Shuttle has managed a feat of engineering with the XPC SX58H7. It has shoehorned a Core i7 motherboard into a small(ish) form-factor case - it measures 325 x 208 x 189mm - of the kind we've seen on models such as the SP45H7.
Shuttle XPC SX58H7 Shuttle's XPC SX58H7: engineering miracle?
It is the work of moments to remove the …
Good stuff - but sensitive to external temperature?
#
As a former Shuttle owner I was interested to read the review - personally I'm impressed by the way Shuttle constructs their systems for air flow and cooling, and it's generally worth the premium you pay for the SFF.
However, I found mine to be very sensitive to ambient temperature changes: in winter or an air-conditioned office it was stable, but in summer, or with slightly restricted airflow (or possibly underneath a TV, for example), heat build up was much more of an issue. In the end I switched to an off-the-peg gaming laptop, and touch wood I haven't had the heat-related problems of the Shuttle.
I went the Small Form Factor route as I was toting my box to work and back on a daily routine.
I wish there were some numbers to the heat and noise above as I'm not sure you could squeeze all that hardware into such small spaces without some compromise.
My Biostar iDEQ 200P had similar issues to the first commentator in the Summertime with overheating, but these days with new GPU and CPU die sizes and hence lower power requirements, this could well be the sweet point for CPU cooling/temps.
I eventually went for a LAN Box from Thermaltake as they could take the full size PSUs which meant I had all the cables I needed for dual graphics cards plus more CPU cooler choice etc. But it was a lot bigger than a standard SFF! But if the power and the cooling are sorted, I'd seriously look at one!
My biostar was so small and cute in comparison to my current box!
I have an old Athlon based shuttle (SN21g2 if I recall). I've had it running overclocked for about five years, through summer and winter without problem. Compared to a full tower, these are a hell of a lot nicer looking, while not as performance compromised as all-in-ones, other sff PCs or net-tops.
Having owned Shuttle boxes for many years, I have found them to be quiet, attractive and very reliable. The major drawback in my opinion is that it's either impossible or very expensive indeed to upgrade the motherboard.
This limits their attractiveness greatly in my opinion - my other, non-Shuttle cases have had 3 or 4 new Mobos before becoming totally knackered. I can see my current Shuttle being retired long before it wears out - that's assuming I don't experience a Mobo fault, which might mean buying and entirely new box....
If you have the money though, there's no better SFF.
Please include the following in future reviews of these type of products:
Idle and under load temperature and noise measurements
Pics of the interior of the case
It's all well and good to say it's quiet and cool but let's have some numbers. Also describing the shape of the PSU or the layout of the cooling systems isn't as effective as showing it.
There are plenty of third party harness/straps for SFF cases. Gear Grip from Case Ace is what you want to search for. A nice Keyboard and sundry item enclosure comes with it to make it more useful!
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Shuttle XPC SX58H7
Shuttle has managed a feat of engineering with the XPC SX58H7. It has shoehorned a Core i7 motherboard into a small(ish) form-factor case - it measures 325 x 208 x 189mm - of the kind we've seen on models such as the SP45H7. Shuttle XPC SX58H7 Shuttle's XPC SX58H7: engineering miracle? It is the work of moments to remove the …
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Posted Thursday 18th June 2009 09:07 GMT
Dibbles
Good stuff - but sensitive to external temperature? #
As a former Shuttle owner I was interested to read the review - personally I'm impressed by the way Shuttle constructs their systems for air flow and cooling, and it's generally worth the premium you pay for the SFF.
However, I found mine to be very sensitive to ambient temperature changes: in winter or an air-conditioned office it was stable, but in summer, or with slightly restricted airflow (or possibly underneath a TV, for example), heat build up was much more of an issue. In the end I switched to an off-the-peg gaming laptop, and touch wood I haven't had the heat-related problems of the Shuttle.
Posted Thursday 18th June 2009 12:41 GMT
Michael Fremlins
The thing is... #
it's butt ugly. I wouldn't want it on my desk.
It looks like a techie "designed" it, in much the same way that somebody "designed" the hideous 60s' and 70's tower blocks that blight the country.
There doesn't have to be a choice between form and function. It is possible to have the two at the same time.
Posted Thursday 18th June 2009 13:41 GMT
Charles Tsang
SFF - towers have space for a reason! #
I went the Small Form Factor route as I was toting my box to work and back on a daily routine.
I wish there were some numbers to the heat and noise above as I'm not sure you could squeeze all that hardware into such small spaces without some compromise.
My Biostar iDEQ 200P had similar issues to the first commentator in the Summertime with overheating, but these days with new GPU and CPU die sizes and hence lower power requirements, this could well be the sweet point for CPU cooling/temps.
I eventually went for a LAN Box from Thermaltake as they could take the full size PSUs which meant I had all the cables I needed for dual graphics cards plus more CPU cooler choice etc. But it was a lot bigger than a standard SFF! But if the power and the cooling are sorted, I'd seriously look at one!
My biostar was so small and cute in comparison to my current box!
Posted Thursday 18th June 2009 15:13 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Nice. #
I have an old Athlon based shuttle (SN21g2 if I recall). I've had it running overclocked for about five years, through summer and winter without problem. Compared to a full tower, these are a hell of a lot nicer looking, while not as performance compromised as all-in-ones, other sff PCs or net-tops.
Posted Thursday 18th June 2009 17:22 GMT
trousers_2000
Nice box, shame about the upgrades #
Having owned Shuttle boxes for many years, I have found them to be quiet, attractive and very reliable. The major drawback in my opinion is that it's either impossible or very expensive indeed to upgrade the motherboard.
This limits their attractiveness greatly in my opinion - my other, non-Shuttle cases have had 3 or 4 new Mobos before becoming totally knackered. I can see my current Shuttle being retired long before it wears out - that's assuming I don't experience a Mobo fault, which might mean buying and entirely new box....
If you have the money though, there's no better SFF.
Posted Thursday 18th June 2009 23:05 GMT
Anonymous Coward
Handle? #
Why don't they put a handle on the case if they're supposed to be easy to carry?
Posted Friday 19th June 2009 09:30 GMT
Adam White
Bare bones reviews #
Dear Reg
Please include the following in future reviews of these type of products:
Idle and under load temperature and noise measurements
Pics of the interior of the case
It's all well and good to say it's quiet and cool but let's have some numbers. Also describing the shape of the PSU or the layout of the cooling systems isn't as effective as showing it.
Thanks
Adam
Posted Friday 19th June 2009 10:58 GMT
TrixyB
To the AC @ 21:27 re: Handle #
The handle is on the box so you can carry it around with it's foam packaging in its box!
Shuttle's are very nice if you can afford them ;)
Posted Monday 22nd June 2009 14:18 GMT
Charles Tsang
handle schmandle! #
There are plenty of third party harness/straps for SFF cases. Gear Grip from Case Ace is what you want to search for. A nice Keyboard and sundry item enclosure comes with it to make it more useful!
This topic is closed for new posts.