Close Encounters of the Small Kind
by Jarred Walton on December 8, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Time Changes Everything
Things have slowed down now in terms of computer progress - at least from my perspective. It's also good to see that many of the truly bad examples of computer hardware have begun to fade away. Gone are the days (mostly) of spending hours trying to get a resource conflict resolved; or to get two machines to talk to each other over the network; or tweaking and hacking your config.sys and autoexec.bat files in the hope of optimizing memory usage so that some new program would run properly. Computers have now matured to the point where any person with a moderate level of computer knowledge and a willingness to learn would have little difficulty building a computer.The requirements for most computer applications are also slowing down. There used to be a good reason to upgrade your computer from a 286 to a 386, and then from a 386 to 486 to Pentium, Pentium to Pentium II, etc. While it was released at a time when the 486 occupied the sockets of the majority of systems, Windows 95 really needed a Pentium or faster to run well. Windows 98 pushed the requirement up to a Pentium II, and Windows XP pushed it to the Pentium III/Athlon. Today, however, there are few applications that really need a lot of processing power; anything over 1 GHz is sufficient for surfing the Internet, writing email, working in Office applications, etc. To a lesser extent, even the high-end requirements are starting to slow down. A state-of-the-art PC is not absolutely required for the latest games; even a 2 GHz machine can handle Doom 3, Half-Life 2, and Far Cry. True, it's not the best experience out there, but for many people, "good enough" is all they need.
So what does this all have to do with Small Form Factor computers? This is up for debate, but there doesn't seem to be a whole lot on the horizon that will really outdate a modern system - short of a few high-end applications and games - and the amount of integration has made large cases unnecessary for all but the most die hard enthusiasts. Few people will actually fill an 80 GB hard drive, let alone a 160 GB drive, and if 1 GHz is all that's really needed for typical computing, a 3 GHz machine could easily last for many years. Other areas have "maxed out" as well: DVD-ROMs all top out at 16X, and with DVD+RW drives now supporting 16X burn speeds, we aren't likely to go beyond that for a while; only the introduction of a new optical media format is likely to cause any difficulties. Even the floppy is finally disappearing, thanks to the abundance of Flash memory devices. In short, this is a great time to buy a system and keep it until it physically breaks down, and a SFF fits in very well with that plan of action.
A growing concern for a lot of people is the noise output of their computer(s) - "I want my computer to be quiet, not rattle the windows!" A home-grown system will often have several fans to keep it cool, and the noise levels can be very annoying to say the least. More than a few people have ended up with Dell systems simply because they are engineered to reduce the noise output - performance be damned! SFF cases offer the benefits of OEM systems - systems where the designers know the exact constraints of the system and can better plan the placement of components - to the DIY community. It's not all that unusual to see a motherboard with fan speed adjustment settings in the BIOS, but you don't always know that everything will work properly if you use them. Since a SFF includes the case, CPU heatsink and fan - which can also act as the case fan - power supply, and motherboard, they have a great idea of what will actually be used in the system. Depending on the model, you might have one or two optical drives, a hard drive, the CPU and graphics card, and that's it. As computer noise has become a pet peeve of mine - odd, given that I work in a data center as a side job - taking a look at the SFF market seems like a good idea.
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fitten - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
I have had two Shuttle SN41G2s for almost two years now and I like them a lot. However, for my next SFF build, I'm going to go with an Antec Aria case and a microATX motherboard because it gives more options than the barebones SFFs while being only a little larger (but still plenty small enough to carry to our frequent mini-LAN parties).As a sidenote, my wife really likes her SN41G2, even more than the A64 3000+ I built for her a few months ago (mid-tower case), just because the Shuttle is "cute" and small.
jediknight - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
Maybe it's just me, but personally I don't find the idea of spending more money for something that's less expandable appealing.Certainly, for some a SFF case is a godsend.. but for me, it's the big 'ol beige case or bust :->
Scott333 - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
For the roundup, please mention the number of front and back USB ports, not that Anandtech would leave it out ;)My only complaint about the article was the description of the lacking Parallel port (like ieya). It's practically a non issue for most people, and in a sense I have distaste for computer makers that insist on essentially useless legacy support. For example, I want my next PC to not have a 3.5 inch floppy drive nor a cd-rom, so even if they came free I wouldn't buy it.
The option for people who need it is exactly what they should have. Besides, you can get USB printers for free (plus 50 dollars for ink of course :).
Then again, I'm sure most readers wouldn't see your comment as a true fault of the Shuttle, just that I agree with Ieya, its very far from a deal killer.
Good article, looking forward to the details.
nastyemu25 - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
jkostans, software has changed since 200mhz was top of the line... and it has also changed since 1.13ghz was top of the line. i use office suite 2003 apps at work on my p4 2ghz that run significantly faster than they do on my 1 ghz tb at home.jkostans - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
I'm sorry but if you feel you need patience to use a 1.13Ghz P3 computer then you've got some problems. You must have been going out of your mind when the pentium pro 200Mhz was top of the line....... I use a 600Mhz SPARC processor at work everyday and it's no slower for browsing than my XP 3000+ back home.ieya - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
As to the lack of parallel port on the Shuttle SFF, it's almost certainly an option; I built my mum a Shuttle box recently, using the nForce2 based one with integrated graphics.It, too, lacks a parallel port (interestingly enough the newer and higher-end SN84G4, which I built my dad's XPC around, does have a parallel port), however there's a cutout at the top of the case for one, and it's a cheaply available option from the same suppliers as you get the Shuttle XPCs on. Basically a parallel port with a cable which plugs onto a header on the mobo ...
So basically just to note that the lack of parallel port needn't be a 'deal killer' on the XPCs :)
athrap - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
One thing I want to be addressed in the next article on SFF is the heat issue. I live in a HOT area and my computer room does not have air-conditiong. Even with a normal case, heat builup becomes a problem here in summer. Therefore, I want to know how much difference is there between an ATX case and SFF case as far as cooling is concerned.bandrade - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
I'm also looking forward to the roundup. Especially if it includes high end SFF with 939 sockets and the best mid-level ones according to price vs. performance. This will definitely help me decide what to get.IceWindius - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
I really wish Shuttle would get with fixing the Cold boot, SATA and incorrect temp problems with the SN95GJarredWalton - Wednesday, December 8, 2004 - link
Thanks for the comments! I believe the front image is now fixed - I missed the standard format size initially and had to tweak it.If this wasn't entirely clear, I *really* like the change from a large ATX case to a SFF. The Shuttle in particular is really sleek. Now I just need to get around to the actually replacing most of my furniture. Brown particle-board desks that have seen better days with a hodge-podge of couches and chairs - it's pretty bad. (And we won't even talk about all the computer boxes and parts around the house.) :)