![[H]ardOCP](/images/blank.gif){kind=small}
- Date:
- Tuesday , June 17, 2003
- Author:
- Sean Pelletier
- Editor:
- Kyle Bennett
- Google +1
Shuttle SB61G2
Overclocking and enthusiast goodness stuffed into a Small Form Factor box most of us could punt 30 meters. Of course it is sporting an Intel Springdale chipset this time around.
Board Layout
One look within the case of the SB61G2 and you instantly realize that real estate is at a premium with this system. From end to end, you would be hard pressed to find any blank section of PCB on this motherboard. Surprisingly enough, Shuttle’s engineers have managed to keep the component layout very clear and orderly. Once again, Shuttle has done an excellent job in making life easier for the consumer, as everything is easy to access and simple to adjust.
Beginning with the CPU socket area, we find that there is not a great deal of room for any large and bulky heatsinks. Although normally a major setback, in this case it is a moot point, as the height and airflow restrictions prohibit the use of these massive coolers altogether. On one side of the socket, we find an orderly row of power capacitors. On the other, we see both the audio and FireWire chipsets tucked neatly below the heatsink retention bracket. These chipsets complement the ICH5 southbridge, as they provide the only bits of functionality the Springdale chipset does not natively incorporate.
Moving along the side of the motherboard, we come to the two most critical expansion slots on the system. Here, we see a single PCI and AGP slot on the motherboard which will give users the opportunity to upgrade to a higher performance graphics card or PCI sound card. Unfortunately, the orientation of the AGP slot prohibits the use of a graphics card with a dual-slot heatsink assembly, as the side of the case would interfere. Luckily, the industry seems to be moving away from this trend and back towards single slot solutions. Looking at the second image above, we see that the Radeon 9700 Pro fits with ease and has ample clearance around the other system components. Additionally, we see that the Shuttle also includes a locking tab so that expensive cards don’t go bouncing around inside the system during transit.
Things begin to get a bit more tightly packed once we start to move towards the front of the system. Directly in front of the CPU socket, we find the northbridge chipset complete with a hefty active heatsink. Upon further inspection, we see that this unit is actually quite impressive and should be more than up to the challenge of cooling the otherwise toasty Springdale chipset.
To the side of the northbridge, we find the Springdale’s southbridge chipset. Given the lack of any strenuous tasks this chipset will face, Shuttle has opted to not provide any cooling whatsoever. This proves to be a wise decision, as the CMOS jumper is placed in very close proximity. Given how often overclockers access this jumper, the interference of any heatsink assembly upon the accessibility of this jumper would have caused an uproar to say the least. With nothing in the way, the CMOS jumper is very easy to access. Should the user really need to bring the system back to life, the CMOS battery is only an inch or so further back and its vertical position makes reaching it much easier. To the right of the CMOS jumper we also find the two SATA headers. Given the size of the SATA connector and cable, they could easily be placed just about anywhere on the board without causing any issues. Being on the very edge of the board however makes them especially easy to access and ensures installation will be a snap.
Tucked neatly behind the front panel of the system, we find the two IDE headers. Unfortunately, these headers are difficult to access. Even those with smaller hands will wrestle a bit with the IDE cables before they are installed correctly. Luckily, these cables are not often removed, so it should not be a common problem throughout the life of the system. Continuing towards the edge of the board, we come across the two power headers for the system. Leapfrogging the two DIMM slots, the main power connector is easy to access and simple to install. The two DIMM slots themselves are also easy to access, though they must be installed prior to installing the drive tray in order to have enough clearance over the DIMM slots. Although it would have been nice to see support for more memory, one look at the board shows that there is simply not enough room to make that idea a reality.
Once again, Shuttle has seen fit to spec the system with the same ACHME 200W power supply we saw on the SN41G2. In practice, we have seen that this is one strong power supply despite the unit’s smaller size. You know that this unit has to be powerful since Shuttle remains confident it can handle the job, even though the SB61G2 supports some overclocking features which will further tax the system. Nestled directly below the power supply, we see the floppy drive connector. With the power supply installed, this is somewhat challenging to get to, however three screws can remove the unit and make access significantly easier.