With its new product

Oct 11, 2005 16:24 GMT  ·  By

Shuttle has launched a new product to redefine what users expect from a silent PC.

To bring silent PC to the mainstream, Shuttle designers followed one well known rule, KISS (Keep it simple, Stupid) aiming for a silent PC solution that simply delivers, even to users new to this enthusiast group. Traditionally, customizing a PC for silence would involve premium-priced after market components and time consuming research and modifications, but the XPC SD11G5 comes equipped with many of these optimizations built in.

Utilizing a single fan design coupled with Shuttle's ICE heat-pipe technology, the system offers efficient cooling of internal components with little cost in noise. Notebook PC technology has been harnessed in the form of Intel's low-heat, high-performance mobile processors, the Pentium M and Celeron M series, and the whole system is powered by Shuttle's noiseless 220W external Silent X power supply.

Testing of the XPC SD11G5 configured with standard PC components reveals that the system produces less than 24dB of noise. This compares to the 32dB levels produced by typical XPCs, and greater than 40dB of standard PC systems. However, impressive as this seems, Shuttle acoustic technician, Jason Chen expects that when using carefully selected components, experienced silent PC enthusiasts will be able to reach levels even lower.

Despite the lighthearted mention in the design goal there is nothing stupid about striving for a silent PC. As daily life becomes more and more saturated with barrages from advertisers, higher levels of traffic noise, and increasing amounts of stress and pressure, investing in a workspace that offers an escape from distractions and a place to relax can have a positive benefit on health and productivity.

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