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Small Form Factor Comparison Matrix

Posted by timothy on from the size-and-shape dept.

Giggles Of Doom writes "With small form factor PCs, such as the Shuttle XPC line, becoming all the rage these days for office and gamer use, it can be a daunting task to find the model that is right for you. With more and more manufacturers getting on the SFF bandwagon, the selection is growing rapidly. How do you compare each one? You could spend hours combing manufacturer sites and reviews, or you could be thankful that someone has done all the work for you already! The Small Form Factor Comparison Matrix is just that, a chart listing over 30 of the most popular SFF boxes, their features, and price. Sort by any field, and limit your search to things like "Pentium 4 Only" or "Under $200 Only." If you're looking into getting a SFF box, this is the place to start." (Sudhian Media and mini-itx.com are also good sources for information on small PCs.)

9 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. Multi-CPU SFF? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Does anyone know of a small dual-CPU capable motherboard?

    Something like a micro-ATX form factor but with multiple CPU's would be great.

    Hey Shuttle, how about a flex-ATX system with dual Xeons, Opterons, or similar?

  2. small ff need to be quiet by xlyz · · Score: 5, Insightful


    small form factor will raise the importance of un highly undervaluated aspect: noise

    when you sit just beside your pc you soon start striving for finding a noiseless pc (that mostly mean a fanless pc)

  3. Sigh. by plastik55 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    There's no column for noise. I know some people who have Shuttle XPCs. Whenever I see them I think "Wow, how cute and practical!" Then they turn it on. WHOOOOOOOOOSH like a jet turbine.

    --

    I have a positive modifier on Troll. When I mod someone Troll their karma should go UP!

  4. Good chart... by Fnkmaster · · Score: 5, Informative
    I'll throw in a good word for the Biostar IDEQ 200N. I purchased one of them recently - my desktop has gone from a mess of wires with a big annoying tower underneath to a sleek, modern looking area with plenty of leg room, much less noise and less clutter. I realized that you can be a power user and you don't necessarily need 10 PCI slots and 5 5.25" drives. One DVD/CD-R/RW drive does the trick nicely.


    The IDEQ has nicely situation USB ports (2 in the front, and 2 or more in the rear - I don't even remember, more than I need). SP/DIF optical audio out, firewire out, again ports in front and rear. Everything you need is integrated, ethernet, pretty decent audio, even dual head-capable GeForce 4MX (I have an AGP GeForce4 Ti4200 card in here myself, since I do some real 3D work, and some gaming).


    It's worth giving a thought to. Will you really miss all that other stuff? If you live in a city apartment where your floor space costs hundreds of dollars a square foot like I do, and your desk size is limited by your small apartment, going SFF is definitely worth consideration. If you have a big house, lotsa room, or need to swap in and out hard drives and are the kinda person who leaves your case open for easy access, then it's probably the wrong move, since it's quite crowded in a little SFF case.

  5. The Subject of the article... by stimpleton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    is small form factor. Yet the whole chart gives no indication of size. Just features. If one is to say, find the smallest case, one must click on the detail matrix to drill down. A timely task At least replace one category for a one look size comparison, perhaps the number of floppy bays can go, as this is down on my list of 'must have' case design.

    --

    In post Patriot Act America, the library books scan you.
  6. Other sites with SFF lists by armando_wall · · Score: 5, Informative

    Here are other sites offering Small Form Factor listings:

    SSF at HardwareCentral.

    Shuttle PCs at PCs For Everyone.

    And just in case you don't know, here this guy explains what a Small Form Factor PC is.

  7. What about openbrick? by /.Rooster · · Score: 5, Informative

    Seems someone has not been doing their homework properly. Can't be an accurate matrix with products missing :( For those who are curious curious. OpenBrick Website

    --
    Rooster - A friend. "Anyone's friend in particular or just generally well disposed to people?"
  8. Shuttle - silent XPC by bani · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://us.shuttle.com/specs2.asp?pro_id=264

    i have one.

    The hard drive (Maxtor 4G160J8) is louder than the PC. And you can barely hear the hard drive.

    The heatpipe, massive heatsink, and temperature controlled fan help a lot.

    It WHOOOOOSHes for about 3 seconds when you power it on, as the hardware is initialized. Then it goes totally and completely silent as linux boots, and stays silent during heavy use.

    Shrug.

  9. Re:Donate $1?! by Giggles+Of+Doom · · Score: 5, Insightful

    You're close, I'm 25. And oddly enough they aren't just giving me bandwidth for free. But if you want to use the site to save yourself time choosing a box, then consider that time savings to be worthless, feel free not to donate. If, on the other hand, it helps you find a box you like with minimal fuss and hassle and are feeling generous, feel free to chip in a buck for hosting costs, pizza costs, etc.

    Plus, I felt the donation system would be a lot nicer then ads.

    --
    "A coward dies a thousand deaths, the brave but one."