SN25P a dud for SFF gaming?

[kzrssk]

I've been reading the threads regarding the SN25P from Shuttle, as well as reviews for it on Newegg, and I'm seeing all sorts of problems. Anything from bad psu's to incompatibilities with RAM, and not being able to push enough power to high-end video cards.

So what's the verdict on this thing? I was thinking about getting one for a dual core 3800/7800GT system until I started seeing all the problems. Some guy on Newegg even posted that he had to pay Shuttle $100 for a new BIOS chip. Bleh.

 

[JLevine]

i would like to know an answer to this as well

 

[Pakman]

This thread seems to have alot of information regarding the SN25P. A friend of mine is running a 3500+ with a 7800GT. There are some issues, but I don't think it's anything that can't be resolved. I'm actually looking into building one myself this month.

 

[deathwalker]

I have been watching for threads on this SFF system from shuttle for a while. I guess its about time for me to rear my ugly head and put in a plug for what I consider a much better solution for a SFF system. It starts with a Aspire X-Qpack case. Ya, I know there have been numerous complaints about it overall quality vs. price...but the redeming factor here is that it comes with a satisfactory 420 watt PS that in case of failure can actually be replaced by most out of the box ATX Power Supplies...plus..and this is the most important....you can actually choose the mobo platform that pleases you and not one that a Mfgr. shoves down your throat. One that actually works the way you want. I think this is really the selling issue to me...afterall...most of us "build" computers...so, lets actually build one and not take someones shake and bake box and expect it to do all things all the time!!

 

[Treyshadow]

ok, I think lots of stuff has been blown out of proportion.

I have the following and have sense late July.

SN25P
X2 4400+ OC'd to 2.6
2 Gigs Patriot Ram
2 x 300GB Maxtor maxline III HD
evga 7800GTX
BenQ 1640 DVDR

Anywho it is running without issue. The X2 did need a driver. That is done. The sata did need a bios patch, that is done (Y Bios). This is a good SFF. As good as any bar none. Plain and simple when I had my 3200+ winnie I did 2700 or 270x10 on it with no issues. The shuttle heatpipe may be the most ingenious heatsink I have used to include the XP90 or the Zalman 7000Cu. I did nothing special to get this to work. If you want to build a Micro ATX PC, then do it, but the shuttle is a good box. By the way I also have an X-QPack which is pretty good, not nearly as sturdy or nice as the shuttle, but decent in all respects. I believe with the release of micro atx motherboards, that are as good as the shuttle's Nforce 4 Ultra board, maybe the X-QPack will be a good option for those that upgrade every 6 months (me included).

Also why would you pay for a new bios chip? My shuttle is from July and I have not had any such issues switching from a Winnie 3200+ that did 2700 to an X2 4400+ now at 2.6

It can push the power for high end video cards, check my machine, but the current PSU does not have a 6-pin power connector. Since the release of the SN26P I anticipate this may have changed (they have the same chassis)

So if you follow the Thread posted by Pakman, you will see that the SN25P is quite capable and did I mention quiet? The shuttle is one of the quietest machines I have had. It is quieter than a stock QPack by quite a good margin. Since it has 2 specific air flow channels, it is very easy on the ears.

 

[Ozoneman]

I've had a SN25P for about 3 months now. I never had a problem with it. This is my config.

A64 4000+
BFG 7800 gtx
OCZ PC3200 plat ( 2 - 1 gig sticks)
NEC 3540 DVD burner
WD 250 SATA and Maxtor 300 SATA

Not one lockup or BSOD! My son plays BF2, Fear, COD2, and many other games for several hours a day without any problems.

Some people have had problems with bad ram and others had some problems with their SATA data cables. Running memtest will find the bad ram problems and SATA cables are cheap to replace if necessary.