Search found 126 matches

by Metaluna
Thu Feb 28, 2013 8:20 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Hardware for small, quiet home router/server
Replies: 22
Views: 13357

Re: Hardware for small, quiet home router/server

The problems with the D2500CCE? It's not the fastest or the most efficient Atom. And it's not cheap either. On top of the problems most Atoms boards have (limited I/O, no VM extension), this generation of Atoms has driver issues with their integrated GPU because Intel outsourced it to PowerVR and d...
by Metaluna
Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:57 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Rackmount case w/12+HDD bays, silenceable?
Replies: 20
Views: 11350

Re: Rackmount case w/12+HDD bays, silenceable?

Not sure if i should put this here: what SATA controller are you guys using? I was considering Supermicro's AOC-SASLP-MV8​. Since I'm planning to use FlexRAID, JBOD controller is right for me :) That depends on what OS you're using. One advantage of the controller you listed, if I remember correctl...
by Metaluna
Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:09 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Rackmount case w/12+HDD bays, silenceable?
Replies: 20
Views: 11350

Re: Rackmount case w/12+HDD bays, silenceable?

I too am using a Norco 4220 with a 3x120mm "fan wall". Right now it's in the basement next to my noisy furnace and washer/dryer, so silence hasn't been a huge concern so far, except to say that the default 80mm fan board it came with has no place inside a home. Even in a data center that thing would...
by Metaluna
Fri Oct 19, 2012 10:51 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Windows 8: what do you think about it?
Replies: 87
Views: 97100

Re: Windows 8: what do you think about it?

I'd say overall I like Win8. Metro is definitely weird and kind of useless on a desktop PC, but the start screen itself doesn't bother me. The transition from desktop to Start screen, surprisingly, feels pretty natural to me and not as jarring as I remember the first time I tried it in the early pre...
by Metaluna
Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:19 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: format/wipe SSD
Replies: 27
Views: 18405

Re: format/wipe SSD

My SSD is for use as a boot/system drive, and my data is stored to HDD, so I think write performance on my SSD is not a high priority for me. Hopefully Windows 8 has TRIM. For $40 I'm at least going to give Win 8 a try first before buying Win 7 for $90. :-) I'd definitely give it a try. I've been u...
by Metaluna
Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:06 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: New SSD - Samsung "840 Pro" and "840"
Replies: 3
Views: 4209

Re: New SSD - Samsung "840 Pro" and "840"

Idle consumption is a radical leap from its predecessor: I don't think you can draw that conclusion from that chart. The 256GB 840 Pro is only 0.07W lower than the 830. The 512GB 830 is way out of whack, but they don't list an 840 Pro to compare. Their active power consumption tests do show a more ...
by Metaluna
Sun Sep 23, 2012 5:25 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: TRUE120 pull-only vs 120mm slim vs 92mm HSF?
Replies: 5
Views: 7845

Re: TRUE120 pull-only vs 120mm slim vs 92mm HSF?

Thanks for all the replies. I put everything together and there definitely isn't enough clearance for both the HD cage and the fan on the same side of the heatsink. Unfortunately I ran into a complication mounting the fan on the opposite side. On this motherboard, there is very little clearance betw...
by Metaluna
Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:39 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: TRUE120 pull-only vs 120mm slim vs 92mm HSF?
Replies: 5
Views: 7845

TRUE120 pull-only vs 120mm slim vs 92mm HSF?

I'm putting together a new system in a Silverstone Temjin TJ08e uATX case. I want to move my trusty old Thermalright TRUE 120 over to this system, but I've taken some measurements, and it looks like the front HD cage may overhang the DIMM/CPU area of the motherboard enough that the fan may not fit i...
by Metaluna
Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:48 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Huge power discrepancy between IGP and Discrete video
Replies: 2
Views: 2508

Re: Huge power discrepancy between IGP and Discrete video

I'm using XBMC 11 (Eden) RC2. Unfortunately I no longer have the 6770 to test, but shortly after posting, my new Sapphire 7750 arrived a day early, so I'm testing it now. It looks like things have vastly improved. Using the latest Catalyst drivers (which I had to download from Sapphire, because the ...
by Metaluna
Wed Mar 07, 2012 1:48 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Huge power discrepancy between IGP and Discrete video
Replies: 2
Views: 2508

Huge power discrepancy between IGP and Discrete video

I've recently built an HTPC primarily for running XBMC under Windows 7, but also for occasional Bluray playback. I am using an older Socket 1156 H55 motherboard (Gigabyte GAH55M-USB3) and a Clarkdale i3-540 processor with integrated IGP (Intel HD 3000 I think). To make a long story short, I am seein...
by Metaluna
Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:28 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: SFF Case for Sandy Bridge CPU?
Replies: 21
Views: 9398

Re: SFF Case for Sandy Bridge CPU?

And finally - are there small form factor SSDs? Why does an SSD have to be 2.5" other than to fit in a traditional notebook hard drive slot and use regular SATA connectors? Why not make SSDs the size of an SD card, assuming that you come up with a microSATA connector of some sort? That would elimin...
by Metaluna
Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:57 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Quiet Solaris [Express] / ZFS on x64?
Replies: 2
Views: 2581

Re: Quiet Solaris [Express] / ZFS on x64?

After Microsoft dropped the "no more drive extender" bomb on Windows Home Server, I migrated to a FreeBSD/ZFS solution and have been running it successfully for the past several months. Lately I've been experimenting with SE11 on a secondary server that I use to backup the primary. Some observations...
by Metaluna
Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:54 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)

The problem is that Hitachi's RAID-friendliness may not survive the transition. From the article it looks like WD is most interested in Hitachi's Enterprise-class products (especially SSD's). From a business perspective their consumer drives are a mostly redundant product line, so not much incentive...
by Metaluna
Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:22 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Next to impossible to get AMD Fusion Boards
Replies: 3
Views: 2105

Re: Next to impossible to get AMD Fusion Boards

Fudzilla: Americans aren’t much better off, either. However, Newegg at least has Gigabyte’s GA-350N in stock and the asking price is $149. I just checked the U.S. site and they also appear to have the Asrock E350M1 for $109 in addition to the Gigabyte http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=...
by Metaluna
Wed Feb 16, 2011 2:12 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Do 775 push-pin coolers work 1156?
Replies: 8
Views: 3317

Re: Do 775 push-pin coolers work 1156?

Scythe makes the universal retention kit 3 . I don't know if it's available everywhere. Wow that backplate looks like even more "fun" than the one that came with my Xigmatek SD964. Good luck trying to figure out which of those holes line up with the mounting holes (hint: you can't tell you got it w...
by Metaluna
Mon Jan 31, 2011 9:27 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: New Generation Intel 510 "Emcrest" SSD - 450 MB/sec Read
Replies: 46
Views: 25313

Re: New Generation Intel 510 "Emcrest" SSD - 450 MB/sec Read

The biggest unknown question is how will they be priced. I personally don't care about IOPS for my home PC use. I care more about price, reliability, boot time, random read, and random write performance. Any drive that does well on random r/w MB/s will exceed my desire for sequential R/W speeds. An...
by Metaluna
Tue Nov 30, 2010 8:09 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Mugen 2 RevB backplate on Gigabyte mobo
Replies: 9
Views: 4515

Re: Mugen 2 RevB backplate on Gigabyte mobo

Sounds like you have everything working, so this post is just in case you're curious about what the dots are. The dots you are describing could be one of two things: either "through-holes" or "vias". A through-hole is a hole drilled through the board and plated with metal so that it connects to sign...
by Metaluna
Thu Oct 07, 2010 6:32 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: News: Sandybridge, Bulldozer and UEFI
Replies: 8
Views: 11158

Re: hmm

Afaik you would need something like a 6+ disk RAID1 array to match the random access times of a good SSD. Talk about a pointless expense :D The SSD is probably the less expensive option if all you care about is boot/load times. (again, afaik) Oh, and linux software raid ftw! Also, from a system adm...
by Metaluna
Fri Sep 03, 2010 10:47 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Longest UPTIME on your destop PC?
Replies: 57
Views: 26769

450 days sounds like a very insecure centos system ;) I reboot my workstation whenever I need to (usually after an OS update). Aware of a remotely exploitable kernel bug? Because that's the only thing you need to reboot for. ;) Maybe so, but when a kernel update comes through on my Ubuntu system ev...
by Metaluna
Thu Aug 26, 2010 10:54 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Mini-ninja, push pin mounting on Intel 1156
Replies: 3
Views: 2267

Scythe used to make a pushpin-to-bolt-through converter kit for LGA 775 that worked fairly well. They might make something similar for 1156 but I haven't looked. I think the 775 one may have been discontinued (not that it would fit on your motherboard anyway).
by Metaluna
Wed Aug 11, 2010 10:46 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: SSD Reliability
Replies: 120
Views: 67326

dhanson865, Have you looked at the ratings on the enterprise class drives at all? It might be interesting to compare the failure rates, since many of those drives use very similar (if not identical) controller chips and firmware, but SLC flash instead of the less expensive (but possibly less reliabl...
by Metaluna
Wed Aug 11, 2010 6:19 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: quiet table fan
Replies: 16
Views: 23949

They're way too expensive to take seriously, but has anyone tried the new Dyson fans? They look to be based on some sort of rotating airfoil rather than traditional blades.
by Metaluna
Thu Jun 17, 2010 10:31 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: I/O shield panels - who uses them?
Replies: 10
Views: 5295

Re: I/O shield panels - who uses them?

That said, they also don't allow air to enter and exit... Got that right, and the panel is adjacent to the rear case fan. That results in a short circuit path for the air flow causing other areas in the case to get reduced air flow. On the other hand, the CPU voltage regulators are usually in that ...
by Metaluna
Tue Apr 27, 2010 10:05 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Own a flat panel? Don't go to this link.
Replies: 27
Views: 13903

Have no desire to have a 20kg lump on my desk. Ever, ever again even if it could do my dishes and clean the house too. They are just to big, use way to much power and are so 90s ;-) I remember the first time I saw some LCDs on display in a retail store. Oddly, the thing I remember most vividly was ...
by Metaluna
Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:29 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Should I buy an SSD now or hold out for 6GPS
Replies: 74
Views: 29784

Re: AHCI on Zotac GF9300-I-E

Just one data point -- a couple of weeks ago I built a new miniITX system using the Zotac GF9300-I-E motherboard, using an Intel X25-V (40GB "value" SSD) for the OS/applications, running 64-bit Ubuntu 9.10. If I select "ACHI" or "Linux AHCI" for SATA mode in the BIOS, not only does the mobo fail to...
by Metaluna
Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:12 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Should I buy an SSD now or hold out for 6GPS
Replies: 74
Views: 29784

Regarding SSD lifespan: Intel keeps track of this in their SMART data. My year-old 80GB Gen1 X25-M is showing the "wearout indicator" at 94% (where 100% is a brand new drive), with 2.79TB total host writes. So theoretically at my current rate of usage I should get something close to 20 years out of ...
by Metaluna
Thu Mar 18, 2010 6:44 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: AMD's 890GX Chipset
Replies: 24
Views: 14775

Redzo wrote:
To really take advantage of the increased bandwidth of 3.0, you need high-end solid state drives or a RAID configuration.
Not true.
So what mechanical non-RAID hard drives are capable of sustaining >3.0Gbps?
by Metaluna
Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:53 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD20EARS or WD20EADS? What about seagate's 2tb drive?
Replies: 60
Views: 120609

Why not? I'd say that since the WD GPs are so popular and we still have yet to hear of any real problem with these drives they are actually less of a risk than many other drives. I agree. Think of it this way: it would cost WD nothing to tweak their firmware to reduce or eliminate the head park beh...
by Metaluna
Wed Jan 06, 2010 1:30 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel D510M0 Motherboard: Atom 2.0
Replies: 74
Views: 49542

Minor nitpick: The article refers to the name of the motherboard as D510M0 in some places and D510MO in others. May cause some people Googling for information to miss this article. I think the correct name ends with "MO" (as in Mount Olive), as per the Intel website
by Metaluna
Fri Sep 25, 2009 12:37 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Intel 34nm SSD released
Replies: 237
Views: 256795

Have you noticed any difference running AHCI in terms of performance? I went from: SEQ read write 4k read write 4k*64threads read write 249 57 20 45 21 48 to: 262 65 19 43 150 53 The significant change was 4k * 64 threads: 21 MB/s to 150 during reads. According to this PC Perspective article, the X...