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- Date:
- Tuesday , November 02, 2004
- Author:
- Keith Dugger
- Editor:
- Sean Quinn
- Google +1
Shuttle XPC SN95G5
Shuttle not only sets the bar, but continually raises it with regard to Small Form Factor (SFF) systems. The SN95G5, the latest in Shuttle’s XPC line, is a prime example of their dedication in this area.
Introduction
Shuttle offers the enthusiast and LAN-party market SFF systems that operate at speeds akin to full-sized machines. Solely responsible for the current SFF craze, every other manufacturer in this niche strives to imitate Shuttle’s solid platforms and reputation. I have owned Shuttle products for the past 8 years and will continue to do so as long as Shuttle continues to do what they do best: offer stable, well-performing systems in a small package.
Shuttle supports the newest 939-pin CPUs from AMD with the SN95G5. Not willing to depend solely on the performance of the new Athlon 64, Shuttle also includes a few pre-mods with the system that will minimize the normal setup time a lot of SFF users spend with a new Shuttle. I’ll point these out as I come to them.
This SFF comes with support for up to 2 GB of dual-channel DDR 400/333 memory. The SN95GF also includes the NVIDIA nForce 3 chipset with 1GHz HyperTransport bus and support for SATA and 6-channel digital audio. Throw in the included Gigabit LAN controller and the system is practically complete out of the box (minus CPU, memory, video card, and drives of course).
Main Specifications Overview:
CPU | AMD Athlon 64 (Socket 939) Processors |
Chipset | NVIDIA nForce 3 Ultra |
FSB | 200 MHz |
Memory | 2 x DIMM DDR 400 or 333; up to 2GB Max |
Slots | 1 x 8X AGP, 1 x PCI |
Onboard IDE | 2 x ATA133 headers; 2 x Serial ATA 150 headers |
USB 2.0 | 4 ports (2 rear, 2 front panel) |
IEEE 1394 | 2 ports (1 rear, 1 front panel) |
Graphics | 8X AGP |
Audio | 6-channel on-board |
LAN | 1 x Gigabit LAN |
Detailed Mainboard Specification List:
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Packaging
Shuttle has always excelled at packaging their SFF systems, and the box for the SN95G5 is no different. The SFF itself is quite well protected from transit damage nestled in molded foam material with a full 2 inches of breathing room around the case itself. With the ample protection and included carrying handle (on the box), this could be used for transport to your favorite LAN event as well as a shipping box should the need arise.
Included are the typical manuals, drive and power cables as well as specialized screws, double-sided tape, and zip ties if needed. Everything needed to install your favorite hard, optical, and floppy drives or handle any cable routing is in the box. Shuttle includes a driver CD to get your Microsoft OS communicating with the FN95 board as well.
An important aspect to the overall health of a system as small as Shuttle’s SFF machines is dissipating CPU heat. Shuttle’s engineering team took the path of innovation when they went with the heat pipe solution they branded 'Integrated Cooling Engine' or ICE years ago. The version included with the SN95G5 is a step up the design ladder versus previous revisions and can easily handle the heat generated by the Athlon 64. Shuttle upgraded the 80mm fan to a 92mm fan, effectively lowering noise while increasing CFM.
The ICE heat sink is embedded with copper that is adequately flat and polished to a mirror-like shine out of the box. Note that our ICE cooler shown in the picture has been through many installations that included the application and removal of thermal paste.
The drive cage holds up to two 3.5” drives (1 floppy/1 hard drive or 2 hard drives) and one 5.25” optical drive (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, etc.). This cage mounts between the two case bars and effectively fills the space from the front of the case and nearly to the fan shroud at the rear.
Case and Board Layout
The sleek, minimalist front of the SN95G5 almost begs to be placed in the living room. The mix of brushed and polished black with the shine of faux chrome is perfect. Notice the small hole just to the right of the audio towers.
Stealthed panels hide the optical drive, floppy drive, and front panel I/O bays. This is something than many Shuttle SFF system owners have worked toward for many years. I personally have used the included bay covers on past systems to stealth the optical drive with terrific results. This system offers this capability out of the box. While it does detract from some of the personalization SFF owners are accustomed to, this design inclusion does decrease setup time considerably. I applaud Shuttle for listening to users and watching trends in the case-modding scene and implementing some of these mods from the factory.
The three pictures above show the SN95G5 with the cover and drive cage removed. I’ll detail the layout of the motherboard in the next few sections.
The Shuttle XPC SN95G5 is packed with components supporting everything from Gigabit LAN to 2GB DDR 400 RAM to AGP 8X, all fitted to a tightly arranged 7x10 inches of prime real-estate.
This Shuttle uses capacitors from Taiwan Oster Corporation (Taiwan, marked RLX and RLP) and Luxon Electronics Corporation (Taiwan, company label only).
The CPU socket utilizes a four-hole mounting assembly very similar to the Pentium 4 specification. The entire base of the ICE cooler fits inside the edges of this cage and a spring loaded clip holds it in place using the four corners of the cage. This makes for a incredibly strong mating between the heat sink and heat spreader surfaces of the CPU. There are no obstructions around the CPU socket area, but note the location of the SATA headers. With a CPU, corresponding ICE cooler, and a PCI card in the single PCI slot, you will find it difficult to insert SATA cables. Careful planning of your installation order will eliminate this issue, but remember this if you find yourself in a position of performing SATA maintenance.
Two dual-channel DIMM slots capable of supporting up to 2GB of DDR 400/333 memory reside just to the right of the CPU cage. Here you’ll also find the floppy connector (at the bottom right of this picture). Centered just below the memory is a 4-pin fan connector labeled FAN2
The busiest section of the FN95 motherboard is the area at the front edge of the case surrounding the nForce 3 chipset. Starting along the bottom of the picture are the two IDE connectors followed by the thin-edged ribbon connector for the front panel operations. At the right corner is the 20-pin ATX power connector as well as the 4-pin ATX12V connector. Above the IDE connectors is the CMOS battery, 2 USB headers, and the 4-pin fan connector (FAN3) for the active chipset heat sink. Just above the FAN3 connector is the Clear CMOS jumper. However, Shuttle provides another way to do this that I’ll detail shortly. The front panel and IrDA headers round out the left corner of the motherboard.
Shuttle positions the AGP slot at the outside edge of the case. This is primarily due to the immense heat that today’s video cards can produce. In addition to the AGP slot, the SN95G5 includes a single PCI slot. At the left of the PCI slot is the Mini CD-IN connector and at the far left edge (rear of the board just below the audio tower labeled “MADE”) is the externally accessible clear CMOS button. I promise to tell you more about this in a bit.
Shuttle also provides a Printer Port Connector just above the PCI slot (at the bottom left corner in this picture) in the event you need this support. Packed tightly in this area is the FAN1 connector for the ICE cooler fan, the SPDIF out connector, the CD-IN connector, and the LINE_IN connector.
Here is an additional view of the two SATA connectors sandwiched between the PCI slot and the CPU cage. With cards in both these slots, you can see the difficulty getting to these connectors.
The Back Panel I/O of the SN95G5 includes support for the following: 1 COM Connector (9 pin serial), SPDIF-IN Connector, 1 each Keyboard and Mouse PS/2 ports, 10/100/1000 LAN (RJ-45), 2 USB 2.0 ports, Coaxial/Line-In Connectors, Center/Bass/Rear-Out/Front-Out Connectors, and (finally) the Clear CMOS Button.
The small micro-switch at the rear of the case (next to the audio towers) can be used to clear the CMOS without venturing into the case. The button is accessible through a small hole using something like a paper clip. This is an incredibly useful feature I wish more manufacturers would make available. It is out of the way to prevent accidental activation, but still makes it easier to clear the CMOS than battling a jumper in tight confines.