Shuttle SN27P2 SFF: AM2 gets the Tiny Treatment
by Jarred Walton on June 30, 2006 11:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Conclusion
So how does the Shuttle SN27P2 stack up? We can of course unequivocally state that this is the best SFF for socket AM2 that we have ever tested, and that about sums things up. Right now, if you want an AM2 SFF computer, you have exactly one choice. We have heard of a couple other AM2 SFF units that are in the works, but it's also worth noting that we saw nothing during our testing of the SN27P2 that indicates it has any major problems. What about minor problems or concerns?
The biggest concern we have right now is with the BIOS implementation. It generally works, but it is still a bit rough in some areas. For example, the CPU multiplier setting is currently ignored when the AMD CPU driver is installed under Windows. We have seen this on at least one other motherboard (the Gigabyte GA-M59SLI-S5), and really all that is required is an updated BIOS to address this issue. There was one other slightly odd issue we noticed periodically, and again it seems to be BIOS related. When the system is powered off, the CPU and case fans sometimes continue to spin at low RPMs. (The power supply fan is not active.) It almost seems as though the system is put into a sleep state rather than powering off sometimes. As we have yet to see any e-tailers selling the SN27P2, we're hopeful that these minor issues will be addressed before the system begins shipping. Of course, if you don't plan on using the CPU multipliers and leave the system running all the time, you won't notice either issue.
In many ways, the SN27P2 simply carries on the Shuttle tradition. It is an attractive, small, reasonably quiet, high performing computer that can easily pack as much power as many full-size ATX computers. You continue to give up expansion options, but many people only use a single graphics card, integrated audio and networking, along with a single hard drive. Shuttle has improved expansion options slightly this time around, with support for e-SATA as well as four DIMM slots. If you don't already have a Shuttle SN25P (or the SLI enabled SN26P) or a Biostar 330P, and you're looking for a new SFF system, the SN27P2 is certainly a good choice. It will also cost quite a bit more than an equivalent ATX system, but that's pretty much par for the SFF course.
There are two major events that need to take place before we would recommend most people go out and buy this system, however. First, it needs to be available for purchase, which should occur in the near future. More importantly, as we've mentioned repeatedly over the past few weeks, you might as well wait a month now and find out what happens with the Core 2 Duo launch. That also gives the side benefit of lower X2 CPU prices, so even if you're not interested in Intel's new processor lineup for whatever reason, the AM2 price cuts are likely to keep you waiting another month. What we don't know is whether or not Shuttle -- or any of their competitors -- will come out with a Core 2 Duo SFF unit anytime soon. SFF offerings tend to trail behind desktops in terms of availability and launch dates, so it could be three or more months before Core 2 Duo SFFs actually show up. If you're in no hurry to upgrade, that's fine, but if you're in the market for a new SFF computer, the SN27P2 is the best option available in the near term.
So how does the Shuttle SN27P2 stack up? We can of course unequivocally state that this is the best SFF for socket AM2 that we have ever tested, and that about sums things up. Right now, if you want an AM2 SFF computer, you have exactly one choice. We have heard of a couple other AM2 SFF units that are in the works, but it's also worth noting that we saw nothing during our testing of the SN27P2 that indicates it has any major problems. What about minor problems or concerns?
The biggest concern we have right now is with the BIOS implementation. It generally works, but it is still a bit rough in some areas. For example, the CPU multiplier setting is currently ignored when the AMD CPU driver is installed under Windows. We have seen this on at least one other motherboard (the Gigabyte GA-M59SLI-S5), and really all that is required is an updated BIOS to address this issue. There was one other slightly odd issue we noticed periodically, and again it seems to be BIOS related. When the system is powered off, the CPU and case fans sometimes continue to spin at low RPMs. (The power supply fan is not active.) It almost seems as though the system is put into a sleep state rather than powering off sometimes. As we have yet to see any e-tailers selling the SN27P2, we're hopeful that these minor issues will be addressed before the system begins shipping. Of course, if you don't plan on using the CPU multipliers and leave the system running all the time, you won't notice either issue.
In many ways, the SN27P2 simply carries on the Shuttle tradition. It is an attractive, small, reasonably quiet, high performing computer that can easily pack as much power as many full-size ATX computers. You continue to give up expansion options, but many people only use a single graphics card, integrated audio and networking, along with a single hard drive. Shuttle has improved expansion options slightly this time around, with support for e-SATA as well as four DIMM slots. If you don't already have a Shuttle SN25P (or the SLI enabled SN26P) or a Biostar 330P, and you're looking for a new SFF system, the SN27P2 is certainly a good choice. It will also cost quite a bit more than an equivalent ATX system, but that's pretty much par for the SFF course.
There are two major events that need to take place before we would recommend most people go out and buy this system, however. First, it needs to be available for purchase, which should occur in the near future. More importantly, as we've mentioned repeatedly over the past few weeks, you might as well wait a month now and find out what happens with the Core 2 Duo launch. That also gives the side benefit of lower X2 CPU prices, so even if you're not interested in Intel's new processor lineup for whatever reason, the AM2 price cuts are likely to keep you waiting another month. What we don't know is whether or not Shuttle -- or any of their competitors -- will come out with a Core 2 Duo SFF unit anytime soon. SFF offerings tend to trail behind desktops in terms of availability and launch dates, so it could be three or more months before Core 2 Duo SFFs actually show up. If you're in no hurry to upgrade, that's fine, but if you're in the market for a new SFF computer, the SN27P2 is the best option available in the near term.
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Calin - Monday, July 3, 2006 - link
Most any ATX case will be quiter and possibly cooler inside than one of those SFF computers. However, they will be twice as big (or more). If that's ok with you, that's great - ATX all the way. If not, a laptop or a SFF certainly makes sense (even if the price is much better on the full ATX front).JarredWalton - Monday, July 3, 2006 - link
I don't know - it depends on the ATX case you're talking about and how many fans you want to install. If you install two or three case fans (or more) and they aren't temperature controlled, a lot of the less expensive ATX cases will be louder than many SFF cases. Lower quality power supplies will also make a lot of noise. If you don't want a big case, and you are interested in getting an extremely easy to set up bare-bones system, SFF computers are really very nice.I do wish prices were about $100 lower, however. $300 for a SFF I can justify; $400+ is a lot more difficult to stomach. For that much money, you can get a good power supply, motherboard, and pretty much any case that you want. I suppose part of it has to do with economies of scale; I don't know how many SFF cases Shuttle has sold, but I doubt they sell as many SFFs someone like ASUS would sell motherboards. That means all of their R&D costs that go into creating a smaller case have to be passed on as a larger percentage of the price.
JarredWalton - Saturday, July 1, 2006 - link
There was no opinion given on which CPU to choose, was there? I simply stated (and this is the expanded version) that even if you're going to buy AMD anyway and couldn't care less about Core 2 Duo, AMD has price cuts scheduled for July 24th so you can pick up an X2 CPU for a lot less than current prices. Here's my opinion:Core 2 Duo will be faster than anything AMD has to offer at least in the short term. AMD X2 will cost less at most (all?) price points, and in some cases (gaming), you're probably GPU limited either way since the current maximum for an SFF is going to be the 7950 GX2. I expect Shuttle will have the SD37P2 out some time after C2D launches, but since they're already 1 month behind the AM2 launch and you still can't purchase the SN27P2, that trend will likely continue and the SD37P2 won't be available until probably early September or so. (I could very well be wrong on that account, but I'm simply going by recent history.)
Which is the better choice? As you have so clearly demonstrated, that's a matter of personal taste. Some people are only going to buy AMD at present; others will only buy Intel. Most would like to buy whichever offers the best performance at a specific price point. I would guess that AMD will be competitive in the price/performance area even if C2D is faster overall, so in the end they get what they're happy with. I still wouldn't purchase an AM2 chip until those price cuts take affect.
VooDooAddict - Saturday, July 1, 2006 - link
Simply.
Will the 7950 Fit?
Does the BIOS support the card?
Can the powersupply keep it running with 2 gigs of RAM and a AMD 5000+?
As soon as I saw the 7950 anouncement all I could think about was building a new SFF system around it.
JarredWalton - Saturday, July 1, 2006 - link
I don't have one available, but my understanding is just about any motherboard with an X16 slot will work with the 7950 GX2. Since I managed to install a 7900 GTX in the SN37P2, I'm pretty sure the GX2 is actually a bit smaller overall, so it will certainly fit. Is it compatible? Well, the SN27P2 uses an NVIDIA chipset, so if it's *not* compatible, NVIDIA has a serious problem with support of GX2. In other words, I'm 99% certain that it will work.VooDooAddict - Monday, July 3, 2006 - link
I didn't think the issue was the chipset ... I thought it was the BIOS.JarredWalton - Monday, July 3, 2006 - link
Right, the BIOS needs to support non-graphics devices in the X16 slots. My point is that if a board using NVIDIA's chipset doesn't support NVIDIA's top GPU, what's the chance of getting everyone else to support it?