Small Form Factor Questions About Shuttles

I am thinking of building a second pc and i need some answers to see if a shutle is worth building. Sorry if i ask questions tha dont make sense, Im a Shuttle n00b and only used to Full size Atx computers.

1. How hot will it Run wiht a P4 ChiP or Amd Chip( A64 or XP)?
2. Would i get to use a heatsink/fan for my cppu instead of having the crappy CPU heatpipes?
3. Whats the best barebone kit out there that is affordable?(no integrated Video)(also please post some links)
4. Whats the best vid card to use this with?(ATI prefered)

Thanks

 

short answer to all 4 questions: it depends!

1) shuttles do generally run hotter than normal pcs because of their size and lack of airflow, but at stock you wont go over 50C
2) depends on the size of the heatsink, altho the ICE systems on shuttles are brilliant imo
3) how much you looking to spend?
4) same as 3, altho the x800 pro is best if you're after the ultimate, youl need to get a 250w silentx psu with it though
(instead of the 200w standard)

 

take that back, they are not crappy

 

1. I am willing to spend $600 on the shuttle (i got a monior)
2. I tihnk i am going to buy the 9800 PRO

 

*Bump* You're only gonna spend $600 for the whole system? A shuttle barebones is ~$200 and if you're gonna buy another PSU for it that's another ~$60-$70 and then getting a HDD and CPU and OS will easily equal $600. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems very difficult to build a decent shuttle with a new PSU and a 9800PRO for -$600. My two cents. But hey, if you figure out a way to get all of that for that price, let me know, I want a shuttle!

-Rob

 

Actually, the Shuttles with "V2" appended on their names already have the 250w SilentX PSU.

SN45GV2 @ ZipZoomFly (my favorite!)

The SN45's don't have the integrated video, so this is probably what you're looking for if you go AMD.

SN45GV2 -- $237.00
AMD 2800+ -- $113.00
512MB Corsair PC2700 -- $84.00
Hitachi Deskstar 180GXP 120GB HDD -- $83.00
Samsung SM-352NENB DVD/CD-RW Drive -- $50.99
-------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total: $567.00

You could find cheaper prices elsewhere, but you're not going to be able to put a 9800 PRO in for under $600. Trust me.

 

is the 250watt psu going to be powerful enought to run the 2800xp and the radeaon 9800 pro and all the other bits and pieces as on a desktop i would have thought 400- 500 would have been the min spec to be looking at ?

 

Yes, it will run it fine.

My 200w PSU runs:

XP3000+
1GB RAM
9700 Pro
SB Audigy
200GB Drive
52x24x52x16 Combodrive

Higher wattage PSUs are often recommended because people will inevitably go out and buy the cheapest 400w they can find, which won't really put out a constant 400 watts. Not only that, but higher wattage is recommended because you never really know what people put in their boxes, be it a 6-drive RAID array or dual-processors.

Shuttles have low wattage PSUs because there's a limit to what you can put in it. Three HDDs can fit, but only if you remove the optical drive. You can't put dual-processors in a Shuttle (although there is a SFF box that's going to do this for Opterons), and the only video card that I've never seen in a Shuttle is the 6800GT/PRO/whatevertheycallit.

 

You think that a SN45G w/200w PSU would power a:

OC'ed Athlon-M 2500+ (maybe to around 2.2, tell me how high it would go)
A non-stock cooling setup for the cpu
Gig of OC'ed Corsair TWINX or Value (still deciding)
Geforce 5700, maybe ultra
DVD-RW Burner (8x, +/- with cd burner, of course)
80gig hdd
onboard sound/lan (not an audiophile)
Headphones
Maybe a few leds and an extra fan if i feel dangerous

I never plan on watercooling or upgrading this, maybe some mods, how much would the 250w psu cost and how much could i sell the 200w for?

-Rob

 

Because you're overclocking, I suggest you go with the 250w PSU from www.shuttle.com for $69, just to be on the safe side. It would probably run on a 200w, but the probably isn't certainly. You're probably going to be able to sell the 200w for $45 or so, if you can find a buyer.

As for how high you can take the 2500+... I'm not sure, as I've never messed around with the mobile series. Your guess is as good as mine.

One thing you want to do is chop out the back grill of the Shuttle. That should be the first mod that you do to it, because you'll drop your temperatures 5°-10° C.

 

Cool, thanks for that infodizzle. Now, is there a way to buy that without the PSU so that I can just purchase the 250w separate? Thx again for the advice.

Any more helpful mod advice, or any advice, you have for an SFF shuttle nub?

-Rob

 

Probably not. You'd have to go through a private transaction to get a PSU-less Shuttle. You might check around on this and a few other boards that do SFF... [H], Sudhian, etc.

Hmmm, mods...

Beyond the rear-grill removal, it's a good idea to replace the standard ICE fan, even if you're not going to use the ICE (which I really recommend over a seperate HSF). The stock Sunon is okay, but if you want quiet, you could go with a Noiseblocker or SilenX (not the same as SilentX) fan. I chose a Thermaltake SmartFan II so I had a potentiometer to control the fan speed with. I stuck it through the Wireless LAN port on the back of the Shuttle. It's the perfect size!

Many people add an exhaust blowhole, usually 60mm, to the top of the case. 80mm fans will fit, I suppose, but it's so close that I'd hate to attempt it. Mine's going to be a little more unique when I finish this damn mod that I've been working on. Side intakes aren't unheard of, either, and usually, 60mm is a winner for fans. You might run them at 7v, rather than the full 12v, to keep the noise levels down, while maintaining good airflow.

Beyond cooling, there's lots of asthetic changes you can make. First, STEALTH THE DRIVE! It's much cleaner looking, and you don't have to worry about color matching. All you need is a little double-sided foam tape, some pliers, and a little patience. At least, on the ones with the G2 front panel. I've never messed with the G-type panels.

Windows, as with any other PC, can add to the effect if done right. Mesh is a good thing, but check out the windows on ZapWizard's 64-bit Shuttle, they're quite nice. He's offset them from the panel to allow airflow. Make sure you clean up your cables as much as possible. Not only for airflow reasons, but they just look better!

Change out that nasty orange LED in the front. Seriously, that thing us ugly. I put in a nice bright blue from FrozenCPU.com. It's a simple 2-minute solder job, and really helps the overall look.

Hope this helps!

 

OK thanks all!!

Well, Is a P4 chip 2.8 better than Amd 3000+? I tihnk i could find better stuff for cheap price.

Heehe I only got $200 but i getting a job and that means $$$.

 

a 2.8C P4 is better than a athlonXP 3000+, but an Athlon64 3000+ is better than both of those.

 

I am a Noob to Shuttles also, The one i run now was the first one i had actualy ever seen in action.
But when i built it, it had an issue with overheating. But it was not the CPU that was the cause, it was the system itself.
To solve the problem, I mounted an 80mm fan to the only place that was open, the top right behind the CD-ROM.
The CPU heating pipes help, but not enough. Especialy for overclocking.

 

I built a SS51G for my mom using my old 1,7 GHz P4A. It runs about 30C-34C idle and 40C-42C under load.

 

lol nice poster alienhead

Yes, If your building a shuttle with the good hardware in it, youare going to need some modding.

And also, are aluminum fans better for the ICE cooler?

 

I doubt it. The aluminum is more for looks on fans, because it's not the fans themselves getting hot. They're just as good as any old 80mm fan.