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Hardware

Shuttle SS51 Reviewed 201

Posted by michael from the cute-and-quiet dept.
hilldaddy writes "AnandTech has a review up of the new Shuttle SS51 XPC. Looks like they finally added an AGP slot. Read the review." We've done several previous stories on the Shuttle mini-PC systems.
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Shuttle SS51 Reviewed More

Shuttle SS51 Reviewed

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  • The Shuttle (Score:2, Informative)

    by JPriest ( 547211 )
    I bought a shuttle bare bones system a while back for LAN gaming. I really like the system, it's quiet and about as large as my toaster, but I ended up replacing the C3 with something faster.
    • I bought a Shuttle SS50 this month (gee, if I'd waited, I could have gotten an AGP slot...). Nice system, runs a bit hot, I wonder if the SS51 heat pipe can be retrofitted.

      However, I would like to put a PCI graphics accelerator in it for LAN gaming. Question is, what's a good midrange PCI 3D card for this purpose? GeForce cards are out of the picture 'cause the reviewers point out that this chipset is too data-transfer-intensive to work well over a PCI bus. Suggestions, anyone? JPriest, what card did you use, and how much did it improve things? (Seems to me the internal on-board video's faster data path might reduce its slowness relative to a PCI plugin card, but I might be wrong...)
  • Well to serial are good but what about dongle support
    • This thing is clearly targetted at areas like Home Theater, where there aren't really relevant dongle-requiring apps.. If you are running something that requires a dongle, then you probably are at a business buying pre-built systems, not rolling their own..
      • If you are running something that requires a dongle, then you probably are at a business buying pre-built systems, not rolling their own..

        I understand your point, but I'm interested in running Cubase [steinburg.com] on this. I'm specifically interested in the box because it's very quiet, but Cubase requires a dongle which connects via the parallel port.

        The problem can be solved, I think, by getting a USB to parallel adaptor.

        Cheers,
        Ian

    • I spose they tested Max with a net dongle? I thought that used a parallel dongle.

      BTW - I wonder how the licensing is set up for the ProE tests - I used to be a developer for it at PTC - a long time ago now.
    • Hardware keys are available in USB flavors too.

      Jon Acheson

  • "Cool" Cooling solution (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    One of the best things about this is the way the CPU is cooled.. I'd wish you could get something like this for your average mini tower.

  • Ratter stupid name (Score:2, Offtopic)

    by MouseR ( 3264 )
    considering a very resembling STS-51 [nasa.gov] less successful one.

    • Re:Ratter stupid name (Score:1, Offtopic)

      by plaa ( 29967 )
      considering a very resembling STS-51 [nasa.gov] less successful one.

      Agreed. I read the headline, skimmed the text and thought, "why the hell is there a news item about an AGP slot being added to a space shuttle?"

      Only after checking the article did it become clear...

    • Re:Ratter stupid name (Score:2, Offtopic)

      by Plutor ( 2994 )
      Actually, the Challenger mission was actually mission "51-L". STS-51 [nasa.gov] came 7 years later, and involved a four-times-aborted launch of the Discovery.
  • Anyone else find it not the greatest looking thing around? I guess it doesn't matter if you shove it under a desk, but I"m not sure it's something I'd want on top of my desk or sitting out in the open. The SS50 at least looked decent, but they added too much flashy stuff to it, and it looks silly.
    • I dunno... it looks a lot nicer than a lot of other cases that I've seen, and a damn sight better looking than some "name brand" machines you could buy at a major retailer. It's a cute size, too...

      I've never built a machine from scratch before, being a Mac guy and all, but a compact, well-designed box like this might tempt me to build one someday.
    • IMHO, better'n the SS51. A brushed aluminum cube looks spiffier to me than the same with a clear plastic faceplate tacked on.

  • interesting (Score:1, Insightful)

    by The Rogue86 ( 588942 )
    Many mac people claim that they have the best computers because of their size and portablity. Perhaps Windows (or hopefully linux) will be able to show people that we to can make really weird looking small computers too. And this one even has a serial port as apposed to the mac.

    "Excellent" - Monty Burns

    • Re:interesting (Score:3, Funny)

      by gosand ( 234100 )
      Many mac people claim that they have the best computers because of their size and portablity. Perhaps Windows (or hopefully linux) will be able to show people that we to can make really weird looking small computers too.

      Psst. Windows and Linux are operating systems, not computers.

  • "Upgrading CPUs and graphics cards shouldn't be a problem but when it comes to motherboards, you're pretty much stuck with what you've got." Surely the reviewer realizes that motherboards have a socket type that only run a certain type of CPU. Obviously this isn't always an issue but depending on when a motherboard is made and where in the development cycle the chip maker is in and what processor one buys... The same could be said about the old AGP 2x to 4x conversion.
  • Rack mounts, but costs aside...Wouldn't you rather have a 4 space ATA rack case with a 1u computer, a 1u UPS, 1u keyboard/LCD and a 1u 24port switch all within a nice carryable package that it doesn't hurt throw in the back of the car?

    These are really cool though for their small footprint, but personally I have been carrying around a Supermicro S-760 case for a few years now fully loaded, and its pretty heavy, but I really don't mind- it's strong enough to hold up one end of the table, or to be able to sit my UPS on top. These could be cool for LAN parties, but the exact reason I bought such a large case was for massive expandablity- multiple scsi drives, cdr, dvd, multiprocessor, etc...

    It really could be cool for Lans though, but that LianLi alumnium case also fixes weight problem too.

    • The only space efficiency in rack mount cases is usually in height. More often than not they're are hopelessly deep (at least 3 times deeper than any of the other kit you are listing), and 'portability' isn't what comes to mind. It is even more painful when you realise how much space is unused in a standard 1U rack case.
      • Yea, that's true, you can get small 4 space racks, that are mainly intended for music, that aren't too deep. Sometimes only 12-18 inches deep, which is really cool

  • one more step ... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by timothy ( 36799 )
    I was interested to see that Shuttle has a new case out with an AGP slot, but it's still one-off from what I'd like, because it doesn't take AMD chips, which I prefer.

    Does anyone know of a similar case for Durons / Athlons? I hope this is Shuttle's next move, because these cases are quite nice looking.

    timothy

    • Re:one more step ... (Score:3, Informative)

      by H3XA ( 590662 )
      that would be the SS40G..... no AGP slot though - wait and there should be a AMD equivalent of the SS51 soon.

      http://www.tech-report.com/reviews/2002q3/shuttle- ss40g/index.x?pg=1

      - HeXa

  • Change in view? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by taeric ( 204033 )
    In times past (oh, you know, 2 years ago.), it seemed eveyone I knew wanted a full sized tower. At the least, a mid tower was preferred.

    Now, however, it seems things are hopefully turning around. It is quite encouraging to think that in the near future I can finally get rid of all of the crap that clutters my desk due to the computer. Pair this with a flat-panel monitor and you now have noticeably more room above and below your desk.

    Now, I just need to find a way to consolidate all of my power and accessory cables. Those are probably the largest hassle when cleaning for me.
    • zip ties are you friend, remember that. if your setup is fairly static, just zip up everything in the back into one nice little bindle and only let cables out where they need to . i do this and it is a night and day difference in terms of noticable clutter. the down side is, what happens if you need to move your computer? or you buy a new monitor, you need to redo all of your hard work... but worth it in my opinion. oh yeah, velcro works to for a more temporary solution, they make it double sided so you can easily make rings with it.

    • Re:Change in view? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by Junta ( 36770 )
      While an expensive solution, apple seems to have cable reduction high on their list. You have one cable between monitor and system driving power and signal, one cable to keyboard and mouse (since mouse plugs into keyboard, which makes a *hell* of a lot more sense than the traditional PC way, Sun and Apple have it right..). But if apple is unacceptable, their are keyboards and monitors with built in USB hubs, so you can have a more convenient spot to plug stuff in. Of course, if you have a monitor with speakers and a USB hub you want to use, you have speaker, display, usb, and power cable going to it... Nasty... Technically you can get away with 4 cables out of a mac, network, power, display, keyboard, but add one for sound for a decent rig... Hell, get an iMac and not worry about the display cable at all, just worry about not being modular and having something in need of repair or upgrade...
      • I hate the Apple way of tying the keyboard and mouse together. I really think that it's a terrible idea. I like to be able to pick up the keyboard and set it on my lap without the mouse dangling along with it.

        The solution of course it to get wireless input devices. I've switched over to using a wireless mouse and keyboard and find that it's much better.

        • Wireless is good, and I think the flaw in execution with the keyboard/mouse is not so much being plugged in, but the mouse cable tends to be too short, causing stuff like you describe... If you had a PC mouse plugged in, your cable would be so long that problem wouldn't happen... but then again you have too much ugly cable again... Perhaps more ubiquitous bluetooth might help..
    • I've got an old SparcStaion LX lying around that looks just similar, featuring LAN, sound, ISDN, a Sparc CPU and a woppin' 800 mb harddrive. Same case, though obviously a bit slower (and louder)

      This looks just like the right replacement :)
    • Cleaning?

      I think a have a Vic-20 composting at the bottom of my cable pile. Just plug antoher power strip in and add another hub and you are good to go. I figure in a couple of years the cable pile will be nice and fertile and I will be able to plant some optrons there.

      SD
    • My roommate did a really cool thing to get rid of the wire mess..

      We ran to the hardware store and got some 1" or 1-1/2" thick clear tubing and cut about 6' long piece of it. We cut a length-wise cut in it and fed all the wires through there.

      It was extremely neat and clean and worked really well under the desk. For moving you just unplug either side and keep the wires together... It's nice. Plus, you can put Christmas lights in it if you are in the mood.

  • Hexus .co.uk review...... (Score:5, Informative)

    by H3XA ( 590662 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:35AM (#3950796)
    in case you manage to /. Anand's servers.

    Hexus - http://www.hexus.co.uk/review.php?review=395

    - HeXa

    • oops... (Score:4, Informative)

      by H3XA ( 590662 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:42AM (#3950824)
      .... fogot the other two reviews...

      http://www.viahardware.com/ss51xpc_1.shtm
      http://www.ocworkbench.com/2002/shuttle/ss51/ss51g p1.htm

      - HeXa

  • Need AMD version... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Junta ( 36770 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:37AM (#3950808)
    Anyone in touch with people building system component by component realizes a great majority of these are AMD based, since they get to see the processor price difference and know the price/performance problems with P4 vs. Athlon. I personally have been eagerly awaiting a version with AGP for AMD, and then I might buy in... I want to have an All-in-Wonder in one of these babies to integrate into my entertainment system...

  • Bought an SV24 (Score:3, Informative)

    by carambola5 ( 456983 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:41AM (#3950821) Homepage
    Looks great with the aluminum casing. Was pretty cheap too at $300 for the case, proc, mb, power supply and RAM. Yes, no hdd, fd, or cdrom. This is going to be a diskless system, and I'd have to say that the SV24 fits the bill quite nicely. I'll put up a page when the project is finished.

    • About the best use for an SV24 IMO.

      I've got one at home and it's very sweet looks wise (esp. when combined with a TFT and a wireless keyb. & mouse), but the internal design leaves a LOT to be desired.

      Basically the power supply is at the FRONT of the case, below where the floppy drive sits (if you put one in), and air is sucked in through the front (by a 6cm fan mounted at the back of the case towards the top), then goes through the power supply, into the flat IDE cables, past the HDD and then out the back at the top through a 6cm fan. The PSU itself has a tiny 4cm (very noisy) fan that is mounted on the left side, and blows STRAIGHT INTO THE SIDE OF THE CASE, instead of OUT.

      This is some of the worst airflow design I've ever seen, as it's basically heating up the air straight away (through the PSU), then flowing it over the HDD (extra-bad if you've got a 7200RPM disk in there), then out the back.

      So if you've got a dremel, do a bit of modding and cut a nice neat airhole in the left side next to the PSU fan [grin]

      Note that they've fixed this in the SS51, the PSU is now mounted at the back (where it should be), and its fan now blows out of the case through a grill. All in all a much better design.

      Cheers,

  • NICE audio feature! (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Andy Dodd ( 701 ) <atd7NO@SPAMcornell.edu> on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:46AM (#3950839) Homepage
    Did anyone notice that the three audio ports can be remapped between input and output at the user's discretion? Want surround output, set them all to output. Want to record something? Switch a port to input. VERY nice - But is the audio quality up to snuff?
    • Dude with the optical spdif out use that as your output and hook it to your surround sound system in the living room. Thats what I would do then just leave them mapped to inputs. I am sure my reciever can decode the audio better (harmon kardon avr300). Anyone know if the digital audio is capable of streaming a DTS signal?
      • Over the years, my computer has replaced more and more of my media systems.

        Why not replace an expensive AC3 decoder with onboard decoding and some external cheap amps? (I'm not saying get a noname amp - I'm saying get a good name amp that is a decade or so old. Sound quality's the same, the only difference is all sorts of doodads you don't need.) Or one of the recent sets of PC speakers designed for use with surround-capable soundcards?

        But as I asked earlier, I wonder what the quality of the onboard audio is. The onboard audio on my Epox EP-8KHA (VIA chipset onboard) is just plain unacceptable for ANY use - HORRENDOUS feedback/squealing.

    • Re:NICE audio feature! (Score:3, Informative)

      by Coplan ( 13643 )
      It's interesting that you bring up audio quality. My friend has one of the old Shuttle bare bones systems, and the sound quality is comparable to the average gaming platform sound card (SB). It's not bad, and it can play MP3s and the like pretty well. Problem is, it's a no-frills on-the-motherboard sound card. So you can't expect nice features like the SB Audigy.

      You especially can't expect anywhere close to the S/N ratios or the Response curves that you get with professional quality sound cards. FYI, The SB Audigy, even though SB would like you to believe so, IS NOT professional quality.

      Good for a hobiest or a gamer. But if you want to write music...the Shuttle small profile systems are not for you. For that matter, anything on the motherboard is often not good enough.

      • Thanks for your input. If it's comparable to any SB, then it's pretty good for an onboard sound chipset. Not that I'm saying SB is better than most - Even super-cheapie Yamaha chipset cards are "acceptable", i.e. I can't tell the difference for gaming/home multimedia use.

        My definition of "bad" is the onboard audio on VIA KT266 chipsets, such as my Epox EP-8KHA. It SUCKS. It has this obscenely loud high-pitched squealing that gives you a splitting headache on 1-2 minutes flat. Needless to say, I'm now VERY wary of onboard audio solutions.
  • Not much of a review if they're going to wait for a replacement mobo to see if stability gets better.

    MA

  • Just what the Dr. ordered (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Sean Clifford ( 322444 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:54AM (#3950878) Journal
    This is what I've been waiting for. Assuming the mobo problem was just a glitch, I'll be getting one of these shortly. I've got a bunch of 50's (the original version) for work and while they're not exactly stealth-quiet, they're great little machines and look quite nice. Space is a premium, since each desk has to have 2 computers (w/KVM switch).

    This is gonna be my main box at home and primary LAN party box. My old box is gonna be relegated to the role of an Apache server. I'll put up a review of how well the SS51 runs my favorite distro when I get the thing in.

    • Rather, I have a bunch of SV24's, not 50's as I wrote before. We have about 10 or so of these and they're great little office boxen. Only had to RMA one bad power supply. Rest are hummin' (literally) along.
      • Anyone know where you can buy just the flexATX power supplys that these little guys run on? The ps in my SV24 died and now I've got it hooked up to a standard ATX supply until I can get a replacement.

        (In case you're wondering, I can't RMA it because, well, I voided the warrenty by making some modifications. Modifications which would not have contributed to it failing of course, but warrenty voiding modifications no the less)
        • I RMAed my power supply directly to shuttle and they sent it back. I duct-taped an ATX power supply to the SV24 until the new one came in, then just swapped them out. Contact them and see if they'll replace just the power supply. If not, ask them if you can just buy a power supply. They've been very accomodating with me so far and components do fail, so they should be more than willing to sell you one - even if they won't replace it.

          (note - I'm not affiliated with Shuttle in any way, shape, or form)

  • Now if this had AMD support I'd buy one in a flash. This plus a flat screen display would solve a lot of the space headaches I have ATM. (Full Tower case, 21" Monitor, scanner, printer, speakers etc).
    Anyone know why there is no AMD support? Heat problems? Problems getting the chipsets onto such a small form factor?

  • Shuttlecom have a fascination with Javascript (Score:3, Interesting)

    by wowbagger ( 69688 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @09:56AM (#3950889) Homepage Journal
    Like so many sites, the folks who did the web pages for Shuttle Computer Group seem to think that nothing can be done without Javascript - you cannot even view their site with JS turned off. I do wish these so-called web designers would realize that some of us either cannot run JS, or choose not to.

    I went to the Shuttle site trying to see if they had non-P4 systems - I'd rather get a 1800MHz processor that runs like 2200MHz than a 2200MHz processor that runs like 1800MHz. Also, I'd like to know how compatible this system is with Linux.

    Lastly, while it has 2 optical SPDIF ports, I'd like to have a unit with a co-ax port. Why? My stereo has one optical and one co-ax input, and the optical is being used by my DirectTivo - I'd like to use the co-ax for my MP3 player.

    Of course, what I'd really like is a simple USB -> SPDIF converter - no other I/O, just USB in and SPDIF co-ax out.
    • You must be looking very hard for the things you seem to want...

      RadioShack springs to mind as a place to pick up an optical switch for toslink, fairly cheaply. Whether it uses mirrors, or close-coupled light pipes, or whatever, it probably works justfine.

      Midiman sells a converter (called "CO2", IIRC) which converts between optical and coaxial SP/DIF. They pop up on Ebay from time to time, and work well for a variety of tasks (SCMS stripping, anyone?).

      The inexpensive Audio Alchemy DDE v1.1 that I use as a DAC for my computer has coaxial and optical inputs, as well as an isolated, re-clocked coax output which just mirrors whatever input is selected.

      Edirol has a product here [edirol.com] which has five connections: USB, toslink in/out, and coaxial in/out.

      Finally, as configurable as the sound support is on the Shuttle board, I'd be very surprised if one couldn't turn one of its three multi-purpose jacks into a coax output using nothing but a software switch.
      • Acutally, I have looked long and hard for what I want:

        The Radio Shack solution isn't - I want to be able to switch under electronic control, not manual. If I have to run downstairs to the server room every time I want to change from video to MP3 I could just as easily pull cables by hand.

        The MidiMan CO-2 looks interesting, but I still would have to get SPDIF out on my sound server, which is currently running a SB64. If I have to buy a new card, I can buy one that has co-ax SPDIF on it, so the MidiMan doesn't solve my problem.

        The Audio Alchemy seems to run about $100 - once again, rather pricy considering the BOM in such a unit. Having quality DACs does drive the price up, but that is why I'd rather have a unit that just had digital output - it should be cheaper.

        The Edirol is also too expensive (see previous paragraph, as well as previous post in this thread).

        So far, I've not found anything that fits my needs. What is maddening to me is that a device that fits my needs needn't be expensive - a single chip solution is easily achievable. However, I guess there is just not the market to drive the development of such a device.

        Thanks for the leads, though - they were at least worth checking out.
        • You didn't mention you wanted it -cheap-. ;)

          If you can spare a PCI slot, buy a Zoltrix Nightingale and the toslink adapter for it. Should cost less than $25, shipped.

          The card is a bit limited in the scope of what it can do (for instance, it -only- supports 44.1 or 48KHz, has no internal synth or resampling or DSP or anything else), but is bit-perfect from end to end - a claim that no other consumer-oriented card I know of can make.

          The card+daughtercard combo I have of that gives me toslink I/O, coax out, and 4 (nearly worthless) channels of analog out. I've never used the coax out, but the toslink worked fine within its very predictable set of limitations.

          I find, however, that I'm happier with the SB Live 5.1 that I snagged for a $30-35, which includes a coax output. Every now and then, I want to play non-windows games, or do non-44.1/48k things, and the Zoltrix card was making that too hard. The Live 5.1 card makes it easy. *shrug* Some people complain that the coaxial output on it is completely devoid of any similarity to any written standard for SP/DIF, but it Works Fine (tm) with the aforementioned Audio Alchemy box which predates it by several years.

          Or, your Soundblaster 64's E8k chip has a coaxial SP/DIF output, already. The trick is to get MP3s to play using the synth chip instead of however it's normally done - I saw patches for this, ages ago... On my AWE 32s, there's a two-pin jumper next to a fat, square IC labeles Ensoniq which is the digital out, though I've never tried it myself.
          • I'd thought about the SPDIF hacks on the AWE64 (why the designers felt the wavetable deserved digital and the PCM didn't is beyond me...), but for some of the things I do, I want the device to act just like /dev/dsp...

            I guess when I rebuild the server next, I'll have to try to use a system that has built-in digital audio out... My server currently has three NICs, a SCSI, a second IDE card, and is FULL!

  • will anybody ever figure it out??? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by j1mmy ( 43634 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @10:00AM (#3950898) Journal
    they put a headphone jack, usb ports, and firewire up front, but the KEYBOARD AND MOUSE PORTS ARE STILL IN BACK. Are designers just dense? Many people actually use ps/2 mice and keyboards. If you're going to put ports up front, why not these too?
    • Putting everything in front will look too crowded. If you are using ps/2 components, you probably are not hot-plugging them, so they can afford to be in back. If you want to have a nice setup coming out of the front with a decent reach, get a usb keyboard with integrated usb hub and plug a USB mouse into that keyboard. Why the hell would you want keyboard and mouse both to go all the way to the system when they just need a single connection...
    • buy yourself a new keyboard and mouse -- usb
    • Only ports that people need frequent access to belong in the front. If you're constantly changing your keyboard and mouse, you should stop eating soup over your computer.
  • Anyone know any places to buy these things online. I have seen tons of reviews, but I can never find a reseller.
    • http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduct.asp?submit=m anufactory&catalog=3&manufactory=1465&DEPA =1

      Thought this one is not there yet, you can bet it will appear there soon.
  • ...For Shuttle, at least:
    We ran into a number of stability issues that could be attributed to the FS51; including a strange problem where a Word document became corrupt while it was open on the system.
    What's strange about that? Every version of Word after 95 spontaneously corrupts documents in a number of ways! Too bad OpenOffice isn't quite there yet...

    Jon Acheson
  • A friend and I have been tossing around the idea of a backpacked minirig system for some time now, making use of small scrap cases from HP or something and the smallest form factor parts we could find. We wanted to build the entire thing into a backpack, so we just unzip a pocket, pull out a power cord and cat-5, and plug them in to go. This would be for both LAN parties and just doing work on the fly, and much less expensive than a laptop; more upgradeable too.

    The Shuttle setups seem almost ideal to this, as they've already solved some of the cooling problems we were finding with our minirigs. I'm just waiting to see what a Shuttle w/nForce2 looks like, and maybe some AMD support instead of Intel.

    I noticed recently a new rollup keyboard on thinkgeek as well, which would be suited, so long as it works well; small factor mice are readily available for laptops, so those arent an issue.

    Have any other /.ers tried/accomplished anything like this? Also, for those of you who've used them, whats your personal opnions on Shuttles other models? I'm especially interested in the cooling issues, as building a computer into a backpack creates even more :)
    • A word of advice: don't tip the box.

      I just bought a SS40G, based on an Athlon XP chip. The heatpipe-based CPU cooler is nice, but its design seems to be based on the assumption that the box will be flat on the desktop, with the CPU fins/tubes flat, level and below the radiator fins/tubes. Not a bad assumption, I suppose, but the upshot is that if you tip it back (so the front is raised), then the heatpipes don't work properly, and the fan has to kick up to higher speeds = more noise. I suspect that if you tried to run it on its side, or upside down, you'd have some major cooling issues. YMMV.

      (Actually, I'm starting to wonder if mine is defective, because it seems to be running hotter than any of the reviews would suggest. The AnandTech review did mention QC problems...)
      • I was actually wondering about this, thanks.

        I was thinking of building a frame into a backpack, and using straps to secure the chassis into the air in the middle of the frame. Add some flexible shock protection (elastic or something), and it would ensure a stable base when sitting still, and shock protection for transport. This would also keep the space free from all around the case for heat and airflow issues.
  • Shuttle SS51 Reviewed

    My first thought was: isn't it a little bit late?

    Didn't they review this thing to death after shuttle 51 blew up 108 seconds after liftoff in 1986? Wasn't the shuttle fleet grounded for two years?
  • Fastest P4 I can get to work in it plus a R9700 (unless I wait for the NV30), coupled with two high speed hard drives (one in HD bay and other in FD bay) with a RAID controller in the PCI slot and of course a DVD-R/RW drive.

    Cooling won't be a problem with a few case mods but my only concern is whether the powersupply can handle all the components.....

    - HeXa
  • Although this is a good P4 machine, I'm an AMD fan, so this machine really doesn't interest me too much.

    The one I'm waiting for is the Nforce2 Shuttle that will be released soon. It's for AMD, it's Onboard Video and Audio is very good so you wont need to replace it as soon unlike other onboard components, where it's almost necessary, and it's upgradeable just like the SS51 is.

    The Nforce2 Shuttle wil be a good LAN gaming machine out of the box, whereas the SS51 needs a Video and Possibly an audio card right off the bat

  • Another review.. (Score:4, Informative)

    by rehabdoll ( 221029 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @10:24AM (#3951041) Homepage
    Firingsquad also has a review up.

    http://firingsquad.gamers.com/
  • For some time now, I've been very interested in the Shuttle line of PCs, and if they'd just come out with an AMD version of the SS51, I'd most likely buy it (I know, it should happen as it has with the others, so I'll wait).

    My problem is I'd like to use it as an HTPC component. Right now though, it's just going to be just for (legal) emulation purposes. Every time I've gotten to the point of almost buying one, I've stopped because there's no parallel port, and I need one to plug my SNES pad into.

    The AGP port is a definite plus this time around, but there's still no parallel port. However, there's still the PCI slot, so what I'm wondering is has anyone used one of the PCI parallel port cards (and gotten it to work under Linux), and how well did it work?
  • Seriously, this machine is exactly what I'm looking for.

    Anyone know a UK source, or someone willing to import?

    Cheers,
    Ian

  • Anyone here ever heard of PC104(or better still PC104 Plus)? Its a small low power, minimal factor fully modular, fully upgradeable PC solution. Used in industry. But so far the devices onforming are a little too expensive and a little too low spec.

    Have a look at http://www.pc104.org/ or even try http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=PC104 .

    Were there to be sufficient demand, maybe more domestic manufacturers could put boards together with this capability with better specs and more reasonable prices.

    I was originally looking at this as a solution for an extremely high-power robot board.
  • The single fan in the SS51 pulls air from the inside of the case and exhausts it through the rear vents. Holes in the sides of the case act as cool air intakes that are functional through the low pressure that's created on the inside of the case courtesy of the single exhaust fan.

    As an aside, wouldn't low pressure air absorb less heat? Wouldn't it be better to direct the airflow in, thus having the pressure be higher at the heat sink?

    Then, of course, you'd be blowing hot air around the inside of the computer case. Still... anyone have some actual knowledge to drop on this subject?

    -jim

    • The difference in density of the cooling air due to the pressure rise or drop across the fan is utterly negligible in terms of heat capacity per unit volume, and may well be swamped by the results of heating of the air by the CPU heatsink (in those cases where the air path goes that way; the SS51 doesn't do that.)

      The pressure across the fan is way less than 0.1 PSI, compared to 14 PSI ambient pressure at sea level, so a crude analysis would say the effect is way less than 0.5%, most likely hundreds of times less.

      If you pass the air across the CPU first and then through the power supply as in the SS50, you likely get hotter PS temperatures 'cause the temp difference is lower, reducing the amount of heat transfer until the PS heats up more.)

  • Nifty design, but not that quiet (Score:4, Informative)

    by koreth ( 409849 ) on Thursday July 25, 2002 @12:34PM (#3951951)
    Three cheers to Shuttle for taking noise into account in their design, but I hardly think it's reasonable to describe 51dB as "near-silent" like the review does. With careful selection of components and some custom tweaks (replacing power supply fans, etc.) it's not too outrageously difficult to get a reasonably powered PC in the mid-30dB range. My desktop PC is about 35dB and it's still louder than I'd like.

    If you're willing to go with water cooling or something like the CALM System's [calmpc.com] evaporative cooling, you can get even quieter than that. Or you can do what I did and run cables under the floor so you can put the thing in a closet and shut the door.

    Yahoo's Silent-PC list [yahoo.com] and AVS Forum [avsforum.com] have lots of good info on building PCs a lot quieter than the new Shuttle.

    But not as tiny!

  • All of my coworkers are excited about the SS51, I have a feeling it's going to be a huge seller... perhaps even one of the best selling pieces of PC kit this year. I wouldn't be too surprised if, over the next six months or so, we start seeing this little wonder popping up all over the place... offices, retail point-of-sale, on sitcom sets, etc.

    In a related note, I'm curious about the "optional parallel port"... is it nothing more than a USB adapter? I would love a real parallel port as I perfer parallel for printers.
  • Here [gamers.com] is another review by Thresh's Firingsquad.
  • I want a Shuttle SS51. It's exactly what I need for my "living room" PC. (I like the P4 > AMD for it's better heat handling)

    But unlike many Slashdot readers I have no clue what parts to get to flesh out a barebones system.

    If I ordered the SS51, what do I do next?
    Are there some good FAQs for building your own system?

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