In early may '04, SFF Tech and Shuttle teamed up to do an appreciation contest for all of our SFF readers. Together we gave away three Shuttle XPCs to three lucky winners. One of the entry requirements for the contest was to pose a question to Ken Huang, of Shuttle Computer, who is the Chief Architect (the mastermind) behind the XPC. We had hundreds of questions and we posed thirty of them to Mr. Huang to answer.
 Mr. Huang, given the fact that Shuttle has created the SFF niche and was able to start with a blank sheet of paper, how much influence does the current SFF customer and even the competition have on your design teams when they are designing new products?
Shuttle XPC users have a huge influence on our design and R&D teams. We carefully monitor the XPC enthusiast community for issues and ideas for improvement. Often, these improvements are incorporated into a “free” version upgrade, such as the SB61G2 v1 to the SB61G2 v3. The v3 improved in many of the areas our users were looking for, even though the v1 was already best-in-class.
There is a lot of standardization in the Shuttle line, will this lead to a time when we can specify the motherboard we want in the case style we like best?
Right now, Shuttle has three distinct XPC architectures. K, G, and P. Within these architectures, there is generally component compatibility, such as motherboards, power supplies, heat pipes, etc. However, there are continual improvements on these architectures, often at the expense of backwards compatibility. When weighing the demand for improved XPC’s with the demand for interchangeability, our user base tends to want the improvements more.
Even with this limitation, we do provide some degree of upgradeability. For example, a user could upgrade their old SS50 with a FB61 motherboard, and even purchase a compatible heat pipe as well. Or, a user could upgrade a SK41G with a FN41 motherboard, while using the same PSU and heatpipe.
Many of us use the Shuttle for HTPC purposes. Many Shuttles today have excellent 2D graphics and are very suitable. However the limitation of the mainboard to only one PCI slot poses problems (The SB 62 does not quite qualify as good 2D). Are there any plans for XPC size boxes that have space for 2 PCI slots, or even better, 2 successor slots?
Yes, we do plan to offer dual PCI-Express slot XPC’s in the near future. PCI-E is a great technology for XPC, since it allows two flexible slots that can be used for graphics, or for general purpose upgrades such as TV tuners. Also, the quality of onboard audio is always improving, so HTPC users will have less and less reason to change to a PCI or PCI-E based sound card.
Are you concerned with any competition from micro ATX systems? The Antec Aria is just a bit wider than a Shuttle SFF case, but allows for 3 PCI slots and an AGP slot.
We are not particularly concerned by MicroATX systems, since it is quite difficult to make an adequate SFF from a thermal and acoustic standpoint while maintaining compatibility with MicroATX. The Aria is a great example of this, recent reviews have shown it to have severe thermal problems, limiting it to lower speed processors and video cards. If anything, we fear systems such as these hurting the SFF concept in general, generating a reputation for running hot and noisy is not what the SFF market needs in its growth period.
Graphics cards and hard disks require more and more cooling. Have you considered to change the XPC design so that the graphics card is on the right side of the CPU, like in the BTX standard, to open up the possibility to use the same cooling system to efficiently cool both the CPU and the GPU?
We recognized the increasing demands of processors, video cards, and drives, and the new P chassis is our answer to these demands. As you mention, we have relocated the expansion slots to the opposite side of the chassis, as well as developed new cooling zone technology for processor, video card, and drives. I think you’ll find the P chassis models (such as the recently announced SB81P) run even cooler than typical tower PC’s because of these changes.
With more manufacturers jumping into the SFF bandwagon , how will Shuttle differentiate itself from the competition, to retain it's market leadership in the field?
With almost 5 years in the SFF business, we have certainly learned a trick or two along the way. One trick we learned is not to cut corners, and as such the quality of our XPC’s is widely acknowledged to surpass any of the others. This is also reflected in the models we offer, often with top of the line features that none of our competitors offer. For example, only Shuttle has created Intel i875P, Intel i925X, NVIDIA nForce2 Ultra400, NVIDIA nForce3 Ultra, and VIA K8M800 based units. Also, our thermal and acoustic characteristics are the best in the industry, and getting better.
Do you cross shop the knock offs when you want to buy a Louis Vuitton bag? If you do, it’s only to save money, not get a better product.
Shuttle SFF has not provided a way to either hide the CD/DVD drive or provide some clever replacements for the front bezels of these drives that would match the SFF designs. What plans does Shuttle have in this area?
Actually, quite a few of our shipping and announced XPC’s have the ability to hide the optical drive. For example, the SS56L is available today and has one of the most advanced bezels ever, which can not only hide optical drives, but hide front panel ports while they are still connected to mice, cameras, etc.
Does shuttle have any plans to sell fleshed out systems in retail chains such as Best Buy?
Shuttle definitely plans to enter the mainstream system market, to promote the concept of SFF outside of the enthusiast market in which SFF has been so successful. Major retailers like Best Buy naturally have a place in these types of plans, but that’s all I can say right now.
Now that miniaturized components (such as laptop harddrives) are becoming more easily available, will Shuttle be considering new products that break away from the standard Shuttle design, such as rack-mounting servers or "half-height" Shuttle models aimed at the "tapeless VCR" market?
We still don’t believe in using laptop components, since there is still a severe performance, price, and availability deficiency compared to desktop components. The latest graphics, processors, memory, and drives are about twice as fast as their laptop equivalents, and cheaper as well. As long as the law of physics still applies, this is likely to be the case.
More and more small form factor barebones are offering quality onboard graphics processors to save space and slots. What future onboard graphics can we look forward to seeing in Shuttle's line?
We believe in high quality onboard graphics, and the fact that we were first to market with nForce2 IGP and RADEON 9100IGP based SFF’s is a testament to that. This also applies to Intel’s new GMA900 graphics in i915G, as well as upcoming unannounced ATI and NVIDIA chipsets.
What is being done to promote the XPC to non-technical consumer?
Shuttle’s new system business is our vehicle to promote to non-technical consumers, who previously could not access XPC due to the DIY nature of barebones. We are heavily promoting XPC systems in the same channels as Dell, HP, and Sony use. You can now see XPC systems on CSI, at Britney Spear’s concerts, and in mainstream publications like New York Times, Financial Times, Maxim, Popular Science, etc.
Do you foresee an increase in the size of an SFF to keep up with modern and hotter running components?
As I mentioned, we now have three architectures with different size. While each architecture can support top-of-the-line components, only the larger architectures like the P chassis can support future 4.0GHz processors with up to three 10,000RPM hard drives. However, I expect the processor and video card companies will do something in the next year, as even tower PC’s are getting overwhelmed by the power and heat requirements of the latest silicon. Intel’s Pentium M is proof that you can have performance and low power at the same time.
What was the overall reaction from Shuttle employees when you first introduced your idea/design of the Shuttle XPC to them?
At first, the concept of the XPC was very untested, and many people both outside and inside our company were extremely surprised at the market’s acceptance of it. Shuttle is a very different kind of company, and only from a company like Shuttle could XPC become such a driving force in the PC market.
Will Shuttle build a dual-processor SFF?
We will build a dual processor SFF only if we can find a way to do it without limiting performance or thermal/acoustic characteristics. These are two of the very basic concepts of XPC, and we refuse to compromise on this point. However, you will see dual processors on a single die from both Intel and AMD next year, which will make implementing them in XPC much more realistic.
Are there plans for a Pentium-M platform XPC?
We think Pentium-M is a very interesting processor, and you may be surprised to learn that we have had special XPC motherboards with Pentium-M processors running for some time now. But we will only introduce such a concept when we think the market is ready for it.
When will Shuttle come out with 802.11g modules?
Our PN15 with 802.11g is now available, and you can get it in the US direct from us.shuttle.com; or from resellers like ExcaliburPC. It is also available in Europe and Asia.
Mr. Huang, what does your "dream machine" look like and what's in it?
I must admit I don’t need a very powerful machine. My dream machine would be very small and quiet, and be pleasing to look at like jewelry. This is one of the directions that I hope to take XPC, Zen is a great first step.
Mr. Huang - How do you think the success of Windows Media Center will effect case and motherboard designs in the next one to two years?
Media Center Edition will grow very quickly over the next two years, and I believe it will cause the XPC market to grow substantially. While there are CE type form factor PC’s available now, these types of form factors are not very pretty sitting on your desk. A Media Center PC has to be at home in any environment – on your desk, in your entertainment center, maybe in a vehicle. Right now, XPC is the only Media Center PC that provides this type of flexibility.
Does Shuttle have any plans to design an SFF system that looks more like a piece of audio equipment for the HTPC market?
Yes, you will see some exciting XPC’s with VFD displays and interesting ID’s in the near future.
Will Shuttle ever produce optical products to compliment their XPCs?
Right now, we offer a DVD-ROM that is color matched to XPC, the CR20. You will see more advanced optical products from Shuttle in the future designed to complement XPC.
The ICE cooling system is highly effective at dispersing CPU heat. In the future though, more powerful PSUs and GPUs will perhaps rival the heat output of the CPU and demand another leap forward in SFF cooling. How do shuttle plan to develop their stock cooling solution to meet this challenge?
Our ICE has gone under constant revision since it was introduced. Although not everyone notices, there have been over five different ICE revisions. The newest ICE units for Intel LGA775 processors are much more efficient than the first generation, and use technologies like linearly controlled 92mm fans to keep even the hottest processors running cool.
What are Shuttle’s plans for the BTX standard?
Shuttle is working closely with Intel on the BTX standard, and we already demonstrated a BTX based XPC at Computex this June. However, we believe the high end of the XPC market will always be custom designed. Not keeping compatibility allows us much more room to innovate, an example of which is SB81P which has superior thermal and size characteristics compared to BTX.
Does Shuttle plan to work with VIA on producing anymore mini-ITX/fanless products?
We offered the 17cm x 17cm FE22 motherboard in 1999, which had a very similar feature set to the current MiniITX platforms. However, this wasn’t a good solution for us, as MiniITX is basically FlexATX, and doesn’t have things like a standardized CPU location which makes SFF cooling development much easier. If you take a MiniITX case and motherboard off the shelf today, you will find that they don’t fit together particularly well, and the thermal environment is often barely sufficient for VIA’s mediocre C3, let alone AMD and Intel processors.
Will Shuttle be coming out with a similar form factor Network Accessible Storage device?
This is something that we have studied in the past, and new technologies are on the horizon that will make this concept much more useful.
Mr. Huang, In the SFF community, many 'tweakers' have proven the engineering designs of the XPC's, such as the efficiency of the ICE design. That is to say, that generally, 'tweakers' have found that the ICE remains the most efficient air cooling heat sink. Can you recall any advances in Shuttle's engineering design that has come from or began in user groups, such as the SFF at Sudhian, and how closely does Shuttle monitor the pulse of the users, so to speak? Thank you.
We monitor the enthusiast community very closely. If the community hadn’t been there pushing us to improve the XPC concept throughout the years, XPC would not be in the position it is today. We owe a large debt of gratitude to the enthusiast community, and we always pay attention to their comments and suggestions, some of which make it into production XPC’s. We even have a weekly internal newsletter highlighting all the most important forum and user discussions.
Mr. Huang, what could you say, or better yet: what is Shuttle planning to do to make SFF owners like me want to switch to a Shuttle? (And I'd like to hear a bit more then "better support" because who needs support when you got SFFtech.com? ;-) ) What I mean is that is not unthinkable Shuttle is still riding the wave of success from the period in which Shuttle which the only serious SFF producer. As more good brands enter the market, that wave is going to stop. Shuttle undoubtedly already has long term visions and strategies to make new waves...
We have introduced or will introduce 8 new models this summer, along with some revolutionary technologies and designs you won’t see anywhere else. And quite frankly, Shuttle spends the most money on SFF development, manufacturing, and quality control, and I don’t see this changing anytime soon.
Are there any plans from shuttle to introduce an XPC with dual 5.25 bays?
We have studied this for some time, but it appears the demand for dual 5.25” bay XPC’s is decreasing, not increasing. That is natural, since today’s optical drives can do so much. The latest DVD+-RW’s can read and write DVD’s and CD’s at very high speeds, and even do disk copy very quickly. Given this, it doesn’t really make sense to increase the size of XPC 20% to accommodate another optical drive.
Since following the Shuttle XPC product line, I've been impressed that your designs consistently exhibit better form and finish than all the competitors. Would you consider yourself the "Apple Computer" of the SFF world?
I would say that we consider ourselves the Shuttle of the SFF world. We simply believe in the concept more than anyone else, and as such spend much more time and money developing XPC. Shuttle will probably always make the highest quality, highest priced SFF available worldwide. We have staked our entire company on this concept, and will be the last to stop moving forward.
Fashion and size have long been intertwined; with small Shuttle computers do you foresee and entry into the accessories market having external devices (like cd-roms, scanners, etc ) that all come from Shuttle to have a unified look and feel?
There are already many accessories designed to complement XPC, such as the new XP17 monitor. I wouldn’t be surprised to see additional Shuttle peripherals in the future.
Does Shuttle ever contemplate making a 'larger' SFF machine similar in size to the Monarch Hornet SFF or the Antec Aria case which would accept 'standard' micro-atx motherboards?
I already talked a little about this, but we don’t believe that MicroATX is a good platform for a SFF system. The reviews and market reaction to the MicroATX SFF’s out there seems to validate our belief.
Who is your favorite Spice Girl?
Definitely Charlize Theron! But I guess I should like Britney Spears more since she is an XPC user?
Thank you to Ken Huang for taking the time to answer the above questions and for pushing the SFF market to what it has become today. I think I speak for all of the SFF fans in saying how much we appreciate our SFFs of today and can't wait for the ones of tomorrow.
Jasper Schneider
Managing Editor
SFF Tech
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