SFF Roundup, Part I: Socket 478 and 754 Systems

Foxconn e-bot (cont'd)

Construction

Click on images to enlarge.

We've already mentioned the all-plastic exterior of the e-bot, and some might think that such a design would lead to a lighter, less durable SFF. That isn't the case, however, as the case includes metal support structures internally, which gives the case a solid feel while also adding to the weight. The plastic was also relatively resistant to scratches; a sharp object against it would certainly leave a mark, but the surface feels very hard and smooth and does not appear to scratch easily. Internally, we didn't notice much in the way of sharp edges if you're careful, but there are a few areas where you could scrape your hand or fingers. Most of these locations are in areas that you would almost have to try to reach, so it's not a major problem.

The case includes a handle for easy transportation, which seems like a good idea if it weren't for the power brick and the inability to run a high end video card. LAN party goers will want something faster in the graphics department, and we would prefer an internal PSU with a standard power connector. There's a reason standards exist, and if you've ever forgotten a power cord when taking your PC somewhere, you know how convenient it is to be able to grab any spare cord available. There is definitely space for a PSU, although it would take some redesigning of the current arrangement to actually make it work.

One of the nice aspects of the e-bot is that it does feature quite a few tool-less options. The side of the case opens by sliding a plastic lever and popping off the side; the expansion card slots have a thick plastic clamp that secures them; and, there is a removable hard drive cage on the bottom of the unit that has a plastic latch as well. This definitely helps speed up the time to assemble or upgrade the system, but there are several areas that continue to require a screwdriver. The HSF attaches to the case with standard screws, for example, and we have to wonder why thumbscrews weren't provided. The hard drive and optical drive are also secured with screws, and for the HDD, at least we would like a quick-latch mechanism. With a mostly tool-less design, we would like them to address the few remaining areas that require screws. Still, the design definitely speeds up a few aspects of the setup process.

A few final items worth mentioning in regards to the construction are the front of the case and the heat sink. Starting with the heat sink, it is a heatpipe design similar to what we will see on the Shuttle case. However, there are a few differences. For one, this is the only HSF that doesn't have a copper base; only the heatpipes are copper, while the fins and the base are aluminum. That probably saves a few dollars in cost, but we're not sure if the savings are actually worthwhile. The HSF also doesn't seem to fit securely, and it caused some difficulties during the setup process. The front panel, on the other hand, was well designed in terms of durability. There is a small plastic flip-down door covering the front audio, USB, and firewire ports, and due to the way it recesses into the case, damaging it would be more difficult than the larger flip-down designs.

One of the areas that we didn't actually experiment with was the motherboard tray. The manual shows how to remove the right half of the case with the rear attached in order to install/replace the motherboard. Given the odd shape of the motherboard, we can only see this as being important should the installed board fail in the future - hopefully this won't occur. Since the unit comes pre-assembled, we didn't feel a need to take it apart.

Setup

Click image to enlarge.

The setup of the e-bot was relatively fast - the fastest of this roundup, certainly, with the exception of a couple areas. First, the HSF for the CPU almost seems slightly bent, as getting it installed was a bit more difficult than we had anticipated. The fan that slides over the fins on the HSF also took quite a bit of effort to get in place - it catches on some metal protrusions on the rear of the case - and we were a bit concerned with the amount of stress being placed on the CPU socket once the fan was screwed into place. All told, the HSF mounting mechanism could definitely use some minor tweaks to help get it installed. The HSF connection may not have been as secure as it could have been, and that may have also affected cooling performance.

The other area that presented major problems was the installation of our X800 Pro video card. It wasn't so much a problem with the size, but more a factor of getting power routed to the unit. There are no extra molex power connectors in the case, so a splitter has to be used. Even then, the only available connection that can be easily accessed is on the hard drive, which is sort of tucked down at the bottom of the unit. There's quite a lot of "stuff" at the bottom of the case already - IDE cables for the DVD and hard drive, power cables, etc. - so this only added to the mess. This may also explain the instability with the X800 Pro that we noticed, as there does not appear to be a lot of room for air circulation.

Other than those two areas, the setup went quickly. The optical drive is pre-installed, which saves some time, and the HDD cage pops out for easy installation of the drive. Cables are pre-routed, if we didn't already make that clear. Considering that there is only one IDE cable that is shared between the DVD and HDD, we would be sorely disappointed if they weren't already in place. Again, note that there are no SATA ports, so only an IDE drive can be used.

Software installation was a bit more involved than some of the other systems, and it required several steps to get all the chipset and graphics drivers installed. The use of an SiS chipset definitely didn't help here, as the Intel, VIA, and NVIDIA driver installations are more integrated and have a better interface. WinFlash is also included for updating the BIOS - this is required, of course, as there is no floppy drive, so booting to DOS for BIOS flashing really isn't an option.

Noise, Heat and Performance

To quickly summarize this section, the e-bot falls short in two areas and does well in the third. That's to be expected, though, as more noise from a higher RPM fan often leads to lower temperatures. The fan didn't appear to throttle down its speed properly according to temperature, as we monitored a near-constant RPM. The Northbridge fan spins at 5400 RPM and is of the small and noisy variety. The CPU fan was also rather noisy, however, so we're not sure which is the bigger culprit. The design of the case might also contribute to the noise, as the plastic shell might serve as a resonance chamber of sorts. Needless to say, this was the loudest of the SFFs that we've tested so far, but the recorded temperatures were also the lowest. As we said, those two items go hand in hand. After removing the X800 Pro, the noise levels did drop quite a bit, but even then, the CPU fan would often speed up when the system was doing anything remotely stressful. The poor mounting mechanism for the HSF could really use a redesign, as it was likely at least partially to blame.

Performance of the system as a whole was also rather poor. In a few tests, we were concerned enough with the 20% performance deficit that we had to double-check the CPU speed and make sure it was actually running at 3.0 GHz. It was, and so the only remaining explanation is the motherboard and chipset. SiS chipsets in the past have varied in performance from decent to poor, and this particular board definitely lags behind the Intel chipsets in performance. The memory timings were still set at 2-2-2-5, but with the exception of business application performance, the e-bot was significantly slower than all the other units that we've tested.

We said originally that performance was not a major concern, and we stand by that statement. However, sub-par performance has to be countered by something else, and we don't see that as being the case. Higher noise levels are definitely undesirable, and higher noise with lower performance means that the e-bot loses on both accounts.

Overall Impressions

As it currently stands, the e-bot has quite a few interesting takes on the world of SFF computers, but it simply falls short in too many areas. With a case that is only slightly smaller than the ASUS, it offers far less in the way of expansion options and features. Some people may like the curvy exterior, but we don't care for it all that much and it seems to cut into the internal space. The external power brick is also something that we would like to eliminate. On the other hand, we do like the attempt to make a tool-less case, and we would encourage Foxconn to complete the set of tool-less features. The pre-installed optical combo drive is also appreciated, but we would like to see it upgraded to a DVDR model.

As a whole, the appearance of the case is something that the individual has to evaluate. Some people might like it a lot, even it we don't. Unfortunately, the noise levels, performance, power brick, missing features, and inability to support a high-end video card are simply too much. Combined with a street price that is only slightly lower than the Aopen XC Cube AV, we simply can't recommend the e-bot. Being their first attempt at a small form factor system, we hope that Foxconn will take these criticisms to heart and come out with an improved design in the future.