Shuttle SB52G2
Published on 2003-03-10 18:06:41 By: Jim_

I remember a time when words like stylish and sexy would never have been used to describe a PC. Plain jane beige boxes were all we had available to us at the time. Now, it seems that these words are more important than ever in our industry. Case design is now considered an art form and selecting the right case for your PC is like going shopping for a new outfit. Once we were able to attain enough style points, the next logical step was to create more compact and mobile PC solutions. Good things come in small packages, right? One of the innovators who took this concept from the drawing boards of development into production was of course Shuttle (formally known as Spacewalker).

Shuttle has enjoyed great success with their line of small form factor PCs (XPCs) in the enthusiast community since the release of the SV24. Slowly but surely the design has evolved to meet the demands of the community; support for the latest and greatest processors from both Intel and AMD, and AGP slots for the LAN gamers looking for the ultimate in a mobile gamestation. All the while they've added their own touches of refinement such as more efficient and quiet cooling solutions and more effective ways to route cables in such a confined space.

While it's these characteristics that have made them such a success with enthusiasts, Shuttle wanted to push further into the corporate markets. It is with that in mind, that they've put together the SB52G2.

The Specs

  • CPU Support: Intel Pentium 4, 478-pin package, 400/533MHz FSB (Hyperthreading Support)
  • Chipset: Intel i845GV / ICH4 Southbridge
  • Memory: Supports 2GB of DDR200/266 via two slots
  • Video: Integrated Intel Extreme Graphics (Max 8MB of allocated system memory)
  • Audio: Realtek ALC650 - AC '97, 5.1 channel. Digital SPDIF In/Out
  • Ethernet: Intel 10/100 and Intel 10/100/1000 NICs (82551QM and 82540EM respectively)
  • Expansion Slots: 2x PCI slots

These machines come loaded with tons of integrated goodness. Of note, lately Shuttle has decided to put the parallel port out to pasture and it's not included on the ATX backplate of the SB52G2. However, the header does still exist on the board and there is a parallel port accessory available from Shuttle which will let you use a legacy printer without a USB connection. Oddly enough, as you'll soon see, the cut-out for this accessory is at the very top of the XPC at the rear.

Discussion of Application

"No one's ever been fired for buying Intel." This is a classic quote that anyone in the industry has probably heard kicked around at least once or twice. Shuttle took it to heart with the SB52G2, going with all Intel components to ensure the utmost in stability and compatibility. Now when I originally started talking with Cameron from Shuttle, he started kicking around the word "server" when talking about the SB52G2. We ended up discussing the possible roles we both felt this cube could fill adequately. Considering the fact that the SB52G2 has two integrated NICs, routing becomes an option out of the box. In fact, Shuttle was considering including a minimal FreeBSD installation on small flash-based IDE disk. Personally, I thought the idea had potential but the costs may have ended up being prohibitive.

Keeping the integrated NICs in mind we move on to the second potential server application for the SB52G2, a cluster node. The cost on countless 1U rackmount systems for use in a cluster would be quite high. You could stack dozens of SB52G2's on top of one another and link them together using the integrated Gigabit NIC at a fraction of the price. Shuttle has some experience filling this void as they supplied the SS51G's required to run the The Space Simulator Beowulf Cluster. The fact that this was a niche they could probably tap doubtless weighed into their design plans for the SB52G2.

Once upon a time, we were hosted by Rackshack.net. They offered multiple dedicated server packages consisting of countless white box PCs built around dirt cheap components: mid-tower chassis, cheap SiS-based Socket-A board, a Duron and some SDRAM. They had a large section of their server farm occupied with these machines. Think about how much space they could have saved had they been using SB52G2's. Furthermore how many additional servers could they have stored in the same space? The cost issue falls into play again here. 1U rackmountable servers aren't the most cost effective solution. The SB52G2 is based on all-intel gear that is wonderfully supported by all major web serving platforms. Linux and FreeBSD would be a couple of excellent examples.

Shuttle is also releasing a "client version" of the SB52G2 which will only feature one integrated NIC (the 10/100) and is focused on the lowest possible cost. This would make an ideal corporate desktop: quiet, compatible and stable. Outside of your core components (processor, memory, hard drive, optical drive), everything else required to get going is integrated into the board. Of note, Shuttle decided to forgo integrated firewire on this cube, probably to keep the costs down by removing a feature the majority of corporate desktops simply don't require.

I think the trendy small to medium-sized companies may show considerable interest in an XPC solution for their workstations. Breaking into the enterprise desktop market is a little different, though. They generally aren't overly interested in the particulars about the machines in question. They're buying support contracts. That being said, Shuttle could always try working out a deal with a major OEM like Dell or IBM to manufacture these cubes under their brand name. I'm sure the marketing people at Shuttle will weigh all their options accordingly.

Let's take a look at what you get when you order an SB52G2...

 
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