Shuttle PC's?

[TomiR]

Well, my old computer is really having a hard time keeping up with all the things I have going on when mixing songs etc. so I decided it was finally time to get a new one.

I personally hate how noisy my computer is, the damn cooling fans are loud as hell, I don't use it for playing games or anything and my I use a Focusrite Saffire Pro Firewire audio interface so I don't really need a lot of slots for sound cards or anything.

What I need is a silent, compact sized and powerfull computer.

So, that's how I got interested in Shuttle computers, this one in particular:
http://eu.shuttle.com/fi/DesktopDef...ory-289/noblendout-1/tabid-72/170_read-13828/

I have not made up my mind about the processor etc. yet.

But before I plan any further, I wanted to know what do you guys think of 'em. Any of you have experiences with them?

 

[billcraftmetal15]

I've used them a fair amount, there wasn't anything i could say that was bad about them performance wise, but they're severely limited for expansion, they're quite noisy in all honesty, and have that silly thermal fan speed control thing, so when they get a bit warm they get loud as hell. The newer ones might be better though. Someone else might be able to chip in

 

[::XeS::]

Good and silent fans (and power supply) make the difference. My pc is very noiseless and it has an old fuckin' case..

 

[ApolloSpeed]

I think Nexus makes the quietest fans.

Also, get a PowerSupply that has a quiet slow spinning 120mm fan.

and you should wait for Intel's Penryn to come out late this year....45nm means even less watts used than Core2Duo, Which means less heat, which means fans spin slower, which means quieter computer.

 

[Ben Johnson]

Shuttle PCs are kind of popular among the virtual instrument users, namely the composers who need huge-ass orchestras for film scores. There cheap, fast, and reliable, so it's not unheard of to string up a network of five or more shuttle PCs (or other computers) to cover all the instruments. I've considered setting up something similar.

 

[gibbed]

I would avoid the shuttle pcs for music purposes. Their PSUs are at the edge of their capacity and are sensitive to variations in power quality.

If I were you I would assemble a quality PC with low noise fans in a rack mount case. That way it is relatively small and easy to transport and package in an audio oriented setting.

 

[t-willy]

i own and use an xpc barebones system. i think i've had it for almost four years now. it's strictly my music recording pc. i originally bought it for mobility and I didn't want a laptop, so it was the best choice.

as bshuker said, they're expansion capabilities are a bit limited, but I haven't had the need to expand in four years, so I guess it depends on what you use it for.

i have replaced the cooling fan once, but other than that have had no problems. mine's pretty quiet and doesn't get too hot. i run an m-audio delta 66 in it, a video card (i was limited on the size of the video card due to space and it has onboard video too..which sucked) and every usb and firewire port is full - no problems.

The size is great as it doesn't take up much space. Would I buy one today with my current musical circumstances - probably not. Like I said, I bought it for mobility back in the day, but I don't need to move it around anymore, so if I were to build another one today, I'd just go ahead and get a full tower with plenty of expansion.

lates

t-willy

 

[TomiR]

Thanx guys for the feedback!

Since it seems that the Shuttle's are not the way to go, I have decided to upgrade/redo my current computer.

This is what I have in mind:

Motherboard: ASUS P5K Deluxe/WiFi-AP - Socket LGA775

Processor: INTEL Core 2 Quad Q6600 - 2,4 GHz, cache L2 8 Mb Socket 775

Memory: CORSAIR Xtreme Performance TwinX Matched 2x1024 MB DDR II

It seems like I don't really have to upgrade anything else just yet, so what do you think about 'em apples?

 

[ApolloSpeed]

If you must get a small form factor case, try maybe Lian's SFF case.....should be great quality. That or the Falcon case has some good reviews too....

I personally am looking at the Q-pack2 cases, but I would probably replace the PSU that comes with it for a good quality and silent Seasonic PSU.