Product: Shuttle SV24 Manufacturer: Shuttle Price: $250 Author: Brian Lee Page: 7

Here are some possible configurations, of course, these are just my recommendations and are a matter of personal preference.
 

Use:	Gaming Machine
CPU:	Intel P3 or Celeron
Memory:	512 - 1024 MB
Hard disk:	7200 RPM
PCI slot:	Geforce 2 MX or similar
Notes:	If you plan on using the SV24 for gaming, the onboard video simply isn't going to cut it.  A Geforce 2 MX or something similar will be much better.

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Use:	Office Machine
CPU:	Intel P3 or Celeron or VIA C3
Memory:	128 - 256 MB
Hard disk:	5400 RPM
PCI slot:	Empty
Notes:	For word processing and basic office applications, a lot of CPU firepower isn't needed.  Really.

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Use:	Home entertainment system MP3 or DVD server
CPU:	VIA C3
Memory:	256 - 512 MB
Hard disk:	4400 or 5400 RPM
PCI slot:	Sound Blaster Live! or Audigy
Notes:	The built in sound card is acceptable, but if you're going to be amplifying the sound through your nice home theater, you better upgrade the sound card to something with a much cleaner signal.  Also, the VIA C3 933 we tested was more than capable of software decoding DVD's.  The the VIA C3 CPU's run pretty cool, you won't need a CPU fan which will keep things nice in quite in your home theater which is really important.

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Use:	Home DSL/Cable Webserver
CPU:	VIA C3
Memory:	512 - 1024 MB
Hard disk:	5400 RPM
PCI slot:	Second 10/100 Network card
Notes:	I'll probably get crap for putting down such low specs, but for most people who run home servers, the limiting factor isn't the server but it is the speed of the DSL/Cable line.  A SV24 with these specs could easily saturate a DSL/Cable line.  The VIA C3 runs nice and cool as does the 5400 RPM hard disk.  The second network card is useful if the server also acts as a router or for internal access to the server from the LAN.

Aside from it's stylish looks and diminutive size, the SV24 is a very versatile computer suitable for many different applications.  The reliability is also there.  In fact, I  didn't have a single lockup or crash while running Windows 2000 on this computer.  I also ran Prime95 for 96 hours straight without a hiccup.  This makes me confident to use the SV24 where long uptimes are necessary such as a webserver or MP3 or DVD server.  This reliability is probably due to the fact that many of the peripherals are all integrated onto the motherboard and designed to work together.

As much as I love the all aluminum case, I would suggest to Shuttle that they create a boring beige version of the SV24 in regular steel and plastic.  I say this because I  hate the way the SV24 looks with white components, namely the CD/DVD ROM and floppy drive.  The white on silver looks really tacky and leaves the owner with three options: 1.  Go buy expensive silver colored peripherals, or 2. Go spray paint the faceplates silver, or 3. Live with it.  Personally, I don't like any of these options and would like a beige version of the SV24.  Beige is good.  I like beige.  I think the SV24 would look swell in beige.  Plus it would be cheaper to make and thus cheaper for us consumers to buy.

The last issue I would like to address is the problem with noise.  The SV24 is not a super quiet machine that it claims to be.  The power supply fan is loud, the supplied CPU heatsink fan is loud, and the exhaust fan is loud.  While watching a DVD movie or listen to MP3's on this computer in my home theater, I could really hear the whine of the fans.  Since none of my other audio components make any noise, the SV24 really stood out.  If Shuttle really expects the SV24 to be part of the home entertainment system, then they will have to work on making the SV24 much quieter, because in the stock form, the SV24 will get itself kicked out of every home theater for not shushing...  I'm serious.  The SV24 is not as loud as my main overclocked beast of a desktop machine, but I was never planning on taking that monster into my living room.  As compared to computers, the SV24 is not that loud.  As compared to stereo equipment, it is freaking loud.

As a home webserver, I think the SV24 is great.  A webserver doesn't need great sound or video, but needs to be reliable and capable.  Paired with a VIA C3 CPU, you got yourself one cool running server that doesn't take up that much space and looks damn cool.  A problem you may encounter is if you plan on having more than one hard disk in the server.  Since the SV24 is so small, there isn't much room to add more peripherals or drives.  I managed to squeeze two hard disks into the SV24, but since the power supply is only 145 watts, I wouldn't advise adding too many unspecified doodads.

All in all, the SV24 is a cool little machine that will serve you well in a variety of situations.  Since this website is about running your own webserver, I can safely say that the SV24 would be very capable of doing that as well.  Sure, you could build your own box, but could you do it for cheaper and make it look as cool?  I don't think so. 

The SV24 is a unique computer because it blatantly states to us:  "We have enough computer power, now let's try to do something really cool with all that CPU power".  Instead of taking us down the long and straight road of faster performance, the SV24 tries to break free from our traditional views of what a computer is supposed to do, and moves into a new way of looking at computing.  The SV24 isn't the fastest or the most powerful computer out there, but it certainly must be one of the most versatile.  Holy crap, I'm starting to sound like Steve Jobs.  Time to end this review.

This marks the end of the official review, but if you are interested in some of the simple modifications I performed to the SV24 to make it better suit my needs, read on. 

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