2004-11-18 - MiniTechNet.de: "Five Stars Award" for the SN95G5

"With a socket 939 that even supports the Athlon FX-53 CPU, the SN95G5 is without a doubt the fastest mini-barebone in the world. The design is very sleek and simple but looks stylish and noble. The interior is high-quality, IDE and power cord are laid intelligently. You can easily access the Serial-ATA connectors are located between the CPU-fan and PCI-Slot. Overclocking the SN95G5 was amazingly easy and we were able to boot Windows up to a FSB frequency of 222MHz without any problems. This system remained stable with just a slight increase in temperature thanks to the Cool'n'Quiet system, making overclocking really worth it. The SN95G5 is the quietest SFF PC we've ever tested. (...) Thanks to Cool'n'Quiet the temperatures are so low that the fan can mostly be run at its lowest level."

Conclusion:

"This XPC is a lion with the look of a panther. Concerning performance values, it is the fastest barebone we have ever tested. And the G5 looks sleek and simply irresistible. More aspects are the very very low temperatures of CPU. Though the chipset is actively cooled with a 40mm fan, the SN95G5 is also the most silent one we have ever reviewed. It is so quiet that we had to change our noise testing methods. Even the power supply with its 60mm fan is very quiet. Anyone who seeks the ultimate in power, for demanding games or applications, can even install an Athlon FX-53. On the whole the SN95G5 is a barebone with top-notch performance. It is the first barebone to receive our MiniTechNet "Five Stars Award". No doubt, currently the number one on the market. Those wanting to buy a good barebone should choose this this model."

Pros:

+ excellent design
+ good interior workmanship
+ high performance
+ Athlon FX-53 support
+ Supports dual channel memory
+ very low temperatures
+ high-quality cooling system
+ quiet
+ supports Linux