Rob Malpass wrote:
> Hi all
>
> I've done a bit of googling but (apart from the obvious shape of the
> case) what's so special about a shuttle PC?
>
> I'm looking to put together a new machine with quite a bit of grunt
> (6Gb RAM+ and as fast a CPU as I can afford). The only other real
> specification I need is that it can handle dual monitors. Aside from
> that, standard sound is ok, as is standard network. A front USB port
> would be handy but no other major requirements. I intend to dual
> boot Ubuntu and Vista and the main thrust of the machine's work will
> be video editing (hence the RAM, CPU and graphics).
>
> Physical space is an issue but is there anything else to watch out
> for? I notice for instance that lots of Shuttle PCs have only 275W
> power supplies - presumably the case can't take any more hardware so a
> stronger PSU isn't an issue - is that right?
>
> TIA - I promise I have done a lot of googling on this but not turned
> up the one answer I need - why buy a shuttle PC as opposed to a
> traditional tower?
>
Having owned a couple I'll have a go for you Rob!
Shuttles are typically compact, nice looking, and well built from good
quality components, and as such come with a price tag to match.
For your money you'll get a case, a Shuttle motherboard and a cooling
system that latterly has negated the need for fans. You'll get good
instructions and pretty much everything you need to get going if you buy
barebones, and obviously if you shell out for a pre-built system you'll
get something ready to go out of the box.
High-end Shuttles will typically take a similarly high-end graphics
card, although you need to be careful when selecting it that the
physical size of the card (or cards!) does not make it incompatible with
the case. The last Shuttle I owned had room for an optical drive and two
hard drives on board, which made conditions pretty cramped inside
although because of the clever design cooling was not compromised by this.
The last time I upgraded to take advantage of the then new dual-core AMD
CPUs I struggled to get everything working where Linux was concerned
(Ubuntu Hoary or Warty - I forget which), and workarounds were needed
where some of the newer components were concerned. Shuttles are
typically up to speed where latest developments in CPU technology and
memory are concerned, although I'm not sure about the spec as far as
maximum memory is concerned so you'll need to check out the Shuttle site
[1] for specifics, but I suspect that you might be pushing it where 4Gb+
is concerned.
The PSUs are often the topic of hot debate regarding whether or not they
are suited for purpose in a high-end machine. They are good quality and
the ones I owned were certainly capable of performing above and beyond
what their rating might have suggested in normal PC terms; I was using a
PCI-e graphics card that demanded a PSU rated over 400W, and the 275W
Shuttle unit worked just fine.
Why buy a Shuttle? Well, if you want a good looking machine that has a
small footprint and is reasonably quiet then a Shuttle might be the one
for you. However, due to the proprietary nature of the mobos you will
not be upgrading that machine forever, and as mentioned the small size
of the case will limit you in terms of what will physically fit inside.
I have a soft spot for them but I don't think I will be going back to
them for the reasons outlined here and because of the high purchase price.
So, my advice is that if you want a beast of a gaming machine or a real
workhorse you'll probably get more mileage out of a decent tower machine
than you will out of Shuttle, which will look nice and perform well for
a while, but will age quicker and not be as upgradeable in the long run.
Sean
[1]
http://sys.eu.shuttle.com/home.jsf
--
The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows.
Frank Zappa
