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After the successful launch of the SV24 "Toaster" mini BareBones system, Shuttle is vamping up the gallery of retro-looking dwarf systems. The first high-end solution based on the SIS 650 chipset is the SS50, suitable to host any of the current P4 478 pin processors, soon to be followed by the SS40 that will provide the counterpart for the AMD platform. Combining an extremely small footprint with a powerful CPU and an extremely rich set of features such as 5.1 Dolby surround sound, integrated network and firewire puts the SS50 on par with much bigger and expensive systems. Very good overclocking capabilities in spite of the lack of voltage adjustments add some additional attraction to the miniature cube. In terms of performance, the only weakness is the limited capability of the integrated real256 graphics chip. Some other minor flaws like a relatively noisy power supply fan and search lights instead of status LEDs could use some detail massages.

Of all systems reviewed here on LostCircuits, very few have had the kind of long term interest / impact as the Mini Barebones System Shuttle SV24. A fully integrated miniature system with firewire, network, TV-out and everything available for about $230.- or less, the SV24 could hardly be beaten, even though the performance did not place it on the list of top contenders.

"Coming straight on to you", the Shuttle SS50 mini BareBones system combines a powerful interior with a retro-elegant ambiance, and all of that at an extremely small footprint and a very affordable price tag of around US$350-400. Isn't she pretty?

Any successful concept is only successful when it is constantly renewed, VW's Beetle is one example of what can be done with changes under the hood while maintaining the same characteristic looks that everybody recognizes who has ever seen one. One main bottleneck of the SV was the relatively ineffective memory bus of the integrated VIA PL133 chipset, the second bottleneck was the SavagePro2000-based graphics controller used by VIA. The forte on the other hand was that the SV24 could be operated with passive cooling if necessary, for the more power-hungry user, any old P2 or even 386 fan did suffice as long as it would provide just the bare minimum of airflow across the heatsink.

Looking at the concept and its limitations, it is clear that with the C3 or VIA's new Eden processor, the SV24 is a great choice and will remain so for anybody who needs basic capabilities, has a limited budged and possibly commutes on the weekend. There is always the cry for more power and instead of putting racing stripes on a pinto, the true aficionado will use a body kit to accommodate the wider tires and put a more powerful engine under the hood. Add the extra bright halogen headlights and voila, here is the next concept.

This is kind of the universal recipe in cars and somebody at Shuttle must have followed the tuning kit instructions to the letter as we will find out.

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