Close Encounters of the Small Kind
by Jarred Walton on December 8, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
Final Thoughts
I've been using computers for over twenty years now, and I've been building my own systems since the glory days of the 386 and AT/Baby AT cases. After the nightmares of getting older baby AT systems working, ATX was a breath of fresh air. Many of the compatibility issues disappeared. Things have now matured to the point where pretty much anyone with a decent head on their shoulders could figure out how to build a computer from scratch. (If your VCR or stereo is blinking "12:00" at you, this probably doesn't apply.)After a lifetime of using boring beige cases, I moved on to black. (Yeah, I'm a "rebel" like that.) Now, I'm to the point where I'm furnishing my own apartment and I'm starting to worry about making things look nice. (When I say "I", I'm really talking about my wife as well as myself.) I think a nice SFF or two (or four?) looks a lot better sitting in a room than the bulky tower cases. You may or may not agree with that sentiment, but if you're willing to spend the extra $50 price premium for a SFF case, I think that you will be pleased with the change. There are a few caveats, of course.
While benchmarks were not a part of this article, there are some areas in which SFFs still can't match ATX configurations. For starters, all the high-end performance options become difficult, if not impossible, to incorporate into a SFF box. Two hard drives in RAID 0 is still possible for a small performance boost, but you'll have to sacrifice either a floppy bay or 5.25" bay for one of the drives. Larger 2-slot graphics cards are not going to fit well (if at all) in these diminutive cases, and features such as SLI are simply not possible without a major redesign of the case internals - someone out there is probably already working on such a design, of course. The limited expansion options extend to other areas as well. Most, if not all, SFF motherboards only include two RAM slots, limiting you to 2 GB for DDR and 4 GB if you can manage to find 2 GB DDR2 DIMMs. SCSI drives are also out unless you really want to push the limits of the design. None of these things are a deal breaker, however. Discounting SLI graphics, a properly built SFF can offer very close to the same performance as a typical ATX system. If you really need more performance than that, you're probably already running a dual processor workstation or server.
The other area in which SFF systems tend to fall short of their big brothers is in enthusiast options such as overclocking. Some of the systems include overclocking settings in the BIOS while others entirely eliminate it. Even when they include the options, though, a larger case provides for better cooling, which can lead to better overclocking - a Thermalright XP-120 HSF is not going to fit into any of these cases, if you hadn't noticed. Extreme overclocking devices including water cooling and peltier coolers are also out - unless you want to heavily modify the case. As before, none of these shortcomings are really deal breakers.
As for the two units that I've been using, how do they stack up? If it were me, which one would I want? In terms of features, the ASUS clearly wins out, but the Shuttle system is roughly half the size of the ASUS. To keep things in perspective, the Antec SLK3700-BQE case that was replaced is still about twice the size of the ASUS box. If you won't use many of the extras like the radio tuner and wireless networking, there's little point in having them. Conversely, if you want wireless networking, a flash card reader, and a floppy drive along with the standard DVD and HDD, the shuttle would be unable to fit your needs. Since my printer basically requires an LPT port, the Shuttle wouldn't be able to qualify on its own, unfortunately. (Add-in LPT cards are available, but I prefer a system that includes native support over an add-in card.) There is also a punchout location for an LPT port on the rear of the Shuttle, and you can purchase an adapter that should fit for $9 from Shuttle, but we would like to see the cable included by default considering the cost of the case.
That is the crux of the problem in searching for an ideal SFF case: there are very few SFFs that allow you to have everything that you could possibly want. ATX cases can accommodate a virtually limitless number of upgrades and extras, but SFF designs always make some compromises for the sake of size. Fitting in a large graphics card like a 6800 Ultra is simply not possible on most of the models, and even where it can physically fit, you still may not have enough power to run it stably. The sanity of using such a card in a confined space is up for debate as well - the heat output may exceed the case's ability to dissipate that heat, or at the very least, it would lead to higher noise levels.
If you can live with the above limitations, small form factor designs are really great. They tend to show much better design goals than ATX cases, with aesthetically pleasing looks and less noise pollution. They do cost a bit more and offer fewer expansion options, but when you consider how much money is often spent on non-essentials in the home - like furniture that matches the décor better - the cost is really a pretty minor factor. Laptops are another alternative to ATX cases that many consider, but unlike SFFs, the performance of even the best laptops still trails behind that of a similarly priced desktop by a large margin.
We're working on a large roundup of SFF cases that should be finished some time later this month, so if this initial look into the SFF world - from my biased perspective - has piqued your interest, stay tuned!
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henan - Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - link
I liked your article, even if it is something I would not buy unless I had lots of money to spare and wanted an extra toy. I like having the possibilities and as many of us I often install or just play around with a device, wich would not be as easy with an SFF.About that LPT port, as some suggest shuttle offers the addons. Another option would simply be to use a USB to LPT converter. About 20 dollars here in sweden. Why not a printserver? Many do have a home network setup. Of course you could spend that on a new printer, but why not use a printer that works? The converter will make it last until it finally brakes down (the enviroment issue...). Call me old fashioned, but I still use one!
/Henrik of Stockholm
willndowed - Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - link
I've got a shuttle SN45G system w/ a Athlon2800+, 1G of Ram... it was one with the 8X AGP port and I've got a 128M ATI 9600 video card in it.It's getting a little on the aged side, about a year old or so, but I've had nothing but good luck with it. It's been a great little machine. It's pretty good on overclocking, it' lets me OC the CPU to 3200+. It's got the ICE heat pipes that does a pretty darned good job of keep it cool.
I've done a few things to it, put a couple small 12v headlight tinting lights into it for case l ights and put a clear acrylic case on it. I've also put Battlefield on the front behind the acrylic front which gives it a little of a 3d look to it.
The real plus to this system is LAN parties. It's got a bag that fits it, so instead of making 3 or 4 trips hauling a 20 pound case huge monitor and a ton of other stuff... I load it into a bag, strap the keyboard and mouse to it, grab my monitor and go.
For the last year it's been a great machine...
... though I am going to build me a huge monster, this little system I'm going to keep it around.
RedWolf - Tuesday, December 14, 2004 - link
Nice article, Jarred. I completely understand about the little ones and the need to put the pc on the desk. I acquired an Antec Aria a month ago (traded a lanboy/mobo on the forums for it) and have been trying to make it better for high-end gaming.After lots of modding I got a BFG 6800 OC. Well, the 6800 was pretty loud, even at 50% speed. I bought an Artic Cooling VGA Silencer and it doesn't quite fit.
So, I gave up on the Aria as a high-end gaming case and will be moving my wifes component's into it.
I am looking into smaller atx cases now that have 120mm fans AND have a locking door on the front. That should keep little fingers away from the reset and power buttons. I guess I should have just taken my Lanboy and put it on my desk.
Anyway, I look forward to the SFF roundup you guys are doing. Don't forget to include the Aria and maybe even the Hornet.
flachschippe - Monday, December 13, 2004 - link
Talking about trends going to and fro:The Apple II of about 1978 *had* expansion slots. There was an enormous number of different cards available. It was said that the IBM PC's design
copied this aspect. Surprisingly, the first Apple Macintosh, of about 1984, was not user-upgradeable at all.
Phantronius - Monday, December 13, 2004 - link
As nice as SFF are, they simply just won't work for me. As frequently as I upgrade my equipment, my overhead costs and assache to upgrade using SFF would be a nightmare.I use Shuttle as workstations at work and build them for clients but for my gaming stations, I'll stick with ATX for a good long time.
flachschippe - Monday, December 13, 2004 - link
Talking about trends going to and fro:The Apple II of about 1978 *had* expansion slots. There was an enormous number of different cards available. It was said that the IBM PC's design
copied this aspect. Surprisingly, the first Apple Macintosh, of about 1984, was not user-upgradeable at all.
JarredWalton - Sunday, December 12, 2004 - link
Gioron - I just didn't want to be too hard on Shuttle when I haven't tried all of the other cases. The ASUS didn't give me any trouble, but maybe that was just luck, as I was using a different drive in that unit. I figure that many of the models with the drive covers are going to have some issues, and while Lian Li may have gotten it right, I haven't ever used one of their cases so I can't speak from personal experience.Anyway, it was about 10 minutes of work to get the drive positioned where it needed to be, so while annoying at the time it isn't a problem after assembly. Frequent upgraders would really have issues with most of the SFFs I've tried.
Gioron - Sunday, December 12, 2004 - link
err, correction: "adjusting the screws with the case open _and the computer turned on_"Gioron - Sunday, December 12, 2004 - link
Since I have an sn95g5 the one thing I was looking for (and found) in your article was mention of that dang CD drive button. I had the same problems getting the drive properly aligned, and personally feel that the tolerance is actually much less than 1/16" (though that might vary with the model of drive that you're installing). I eventually resorted to adjusting the screws with the case open, which is not exactly a good thing.In regards to your "there is no perfect solution" line about this, go find a lian-li case and one of its universal drive covers. The button is _under_ the drive plate, giving direct pressure to the CD's button and a much longer travel length and tolerance for misajustment. I see no reason (well, aside from possible patents or something) that Shuttle couldn't have coppied the same basic layout and put the drive button below and eliminated the funky lever system thats eating up most of the button travel distance and making the drive placement so difficult.
Of course, aside from that one minor pet peeve I'm happy with my SFF case, and feel the advantages are more than worth the limitations.
IceWindius - Saturday, December 11, 2004 - link
#35You gain some, and you loose some. Either use the onboard sound or stick with ATX.