Search found 51 matches

by bsoft
Fri Oct 01, 2010 10:40 am
Forum: Quiet Prebuilt, SFF and Barebones Systems
Topic: Puget Serenity SPCR Edition v.2
Replies: 50
Views: 34417

PWM Slipstreams

I just got a couple of medium-speed (1300rpm, actually closer to 1500rpm in practice) Scythe Slipstream PWM fans for my box - one for my CoolerMaster Hiper 212 Plus heatsink and one for the 120mm case fan on my Antec Mini P180. I have both connected to my Asus P7H55-M Pro board. The CPU fan is set o...
by bsoft
Sat Sep 11, 2010 1:40 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Corsair ax 750 or seasonic x-750?
Replies: 13
Views: 23781

The potential problem with the X-560 is going to be the premium price, $130 on NewEgg. From the same vendor the X-400 is $140, as also is the X-650 reflecting its about to be old model status. The X-750 is $180. The Corsair AX750 is $170. So if you want a 750 the Corsair is the best buy. On the oth...
by bsoft
Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:42 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Transform 'Cuda 7200.11 1.5tb into Velociraptor Killer
Replies: 78
Views: 82843

With the X25-M now running around $230, it's time to give up on all this 'high-performance' mechanical drive silliness. I think that most people would be far better served with an X25-M and a decent 7200rpm HDD than they would be with a Velociraptor. Yeah, the Velociraptor is cheaper ($230 vs. ~$290...
by bsoft
Fri Mar 13, 2009 7:11 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Nexus Value 430 PSU: Affordable Silence
Replies: 149
Views: 125497

What's going on with the missing UL file number? It's one of the things I always check on my power supply, because it's the only part of a system that's likely to cause an electrical fire.
by bsoft
Thu Oct 30, 2008 12:33 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Antec EA-380 noise?
Replies: 3
Views: 3033

Antec EA-380 noise?

First, a little background. My primary system is a Q9300 (95W) system with an Radeon HD 3850, 8GB of DDR2 800, and a WD6400AAKS. It's in an NSK3480 case. I just built a new system for a friend. It has an E7300 (65W), Radeon HD 4850, also 8GB of DDR2 800, and also a WD6400AAKS. It's in an NSK4480 cas...
by bsoft
Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:19 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus Eee Box B202: An Atom-based mini PC
Replies: 49
Views: 54692

This arrangement is quite common in notebooks, such as the MacBook Pro. I picked up a couple of those mini-optical SPDIF connectors for my old laptop's PCMCIA Sound Blaster. The connector has metal connectors on the sides for normal headphones and such, but also an LED at the back which the adapter ...
by bsoft
Tue Jul 01, 2008 11:24 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: WD SE16 Caviar 640GB HDD
Replies: 52
Views: 40788

I love my WD6400AAKS, but the seeks are pretty clearly audible. Nearly notebook-drive audible, but audible none the less.

AAM didn't seem to help much.
by bsoft
Mon Jun 09, 2008 12:34 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: AudioEngine A2: Little Big Speakers
Replies: 40
Views: 36858

Here's the thing: most people don't buy computer speakers for audio quality. The purpose of PC speakers, in my book, is to reproduce sound for stupid YouTube videos, email notifications, and perhaps the occasional internet call. PC Gamers generally don't use speakers. Voice chat is an essential part...
by bsoft
Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:56 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD6400AAKS released
Replies: 89
Views: 82813

If you're really nuts about noise, the Hitachi 200GB 7k200 drives are pretty fast and there's precisely zero chance of you being able to hear the seeks from more than about 20-30cm. I have to wonder if the 7K200s are louder than the P7K500s. So, far the WD6400AAKS seems very nice. I've only run Xbe...
by bsoft
Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:42 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD6400AAKS released
Replies: 89
Views: 82813

Subjectively, my WD6400AAKS sounds very similar to my WD5000AAKS, which isn't really a bad thing. You can definitely hear the seeks, but it's more like my old 5k100 Hitachi notebook drive than the WD1600 it replaced. This is a 7200rpm 3.5" drive, which means that you're going to get vibration unless...
by bsoft
Mon Nov 12, 2007 12:41 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EN8600GT Silent/HTDP/512M Graphics Card
Replies: 16
Views: 14952

I avoid passive GPUs

This is why I avoid passive GPUs. Even with the fan undervolted to 5V, and the card massively overclocked, my Asus 8600GT (similar to the OC version reviewed) stays under 80C. At that voltage, I can't even hear the fan over the ambient noise in my room.
by bsoft
Sun Nov 04, 2007 12:28 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus EN8600GT OC GEAR graphics card
Replies: 10
Views: 10795

I have essentially the same card, but without the OC software and front panel. I manually connected the fan to +5v from the power supply. The card is quiet and stays reasonably cool.
by bsoft
Fri Jul 13, 2007 3:23 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?
Replies: 24
Views: 21934

Hmmm... you could be right on this one now that you have mentioned the flyer. Checking out the product flyer, word for word, they did include a line that says "80PLUS® Certified EarthWatts 380W". So they basically copied and paste the description from their UK site and apply it to their US site. W...
by bsoft
Fri Jul 13, 2007 2:31 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?
Replies: 24
Views: 21934

Unfortunately, the company I purcahsed from (compumusic) sent me an NSK3400 instead of an NSK3480. I'm trying to resolve the issue now. Man, that sucks. Does the box outside says NSK-3480? Did you open up the box and check out if the case has the EA-380 in it? It's strange that the company can get ...
by bsoft
Thu Jul 12, 2007 11:19 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?
Replies: 24
Views: 21934

Yeah, that's what I thought initially too, but is the SU-380 80 Plus certified? The marketing literature for the NSK-3480 explicitly stated that the power supply was 80 Plus, which was what made me think of the EA-380. Hmmm... you could be right on this one now that you have mentioned the flyer. Ch...
by bsoft
Wed Jul 11, 2007 3:50 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?
Replies: 24
Views: 21934

Yeah, that's what I thought initially too, but is the SU-380 80 Plus certified? The marketing literature for the NSK-3480 explicitly stated that the power supply was 80 Plus, which was what made me think of the EA-380. Hmmm... you could be right on this one now that you have mentioned the flyer. Ch...
by bsoft
Tue Jul 10, 2007 9:33 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?
Replies: 24
Views: 21934

I highly doubt that they will include the Antec EA-380 power supply in the NSK-3480. I check the spec on the other NSK series enclosures and the 380w power supply description is similiar. The most likely power supply that will be included will be the Antec SU-380. They included that in their NSK-24...
by bsoft
Tue Jul 10, 2007 4:43 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?
Replies: 24
Views: 21934

NSK3480: New 80 Plus PSU?

The NSK3480 appears to be the US version of the NSK3400, which is itself a version of the NSK3300 that uses a standard ATX power supply instead of the SFX supply used in the NSK3300. What interests me is that the NSK3480, unlike the NSK3400, is 80 PLUS certified. The only 80 Plus 380W Antec supply, ...
by bsoft
Sat May 05, 2007 1:00 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Silent 8600GTS announced
Replies: 42
Views: 28285

Specs state dualslot, but this looks like a nice single slot card, Gigabyte 8600GT silent-pipe FYI - I purchased a Gigabyte silent-pipe 8600GT and had horrible problems with it overheating (120-130C under load). The heatsink gets VERY hot, and it really doesn't seem to have enough surface area to c...
by bsoft
Tue Jul 12, 2005 12:20 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: GeForce 7800 GTX ***NOT*** dissipating 200W!
Replies: 86
Views: 41843

The future of NV's GPUs

What you probably *don't* know about the 7800GTX is that it has at least three different internal clocks that vary depending on load. It's a bit like Cool n' Quiet, but better because individual sections of the GPU can vary their clock based on demand. While the 7800GTX is a hot GPU, with 300+ milli...
by bsoft
Sat Jun 11, 2005 1:22 am
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Getting Serious
Replies: 6
Views: 5642

hi Just wondering why you strapped that panaflo to the Gigabyte 6600gt. That video card is passively cooled out of the box right? Was it not stable? What temperatures are you running on that card before and after the panaflo? You know, I'm not quite sure. I had some random lockups while playing WOW...
by bsoft
Thu Jun 09, 2005 12:44 am
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Getting Serious
Replies: 6
Views: 5642

Getting Serious

I finally decided to put the vibrating Maxtor DiamondMax 10 in a box. The Scythe Silent Box, to be exact. BTW: This is a photo of the system *on*. The Zalman doesn't run at idle (below 55C CPU temp.) and the case fan doesn't run below 35C case temp (easy since the case was open). At idle, the only f...
by bsoft
Wed Jun 08, 2005 1:00 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: S12-330 "Ticking"?
Replies: 7
Views: 4897

That is normal, PSUs after all are switching power supplies, that is just one of their quirks. Read this: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-supply.htm and/or this: http://mrtmag.com/mag/radio_switching_vs_linear/ Yes, but on a properly designed PSU, shouldn't the switch rate be far out of the...
by bsoft
Tue Jun 07, 2005 2:41 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: S12-330 "Ticking"?
Replies: 7
Views: 4897

S12-330 "Ticking"?

I just replaced my Super Tornado 300W with an S12-330, and I've been noticing that the fan on the new unit makes an audible "ticking" noise. Is that normal? It's low in intensity (almost inaudible at 1m), but should I be able to hear it at all? It seems to be transferring to the case, as well. My Si...
by bsoft
Wed Apr 13, 2005 7:20 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: What's the fastest passively cooled card available?
Replies: 24
Views: 12937

ATI cards had (is that still true?) better DVI output and their TV-out has slightly more features out of the box. The x300 or 9550 can be found cheaply and passively cooled.. An integrated chipset would work just fine too. "If you're looking for strictly 2D and text (normal computer use) and no gam...
by bsoft
Sun Mar 27, 2005 3:07 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Is my new Seasonic PSU defective?...
Replies: 12
Views: 7982

I gave my graphics card to a friend to try in his system. I was pretty surprised when he told me that he had the same problem I did. So something's wrong with my graphics card. Near as I can tell it's some defect that my old power supply doesn't mind, but the new PSU and my friends PSU don't like i...
by bsoft
Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:32 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: OS-Independent, i.e. BIOS-based, Fan Controllers
Replies: 6
Views: 3550

Re: OS-Independent, i.e. BIOS-based, Fan Controllers

My DFI "LanParty" board can control at least two fans. It is quite nice - you set a maximum temp (the temp at which the fan is at 12V) and a minimum temp (the temp at which the fan is at 0V) and it varies the voltage inbetween. It's particularly nice because of the range. I have my Zalman CNPS-7000A...
by bsoft
Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:36 pm
Forum: Notebook Systems
Topic: Is there any silent Pentium M laptop with NON-integrated gfx
Replies: 16
Views: 14393

Compal CL-56. When you buy a notebook, there are three companies involved: the ODM, the OEM, and the reseller. In the case of an HP laptop, the ODM is generally Compal, the OEM is HP, and the reseller is whoever sold you the notebook (e.g. Best Buy). Even IBM does not manufacture its own laptops. In...
by bsoft
Tue Feb 22, 2005 12:19 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Good power comparison for new P4 600 CPU's + AMD's
Replies: 6
Views: 3718

At idle: P4 6xx 3.6GHz: 35.6W P4 5xx 3.8Ghz: 42.3W A64 90nm 2.4GHz: 13.7W Under load: P4 6xx 3.6GHz: 140.7W P4 5xx 3.8Ghz: 156.6W A64 90nm 2.4GHz: 50.8W Conclusion Compared to the P4 6xx series at 3.6GHz, the Athlon 64 4000+ (Winchester 90nm) consumes 21.9W less at idle and 98.4W less under load. F...
by bsoft
Wed Feb 09, 2005 5:31 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: A warning about the Gigabyte 6800
Replies: 13
Views: 7000

I don't actually run my CPU at 800MHz when I'm gaming. I use RMClock to vary the clock based on the CPU load. When I do something CPU intensive (e.g. gaming), the A64 throttles up to 1800MHz @ 1.2V. At 800MHz / 0.8V, the CPU idles around 51C. Mind you, at 1800MHz / 1.2V, it's still 0.3V below stock....