Upgrading from SFF - recommended small-ish cases?
09 April 2006, 10:30 PM
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Upgrading from SFF - recommended small-ish cases?
I've had a couple of upgrade threads on here recently, and my systems chugging a little. I've been looking in the market for a new video card after upgrading my memory but I'm worried that my shuttle either
+ won't have the power to run the video card on full chat (I wanted a fairly powerful model like an X800 or better - I think the shuttle PSU is only 200-220W)
+ won't have the space to fit the card and heatsink without the side of the case obstructing the GFX card fan
+ will heat up to even more stupid levels than it already does.
I feel the time may be right for me to leave SFF town, and opt for a regular case that will at least fit an ATX board so I can buy standard components. Trouble is I'm fairly sold on the small case size.(Here's a pic of the current model I have http://www.barbones.com/Images/miniPC2003/image004.jpg
Does anyone have any recommendations of nice cases (but not way over £100) that are minimal in size but have good airflow and Power supply capability? Then I'll end up getting a whole pile of stuff to load in there.
I'm really only after room for a mobo, fat GFX card, DVD writer, one or two hard disks and media card reader with a juicy PSU so I'm not so restrictred on future upgrade paths as I am with the proprietary boards in the shuttle-type systems.
Thanks!
Joolz
+ won't have the power to run the video card on full chat (I wanted a fairly powerful model like an X800 or better - I think the shuttle PSU is only 200-220W)
+ won't have the space to fit the card and heatsink without the side of the case obstructing the GFX card fan
+ will heat up to even more stupid levels than it already does.
I feel the time may be right for me to leave SFF town, and opt for a regular case that will at least fit an ATX board so I can buy standard components. Trouble is I'm fairly sold on the small case size.(Here's a pic of the current model I have http://www.barbones.com/Images/miniPC2003/image004.jpg
Does anyone have any recommendations of nice cases (but not way over £100) that are minimal in size but have good airflow and Power supply capability? Then I'll end up getting a whole pile of stuff to load in there.
I'm really only after room for a mobo, fat GFX card, DVD writer, one or two hard disks and media card reader with a juicy PSU so I'm not so restrictred on future upgrade paths as I am with the proprietary boards in the shuttle-type systems.
Thanks!
Joolz
Last edited by jbryant; 09 April 2006 at 10:32 PM.
10 April 2006, 09:12 AM
#2
Joolz.
Why not buy a Replacement PSU?
Like this one on this page:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...VzdWx0cw%3D%3D
I currently have a Shuttle that has the upgraded PSU and it runs a ATI 9800XT without issue (AGP).
The only issue I would see is that if you want to run the latest generation of SLI cards. As this may not be possible.
Why not buy a Replacement PSU?
Like this one on this page:
http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/produ...VzdWx0cw%3D%3D
I currently have a Shuttle that has the upgraded PSU and it runs a ATI 9800XT without issue (AGP).
The only issue I would see is that if you want to run the latest generation of SLI cards. As this may not be possible.
11 April 2006, 10:40 PM
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Originally Posted by jpor
I currently have a Shuttle that has the upgraded PSU and it runs a ATI 9800XT without issue (AGP).
Don't you have any issue with system temperatures? One of my worries is that the fan on the newer graphics cards are so deep, the side of the case would block off the airflow, and that's assuming they even fit in the box! I'd hate to buy a nerw gfx card, only to find it doesn't even fit within the case because of the ridiculous cooling on some of them!
Do you have the 250w or 300w model - your link doesn't seem to work but I assume searching for shuttle psu on ebuyer that you have the silentx psu?
Thanks
Joolz
12 April 2006, 07:49 PM
#4
Originally Posted by jbryant
Thanks for the advice jpor, it's certainly a valid suggestion without tempting me to go wild on upgrades...
Don't you have any issue with system temperatures? One of my worries is that the fan on the newer graphics cards are so deep, the side of the case would block off the airflow, and that's assuming they even fit in the box! I'd hate to buy a nerw gfx card, only to find it doesn't even fit within the case because of the ridiculous cooling on some of them!
Do you have the 250w or 300w model - your link doesn't seem to work but I assume searching for shuttle psu on ebuyer that you have the silentx psu?
Thanks
Joolz
Don't you have any issue with system temperatures? One of my worries is that the fan on the newer graphics cards are so deep, the side of the case would block off the airflow, and that's assuming they even fit in the box! I'd hate to buy a nerw gfx card, only to find it doesn't even fit within the case because of the ridiculous cooling on some of them!
Do you have the 250w or 300w model - your link doesn't seem to work but I assume searching for shuttle psu on ebuyer that you have the silentx psu?
Thanks
Joolz
Temperature wise. Well I have 2 shuttles. 1 is the sn41g (Nvidia chipset which runs a 3000+ Barton core chip) Which is this one:
http://global.shuttle.com/Product/Ba...ew.asp?B_id=11
And the other is the SB75G2 Which is this one:
http://global.shuttle.com/Product/Ba...ew.asp?B_id=23
The SB75G2 is the main Shuttle I use for gaming. Temp wise it gets hot. Due to the Prestcot Core P4 3GHz chip. The PSU is the standard 250W that came with it.
The best thing about the SB75G2 is that it has better ventillation and higher meshed sides. But I can understand your comment about bigger heatsinks on Graphics cards. You can on this model remove the mesh which does mean leaving a large hole. The other issue is that I find the fan on the ATi to be very loud. Even though I replaced the stock Main fan with a quiter one.
Which model do you have? If you have a case similar to the sn41g2, then you will have issues with Graphics cards. I started out with the intention of having the sn41g2 as a all round machine, but found because of the lack of side ventialtion was not possible.
12 April 2006, 07:55 PM
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D'oh!
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpor
Which model do you have? If you have a case similar to the sn41g2, then you will have issues with Graphics cards. I started out with the intention of having the sn41g2 as a all round machine, but found because of the lack of side ventialtion was not possible.
Ah that's blown it! I've got the SN45, essentially the same case as the SN41 you have... http://www.shuttle.com/share/simages...ages/sn45g.jpg
It's very limited for ventilation. In fact my cpu/case temp now at idle and unclocked (AMD XP2500+ Barton) is 58/49C (and that's with case off) which is ridiculously high, so I think I need to reseat my CPU heatsink. I don't expect it's gonna cope with much more in terms of gfx card heat output unless I can get the temps down first. For that reason I was just wondering whether to upgrade from a 9600 to a 9600 pro/xt etc. About 30-40% more oomph for £30 off ebay... Maybe push to a 97/9800. It's a tricky one, as I may need to spend a fair whack on a silentx to power decent gfx card update in the long run and still find it gets too hot in the case!
D'oh!
Joolz
Originally Posted by jpor
Which model do you have? If you have a case similar to the sn41g2, then you will have issues with Graphics cards. I started out with the intention of having the sn41g2 as a all round machine, but found because of the lack of side ventialtion was not possible.
Ah that's blown it! I've got the SN45, essentially the same case as the SN41 you have... http://www.shuttle.com/share/simages...ages/sn45g.jpg
It's very limited for ventilation. In fact my cpu/case temp now at idle and unclocked (AMD XP2500+ Barton) is 58/49C (and that's with case off) which is ridiculously high, so I think I need to reseat my CPU heatsink. I don't expect it's gonna cope with much more in terms of gfx card heat output unless I can get the temps down first. For that reason I was just wondering whether to upgrade from a 9600 to a 9600 pro/xt etc. About 30-40% more oomph for £30 off ebay... Maybe push to a 97/9800. It's a tricky one, as I may need to spend a fair whack on a silentx to power decent gfx card update in the long run and still find it gets too hot in the case!
D'oh!
Joolz
12 April 2006, 08:07 PM
#6
Originally Posted by jbryant
Quote:
Originally Posted by jpor
Which model do you have? If you have a case similar to the sn41g2, then you will have issues with Graphics cards. I started out with the intention of having the sn41g2 as a all round machine, but found because of the lack of side ventialtion was not possible.
Ah that's blown it! I've got the SN45, essentially the same case as the SN41 you have... http://www.shuttle.com/share/simages...ages/sn45g.jpg
It's very limited for ventilation. In fact my cpu/case temp now at idle and unclocked (AMD XP2500+ Barton) is 58/49C (and that's with case off) which is ridiculously high, so I think I need to reseat my CPU heatsink. I don't expect it's gonna cope with much more in terms of gfx card heat output unless I can get the temps down first. For that reason I was just wondering whether to upgrade from a 9600 to a 9600 pro/xt etc. About 30-40% more oomph for £30 off ebay... Maybe push to a 97/9800. It's a tricky one, as I may need to spend a fair whack on a silentx to power decent gfx card update in the long run and still find it gets too hot in the case!
D'oh!
Joolz
Originally Posted by jpor
Which model do you have? If you have a case similar to the sn41g2, then you will have issues with Graphics cards. I started out with the intention of having the sn41g2 as a all round machine, but found because of the lack of side ventialtion was not possible.
Ah that's blown it! I've got the SN45, essentially the same case as the SN41 you have... http://www.shuttle.com/share/simages...ages/sn45g.jpg
It's very limited for ventilation. In fact my cpu/case temp now at idle and unclocked (AMD XP2500+ Barton) is 58/49C (and that's with case off) which is ridiculously high, so I think I need to reseat my CPU heatsink. I don't expect it's gonna cope with much more in terms of gfx card heat output unless I can get the temps down first. For that reason I was just wondering whether to upgrade from a 9600 to a 9600 pro/xt etc. About 30-40% more oomph for £30 off ebay... Maybe push to a 97/9800. It's a tricky one, as I may need to spend a fair whack on a silentx to power decent gfx card update in the long run and still find it gets too hot in the case!
D'oh!
Joolz
http://global.shuttle.com/Support/Su...asp?Item=SN45G
Maybe worth a look at these instead:
http://tomshardware.co.uk/2005/12/23...euk/index.html
12 April 2006, 08:38 PM
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Originally Posted by jbryant
Ah that's blown it! I've got the SN45, essentially the same case as the SN41 you have... http://www.shuttle.com/share/simages...ages/sn45g.jpg
It's very limited for ventilation. In fact my cpu/case temp now at idle and unclocked (AMD XP2500+ Barton) is 58/49C (and that's with case off) which is ridiculously high, so I think I need to reseat my CPU heatsink. I don't expect it's gonna cope with much more in terms of gfx card heat output unless I can get the temps down first. For that reason I was just wondering whether to upgrade from a 9600 to a 9600 pro/xt etc. About 30-40% more oomph for £30 off ebay... Maybe push to a 97/9800. It's a tricky one, as I may need to spend a fair whack on a silentx to power decent gfx card update in the long run and still find it gets too hot in the case!
D'oh!
Joolz
I've got a sn45g as well and my temps are pretty similar to yours running a xp2500+ with a 9600xt... (modified with quieter gpu fan) I upgraded to a 9800 for a while but it was loads more noisier and my temps went up a fair bit.. didn't think it was worth it so changed back to the 9600xt.
Had a problem with the original fan on the 9600xt as it was so big it was right against the side of the case and it made a proper racket...
just build a new box with an amd 4200 x2 which runs really cool (between 30 & 43) and is really quiet.. the hard drive in my system is the noisiest thing now!
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12 April 2006, 08:49 PM
#8
Originally Posted by Rob Walker
just build a new box with an amd 4200 x2 which runs really cool (between 30 & 43) and is really quiet.. the hard drive in my system is the noisiest thing now!
12 April 2006, 10:04 PM
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built a whole new system.. x2 4200, geforce 7600gt, lian-li aluminium case..sli mobo too so I can chuck another card in when they come down in price.. used some of the bits out of the shuttle like the ram and dvd writer.. was going to use the shuttle for a media centre in the living room but decided it was a bit much hassle and just bought a little usb drive thingy with tv out instead, stuck the hd from my shuttle in there. just got to replace the shuttle bits I robbed so I can flog it..
Also my new case is only a midi but its too bloody big for the little computer desk I've got and sticks out a few inches.. keep banging my knees of it. Totally didn't think if that when I bought it.. doh.
Got a bit pissed off with the lack of upgradability on the shuttle and the fact that it all had to be taken to bits whenever anything needed doing inside...
Also my new case is only a midi but its too bloody big for the little computer desk I've got and sticks out a few inches.. keep banging my knees of it. Totally didn't think if that when I bought it.. doh.
Got a bit pissed off with the lack of upgradability on the shuttle and the fact that it all had to be taken to bits whenever anything needed doing inside...
14 April 2006, 03:58 PM
#10
This looks good: http://global.shuttle.com/Product/Barebone/SN26P.asp#
Not sure about which SLi Cards will fit inside.
Not sure about which SLi Cards will fit inside.
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