silentpcreview.com - Audio, Video, Misc

Asus EN9600GT Silent Edition Graphics Card

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 16:58:44 +0000

Asus has a large, growing stable of fanlessly cooled graphics cards. Their latest sports a sports car engine design theme on a GF 9600GT GPU platform. We take it out for a test drive.

PC Hi-Fi: Scythe's Kama Bay Amp

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:41:10 +0000

Most SPCR reviews are about eliminating noise, but Scythe's Kama Bay Amp is all about making noise — as accurately as possible. A stereo amp in an optical bay may not be for everyone, but for those frustrated with trying to get high quality computer audio, it may be a godsend. Why limit yourself to computer speakers when you can choose from a vast selection of superior quality hi-fi speakers for the low cost of this amp?

ATI HD3850 & HD3870: Improved Acoustics & Power Efficiency

Sun, 9 Mar 2008 21:57:57 +0000

The Radeon HD3850 and HD3870 graphics cards finally put ATI in a competitive position against nVidia offerings in the all-important midrange market. They're also said to offer much improved power efficiency. We explore just how much, and the all important (for us) related issue of noise.

Quiet Mice from Quiet Mouse

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:09:53 +0000

A mouse isn't a loud component, but they do make noise, and that noise can be irritating, especially for those who aren't actually using them. There have been a few quiet mouse released before, but these two mice from Quiet Mouse are the first to reach the shores of North America. Are they quiet? Yes. Do you need one? Read the article to find out.

Samsung SyncMaster XL20 LED-backlight monitor

Thu, 6 Dec 2007 18:03:39 +0000

The XL20 is Samsung's first LED-backlight LCD monitor, released about a year ago and promoted for graphics artists and imaging professionals keen on high color accuracy. SPCR's interest in it was mainly to check the power consumption, as this is one of the often-repeated benefits of LED-backlight LCD monitors. My conflicted reaction to the XL20: The more I used it, the more I wanted to keep it, despite the audible (admittedly low) noise of its fan.

Asus EN8600GT Silent/HTDP/512M Graphics Card

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 14:26:15 +0000

A fanless, silent version of the Asus 8600GT graphics card turned up in our lab recently. This is identical electronically to another Asus card we reviewed recently, except it has 512mb of RAM. Is the passive cooling solution good enough for a hot, low airflow, silent system?

Asus EN8600GT OC GEAR graphics card

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 20:32:47 +0000

Asus is one of the few manufacturers who doesn't follow the mold with graphics cards. Not only do they produce both ATI and nVidia based cards, they seldom utilize the reference cooler; they even offer a wide variety of passively-cooled cards. The product we're reviewing today isn't passively-cooled, but it does have the potential to be quiet. The EN8600GT OC GEAR is a graphics card with a large, radial aluminum heatsink and an interesting feature we've never seen before: The "first hardware based real-time overclocking device for graphics cards overclocking and fan speed controller."

Samsung SyncMaster 931BW

Thu, 19 Jul 2007 19:04:28 +0000

The Samsung SyncMaster 931BW is a modestly priced wide screen 1440x900 LCD monitor with both Analog RGB (VGA) and DVI inputs and a claimed response time of 2ms. This review is a kind of spot check on what most SPCR readers assume to be facts: That modern LCD monitors have very good performance, great fit and look on the desktop (and elsewhere), make no significant noise, draw little power and produce little heat. Is this true of the 931BW?

Fanless PCIe Graphics Cards from Asus and Aopen

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 16:46:47 +0000

A review of two more fanless video cards: The Asus Radeon EAX1600XT Silent/TVD/256M and the low profile AOpen Aeolus PCX6600-DV128LP. Both employ heatpipes to expand the cooling surface area onto the trace side of the video card for improved cooling. Are they suitable for dedicated silencers who want more than budget vidcard performance?

Gigabyte GV-N66256DP Fanless Graphics Card

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 18:15:49 +0000

Not many manufacturers offer a good performance AGP card with fanless cooling. The upgrade market still consists mostly of AGP-based systems, and the GeForce 6600 represents close to the high water mark for AGP performance. This is why Gigabyte's fanless GeForce 6600 is still worth a close look with our new graphics card testing methodology.

Squeezebox 3 Digital Music Box

Sun, 11 Dec 2005 11:25:57 +0000

This unusual product by Slim Devices is a bridge between a stereo and a PC. The visible portion looks like a large, stylish digital clock -- but it has a remote. The invisible portion is a music server software that runs on a PC anywhere within reasonable distance. A wide variety of digital music files can be accessed through the Squeezebox and played into the stereo. The connection to the PC is via ethernet, either wired or wireless. It's one of the most exciting PC products we've come across; it's also one of the most exciting audio devices. Our very first audio/PC component review.

Zalman ZM-RS6F Surround Sound Headphones

Mon, 29 Mar 2004 06:28:36 +0000

Gentle Reader, your first question may be: "Why is Silent PC Review reviewing headphones? Aren't headphones supposed to be, you know, not silent?" While it does seem off-topic on the surface, there are some good reasons why this sort of product, and this product in particular, is right up our alley. Zalman ZM-RS6F Surround Sound Headphones

Samsung 173T LCD Monitor

Tue, 16 Sep 2003 09:46:39 +0000

The Samsung SyncMaster 173T is essentially a slim-bezel version with digital input of the 173B LCD monitor reviewed several weeks ago. The 173T is even sleek and handsome in black (also in silver), with the modern minimalist look that Samsung has cultivated in all of its products lately.

Samsung 173B LCD Monitor

Mon, 8 Sep 2003 00:10:34 +0000

The Samsung SyncMaster 173B is the first monitor to be reviewed by SPCR. A monitor with sleek style, the 173B is silent. No hum, buzz or whine. How is it to actually use? In short, perfectly fine for most folks and applications, and its landscape / portrait pivoting fuction is great. But do read the review, please.

Samsung ML-2150 Laser Printer

Wed, 9 Jul 2003 02:23:56 +0000

The Samsung ML-2150 is the second printing device to be submitted for review, another substantial no-nonsense business machine. It's bit quieter than the Samsung multifunction reviewed a couple weeks ago; still not silent in idle, only in sleep. But it is a super-capable laser printer with automatic double sided printing. That makes the Samsung ML-2150 worthy of modding for silence! For US$400, it seems amazing.