My parts finally arrived. I unpacked everything and laid it all out on my work surface. I opened the directions and laid them out next to the parts. The first thing I did was open the case. Three thumb screws loosened the cover of the case and then I was able to pull the cover right off. Next, two more screws released the inner tray which holds the hard drive, memory card reader, and DVD drive. The tray seemed a bit flimsy but I was able to get each component mounted easily. The blank bay covers came off next with four more screws.
775 Socket
Once the parts were mounted in the tray, I moved my attention to the motherboard. I decided to mount the processor first. This shuttle case comes with a unique “ICE” heat pipe cooling system. This cooling system consists of a plate which sits on top of the processor which is connected to some pipes which move the heat from the plate to a heat sink located on the rear of the case. To mount the processor I needed to first remove this heatsink. The heatsink came off quickly and easily with four more thumb screws. Next, I disconnected the fan connector and removed the four thumb screws which hold the cooling plate to the motherboard. The whole unit then popped right out of the chassis. I could finally see the socket port. I had never worked with a 775 socket before so this install was a new adventure for me. Luckily, it was very simple. I raised the socket lever, opened the load plate, took my processor out of its packaging, and placed it in the socket. Once the CPU was in the socket, I closed the load plate and lowered the socket lever to lock it in place. Next I spread a thin layer of Artic Silver 5 cooling compound on the CPU die. Then I placed the ICE module back over the CPU and screwed it in place. The screws required quite a bit of pressure to get them in place after the processor was installed, but I managed to do it without breaking anything. I then reconnected the fan connector and refastened the thumb screws which hold the unit to the back of the case. Processor installed.
My attention then turned to seating the RAM. The motherboard has two DDR2 slots, each of which received a 2GB stick of 800 speed memory. To install the ram I simply unlocked the latches on either side of the slot, aligned the memory with the notch, and firmly pushed until the latches snapped closed. Simple.
Next, I routed the SATA cables for the DVD and hard drives. Shuttle lays out the case so there is a nice route for cables to run. Routing the cables was as easy as clipping them into the clips provided. After cables were routed, I placed the inner tray containing the hard drive, memory card reader, and DVD drive into the case and secured the screws which hold it in place. I connected the SATA and power cables to the DVD and hard drives. I then plugged the memory card reader into the USB header on the motherboard. Finally, I replaced the cover of the case and refastened the thumb screws which hold it in place.
The moment of truth had now arrived, would the computer do nothing, blow up in my face, or run like a charm. I plugged in the monitor, keyboard & mouse, and power cord. Then, I pressed the power button. With the quiet whoosh of the rear fan, the computer posted, and then beeped at me that my BIOS settings had changed. I hit continue, put my Windows Vista CD into the drive, and began the operating system installation. Success.
In terms of building a computer, this was probably one of the easiest builds I have ever done. Each component fell into place the way it was supposed to even with me being unfamiliar with this platform. The instructions were very easy to follow and include all sorts of information about header pin outs and jumper settings. When all was said and done, I do not think it took more than 15 minutes from the time I got everything unpacked to the time I began the OS install. I would definitely recommend this Shuttle platform for anyone looking for a small form factor and an easy build.
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