AMD?s latest enthusiast CPU?s have finally found it into the mainstream SFF market with Shuttle?s recently released SN95G5 XPC. Featuring support for AMD?s Athlon 64/FX Socket 939 CPU?s and sporting the nVidia nForce3 Ultra chipset, the SN95G5 extends Shuttle?s lead in the small form factor market yet again.

The SN95G5 features Shuttle?s 5^th generation case design, the G5. Along with the P style case found on the recently launched SB81P, this is the second brand new case design for Shuttle in the same number of months. The G5 case features a modern, metallic looking front panel with integrated stealthed drive bays and an overall clean-lined professional look.

Often hailed as “the one” from AMD, the Socket 939 platform provides the SN95G5 with what some think will become the de facto standard CPUs of choice for the enthusiast community. Supporting the higher end Athlon 64 processors as well as the beefy Athlon FX series, socket 939 CPU?s provide a true dual channel DDR interface with the ability to use standard unbuffered memory modules. This dual channel DDR support is a leg up over the standard Socket 754 Athlon 64 found for instance on the Shuttle SN85G4V2. For those confused by the differences between AMD?s myriad of offerings including Socket 754, 939, 940 and the Athlon XP, 64, FX, and Operton, we?ll help sort out the confusion later on in the review when we examine the SN95G5?s chipset in more detail.

In order to satisfy the enthusiast community, Shuttle has packed the SN95G5 full of features including Gigabit Ethernet, dual port Serial-ATA RAID 0/1/0+1, dual channel DDR400, 6 channel audio including coaxial and SPDIF optical connections, as well as the Shuttle proprietary SilentX 240 Watt power supply unit. Let?s take a closer look at the complete system specifications:

Processor	AMD Athlon 64/FX CPU w/ 2GHz FSB on 939-pin Socket
Chipset	nVidia nForce3 250 Ultra
Memory	2 x 184 pin DDR SDRAM up to 2GB at PC3200 (DDR400)
Audio	nVidia AC’97 v2.2 5.1 Channel Audio Controller
LAN	nVidia nForce Gigabit LAN Network Controller 10/100/1000Gbps
PSU	Shuttle SilentX 240W 110/230V AC
Dimensions:	310mm(L) x 200mm(W) x 185mm(H)
Parallel ATA	Two UDMA-133 Dual Channel PATA Ports
Serial ATA	nForce Serial-ATA Controller - Two Ports With RAID 0/1/0+1/JBOD
On-Board Video	None
PCI	1 x 33MHz
AGP	1 x AGP 4X/8X
Other Internal Headers	1 x Floppy Disk 3 x Fan 1 x Mini CD In 1 x Parallel Port 1 x WKMC 1 x IrDA 2 x USB

Front Panel Connections

2 x USB 2.0 1 x Firewire 1394a (4-Pin) 1 x Mic In 1 x Headphone Out 1 x Power Button 1 x Reset Button 1 x IDE Activity LED 1 x Power LED

Rear Panel Connections

2 x USB 2.0 1 x PS/2 Mouse 1 x PS/2 Keyboard 1 x Firewire 1394a (6-Pin) 1 x Audio Front Out 1 x Audio Rear Out 1 x Audio Center/Bass Out 1 x Audio Line In 1 x SPDIF In 1 x SPDIF Out 1 x Coaxial Audio Out 1 x RJ45 LAN 1 x Serial (9-Pin) 1 x Clear CMOS Button 1 x PCI Slot 1 x AGP Slot

Shuttle has provided a fairly standard line up of accessories with the SN95G5 XPC.

You?ll find a single Serial-ATA data cable and Molex to Serial-ATA power converter cable for your Serial-ATA drives. Also included is a Molex y-adapter power cable to provide an extra power connection for a high-end AGP video card. Courtesy of nVidia, you?ll find the SN95G5?s documentation set includes a RAID manual describing initial RAID configuration and setup, maintenance, and repair/rebuilding incase of drive failure. Finally, you?ll find the rest of the standard XPC accessories including a floppy cable, IDE cable, power cable, thermal compound, case feet, manuals, and the general supply of screws and fasteners.

With a brand new case design, new chipset, and new CPU socket, the SN95G5 has a lot to offer. Let?s begin by taking a closer look at the system?s external case design?

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• External Design (1 of 10)
• External Design Cont?d (2 of 10)
• Internal Design (3 of 10)
• Thermodynamics and Cooling (4 of 10)
• Socket & Chipset (5 of 10)
• Bios (6 of 10)
• Testbench Setup (7 of 10)
• Benchmarks & Overclocking (8 of 10)
• Benchmark Comparisons (9 of 10)
• Conclusion (10 of 10)