I ordered a Shuttle SN95G5V2 at the end of August 2005 and have had some problems with it. Shuttle Support have diagnosed the problem as being an incompatible CPU but I am not convinced because I have been using the same CPU the whole time Ive had the PC and the problems only started recently.

Here is a description of the problem that I sent to Shuttle:

> IP                             : [snip]
 > email                          : [snip]
 > name                           : Robin Doherty
 > country                        : UK
 > phone                          : [snip]
 > fax                            :
 >
 >
 > product_category               : XPC Barebone
 > model                          : SN95G5
 > version                        : 2
 > serial                         : N95G50509D02461
 > systemID                       : SN95G5B-V3GHOO-23
 > BIOS                           : Whatever it came with originally
(the system currently wont boot so I cant check).
 > purchased_from                 : Tekheads.co.uk
 > date_of_purchase               : August 2005
 >
 >
 > CPU                            : AMD Athlon 64 X2 3800+
 > memory                         : 2x512MB TwinMOS Winbond CH-5
PC3500 RAM (also tried 1x256MB and 2x256MB Adata RAM PC3200).
 > hard_drives                    : Maxtor 300GB SATA HDD and Seagate
500GB SATA HDD (also tried a different OS on a Maxtor 120GB SATA HDD).
 > graphics                       : Radeon 9700 (also tried a GeForce FX5200).
 > sound                          : Soundblaster Audigy (also tried
without this installed)
 > network                        : onboard
 > optical_drive                  : DVDRW (also tried without this installed)
 > other_components               :
 >
 >
 > operating_system               : Windows XP SP2
 > software1                      :
 > software2                      :
 > software3                      :
 >
 >
 > problem_comments               : Note: [Symptom X] means that I
will refer to this symptom as [X] later in the email.
 >
 > Ive had a problem with my Shuttle SN95G5v2 for a few months where
if I jogged the desk or tapped the Shuttle it would reboot itself
[Symptom 1]. A dodgy connection I thought and I could live with it.
However, the problem has become a lot more sensitive recently and I
have had a few more different problems which I believe are probably
symptoms of the same cause.
 >
 > The second problem is that it often seems to lose signal to the
monitor and the keyboard [Symptom 2] (I test this using the num
lock/caps lock lights). Now this is definitely not the fault of the
monitor or the graphics card as I have tried multiple units of these.
This problem can happen within 10 seconds of turning the computer or
after the computer has been up and running for 3 days or any time in
between. Its totally random and doesnt depend on what Im doing at
the time.
 >
 > It also often happens that when I try to boot the computer, it just
wont give a signal to the monitor and the keyboard doesnt function
[Symptom 3]. This is rarely solved by the reset button on the front of
the PC - I have to turn it off and on again (which requires taking out
the power lead, resetting the CMOS and reinserting the power lead
because I have a Radeon 9700 graphics card which the BIOS recognises
wrongly as incompatible - this is a workaround). Even then, the
monitor doesnt always pick up a signal, I usually have to do it quite
a few times. Sometimes I just have to give up after trying 5+ times to
no avail.
 >
 > I also occasionally get a few light grey lines on the first screen
of boot up, where upon the boot freezes and I have to reset [Symptom
4]. These lines appear over the text and sometimes flash.
 >
 > Here is an example of a recent occasion where a few of these
problems occured:
 >
 > I tapped the back of the Shuttle very gently during boot up. This
caused lines to appear on the screen and the boot up sequence to
freeze [1,4]. I reset the computer and there was no signal to the
monitor and no keyboard function [3]. I rebooted again and it didnt
even get as far as the boot sequence - I just saw "Radeon9700 Infineon
DDR BIOS B8480.002" and then it froze. Ive only seen that error once.
I rebooted 10 more times with no signal picked up by the monitor [3].
I left the machine for 5 minutes, came back and tried rebooting 10
more times and still got no signal [3].
 >
 > After that, I gave up resetting and tried turning it off and on
again (unplugging the power lead, resetting CMOS and plugging the
power lead back in - as explained above this is necessary due to the
Shuttle incorrectly recognising my graphics card as incompatible).
 >
 > This time it booted as far as the first screen of the boot up
sequence and the light grey lines appeared again [4]. I reset the PC 5
times, each time getting no signal to the monitor [3]. Unplugged,
booted again, no signal [3]. Reset the computer and got a message
which Ive seen a few times before:
 >
 > "CMOS Checksum Error - Defaults loaded
 > Warning! Now System is in Safe Mode.
 > Please re-setting CPU Frequency in the CMOS Setup."
 >
 > Not the best English but I gather it wants me to reset the CMOS
settings, so I try to enter the BIOS setup by pressing DEL. But the
keyboard does nothing.
 >
 > I reset the computer again and this time managed to enter BIOS
setup, load optimized defaults, save and exit. On this reboot the
computer manages to boot into Windows. How long it stays stable is
anyones guess.
 >
 > I am very sure that the problem is with something that came as part
of the Shuttle - either the motherboard or the PSU because I have
swapped everything else except the processor out and still had the
same problem, even with a different hard drive running a different OS.
 >
 > Id appreciate some advice as soon as possible or for you to take
the Shuttle away for testing.
 >
 > Regards,
 > Robin.
 >

After this, they asked for the OPN-number of the CPU, which I gave them: ADA3800DAA5CD CCBWE 0529RPMW 1293439G51246

This is their response:

> your CPU is a CPU with E6-Stepping. Your system is a SN95G5V2
> with BOM 23. (BOM = last two numbers of the System-ID)
> The SN95G5V2 supports E6-Stepping CPUs only after BOM 26 or
> later. So your CPU is incompatible with your system.

Apparently, these are the only CPUs that are compatible with the Shuttle SN95G5v2 that I have:

ClawHammer:

 ADA4000DEP5AS
 ADA3500DEP4AS

 Newcastle:

 ADA3800DEP4AW
 ADA3500DEP4AW
 ADA3200DEP4AW
 ADA3000DEP4AW

 Winchester:

 ADA3500DIK4BI
 ADA3200DIK4BI
 ADA3000DIK4BI

I want to diagnose the problem before I decide whether to buy a new system or change the CPU, although I think if what Shuttle Support said is true, all CPUs currently available will be "incompatible" -  none of the ones listed above seem to be in production anymore so Id have to get a second hand one.

What Im asking is where do I go from here? Ive tried everything I can think of short of changing the motherboard or PSU (which I cant do as theyre part of the Shuttle and I dont have any suitable spares). Ive asked Shuttle to lend me a compatible CPU and they refused. Ive asked Tekheads and havent received a reply yet. I obviously dont want to buy one of these CPUs as Im pretty sure thats not the problem so I dont want to waste the money.

Ive just emailed Shuttle Support to ask them to take it to test themselves. Ill post the outcome of that when I receive a reply.

Cheers.

If it has been running OK for months then its not going to be an incompatable CPU! most likely its an intermittent PSU problem.

Thanks for the replies. Ive now tried using a different PSU and still have the same problem. Looks like maybe Shuttle were right, although I still dont understand how this can start after 6 months of trouble-free use with the same CPU.

Im now looking for a compatible CPU to test with.

That sucks man  Just read this and thought it would definitely be the CPU as had the same issue and a CPU swap to a recent 4000+ (clawhammer from Tek) did solve it.

If it has been running OK for months then its not going to be an incompatable CPU! most likely its an intermittent PSU problem.

I have exactly this shuttle and a A64 3500+ Winchester (which is actually on their compatability list but marked wrongly as the first few Winchesters are not compatible despite Shuttles website.  The processor change was halfway through the winchester core so early ones dont work even with the right stepping).

Had exactly the same sorts of problems which didnt appear at first and then for no reason at all the fans would power up at full speed and then the system would start doing things like this and would increasingly lock during boot.  The system had been fine for several weeks before hand.

Had the shuttle replaced and the problem went away for a month or two.  Then after a while the problem reemerged.  The only way to get a clean boot was to remove the power lead, manually reset the cmos then plug in the lead.  Without pressing the power button the machine would spark up, fans on full speed (very noisy) and work ok until next turned off/restarted where you would need to do the power cable out, CMOS jumper trick.

Recently I got so sick of having to do this every time and the fans being on full speed that I gave up and picked up a 4000+ from Tek and the problem has gone away totally.  The system was starting to degrade and do some odd things with memory corruption and graphics effects too although switching to another system the components were all 100% fine.  I was convinced it was the shuttle that was crap and while it is strictly a fault with the shuttle it was simply shuttle having a cpu on their compatability list that isnt compatible at all.

Shuttle really screwed up with version 1.0, 1.1 & 1.2 on the shuttle SN95G5 and the fixes are not bios flashable.  A recall was issued in some countries but not extended outside small areas of the US.  For me picking up a new processor was the easiest option in the long run but the incompatible CPU appearing over time and gradually getting worse is very very common on this model if you ask around/read sudhian forums unfortunately. First time Ive ever come across an electrical system that degrades with time but its so widespread on this model it seems to be the case.  

The CPU change fixed everything for me if thats any consolation but its not a cheap thing to test in case it isnt and unfrotunate its not worked for you.  In the end £90 for a new cpu was money well spent.

Did you get a newer clawhammer or pick up a second hand winchester chip?

^^ that is nice of them.

lucky for me I wanted to get an X2 but was holding off due to the incompatibility... but then my shuttle broke so I managed to arrange a swap for a v3