Small is beautiful
Written: Oct 11 '03 (Updated Oct 12 '03)
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Pros: Small size and solid construction.
Cons: Power supply is limited, some heat problems, limited expansion.
The Bottom Line: Highly recommended for those looking for a smaller and lighter PC.
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| jaymend's Full Review: Shuttle SN 41G2 (SN41G2) PC Desktop |
Okay, I admit I had my doubts when I first saw the original Shuttle at a retail store about 2 years ago. Sure it looks cute but can it play with the big boys? At that time I didn't think so but I followed the Shuttle's steady progress since then. About a month ago I decided the Shuttle was probably stable and fast enough for me to use.
After reading all the reviews I can get my hands on, I finally settled on the SN41G2. This was going to be my backup PC and will mostly be used for wireless web browsing, some software development, and for playing games.
Decisions, decisions...
As usual, budget constraints contributed to my final decision to go with the SN41G2. Initially I had to choose between an Intel based Shuttle or an AMD based one. This one was easy since the prices of the midrange Athlons (which are more than adequate for my needs) are about half of those of comparable P4s. Next stop in the decision making process was whether to choose a Shuttle with an nVidia nForce2 Chipset or that with a VIA chipset. Again, it was not difficult for me because I really like the integrated "Soundstorm" 6 Channel Dolby audio of the nForce2 on the Shuttle. Note that I already have an excellent "Soundstorm" experience courtesy of an nForce2 powered ASUS A7N8X Deluxe motherboard onboard one of my PCs.
Deciding between 2 different nForce2 based Shuttle models was more difficult. Even though I really wanted the SN45G because of the 400 Mhz CPU FSB and memory bus support, in the end I chose the SN41G2 because of its integrated nVidia GeForce MX class video... mainly because of monetary constraints.
Assembling the Shuttle...
Assembling the Shuttle is not much different from that of regular sized PCs. However, it helps to take a quick look at the manual to see how to route the cables properly as the space inside is tight and cooling can be impaired by disorganized IDE and power cables getting in the way of airflow inside the case.
The Shuttle comes with its own "I.C.E." CPU heatsink / heatpipe / fan combo cooling system. Make sure you follow the manual's instruction to tighten the heatsink screws in "diagonal" fashion and only half or quarter twists at a time. To its credit, Shuttle designed the ICE attachment mechanism to use thumbscrews. This way there is little chance of applying too much pressure and "cracking" the CPU die. Shuttle also provides a shim that they suggest be placed on the CPU before screwing the "I.C.E." in place. It is important to note that the shim has a light blue plastic cover which should be removed prior to its installation. This is not clear in the manual but I learned about it by browsing thru forums and usergroups specializing on Shuttles.
I found that building the Shuttle is actually a little more difficult than building a PC based on a regular ATX case. The hard part is connecting the power and IDE cables to the Hard Drive, Floppy and CD-ROM drive. The difficulty is mainly due to the cramped space inside the Shuttle case. Care must also be taken not to loosen / disconnect the existing cables which are already attached to the Shuttle's motherboard.
Setting the BIOS / Installing Software...
When first booting up any newly assembled system (not just the Shuttle) and before installing the OS, I usually go to the BIOS to check the settings. nForce2 based motherboards usually set the FSB motherboard speed to 100 mhz (probably for safety reasons) and you might have to bump this up to 133 or 166 (if you have a CPU / memory combo that runs at 266 or 333 Mhz respectively). If you forget to do this, you will be underclocking your PC and perhaps wonder why the XP2500 Athlon you bought only runs as fast as your P3.
While in the BIOS, I would also suggest that you set to run the CPU and Memory "in Sync". This means if your CPU is a 266 mhz part (up to XP2400 ), run the memory at 266 mhz too. This will actually be faster than an async setting (say 266 CPU / 333 memory) and will also be more stable.
You may also want to check out the BIOS version (mine was 013) and compare it to the latest BIOS available online. I usually update to the latest BIOS available (021 as of this writing) even before installing the OS. If you do decide to flash the BIOS, note that the program for doing it in DOS, AWDFLASH.EXE, can be found the Shuttle's drivers CD.
Now its time install the OS and drivers. I installed Windows XP first followed by Service Pack 1 which I downloaded off Microsoft's website. For those with later versions of XP, SP1a is already included in the disk which is a real time saver. After this I downloaded nVidia's Unified drivers version 2.45 (the latest) which are more recent than the drivers found in the Shuttle's CD. Note that nVidia's unified drivers also include relatively new (not the newest) nVidia Video drivers (version 44.xx) for the Shuttle's integrated video.
Using the Shuttle...
I found the Shuttle very quiet on regular operation. The cooling fan of the ICE system by default runs at around 1800 to 2000 rpm during regular use (browsing the web, writing documents). It maintains this low RPM (read: whisper quiet operation) so long as the CPU temperature is below 48 degrees celcius (this is programmable too in the BIOS). The fan's speed will increase once the CPU temperature goes beyond 48. Usually this happens when I am playing games so the noise is not bothersome because it is drowned out by the game. The only annoying thing is when the ambient (room) temperature is high (which usually causes the CPU temp to rise as well), you can hear the fan surging up and down to try to maintain the CPU temp below 48 degrees.
The Shuttle's performance will depend on your CPU of choice (mine was an AMD XP2500 Barton running at 333 Mhz) and your memory configuration (I used 2 sticks of 256MB DDR400 SDRAMS). Using 2 sticks of RAM automatically takes advantage of nForce2's dual channel mode and this is a big advantage specially when using the Shuttle's integrated video. Note that the Shuttle's integrated video has no RAM of its own. It uses part of the PC's SDRAM for itself. The size allocated to it can be set in BIOS, I set mine to 64 MB which means that my total system RAM is now smaller by 64 MB.
With these settings, I am able to play games like Unreal Tournament 2003 (at 1024x768 resolution, high quality settings), Battlefield 1942 (1024 x 768 Medium graphics settings) and Warcraft 3 (1280 x 1024 resolution at high quality) with almost no noticeable stuttering. The integrated video solution is more than adequate to the task. Definitley not as good having a discreet videocard on the AGP slot but it is good enough for me. For hard core gamers, there is always the AGP slot. However, the AGP slot is on the outer side nearest the side of the case so those high-end nVidia videocards that takes up 2 slots will definitely not fit. An ATI Radeon 9800 Pro will fit but some people in forums I visited complain that the Shuttle's power supply do not provide enough juice for this high end card. However, others had no problems. So installing a top of the line videocard might be a hit or miss proposition. The best compromise might be to install a mid-level video card such as the still excellent ATI 9600 Pro, or nVidia's 4200 or 5600 series of cards. Note that one major compromise with the Small Form Factor design is that the power supply is only 200 watts which might come up short when a high-end video card is installed.
The sound as with other nVidia SoundStorm integrated solutions is excellent. I hooked the Shuttle up to a Logitech Z560 5 piece system and the sound it produces is as good as that of another PC I have equipped with a discreet Soundbalster Audigy soundcard.
Shortcomings...
Aside from the aforementioned 200 watt power supply, there are other compromises when going with a Shuttle:
1. Only 4 USB ports... 2 at the back and 2 in the rear. However, there is a spare USB header on the the motherboard to connect 2 more USB ports.
2. Only 1 spare PCI card slot. This is a problem if you need to connect more than 1 PCI card. However, since the Shuttle already has excellent integrated audio and an integrated 10/100 Ethernet port, most people will probably find having 1 PCI slot sufficient.
3. The case gets warm inside because of the cramped space and because there is only 1 fan which is usually running at low speeds. Also the Fan is obstructed by the cooling fins of the I.C.E. system and the not so open grill at the back of the case. Using the excellent (and free) Motherboard Monitor software (http://mbm.livewiredev.com/), the Shuttle's case temperature (not CPU) registered an average of 39 degrees celcius. This is about 7 degrees hotter than that of a well cooled PC case. This higher case temp might have an impact on the life of the Hard Drive. The solution? I placed a slot cooler in the empty PCI slot and this dropped case temps by 5 degrees! It also lowered the avereage CPU temps by 3 degrees. I highly recommend putting one in your Shuttle. It increases the noise but not by much.
Final words...
All these shortcomings however are forgotten when I place the Shuttle side by side my mini-tower PCs. It truly is amazing that Shuttle has packed as much power as that of a regular PC in such a small and compact case. Even with the slot fan, the Shuttle is still quieter than my regular sized PCs (which both have 4 case fans apiece). The size of the Shuttle makes it a convenient LAN party PC for avid gamers. I believe that Small Form Factor PCs such as the Shuttle will one day take the mantle away from the mini-tower PC.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 267
Operating System: Windows
Processor: AMD Athlon (K7)
Processor speed: over 1000
RAM: More than 256
Internal Storage: CD-RW
Hard Drive (GB): Under 4
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Epinions.com ID:
jaymend
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Location: Toronto, Ontario
Reviews written: 19
Trusted by: 6 members
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