I used the 65, but the 150 would of course be fine too.

Should I be concerned about the 88-89W reading I get for total system consumtion under 100% load, given that the PSU is a 65W one? Regarding the noise when system isn't under load, I think I could probably just mount the computer hanging under the desk on a couple of straps to make it inaudible by n...

Idle CPU temp at about 30 degrees, idle system power consumtion about 28W. Using Noctua NF-R8 with U.L.N.A adapter and stock CPU fan in thermal cruise mode, about 1050 RPM (lowest it will go in manual mode as well, it'll go up if temp is above 55 degrees). Stress-testing with Prime95 brings up CPU f...

And I'm currently running it on low, otoh, with a more silent fan, I expect that the CPU fan will start to annoy me instead :) On low, is the Antec CFM and noise level acceptable to you? If so, why fix something that isn't broke. If not, consider the Scythe S flex as an upgrade - likely getting a b...

Antec has the following specifications for the TriCool fan on the ISK 300-65: Low: 1500 RPM 20 CFM 18.05 dBA Medium: 2000 RPM 26 CFM 24.3 dBA High: 2600 RPM 34 CFM 30 dBA And I'm currently running it on low, otoh, with a more silent fan, I expect that the CPU fan will start to annoy me instead :)

Well, it seems the Scythe S-Flex and Karma Flex series are fairly unavailable in Gothenburg (and I don't want to order them online), so nevermind that. I do however think I have a fan controller in my HTPC to spare, it's mounted in a full-height slot but can probably be modded somehow, if I need it...

Well, it seems the Scythe S-Flex and Karma Flex series are fairly unavailable in Gothenburg (and I don't want to order them online), so nevermind that. I do however think I have a fan controller in my HTPC to spare, it's mounted in a full-height slot but can probably be modded somehow, if I need it....

The s-flex is much cheaper than the noctua (which, frankly, is quite expensive). Do they supply any form of aid in adjusting speed, like noctua does? Or do you have to get a controller or something yourself, or just pick the right fan to start with?

BTW, will buy a cheap (about 20 bucks) watt (and whatnot) meter today, will report back with numbers.

The Nexus Real Silent 80mm fan is another option, depending on how you orient the case. If the mobo is sitting flat so the fan is on the side, this is fine. If the case will be standing on its side with the fan on the top, I'd go with the Noctua. I will probably want to have it standing, behind my ...

80mm case fan recommendations?

I went for an external drive instead (that I can use with my netbook as well). But it's powered via USB so I doubt the system would have any issues with an internal drive. So far so good though, Windows 7 installed just fine. But the case fan is a bit noisy even at its lowest speed. Haven't been str...

FWIW, my stuff has now arrived. Will start assembling tonight.

I placed the order (slightly altered, nothing significant though) just now. We'll see how that 65W PSU will cope... I hope for the best

Thanks! Might go for an external dvd burner though, that way I could use it with our newly bought netbook as well. Or not, it's more expensive. Now I'll just have to figure out how to go about actually purchasing this stuff at the best price available. Will see if I can find any good German online r...

Thanks. I guess total system power comsumtion will be decent even if the CPU is rated at a higher TDP (compared to a c2d) since the CPU also contains the GPU etc. What would be the best way to go about building the kind of system I'm after? Starting with a plain ISK 300-65 and stock PSU and CPU cool...

Well, sure! If it's feasible I'm all for it. I've never tried to build a small, low power system before so all this is new to me. It'd be cheaper and more "elegant".

What happens if the power supplied isn't quite enough? It feels odd that a 65W PSU should be enough for a CPU rated at 73W.

Started looking into this external AC-DC + internal picoPSU business. Would 120W setup be sufficient for what I'm considering? Also, would it make sense to go with the ISK 300-65 and pull out the internal PSU instead since it's a bit cheaper than the ISK 300-150? Would one even need a case fan or wo...

Cheers, I guess your system ought to run a fair bit warmer than what I'm considering? If I'd change the CPU fan I'd probably change the entire cooler. Not sure if it's possible to cool this CPU passively in a case this small. Will have a look at going the external PSU route, but I doubt it'll fit in...

Hi, I'm considering building a silent yet quite powerful small desktop pc. At the moment, my suggested configuration looks like this: Seagate Momentus 5400.6 ST9320325AS 8MB 320GB Noctua NF-R8 80mm Kingston ValueRAM DDR3 PC10600/1333MHz CL9 2x2GB Sony Optiarc AD-7590S Antec ISK 300-150 Zotac H55-ITX...

I can't help but wonder if you just have two noisy specific drives. Do you need a full 750GB of drive space? If you can get by with a third of the space, try a 250GB 2.5" drive. Alternatively, there are plenty of 750GB sata drives available cheap these days, try replacing both drives with one new d...

Idle noise cannot be cured by softmounting, that will only fix seek noise. Idle whine can only be reduced by encapsulation. Using a drive cooler or some device that will enclose the drive with heavy materials (metal and foam) is the only way to reduce the whine of a noisy bearing. The Samsung shoul...

I think in your case, with the seeks being very audible, I'd try a DIY contruction. I'd probably try to get foam all around the HD behind the DVD-player. About the Samsung, you could try the same. Keep in mind about cooling though! HDD's give heat away to the case through the hard mounting. You mig...

Really? No-one? Am I posting this in the wrong section? Or have I just misunderstood what a silent pc is?

This baffles me. Did two tests: A poor-mans-suspension, using some elastic band I bougt in a "sewery shop" or whatever they're called in english. The samsung stayed just as noisy. Maybe the stock Antec silicon "suspension" is quite decent? Furthermore, I compared the noise of the Samsung to the Hita...

Ok, I'm the first to reply but that's ok :) Yesterday I was fiddling around a bit inside the case, to see if I could maybe apply same dampening or so. It seems most of the noise escapes through the vents in the bottom of the case though, and I don't want to reduce air flow. That being said! After I ...

Hi! First of all, great site and great forums. I've found lots of knowledge here the last couple of years. Anyway, I recently built my first HTPC, and of course, I want it to be as silent as possible (it's always on and right above our heads when we sit in the couch :)). Main components are: Antec N...