Shuttle alternative?

S

stehle

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Jan 21, 2006
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I own one shuttle and I was really looking forward to getting another shuttle which was decked out with a quad core and a bright and shiny Nvidia GeForce 9800GX2. Looking at the size of this card (just judging by pictures shown on Tom's Hardware) I get the distinct impression that this will probably not fit inside one of the new Shuttle cases.

I don't like the mini-towers so that really leaves me with the shuttle or a lanbox (which doesn't seem as nice as a Shuttle). I really go for the sleek, all metal exterior in a small of footprint as possible. Can anyone recommend an alternative case that might work? Thanks for the help.
 
Get the Silverstone SG03 or the Qmicra. I used to like the lanbox but once I saw and appreciated the innovation in the SG03, second to none mate.
 
I'm a former Shuttle enthusiast. I've recently switched to a SilverStone SG03 and haven't looked back. If you really want a 9800GX2 and a Shuttle you'll probably have to wait and see if NVIDIA comes out with a smaller version later like they did with the 8800 series OR wait for Shuttle to release a new series that will fit 9800GX2 sized cards.
 
See my other post in SFF for full details but Apevia makes a case that I'm fairly sure will fit ANY video card and it's pretty similar looking to the Shuttles. I had an XPC Anniversary Edition and since I gave it to my aunt, I'd missed it and had parts laying around - thus my other post.

If you do get the Apevia, just plan on replacing the PSU and the rear exhaust fan - they're junk. In replacing the PSU you will have some optical drive clearance issues but as long as you dont get a PSU with giant modular connectors (like the spare I had for free and used) you should be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144162

It's quite cheap compared to all the other similar cases. The metal is very thin and kinda sharp but once together it looks nice and could be mistaken for a Shuttle...in a dark room...by a glasses wearer.
 
you wont find an SFF as small as a Shuttle namely because they have custom sized boards and PSUs that are smaller than m/ATX. compared to everything else I've seen in the SFF realm you might as well just get a midsize tower if you're not getting a Shuttle.

I'm pretty sure they 3870X2 will fit a SP35P2 or SX38P2, not sure about the 9800 GX2.
 
Blahman said:
you might as well just get a midsize tower if you're not getting a Shuttle.
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I thought this until just the past week when I built the MicroATX Apevia.

The Apevia is obviously larger than a Shuttle but not THAT much larger. You can still carry it around, fit it on a small desk etc. I actually carried the Shuttle on a few airline flights in the Shuttle carry on bag and you might not want to do that with the Apevia. Or you might - it would still pass airline reqs I think.

That form factor is similar to Shuttles and you get room for multi-slot video cards and possibly room for a full size ATX power supply. You also get to pick a MicroATX board/memory/CPU - here's a list of 227 Micro ATX mobos (I had no idea there were this many until I looked just now):

http://shopper.cnet.com/4566-3049_9-0.html?filter=500046_5102058_

Better selection than what you get in a Shuttle. ;)
 
I have built both shuttles and µATX cubes. In my experience, there is always a compromise. out of all the cube style µATX cases, the Tt LanboxLite is probably the best choice if you re trying to fit a massive card like the 9800 GX2 or the 3870X2. The appearance is not quite as nice as the higher end shuttles, but it does have stealth drive bays and a nice piano back finish (brushed aluminum if you can find the LanboxHT). I am not going to recommend the SG-03 (like everyone else) because you said you weren t a fan of towers. Here is the Tt on my desk so you can guage the size:

desk.jpg


its sitting next to a 22" acer monitor if that helps. Once the drive cage is removed, you have plenty of room for a card that extends WAY past the edge of a µATX mobo like the one you are considering. Let me know if you need pics of the internals, I think I will be taking this one apart over the weekend.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I really appreciate the aesthetics of the Shuttle but along with the cost you are also sacrificing cutting edge technology (DDR3, 9800 series cards, etc). The QPack (or QPack2) look pretty nice, as does the LanBoxLite.

Burnin8r-- thanks for the picture. I have a 22" wide screen as well so the picture really gave me the sense of scale I was looking for.
 
stehle said:
Has anyone every tried one of these cases?

I've never heard of Hoojum until I stumbled upon name being mentioned on some obscure website.

http://www.hoojum.com/new/html/home.htm
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the psile uses mini ITX mobos, there was one for sale on the sfftech forums (its on ebay now as well)

The case is probably smaller than a 9800 GX2 lol... good looking but no room for 9" video cards.

http://www.sudhian.com/index.php?/forums/viewthread/101306/

darkz179 said:
What about an Evo case? http://www.Killerrigs.com i haven't launched the site yet but i will make one or sell you one if you would like.
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I think you missed the part where he said he isn t into towers, and that Vinster case is not particularly attractive. Looks way too short as well...
 
The psile looks pretty sweet.

I'm half tempted to finding a chassis I like and then creating a custom outer cover I like (I manage a design group and we do a lot of metal and plastic prototyping).

Keep all the comments coming--price really isn't an object, I just want the case to look awesome and perform perfectly.
 
LanceDiamond said:
See my other post in SFF for full details but Apevia makes a case that I'm fairly sure will fit ANY video card and it's pretty similar looking to the Shuttles. I had an XPC Anniversary Edition and since I gave it to my aunt, I'd missed it and had parts laying around - thus my other post.

If you do get the Apevia, just plan on replacing the PSU and the rear exhaust fan - they're junk. In replacing the PSU you will have some optical drive clearance issues but as long as you dont get a PSU with giant modular connectors (like the spare I had for free and used) you should be fine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811144162

It's quite cheap compared to all the other similar cases. The metal is very thin and kinda sharp but once together it looks nice and could be mistaken for a Shuttle...in a dark room...by a glasses wearer.
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From what I've read, the Ultra Microfly is a better version of the Apevia cases. It's 1.5 inches longer (giving that bit extra room for power supplies), the paint finish is better, and for better or for worse, they made each of the panels (top and sides) seperate instead of one U-shaped piece. And if you like windows and plan on getting your own power supply anyway, you can get the Microfly with windows right now for only $40:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1800612&CatId=3428

I currently own the TT Lanbox Lite, which I like, but there are a few things you should be aware of... first, it uses the less common fan sizes of 60mm and 90mm (not 92mm as some people mistake), with the 90mm in front and spots for three 60mm in back. Airflow isn't really a problem, but with that many fans, even if they're quiet, there is more white noise, and your range of options for aftermarket fans is going to be a lot smaller than for other cases. Also, the lower hard drive tray that holds two hard drives in front deflects most of the airflow from the 90mm fan. You can remove the lower drive tray, though that means you have to use the vertical 3.5" bay in the top left of the case or one of the 5.25" bays (with a hard drive adapter).

Another thing not always mentioned is the placement of that vertical 3.5" upper bay, especially as it pertains to two-slot video cards. If you have a long card like an 8800GTX, you'll need to make sure to use a motherboard that has the PCI-Express x16 slot in the position closest to the CPU socket, otherwise the card cooler and 3.5" bay frame will interfere with each other. Cases such as the Apevia/Ultra don't have that issue.

Also, while the TT Lanbox series does use a motherboard tray, keep in mind that if you're plugging in the cables for the front panel USB and headphone/mic jacks, you probably won't have enough slack to fully remove the motherboard while the cables are hooked up. This means that you will have to slide the motherboard in or out of the case with most (if not all) of the cables detached from it, which is further compounded by the fact that the sides of the TT Lanbox can't be removed, only the top, which means that you will have to also move the power supply out of the way to get to the motherboard to plug/unplug many of the cables. To remove the power supply, you unscrew six small screws that hold the power supply frame in place. So to sum up, if you think you might need to get into your computer frequently, the TT Lanbox series isn't the easiest/quickest case to work with. I will say that it is very sturdy, though, and has a nice paint finish (on the steel Lite series).

I used to have a case very similar to the Apevia, made by Chenming, and really didn't like the quality of the paint finish, and ended up selling it. I've liked the TT Lanbox Lite, but I have a Ultra Microfly (without windows) coming in, as well the Austrian-made Noctua NF-R8 and NF-S12-1200, which I hear are some of the best fans made, period, and I plan to move everything into the Ultra Microfly. You might also consider the BGears b-Envi, (also probably made by the same company that makes the Apevia and Ultra cases of the same form factor) but the b-Envi is more money for features I didn't think I'd personally use - though I do think it looks nice.
 
NRay,

The Ultra Microfly case and the b-Envi case look sweet. Thanks for the recommendations.

Are you planning on using the stock PS that comes with the Ultra Microfly or do you plan to replace it?

What kind of SFF PS would be recommended to handle a gaming rig with a quad core / NVidia 9800 series card, 2 HDD and an optical drive? Is 400W sufficient?
 
stehle said:
NRay,

The Ultra Microfly case and the b-Envi case look sweet. Thanks for the recommendations.

Are you planning on using the stock PS that comes with the Ultra Microfly or do you plan to replace it?

What kind of SFF PS would be recommended to handle a gaming rig with a quad core / NVidia 9800 series card, 2 HDD and an optical drive? Is 400W sufficient?
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A 400W, even a very good one, wouldn't cut it for the configuration you're talking about.

I'm personally going to be using my Corsair 620HX, which is the best power supply I've ever used, and is the one I'd also recommend for the configuration you're talking about.
 
nray said:
I'm personally going to be using my Corsair 620HX, which is the best power supply I've ever used, and is the one I'd also recommend for the configuration you're talking about.
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Just moved everything from my Lanbox Lite to the Microfly (after replacing the Ultra fans with Noctua fans), and it went smoothly except for one thing - fitting the left side panel on with the Corsair 620HX in there.

As it turns out, at the top center of each side panel are a couple of slots in an extra bit of metal that has been folded over and protrudes about 2mm into the case, to help secure the top panel to the sides when you slide it on. With the power supply that comes with the case, it's not a problem, but the Corsair is ever so slightly longer and interferes with the side panel. I took out my trusty dremel and cutting wheel, and in a few minutes had removed the tiny bit of offending metal, but I thought I would warn anyone who gets the Microfly that even though there's plenty of room for standard power supplies, you might have to mod the left side panel a bit.

And Noctua fans are incredibly quiet, so I'm very happy.
 
nray said:
Just moved everything from my Lanbox Lite to the Microfly (after replacing the Ultra fans with Noctua fans), and it went smoothly except for one thing - fitting the left side panel on with the Corsair 620HX in there.

As it turns out, at the top center of each side panel are a couple of slots in an extra bit of metal that has been folded over and protrudes about 2mm into the case, to help secure the top panel to the sides when you slide it on. With the power supply that comes with the case, it's not a problem, but the Corsair is ever so slightly longer and interferes with the side panel. I took out my trusty dremel and cutting wheel, and in a few minutes had removed the tiny bit of offending metal, but I thought I would warn anyone who gets the Microfly that even though there's plenty of room for standard power supplies, you might have to mod the left side panel a bit.

And Noctua fans are incredibly quiet, so I'm very happy.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you bought the older version of the microfly. Ultra fixed that problem in another revision of the case a couple of months later. Just take a wire cutter or dremel to it and it fixes everything.
 
FYI, I've taken my Micro Fly to the Netherlands and back without any issues. It fits in the overhead compartmant while stuffed in a SilverStone bag perfectly. You may have issues stuffing it in the overhead compartment of a connecting commuter flight however. If I know I'll be one smaller plane, I'll request the back row and stick it underneath the seat in front of me. It should fit underneath any of the seats, but it's easier to do when you're in the back row.

Security checks my bag every time I go through (probably 5 round trips so far) to a destination, but none of the checks gave me any issues.
 
^ Something to consider for those that may want to fly at some point in their lives. Like vacations or holidays to home/family. :)
 
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