Granted, the SV24 did have its problems, such as a pretty loud fan, only a single PCI slot, and (perhaps worst of all) the fact that it was based on a dying processor format. Shuttle knew that the philosophy behind the SV24 was sound, however, so they went back to the drawing board and produced the SS50, an even better design that offered quieter operation, two PCI slots instead of just one, and most importantly, a socket for a Pentium 4. And there was much rejoicing.

Of course, while all this had the Intel lovers beaming, AMD fans were clamoring for a cube computer of their own. Shuttle has answered those requests with the system we're looking at today, the SS40G. Though the concept between the SS50 and the SS40G is the same, the SS40G sports an updated, sleeker look, and cracking open the top reveals further differences, among them a fascinating new heatsink design. Has Shuttle hit another home run? Read on to find out.

The FS40 motherboard
Before we go any further, it's a good idea to look at the heart of the matter, and in this case that is the FS40. This FlexATX motherboard packs the real punch behind the SS40G, offering up integrated graphics, USB and IEEE 1394 Firewire just as the tip of the iceberg. Here's the full spec list: