Shuttle to ship standalone XPC motherboards?

Considering the recent onslaught of Pico-ITX and other diminutive motherboards hitting the scene, it's not too surprising to hear that Shuttle could end up shipping standalone mobos for its widely recognized XPC series of small form factor PCs. According to an interview with DigiTimes, a Shuttle spokesperson purportedly revealed that the company was "planning to start shipping standalone motherboards for its XPC line" of computers, which would allow current XPC barebone kit owners to upgrade just their mainboard in the future rather than having to buy an entirely new setup. Moreover, this decision would enable owners to mix and match current motherboard offerings with the variety of chassis options, and while there were no hints as to when Shuttle would make the final call on this reported decision, we can't imagine it hanging around for too much longer while competitors eat away at SFF market share.

[Ricky Bobby @ Jun 5th 2007 4:18AM]

Why would you want to upgrade a POS Shuttle computer?? Once you buy it you'll realize Mistake #1. Once you call Shuttle Tech Support you'll realize Mistake #2. Get Customer Service on the phone, ask for a Manager and talk to J. Wang... Mistake #3. Thinking you can make up some of the POS's cost by selling it on eBay... Mistake #4.

[Jeff Lewis @ Jun 5th 2007 1:24PM]

Uh... I currently have two Shuttles and they've served me for years with no problems. I did have problems with one of the very first I bought which was, I think, like the fourth model they ever made - it died after a couple of years.

Personally, I'd love to be able to swap out the MB on my main system so I could stick a Core 2 Duo processor in it without having to buy a whole new chassis - but I suspect the cost of the MB would be close to 80% the price of a whole new system.

[Ricky Bobby @ Jun 5th 2007 3:55PM]

Uh... After paying Shuttle an overpriced amount for their motherboard wouldn't you also be upgrading your CPU, RAM (DDR2/DDR3) and possibly your hard drive (SATA)and graphics card (PCI-E)? With that amount of upgrading to keep your POS Shuttle why not buy a new and better PC from HP, Acer or even Dell. It would probably cost a lot less, you'd actually be paying for quality and you'll probably get a free LCD monitor in the deal... Upgrading your Shuttle's motherboard, Mistake #5, LOL

[sinhumane @ Jun 5th 2007 7:58PM]

yeah.. but shuttle pc's are teh coolness... personally, i use my sn41gv2 for nothing more than internet and microsoft office. the integrated graphics still tackle halo at an acceptable setting if i feel the desire to play a game or two. i had one problem with the motherboard, but as it was a reconditioned unit, that is to be expected. tech support paid for return shipping and had it back to me in less than a week. i am actually wanting a faster shuttle for gaming, and dont want to get a new chassis (especially with my killer custom paintjob) and this seems like a cool option.