X58 Shuttle - SX58H7 First Impressions!

D

dworley

Gawd
Joined
Sep 30, 2004
Messages
625
The first intel based SLI / Crossfire Shuttle is finally here!

I have been patiently waiting for the SX58H7 since it was first rumored several months ago to replace my trusty old SD32G5.

At the time of this message the SX58H7 barebone system was in stock at Newegg ($709) and MWAVE ($649) - I ordered mine from MWAVE and they called to confirm it was shipping within 30 minutes of placing my order online.


BUILD

CPU: I7 920
Memory: GSkill PC16000 6GB Kit
Video: eVGA GTX 295
HD: WD/Dell 160GB Raptor


First Impressions: Piano Black finish????? I would have preferred brushed aluminum and considering buying an SG45H7 to swap out the case cover and front panel. After getting past the finish it seems that Shuttle has still not fixed the JP5 jumper block interfering with long video cards (same on SG45H7) as I had to remove it to fit my GTX 295. (see pics).

The New 500W PSU is a blessing as it has (3) 12V rails totaling 49A which should support any high end Video card and it has worked perfectly fine with my GTX 295 so far through several 3Dmark runs (some hissing but not as bad as the Shuttle SG45H7 300W PSU squealing under load). The PSU has 2 6 pin PCI-E connections with an extra two pin adapter for 8 pin PCI-E. (see pics)

My components installed very easily and the system booted up on the first attempt. I immediately tried a little mild overclocking in the BIOS by setting the OC XMP profile for my PC16000 memory. and it booted up fine. When using the OC profile the smart fan kicked into a higher speed, I verified that it slowed down when I switched back to default settings. (I included some pics of the BIOS for the CPU overclocking sections.)

I used Vista X64 OS from my Asus Rampage II GENE build in this system and it booted up fine and recognized all the devices correctly - I only had to install the Realtek Audio driver which saved me a lot of time. My 3Dmark vantage score was 20,418 with CPU and Video at stock settings.

So far I’m pleased with the system but the sticker shock will deter many and my only gripes are the glossy black finish and the JP5 jumper block on the Motherboard that has to be removed / modded to fit longer video cards.

I’ll be happy to answer any q’s and will post more impressions after I get some more time with the system!


PICS:

 
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Excellent build man. I can't see the picture gallery though because it's asking for a password. :confused:

Any idea on how big this case is compared to the Sugo SG05? It's obviously a bit longer since it can fit a GTX 295. How about height and width?
 
CompuG##K said:
Excellent build man. I can't see the picture gallery though because it's asking for a password. :confused:

Any idea on how big this case is compared to the Sugo SG05? It's obviously a bit longer since it can fit a GTX 295. How about height and width?
Click to expand...

I added the pics to my post

Size is 8x8x13
 
Wow, everything is so neat and tidy in that case! Amazing that so much power can be crammed into such a small case. The only thing that concerns me is lack of ventilation on the video card side of the case. How are your temps?


Yeah, it's definitely longer than the SG05, but not too much longer. It is also a bit taller too. It's actually not quite as wide though. It's in the same size class as the SG05, but with no limitations on power and video card size. I wish I would have seen this thing before I did my "Midget Rig" build. I'm too limited by my 350w power supply to go much higher than a GTS 250 and a C2Q. :(
 
CompuG##K said:
Wow, everything is so neat and tidy in that case! Amazing that so much power can be crammed into such a small case. The only thing that concerns me is lack of ventilation on the video card side of the case. How are your temps?


Yeah, it's definitely longer than the SG05, but not too much longer. It is also a bit taller too. It's actually not quite as wide though. It's in the same size class as the SG05, but with no limitations on power and video card size. I wish I would have seen this thing before I did my "Midget Rig" build. I'm too limited by my 350w power supply to go much higher than a GTS 250 and a C2Q. :(
Click to expand...


It gets pretty warm with the case cover on due to all of the heat from the video card....I plan on modding the chasis and cover to move the video card to the outside PCI-E slot so that half of the video card / cooler will be outside of the case. (That's how my other Shuttle is setup and it runs very cool.)


Here's an idea of what it will look like soon:

IMG_0772.jpg
 
digitalxdna said:
nice. a bit of a sticker shock, but nice.
Click to expand...

Definitely paying a bit of a price premium for the form factor.

Figure a high end case like a Qmicra V2 and an Asus Rampage Gene board are gonna run around $510 for the pair.

Adding a decent PSU, maybe like a Corsair HX620 for another $120 or so.

The price isn't sooooo crazy.

Checks credit card and bank balance......:D
 
I was able to mod the JP5 block as it only has two wires: I extracted the two wires from the connector and used two single connectors that were not used in my SG03 (from the FP audio connections). I connected the two single connector / wires on JP5 and bent them over slightly to clear the video card.

I also modded (dremelled) the rear chassis side frame of the SX58H7 and cut out a window in my case cover so that I could install the double slot video card in the outside PCI-E slot. I stress tested the system playing GRID prior to the mod and my GPU was hitting 91C. This did not cause any problem, but I prefer to run everything as cool as possible and I also wanted to use a PCI-E X-Fi Titanium in the inside slot as the USB X-Fi surround 5.1 is not capable of true positional 5.1 audio in openal games. (With the case mod the GPU never exceeded 81C.)

Pics:

 
Ok, so aside from the fact that the GTX295 is technically SLI (two cards, one slot though), how is this case SLI?

Sorry, not trying to be snotty, just wondering if there's something that I'm missing.....

This is the smallest case I could find that would fit two full sized GPUs. And that was a seriously tight fit. I'm sure I could have found something smaller if I'd wanted to cut the side out, but I really just wanted a nice, relatively small case that held everything I have (well, almost, the sound card didn't fit!)

SDC101121280x768.jpg
 
VolvoR said:
Ok, so aside from the fact that the GTX295 is technically SLI (two cards, one slot though), how is this case SLI?
Click to expand...

The Shuttle SX58H7 is based on intel X58 chipset and has (2) PCI-E x16 slots that support SLI and X-Fire. It is the smallest SLI / X-Fire system available and can fit 10.5" length video cards. The only downside is you are limited to single slot cards in a dual GPU configuration.

I was able to use my GTX-295 in a previous modded SD32G5 Shuttle which was older tech (Intel 945GC). I planned to upgrade to the latest tech and the 500W PSU in the SX58H7 was a nice bonus, so I don't need to use a drive bay PSU for the video card any longer!
 
you could always blow a grand or so and get two watercooled single slot GTX 285s.
 
Thanks for those pics(was wondering what it looks like on the inside), I've been waiting for ages for one of these(still on order here in Australia)..I have a nice OCZ Ram kit a picked up on Ebay waiting and a 920 D0 CPU in transit wating for this little beauty. I actually have a box full of watercooling gear waiting for it as well, and a GTX295 as well(couple of raptors too);). Would love to be able to watercool the GPU as well but I have doubts for lack of space(will see though)
If I manage to get my hands on one before stock runs out, I'll try and post some pics too later..
Cheers
 
dworley could you take some pictures for me? i am looking for a over head view, and a few angled pics with the front panel off. if you could that would be great :)
 
*cue in Michael Jackson's Thriller*

dworley, I know that you've had this system for a long time. Could you give any long term reviews of the system? How's it doing? Do you still run it with the 295? And as darkz179 said, mind taking some more pictures =D
 
CompuG##K said:
Wow, everything is so neat and tidy in that case! Amazing that so much power can be crammed into such a small case. The only thing that concerns me is lack of ventilation on the video card side of the case. How are your temps?


Yeah, it's definitely longer than the SG05, but not too much longer. It is also a bit taller too. It's actually not quite as wide though. It's in the same size class as the SG05, but with no limitations on power and video card size. I wish I would have seen this thing before I did my "Midget Rig" build. I'm too limited by my 350w power supply to go much higher than a GTS 250 and a C2Q. :(
Click to expand...

i have basicly same setup as you with a added hard drive and different cooling plus a 260 gtx 216 in my sg05

shuttle makes a nice case , i am very impressed


Jen
 
Jen said:
i have basicly same setup as you with a added hard drive and different cooling plus a 260 gtx 216 in my sg05

shuttle makes a nice case , i am very impressed


Jen
Click to expand...


I'm guessing you had to cut a chunk out of the front of your case to get your 260 to fit eh? Are you using the same power supply as I am? (Seasonic 350w)



I'm thinking about snatching up one of those Shuttle barebones whenever the next gen ATI/Nvidia cards come around. I'd like an SFF system that would stomp my big gaming pc into the ground. :D
 
i ordered mine last week for $465 shipped, using superbiiz.com.

it was listed @ $618 - $30(instant coupon) - $123(20% bing cashback) = $465 :)

i am going full out with the modding.

Worklog: http://matxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3112&p=4044#p4044

I should be receiving it thursday evening, and will take pics of everything for you guys (inside and out). They will be posted @ www.matxworld.com in my worklog, so come register and join the sff community.
 
crazjayz said:
*cue in Michael Jackson's Thriller*

dworley, I know that you've had this system for a long time. Could you give any long term reviews of the system? How's it doing? Do you still run it with the 295? And as darkz179 said, mind taking some more pictures =D
Click to expand...

I still have the SX58H7 as my main gaming rig, but only fire it up occasionally as I don't seem to have the time any more. I played through the last COH expansion pack and more recently some Dawn of War II on it and have not had any issues.

Video card temps peak between 80--85C with my modded case cover while gaming.

I'll get some new pics posted in a few days with the different angles requested!
 
Nice build, nice to know the Shuttle PSUs are still built to take a beating

I've been eyeing this Shuttle for a while now, the deal darkz got is really tempting. Bing cashback still works for superbiiz.com?

Any chance you've got reference temps for the video card before the mod?
 
darkz179 said:
i ordered mine last week for $465 shipped, using superbiiz.com.

it was listed @ $618 - $30(instant coupon) - $123(20% bing cashback) = $465 :)

i am going full out with the modding.

Worklog: http://matxworld.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=3112&p=4044#p4044

I should be receiving it thursday evening, and will take pics of everything for you guys (inside and out). They will be posted @ www.matxworld.com in my worklog, so come register and join the sff community.
Click to expand...

When you get your system, please give us feedback on superbiiz/ewiz/whatever-they-call-themselves. They have a pretty good review on resellerratings, but for some reason it just feels shady. But man, that's almost $150 off from Amazon's price, making it quite the deal.

Oh, and your modding plans seem to look pretty sweet. Will definitely head over and check it out once you start getting things going.

On another note, does anyone who own this case know the hole patter for the CPU socket? I was thinking of replacing the stock cooler with a Corsair H50 (I assume it would do better), but I have a hunch that Shuttle uses a proprietary socket. I'm on the fence about getting the system, but man I've wanted a shuttle for a LOOOONG time now and this seems like the one to get.
 
crazjayz said:
When you get your system, please give us feedback on superbiiz/ewiz/whatever-they-call-themselves. They have a pretty good review on resellerratings, but for some reason it just feels shady. But man, that's almost $150 off from Amazon's price, making it quite the deal.

Oh, and your modding plans seem to look pretty sweet. Will definitely head over and check it out once you start getting things going.

On another note, does anyone who own this case know the hole patter for the CPU socket? I was thinking of replacing the stock cooler with a Corsair H50 (I assume it would do better), but I have a hunch that Shuttle uses a proprietary socket. I'm on the fence about getting the system, but man I've wanted a shuttle for a LOOOONG time now and this seems like the one to get.
Click to expand...

Not trying to hijack but superbiz is legit. I have had numerous good experiences with them and their CS. Actually getting a phone call with an apology when I ordered something and it was out of stock. I am sure several people will come out and bash them for something in this thread but they have always done right by me.
 
Here are the additional photo angles that were requested:

Click thumbnails for full size

 
dworley or darkz179, do either of you know if the CPU socket hole patter is a standard 1366 or is it shuttle only? Thanks!
 
dworley,
Can you comment on my findings here:
<http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1452535>
 
Can you tell me what is the 'normal' DDR3 frequency to be used in this Shuttle with no CPU O/C?
DDR3 PC8500 or PC 10600?
 
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