Search found 28 matches

by walkingjohn
Sat Sep 19, 2009 4:37 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: AM3 software vs hardware underclock
Replies: 17
Views: 7163

I will take a look at RM Clock. My testing was put to a hault yesterday as it seems my power supply has problems putting out any less then 45W. Even in sleep mode it draws 30W! I believe RMClock (and CrystalCPUID) only handles up to K8 chips; for a K10 like you have there's K10Stat. Re: high sleep ...
by walkingjohn
Fri Sep 18, 2009 7:55 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Remote Desktop options that are Vista 64bit compatable.
Replies: 6
Views: 4096

FWIW, I have used TightVNC under XP and under Vista 64 (server side only). The latter does work, in the sense that I can control things remotely, but the display doesn't update properly: I have to request a refresh every time I do something like open a menu. So, yes, not too useful.
by walkingjohn
Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:13 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: A wooden case - Should it be shielded/grounded?
Replies: 31
Views: 14432

You can learn more by looking here and elsewhere for "faraday cage". Basically, in my limited understanding, radiation of long wavelength relative to any openings is blocked by a conductive enclosure.
by walkingjohn
Fri Feb 06, 2009 10:37 am
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: Crucial 32G SLC SSDs going for a song
Replies: 0
Views: 1412

Crucial 32G SLC SSDs going for a song

E.g., newegg.ca $110, free shipping. Ncix has a couple still in stock this hour, and other stores are selling for similar prices. These were regarded as outrageously fast and outrageously expensive (~$800) less than a year ago, although some reviews (Tweaktown) found real-life performance less then ...
by walkingjohn
Mon Feb 02, 2009 4:25 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Radeon HD 4670: A perfect balance?
Replies: 498
Views: 390244

After removing P182 side panel today to clean the dust, I found Powercolor's fan started generating a very gentle, low-volumed clicking noise, thus I've to RMA it. Just another data point: my Powercolor fan has a faint click too, has had from day one. Really not "silent", but it doesn't bother me f...
by walkingjohn
Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:26 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Radeon HD 4670: A perfect balance?
Replies: 498
Views: 390244

Caution: a few months back there were bad reports of the Powercolor 3870 with a similar Zerotherm cooler: fan was set to run at 100% all the time: http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=45450 Does anybody know different, this time around? This review of powercolor's 4670 suggests that...
by walkingjohn
Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:23 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: INTEL and SSD
Replies: 22
Views: 10854

Some reviews are out (dailytech has links). Verdict: wow! Intel appears to have completely fixed the inconsistent random write problems that other MLC ssds (like OCZ core) have. The write speeds are still on the slow side, but perfectly respectable. And reads are through the roof. I just wish they'd...
by walkingjohn
Tue Aug 12, 2008 9:03 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: With RMclock or other software, can I adjust below 4x multip
Replies: 4
Views: 3317

If it's like recent desktop AMD cpus, the cpu speed can't be lower than the hypertransport speed. So if your BIOS lets you lower the HT multiplier, you might be able to lower the cpu multiplier further. RMclock should list the new multipliers if they become possible.
by walkingjohn
Sat Apr 19, 2008 2:36 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Anandtech Power Consumption test - 780G v GF8200 v G35
Replies: 20
Views: 11766

This looks good for the 8200 vs. 780G, but it's not quite as apples-to-apples as I'd like: one board is biostar, one gigabyte; one atx, one matx; different audio, but same LAN chips; different numbers of usb headers apparently. Wish I knew how much difference that could make. 7-10W seems like a lot ...
by walkingjohn
Sun Apr 13, 2008 4:11 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: X2 4450e tested on Abit AN-M2: very low power
Replies: 17
Views: 17560

Those having rmclock/brisbane troubles, have you fiddled with the "management" settings in rmclock? Or the transition intervals? I set mine to "perform single-step transitions only" (with a few intermediate p-states in the on-demand profile) and that seemed to help--but it has been a while since I'v...
by walkingjohn
Sat Mar 29, 2008 3:55 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Building a PC as a High Performance Digital Stereo Source
Replies: 20
Views: 8017

Any quiet modern PC will do if playback is your only concern. My cpu (athlon x2) is currently running at 800MHz and is only 3-4% loaded playing .ape files through winamp. I suppose the question to ask is what else you want to do with the machine. For hard drives, western digital's GP series seem to ...
by walkingjohn
Wed Mar 19, 2008 10:35 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Solid State Fan, Ionic Cooling Hits The Big Time!
Replies: 24
Views: 15960

I recall people being worried about charge buildup from the ionized air from these--but apparently this moves only neutral particles, so the ionization would be only inside the "fan".

Now, how much do you suppose it buzzes?
by walkingjohn
Fri Feb 29, 2008 9:08 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: The theory behind fanless systems?
Replies: 41
Views: 25252

Have you looked up the "chimney effect"? I recall there being a couple of threads here.

In effect, a tall enough vertical duct acts as a very slow fan.

Probably not practical on its own, but may contribute to heatsink efficiency.
by walkingjohn
Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:00 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: The theory behind fanless systems?
Replies: 41
Views: 25252

You're way ahead of me as far as the thermodynamics stuff goes, so it would be interesting if you figured that out in general. But it might help to reframe the problem a bit: there's no way you need to dissipate the TDP of any parts fanless, because no actual system will draw that kind of power for ...
by walkingjohn
Mon Feb 25, 2008 1:34 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: The theory behind fanless systems?
Replies: 41
Views: 25252

This is a popular question, so here's a starting point, a fanless computer recipe; modify as needed: Caveat: I assume you're doing this for fun, not because it's the best way to make a quiet computer (it isn't, unless maybe with an SSD). Biostar TF7025 mobo, Athlon X2 3600+ (or BE2300) Ninja on cpu,...
by walkingjohn
Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:37 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Hum in recorded/digitized audio - would a sound card help?
Replies: 3
Views: 2499

A sound card might help, but I can think of some things to try first, if you haven't already. In my experience recent onboard audio can be surprisingly good for casual use--and noise is more likely a faint hiss than a hum. I don't know your motherboard, though. -make sure all other sources are muted...
by walkingjohn
Thu Jan 24, 2008 6:03 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Need help deciding which Dual/Quad Core
Replies: 10
Views: 5035

I always want to ask: is the hobby audio or computers or both? Athlon X2 3600+, underclocked to 800MHz, 1G ram, WinXP: N-track and Reason (drum machine, sequencer, and synth) use only about 7-20% of one core--Firefox and system processes contributing to that. Cheap computer, better sound gear/plugin...
by walkingjohn
Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:57 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Building an audio production workstation...
Replies: 16
Views: 6439

Re: Building an audio production workstation...

Price IS a concern, so lower is better if possible. Forgive me if you've already been through this... Are you certain, then, that you need 1TB of storage, four cores, and fancy memory? If it's a home studio you're putting together, then IMHO you'll get better results by scrimping on the computer an...
by walkingjohn
Sat Dec 29, 2007 5:35 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Help choose SSDs for SPCR's test systems
Replies: 88
Views: 54805

If you want to see the very highest test numbers, write a Ghost image file of 2GB. ;-) The very worst is writing a large number of 1KB files [....] Can you help me understand why that is? I gather one of the advantages of ss is tiny access times, which would tend to speed up random writes. Is it a ...
by walkingjohn
Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:00 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Fanless Design Help Please !
Replies: 23
Views: 6484

crazyox, a couple FYIs: -NewEgg doesn't ship to Canada, according to their FAQ on the website -if you are near Kingston or have a friend there, Canada Computers lists two of the Silverstone fanless psus on clearance for $99 (I don't know if they'll ship them, since they aren't part of the online sto...
by walkingjohn
Thu Nov 22, 2007 10:55 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Has anyone GA-MA790FX-DS5 motherboard?
Replies: 2
Views: 2335

It sounds great in theory, but check the reviews--my impression is that although the chipset is rated for 10W, the existing 790 boards consume way more than that for some reason.
by walkingjohn
Tue Nov 06, 2007 4:03 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: new, faster samsung ssds
Replies: 5
Views: 3573

new, faster samsung ssds

FYI (I don't think this bit of news has been mentioned here): Samsung Launches Speedy Sata II SSDs Write speeds are up to 100MB/s now! --faster than a noisy spinning thing, I think? Here's hoping this broadens the market and drives down the price of the old "budget" ssds! Maybe in six months or so a...
by walkingjohn
Mon Nov 05, 2007 9:24 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Fanless HTPC from scratch - starting point?
Replies: 17
Views: 7419

look for amourek's 7025 review and thread. Are you referring to this thread , entitled "My Biostar TA690G Review: mATX Overclocking Gem"? That might be an option, but this one may be better. The claims there suggest the onboard graphics with a slightly underclocked 3600+ handle HD fine. I'm not a v...
by walkingjohn
Sun Nov 04, 2007 10:59 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Fanless HTPC from scratch - starting point?
Replies: 17
Views: 7419

I haven't found any standard solution here for completely fanless (convection cooled). Basically, a very low-wattage system with big heatsinks (Ninja for cpu, HR-05 for chipset) will run this way if not enclosed and not in the same area as other heat sources like the power supply. My biostar tf7025 ...
by walkingjohn
Sat Sep 08, 2007 7:38 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Is software undervolting limited by cpu or mb?
Replies: 6
Views: 3614

FWIW, I have briefly undervolted my Brisbane 3600+ below 0.8V on a Biostar TF7025, using RMClock, 200x4. It wasn't stable, but it seems to show that the TA690G is the limiting factor in that case.
by walkingjohn
Thu Aug 09, 2007 6:18 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: My Biostar TF7025-M2 Review: Biostar Raises the Bar
Replies: 110
Views: 112424

Has anyone replaced the chipset heatsink on this board? I'm hoping to put on an HR-05 or similar, along with a Ninja for the cpu, but I haven't done that sort of thing before--I'm hoping they'll fit okay.
by walkingjohn
Mon Jul 16, 2007 8:38 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: rfi from a silverstone st30nf
Replies: 2
Views: 2410

You might try plugging the computer into a filtered mains power strip, to reduce any noise that is conducted rather than radiated. Thanks--I hadn't thought of that. Will give it a try. Update: I know at least one other person has had similar problems, so here's what (little) I've found... 1. Using ...
by walkingjohn
Sat Jul 14, 2007 2:23 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: rfi from a silverstone st30nf
Replies: 2
Views: 2410

rfi from a silverstone st30nf

Hi all, My new nightjar fanless psu is causing a whole lot of interference with TV and radio reception (I know it's the silverstone, because when I switch to an older generic power supply, there's zero speaker crackle, even though this ps is outside the case). I'm curious to hear if others have had ...