Search found 204 matches

by victorhortalives
Wed Sep 05, 2012 11:06 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: P8Z77-I Deluxe + NH-L12
Replies: 4
Views: 9647

Re: P8Z77-I Deluxe + NH-L12

Yes, I realised that after doing some more investigating and contacting Noctua. I added the lowest speed add-in resistor and now I have both fans running at 750rpm which is acceptable (the other one is acting as an exhaust fan). I might buy two converters that allow PWM control of 3 pin fans (or I m...
by victorhortalives
Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:17 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: P8Z77-I Deluxe + NH-L12
Replies: 4
Views: 9647

Re: P8Z77-I Deluxe + NH-L12

Just a few images for those interested in this combination : http://img337.imageshack.us/img337/3756/upcpu.jpg http://img252.imageshack.us/img252/2787/downcpu.jpg http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2561/heatsinkb.jpg http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/2860/fansandrama.jpg http://img232.imageshack.us/...
by victorhortalives
Thu Nov 24, 2011 11:29 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: WD TV Live Streaming Media Player
Replies: 18
Views: 19145

Re: WD TV Live Streaming Media Player

I read somewhere that there is an iPxxx app that can be used to control the unit. Is there one ? I have some Netgear NTV550s that I might replace with this as every new NTV firmware seems to break something that worked fine before. Pity since the Netgear stuff has worked well before (EVA8000, EVA9150)
by victorhortalives
Sat Oct 01, 2011 3:42 am
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: Silent speakers
Replies: 16
Views: 8418

Re: Silent speakers

How much do you want to spend ?

See this post for a different alternative - no I don't work for Sonos, I'm just an enthusiastic user !
See : viewtopic.php?f=18&t=63177&p=548684#p548684

My Play3 is silent (as are my Play5 units).
by victorhortalives
Sat Oct 01, 2011 3:26 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: PC Music Stream to Wireless Speaker
Replies: 6
Views: 5567

Re: PC Music Stream to Wireless Speaker

Here's an alternative suggestion : a Sonos Play3. $ 299. See : http://www.sonos.com/shop/products/play3 IMO much better audio quality then normal. I have one on loan. To make it work you might also need to get a ZoneBridge (only 1 needed for as many wireless Sonos units as you need). If you can conn...
by victorhortalives
Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:37 pm
Forum: SPCR Announcements
Topic: Re: Mike's final sign-off - POSTPONED
Replies: 70
Views: 139930

Re: Mike's final sign-off

Sorry to hear this news. This site will be badly missed. Thanks to Mike for the pioneering and helpful work. But I agree in a way - all things must pass. For my part, SPCR has been a godsend as I learned to build very very quiet PCs, but now IMO the job has been done. Sure, there are some new compon...
by victorhortalives
Sun Apr 17, 2011 7:21 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Quiet monitor
Replies: 12
Views: 7258

Re: Quiet monitor

There's a whole forum thread on this subject. See : http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=50879 Basically lots of monitors seem to whine when brightness is turned down. Samsungs seem to be the worst (I had 3 unfortunately). LED monitors however don't seem to be so bad. BenQ seem ...
by victorhortalives
Sat Apr 16, 2011 3:11 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Quiet / Noisy Monitor Survey
Replies: 272
Views: 506626

Re: Quiet / Noisy Monitor Survey

Samsung SyncMaster 940BW I've had 3 of these for a few years. All 3 now whine when on. Brightness setting 31 - Contrast 29. One has been sold. I'm using the next one (now a problem). Wife using the third one. (3m away - not audible - monitor that is). Thinking of getting a BenQ BLxxxxPT based on abo...
by victorhortalives
Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:50 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Small fun computer (for web surfing and nothing major)
Replies: 5
Views: 3157

Re: Small fun computer (for web surfing and nothing major)

Agreed. Here's what I'm going to be building (upgrade from existing) PicoPSU - 90W or 150W Asus mITX P8H67-I (not Deluxe) Intel i3 2100 Noctua NH-U9B SE2 CPU cooler Intel 80GB or 120GB SSD (all other stuff is in a NAS on the end of a GB LAN) LianLi PC-Q11 or Antec NSK 3480 (if I can find it cheap - ...
by victorhortalives
Mon Apr 04, 2011 11:58 pm
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Antec NSK3480 with single moving part
Replies: 10
Views: 7943

Re: Antec NSK3480 with single moving part

Very nice.

This is still my favourite case. Small yet well built.
I too have a one moving part PC in one of these (also Silverstone PSU based).
Pity Antec won't offer these w/o the PSU or I'd buy some more.
by victorhortalives
Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:33 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD is buying Hitachi GST (Hard Drive Business)
Replies: 3
Views: 2247

Re: WD is buying Hitachi GST (Hard Drive Business)

Good for WD.
Maybe WD can bring some cool'n'quiet to Hitachi drives as, apart from noise & temps, Hitachi drives are pretty good (esp for RAID).
by victorhortalives
Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:03 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Asus E35M1-M Pro: AMD Fusion Motherboard
Replies: 84
Views: 59406

Re: Asus E35M1-M Pro: AMD Fusion Motherboard

Thanks for the comprehensive review.

So I guess the short answer is : Wait for the next version ?
by victorhortalives
Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:43 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Why are the Core i3/i5 considered low-power?
Replies: 26
Views: 7539

Re: Why are the Core i3/i5 considered low-power?

Well, since I already have an i3, I'm not making a new decision. However, I do have another PC with a Zotac Atom/ION that I AM looking to make a new decision about replacing, but not yet. If I do, then I'll be looking at an AMD solution or waiting for a new i3 variant that allows me to reuse a 60W p...
by victorhortalives
Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:03 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Why are the Core i3/i5 considered low-power?
Replies: 26
Views: 7539

Re: Why are the Core i3/i5 considered low-power?

Don't entirely agree. If the objective is to build a very quiet system, then a very worthwhile goal is to be able to run the system with only one slow running fan. That means being able to use a passive PSU (probably a Pico) as well as ideally (but not mandatory) an embedded CPU. In the absence of a...
by victorhortalives
Thu Jan 27, 2011 11:25 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build
Replies: 50
Views: 18196

Re: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build

Good choice, then you can do what you like.
by victorhortalives
Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:53 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build
Replies: 50
Views: 18196

Re: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build

I had this problem with some fans. You just have to turn the rpms up a little. (say 700rpm instead of 500rpm) If this makes too much noise, then consider using more slow running fans to replace a few fast running ones. Experiment. You may also have to have more than 1 fan controller. For the sake of...
by victorhortalives
Wed Jan 19, 2011 3:39 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build
Replies: 50
Views: 18196

Re: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build

Just noticed this discussion is continuing. Here's my experience with all this : I also used to do some Audio Editing work with an MAudio 2496 and I found that fans ramping up/down as CPU load changed was more distracting than a constant low noise level. So I opted to have several low noise fixed sp...
by victorhortalives
Sun Jan 09, 2011 11:52 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Help with ideas for new, cheap, audio/video PC
Replies: 8
Views: 3573

Re: Help with ideas for new, cheap, audio/video PC

Note the OP quote " but I'll say $1k as absolute upper limit."

As he is out of touch, a good place to start is a complete package, then he can take bits off and/or substitute.
by victorhortalives
Sun Jan 09, 2011 5:47 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Help with ideas for new, cheap, audio/video PC
Replies: 8
Views: 3573

Re: Help with ideas for new, cheap, audio/video PC

Have a look at this : viewtopic.php?f=23&t=61094&p=529749#p529749

The op wanted a quiet PC for < $ 1000 to do Audio editing.
by victorhortalives
Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:43 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build
Replies: 50
Views: 18196

Re: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build

OK, fair enough. Then I suggest that you get a 1200rpm Scythe fan not an 800rpm one.
I have had both and a 1200rpm version works better at 600-1200 rpm than an 800rpm version works at 600-800 rpm.
Control is better and the noise level is lower (at the same rpm).
by victorhortalives
Sat Jan 08, 2011 6:16 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build
Replies: 50
Views: 18196

Re: Advice Needed on Audio Editing PC Build

Here's a radically different view : Why not move the noisy stuff to another room ? Specifically - get a small 2 drive RAID NAS and mount the 500GB drive(s) in it and connect by Gigabit Ethernet to another room. Keep a small boot/temp drive in the "near" box - say an 80GB SSD. Get a mini-ITX (or TBA ...
by victorhortalives
Sun Dec 26, 2010 4:53 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: NAS - what is that?
Replies: 5
Views: 2557

Re: NAS - what is that?

At times like this wikipedia is your friend. See : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage
by victorhortalives
Sat Dec 11, 2010 1:41 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Consumer SSD Battle
Replies: 58
Views: 30259

Re: I would recommend against the OCZ

I had the ocz revo card for a couple of weeks and it seemed fast - that was until in the second week it kept bluescreening and by the end of the second week it died completely. Any system I put it in wouldn't even get to POST on boot up so the motherboard couldn't even count off memory - nothing. I...
by victorhortalives
Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:44 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Need help silencing my 1U PSU inside Mini-ITX HTPC
Replies: 5
Views: 3586

Re: Need help silencing my 1U PSU inside Mini-ITX HTPC

If you want to use a PicoPSU then you will either : Need to put the power brick outside the case (it gets warm and needs convective cooling) OR Put the power brick inside the case and make sure there is a path for cool air ventilation. Since it seems there is a solid wall of metal between the PSU co...
by victorhortalives
Sat Nov 13, 2010 10:02 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Gigabyte H55N-USB3: The De Facto LGA1156 Mini-ITX Board?
Replies: 21
Views: 16218

Re: Gigabyte H55N-USB3: The De Facto LGA1156 Mini-ITX Board?

I've just built this board into a Lian Li PC-A05NB (very fiddly but runs fine) and I'm seeing a strange boot sequence.
The board just sits there for 30 secs or so when turned on and then runs quickly through the boot sequence.
What's it waiting for ? Anyone seen this ?
by victorhortalives
Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:56 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Zotac IONITX-P-E CULV Motherboard
Replies: 23
Views: 17317

Re: Zotac IONITX-P-E CULV Motherboard

Any thoughts on whether this would run well in a system without the on-board CPU fan ?
If all the cooling is done by a single case fan (directed at the CPU) in a well ventilated case (Lian Li Q07), then the noise of a bigger slower fan should be better than the smaller CPU fan.
by victorhortalives
Sat Nov 13, 2010 3:21 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Electronic Noise and Tinnitus
Replies: 60
Views: 137903

Re: Electronic Noise and Tinnitus

Yes, me too. I have the 3Khz or so ringing, but it's not too oppressive. It IS however mostly caused when I sit at the PCs for longish times, but goes away overnight. It's also quite recent (last 3 years or so). Age related ? PC usage related ? I can also hear a lot of high pitched buzzing from tran...
by victorhortalives
Fri Nov 05, 2010 4:15 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: What should SPCR review? (offshoot of Accelero Xtreme+ review)
Replies: 20
Views: 12020

Re: What should SPCR review? (offshoot of Accelero Xtreme+ r

My take on this subject is this : Along with low noise and low power seems to be increasingly (!) smaller size. As well as advising us all on quieting high noise/high power systems, SPCR does a sterling job of advising on what's happening in smaller/lower power systems. In this sort of system even t...
by victorhortalives
Mon Nov 01, 2010 9:38 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Consumer SSD Battle
Replies: 58
Views: 30259

Re: Consumer SSD Battle: WD vs. OCZ vs. Intel

At least with SSDs they are unlikely to become totally unreadable. If the motor or the head in a HDD fails you loose everything. If an SSD wears out and cannot accept any more writes you can still at least read your data off it. Not true. Unreadable SSDs are one of the SSD failure modes. Usually it...
by victorhortalives
Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:16 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: What next beyond Zotac ION B ?
Replies: 2
Views: 1737

Re: What next beyond Zotac ION B ?

Thanks. I've bought the new Gigabyte ITX board with an Intel i3 to replace my old ATX system. My concerns though are with the Power draw and the need for a fan based CPU cooler. (I bought the Scythe Samurai ZZ). However as this was my "noisy" system anyway, it may well be as quiet. I'll keep the Cor...