SFF Roundup, Part I: Socket 478 and 754 Systems
by Jarred Walton on February 15, 2005 2:00 PM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Wrapping it Up
We hope that you've enjoyed this massive article, and if you actually read everything, thanks. Unlike many other reviews where we're looking at a more focused topic, SFF reviews are almost like reviewing an entire system. Even with all that we've said, there are bound to be overlooked areas or areas that we glazed over. If you have any questions about the particular units and our experience in using them, feel free to ask in the comments section or drop us an email and we'll do our best to answer. For now, we're happy to present our Editor's Choice award. |
For the combination of features, aesthetics, and quiet computing, we're happy to award the Aopen XC Cube EA65-II our Silver Editor's Choice. It gets nearly everything right and can easily function as the center of an entertainment system. You might wonder why we chose not to give it the Gold Editor's Choice, and the answer is simply that the socket 478 platform is getting a little old. Higher performing units that use socket 775 and 939 are available, and we'll be taking a look at those in the near future. As a HTPC, it should easily last for several years, however. If we get the chance, we'll take a look at the updated EA65-IIa from Aopen to see how the newer TV/FM Tuner and InstantON 2.x affect things; we hope that the updated model can support TV-Out functionality with an add-in card in InstantON mode, as that would truly make the unit a HTPC device. |
 |
Our Bronze Editor's Choice goes to the Biostar iDEQ 210P, and it is an easy recommendation. The 210P has many features and a reasonable price, and the addition of a TV tuner card like the Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150 would bring the total cost to about the same level as the Aopen. Our biggest complaint is the color-cycling power button, which can thankfully be obscured with the sliding door. The internal layout and extras like a second HDD bay and a mini-PCI slot give you a lot of value for your money. Performance on the whole was also better than the Pentium 4 systems, which was expected. |
Of the remaining units, the ASUS and Shuttle are both reasonable alternatives worthy of an "honorable mention", depending on what you like. Coming from the ATX case market, it's refreshing to go through five systems and encounter so few problems! The only unit that we really have misgivings about is the Foxconn e-bot. If the cost was lower or the number of features was higher, it would be less of a problem. As it stands, however, it's simply too much for too little, and there were some performance and stability problems – with a high-end graphics card – that would deter most people from taking that route.
The world of SFF computers is really quite exciting, particularly if you're tired of the noise levels that typically come from desktop PCs. The one item that we're missing is a super small HTPC design with low noise levels. Apple's Mac Mini has shown some of what is possible, and it is much smaller than even the smallest SFF PC. It is also lower performing, of course, and it runs a different OS that some people might not be interested in using. We'd really like to see an ultra-compact PC with VIVO functionality and an even lower noise level packed into a case roughly 1/4 the size of current SFFs. With the attention that the Mac Mini has garnered, we might just see such a system in the next year. We can only hope.
As we said earlier, we're open for suggestions on any other areas that people would like addressed. We do have about twelve additional SFF units for review coming up in the next month or two, and now that we have our basic testing methodology determined, it should hopefully go a little faster than this first roundup.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
32 Comments
View All Comments
JarredWalton - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
#21 - We're working on getting the Iwill dual-CPU system. We'll see what Iwill has to say. :)#19 - The unit reviewed was the EA65-II. There is an EA65-IIa as well as an EA65-IIa 2.0. The only difference between the IIa models is the version of InstantON included, and I believe you can download the latest version and turn the IIa into the IIa 2.0. Does that make sense? Also, I don't think the IIa is available in the US yet, but should be within the next month or two.
If you don't mind a spoiler (yeah, right), the Pentium M desktop/HTPC that I have for review is louder than the SFFs in this roundup (other than the e-bot). However, it is a fully configured and loaded system with two HDDs, a 6800GT, etc. I've checked with the manufacturer about the noise levels and will see if I can get it reduced. Right now, the HSF is really huge - it looks like a Pentium 4 HSF, which is probably overkill for the Pentium M 2.0.
On a side note, if you haven't seen the die of the Dothan, it's REALLY SMALL! About half the size of a dime. Pretty crazy to see that much power in such a small size.
SUOrangeman - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
Request the Iwill ZMAXdp ($675 at NewEgg) for the next SFF piece! :)GoatHerderEd - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
NM, the firewire is on the front. I still thing there should be a port or two on the back though.silentcomputing - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
Nice job, Jarred.I am interesting in the Aopen EA65-IIa, but got confused about the new model name. You mentioned the new model is EA65-IIa first, but followed by EA64-IIa.... Is it a typo or is Aopen going to release AMD64 version of the EA in the near future.
When do you think you can have the P-M on desktop review?? I can't wait to have one... enough for the noise from any of my computers...including Shuttle and Dell..... :(
GoatHerderEd - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
#12, Wow, I got the Shuttle SN95G. But I really want that Iwill dual Opteron! That thing looks so sweet! No fire wire though )=#8, Why do you say the SN95G is unreliable? I think its pretty good. Boot up time isnt as fast as my Nforce2 XP 1800+, but its faster otherwise.
LoneWolf15 - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
Now that it looks like AMD is coming out with additional Socket 754 Sempron CPU's, the Biostar really looks like a good choice. It's not like one needs huge CPU power for a HTPC, as long as it does a good job of encoding/decoding, and the Sempron should also run fairly cool. Add a Hauppauge WinTV PVR-150/250 and a discrete ATI graphics card (for additional hardware-assist MPEG-2 playback and VIVO) and it looks to be a really good choice.smn198 - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
I've said it before but would it be possible to present the non-linear noise measurements on a non-linear scale?That would more accurately show that with the IGP, the foxconn is over twice as loud as the others.
Don't mean to seem critical. Great read. That is why I keep coming back.
#3. Read the first few paragraphs of the review. Besides, it is very cheap now.
smn198 - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
"Shuttle is able to use a single fan to fool both the CPU as well as the case"I've been trying that for years but have never successfully managed to fool them both at once!
CrystalBay - Wednesday, February 16, 2005 - link
Thanks JW, Iknow it's a lot to ask.JarredWalton - Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - link
11, 12 - I'll have to see about those two units. For the Iwill, at least, they would either need to send processors or I would have to get some sent from AT HQ. I don't have any server parts at my location for testing.