Cooling
The SB61G2 supports the very latest Intel CPU, naturally. 3GHz clock speed on a 0.13u manufacturing process is a beast of thing to cool, especially in a confined space. Shuttle answer to this burning question is the I.C.E system.
Limited space dictates that somewhat unconventional means have to be undertaken on the cooling side of things. The copper-bottomed cooler sits perfectly in the retention bracket and is fastened on by a stiff clip that fixes over the socket. The crowded CPU socket area forces Shuttle into going for a heatpipe design.
The fins on the left-hand side help to radiate the heat that's pushed up by the heatpipe. Once the vapour inside turns back to liquid, it continues its merry way down back to the part of the heatsink in contact with the CPU. Of course, fins themselves cannot ferry away enough heat to cool a 60w+ 3GHz beast. Instead, an 80mm fan is attached to the upper part of the cooler. The fan is shown below.
By sliding over the top portion of the heatsink, it comes away with the removal of just four thumbscrews. Nice and simple. The fan's speed can be governed from within BIOS. That's a thoughtful measure as the fan has a rather irritating 3750RPM maximum speed. Quietness is one of the XPC's biggest selling points.
Now stripped of all its extras, the FB61 motherboard becomes easier to work with. Having said that, connecting the second IDE lead (white port on the right) was extremely frustrating. You sometimes need small fingers and a great deal of patience with XPCs. It all goes back together the way it came apart. The usual PC axioms apply. Take your time and build slowly.
