Shuttle SS51 Reviewed

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.

Comments

Re:Change in view?

[Junta]

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...

will anybody ever figure it out???

[j1mmy]

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?

Re:will anybody ever figure it out???

[zrodney]

buy yourself a new keyboard and mouse -- usb

Re:will anybody ever figure it out???

[Webmonger]

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.

Re:Upgradability goes further than just the mobo

[Oculus Habent]

This is why this computer isn't for everyone. When you buy small, integrated systems, you instantly sacrifice some level of upgrades and expansion for the small box.

Small, expandable, inexpensive. Pick two.

Differing definitions of "good"

[Andy Dodd]

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.