Exclusive: SLI Head-to-Head: Monarch Micro-ATX vs. Shuttle SFF
by Jarred Walton on March 6, 2006 8:56 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Monarch Hornet Revenge - Features
Balancing features with size has always been one of the sticking points in the SFF market. Too small, and you limit the utility of the system. Too large, and users begin to wonder if they shouldn't just go with the standard ATX case instead, since SFFs generally carry a price premium. Going with the uATX form factor allows Monarch to have a smaller system than many computers while still packing in more features than almost any SFF. Here are the specs for the Revenge.
As you can gather from the above table, the Revenge comes fully loaded. You get eight USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, up to 7.1 audio along with optical connections, and front headphone and microphone ports. Internally, you get the three X16 slot SLI approach that EVGA pioneered – the JetWay 939GT4-SLI-G that we reviewed uses the same design, and is basically equivalent to the ATX EVGA board. On this board, the middle X16 slot is actually an X1 data connection by default, and it can be set to X16 mode with jumpers should you so desire (deactivating the yellow X16 slots in the process).
The sound subsystem is handled by the relatively common Realtek ALC850, and once again, we need to say that we wouldn't mind seeing a better audio codec. If we had our druthers, EVGA would have integrated an Audigy sound chip into the motherboard. HD audio wouldn't be a bad option either, but Azalia isn't supported natively by the nForce 4 chipset. For most people, the integrated audio is more than sufficient, but since the system is targeting the high-end gamer, it's reasonable to assume that they would want better quality audio with enhanced gaming support. An external USB audio module can of course be used, but that cuts into the portability aspect a bit, and really, USB audio is a less-than-perfect solution for gaming due to the latency and jitter present on USB.
Power is provided by a TOP-Power 350W power supply in our test unit, with a peak power output of 400 Watts. One of the nice things about getting a system that Monarch has preconfigured is that you know everything should work, and during our testing, we had no issues with crashes or instability. While a 350W power supply may not seem like a lot when there are 600W and larger PSUs available, the amount of expansion room available is more limited, so there isn't a huge need for anything bigger. That said, Monarch has updated the final Revenge SE to use a TOP-Power 400W PSU (450W peak power output). The power system has sufficient wiring to drive both graphics cards, two hard drives, the floppy drive, as well as the cold cathode lights. Cable splitters and adapters are used to get everything connected properly, so you do end up with quite a few wires that need to be tucked out of the way. Naturally, Monarch takes care of all of that for you, and everything looks very clean through the case window. We would definitely recommend that you crack open the case at least once every quarter to blow out the dust, just to be safe, but other than that or upgrades, you shouldn't have much need of dealing with the insides.
Along with all of the other powerful components, it should come as no surprise to find the latest Western Digital Raptor 150GB hard drive. It's currently at the top of the storage performance charts, and it carries a price to match. The optical drive is your standard 16X DVD+RW. Our unit came with a Lite-On model, but Monarch's web site indicates that that has now been swapped out for a Plextor slot loader. Either one should perform well. While not strictly necessary these days, a floppy drive is also included, but instead of the standard floppy drive, Monarch has chosen to install a Mitsumi floppy plus 7-in-1 flash card reader. It supports all of the most common flash formats, although it is missing XD support. Other than raw capacity, the Revenge has everything that we like to see in the storage department. With the new 400W PSU, we're sure that Monarch can add in a second HDD for users who want additional storage space.
One final feature that we haven't seen in any small form factor systems is the inclusion of four DIMM slots. Two 1GB DIMMs come standard, and that's our current recommendation for any high-end system. With Windows Vista on the horizon, recommending 2 GB of RAM as a minimum, it's always good to have the option to add more RAM when the need arises. Whether or not you'll actually be using this system long enough to need to upgrade will depend on your personal upgrading habits, but worst case, the extra DIMM slots go unused, and the setup does provide more breathing room for the two initial DIMMs.
Not surprisingly, there are a few areas where some might disagree with the standard options on the Revenge. First, as mentioned already, a second larger hard drive could prove useful. Another area that some people might want to upgrade is the graphics cards, and the system is fully capable of holding two 7800 GTX 512MB graphics cards; unfortunately, not only are those cards tremendously expensive, but they're difficult to find right now, so Monarch has opted to use two EVGA 7800 GTX KO cards for the time being. (We're sure that once the 7900 cards launch, those cards will be an option as well, but that time has not yet arrived.) Lastly, quite a few people would probably prefer a dual core processor instead of the FX-57, and users wishing to go all out would probably like to have the FX-60. Given the price, we personally would go with the Athlon X2 4800+ over the FX-57. It should be a bit cheaper, and while the loss of 400 MHz will hurt somewhat in games, the addition of a second core more than balances it out in our opinion. These are all minor nit picks, though, since you can always have Monarch custom build your system to your specifications.
Speaking of custom builds, Monarch has a standard Hornet Pro system that gives you the ability to hand-select all of the components. With the same motherboard, PSU, and all of the fans, prices start at around $500 for the black and silver models, $525 for the indigo model, or $650 to $700 for the red, green, yellow, or vinyl wrap versions. You can also add windows on both side panels for an additional charge, or you can just buy the case with motherboard and PSU and no fans or other extras for $430. If you don’t feel a need to go the SLI route, there are several other uATX boards that you can use instead, or you could forget about the Hornet Pro altogether and select a different uATX case if that's what you're after. Since this is a review of the Revenge SE, we'll leave the customization options at this point, but you can browse their site for yourself.
Balancing features with size has always been one of the sticking points in the SFF market. Too small, and you limit the utility of the system. Too large, and users begin to wonder if they shouldn't just go with the standard ATX case instead, since SFFs generally carry a price premium. Going with the uATX form factor allows Monarch to have a smaller system than many computers while still packing in more features than almost any SFF. Here are the specs for the Revenge.
| Monarch Hornet Pro Revenge Special Edition | |
| Motherboard: | EVGA 131-K8-NF44-AX NF4 SLI (NVIDIA nForce4 SLI chipset) Micro-ATX |
| Processor: | Socket 939 CPU up through FX-60 |
| Heatsink/Cooling: | Thermaltake A1770 standard on Revenge; most normal size 939 HSFs will fit 2 x 40 mm rear fans; 1 x 60 mm side fan; 1 x 80 mm front fan |
| RAM: | Four DIMM slots supporting up to 4GB DDR200 through DDR400 |
| Expansion Slots: | 2 x PCIe X16 with X8 data connections (including SLI bridge connector) 1 x PCIe X16 with either X1 or X16 (configured by jumpers) 1 x PCI |
| Expansion Bays: | 2 x 3.5 inch internal bays 1 x 3.5 inch external 1 x 5.25 inch external |
| Audio: | RealTek AC'97 7.1 (ALC850) |
| Power Suply: | Topower TOP350FX Micro ATX 350W (400 Watt Peak) Shipping units will include a 400W (450W Peak) TOP PSU 1 x 24-pin; 1 x ATX12V; 2 x SATA; 5 x 4-pin Molex; 1 x mini Molex (floppy) Cable splitters/adapters are used for PCIe 6-pin and lights |
| Motherboard Connections: | 1 X FDD 1 X IDE 4 X SATA 3.0Gbps 5 x 3-pin fan headers 24-pin ATX; ATX12X; 1 x Molex |
| Front Ports: | 4 X USB2.0 2 X 3.5mm Audio (Headphone and Microphone) |
| Rear Ports: | 4 X USB2.0 1 X FireWire (6-pin) 6 X 3.5mm Audio S/PDIF Optical and Coax Out PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse LAN (GbE) 1 X Serial and 1 X Parallel |
| Extras: | Two 4-inch cold cathode lights (on/off switch on rear of case) Vinyl Sticker Wrap and Case Window on left Carrying handle on front Two LCD temperature monitors on front of case (HDD and RAM monitored by default) |
As you can gather from the above table, the Revenge comes fully loaded. You get eight USB 2.0 ports, FireWire, up to 7.1 audio along with optical connections, and front headphone and microphone ports. Internally, you get the three X16 slot SLI approach that EVGA pioneered – the JetWay 939GT4-SLI-G that we reviewed uses the same design, and is basically equivalent to the ATX EVGA board. On this board, the middle X16 slot is actually an X1 data connection by default, and it can be set to X16 mode with jumpers should you so desire (deactivating the yellow X16 slots in the process).
Click to enlarge.
The sound subsystem is handled by the relatively common Realtek ALC850, and once again, we need to say that we wouldn't mind seeing a better audio codec. If we had our druthers, EVGA would have integrated an Audigy sound chip into the motherboard. HD audio wouldn't be a bad option either, but Azalia isn't supported natively by the nForce 4 chipset. For most people, the integrated audio is more than sufficient, but since the system is targeting the high-end gamer, it's reasonable to assume that they would want better quality audio with enhanced gaming support. An external USB audio module can of course be used, but that cuts into the portability aspect a bit, and really, USB audio is a less-than-perfect solution for gaming due to the latency and jitter present on USB.
Power is provided by a TOP-Power 350W power supply in our test unit, with a peak power output of 400 Watts. One of the nice things about getting a system that Monarch has preconfigured is that you know everything should work, and during our testing, we had no issues with crashes or instability. While a 350W power supply may not seem like a lot when there are 600W and larger PSUs available, the amount of expansion room available is more limited, so there isn't a huge need for anything bigger. That said, Monarch has updated the final Revenge SE to use a TOP-Power 400W PSU (450W peak power output). The power system has sufficient wiring to drive both graphics cards, two hard drives, the floppy drive, as well as the cold cathode lights. Cable splitters and adapters are used to get everything connected properly, so you do end up with quite a few wires that need to be tucked out of the way. Naturally, Monarch takes care of all of that for you, and everything looks very clean through the case window. We would definitely recommend that you crack open the case at least once every quarter to blow out the dust, just to be safe, but other than that or upgrades, you shouldn't have much need of dealing with the insides.
Along with all of the other powerful components, it should come as no surprise to find the latest Western Digital Raptor 150GB hard drive. It's currently at the top of the storage performance charts, and it carries a price to match. The optical drive is your standard 16X DVD+RW. Our unit came with a Lite-On model, but Monarch's web site indicates that that has now been swapped out for a Plextor slot loader. Either one should perform well. While not strictly necessary these days, a floppy drive is also included, but instead of the standard floppy drive, Monarch has chosen to install a Mitsumi floppy plus 7-in-1 flash card reader. It supports all of the most common flash formats, although it is missing XD support. Other than raw capacity, the Revenge has everything that we like to see in the storage department. With the new 400W PSU, we're sure that Monarch can add in a second HDD for users who want additional storage space.
One final feature that we haven't seen in any small form factor systems is the inclusion of four DIMM slots. Two 1GB DIMMs come standard, and that's our current recommendation for any high-end system. With Windows Vista on the horizon, recommending 2 GB of RAM as a minimum, it's always good to have the option to add more RAM when the need arises. Whether or not you'll actually be using this system long enough to need to upgrade will depend on your personal upgrading habits, but worst case, the extra DIMM slots go unused, and the setup does provide more breathing room for the two initial DIMMs.
Not surprisingly, there are a few areas where some might disagree with the standard options on the Revenge. First, as mentioned already, a second larger hard drive could prove useful. Another area that some people might want to upgrade is the graphics cards, and the system is fully capable of holding two 7800 GTX 512MB graphics cards; unfortunately, not only are those cards tremendously expensive, but they're difficult to find right now, so Monarch has opted to use two EVGA 7800 GTX KO cards for the time being. (We're sure that once the 7900 cards launch, those cards will be an option as well, but that time has not yet arrived.) Lastly, quite a few people would probably prefer a dual core processor instead of the FX-57, and users wishing to go all out would probably like to have the FX-60. Given the price, we personally would go with the Athlon X2 4800+ over the FX-57. It should be a bit cheaper, and while the loss of 400 MHz will hurt somewhat in games, the addition of a second core more than balances it out in our opinion. These are all minor nit picks, though, since you can always have Monarch custom build your system to your specifications.
Speaking of custom builds, Monarch has a standard Hornet Pro system that gives you the ability to hand-select all of the components. With the same motherboard, PSU, and all of the fans, prices start at around $500 for the black and silver models, $525 for the indigo model, or $650 to $700 for the red, green, yellow, or vinyl wrap versions. You can also add windows on both side panels for an additional charge, or you can just buy the case with motherboard and PSU and no fans or other extras for $430. If you don’t feel a need to go the SLI route, there are several other uATX boards that you can use instead, or you could forget about the Hornet Pro altogether and select a different uATX case if that's what you're after. Since this is a review of the Revenge SE, we'll leave the customization options at this point, but you can browse their site for yourself.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
13 Comments
View All Comments
JarredWalton - Monday, March 6, 2006 - link
HDCP support is a graphics/display issue. As has been reported, HDCP is not supported on any current retail graphics cards. It's also not supported under Windows XP. We should start seeing HDCP enabled cards (meaning, with the necessary decryption chip) in the near future. The GPUs are ready, but they still need the appropriate chip soldered onto the boards.Personally, I'm really not happy with HDCP at all, so I'm doing my best to avoid it. 1280x720 DivX looks quite nice and runs flawlessly on current hardware. Here's an example from the olympics (18GB compressed to 4.5GB 1280x720):
http://images.anandtech.com/reviews/multimedia/tvt...">2006 Olympics Men's Hockey Gold Match
AGAC - Tuesday, March 7, 2006 - link
Hey, what's to love about HDCP. That said, it seems that we just will have to swallow that frog... I mean, DivX does look nice indeed. The problem is availability of mainstream content. I think it's going to be a very cold day in hell before you can walk in the regular video rental and get the latest blockbuster title in beautiful DivX 1280x720.DHCP will be broken, we all know that. It only harms the legal user because one will have to upgrade video cards, monitors and god knows what more will not be HDCP compliant. Thanks for the your tip and simpathy. Keep up the good work.
AGAC
DigitalFreak - Monday, March 6, 2006 - link
NT