karkee wrote:And if you read people saying mine has no coil whine it is 100% bullshit.

That's quite a claim.

I'm still considering a pico-style unit (especially since I'm unlikely to be adding a GPU) but worthwhile reviews of the different brands of power brick are in fairly short supply, so it feels like a little more of a gamble. The only brand I'm vaguely familiar with is this FSP unit - http://www.scan...

Nope, the confusion is all mine; I misread your first post. When you said it was "upside down", I took that to mean that the fan was pointing up into the case. I wasn't aware that there were many PSUs or cases where the PSU fan point up was the intended orientation.

Ignore me.

Evening peeps! I'm currently looking at the option of putting together a new system based around either the Fractal Core 500 or Node 304 for a variety of duties (none of them especially taxing) - basic HTPC / file storage / Netflix & Amazon video / Plex server (for music). I don't plan to add a sepa...

I decided to put it in upside down, since it seemed a "free" improvement even if it doesn't actually make a difference. But the writing on the back place is upside down, along with everything else. Not a big deal, though. Welcome back, SPCR! I was starting to feel withdrawal pains. The problem with...

Thanks Steve, good to know. If I'm honest with myself, a conventional HTPC build may well be overkill for my needs, so the MSI Cubi with the option of adding an HDD is looking mighty tempting, and not to mention cost-effective.

I'm just wondering if either of you would have any feedback on how suitable these little systems might be for the following: 1) FLAC storage & local streaming via Plex; in the short-medium term I'd consider just popping a 1-2 TB 2.5 HDD in as the secondary drive. 2) A box for streaming Netflix / Ama...

Nice. Some good prices there for anyone lucky enough to be in that area. I'd definitely be treating myself to a case and cooler from that lot if I was just a little closer i.e. on the same land mass at least. Arc Mini R2 for $40 is a steal.

For fan/temp monitoring, it's worth trying the Asus AI Suite relevant to your motherboard. In particular, you're looking for FanXpert in its current incarnation - you can use this as a basic temp monitor but also as a form of software fan control for compatible fans / headers. I run two basic profil...

There aren't too many systems with a single GPU that will genuinely stress a good quality 500W unit, unless you're aiming for overclocking territory; I assume that you're not O/Cing, given the ITX form factor. If you want it to remain quiet(ish) in an ITX case, it'll need to be a pretty efficient & ...

Congrats on getting the new build under way crofty', it's always fun to see the shiny new components piling up in preparation.

CA_Steve wrote:I'm not that agile

Henceforth, you shall be known as CA 'Sausage-Fingers' Steve. You're welcome!

Cases themselves are neither quiet or noisy, it's what you put in them that counts. What is your usage scenario? What other components are you using? People like you should be banned. There are hundreds of graphs on various sites showing different cooling/noise results for cases with identical comp...

Variations in 970 performance will be within 1% or so at stock speeds, although certain cards are slightly better at getting a steady overclock due to cooler design and power handling. That said, overclocking is largely counter-intuitive to a quiet setup and unnecessary for 1080p output. If I was bu...

Generally speaking, it may well be more cost effective to buy a GPU to match your current resolution for short/mid term use. A 970 or even 960 will work perfectly well for as long as you have your 1080p screen. Unless you're running 1440p or above now or in the near future, the 980Ti will be overkil...

Ah yes, the PC noise that wasn't . A few months back my PC had developed a low thrumming noise that would appear intermittently. When I put my head next to the case it didn't really seem to be any worse, but my general feeling was it was definitely some sort of by vibration or resonance that had app...

http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/monitors/87242-asus-rog-swift-pg279q/ Solid review from Hexus on the new Asus monitor(s). Sounds like a step towards achieving the holy grail of monitors for me; that is of course with the exception of one minor detail: The Bad The price Both this and the 4K version are...

My bad. Should have said it's slightly capacitive. I've always wondered about this (slightly off-topic). Is there a downside to said conductivity if it's used correctly/cleanly on the CPU? Is this warning reserved for people that wish to spooge the stuff all over their motherboard as they would wit...

The fan definitely does turn on (even when the system is idle), it's just that there's no audible 'ramping up' in line with increased power draw. It's a low RPM fan and is probably the quietest component in case. It's easily as quiet as the rest of the case fans when they're set around 400-450 RPM (...

I use a 550W Be Quiet PSU (system specs below) and I've never heard the fan ramp up with an Nvidia 780 (fairly big power draw). With a modest GPU, you should be fine in the 500-600W range even with a good overclock on the CPU. I'll leave the specific PSU recommendations to the Pros...

Damnit. I've been keeping an eye on this for a little while, and I was hoping (for the sake of my poor wallet) that there were going to some obvious flaws to put me off. I've yet to read the review in full, but... it's not looking good. Here! Take all my moneys!

Thanks for the review Lawrence.

Having helped someone clean an older Power Mac (2009 era) as well as figure out possible upgrade options in the past, I can understand the desire to move to a standard ATX layout for maintenance alone. The R5 will make this very easy for you. I don't know too much about the required GPU grunt for 3D...

Technically, they are all silent. Does yours make a noise or something?

That said, I'm seeing one happy customer at least.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=68671

It's certainly not the absolute quietest, and from what I've read, it can be a bit tricky to work with. If I was at all considering a standard HDD in the mix for the build, I'd probably look elsewhere.

The issue with the H440 seems to be more down to limited venting of the case itself rather than internal airflow.

http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1447-page7.html

It's worth starting with this list of detailed SPCR reviews for a couple of ideas - http://www.silentpcreview.com/article75-page5.html Even within a limited category of small/mid ATX cases, you're got plenty of options. The Solo II offers a real silence-out-of-the-box approach, but perhaps at the co...

You're using Focal SM9s? I assume it's a detached property?

I own an MSI 780. If I were to buy a card today, I'd buy a 970 over a cheap 780. The 970 ranges from being on par and up to 15% faster depending on the title, while using a good deal less power. The 780 has forced me to use more aggressive case fan settings in Fan Xpert and pay a little more attenti...

I can identify with that. Throwing money at the problem is sometimes the only way to go. I'll be keeping an eye/ear open as to how you get on with this little fella. At some point I'll want to retire my trusty C2D box, but I'm swithering between an ITX system or a NUC type thingy with separate stora...

CA_Steve wrote:I broke down and ordered the Pentium version.

That almost sounds as if you had some sort of emotional episode outside the store. I guess we all get a bit like that sometimes.