Search found 83 matches
- Wed Mar 11, 2015 6:06 pm
- Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
- Topic: Quiet Mini-ITX Gaming Build Guide #2: NCASE M1 Edition
- Replies: 36
- Views: 37943
Re: Quiet Mini-ITX Gaming Build Guide #2: NCASE M1 Edition
Just a quick update on my NCASE experience. First, I will say that this case was a lot of fun to build in, and by that I mean it took a while to get everything figured out. It's challenging, like a 1000 piece puzzle - you can't be in a big hurry. After many changes, I ended up putting the following ...
- Tue Feb 24, 2015 10:40 am
- Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
- Topic: Help with 1080p gaming PC shopping list
- Replies: 47
- Views: 29184
Re: Help with 1080p gaming PC shopping list
I used to play EVE Online just fine on my rMBP with a GT 650M and i7-3720 at 2880x1800, so that gives an idea of how much (or little) performance is needed to run it well. I kept the settings somewhere in the middle of the road, mostly because of Jita, but I always found EVE was much more about desk...
- Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:37 pm
- Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
- Topic: Quiet Mini-ITX Gaming Build Guide #2: NCASE M1 Edition
- Replies: 36
- Views: 37943
Re: Quiet Mini-ITX Gaming Build Guide #2: NCASE M1 Edition
The 3rd slot height limitation is due to the panel clips, which extend into the case. Are you actually planning to have the card in the third slot? As a reminder, the only way that's possible is using a 2 or 3 slot compact mATX/mini-DTX motherboard (or a flex riser if you're up to the challenge). A...
- Mon Feb 23, 2015 1:39 pm
- Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
- Topic: Quiet Mini-ITX Gaming Build Guide #2: NCASE M1 Edition
- Replies: 36
- Views: 37943
Re: Quiet Mini-ITX Gaming Build Guide #2: NCASE M1 Edition
Great build guide and extremely timely for my own build. I'm in the process of ordering parts now as I should have my V3 case in a week or so. Used the SPCR link for ordering so hopefully that tosses a few bucks your way Mike. One question on the VC: the GTX 970 Strix is too tall for the case (5.5")...
- Fri May 07, 2010 9:14 am
- Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
- Topic: Need a totally silent HTPC...
- Replies: 3
- Views: 2068
DVD drive uses a minimum of power - that's not your biggest concern with the Pico. Discrete video will likely be your greatest challenge once you have the rest of the system running as you like it. Regarding the motherboard, since you want to support Core 2, an Nvidia 9300 or G41/45 would be best be...
- Fri May 07, 2010 8:51 am
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: AM3 power consumption in AM2 motherboard?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 8423
I recently dropped an AM3 Sempron 140 into an older Asus M2A-VM AM2 motherboard and my power usage dropped pretty significantly with some judicious undervolting. Prior to the Sempron, I was running a Brisbane 3600. The CPU is passively cooled with one 800 RPM exhaust and it runs perfectly cool and c...
- Wed May 05, 2010 1:36 pm
- Forum: Silent Storage
- Topic: Lowest RPM large hard drive
- Replies: 11
- Views: 11978
- Mon May 03, 2010 4:59 pm
- Forum: Silent Storage
- Topic: Lowest RPM large hard drive
- Replies: 11
- Views: 11978
I'm not an expert on this topic, but I believe 3600 rpm drives (and 4500 rpm drives) went out of vogue back in the 80s and 90s. Some notebook drives still run at 4500 rpm spec, but nothing over 100 GB. About the slowest I know of is the WD Scorpio Blue which comes in a 1TB version and spins at 5200 ...
- Mon May 03, 2010 4:54 am
- Forum: Cases and Damping
- Topic: small full ATX desktop case
- Replies: 5
- Views: 5483
Judging from the location, will this PC be used primarily as an HTPC? If that is the case, you don't need nearly as much room as you're thinking, especially if your plans are to go integrated graphics, TV capture, and 2.5" hard drive. Any other reason you need to go with a full ATX board? The board ...
- Sun May 02, 2010 8:19 pm
- Forum: The Silent Front
- Topic: [Poll] What's your system's noisiest parts ?
- Replies: 31
- Views: 27066
Even suspended, the hard drives make the most audible noise. Still, my rig is sitting a little over a foot from my head, and the drives make a very faint whoosh that isn't at all distracting. The same is true of my HTPC - the only noise that system makes comes from the drive. Even then, I sometimes ...
- Sun May 02, 2010 1:50 pm
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
Just a quick follow-up of power consumption measures for components in the machine. My hand was slightly forced by my cable provider who decided that I really needed set-top boxes for all tuners just to complicate my life. That required I get an IR blaster, so I bought a Hauppauge HVR-2250 instead. ...
- Wed Apr 21, 2010 8:19 pm
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
It's a K10-based CPU, socket AM3. Since the machine will do no gaming, the single core is likely sufficient for my needs. You're also right ntavlas, it's a PW-200-V, so technically not a PicoPSU, but along the same lines with 95%+ efficiency. Apologies if the naming confused anyone: http://www.mini-...
- Sun Apr 18, 2010 12:16 pm
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
As promised, some numbers. The Sempron 140 is passively cooled with a Scythe Mini. There is one 120mm 800 RPM Gentle Typhoon fan as the exhaust for the entire system. Power supply is an older 200W PicoPSU modded to for use with a Dell brick. CPU Voltage set in BIOS. Temps recorded using Speedfan 4.4...
- Sat Apr 17, 2010 7:57 pm
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
Just a quick update to this: First, I know I don't technically *need* to upgrade the CPU, but to be honest, I spend money on computer parts all the time - need is really just another way of saying 'really really want'. :) Second, Asus released a Beta BIOS that adds official AM3 support to the M2A-VM...
- Sun Apr 04, 2010 1:27 pm
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Looks Like 1156 Socket is being superseded by a new socket
- Replies: 45
- Views: 20846
Long live Socket 775! Hear hear! I'm limping along just fine with my E6600 thank you very much. Eventually I'll upgrade to a Q9650 when they're old and cheap and get another 3-4 years out of my board. Perhaps a better metric for socket lifespan is how many years it takes before the best CPU availab...
- Fri Apr 02, 2010 5:01 am
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
Vortex: Thanks for the information. It sounds like the video board has taken over much of the heavy lifting from playback, so that upgrade might give the most bang for the buck. Perhaps I don't need to worry about the CPU at all, which would be great. I only wish that the 5450 had a legacy port or d...
- Thu Apr 01, 2010 9:26 am
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
Interesting about AM3 - the Asus website only lists AM2/AM2+ CPUs in the qualified list so I didn't even bother to research further. There are a few 45W and 65W AM3 cores, so it might be worth looking into. As for the Semprons, as near as I can tell from piecing together performance results, the onl...
- Thu Apr 01, 2010 7:53 am
- Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
- Topic: Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
- Replies: 18
- Views: 7224
Upgrade Path from a Brisbane 3600+
I did some searching through the forums but wasn't able to find a clear answer to the following: What is the best CPU upgrade path from a Brisbane 3600+ for a low power HTPC? Some details: my HTPC is running a passively cooled 3600+ on an Asus M2A-VM HDMI board (AMD 690G) using the IGP (X1250). The ...
- Mon May 07, 2007 8:26 am
- Forum: Silent Storage
- Topic: Quietest 250GB & 500GB SATA2 drives with 16MB cache
- Replies: 11
- Views: 8221
I just recently picked up a WD 2500KS because I wanted to move my Samsung 501LJ to my media PC. I as expecting a similar lack of noise from the WD, but was surprised at how loud it was. Even with AAM enabled it's louder than the Samsung ever was. Bottom line, get a Samsung and suspend it if you can ...
- Fri May 04, 2007 1:35 pm
- Forum: Silent Storage
- Topic: Uneasy about enclosing hard disk
- Replies: 8
- Views: 5134
- Thu May 03, 2007 7:40 pm
- Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
- Topic: Problems with newegg?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 8068
I've noticed problems with their email service as well on the last few orders I've places. Order confirmation emails are quick, but tracking emails have recently been arriving a day or two after I've gotten my package. Still, the shipping is super fast - I just ordered a hard drive and heat sink fro...
- Mon Apr 30, 2007 9:38 am
- Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
- Topic: nVidia 6150 vs. AMD 690G
- Replies: 36
- Views: 20818
I think this begs the question however, especially when it comes to the new 8xxx series nVidia cards: which is better, using the CPU to decode video, or having to install a dedicated video card to do the decoding for you? If you have just the CPU doing the legwork using onboard video, then you can g...
- Mon Apr 30, 2007 5:02 am
- Forum: Cases and Damping
- Topic: A Rubbermaid computer...now solar powered.
- Replies: 40
- Views: 28886
They're also quite well known for their Tupperware. Maybe I'll build a PC into a square Tupperware box one of these days. To open the case, simply pop the lid.IsaacKuo wrote:Rubbermaid is a popular maker of garbage cans.
Of course, heat might lead to warping, which would fubar the whole thing. Hmmm.
- Fri Apr 27, 2007 9:32 am
- Forum: Off Topic
- Topic: Old PC games
- Replies: 15
- Views: 9753
I keep an old P133 system with a Voodoo 3 card around for playing Dos and Windows 98 games. I tried using Dosbox for a while, but it won't work for Mechwarrior 2 or any of the Mech2 Expansions. Sadly, the only way to make that game work is on the old hardware itself. Another great place to look for ...
- Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:14 am
- Forum: Cases and Damping
- Topic: SOLO question
- Replies: 11
- Views: 7697
- Thu Apr 26, 2007 5:02 am
- Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
- Topic: Need help on a cheap SFF silent HTPC..I have no parts list.
- Replies: 1
- Views: 2246
If the MicroFly case was too big, then this one will probably be too big for your tastes as well, but I thought I'd suggest it since it fits your needs (quiet, dual external 5.25" drive bays, takes mATX boards so you can customize): The Antec NSK3300 / 3400. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp...
- Thu Apr 26, 2007 4:47 am
- Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
- Topic: Please validate my approach...
- Replies: 4
- Views: 3081
Your build looks a lot like my own, so I can comment on a few things. For starters, I would think about replacing the included Antec Tri-Cool fan with a Yate Loon or Nexus - because you're using a Corsair HX520, that Tri-Cool fan will be the primary noise you'll hear, even on low. Also, on the subje...
- Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:49 pm
- Forum: Fans and Control
- Topic: Seriously, are SilenX fans terrible?
- Replies: 35
- Views: 32957
"We also ran brief test results comparing the cooling efficiency and noise of the Scythe SFLEX SFF21F 64cfm/28 dB-A fan that was used in Thermalright reviews and the SilenX fan used in several of the most recent reviews. Cooling results were similar with either fan on the Noctua heatsink, with the ...
- Wed Apr 25, 2007 12:38 pm
- Forum: Cases and Damping
- Topic: Updated Antec NSK3300, the new NSK3400
- Replies: 114
- Views: 87110
I think that they should have put in a different PSU, with a minimum of cables. On an old mod where I needed to cut down on cables coming from the PSU for routing purposes, I snipped off two cables right at the PS case and capped the wires. Granted, you can't get those plugs back if you need them i...
- Wed Apr 25, 2007 9:46 am
- Forum: Off Topic
- Topic: OS for new build: XP or Vista?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 10846