Shuttle's SS40G XPC Mini Barebones System!
A Big Package with a Small Footprint

By, Jeff Bouton
August 13, 2002

 

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. 

Gaming Scores With 3DMark 2001
Not What We're Used To Seeing

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!