*** SFF FAQ ***

FLECOM

FLECOM

Modder(ator) & [H]ardest Folder Evar
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this is the SFF faq

-end

;)

working on it- if you have any suggestions please drop me a pm, thx
 
I agree with ^ when I first glanced I was like wtf, then I saw the other topics and said ok.
 
Another Vote For The Use Of Capital Letters!!!!



Also make a section on Mini-ITX
 
Take a glance and see if you can guess which is which :D










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SFF faq SFF fag

hehe. well on topic here, make sure you get some info about the SN45G and v2 SN41G2 etc vdimm causing death problems.

and another common thing I can think of but you probly have, is "will X work with X psu?"
 
There are no SFF's that come water cooled, but there are a couple water cooling kits. I'm big at the SFFTech forums so I'll try and help port over some of the FAQs and going ons from there to here. At work now, but maybe over the next few nights.

I second a distinction between mini-ITX and flex-ATX type boards. They each have much different issues to be discussed.
 
Perhaps a list of what motherboard/case combos to stay away from and what ones are awesome? I prefer F.I.C. by far...
 
Perhaps a list of the best fans to use when modding the case for either:

A. Volume
B. Additional cooling

As well as some vendors where adapters can be purchased.
 
That is indeed the stock PSU. He has a v2 which comes with the 250W PSU. All Shuttles now come with that or the 240W SilentX.
 
the@ntipop said:
That is indeed the stock PSU. He has a v2 which comes with the 250W PSU. All Shuttles now come with that or the 240W SilentX.
Click to expand...

sorry i didnt know that. ahh well if anything people now know they can replace their sff psu's if need be :)
 
is anyone working on this? it'd be real nice to get some answers to my questoin about SFF.

1. Where can i purchase motherboards for this (and will normal processors work?)
2. What are pros/cons of a SFF compared to a normal desktop?
 
Q. Will the dangerden nv-6800 water block allow enough room in the back for a sound card audigy2 zs?? or does it take up the hole pci slot. just worried about the backing plate for the block
 
Q. Will my Kingston 512MB PC2100 RAM work with the shuttle SN41G2V2?

I was looking up the RAM compatability on shuttle's website for this particular motherboard, and it doesn't have this specific RAM listed. Does that mean it won't work at all?.



I just purchased a shuttle SN41G2V2 ($199 from NewEgg).

http://us.shuttle.com/Halloween.asp
for other shuttles if you're interested. AWESOME prices.
 
FallenBuddhist said:
Q. Will my Kingston 512MB PC2100 RAM work with the shuttle SN41G2V2?

I was looking up the RAM compatability on shuttle's website for this particular motherboard, and it doesn't have this specific RAM listed. Does that mean it won't work at all?.



I just purchased a shuttle SN41G2V2 ($199 from NewEgg).

http://us.shuttle.com/Halloween.asp
for other shuttles if you're interested. AWESOME prices.
Click to expand...

kingston is quality ram, it shld work

wow 199 usd, is that 106gbp? thats a really good buy!
 
Q: Will this FAQ ever be posted or did it go the way of the 6800 Ultra Extreme? ;)
 
FallenBuddhist said:
Q. Will my Kingston 512MB PC2100 RAM work with the shuttle SN41G2V2?

I was looking up the RAM compatability on shuttle's website for this particular motherboard, and it doesn't have this specific RAM listed. Does that mean it won't work at all?.



I just purchased a shuttle SN41G2V2 ($199 from NewEgg).

http://us.shuttle.com/Halloween.asp
for other shuttles if you're interested. AWESOME prices.
Click to expand...

I just built the same system, yes kingsont value ram 512 pc2100 does work with the sn41g2v2. I built this system last night.
 
Q: I currently have a P4 2.8c processor in my mid tower case with a P4P800SE (I believe its the 865PE chipset) and 1 gig of DDR PC-3200 (512x2), X800 XT PE, and an Audigy 2 ZS Platinum. Will I be able to transfer my pc components into a Shuttle SB65G2? I realize that my ZS Platinum internal I/O cannot be used in the case if I plan on using a CD/DVD rom (which I do)
 
killzone said:
Q. Will the dangerden nv-6800 water block allow enough room in the back for a sound card audigy2 zs?? or does it take up the hole pci slot. just worried about the backing plate for the block
Click to expand...
No, it will take up the PCI slot
 
Q: The Flex-ATX form factor is used on SFF cases, it is not always 9.5"x7.5" like the flex-atx spec says. Some are around 12"x7.5". Does anyone have documentation on this larger flex board?
 
I own 2 Shuttle SFF's & I LOVE them. I have bult 7 more for friends/family co-workers after they saw mine. All of mine have been from Shutle, so I can't speak intelligently about other SFF manufacturers. Some words of advice for those of you wishing to dive into the SFF world.

your system will run hotter by about 10 deg. C. Get used to it. Or take the case off & put a desk fan in front of it. :p There's constant flame wars about over/underclocking everything from fans to making them "quiet" to achieve goals that are polar opposites. My take on SFF in general is that you should not overclock your system. They PSU's from Shuttle (with the exception of the sn41 series pre-ACHME) have been VERY high quality. I have yet to have a system fail (though, to be fair it's only been 2 1/2 years) My current system (about to be upgraded for BF2) is a SN41G2 v2 (AMD 2500 barton core) w/ a Radeon 9700 Pro. amd 2x512MB Corsair XMS low latency sticks. I also have 2 WD1200GB internally installed along with a Lite-On burner. I did not experience any of the issues some did regarding the initial power draw from the devoces on bootup causing it to crash...but I thought it fair to bring it up. This issue has been resolved though.

My temps on full load run around 48 cpu, 42 case, 39 hdd1 (can't read smart temp reading from 1st drive for some reason). I'd imagine it's hotter by maybe 5 C. At idle, drop all temps about 5-7 C.

The ICE cooler really is a great idea & there are several tweaks to make it better like snipping the grill off the back.

Also, be sure you buy quality RAM. I can not stress this enough. I remember reading many a thread on SFFTech about how someone had bought brand-X ram b/c it was the cheapest & they would have random problems. Don't get cheap here, buy something decent.

I'm looking at getting another Shuttle (nforce4) & have begun researching again for my
purchase. I'll keep this forum updated as my research progresses.

Now to answer some questions I've seen posted here nobody has answered....

Fitting the 6800 GT in a shuttle: I don't recall seeing any threads on sfftech.com about not being able to squeeze one in. Again, this will depend on your model. I know that one some models they reveresed the AGP/PCI slots to allow dual slot video cards. My 9700 Pro fit, but I was pretty scared it wouldn't.

PROS:
  • It's small! Think the size of a toaster.
  • You can use off the shelf parts for your memory, cpu, drives, etc.
  • Good engineering. A lot more thought goes into the deisgn/ease/layout of these things than I think people give them credit for.
  • Shuttle specific: They listen to your ideas (or used to at least). For 2 months we bitched about haiving the SPDIF in the front. The next model both were moved to the rear.
  • Quiet. This is subjective, but my system before this had 5 fans, and with all the drives in there it sounded like a jet engine when I turned it off
  • Easier to set up than most mid towers. A good SFF will come with the cables pre-routed & the connections like front port usb already set up.

CONS:
  • It's SMALL!! You've got 1 AGP slot & 1 PCI slot. Some have 2 PCIe slots. Depending on which model you're looking at, you may be limited on your video card selection.
  • It's noisy. I put this in both columns because if I don't everyone will bitch one way or the other. I think they're quieter than what it used to be. I can keep this in the living room
  • Limited upgradability.
  • Pricey. Let's face the facts here. SFF's are hot & subsequently in high demand & short supply. What's that mean? You're going to pay more for that little box.
  • The optional mesh case cover actually increased my temps.
  • Runs hotter. This means you should back up your data more frequently & expect a shorter lifespan. I have no proof of this to offer other than common sense that if you're running 2 machines & the first one is 10 - 15 C cooler, it should last longer.

I have only seen *1* water-cooled SFF & it was done just because everyone said it couldn't be done. Again, I must stress what your goals are in your machine.

For me, it came down to looking at how I actually use my computer before I decided to jump in. I normally don't buy upgrade cards, I usually keep the same video card throughout the life of the machine, I usually use the machine for about 2 years before upgrading.
 
For those of you looking to get a SFF box, but don't know which one has all the features you need, I built a nice comparison grid page, generously hosted at SFF Tech. You can sort by pretty much anything (CPU, FSB speeds, etc) and limit your search to, say, only boxes that have SATA Raid. It is very detailed, including dimensions, dbA readings for many units, chipset information, even what LAN chip they use and if they have S/PDIF out.
 
Giggles of Doom said:
For those of you looking to get a SFF box, but don't know which one has all the features you need, I built a nice comparison grid page, generously hosted at SFF Tech. You can sort by pretty much anything (CPU, FSB speeds, etc) and limit your search to, say, only boxes that have SATA Raid. It is very detailed, including dimensions, dbA readings for many units, chipset information, even what LAN chip they use and if they have S/PDIF out.
Click to expand...

Which has been down since at least a week!
 
A MUST DO FOR PRETTY MUCH ALL SHUTTLES IS THE FAN GRILL REMOVAL.

See below:
backshot.jpg


The newest models have a little better grill (less restrictive) but its still best to just cut it off.

I also added an intake hole for my GF6800nu.

With these 2 mods. I greatly reduced the temps on my videocard and CPU. Videocard runs almost 10C cooler, after mod. And now the main fan hardly ever speeds up. (Smart Fan - variable speed - setting in BIOS)

Worklog here
Finished product here
 
Giggles of Doom said:
For those of you looking to get a SFF box, but don't know which one has all the features you need, I built a nice comparison grid page, generously hosted at SFF Tech. You can sort by pretty much anything (CPU, FSB speeds, etc) and limit your search to, say, only boxes that have SATA Raid. It is very detailed, including dimensions, dbA readings for many units, chipset information, even what LAN chip they use and if they have S/PDIF out.
Click to expand...

SO where is this Document now? The site/link is still down.
 
Q. What advantages do SFF offer over mid-towers etc?

Q. Are SFF computers more expensive than regular towers and if so, by how much?

Q. What do people use their SFF PC's for most?
 
Slider19 said:
Q. What advantages do SFF offer over mid-towers etc?

Q. Are SFF computers more expensive than regular towers and if so, by how much?

Q. What do people use their SFF PC's for most?
Click to expand...

A. Portability, looks, no loss in features (save SLI and dual cpu)
A. yes, they are. The mATX SFF's will run you 150-175$ when the mobo is added, and shuttle systems can be even more than that.
A. Gaming/LAN rigs, HTPC, computers for the dorm (i.e. me), but many people use them as primary rigs these days
 
Well, id like to see a "Will a _ work in my _" Fill in the blanks with video cards, heatsinks...

I hate noise. Sometimes I want to go shoot my brothers computer that has the stock A64 cooler on it. It screams at me all night. Just the whining of a high revving fan sucking air.
 
I can say from experience that:
1- A MicroCool Northpole (chipset cooler) fits in an SB75G2 ; ~½ inch clearance on top of fan. Gotta use custom retention system for Intel chipset, I used a clip from a Swiftech MCX159. Fan is way louder than stock though, but chipset is no longer hotter than my CPU. :D

2- The Swiftech MCX159 is way too tall (in stock and unmodded form, that is ;) )
 
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