Search found 169 matches

by dddibley
Sun Jun 04, 2006 8:49 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Just a reminder - clean out the fan filters
Replies: 5
Views: 3259

..and the fins on your heatsink. The Zalman looked OK until I blew on it. Time for the air can. Dropped a few degrees too. :)

ddd
by dddibley
Sat May 27, 2006 10:02 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Maxtor warranty woes :/
Replies: 2
Views: 1934

No harm trying. The last Maxtor I returned only required the serial number to be put into the online RMA questionaire and it let me know the warranty status of the drive. Nobody asked for proof of purchase. Only caveat to RMA is you pay the shipping.. otherwise it was a pleasant experience (10 days ...
by dddibley
Thu May 25, 2006 4:42 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Auto fan controller for Zalman 7000 AlCu and Intel P4
Replies: 5
Views: 2929

Ditto with the SpeedFan. I have a FanMaster but kept forgetting to turn it up while gaming. Not good. Just plug it into the mobo and let the sensors take over.

ddd
by dddibley
Thu May 18, 2006 4:32 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Anyone try lower voltage by serial the fan? Says 6v each?
Replies: 6
Views: 3643

Only quirks I've noticed is having the fans start up properly and play nice together at that speed/voltage (harmonics). It varies from fan to fan, but with a controller you can tune them in a little better (the silencers 'sweet spot').

Otherwise it works fine.

ddd
by dddibley
Sun May 14, 2006 1:40 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: questions: Antec SmartPower 2.0 450W
Replies: 5
Views: 2773

The temp increase is typical of the processor. I would venture to say it's a nearby board sensor (under the CPU). Are the temps close?

Case temp range should only be a few degrees while gaming unless the case fans are set on low, but would never go that high.

ddd
by dddibley
Sat May 13, 2006 4:37 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: questions: Antec SmartPower 2.0 450W
Replies: 5
Views: 2773

1. Fastest I've monitored is ~1350 rpm (both fans).. with case fans on low while gaming. No issues.

2. Nope.. but I have thermistors on intake and exhaust. Highest was ~40C
intake. Exhaust is generally lower. Go figure.

3. Yes

ddd
by dddibley
Fri Apr 28, 2006 8:14 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Dream build gone bad
Replies: 18
Views: 8811

Would suggest reseting the BIOS defaults or jumper CLRTC on the mobo if available (see manual). Disable the shared resourses such as USB, LAN, sound etc to test for issues there too (slow boot).

ddd
by dddibley
Thu Apr 20, 2006 4:42 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Drop of College to make horror movies?
Replies: 14
Views: 10409

They have theatre programs in college.. right? :)

ddd
by dddibley
Tue Apr 11, 2006 4:50 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Good - quiet VIVO card
Replies: 5
Views: 2980

Hauppauge PVR-150 or ATI Rage Theatre 550 add-ons are better options (MPEG2 hardware encoders). Far less time consuming. The PVR-150 eats macrovision.

I have GTR and the X800XL performs pretty good. You'll probably need an X850 XT for all the eye candy though. The the ATI cards have VIVO too :)

ddd
by dddibley
Sun Apr 09, 2006 11:15 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Need advice on replacing SuperLanboy.
Replies: 14
Views: 5685

I have a similar setup (Sonata II = SuperLanboy). Room/Case/Idle on the SL7PM are typically 20/30/38C. Gaming will take the CPU up to 50C, sometimes a little higher. Definately not quiet though. See here for your CPU comparison. Intel Spec Finder, 2.8-3.4 The stock HSF should be able to keep it cool...
by dddibley
Sun Apr 09, 2006 9:09 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: CPU temps and SpeedFan
Replies: 7
Views: 3488

This might be useful. Basically, a true CPU temp will fluctuate much faster than a socket temp.

Calibrate Your CPU Temp Reporting

ddd
by dddibley
Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:35 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Age distribution on SPCR?
Replies: 47
Views: 31768

00110101 :)

ddd
by dddibley
Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:24 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: SP 2.0 vs NeoHE?
Replies: 1
Views: 1939

AFAIK the SP-500W is the only modular version.. and pricier ($/W). With the NeoHE, you're paying for efficiency, dedicated 3.3/5.0v circuits, 3% regulation and EPS12V support.

ddd
by dddibley
Wed Apr 05, 2006 8:23 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Fan Controller or No Fan Controller
Replies: 7
Views: 3368

Unless you need temp monitoring, a simple 5/7/12v switch will work fine.. and it's a lot cheaper. Check this out.

Get 12V, 7V or 5V for your Fans

ddd
by dddibley
Sun Mar 26, 2006 1:30 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Will Antec Sonata II (450W SP 2.0 PSU) suffice for my X2?
Replies: 10
Views: 6794

..where the CPU draws its power from.. Nvidia actually puts a 22A 12V PSU as requirement for those cards.. AFAIK the motherboard connector supplies the CPU and PCI slots etc. and draws from one of the 12V rails.. the rest of the components (eg. vid card, HDDs etc) are power from the other. The tota...
by dddibley
Sun Mar 26, 2006 12:18 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: New PSU recommendation=- if that indeed is my problem
Replies: 5
Views: 2950

Might be worth stopping the PSU fans (and others) with a straw to see if it makes a difference. Could be a PSU component resonating too, so you'd have to bench test it to find the culprit. (spelled E.X.T.R.E.M.E C.A.U.T.I.O.N). PSU fans are pretty easy to replace though. Maybe a loose screw somewher...
by dddibley
Sun Mar 26, 2006 11:51 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Will Antec Sonata II (450W SP 2.0 PSU) suffice for my X2?
Replies: 10
Views: 6794

SP-450 works fine with a full compliment of devices. (see signature)

ddd
by dddibley
Sun Mar 19, 2006 10:55 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: 30amps on the 12volt rail?
Replies: 5
Views: 2917

Here's a SPCR link that might help.

Power Supply Fundamentals & Recommendations, Page 3

As stated.. the new spec doesn't support a single 30A rail, so adding them seems to be more realistic.

ddd
by dddibley
Sat Mar 18, 2006 11:32 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: vga card died... need new efficient one: 9600, 6600, or ?
Replies: 12
Views: 5612

6600GT would be a good choice (twice as fast as a 9600 Pro or XT). Nearest ATI eqivalent would be a X700 Pro. Low end X800 series (GT) is nearly double that again.

I don't believe there's such a thing as 'light' gaming any more :)

ddd
by dddibley
Wed Mar 08, 2006 9:04 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Worth replacing 80mm fans with 92mm fans?
Replies: 5
Views: 4535

You could try the 80mm pair in series (6v each) or in parallel with a rheostat (50 ohm, 5W) in series. Did it with a RaidMax case and it worked OK. 2x80mm @ 60% = 1x92mm @ 100%??

ddd
by dddibley
Sun Mar 05, 2006 8:22 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: RFC on Sonata II w/ SP2-450
Replies: 2
Views: 1936

If it's a PSU issue, I'd say just replace it. P150 would be quieter (and cooler) than the Sonata II by design. Most of my components are fairly loud which puts the SP-450 pretty low on the list, by my standards. It's on the SPCR recommended list too.

Power Supply Fundamentals & Recommendations

ddd
by dddibley
Thu Mar 02, 2006 7:57 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: A place to buy aluminum for sandwiching?
Replies: 9
Views: 4624

Hit up your local sign shop. We recycle hundreds of pounds of off cuts.

ddd
by dddibley
Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:55 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Faulty X850
Replies: 3
Views: 2370

Try lowering the core and mem clocks with ATI Tool. The default settings may have changed ?

ddd
by dddibley
Mon Feb 27, 2006 7:56 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Recommendation for Socket 478 Board
Replies: 11
Views: 5713

We have a pair of ASUS P4P800 SE boards (865PE, AGP) with Celeron D330 (2667) and P4 3.0E. First one ran flawless for a couple of years so bought another. They have most of the modern features.. 2xSATA, RAID, GigaLAN, Dual Channel DDR etc. It's the lesser version of the P4P800 Deluxe.

ddd
by dddibley
Mon Feb 27, 2006 5:43 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: What temp does your X800 run
Replies: 14
Views: 8135

My XL (AGP) is about the same under load.. with stock fan. Idle is 40 to 48 depending on fan speed.

ddd
by dddibley
Thu Feb 23, 2006 6:04 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Sonata II: possibly ACAG mod?
Replies: 3
Views: 2426

I've tested mine extensively and found the ACAG lowers core/case temps 1 or 2C at best. Interestingly, without the ACAG and the fans on low, the rear intake area will still draw in air. It becomes balanced with the front door open, which obviously serves as an (unfiltered) intake too. I have used th...
by dddibley
Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:51 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: A newby needs some help...
Replies: 4
Views: 2901

The 7000 is slightly under-rated for the P4 3.0, but works OK. I found it similar to the stock fan in regards to noise at full tilt, but certainly beats it in temps and noise on low rpm. If I were doing it again I'd consider the XP-90/120 or Scythe Ninja too. As for the small fans.. maybe a case mod...
by dddibley
Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:34 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: 3000B and Sonata 2 experience - need advice
Replies: 2
Views: 2099

Re: 3000B and Sonata 2 experience - need advice

..And here's the real pisser: Installing my Epox mainboard into the Sonata ONE of the mainboard screws will not go in or out. Heck, I don't even know if I CAN get the system out of the Sonata 2. How do you deal with a screw that just spins around and won't go in or out?..-MB I ran into the same iss...
by dddibley
Sat Feb 18, 2006 2:13 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Fan advice for adding passive chipset cooler in Sonata II?
Replies: 12
Views: 3506

I would say there would be no advantage to the AGAC on your board because of the CPU socket placement. The chipset HS looks like it would benefit from the HDD cage fan since it's center line with your first PCIe slot.. extended to the bottom tabs on the RAM slots. If you're on SATA.. fine, but IDE c...
by dddibley
Wed Feb 15, 2006 4:54 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Question about Fan controllers
Replies: 6
Views: 3328

I've come to the conclusion all you need is a 5v/12v switch.. just connect fans that are capable of 5v startup. With mine, I generally have it full on for gaming and all minimum for quiet computing. Put the money you save into some quality fans. You could tweak your rpms with in-line resistors too. ...