...making Linux just a little more fun!
Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]
[[[ This is a followup to http://linuxgazette.net/141/misc/lg/shuttle_sd39p2__should_i_buy_one.html - Kat ]]]
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Paul <sayhellotopaul@gmail.com> Date: 14-Aug-2007 22:20 Subject: Shuttle-SD39P2 To: thomas.adam22@gmail.com
Hi,
I read that you are using the above Shuttle and I am thinking about getting one myself. I was wondering though what graphics did you use and whether it is so silent that you do not notice it or that you can hear it but it is not bothering at all. I am thinking about getting a 8800gts, but am not sure whether it will be too loud for the system.. I would appreciate your info!
Paul
Thomas Adam [thomas.adam22 at gmail.com]
[ I'm CCing TAG, since you'd have read this in the linux gazette. It's only right the reply ends up there. ]
On 14/08/07, Paul <sayhellotopaul@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi, > > I read that you are using the above Shuttle and I am thinking about getting > one myself. I was wondering though what graphics did you use and whether it > is so silent that you do not notice it or that you can hear it but it is not > bothering at all. I am thinking about getting a 8800gts, but am not sure > whether it will be too loud for the system.. I would appreciate your info!
I'm using an NVidia graphics card (GeForce 7300). This is actually a PCI-express card. I don't notice it, although it can put out a fair amount of heat -- this is normal for most graphics cards. It's not a particularly powerful one, either. I don't play games (unless you count moon-buggy) so I wasn't interested in anything more than this.
The ICE system in the shuttle really works well. There's some nice BIOS options for it which allow's one to control the speed the fans are set at. It's quite clever in how it works too. Cool air is drawn in from one side of the shuttle, which is blown through it and emitted out the other side. By default, these fans are set to "Smart Mode" in this BIOS, which means they're controlled by the BIOS as to how fast or slow they need to spin. Even on a hot day here (where the room temperature was ~30C) the system temperature overall was only about 50C -- that's not bad going at all.
There is some tiny hum from the Shuttle regarding these fans, but it's barely audible, and I'm sat right next to thing. What I do tend to hear, perhaps more than I'd like is the damn hard drive being accessed. I suspect that's my fault -- I should check to see that I screwed the thing in properly.
What is it you were thinking of using it as? I would be hesitant to suggest you leave it on 24/7 like some other machines --- you have to be slightly careful that the hard drive(s) don't emit too much heat. I've read reports that the heat from some drives can be troublesome, although given the hard drives are mounted at the very top of the case, this can only help to dissipate the heat.
I'm really pleased with it, as I said. It's a brilliant machine. 
Thomas Adam