The Case

The idea behind a SFF PC is to create a package that can be easily fitted into tight areas. Given that desk space is a valuable commodity these days, having a huge full tower on your desktop isn't a popular option. For the corporate user, under the desk is typically reserved for filing cabinets, or to accommodate those after-hours frolicking with the hired help, so many PCs need to be of the smaller variety to save on space. For the most part, other SFF cases serve that job well, but lack any "sex" appeal.

The Shuttle barebones are arguably the nicest SFF PCs to hit the market. They are a little larger than other SFF PCs, but no doubt, the look of an aluminum box will turn some heads. The XPC SS51 in particular is very attractive. The Flex ATX case measures a mere 200(w) x 181(h) x 280(d)mm. It really isn't much larger than a small toaster oven, and light enough that even when fully loaded, it's easy to carry under one arm.

One aesthetic feature that we liked is the front acrylic face plate. I suppose if you don't like it, you can easily remove it via the front screws. The SS51 we have came with a blue face plate, but these can be changed with new ones that you can make yourself, or by purchasing a different colour online. A small annoyance is that unless you stealth mod it, the floppy and CDROM drives will be badly mismatched colour-wise.

The power and reset buttons both have a nice feel to them. They don't feel very squishy, and make a reassuring click when depressed. They are accompanied by bright LEDs. The power LED is of the ultra bright variety, so no need to change that if you're a bright LED fan. Personally, I wasn't too wild about it since I prefer resting my PCs on my desk, and bright lights tend to annoy me. The HDD LED is a little more muted thankfully.

There are a slew of front panel connections, such as FireWire, USB, sound, and a SPDIF Out. This makes for much easier swapping of input devices, especially in my case where I do some late night gaming and plugging in headphones into the front of the case is much more convenient than battling with wires in the back.

There is no side or top panels with the SS51, but rather, it's kind of old school with the one piece top/side enclosure. Removing the three thumbscrews will allow you to pull back the cover, and slide it off at a 45 degree angle. Though it works well enough, I used to hate removing the cover this way, and I still do. Putting it back on does require some care, as a stray wire can interfere with reinstallation.

Given the lack of cooling fans, there are small holes on either side of the cover to allow some airflow. Unfortunately, there are no holes on the front, which may cause some issues with case cooling, depending on the hardware you may choose to install. We'll look more into the cooling later on in the review.

In the back, there are two fan exhausts present. The smaller one is for the power supply, whereas the larger one is the main cooling. Rather than using a wire grill, we have cutouts instead. I think a grill would allow for more airflow, so case modders may consider dremeling out the cutouts.

In the back, we also have the primary back panel for all your I/O needs. There isn't any external bracket, so for the multi-channel sound, you'll have to use the integrated sound software to configure the line-in and Mic-out to accommodate additional speakers.

There are two brackets available for additional PCI and AGP cards. I shouldn't say that in plural though, as you only have space for exactly one PCI and AGP card. One annoying feature is that if you ever have to remove or change a card, you'll have to unscrew the retaining screws for both to be able to lift the swinging retention plate.

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