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Shuttle SS40G Mini-PC
Thomas writes "Just got an email from a friend telling me Viahardware.com has put up a review of the Shuttle SS40G - the latest barebones system. I read through the review, and it looks like Shuttle has finally made a system that is capable of being totally silent. It has a cool heatpipe and radiator design for cooling the CPU, not to mention that it looks very cool."
I guess it's nice that someone's now offering a silent computer, especially given Apple now has a fan in th iMac, and no Cube anymore
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one " -Albert Einstein
I could think of a million uses for a brigade of these little blighters. Have one permanently streaming my shoutcast station wired up to every stereo in the house, one sitting by the TV with my 5Gb of MAME roms and a proper arcade joystick, one next to it to play Divxs on...
Ahhhh...
http://www.davetansley.com - you proba
Any system can be made totally silent... just turn it off.
(Yeah, lame, I know, I know...)
is it me, or do the Shuttle PC's get a lot of free advertising on slashdot. more so than any dell, ibm, etc. equipment. In fact the only other manufacturer that seems to get as much is Apple.
maybe we should have a shuttle section and go the whole flippin' way.
Thank you ShuttlePC, you have made the world a better place.
and it'll be a perfect barebone system ... SS51 will ... SS41 one day ???
A totally silent computer?? How in the heck do they expect me to fall asleep without that fan noise??
Attention all planets of the Solar Federation! We have assumed control! - Neil Peart
Someone give up a mirror or that Google what-cha-ma-call-it...I want to see this damn thing!
Blarf.
Can you imagine a beowulf cluster of these ! (wait ! this time it really makes sense :)
The article says that shuttle's use of a heatpipe is new and innovative. Several other small systems (Cobalt Qube IIRC) have heatpipes, not to mention the plethora of laptops and game consoles with them. I think its rediculous how they always say that heatpipes are 'innovative'.
Forget Q3 for benchmarking, I think performance of a system should be measured by how it holds up under Slashdotting. :-)
Just search for ss40g will give you relevant information and other reviews of this thingie
Capable of being totally silent if you turn off the two fans and only use the computer a minute at a time?
It looks cool but not being totally silent and not having an AGP-slot are two cons that makes me stay away from it.
Right now I'm sitting in a room with 4 PCs and one laptop. The humming sound is terribly annoying. Not that I hear the laptop in here but even those have fans today. Buy shares in silent computing!
I don't recommend you to read any further.
I remember my Amiga1200 with two internal 2.5" HDs fitted it still didn't overheat and it had no fan, not even the PSU. Come to think of it my C64 never made a sound and booted in 0.2s.
/J - to know recursion you must first know recursion
I do not think I would buy from a company that cannot even build a working website (http://www.shuttle.com) It says you need IE.
Here's the stuff about noise from the article for those who can't access it anymore:
Another one of the included accessories is the specially designed heatsink. The heatsink includes a heatpipe which goes to a radiator in the fan assembly. At first I was wary about trusting this with the CPU I used (Athlon XP 1800+), but after testing, I was quite confident that this device could cool the CPU very well. I thought I would take the time to go over the heatsink a little bit as well as to give some tips for installing it. First off I would like to comment on the heatsink clip. The clip is not my favorite, though it does clip on to all three tabs of the CPU socket, which is a good thing. The bad thing is that it requires the use of a screwdriver, and some decent force to install. That said, here is the best way to install this heatsink/radiator in the SS40G. It's not that easy the first time, but after another try or two it gets easier, and I thought I would share my experience.
-Snipped bit describing fitting the heatsink and critisizing its design-
To test how well the heatpipe/radiator system worked, I loaded up Quake 3 and let it loop endlessly for 30-45 minutes. Take a look at the table below for the temperatures.
Ambient Temperature 70 F (21 C) 80 F (26.6C)
Idle 44 C 48 C
Quake 3 47 C 53 C
These are very good temperatures for an Athlon XP 1800+, and the temperatures are within specifications. I was very impressed with the radiator/heatpipe to say the least. It certainly isn't an SK6/Delta, but it also isn't insanely loud either.
Speaking of noise, this is the quietest system from Shuttle yet. The power supply fan is pretty much noiseless, and the Sunon 80mm which the radiator uses is very quiet as well. The BIOS has an option of using what Shuttle is calling the Fan Guardian. What this does is lower the RPM of the radiator fan to a level which when sitting a few feet away you can barely tell it is on. However, running an Athlon XP 1800+ in this situation will not work too well if your ambient temperature is too high. This fast CPU will heat up past the Fan Guardians highest allowed temperature (52 C) pretty easily, and the fan will come back up to speed to keep the CPU cool. Take a look at this table for some measurements of the noise level.
SS40G Above Unit Listening Position
Fan @ Low RPM N/A 44 dB*
Fan @ High RPM 60 dB 50 dB
CF-S868/gBox Above Unit Listening Position
Normal Fan Setting 64 dB 55 dB
Looks like some great noise levels here. Unfortunately, the only sound meter I was able to come up with has a range of 50-126 dB. The 44 dB measurement was from Shuttle during their tests, and it seems that this is pretty close. It may vary +/- 1 dB but I think this is close to what it is. I'm working on locating a meter with a 30-140dB range, and will give you guys an update if I can find one. The SS40G can be absolutely silent with the fan in low RPM mode. Using a Seagate ATA IV hard drive makes for a truly silent, and powerful system. Even with the fan running at full speed, it is still pretty quiet, and if used as a multimedia center where you will be sitting farther away from it than if you are using it as a PC, the noise is hardly noticeable.
Currently I am using the SS40G with an Athlon 850MHz, 512MB Crucial DDR and a 40GB Seagate Barracuda ATA IV Hard Drive. I have not had the fan switch to the higher RPM setting once yet, even with an ambient temperature of around 80 F. If you want a silent box for linux, or any use, Shuttle has definitely delivered. Kudos to Shuttle and their innovative heatpipe/radiator solution to keep their system quiet.
/.-ed
have a nice day
So my question is, are there any other systems of a comparable size that have an AGP slot, i remember hearing of one a while back but cannot for the life of me remember who made it or what it was called. personally i could care less about the noise but the AGP, i NEED!
I want 2D games back.
I ask the obvious because, after getting an SV24 Spacewalker to run SuSE 7.3 very well, I know of an SV25 that has a weird CD ripping problem under Linux but not Windows, and an SS50 that just won't install anything (SuSE, Slackware, custom stripped down distro), but this could be because it has a 120Gbyte disk.
:->
here
---- scrm
http://www.vr-zone.com/reviews/Shuttle/SS40G/v e fun.
Ha
Pros:
:)
Small - The SS40G is small. Very small. My PocketPC is smaller, but it can't play Quake 3.
Performance - The SS40G really performs for such a small system. It even gets very close to hitting 100FPS in Quake 3. Impressive. Oh, and you can like, do boring office tasks with it too
Features - The SS40G has a treasure trove of features. Firewire, front optical output, an excellent heatpipe/radiator system, cool looks, etc. Just about the only thing missing is USB 2.0 and ATA/133. ATA/133 isn't that big of a deal, but it would have been nice to have USB 2.0.
Style - I can't say it enough. I just love the look of the SS40G. It's great, and pictures don't really do it justice. A very big shout out to the guys at Shuttle who came up with the design. Excellent job!
Noise - The quietest Small Form Factor system I have worked with. Period.
Attention to detail: Shuttle's engineers have paid very close attention to the design of the SS40G. It has places to route cables, and everything was very well thought out. They even include a very good installation manual which is quite helpful and shows you the little secrets that make assembly much simpler.
Cons:
Heatsink Clip - Not really a huge problem more than an annoyance. It gets easier to put on and take off after a few times, but that first time can be interesting.
Regular Floppy Cable - Again, not a huge problem. I would like to see a rounded/split cable like the IDE cable for the CDROM.
They came with a component video connecter out of the box... Just slap a dvd player and a large harddisk, instant killer pvr/dvd/emulation console
,
I suppose you could just toss an ati DV card
or just use the integrated s-video, but its still not the same,
integrated 6-channel sound? and the didnt include a digital in?
Specs: Shuttle FS40 Motherboard AMD Athlon/Duron Support SiS 740 Northbridge/961 Soutbridge DDR200/266 Support - up to 1GB ATA/100 Support - 2 IDE Ports Integrated Video 2 Serial Ports 4 USB Ports (2 Rear, 2 Front) 3 Firewire Ports (1 Front, 2 Rear) PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Ports S-Video Out w/ RCA Adapter CMedia 6 CHannel Sound Front Headphone and Microphone Jacks Front Optical Output Onboard Realtek RT8100B LAN Infra-Red Support 2 PCI Slots Aluminum Chassis 1 5.25" Bay, 2 3.25" Bays (1 External) (L) 300mm X (W) 200mm X (H) 185mm 200W Power Supply 1 80mm Rear Exhaust Fan Heatpipe Heatsink with Radiator
1. Where to get the thing being reviewed
/.ers, why would anyone write a review and fail to include these two vital bits of information?
2. The PRICE!
Both were lacking from this review. So tell me, my fellow
Also, can anyone actually tell me where to obtain one of these? I found some other reviews on google with prices, but none say where to buy.
Vortran out
Knowledge is like ignorance.. too much can be just as bad as not enough.
I wonder what impact this system will have on the Open Source community? Will it be able to increase productivity to levels never before dreamed of?
I shudder to think if they would pre-install Windows XP on those machines and leave their raw sockets exposed as Mr Gibson mentioned.
I wish someone would bring out a nice inexpensive black desktop case for home multimedia systems. I know there was a story over the weekend (too lazy to karma whore right now) with a good case, but $250 is too damn much!
A black ATX desktop case, with a quiet power supply , a door to access the DVD/CD-R drives and a window for an IR interface on the front is what I want.
Anybody know where something like this can be found, preferably for less than $75?
There will be a version with an AGP port, but many users prefer 2 PCI ports over 1 PCI and 1 AGP. It all depends on what you intend to use it for, so in this case it isn't actually a problem. I am planning to use the version with AGP as a small LAN gaming box. If you don't want to do that, you are much better off with the 2 PCI slots for expansion. So if you are looking for an AGP port, you will just have to wait a little longer to get it, but it will be here.
44db is no where near silent. I have a 36db projector that sits 8 feet away and I can hear it. Some of the earlier 'build a silent PC' articles have done much better than this.
actually, seeing this computer, what it has and what it doesn't, really makes me appreciate the cube more.
when it first came out i wasn't all that impressed. it was cool and all, but so much money.
however, i think it gave people a taste for quite, small computers. perhaps this is another newton.
apple enters the market with a great idea, way ahead of everyone else, then charges an arm and a leg and flops. cut back two years later and everyone and their grandma is working to take over that market.
oh well.
Anyone have a line on someplace that actually sells these things? Google turned up several reviews, and I'm favorably impressed (I have the old vacuum-cleaner-loud Shuttle SV24), but I can't find anywhere to buy an SS40G.
THE SHUTTLE WEBSITE don't support Netscape browser or another browser.
Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or above to view our website!
Thanks your cooperation.
Nice, and they want me to do business with them. Don't think so.Many Apple products are almost silent.
Its a Steve Jobs design goal sometimes. Apple II, Mac+, Mac Cube, iMac, etc all avoid fans unless temperature spikes too high.
Its the opposite of the screaming fan world of boxes glorified on amd overclocker sites.
Using a single fan and a chimney column design would help wonders.... but it seems people who have never had a totally silent computer don't seek them out.
they can't be too bright, there is no need for the heatsink on the processor, just an aluminum slug to spread the heat into the heatpipes.
Hey guys, same yourself a couple bucks.
Shuttle doesn't seem to sell direct, and a google search yields no sellers..... where can you get one of these, and how much do they cost?
I've had my eye on the SS50 for some time now, but I hadn't bought because I couldn't get an AMD-friendly version.
Anybody know the price for this thing, and where to buy it. I hate review articles that don't tell you these things.
i have the SV24 for my sons room right now, and wanted to get a firewire web cam so his grandparents could see him now and then. unfortunately, the firewire connection is the only thing that doesn't work on an otherwise fine machine. i hope shuttle got that fixed with this new machine.
i'm looking forward to getting one of these for a home theater computer that i'd like to set up some time this century, with my wife's approval.
Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
Maybe I missed it, but I didn't see a link to purchase it anywhere.
EZ-Go:
l dam_cubes
a sp
d ex.html
http://www.directron.com/ezgo.html
Soldam cube:
http://www.slippersandpipe.co.uk/article.php?a=so
Other form factors:
http://www.directron.com/slim.html
http://nedcomp.bit-net.com/mini1.html
VIA Mini-ITX motherboard (find a case for it somewhere...):
http://www.via.com.tw/en/VInternet/mini_itx.jsp
Advantech Single Boards Computers, e.g.:
http://www.advantech.com.tw/products/PCM-9572F.
OQO Crusoe-powered handheld:
http://www.oqo.com
tiqit handheld:
http://www.tiqit.com
Older review of Shuttle SV24:
http://www4.tomshardware.com/howto/02q1/020111/in
Where do we buy these SS40G's? Are they available in the USA market? I am going to be studying in Europe for a year and would prefer not to have to lug around my 60 pound Antec refrigerator case.
VIAHardware claims that this review is copyright 2000. I mean, I know that sometimes /. can be a little slow to get cutting edge stuff posted, but really, this is just unacceptable ;)
It seems that the ss40 & ss50 have a more powerfull little brother: anyone remember the Soviet ss20 nuclear missile?
I bet that's a hell of a lot better fragging machine, it doesn't have USB though, but I guess it has a setting called USA.
I'm looking for a small PC just like the Shuttle, but one that can hold it's own when it comes to using it as an 'instrument' in live shows, with up to two or three external midi controllers. I have all the necessary software to do what i want and it works great on my home pc which is a freakin mammoth tower, something I don't want to lug around to clubs. I've also heard from various sources that most of the apps I use aren't friendly with VIA architecture. Any suggestions? Has anybody done this?
Gee, this almost looks like our g4 cube, we'd better sue!!
Actually, this uber-cute little box would be even cooler if I could run Mac OSX on it...oh, wait Steve Jobs won't play ball unless you are paying thru the nose for his hardware!
How well is this chip supported? Does anyone have it working under linux? Is the 6 channel an s/pdif ac3 feed? Thanks...
Adults are obsolete children. - Dr. Seuss
These boxes are perfect for office PCs. They're tiny, packed full of features (gotta love the firewire), are quiet - and they're pretty. Only had one problem with a single box - a bad power supply that shuttle promptly replaced.
Out of the can, RedHat 7.2 (haven't 'upgraded' to 7.3 yet) installed though you have to configure the video and some other goodies manually. Once you're up and running it's solid. I'm considering clustering a few of these, though I'm more tempted by Transmeta's rack o' blades.
I have to say that Shuttle has hit the nail on the head with this series. I can't wait for the AMD 1AGP/1PCI version! If you have a grand or so laying around, snap one of these puppies up. :)
Serial ATA will be a real boon to this particular form factor. If you leave out the floppy when building the box there will be no large ribbon cables inside at all, and cooling should be improved.
A well-crafted lie appears unquestionable - Dama Mahaleo
Google cache:
Q C: www.vr-zone.com/reviews/Shuttle/SS40G/+ss40g&hl=en
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:Vjay9YHxqm
I have seen a few posts regaurding where to purchase the SS40G.
The only place that I have found that even lists this model is NewEgg.
Price is $350.00 and the system is scheduled to be in stock on 6/3/2002.
You can sign up for an email notification when it arrives.
As below, so above and beyond, I imagine drawn beyond the lines of reason. Push the envelope. Watch it bend.
Shuttle's mini PC's are cool, but untill they have a AGP slot they are missing out on a large potential market: The LAN gamer. If I could get one with a AGP slot, I would buy one right now, lugging full sized PC's around is not the most fun thing I have done. I know there is another vendor with a mini PC with a AGP slot, but it is not as easy to find, nor is it as well built. (if I remember the review I saw)
PC PowerZone also have a review of this posted today, and some more pictures in their forums. They also have reviews of the other Shuttle miniPCs and also VIA Eden stuff, for comparison.
This is what came up in the browser window after a JavaScript-controlled redirect to http://www.shuttle.com/english/default_n.html:
I'm running Mozilla 1.0RC3 on Win2K. Damn clueless webmaster...especially since changing the URL to http://www.shuttle.com/english/default.asp takes you right to their website, and it renders almost the same as it does in IE 6. (I had to try viewing their site with Lynx to figure that out...it got stuck on the JavaScript redirect page.) If they can screw up such a simple thing as a website so badly, it raises questions about the other stuff they make.
I was giving a half-serious thought to snagging one of these boxen, if they make one with an AGP slot sometime in the future. The other specs are nearly perfect—it works with AMD processors, it includes built-in FireWire ports, it uses PCI audio instead of AC97 audio, etc. Now, I'm not so sure...maybe I'll just track down a desktop ATX case, move my current workstation hardware into it when Hammer comes out, and throw that into the A/V stack. It's not like I haven't used a beige box as a DVD/MP3 player before. (Unless someone knows of an ATX case of similar proportions and styling to home stereo equipment...something's probably out there already.)
20 January 2017: the End of an Error.
I don't know what the submitter considers "silent", but the article lists the noise levels between 44 and 55dB. That wouldn't even rate a quiet on my scale.
Quiet would be a device like the Seagate Barracuda IV hard drives, which are around 30dB.
The main problem with the SS40 is using the Athlon CPU's. These things just run HOT, and are going to require some significant cooling.
To get a truly quiet system, you should start with a cooler CPU, like one of the 0.13u Celeron or PIII's. Or, take a P4 and underclock it to run cooler. To make it really cool, start with a low power / low heat CPU, like the VIA C3 - which doesn't even require a CPU fan.
Use IE, Konqueror, etc. short-term, to get to their comments page and let them know it's a BAD idea to do this. They're going to alienate just short of half to over half of their potential customer base by doing this stupid stuff. What's stupid is that they were reachable not all that long ago by anything- and the site's just fine with Konqueror set to lie to the site about what is calling.
Someone needs a clue-by-fouring over there- badly.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
I just posted this comment under the comment about the website not accepting anything other than IE 5.0 or newer. It got migrated to the root discussion...
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
Any of the things you suggest (incl. the C3...) are much lower performing machines. That's not knocking what you're suggesting (In fact, I'm on the lookout for the best prices on a C3 based slimline box myself...)- it's just that all of them are nothing compared to the slightly noisier Athlon solution presented.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
And I'll be in line to snag the AGP solution as soon as it hits the shelves. It's a nice, small, relatively quiet (as Athlons go...) machine. The SiS 315 based display adapter is decent if I couldn't wait and needed a Windows box (It'd be a better choice if they'd release info to make drivers for it or rolled the drivers themselves for Linux...). Since I use Linux, I really need a supported 3D card and AGP support is the ideal way for resolving that issue.
I am not merely a "consumer" or a "taxpayer". I am a Citizen of the State of Texas
http://www.pcpowerzone.co.uk/reviews.php?id=106&pa ge=1
http://www.vr-zone.com/reviews/Shuttle/SS40G/
And look for it to be sold soon here:
Newegg
Linux at home
no, ss20 doesn't have USA setting (it is medium gange), but ss19, ss24 and ss25 have
I would like it, but I'll wait for the AGP version so I can still an ATI all in wonder or something in there.
The built in chipset is a SiS 740, and the linux support is not really there yet (though is being worked on).
3D performance is crap compared to ATI.
TV-in is a good thing to have. Two important places for this system to appear, lan parties, and next to TVs. With a TV in, you could add PVR functionality to the box should you chose to do so.
The rest of the rig seems to have solid linux support except the Video chipset. I suspect when the time comes to build my entertainment system PC the AGP version will be available so I can have the best of all worlds...
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
After dealing with VIA crap for so long, I am amazed with the nForce based mobo I have now... If shuttle made this thing with an nForce chipset instead of the other crap.. I would be impressed. Most people would be perfectly happy with geforce2 graphics and the AGP slot issue would be moot.
I don't read or respond to AC posts
Thanks for feeding the troll, jackass
What other uses are there for a floppy drive bay besides a floppy drive?
I would really like the floppy buried now.
--
karma to burn
I keep thinking that Discovery, Endeavour, and the lot are getting upgraded processors.
How old are the main computers in the space shuttles, anyways? 25 years?
Linux may run OK on the unit, but I wouldn't expect any support from Shuttle.
If you go to their site www.spacewalker.com, you get a nice message:
THE SHUTTLE WEBSITE don't support Netscape browser or another browser.
Please use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or above to view our website!
Thanks your cooperation.
So, Linux may support it, but they don't support Linux.
- The Sigless Wonder
I would love to work on a nice PVR/Multimedia/Mame machine and this little box is perfect cept the lack of TV-in...
But I know they make PCI versions of the Radeon all in wonder, but what I don't know is if the video capture is impacted by lack of AGP...
I mean I have PCI capture cards that work fine, but all they do is capture video, not run a monitor at the same time...
Anyone have any experience with these? Like whats the max capture resolution that work reliably?
The website shows an SS40F and an SS40G. I don't see any difference between them in the specs. Does anyone know?
dada
I'd much rather have an AGP slot at the expense of one of the 2 pci slots since snd, eth, etc. is all onboard already.
No sig for you!!
Now perhaps I can finally hear complete silence when I play lowercase music on my computer.
If you're religishitty, KILL YOURSELF!
These shuttle boxes - the older SV24 and SV25 models - really aren't that loud. Yeah, they're louder than I'd like them to be. Ideally I'd like my breathing to be louder than the fans (and hard drive noise) and it looks like the newer models go along those lines. I'll be picking up a few once they release the AGP version, specifically for LAN party usage.
I'm seriously considering doing reseller business based on these boxes, primarily for students and small businesses. But I have to expand IT a lot more to get into that gig, margins are *low*, and I much prefer coding.
On a tangential note, I'm very interested to see how the miniaturization trend goes, particularly with roll-on flexible circuit board printing (sealed plastic-like substrate instead of silicon).
And tell me that you still want to buy from this company?
m l
http://www.spacewalker.com/english/default_n.ht