Search found 397 matches

by Plekto
Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:12 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Changing fan on the HD6950
Replies: 107
Views: 66727

Re: Changing fan on the HD6950

Yeah, unfortunately, a good S1 setup will take about 3.5-4 slots. But the result is well worth it, IMO.
by Plekto
Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:11 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Max safe temp for hard drives?
Replies: 103
Views: 693799

Re: Max safe temp for hard drives?

Heat is a huge deal. So much so that I have my drives mounted in the three 3.5 inch slots in the front with the center drive bay empty and the cover off entirely. That's my intake. I can touch the drives and they aren't even warm to the touch. The same drives without air flowing over them almost sin...
by Plekto
Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:05 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system
Replies: 28
Views: 8074

Re: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system

You're of course free to feel that way. But a slot fan with no major back-pressure due to about an inch of free air space between it and the cooler is going to have a more pleasant overall tone and volume to it. That's the thing that they forget - that these 3D video cards get going and after a few ...
by Plekto
Sat Mar 05, 2011 12:33 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system
Replies: 28
Views: 8074

Re: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=slot+fan&x=0&y=0 Most are really loud, so you want a high efficiency one that you then under-volt it to 5V or 7V. Ads you can see, you have to take the case apart to get at the fan as dust gets in it and you...
by Plekto
Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:59 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system
Replies: 28
Views: 8074

Re: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system

IMO the hugest passive cooler can't cool adequately (I mean safely and in every conditions) a 250-300W card (but IME neither a 200W one and I'm playing around a Thermalright Spitfire, right now). True. You're kind of boned if you are running a heat monster like that. But a lot of cards can be had t...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 10:36 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system
Replies: 28
Views: 8074

Re: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system

When either the ATI or NVidisa cards go into 3D "gaming" mode, the fans typically ramp to upwards of 40db or more as tested like SPCR does it (most sites register DB above ambient, which is misleading). A huge passive cooler with a fan on it or near to it is a superb solution to make the video card ...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:10 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: First silent desktop build - looking for any/all suggestions
Replies: 29
Views: 5926

Re: First silent desktop build - looking for any/all suggest

[ What? That's a Sandy Bridge Core i5-2500 he's selected! It can probably do two 1080p videos simultaneously and still have enough power for ... a firewall. What kind of Firewall are you using? And what do pop up windows have to do with the GPU? What's an i5-2500 cost? $210 from what I can tell(shi...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:58 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system
Replies: 28
Views: 8074

Re: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system

Not really. Over the last generations, most graphics cards have become very quiet when they're not running any stressful 3D-applications. While this is true, it is all still relative. With typical low noise PCs coming in at 20-25db on average, the video card can still be a sore thumb that sticks ou...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:52 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: fanless products
Replies: 13
Views: 12606

Re: fanless products

You need *some* airflow. But our ears are among the worst in the entire animal kingdom. This is actually a good thing as it means that even a single fan running at a constant 500-700rpm is enough to make a "purely passive" design work properly and still be too quiet to hear at distances of more than...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:48 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice on New Build and Air Flow
Replies: 10
Views: 4412

Re: Advice on New Build and Air Flow

Also, since you are guying a very expensive power supply, you just need a metal box for the computer. The single most expensive part in your build list is basically a fancy steel and plastic box. $50 would suffice here. Also, buy it locally as shipping is insane. You'll pay more to ship the case tha...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:17 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: First silent desktop build - looking for any/all suggestions
Replies: 29
Views: 5926

Re: First silent desktop build - looking for any/all suggest

The on-board video is not really adequate. Now, that doesn't mean that you need a massive gaming card. A good $50 HDMI capable card with a passive heat-sink will easily suffice. You need about 2x the onboard video's power to really do 1080P seamlessly and run anything else at all at the same time.(b...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:53 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Silencing a multi-purpose computer
Replies: 19
Views: 7480

Re: Silencing a multi-purpose computer

I went with the old standby for GPU cooling, an Accelero S1. Blowing some air across it is enough to keep it cool. Nearly no noise is a great thing. But these things to require a full depth case to install.
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:47 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system
Replies: 28
Views: 8074

Re: Last few components for HTPC/Mid-level gaming system

The most important thing about a case is actually how well it is sealed. Every hole in it lets sound out from the inside. It also disrupts airflow planning. This means you want something with as few intake slots in the front aside from where the front fan would be, and no side panel opening at all. ...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:30 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Is Passive CPU Cooling Best for Silent Computing?
Replies: 48
Views: 114912

Re: Is Passive CPU Cooling Best for Silent Computing?

Just to remind people that it is possible to make a custom bracket to mount a fan that points at the motherboard and still run a passive CPU cooler. Though, it has to be a huge thing with a Celeron or similar to get away with it. 500-700rpm is enough airflow. Often most of the CPU fan noise is the b...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:25 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Can a PicoPSU power this PC?
Replies: 21
Views: 6167

Re: Can a PicoPSU power this PC?

Another option, which is often good, is to have two of the Picos in the same case. One powers only the video card and the rest is run off of the other. It's a bit pricey, though. But I do hear that there are Pico type PSUs that are in the 200W range.
by Plekto
Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:20 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: fanless products
Replies: 13
Views: 12606

Re: fanless products

You need one fan at least. If you want to find out why, just stick a 60W bulb in an empty PC case and leave it there for an hour. Be careful not to singe your fingers. There are plenty of 1 fan systems that you can build that will be essentially noiseless, though - under the noise floor of most home...
by Plekto
Fri Jul 30, 2010 12:28 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: GTX 460 launched today
Replies: 93
Views: 70423

I'm still waiting for a silent option, even if it takes up three whole slots. They say it's "quiet", but that's extremely relative given that most systems run a 120mm exhaust fan that by itself is noisier than my entire system(three fans hard-wired at roughly 500-700rpm - the rest is passive)
by Plekto
Mon Jun 07, 2010 6:44 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Non-optical USB mouse?
Replies: 78
Views: 143591

That Kensington trackball has mechanical sensors in it like a mouse - or at least the original design until a few years ago did. There might be an optical sensor, but it would be no different than a typical mouse with a ball in it.(low voltage light beam through a tiny wheel with slots in it vs a hi...
by Plekto
Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:32 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Upgrading PC to go silent, need some help
Replies: 4
Views: 1746

The basic "silent" design goes like this: Quiet as possible power supply and low power as practical CPU(check compatibility lists to see if a newer better CPU with a smaller die will work - often the newer ones will run as fast but generate 20-30W less heat. \ Video card - http://www.arctic-cooling....
by Plekto
Fri Jun 04, 2010 11:13 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Non-optical USB mouse?
Replies: 78
Views: 143591

This is the best solution:

http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Expert ... B00009KH63

Wired, high precision, and immune to most dirt and grime. Worth every penny.
by Plekto
Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:55 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: 7v: good, 5v: not at all
Replies: 6
Views: 3215

I had the same problem when I built my system. The "solution" was to get a fan that could reliably start up at 5v and still work. I turned off all of the monitoring and the system's fans run at fixed voltages straight from the PS. That said, the biggest improvement was a passive video card cooler. I...
by Plekto
Sat Aug 15, 2009 8:46 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: ATI 4870 + Accelero S1 users chime in please
Replies: 27
Views: 12307

The real trick is to buy the accessory fans for the S1. They hardly make any noise but the difference is huge I set mine at 7V, hard-wired. I also have a slightly under-volted slot fan as well to suck heat out the back. Not perfectly silent, but no worse than, say, a typical IMac or similar system. ...
by Plekto
Wed May 20, 2009 4:24 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Recommended Hard Drives - a major revision
Replies: 73
Views: 101222

I'd also add the Western Digital 250GB RE3. Quiet, 5 year warranty, and one platter. Great for RAID setups/boot drive/etc as well.
by Plekto
Thu May 14, 2009 11:03 am
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: SSD + Virtual RAM Drive
Replies: 9
Views: 7174

I don't know of any board that has a dedicated ramdisk memory slot on it, which would be a workaround for the Windows/Intel idiocy. Some boards will work under Vista and Windows 7 though to use on-board CF/flash drives though via ReadyBoost. I have seen various CF to SATA and similar adapters, thoug...
by Plekto
Wed May 13, 2009 3:50 pm
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: SSD + Virtual RAM Drive
Replies: 9
Views: 7174

One thing, though, is that Windows XP doesn't work correctly unless virtual memory is turned on. If it IS turned on, it swaps into it like crazy, so you're stuck. A ramdisk is a cheap way to get it to work properly again. And also a dirty method of getting past the 2GB limit in Photoshop, since you ...
by Plekto
Mon May 11, 2009 12:23 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Power failures when gaming on a quiet(ish) rig
Replies: 11
Views: 3582

I had similar problems with my computer when I built it. I had to increase the stock fan rpm from 5v to 7v.(ie - silent to "makes some noise) Another "trick" is to do the dremel out the rear fan grille. You can also try opening up one of the 3.5 drive bay covers fro a straight-through airflow test. ...
by Plekto
Thu May 07, 2009 2:23 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: pioneer DVR-216
Replies: 18
Views: 12254

It's picky about using media mostly in that it reports the actual media speed, which is often 4-6x, and it takes a long long time to spin up after insertion.

It does work well - but a lot of older motherboards hate it and won't see it as a SATA drive. Hence my need to get the 117D instead.
by Plekto
Tue May 05, 2009 10:27 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: pioneer DVR-216
Replies: 18
Views: 12254

I had one and can verify that the SATA version(216D) isn't compatible with a lot of older hardware. The Pioneer 117D, which is the same thing but in IDE, is a better drive - and just as quiet. No issues with media, mounting/being recognized, or whatever - it just works right out of the box. That sai...
by Plekto
Tue May 05, 2009 10:24 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: pioneer DVR-216
Replies: 18
Views: 12254

I had one and can verify that the SATA version(216D) isn't compatible with a lot of hardware and has "issues" with media. The Pioneer 117D, which is the same thing but in IDE, is a better drive - and just as quiet. No issues with media, mounting/being recognized, or whatever - it just works right ou...
by Plekto
Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:17 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Apple Noise Patent Applications
Replies: 31
Views: 39476

I'd strongly suggest that the mods here contact whomever they need to to show prior art. This site is a goldmine of data on these exact techniques that Apple is trying to steal.