When it comes to
registering gains with the additional graphics card,
it was with the gaming tests that we expected to see
the most change. Once again, we must stress that
the SS40G is not meant to be a high-performance system
and you may feel that the scores in the next round of
tests are a bit paltry. Nonetheless, at the end
of these tests we will be able to demonstrate the
effects of the $70 investment in a secondary graphics
card.
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Gaming Scores With 3DMark 2001 |
Not What We're
Used To Seeing |
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First, we
ran 3DMark2001SE (Build 3.01) at the default
1024x768x32 resolution. Naturally, we didn't
expect to see anything earth shattering here, but it
is an interesting test to demonstrate how the SS40G's
performance improves with a PCI video card.
Let's get to it...
At the end
of this test DirectX benchmark, we managed to improve
the score by 138% with the MX420 installed. This
is a gain that can decide whether or not gaming is
possible with the SS40G.
Now let's
see how it handles Quake 3.
|
Gaming Scores With Quake 3 |
Old Trusty. |
|
Next, we
ran a few rounds of Quake 3 to see how the system
handled the popular OpenGL benchmark. First, we
ran the test at 640x480x16 to show how the CPU
responded when we took the graphics load off of the
system.
Clearly, there is a major
advantage to installing a video card to the SS40G.
By reducing the load on the CPU and increasing
available system memory, we picked
up an addition 32.6 frames per second. In the
next test we ran the same comparison at 1024x768x32
to see how the system handled the increased picture
quality.
Even at the higher
resolution with all visual qualities set to maximum,
the unit came very close to playable frame rates with
the Visiontek card installed. With the addition
of an add on video card, a more powerful processor or
a slight reduction in picture complexity, the SS40G
should be quite capable of gaming with fairly decent
performance.
In our next round of tests
we will focus on application performance on the SS40G.
|
The
Winstones |
Taking Care of
Business. |
|
We also
ran ZD Labs' Business Winstone 2001 and Content
Creation 2002 benchmarks. These benchmarks
measure a PC's overall performance when running actual
Windows-based 32-bit applications. Business
Winstone focuses on popular workstation applications
while Content Creation is more multimedia intensive.
Below is a list of some of the applications these
benchmarks use to gauge a systems overall rating.
The Business Winstone 2001 tests include:
-
Five Microsoft Office 2000 applications
(Access, Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, and
Word)
-
Microsoft Project 98
-
Lotus Notes R5
-
NicoMak WinZip
-
Norton Antivirus
-
Netscape Communicator
|
The Content Creation Winstone 2002 tests
include:
-
Adobe Photoshop 6.0.1
-
Adobe Premiere 6.0
-
Macromedia Director 8.5
-
Macromedia Dreamweaver UltraDev 4
-
Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 7
-
Netscape Navigator 6/6.01
-
Sonic Foundry Sound Forge 5.0c (build 184)
|
Both tests turned out
scores much lower than we are used to seeing around
here, although this wasn't unexpected. When it comes
to multimedia intensive applications, the SS40G was a
little underpowered and would benefit from a higher
end processor being installed. All in all, the
SS40G is shaping up to be a fairly well-rounded system
that has the capacity to satisfy a wide range of
computing desires.
As with
its predecessors, Shuttle has made yet another good
impression on us with the release of the SS40G.
It's clear that Shuttle does not intend to build one
unit and simply offer the same case with a new
motherboard. Instead, they have been astute at
taking the suggestions of reviewers and everyday
users alike, to add improvements with each new design.
This is an excellent approach that leaves us anxious
to see what they will come up with next. Not
only has Shuttle come up with a winning product line,
they've come up with a winning formula that has given
us something to look forward to in the future as well.
The SS40G
XPC mini system is one of the most complete systems
Shuttle has produced to date, with enough features to
ensure that the system will be useful for many years
to come. With USB 2.0, FireWire, Integrated
LAN, 6-Channel Audio and Integrated graphics, the
SS40G is a potent unit that can assume a wide range of
computing
roles. The SS40G would make an excellent file
server, mid-range gaming system with add-on graphics,
or MP3 server. With the addition of a DVD drive,
the XPC can be integrated into a home entertainment
system as a fully functional DVD player. The
uses are virtually limitless when the creative juices
start flowing. For this reviewer, the unit has
been added to a home entertainment system and acts as
a DVD player as well as an MP3 jukebox. We
connected the system to the home network and now
surfing the web can be done on the TV as well.
Unfortunately, we feel that the BIOS of the SS40G was
a little light on advanced features, offering very
little extras at all. While we can understand
the rationale in not including the ability to increase
the system bus beyond spec, a multiplier setting on an
Athlon based system is simply a must. With so
many enthusiasts unlocking their Athon processors, a
multiplier setting is essential for them to gain some
extra power from their processor. The 1.2GHz.
T'bird we used for reviewing has a history of pushing
past 1.7GHz. and we certainly
would've liked the chance to see how high it would go
in the SS40G.
Based on it's innovative design,
good performance, mediocre BIOS and relatively
affordable price tag of $320
(price gathered from Pricewatch and Newegg.com), we give the Shuttle SS40G
XPC mini
barebones system a HotHardware Heat Meter rating of...8.5
Discuss this or any
other Hot Hardware Review in the PC Hardware Forum!
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