a64 shuttles

[5lab]

hi there

im plannign to build an a64 shuttle, and as i see it have 3 options -

SN25P
SN85G4
SN95G5

the g4 appears to be 'v3' on thier site, but i cant find any mention of that on ebuyer etc - is it any different? I cant find the 25P on any sites at all - i presume because it is too new? any thoguhts as to which system would be best?

Cheers

Hugh

[Gordy]

I wouldnt go for the sn85 as s939 is where its at.

I have the sn95g5 and its ace, the first version (which I have) has a few bugs, but the v2 is better.

Ebuyer never show versions go elsewhere tbh.

Dunno about the sn25p yet i dont like the larger chassis personnaly

There is a new s939 coming soon in the g5 chassis with pci-e support for nice gfx cards.

[5lab]

the new 939 is already out but i thought it'd be too pricey when it came out, and i cant afford a pci-e gfx/sound card.. i just splurged out on a 95g5 - £500 total for the shuttle, xp3000, 512meg ram, 250gig hard drive and assorted other bits and bobs (parralell port, usb hub, floppy drive/card reader etc). now i just have to wait for it to be delivered

next month i'm going to drop another 512 into it, get an external audigy (probably) and a reasonable (£100ish) gfx card for it

[jtzi]

im plannign to build an a64 shuttle, and as i see it have 3 options

SN25P
SN85G4
SN95G5

the g4 appears to be 'v3' on thier site, but i cant find any mention of that on ebuyer etc - is it any different? I cant find the 25P on any sites at all - i presume because it is too new? any thoguhts as to which system would be best?

Depends on your requirements and budget...

SN85G4 is for Socket 754 Athlon64s and Semprons and is based on nForce 3 platform. Best if you are on a tight budget but less future proof and older basic technology, less features etc. The V3 is just the most up to date version and will usually support more CPUs and have a better (maybe even quieter) power supply.

SN95G5 is for Socket 939 Athlon64s and is based on nForce 3 platform. This was the top model shuttle for AMD cpus until very recently and is still the top model actually available (see below). Has had mainly good reviews and is more future proof than the SN85G4 because it is Socket 939. The case also has fold down flaps at the front to cover drives so that you don't need purchase new colour coordinated drives if your existing ones are still worth keeping... Not a bad choice all round.

SN25P is also for Socket 939 but is based on the nForce 4 platform. Much more up to date feature-wise and along with the different case design gives more expansion options. This is the most future proof and has been getting some rave initial reviews but it is not available from stores until mid-late March and will be pricey - I've been told the prices won't be released until stock arrives by the stores I have asked. One online store does have it for sale already priced at £319.99 though so this may be an indication (though obviously that store will not ship until the same time as the rest).

Personally, I am in 2 minds. the price is the only thing that is putting me off the SN25P but I guess I will go for that in the end. It is being marketed as a gaming rig which I can understand but I see it offering someone like myself who only buys a new PC every 3-4 years as much future proofing as possible given the confines of these sff boxes. I like the fact it will hold 3 x 3.5inch disks so I can raid my disks and I like the fact it is PCI Express only - this will mean that in a couple of years time I will not have to buy a new platform to fit a half decent graphics card. The minus is also the fact it is so future proof.... There are no 32-bit PCI slots so all your existing cards will need to be replaced. Unfortunately, there don't seem to be many PCI-E cards around at the moment (except graphics cards) so I guess for things like PVR you will have to use USB2 devices...

HTH.

[Gordy]

the new 939 is already out but i thought it'd be too pricey when it came out, and i cant afford a pci-e gfx/sound card.. i just splurged out on a 95g5 - £500 total for the shuttle, xp3000, 512meg ram, 250gig hard drive and assorted other bits and bobs (parralell port, usb hub, floppy drive/card reader etc). now i just have to wait for it to be delivered

next month i'm going to drop another 512 into it, get an external audigy (probably) and a reasonable (£100ish) gfx card for it

No the one I was refering to was a different one Its in the g5 chassis not the huge p chassis.

Be wary adding extra sticks of ram that arent dual channel kits, the sn95 is very picky with ram. I tried two sticks of corsair which wouldnt work but the same type of sticks that were part of a matched pair work fine. I'm not alone in having this problem, I would get a dual 1gig kit now as it will save some hassle later

[Gordy]

This was the one I am referring too

http://forums.sudhian.com/messagevie...&enterthread=y

[5lab]

couldnt see any matched pairs on the crutial website - surely if i just order another stick 'the same' it would work?

[Gordy]

You'd think that wouldnt ya

Have a look at corsair memory they have dual kits as do geil

[Rqyteqto]

One very successful memory solution is Corsair's ValueSelect 2.5 CAS. There have been no problems with it, its relatively economical and seems to handle minor OCing without complaints.

The SN95G5 is very picky about memory and its not so much how much it costs or how fast it is or what sort of cooling flaps it has or nearly anything. Just likes some and doesn't like others. Kingston has had good reports as well.

[Apex]

Looks interesting, i'll hold judgement till a review or i get one

[Foxile]

I've just ordered an SN95G5v2 based system from The Glow Lounge. It'll waiting at home, when I get back to the UK next week. I'll have a play, take some pics and let you know how it all pans out

[Pirate Pete]

ouch the SN20G5 thingy looks nice

built in x300 graphics, this will cost a lot will it not?

whats your guess
im hoping they market it at 300 pounds
that would suit me

[Gordy]

I would guess it will start at 300 and drop quickly to 225 ish

[Pirate Pete]

excellent, right up my street then, i love ATI and now i can have ATI chipset and GPU,

heres hoping they come out with a CPU for some reason

Pete

[Rqyteqto]

Ya never know, they just might.
Then nVidia would have to get in the act and wouldn't that be a hoot?