Shuttle SN85G4 XPC Review

Introduction


One of the fastest growing markets in home computing is the SFF (Small Form Factor) PC; this is due largely in thanks to HTPC (Home Theater PC) designs that have recently become popular. Shuttle is one of the most recognized names in SFF systems because of their innovative designs and use of today’s fastest chipsets. Shuttle was established in 1983, mainly supplying mainboards to OEM and system integrators. Recently shuttle has gained in popularity with their line of XPC barebones systems. One of Shuttles latest creation the SN85G4 is one of the fastest XPC’s to date. The system is based around NVIDIA’s nForce3 150 chipset that offers support for AMD’s new 64Bit CPU’s. For more information on AMD’s 64bit line of processors you can read our overview here. The size and weight of the SN85G4 makes it a very attractive package for LAN parties and HTPC rigs. Will the size of the system impact performance? Read on to find out.




Specifications

Dimensions	(L)295*(W)200*(H)180, 2.85Kg(N.W.), 4.65Kg(G.W.)
Front Panel	2 USB, 1 1394a, 1 MIC, 1 Line in, Built-in USB 2.0 6 in 1 Card Reader
Back Panel	PS/2 KB & Mouse, 1 Serial, 1 LAN, 1 USB, 2 1394a, 1 Parallel Port
Extension Bay	(1) 5.25" & (2) 3.5"
Form Factor	Shuttle Form Factor
CPU Socket	AMD Socket 754, supports Athlon 64
Chipsets	nVidia nForce 150 North Bridge
Memory Socket	(2) DDR 266/333/400 DIMM
On Board VGA	None
On Board Audio	Realtek ALC 650 6 Channel
Expansion Slot	(1) PCI & (1) 8x AGP
IDE interface	ATA-133 / Serial ATA RAID