Shuttle XPC SB65G2: Big Performance in This Small Package

Shuttle SB65G2: Noise Level

With the large performance leaps in Shuttle’s SB65G2 come more heat, and the need for more cooling. Does this mean that Shuttle had to give up some of their famous quiet operation as a trade-off to performance?

To test this, we measured sound levels of the SB65G2 on a typical computer desk. Sound Level was measured on all 4 sides, 4" from the chassis. Our new Sound Level meter is capable of measuring as low as 35db, using either A or C weighting with Fast or Slow Dynamic Response. Since A weighting and Fast response are most comparable to how we actually hear, these settings were used for measuring Sound Level. Results from the Sound Level meter are reported in 0.1db increments.

The SB65G2 was loaded as you might equip a top-level system with space-saving in mind. We had installed a 3.0 P4, 1 GB DDR400 memory, Liteon combo CD burner/DVD, a floppy drive, 120GB Maxtor hard drive, and a fanless ATI Radeon 9600 video card. Since we will be comparing these Noise measurements with other SFF systems, it would not be fair to compare the SB65G2 with a 9800 PRO to systems that will likely have on-board video and no fans. The video card substitute was our only change to the system as tested.

We measured noise from the middle of each one of the four sides, 4" from the chassis.


With the fan on its low setting, the noise level from the SB65G2 is as low or lower than anything we measured in our SFF Roundup in March. This is very good news, considering the increased performance in this SB65G2 system. LOW level is the normal operation setting even with the 3.0 Pentium 4, a loaded system, and overclocking. At no point did the Shuttle get warm enough to kick in the high speed fan setting.


The SB65G2 is noticeably louder at the high speed setting, but it is still quieter than the same measurements in our last SFF Roundup. Shuttle has done a wonderful job of moving to the highest performance levels with the SB65G2 while still maintaining quiet operation. It’s a tribute to the excellent design of the I.C.E. “heat pipe” cooling system that the system remains cool and quiet, even with our 3.0 800FSB CPU, and even when it’s overclocked to 3.4+ GHz.