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Old 04-02-2012, 09:29 AM   #1
megatron
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My old PC is getting long in the tooth and I'm trying to build a new multi-purpose one. The main uses will be: web surfing, light photo editing, light gaming, and possibly software development. I find that I game less and less these days, but I still want the ability to play MW3, BF3, Mass Effect 3 on decent settings. Also, I'd like to keep the cost below $800.

I'm really intrigued by the small form factor Shuttle PCs and have been looking at the SH67H3 ($299.99):

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=60089

The barebones kit comes with the case, mobo, and 300W power supply. The thinking behind this is my current tower, is large, and a bit loud. I also might use this as a HTPC, so I want something small and quiet (but still powerful).

The rest of the components are as follows:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 (3.10 GHz) ($189.99)

RAM: GSKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB PC3-10666 Dual Channel DDR3 Kit (2 x 4GB) (44.99)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti SuperClocked 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI ($164.99)

DVD Drive: SH-S243D 24x DVD-Writer, SATA, Black ($26.99)

HDD: I already have a WD Caviar Black 1TB drive from my old PC that I will use for my boot drive

O/S: I have Windows 7 Home Edition (64-bit) already.

The total cost w/ tax would be ~$765. I was going to go for the i5-2500K but I don't overclock so this is useless. Since it's only a 300W power supply, I can't get a more powerful video card. I looked at Shuttle's Power Supply Calculator and found that the total watts would be 242W (with current components). With a 560Ti, I would need 302W would wouldn't work.

Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with Shuttle PCs? How does this build look (anything you would change)?

I appreciate the comments.
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Old 04-02-2012, 10:01 AM   #2
MickMcGeough
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I don't know how Shuttle's power supply calculator works, but I'd highly recommend some headroom in that area. First off I don't understand how that kind of machine could ever run on 242W, but even if it will, you're giving yourself no room to expand at all.

$300 for a case/PS/mobo doesn't seem that such a killer deal that you have to use this either. My last custom build was in an Antec Fusion case (430W quiet PS) that looks to have more features than the Shuttle. I don't recall exact prices but case & mobo was definitely under $300.
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Old 04-02-2012, 10:34 AM   #3
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^ What he said.

You wont get a small form factor PC for a reasonable price that will be suitable for gaming, if for no other reason than there really isn't enough room in the case for a graphics card.
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Old 04-02-2012, 11:12 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MickMcGeough View Post
I don't know how Shuttle's power supply calculator works, but I'd highly recommend some headroom in that area. First off I don't understand how that kind of machine could ever run on 242W, but even if it will, you're giving yourself no room to expand at all.

$300 for a case/PS/mobo doesn't seem that such a killer deal that you have to use this either. My last custom build was in an Antec Fusion case (430W quiet PS) that looks to have more features than the Shuttle. I don't recall exact prices but case & mobo was definitely under $300.
Yeah, I don't know how the power supply calculator works either. I just input all the components and hit calculate and it said 242W. Also, I've seen the Shuttle kit go on sale for $229.

The Antec Fusion looks really nice. What mobo/PS combo did you use?
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Old 04-02-2012, 11:33 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by megatron View Post
Yeah, I don't know how the power supply calculator works either. I just input all the components and hit calculate and it said 242W. Also, I've seen the Shuttle kit go on sale for $229.

The Antec Fusion looks really nice. What mobo/PS combo did you use?
The Fusion used to come with an almost completely silent 430W power supply. Now, it seems to have gone up in price, removed the PS, and added a remote. It's not necessarily the best choice for what you're doing; it includes stuff like the front display that's kinda cool but isn't really adding anything crucial. It was just an example to illustrate that there are plenty of options that won't force you into hoping a 300W PS will do the trick.

I picked up a Gigabyte AMD-780G chipset mobo. It's dated now, but it included pretty much everything you could hope for in an HTPC and it was $80 new. If you're getting dedicated graphics you can probably get an even cheaper one.
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Old 04-02-2012, 11:40 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by megatron View Post
My old PC is getting long in the tooth and I'm trying to build a new multi-purpose one. The main uses will be: web surfing, light photo editing, light gaming, and possibly software development. I find that I game less and less these days, but I still want the ability to play MW3, BF3, Mass Effect 3 on decent settings. Also, I'd like to keep the cost below $800.

I'm really intrigued by the small form factor Shuttle PCs and have been looking at the SH67H3 ($299.99):

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?sku=60089

The barebones kit comes with the case, mobo, and 300W power supply. The thinking behind this is my current tower, is large, and a bit loud. I also might use this as a HTPC, so I want something small and quiet (but still powerful).

The rest of the components are as follows:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2400 (3.10 GHz) ($189.99)

RAM: GSKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB PC3-10666 Dual Channel DDR3 Kit (2 x 4GB) (44.99)

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 550 Ti SuperClocked 1GB GDDR5 PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI ($164.99)

DVD Drive: SH-S243D 24x DVD-Writer, SATA, Black ($26.99)

HDD: I already have a WD Caviar Black 1TB drive from my old PC that I will use for my boot drive

O/S: I have Windows 7 Home Edition (64-bit) already.

The total cost w/ tax would be ~$765. I was going to go for the i5-2500K but I don't overclock so this is useless. Since it's only a 300W power supply, I can't get a more powerful video card. I looked at Shuttle's Power Supply Calculator and found that the total watts would be 242W (with current components). With a 560Ti, I would need 302W would wouldn't work.

Does anyone have experience (good or bad) with Shuttle PCs? How does this build look (anything you would change)?

I appreciate the comments.
Not to bad, try this out for comparison, you can get everything from mem express

Mobo/cpu/case/power supply bundle: Intel i5-2500K + Gigabyte GA-Z68A-D3H-B3 + Corsair 600T Graphite White Edition + 600W Modular PC Power and Cooling Silencer PSU
Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB PC3-12800 DDR3
SSD: Crucial M4 64GB SSD
Video Card: Radeon HD 6870 1GB
Hard Drive: 750GB Western Digital Caviar Black 7200rpm 64MB Cache
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Optical Drive: Asus 24x DVD-RW Drive Black

GPU - Approx $150



This will cost you about $920 - $950 when I priced it all out after rebates and I like it better then the build you posted.


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Old 04-02-2012, 11:58 AM   #7
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As a Shuttle devotee for many years - don't do it. It's not worth the loss of expansion, the loss of capability, the loss of choice in motherboard, and the extra cost.

More importantly, you won't meet you goal of quieter because if you put performance components into a Shuttle, you are going to be starved for ventilation and cool air. The videocard fan will run noisy, the powersupply fan will run noisy (and efficiency will go down so you'll get even less wattage).

A performance Shuttle system can be built if done right but it takes a lot of effort and creative modding to do so. I wouldn't suggest it for anybody but a devout enthusiast.

If SFF (small form factor) really is your goal with a combination of HTPC and performance, I would recommend going up a bit larger to make things easier for you and go with MicroATX. Check this forum for ideas:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=759688&page=31
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Old 04-02-2012, 12:41 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hack&Lube View Post
As a Shuttle devotee for many years - don't do it. It's not worth the loss of expansion, the loss of capability, the loss of choice in motherboard, and the extra cost.

More importantly, you won't meet you goal of quieter because if you put performance components into a Shuttle, you are going to be starved for ventilation and cool air. The videocard fan will run noisy, the powersupply fan will run noisy (and efficiency will go down so you'll get even less wattage).

A performance Shuttle system can be built if done right but it takes a lot of effort and creative modding to do so. I wouldn't suggest it for anybody but a devout enthusiast.

If SFF (small form factor) really is your goal with a combination of HTPC and performance, I would recommend going up a bit larger to make things easier for you and go with MicroATX. Check this forum for ideas:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=759688&page=31
Thanks for sharing your experience. I didn't really think of limitations the shuttle kit would have. I will definitely check out some other SFF options before I pull the trigger.
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Old 04-13-2012, 12:45 AM   #9
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Shuttle video with some performance parts.

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Old 04-13-2012, 05:35 AM   #10
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A lot of people mod the side of the Shuttle so that the videocard can get better intake as the fan ends up only a few mm from the case wall and runs rather noisily.
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Old 04-14-2012, 09:23 AM   #11
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In response to the 2500k not of value because I don't overclock. STOP right there! Overclocking nowadays should be seen as a strategy to save money. You can pay less with no performance loss by choosing a cheaper processor and overclocking it to the specs of a more costly processor.
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Old 04-14-2012, 12:51 PM   #12
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In response to the 2500k not of value because I don't overclock. STOP right there! Overclocking nowadays should be seen as a strategy to save money. You can pay less with no performance loss by choosing a cheaper processor and overclocking it to the specs of a more costly processor.
The 2500K is a ridiculous value. I've had two 2500Ks run at 5.0GHz.
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