New Soltek SFF

[pickers]

Hey Guys,

I was just searching for my new SFF PC (to replace my monster Chietec Dragon!), and I found this rather nice piece of kit, the new Soltek QBic. I reckon it is rather gorgeous looking with the 2x5.25" (yes 2!) pre-stealted bays and simple front design. Specs are on the website but it has SATA, a 250w PSU, can fit a full size FX5900 (if you really want one), is the quietest SFF (baring the hush I suppose ) and is only slightly bigger than a shuttle. It seems to me that Soltek have raised the bar, I'm definitely going to be the first in the queue.



The homepage is

http://www.soltek.de/English/home/01.htm

Oh and it comes with a free carry bag and is supposed to be out very soon (Ultim8 pc said on the SFFTech Forums that he is expecting a review sample very soon)

Pickers

[Stoo]

ooh, not sure about the mirror finish, leaves too many fingerprints But it looks neat

[shredisn@tdead]

So where do get these then...

[evildoc614]

looks like a toaster... looks kinda funky might be kinda cool

[Loyal]

But its on a Pentium chipset right? are they doing a AthlonXP/64 ver?

I am still slowly planning my system for when I have time to build it in January. By then maybe everything has changed again!

[shredisn@tdead]

Some reviews...

Soltek EQ3702M mini barebones @ Hexus - AMD FLAVOUR


Soltek Qbic EQ3401M @ Hardware Zone - INTEL SPRINGDALE FLAVOUR

[Sven]

I've had the intel flavour for a week now and it runs like a dream. It's a wee bit bigger than a shuttle but not by much and still fits nicely on the desk. It really hand to have the two 5.25" drives.

The mirrored front does mark a bit but nothing that a quick buff doesn't fix. Looks great though .

If your looking for the P4 flavour then try these folks:

http://www.cclcomputers.biz/

http://www.tasdec.com/default.asp

[shredisn@tdead]

Originally posted by Sven
I've had the intel flavour for a week now and it runs like a dream.

Aha, some first hand experience!
What rating CPU have you put in it? Have you tried overclocking it - if so, how far did it go?! Was wondering if the mobo will go above 250fsb...

[Loyal]

And whats the AGP port like? you think I could fit in a All in Wonder in that thing?

I heard the new 9600 AIW will not fit in the shuttle because of the FM antenna.

[Sven]

Hi shredisn@tdead, have put a P4 2.8 in it. Haven't tried to oc it yet since I'm new to this kinda thing but definately will as I get a bit more experience.

Loyal, I've slapped a 9800pro into it no problem. I think you should be able to get a 9600 AIW in since the case it a bit bigger than most shuttles (especially height wise). Hope this of some use.

[shredisn@tdead]

Hi Sven,

Another question - is it really as quiet as the reviews say? Should be pretty much inaudible!

[Sven]

Originally posted by shredisn@tdead

Another question - is it really as quiet as the reviews say? Should be pretty much inaudible!

It is very quiet but not quite silent. The fan noise is not a big issue at all and if you were to play with the smartfan options in the bios I'm sure you could pretty much make it silent. All in all its one quiet piece of kit.

Whilst I'm at it does anyone know of any good hardware monitoring software so I can keep tabs on the cpu temperature etc?? The utility that Soltek supply is a bit limited.

[shredisn@tdead]

Originally posted by Sven
Whilst I'm at it does anyone know of any good hardware monitoring software so I can keep tabs on the cpu temperature etc??

As far as I'm aware, Motherboard Monitor (MBM) is the 'de facto' standard and is ultra configurable.

[Sven]

Thanks for that .

TA

[shredisn@tdead]

Sven,

Did you get round to trying out some overclocking on your Soltek system?

Can you tell me what CPU voltage (Vcore) options there are in the BIOS? I read a review that said it only goes up to 1.6V - is that right?

[Sven]

Originally posted by shredisn@tdead
Sven,

Did you get round to trying out some overclocking on your Soltek system?

Can you tell me what CPU voltage (Vcore) options there are in the BIOS? I read a review that said it only goes up to 1.6V - is that right?

Hi,

Nope still haven't gotten round to any serious overclocking yet (trying to write my PhD thesis at the moment). As soon as I do I'll let you know how far I've been able to push it. Will have a look in the BIOS when I get home tonight and let you know about the Vcore options.