Just taken delivery of my nice new SS51G from Overclockers here in the UK. Now correct me if I'm wrong but all the reviews for this box (Hexus, Overclockers...) mention it being supplied with an AGP TV-Out/DVI/Svideo card (the main video function is still on the motherboard with the VGA connector, but they have broken out the additional video connectivity funcitons to a seperate card). Guess what, no card was supplied with the box. Since I'm to use this as a TV/MP3/DVD/CD media center, I'm a bit ****ed. I ask Shuttle and they tell me this is an option card ! So basically I have to buy one of these or spend around £100 to get a semi-decent AGP card with TV-out. I have not seen anywhere advertise the Shuttle cards anyway, can anyone help ?? andycee
I am planning to buy one when I have the cash. I am glad you raised this as I will watch out for that problem. Sorry I cant help with your actual problem. I read the reviews and thought the same as you. I am planning on sticking my TV card in there. I do not blame you to be annoyed. The ss51 is loads of money (Im still saving). Catherine
ss51g Hi, Apart from my gripe, this is a very sexy box ! If you want to save some cash, use this box with one of the new Celeron socket 478 cpus. They are very similar to a P4 (i.e. 400Mhz FSB but only half the on-die cache), but are pretty cheap (about £70+vat for the 1.7Ghz). Mine works very well and is happily running at 2Ghz at the mo - not bad for a budget cpu My costs were: Shuttle SS51G £239.00 Intel Celeron 1.7 £70.00 Crucial 256MB DDR PC2700 CAS-2.5 £61.20 Pioneer DVD-106S Region Free £35.00 BarracudaATA IV 60.0GB UDMA100 £60.00 Logitech Cordless Desktop Optical £67.20 TOTAL £532.40+vat andycee
How come you got the Shuttle for so cheap? I havent seen it that low! I want the Shuttle so i can run seti on it and also for uni so the fastest processor is what i want but i do not think i will be able to afford it so i will have to come back down to earth and be realistic Catherine
SSG51/Memory/DVD were from http://www.overclockers.co.uk Keboard&Mouse/HD/CPU were from http://www.dabs.com Shop around, you might get these even a bit cheaper andycee
D'oh! I just realised the prices you quoted dont have VAT on them! The cheapest I have seen the ss51 is £263.20 from Microdirect but that includes VAT. They do not do online purchasing however. I wouldnt ever buy from Dabs because I know people who have received broken goods and their customer service is not that great. Its vital that it is good if you get lots of broken goods. Though thats just my opinion! Catherine
i've used dabs.com quite a bit and have had no problems, i have ordered network kits, gfx cards etc all with no problem, i find they are V generous with packaging, which can b a bit of a shock when u get a box 3 times the size of the product just cause it was the smallest boxthey had! plenty of airbags in with the product to keep it form getting bummed and this is always on standard deleivery! tom
Yeah, it has to be said, I have had no problems whatsoever with Dabs - they nearly always deliver next day for stocked items. I do tend to use them a lot as they are quite reliable...
In the past I have had no problems with Dabs but I seem wary now of them. Anyhow, sometimes they aren't the cheapest so that's why I do not buy from them as much. I think partly it might be the courier's fault. I know of one local depot where they throw parcels about and if they chuck stuff from dabs, then dabs aren't to blame. I know CDs are a favourite that are broken easily. You are right - them boxes are massive. Its like sticking a coke can in a washing machine box. Catherine
Dabs themselves are very good, i think it's the couriers that are to blame. But then again I only live about 20 mins drive from them (me in Manchester). I normally order stuff from them to be sent by post, but whenever something goes wrong (broken stuff) i drive there to sort things out. I've never had any problems with their customer service at all. God they even let me get FULL refunds of stuff that i don't like, none of that crappy 10-20% restocking fee bull**** that i see from them, unlike places like Aria, Micro Direct (both based in Manchester) and Scan (Bolton, actually only 5 mins from Dabs) which charge you restocking fees for refunds. And yes it's mainly the couriers that are at fault especially Royal Mail as 1/3 of the bigger stuff (printers scanner etc.) seems to arrive damaged in one way or another, maybe it's my luck I don't know. As for Dabs they are really good, and you should actually goto dabs as they use computerised machines in the warehouse rather than all manpower
I would like to go to the actual shop, but as I am in Suffolk, it is a tad difficult. I suppose if I was buying something really big like a whole new computer system then I would. I think the problem with dabs is if you want to phone or email them regarding damaged stock or wrong orders. I guess face to face they may be fine. It has only been a recent thing with dabs. I personally have had no problems with them, but then i havent ordered anything for ages. I am wary because of other people's experiences. Maybe they should use a different courier company? I probably would buy from them if they stocked a Shuttle ss51 but as they dont... I wont. How does Microdirect work? I mean, there is no way of buying online so are orders placed over the telephone and in person?
I got my SS51G about 2 weeks ago, and also did not get the DVI/VO card. I was slightly peeved but not too much. I bought a GF4 with the same order. Still, gemma.co.uk honoured their initial quote of £250 (inc VAT + shipping) for pre-orders so mustn't grumble.
I don't know how the mail service works with Micro Direct, as I've never used or even needed to use their services, I just go in person. As for Scan, my mate in London orders from them occasionally, but he didn't really mention much of the quality of the serivce, so guess it's okay. Whenever I goto scan in person, it's almost always full of people, and the staff do take their time, ie very slowly. I never figured if it's due to not enough staff (never over 2 people working on the counter), or they just employ plain dumb people!
OK, back to the subject Shuttle UK confirm the following : a) The CV-20 TV Out card is an additional option card for the SS51G. b) It will be available in the UK from the end of August. c) There are two main distributors in Birmingham and London. Further details when I get them ! It will be interesting to see the what the cost is. Bearing in mind you can get a really good Gainward GEForce4 card for around £100...
Is there much point in me getting the CV-20 TV Out card if I will stick my hauppauge TV card in there? Who are the main distributors then (if you know?) What other benefits will there be from getting this card?
Just a question, Whats the point of the DVI/TVout card when people are gonna put a GeForce 4 card with the SS51G? Well, for me anyway, i thought the whole point of buying the SS51G over the over models is mainly for the AGP slot? If you stick a recent graphics card in there (GF 3-4, Rad 8500) most of them has DVI/TVout as standard anyway.
I had intended buying a graphics card later down the line (if at all). I planned to use it at the office. For me the attraction of the SS51G was USB2, firewire, optical audio out and silence. I only have a DVI Monitor, so the absence of the card was fairly inconvenient. I bought a Ti4200 for £100 so it wasn't really a problem. I'll admit that my case probably isn't typical, most people would plan to fit an AGP card off the bat. Things have changed now though. I've upped the Vcore on the chip to 1.65, overclocked it to 2.4Ghz (from 1.8), put heatspreaders on the ram which now run 166DDR C2 at turbo settings. The Abit Ti4200 now runs at 300/600 with ram sinks. I've replaced the heat-pipe fan with a Thermaltake, put the harddrive where the floppy should be, cut a hole in the bottom of the drive tray and mounted a 80mm fan underneath (where the 4 holes are), made a black grill from speaker coverings where the floppy case opening is to allow an intake. The front fan blows cold air straight on the ram. Good for 11600 (ish) 3DMarks. Cheap ram is stopping me from running any higher, I know the chip is good for 2.6Ghz
I have no intention of using the agp slot as I see very little gain in doing so as I am not that keen on gaming. I like city building games so 3D support is not at all important. I am still waiting for the prices to come down on the ss51. I have found it for £258 inc. VAT at www.gemma.co.uk It seems a good price, partilcualry if you compare it to www.watford.co.uk selling the ss50 for £351.33 inc. VAT
