Digital Home Thoughts: Shuttle’s ST62K XPC: Small & Silent

Ports, Ports, Ports
Like most modern computers with integrated chips, the Shuttle ST62K offers an assortment of ports and connections on the back of the unit:

• USB 2.0 ports x 2;
• 6-pin Firewire ports x 2;
• Clear CMOS button: almost as if they knew we’d be overclocking, this is a fast way to reset the CMOS when things lock up;
• S-Video TV out port;
• VGA output port;
• Serial port (who needs one of these anymore?);
• Back-mounted SPDIF in and out ports for digital optical audio;
• 100 megabit Ethernet LAN port;
• PS2 Keyboard and mouse port;
• Audio ports: front out, rear out, centre/bass out;
• The strange-looking 12V power connector.


Figure 5: The rear ports on the Shuttle ST62K.

Front ports on the ST62K include two USB 2.0 ports, an audio line-in, a microphone port, and a line-out port. These ports are ideally positioned for audio tasks like recording from an external source such as a cassette player, connecting a microphone for VOIP, and connecting a device to record audio. The on-board audio is a Realtek ALC650 which supports six channels of audio.

Where’s the Firewire Port?
And this is where things start to get less optimal - without a front Firewire port, this Shuttle is not an ideal model for those with digital video cameras. There are two Firewire ports on the back, but having to run a cable from the back to the front isn't what I consider a good solution. My first Shuttle, an SS51G had a 6-pin Firewire port on the front, which was fantastic - I could connect any Firewire device to it, and the 6-pin port would also power the device. My next Shuttle, a SB65G2, had a 4-pin Firewire port on the front. This was less optimal, because it meant I had to externally power any device I connected to that port, but it was fine for connecting my Canon GL2 MiniDV camera, which was self-powered. And now this newest Shuttle has no front Firewire port. When asked about this, a Shuttle representative told me that due to the reduced footprint of the ST62K, they were unable to add a front Firewire port. That response makes sense, but it doesn’t change the fact that this renders the ST62K less useful for video enthusiasts, which is unfortunate. I would have gladly accepted a slightly larger ST62K, or only one front USB port, if it meant getting a front Firewire port.

And why the single PCI slot you might ask? As with all things, it's a trade-off between space and functionality. I would have preferred to see an AGP slot instead of a PCI slot, but the assumption Shuttle is making seems to be that the integrated ATI video is good enough for people buying this unit. The question then becomes, what will people put in that PCI slot? Two options come to mind: either a high-end Creative Labs Audigy 2 sound card, which would be appropriate if we're talking about a media PC hooked up to a sound system. However, with the bevy of sound options included in the Shuttle, including digital optical in and out, it becomes an issue of perceived sound fidelity rather than a necessity (unless you want to drive a 7.1 sound system). Another option for this PCI slot would be a gigabit Ethernet connection, especially in the case of a media PC with gigs of audio and video content. 100 megabit Ethernet seems fast until you start moving 10 GB video files across it, then the speed limitations become more obvious.