Shuttle SFF (Tiny) Cases. 200 Watts enough for P4 and Radeon 9700???

[frankqfrank]

Link to barebone case/PSU/motherboard

A friend is planning on buying one of the Shuttle small form factor barebones cases (the newest one.) It's the $330 one that supports new 800 MHz bus Intel Pentium 4's. He is planning on getting the 800 MHz P4 3.0 GHz, a Radeon 9700 Pro All In Wonder, a Raptor 10,000 RPM serial ATA hard drive, two sticks of Corsair XMS 512 MB PC3200, Lite-On DVD/CDRW combo drive, and a 120GB 2nd hard drive (no floppy.)

The case only has a 200 Watt power supply, which seems a little low to me, although they didn't include the individual rails' ratings. What does anybody think?

 

[frankqfrank]

Something to note also is that Alienware sells a system in what appears to be the Shuttle case, including the 3.0 P4 and a Geforce4 FX 5600, and they advertise a 200 watt power supply, if its the same one then I guess it'd work fine. Good enough for Alienware, good enough for me?

 

[hjo3]

A 200 watt PSU would probably get you by, but I'd really recommend a 250 W.

 

[frankqfrank]

Yeah but I don't have a choice.

 

[frankqfrank]

Somebody selling them.

 

[frankqfrank]

I'm sure it will work out fine, Shuttle wouldn't be that stupid, even the 3.2 is listed on the supported CPU's.

I talked myself into it, still reply if you have any experience or opinion.

 

[frankqfrank]

I'm sure it will work out fine, Shuttle wouldn't be that stupid, even the 3.2 is listed on the supported CPU's.

I talked myself into it, still reply if you have any experience or opinion.

 

[hjo3]

Ever hear the Aesop's fable about the camel whose owner asked it if it preferred to walk uphill or downhill?

Anyway, you could replace the PSU if you wanted to.

 

[frankqfrank]

How could I possibly replace the power supply?

 

[hjo3]

Gee, open the case and use a screwdriver maybe...? You can replace the PSUs in Shuttle cases. Come on.

 

[frankqfrank]

It's really really small and probably proprietary.

 

[hjo3]

The Shuttle/XPC motherboards use a regular ATX connector. As for size, there are mods you can do to allow half-size PSUs to fit in. Shuttle also sells PSUs made specifically for installing into their cases.

 

[bcterps]

You might want to check the Rage3d forums, I had been reading about problems with Shuttle XPCs and the 9700 Pro/AIW 9700 Pro. It seemed that those did not make for a good combination. I think there was speculation on the cards not getting enough power or something similar.

 

[bgeh]

probably not. ATi recommends at least a 300 watt PSU

 

[bluemax]

Nice choice, but read THIS thread first! It outlines the problem that exists with that particular Shuttle machine and that particular video card.
The power supply is NOT a problem, many users on Sudhian are running that combination. The problem is that you'll lose your sound due to a weird incompatibility between the 9700 and the audio chipset. If you're buying the card new, get a 9800 or a 9700 plus a sound card for the PCI slot.

Just to warn you ahead of time.

BTW, if you can live with only "awesome" speed instead of "amazing" speed, the Radeon 9600 Pro is cheaper, runs cooler (important in an SFF machine) and has no compatibility issues. Just a thought.

 

[vetteguy]

Originally posted by: hjo3


Gee, open the case and use a screwdriver maybe...? You can replace the PSUs in Shuttle cases. Come on.

The Shuttle/XPC motherboards use a regular ATX connector. As for size, there are mods you can do to allow half-size PSUs to fit in. Shuttle also sells PSUs made specifically for installing into their cases.

Modding a PSU is not exactly as easy as installing, say, a video card. For the average user finding a 1U PSU and then modding it to fit a Shuttle is way beyond what can be expected. I don't think you needed to cop an attitude with this person just because they can't perform what would be considered to be advance PC modification.

frankqfrank-
Check out the Sudihan forums. There are TONS of people who run Shuttles with fast video cards and processors. I have several SFF computers and have never had a problem. But check around to see if there are any known compatibility issues like bluemax mentioned. I've found that the biggest problem I've had with these systems is heat buildup.

 

[frankqfrank]

Thanks all.

 

[dexvx]

Ah. The infamous power supply myth.

I got a Shuttle P4-C system for a friend. It uses a 2.6C, Radeon 9800 and runs fine. Finding another PSU to fit the format will *not* be easy. To my recollection, its rather proprietary (although with more OEM's making these things, it might be more common).

 

[ElFenix]

it'll be fine! my roommate has a 2.6 and a radeon 9700 pro in his