Monday, July 15, 2002

Introduction

This time around, we'll be doing something a little bit different. What we'll be testing today -- the Shuttle SS40G XPC -- is more of a complete minisystem than a simple motherboard, and is meant to be the most advanced solution for computer assemblers on the market.

The SS40G XPC is fundamentally a motherboard that is pre-installed in a case that comes complete with the necessary power-supply. Th board itself has quite a few features, including a 6-channel, 5.1-compatible CMI 8738 sound-card, an SiS315 graphics-card with S-Video-Out, a Realtek 8100B network controller, and an IEEE1394/"FireWire" controller.

The fun doesn't stop there though. Despite the fact that this type of mini-system is usually a bit short on expansion options, the SS40G itself is packed with functionality and ports. In a show of good design, Shuttle has placed many of the latter -- including USB, FireWire, microphone, headphone, and SPDIF connectors - on the front panel of the case, for easy access.

Another point of interest to users is the cooling mechanism. Given the fact that this type of system is naturally suffers from a shortage of free-space (thus restricting ventilation, and the space available for ventilators) Shuttle ingeniously installed there own "Heat-Pipe" cooling system. The Heat-Pipe is attached to the surface of the CPU, and consists of a series of fluid-filled pipes that circulate between the heat-capturing surface and a fan-cooled radiator. The liquid is kept in circulation by convection currents created by the difference in temperature at each end.

In short, the SS40G XPC minisystem is a compact and ingenious piece of equipment that comes complete with a cool-looking aluminum case. Thus, it will be our pleasure to test this puppy out for your reading pleasure.

Audio

Shuttle certainly went all-out this time around. The SS40G XTC's sound capabilities are provided by an integrated C-Media CMI8738 audio-chip. The CMI8738 supports 5.1 speaker-configurations, with 4 to 6 lines-out, including a central base-line.

As we've mentioned before, the CMI8738 is head and shoulders above the audio circuitry that is typically included as part of most chipsets, and its sound reproduction is simply excellent. Whether you're playing MP3s, CDs, or 3D games, the CMI8738's sound quality will often surprise you with its fidelity.

Note that Shuttle also provided an SPDIF port on the front panel for attaching optical connectors.

Configuration

Configuration of the SS40G XTC is child's play; since there are no on-board jumpers or Dip-switches, all configuration issues can be handled from within the BIOS system.

Once located within the BIOS, user's will naturally be drawn to the "Frequency/Voltage Control" menu, where there are a few functions to choose from, though the number of available settings is rather limited.

For example, not much can be done to change the FSB frequency, because the only available values are 100MHz and 133MHz -- and these values are synchronous with the memory bus frequency which must also run at either 100MHz or 133MHz.

No option is presented for altering the clock-multiplier value. Since such an option would be pretty useless though, unless you possessed a CPU without a multiplier lock, this isn't much of a loss.

Unfortunately, the SS40G also lacks any ability to adjust the Vcore, DDR, AGP or Vio voltages.

In short, the SS40G XPC is not designed with Overclocking in mind.

On the other hand, we did find a feature that is found in few other motherboards, and that is the ability to increase the speed of the CPU-fan when temperatures begin to rise. This feature is user-adjustable, and can be set to activate when the temperature hits 40, 44, 48, or 52 degrees Celsius. When the temperature remains below the given threshold, the fan slows down and remains practically inaudible. This function can be adjusted from within the "PC Health Status" menu.

Finally, there are a few memory timing options that can be adjusted from within the "Advanced Chipset Features" menu.

Notes

The SS40G XPC that we received for testing possesses only two PCI slots, and lacks an AGP port. That said, Shuttle has assured us that a version with one PCI slot, and one AGP port will be available shortly.
Of course, some users might actually prefer the version with the extra expendability of two PCI slots, over the one with the AGP port...

Next: Technical details

Shuttle SS40G XPC