General Performance and Encoding

We can compare WinStones scores for the SN25P directly with our 3800+ desktop results. The real world application of these scores is dubious, as most business/office applications tend to spend most of their time waiting on the user. However, we include them as a general indication of system performance.

Business WinStone 2004

Mutlimedia WinStone 2004

As you can see, the results show that the SN25P is able to slightly surpass the reference nForce4 testbed in general performance. For our encoding test, we use AutoGK to encode a chapter from the Sum of All Fears DVD to 75% quality without audio. We do not have results for a similar desktop system encoding the same video, but we include figures for encoding a chapter from the Pirates of the Caribbean as reference. We'll also include the time required to encode the sample video that we used in our Socket 478 and 745 roundup to a target size of 5 MB.

DivX 5.2.1 Encoding

Xvid 1.0.3 Encoding

DivX 5.2.1 Encoding

Xvid 1.0.3 Encoding

The performance essentially matches the desktop counterpart, which is what we were hoping for. The size of the case has diminished, so the power per cubic inch has increased greatly.

Testing Configuration Gaming Performance
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  • CrystalBay - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    Nice review, 375.00 is that Shuttle's retail price ?

    I like the PSU is there any rating on the 12v line.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    8 - I didn't have any difficulty installing a DVD drive into the SN25P. The "button" has a fairly large range of movement, which allows it to work well. Also, the screw-less design of the CD worked well for me.

    As far as the graphs go, my intention is to actually go back and add in figures for the SN95G5 and Soltek 3901-300 Pro when I finish testing them, so in the future the charts will hopefully become more meaningful. Having only run one set of benchmarks for this particular configuration made the benchmarks somewhat superfluous for the time being. :|
  • Gioron - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    One thing that I noticed was that all the noise and heat graphs were on their own seperate scale. This might not be as big a deal when there are multiple cases on the chart, but when there is only one it makes it impossible to just run your eye down the chart and see what the range is. I'd really recommend picking the largest scale and sticking with it for all the charts (and preferably, do the same when there is more than one case on those graphs).

    Other than that minor layout glitch, a fairly good review. One thing I was wondering, however, was how well the cover over the CD drive works. I know my G5 series case takes a lot of tweaking to get the CD drive positioned just right so that the button will actually open the drive, have they improved that in the P series chasis?
  • OrSin - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    Not impressed at all.
    Case too big, and no PCI slot is huge turn off for me.
    I think alot SSF users use thier system as HTPC and this system just will not work. I would perfer a wider case, than a taller one. And no PCI slot means no TV tuner or FTA cards.

    Maybe I will wait for the one with the ATI motherboard, or the Biostar or just get a HTPC case and get a real motherboard in it.

    Oh yeah $400 is little steap even for SFF cases.
  • JarredWalton - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    #5 - blame my camera. It's definitely NOT a high-end model. Most of the external shots were provided by Shuttle, so I used those as a better quality image. The front panel *does* have a speckled look to it. Maybe I'll see about upgrading to a better camera in the future. Right now, the originals are taken at 2048x1536 (the max of my 3 MP Fuji camera), but after cropping and misc. cleanup I resized them to a more manageable format.
  • IceWindius - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    Ok, why do alot of these picture in their large format look very grainy like it was done in 640x480 mode?
  • IceWindius - Wednesday, March 9, 2005 - link

    Well see how well this machine does in the reliable department as many people complained about the SN95g's issues.

    That and I want to see Creative make a PCI-E soundcard as well as onboard sucks period.
  • deathwalker - Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - link

    #1...for the most part i agree that overclocking wont be a issue with a lot of SFF buyers. One point of concern for me would be the absence of a PCI slot for standard PCI periphrials..such as a TV tuner card..which i have in my system and use frequently.
    This does look like an attractive device though with a little extra room than most SFF's and a Power Supply with some performance margin in it.
  • pbrain - Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - link

    Fantastic review. Now, where and when are they going be available?!
  • segagenesis - Tuesday, March 8, 2005 - link

    And I thought my SN41G2 was expensive at $300 when it was new. Ouch!

    Good review, however. I dont think overclocking is a major selling point for a SFF when most people want one for noise/size/convenience.

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