Internals II
ACHME's stout 200w PSU keeps the system ticking along even with a couple of drives and a powerful graphics card in situ. We'd say that 10A on the 12v rail wasn't enough to power a high-end system. The ACHME PSU seeks to prove otherwise. The only downside to its diminutive size is the use of a rather nasty 40mm exhaust fan. Once a system is cranked up under load, the fan begins to whine a little too much for our liking. A little modding should sort that out.
The floppy port is located directly below the PSU. It's pleasing to see a number of high capacity (3300uF) capacitors lining the back of the retention bracket.
The i865G Springdale supports dual channel DDR-400 memory operation. You'd be remiss not to use it in its preferred configuration, much like the nForce2. We do like how the Firewire, USB, S/PDIF and LED connections attach to the motherboard. They're in blocks that just plug straight in. There's no fiddling with each individual feature's cables.
The retention bracket obscures three of the most useful chips on the motherboard. In classic Shuttle construction, a Realtek ALC650 6-channel CODEC sits on the left. Its S/PDIF output ability is used thoroughly on this occasion. We had thought that the new v2.3 ALC655 jack-sensing CODEC may have found its way on the SB61G2. As it is, the ALC650's 20-bit resolution and 6-channel support should be good enough for most users who's PC audio requirements consist of the odd MP3 here or there. The trusty Realtek RTL8139 10/100 Ethernet controller and VIA's VT6307 2-port Firewire controller allow Shuttle to fill both the front and back of the SB61G2 with high-speed goodies. The VT6307, although a numerically higher number than the 6306, only support 2 ports as opposed to the 6306's 3. No biggie.
