Shuttle XPC SN95G5 Review (Page 1 of 8)
Introduction And Specifications
The demands placed on today’s modern PCs are ever-increasing. Some people desire gaming machines, others want quiet media centres, and still others just want a means of checking email and writing letters. Whilst the industry has developed specialist systems to accommodate these markets, Shuttle‘s XPC SN95G5 is perhaps one of the few solutions available which can elegantly cater for each group without compromise.
The SN95G5 is a small form factor ‘barebones’ PC – providing customers with a diminutively-sized case, motherboard, power supply unit and other accessories – thus allowing the rest of the system to be individually tailored to suit one’s needs. Whilst buying components and assembling a computer may be traditionally viewed as a daunting task, components are now readily available both online and in the high-street, which together with Shuttle’s excellent instructions makes assembling your dream system easier than you may think.
Specifications
Shuttle’s XPC SN95G5 supports many advanced features present in today’s full-size systems, albeit in an impressively small form factor. Based around nVidia‘s nForce3 Ultra chipset, the SN95G5 supports AMD‘s latest Athlon 64/FX Socket 939 CPUs. Not content with supporting this broad range of processors, Shuttle have also allow for up to 2GB DDR400 RAM – more than sufficient for most gamer’s needs – together with high-quality six-channel audio, Gigabit ethernet, together with a myriad of connectivity options. Powering this vast array of features is Shuttle’s proprietary SilentX 240W PSU, which despite the power-rating was found to happily keep pace with desktop counterparts whose wattage was almost twice that of Shuttle’s offering.
Perhaps our only concerns with the SN95G5’s specifications regard the lack of integrated video and the now aging chipset. Whilst integrated video solutions are often insufficient to run today’s latest games, they do nevertheless suffice for general day-to-day usage, saving would-be buyers from having to purchase a standalone graphics card (which, due to the design, would be limited to AGP variants and not the increasingly common PCI-Express alternatives). Equally the nForce 3 Ultra chipset, whilst tried and tested, has been superseded and as such lacks some of the newer features which enthusiasts may crave. However, for most users this trade-off it is more than likely acceptable, particularly given the renowned stability of nVidia’s nForce 3 Ultra chipset.
Whilst the SN95G5 may lack some of the more advanced features now available on the market – such as PCI-Express and SATA-2 support – overall Shuttle’s offering is very commendable and certainly provides for all but the most demanding user’s needs, as the more detailed specifications highlight:
- Processor: AMD Athlon 64 (Socket 939)
- Memory: 2 x Dual-Channel DDR400/333 (2GB maximum)
- Motherboard: nVidia nForce 3 Ultra Chipset
- Expansion: 1 x AGP, 1 x PCI
- Audio: Realtek 6-Channel with Digital (SPDIF) and Analogue Audio Ports
- Network: Gigabit Ethernet
- Storage: 2 x ATA133, 2 x SATA 150, 1 x FDD, 1 x 5.25" Storage Bay, 2 x 3.5" Storage Bays
- Front Connectivity: 2 x USB 2.0, 1 x FireWire Mini Port, 1 x Microphone Port, 1 x Headphone Port
- Rear Connectivity: 1 x PS/2 Keyboard Socket, 1 x PS/2 Mouse Socket, 2 x USB 2.0 Ports, 1 x FireWire 400 Port, 1 x Gigabit Ethernet (RJ-45), SPDIF Digital and Analogue Audio Ports, Serial Port
» Read the next page, ‘Packaging And Accessories’.