Recently, Shuttle released their SB51G XPC for Intel CPU?s.  The SB51 was a great product and well received.  Today we are introducing to you their newest XPC ? the SK41G.  This XPC supports AMD?s Athlon CPU and marks the first time since the SV25 that Shuttle has used a VIA chipset in an XPC system.  Join me as we take a look at the new system, it?s features, performance, and a new heatsink design this XPC introduces.

Box Front

 

Box Back

The Specs:

• AMD Athlon XP/Duron Support


• VIA KM266 Northbridge/8235 Southbridge


• DDR200/266 Support - up to 2GB


• ATA/133 Support - 2 IDE Ports


• Integrated Video ? S3 ProSavage8


• S-Video TV Out


• 2 Serial Ports


• 4 USB 2.0 Ports (2 Rear, 2 Front)


• 3 Firewire Ports (1 Front, 2 Rear)


• PS/2 Keyboard/Mouse Ports


• Avance AC97 6 Channel Sound


• Front Headphone and Microphone Jacks


• Front Optical Output


• Rear Optical Input


• Onboard Realtek RT8100B LAN


• 1 AGP / 1 PCI


• Aluminum Chassis


• 1 5.25” Bay, 2 3.25” Bays (1 External)


• L) 300mm X (W) 200mm X (H) 185mm


• 200W Power Supply


• 1 80mm Rear Exhaust Fan


• Heatpipe Heatsink with Radiator (I.C.E. Technology - Integrated Cooling Engine)

Conclusion

Conclusion:

The SK41G is a good system, though the onboard video is underpowered compared to its predecessor the SS40G.  That?s okay though, as long as you throw in an AGP card.  That?s basically what the SK41G was created for.  Nobody is going to be buying an SK41G and not adding in some type of AGP video card, or at least I would hope they wouldn?t after reading this review.  I wish that Shuttle would have stuck with the SiS chipset and provided the best of both worlds however.  So the bottom line when talking about video is if you want to use the onboard video, get the SS40G.  If you want gaming power for a LAN box, snap up the SK41G.  On a somewhat positive note, S-Video is included onboard, but the quality is limited by the ProSavage8 video solution.  Again this is solved with an AGP video card.

Regarding the design of the SK41G, it is good to see the improvements centered around the CPU cooling solution.  The screw-down heatsink is very welcome and you won?t have to deal with any annoying clips in a cramped area.  Simply screw down each corner and you?re done.  The heatsink has been redesigned for better performance, and also the included CPU shim is a very thoughtful and welcome addition.

While the SK41G may be the first released AMD based XPC with an AGP slot, it definitely won?t be the last.  We know that the SN41 ? the nForce2 based unit ? is on the way and will undoubtedly deliver excellent video performance and quality via the Nvidia powered video solution.  While the SN41 will likely be more expensive than the SK41, it may be a better solution.  In the end it is up to you to decide what to buy if you are looking at an XPC.  If you need something now and don?t want to wait, get the SK41 if you plan to add a video card, but the SS40 if you want to use onboard video.  I for one would be waiting for the SN41 though if I were looking to purchase an AMD based XPC.

Thoughts, comments, suggestions? 

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