kids have games which only work on Windows, or you need to use special services which aren't RISC OS compatible. It's like having two complete computer systems, but for the price of one!

Performance Enhancement Technology

We are often asked what makes our machines special over "DIY" systems or those supplied by other bulk-order companies. It is a valid question, and one with a variety of answers. Our build quality, component selection, workmanship and support services are, we feel, second to none, but what makes our systems stand out is our additional technology to hugely improve system performance. In measurable benchmarks, our systems can be as much as twice as fast as similar products from elsewhere! Some of our techniques are simple, others more significant, but there are quite literally *hundreds* of enhancements (related to both software and hardware) made to each and every system, in order to ensure optimal performance, and maximum stability.

We test each system in a variety of benchmark situations, both under Windows and (if applicable) RISC OS. We are looking for both performance and stability - benchmarks push a system to its limits, and therefore give a strong indication of system reliability. Tests are left running for longer periods to ensure that machines are robust. If performance or reliability are below par, we obviously investigate thoroughly, and don't allow machines to leave until we are happy that they meet our rather exacting standards.

Finally, we aren't afraid to try new things if we feel it brings tangible benefits to our customers. We were one of the first suppliers in the UK to offer Centrino-powered desktop systems to our customers (in the form of our RISCube Ultra), because we found that it offered previously unheard levels of quietness and superb RISC OS performance. Some six months later, the mainstream suppliers/ press are finally waking up to the benefits of that technology!