has been making some inroads gaining acceptance into the enthusiast mindset. There was a time when that wasn't really the case, as they always lagged behind in features and overclocking ability when compared to others such as Abit, and Asus. This wasn't to say that their boards weren't any good; on the contrary, their boards have always been relatively stable.

Things have changed, as their boards are just as interesting as the top tier manufacturers, but a lot of their momentum the past 18 months has been due to the introduction of their Small Form Factor (SFF) PCs. Hardcore gamers scoffed at these boxes, but there was a legitimate market for these barebone rigs. They were small, easy to carry around or hide under a desk, as well as packing a lot of integrated features such as LAN, sound and video, all packaged in a nice aluminum case. This made for a nice PC for the corporate market, as well as aesthetically minded home users.

There were a few problems with the initial release, the SV24, such as noise, but more importantly the lack of upgradeable graphics, a problem that would come back in the later barebone packages. The integrated graphics wasn't exactly anything a 3D gamer would ever be interested in, and although there are many uses for the Shuttle SSFs, 3D gaming wasn't one of them.

A couple months ago, Shuttle released a barebone to answer that call, and today we'll be looking at the Shuttle XPC SS51. Almost every aspect of the barebone series has been upgraded, including the addition of an AGP slot. Before continuing, here are the &

Model SS51G

Chipset
North Bridge SiS651
South Bridge Sis962L

CPU: Socket 478
Intel Pentium 4/Celeron
478 pin package with 400/533MHz Data Bus Speed
Soft configuration FSB from 100Mhz to 166MHz

Form Factor: Flex ATX

Memory
2 x 184pin DDR DIMM
Support DDR200/266/333 un-buffer DDR SDRAM
up to 2GB capacity

Expansion Capability
AGP Slot X 1 Supports 2X / 4X AGP Device
PCI Slot x 1
USB port x 4
IEEE1394 x 3
5.25" Reserved Bay x 1
3.5" Reserved Bay x 2
(TWo HDs or Singel Floppy + Single HD)

Onboard Graphic: Integrated SiS651 VGA
VGA Memory cache up to 64MB
VGA driver

Audio: Realtek ALC 650
AC '97 v2.2 (supports 5.1 channel) compliant CODEC on board
Support Digital SPDIF In/Out
Audio Driver

Onboard LAN: Realtek RTL8139 Family PCI/Cardbus Fast Ethernet
10/100Mb Fast Ethernet LAN
Support Wake on LAN, Boot to LAN, PXE 2.0
LAN driver

USB 2.0: Integrated SiS 962 USB 2.0

Onboard 1394: VIA VT6306
Complies with 1394 OHCI specification revision 1.0
Support 400Mb/s, 200Mb/s, 100Mb/s data transfer rate

IDE interface
2 x Ultra DMA 133 IDE Channels Master from SiS962
80-pin Cable Backward Compatible Legacy ATAPI Devices
ATAPI IDE CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, and LS-120 Supports

Case
Aluminum chassis 200(w) x 181(h) x 280(d)mm
Power supply 200Watts 110 / 230V
1 x 3.5" bay
1 x 5.25" bay
1 x 3.5" bay (Hidden)

Front Panel
2 x USB ports
1 x 1394 ports
1 x 1 x 5.25" bay
1 x 3.5" bay (Hidden)
SPDIF Out
1 x Mic-In
1 x Speaker-Out
Power-On
Reset

Back Panel Ports and Connectors
Power code/AC
1 x PCI slot
1 x AGP slot
1 x PS/2 Keyboard
1 x PS/2 Mouse
1 x VGA port
2 x Serial Port
2 x 1394 ports
1 x SPDIF In
2 x USB ports
1 x RJ45 port
1 x Front out connector
1 x Rear out connector
1 x Center/Bass connector

Thumbnails can be clicked to enlarge

The SS51 ships in an attractive box with a carry handle. Everything is neatly packaged, and surprisingly light. I know that the PC is tiny, but to be honest, I expected a larger box. Inside, you'll find the Shuttle SS51, power cable, and a smaller white box fitted within the foam pads.

There are quite a few accessories, including the IDE and floppy cables, the manuals, screws and the driver CD. I suggest downloading the latest drivers though, as the shipping drivers are woefully out of date.

Next Page - The Case