Search found 31 matches

by stevea
Sat Oct 23, 2010 2:19 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: How realistic is a NAS for main storage?
Replies: 12
Views: 11826

Re: How realistic is a NAS for main storage?

I realize this thread is old but .... The problem w/ reaktek81xx is that they generally don't support jumbo packets and that's IMO a disaster for high performance. WRT NAS speed. A disk may have a 120MBPS sequential transfer rate, but after introducing non-sequential access of files and the overhead...
by stevea
Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:23 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Low Idle Power Core i5 System?
Replies: 9
Views: 7335

Re: Low Idle Power Core i5 System?

Hi all, I've been researching the ideal low power system. I have an Atom PC and it's great at taking less than 35 watts, but it is getting a bit too slow for me. I've been reading Tom's Hardware Review article that you can get a i5 to 25 watt idle load and was hoping I could achieve something simil...
by stevea
Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:46 am
Forum: Green Computing
Topic: 47 watt 7 TB server (disks spun down)
Replies: 8
Views: 7412

Forever? Given you have enough RAM. I have never used a swap partition under Linux (in recent years anyway) and have always had the page file disabled under WinXP on my main system. Never had any problems with it. Why would you need swap space on a file server? If you run out of dram the OOM reaper...
by stevea
Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:46 pm
Forum: Site Feedback
Topic: More ps reviews. More enet data
Replies: 2
Views: 3521

Sincere thanks for the reply Mike. The question of durability/reliability cannot be answered by any review site w/o vast resources. Fair enough, but how about seeking at least the manufacturers MTTF/MTBF. For example I see the edac power units for the PICO have a reported MTBF of 30,000 hours, which...
by stevea
Fri Feb 05, 2010 12:59 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: What's wrong with just about everybody. In a nutshell.
Replies: 56
Views: 16037

I don't believe that religious nutjobs are the serious problem the OP paints. Certainly not christianity; the protestant reformation and the age of enlightenment knocked most of the rough edges off christianity quite a few centuries ago. Yeah right. Are you serious ? What about all those crazy abor...
by stevea
Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:23 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: What's wrong with just about everybody. In a nutshell.
Replies: 56
Views: 16037

Intelligence is the biggest threat to dogmatic religions there is. Intelligence is demonized by the church at all costs. It was a crime for a Catholic to own a bible when Catholicism was in its prime. I doubt it. There are a lot of very intelligent religious ppl. They simply have a "blind spot" in ...
by stevea
Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:19 am
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: Microcenter i5-650 $120 in store deal
Replies: 0
Views: 1491

Microcenter i5-650 $120 in store deal

Microcenter is selling the Intel i5-650 for $120, in-store deal only. This compares to Newegg @ $195.

The -650 and -660 (~$205) are the same except for the 3.2Ghz, vs 3.33Ghz clock rate.
Great discount for a 3.9% slower clock IMO.
by stevea
Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:15 am
Forum: Site Feedback
Topic: More ps reviews. More enet data
Replies: 2
Views: 3521

More ps reviews. More enet data

First - fantastic site which is why I've been lurking here g=for years. Having just put together a system order based on the list here, I think the power-supply data is getting a lttle dated. The pico' series seems to be the "last word" in silence, but I've never seen any useful data on durability/r...
by stevea
Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:39 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Logitech Illuminated Keyboard
Replies: 30
Views: 37862

If you depend on the Menu key, like I do, it seems that you have to just write off this piece of keyboard real estate. I've had this kb for about 1yr and like it a lot - best KB I've ever owned. But a sincere question ... can't you remap your KB under Windoze so if you *need* some specific key not ...
by stevea
Mon Jan 25, 2010 7:10 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: System won't [boot] with 80w pico
Replies: 6
Views: 2784

Your average power consumption may always be under 60W but momentary demands are likely to exceed that number and cause excessive voltage drop which is extremely likely to cause the processor/memory to go to an incorrect state. If the system can boot with one disk only, then there is likely a soluti...
by stevea
Mon Jan 25, 2010 6:14 am
Forum: Green Computing
Topic: What's a good OS for a pentium 1 or 2?
Replies: 28
Views: 31594

freedos is (last I looked a couple yrs ago) an open source clone of MS-Dos. No real feature upgrade. I'd consider it a Neanderthal OS, (a kernel actually) and not viable myself.

There are several Linux distros specifically aimed at low dram and legacy cpus. Check out puppy Linux for example.
by stevea
Mon Jan 25, 2010 5:37 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: Small, silent, green DIY NAS: suggestions?
Replies: 30
Views: 39456

If I were you I'd look into Intel D510/N10 mobos like this one Intel BOXD510MO Thje 945 chipset uses a lot of power, more than the CPU. Also the Atom -330 and D510 have better performance than the 270 you are looking at. You still need a SATA card, or else a ridiculously priced atom mobo. The D945G...
by stevea
Thu Jan 21, 2010 2:16 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Core i5-661: A 32nm CPU with Integrated Graphics
Replies: 86
Views: 55194

Not sure what Servers have to do in the context of desktop components! If you don't understand, perhaps you should try reading this forum or the website articles of smallnetbuilder.com I suggested. There is a lot of demand for DIY SOHO servers with low_power/low_noise profiles. The reason desktop c...
by stevea
Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:33 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: Small, silent, green DIY NAS: suggestions?
Replies: 30
Views: 39456

If I were you I'd look into Intel D510/N10 mobos like this one
Intel BOXD510MO

Thje 945 chipset uses a lot of power, more than the CPU. Also the Atom -330 and D510 have better performance than the 270 you are looking at.

You still need a SATA card, or else a ridiculously priced atom mobo.
by stevea
Sun Jan 10, 2010 3:50 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Core i5-661: A 32nm CPU with Integrated Graphics
Replies: 86
Views: 55194

One problem with these new dual cores is that if you use them with a P55 board you end up with a 32nm dual core that consumes up to 10W more at idle than a 45nm quad on the same board. I wonder how a H55 board with a discrete graphics card compares when using an i3 versus i5-750? You are making a s...
by stevea
Sat Jan 09, 2010 3:13 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Core i5-661: A 32nm CPU with Integrated Graphics
Replies: 86
Views: 55194

One problem with these new dual cores is that if you use them with a P55 board you end up with a 32nm dual core that consumes up to 10W more at idle than a 45nm quad on the same board. I wonder how a H55 board with a discrete graphics card compares when using an i3 versus i5-750? You are making a s...
by stevea
Sat Jan 09, 2010 1:13 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Core i5-661: A 32nm CPU with Integrated Graphics
Replies: 86
Views: 55194

Just an FYI for anyone looking at the Intel MOBOs for the new 32mm parts. I just determined that both boards (DH55HC & DH55TC) use the Intel 82578DC enet interface. This part does NOT handle jumbo packets according to Intel http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=35653 Since my intention is to build a ...
by stevea
Fri Jan 08, 2010 9:55 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Core i5-661: A 32nm CPU with Integrated Graphics
Replies: 86
Views: 55194

Most sites used the Asus P7H57DV-EVO which consumes a lot more power than the Intel H55 board that SPCR used – TechReport . It’ll be interesting to see what a decent low power .... I've been tracking low power but mid-high performance boards & CPUs for some time. My opinion is that Asus is part...
by stevea
Thu Sep 10, 2009 12:27 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Quiet & Ultra Low Power Router/Firewall/Server on Debian
Replies: 19
Views: 9463

I'm looking to build a similar server,. I think the Intel DG45ID looks superior to the DG45FC for any purpose I can think of (including price). My server needs are greater so I can't consider the Atom. E7400 or E8200 perhaps. Someone claims the Atom can be made into such a low idle power, but I thin...
by stevea
Sun May 17, 2009 1:17 pm
Forum: Networking
Topic: low(er) power high(ish) performance server recommendations
Replies: 1
Views: 7417

low(er) power high(ish) performance server recommendations

I need suggestions/advice re a 24x7 soho server. It will run Linux, many network services including routing, DNS,DHCP, and encrypted tunnel, LDAP authentication. email. Also serving files on the LAN side and dealing with encrypted flie systems. Power, heat & noise are issues. The system will be "up"...
by stevea
Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:25 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: MSI IM-945GSE-A (MS-9830) mini-itx atom N270 board
Replies: 12
Views: 12700

I'm not surprised at the price - no fans means more heat-sink, and this is an industrial board w/ a nextended temp/vibe spec. Probably a great choice for a carputer. Problems tho ... they use the N270 rather than the N330 processor (lower performance for a mosdest poewr increase). They use the 945GS...
by stevea
Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:09 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: [Survey] Most Silent (Recent/New) 3.5" Drive 300-400GB
Replies: 13
Views: 8156

This is a useful site, http://forums.storagereview.net/ And if you signup and enter your disk data you get access to the database. My reading and experience is that all drive manufacturers have had reliability problems. I had a Seagate 160GB SATA go bad on me 2 months ago, but the drive had been spi...
by stevea
Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:58 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Ionic Breeze PC Cooling rig
Replies: 84
Views: 103206

From a theoretical point of view: NO change in temperature. :-) Yeah a slight change in temp for a non-ideal gas, but it's mostly entropy. Increasing the convection in the heat pipe isn't a huge increase in efficiency so long as these are properly mounted. Are you really sure about that? Hmmm... ho...
by stevea
Mon Sep 25, 2006 12:03 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Ionic Breeze PC Cooling rig
Replies: 84
Views: 103206

How about combining the acceleration of ions with heat pipes? I guess that the radiator part of a heat pipe is limited in size because of the passive heat transport. Is that correct? If yes, could we possibly make heat pipes even more efficient by accelerating the internal gas transport? Pehaps sli...
by stevea
Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:43 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Almost ready to place AMD64 quiet order....
Replies: 17
Views: 9307

Just to add to TeeJay's sage advice,

Not only are the two drives noisier, but under Windows the practical speed benefit of a RAID0 configuration is negligible !!! The magazine "MaximumPC" did some nice benchmarks to evidence this point.
by stevea
Tue Nov 02, 2004 9:06 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: cheap, low power and fanless system
Replies: 8
Views: 5251

Re: cheap, low power and fanless system

Hi I wanna built a system fit to run ftp, apache and do some downloading 24/7 running winXP. My criteria is that is has to be cheap, use as little power as possible, as small as possible and has to be able to run XP. This is what I have come up with myself so far: mobo: VIA EPIA-5000 case: Morex Cu...
by stevea
Sun Sep 26, 2004 8:38 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Why no Pentium-M MoBo ?
Replies: 18
Views: 7701

Re: Why no Pentium-M MoBo ?

If I coud buy a decent PentiumM Dothan motherboard I would do so today. Why aren't these available ? I see a news report that there is one in Japan. Can anyone tell me how to find this or other similar boards ? check ultim8pc.co.uk they have a mini-itx mb for pentium-m Thanks XLYZ, These guys are a...
by stevea
Sun Sep 26, 2004 7:47 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Why no Pentium-M MoBo ?
Replies: 18
Views: 7701

Ever try to explain to someone not computer hardware knowlegeable why they they should buy a Pentium M or Athlon XP laptop rather than a P4 or P4-M? It takes a lot of explaining. So the market you're talking about is still very small, and the parts will be expensive when they do become available. I...
by stevea
Sun Sep 26, 2004 2:04 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Why no Pentium-M MoBo ?
Replies: 18
Views: 7701

Why no Pentium-M MoBo ?

As much fun as it is to undervolt CPUs and spend your life making one-off hardware hacks (and your afterlife repairing and debugging these) ... I'd much rather buy a good solution. I Am extremely impressed with the power vs performance of my Dothan Pentium-M laptop. It beats my 2.6 P4HT system on ne...
by stevea
Sun Sep 26, 2004 1:53 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Cheap and silent laptop
Replies: 2
Views: 3825

Ooops - more ...

It has internal wireless which works very well (very sensitive). Also 10/100/1000 ethernet, modelm & IRDA, (bluetooth is available).

-Steve