Search found 120 matches

by Le_Gritche
Wed Aug 23, 2006 5:11 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Quiet HD - 80GB - 160GB
Replies: 11
Views: 6456

surely if you want a quiet drive at this capacity 2.5" is the obvious choice, no? Main reason I'd prefer 3.5" is because of the speed - unless I'm mistaken and the newer 2.5" are as fast? Yes, some of them spin at 7200 rpm, just like regular 3.5" drives. They cost a lot more per Gb than 3.5" drives...
by Le_Gritche
Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:00 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Quiet HD - 80GB - 160GB
Replies: 11
Views: 6456

Re: Quiet HD - 80GB - 160GB

The Samsung P80 I bought a few months a go was too noisy so I sold it. My current drive is a Barracuda V which is very quiet, but I now need a SATA HD. You should avoid Seagate's SATA HDDs, they don't have AAM so seek/write noises are reported to be very loud. Did you read SPCR's recommended HDDs a...
by Le_Gritche
Thu Aug 17, 2006 3:08 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Motherboard Chipset Cooler Roundup @ Madshrimps
Replies: 6
Views: 5496

it seems that with sufficient case cooling (in this case 2x80mm front/back) the performance difference between the chipset coolers is minimal. That's exactly why I think this review is totally flawed. Moreover he used the motherboard sensor temperature reported by speedfan... Most of the time this ...
by Le_Gritche
Fri Aug 11, 2006 2:05 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Fan Startup Mod
Replies: 7
Views: 3962

Re: Fan Startup Mod

Added a startup capacitor http://finance.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/Silent-PC/photos/view/9dc5?b=1&m=f&o=0 Now starts and runs very quiet at 4.52v I can't access that link, a yahoo account is needed. Could you host the picture on www.imageshack.us ? What are the specs of the capacitor (and how did y...
by Le_Gritche
Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:29 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Upgradeability of am2 vs core2duo
Replies: 26
Views: 14585

Re: AMD

Without starting another thread may ask if anyone has seen the AMD AM2 3800 X2 in the ADO or the ADU configuration? I read reviews about them, but I don't know of any site that sells them. I don't know much about this stuff, are they new and just not available yet? I understand they cannot be overc...
by Le_Gritche
Tue Aug 08, 2006 5:19 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Upcoming Reviews & Articles
Replies: 193
Views: 440944

It'd be nice to have a look at the Antec NSK6500 as it's a pretty big midtower for only $110 incl PSU. That backplane puts me in mind of Lx6a19 but the HDD mount couldnt be more different. In the meantime you can look at this review , done by a French website. I didn't read it yet, but generally th...
by Le_Gritche
Mon Aug 07, 2006 6:36 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Upgradeability of am2 vs core2duo
Replies: 26
Views: 14585

I’d have to agree with GlassMan. Since Intel manufactures chipsets as well as processors, it benefits considerably by forcing consumers to upgrade their motherboard every time it brings out a new core design. They have no strong incentive to stick with a particular socket/voltage/chipset combinat...
by Le_Gritche
Thu Aug 03, 2006 10:33 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: AMD 35W/65W dual-core CPU review @ X-Bit Labs
Replies: 76
Views: 42692

159€, 210€ and 390€? Whoa, i'm not paying double for something I could do myself with CrystalCPUID. My X2 3800+ runs stable at 2Ghz and 1.1V. So I can't quite get as low as the SFEE X2 3800+ but it will do for me. I was hoping they would be a few dollars more ($ 15 or so). The only real advan...
by Le_Gritche
Thu Aug 03, 2006 5:56 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: AMD 35W/65W dual-core CPU review @ X-Bit Labs
Replies: 76
Views: 42692

The EE versions are cherry picked, but clocked lower. I wonder if perhaps they take less of a performance hit than their 85w TDP bretheren would when underclocked. I'm under the impression you believe EE versions are clocked lower than their regular counterparts. That's wrong obviously. Contrary to...
by Le_Gritche
Sat Jul 29, 2006 3:38 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: cpu and case recomendations for a quiet budget pc
Replies: 5
Views: 3790

Re: cpu and case recomendations for a quiet budget pc

Didnt think I mention core 2? I would avoid core 2 now just because its new and expensive. On the other hand I wouldnt mind using a core duo in a desktop. I'm not sure that processor can be used in a desktop system, I was under the impression they are only for laptops (meaning expensive to adapt fo...
by Le_Gritche
Fri Jul 28, 2006 3:13 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: cpu and case recomendations for a quiet budget pc
Replies: 5
Views: 3790

Re: cpu and case recomendations for a quiet budget pc

Ive been tasked to select a pc for a friend to the tune of $650. Originaly I was gonna suggest a dell (the dimension 5150 seemed to fit the bill)... With a Dell you can't pick every item you want, but at least he will have a valid Windows copy and some kind of waranty and hotline access I think. Ot...
by Le_Gritche
Fri Jul 28, 2006 5:16 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 3.5" Seagate vs Samsung 80GB, which is quieter?
Replies: 8
Views: 4521

Re: 3.5" Seagate vs Samsung 80GB, which is quieter?

Between Seagate's 80GB and Samsung's 80GB, which do you find is quieter? Also, between Seagate's 7200.7/7200.9 or SATA/PATA? What about Seagate's PATA vs SATA? I assume the 7200.9 should be quieter, because of fewer platters, but is it? Seagate's 7200.7 PATA have quieter seek noise than in SATA fla...
by Le_Gritche
Thu Jul 27, 2006 7:19 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Anandtech review 320GB Seagate vs Western Digital
Replies: 21
Views: 15974

Re: Anandtech review 320GB Seagate vs Western Digital

They describe the WD3200KS as "the quietest drive we have tested to date" which falls pretty much in line with SPCR's findings with the 500GB version. The Seagate is also quiet, contradicting the noisy seeks that have been reported elsewhere. And they add : Our subjective opinion is that the seek r...
by Le_Gritche
Sat Jul 01, 2006 10:37 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Low Capacity HD Choices?
Replies: 19
Views: 6078

In the 80Gb domain, you can also get a seagate 7200.7 PATA. I have one, and it's very quiet (even more so since it corrupted my main partition and I disconnected it out of anger). It had been featured for a long time on SPCR's list of recommended HDDs , but it was removed recently. I guess that even...
by Le_Gritche
Wed Jun 28, 2006 5:48 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: LOW Power for 939 motherboard... suggestions?
Replies: 11
Views: 3404

Re: LOW Power for 939 motherboard... suggestions?

[off-topic] What is up with everything suddenly being "outdated"? The only "new" chipset (nforce 5) is a complete failure in my opinion, and the new socket "AM2" is also a failure as far as performance/heat. - support for dual-core processors (not on socket 754) - support for Sempron aswell as Athlo...
by Le_Gritche
Tue Jun 27, 2006 2:55 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: LOW Power for 939 motherboard... suggestions?
Replies: 11
Views: 3404

Re: LOW Power for 939 motherboard... suggestions?

This PC is mainly gonna be used for websurfing, MP3s, XvID viewing, file server. Not for games. My main goal is --> as LOW as possible WATT consumption (using this 939 mobo) EDIT: get a cheap Athlon, with Cool'n'Quiet it will be just fine. About the graphic card, you should have bought a motherboar...
by Le_Gritche
Sun Jun 25, 2006 3:00 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Advice for a budget, gaming AM2 System
Replies: 10
Views: 5152

The only AM2 Asrock board I could find was the http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18616&vpn=AM2NF4G-SATA2&manufacture=ASRock. Isn't that an Nvidia chipset though? I think El Jefe was talking about the ASRock AM2V890-VSTA AM2 board . The Asus M2V is maybe easier to find, and is very similar ...
by Le_Gritche
Sun Jun 25, 2006 1:34 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: URGENT!! troubles with a seagate Momentus 5400.2
Replies: 17
Views: 9469

If it doesn't show up in the BIOS you should do the regular checks : - is the IDE cable correctly fitted - try an IDE cable that works for sure - try the other IDE plug on the mobo - check if the master/slave/cable select switch is correctly selected on the hard-drive to accomodate for 2 hard-drives...
by Le_Gritche
Sun Jun 11, 2006 4:33 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Need Some Suggestions On New Pentium D 820 Build
Replies: 5
Views: 3156

Yeah the case is laying flat and I assumed this thing was going to be a cooling beast with the weight pressing down. I have the heat pipes facing the exhaust fans but that doesnt seem to make a difference. Can you tell if the heatsink feels at the same temperature all along the heatpipes ? Because ...
by Le_Gritche
Sat Jun 10, 2006 11:38 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Need Some Suggestions On New Pentium D 820 Build
Replies: 5
Views: 3156

Re: Need Some Suggestions On New Pentium D 820 Build

Any suggestions on a HS fan to use or maybe another technique I could use to bring temps down? Undervolting and/or underclocking the CPU. I don't know if your motherboard's BIOS allows it and I'm not familiar with Intel's CPU so maybe it's already integrated (speedstep ?), but doing it in BIOS allo...
by Le_Gritche
Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:12 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Power consumption difference between AGP 6200 and MX440?
Replies: 9
Views: 5580

Re: Power consumption difference between AGP 6200 and MX440?

So, my question is: How does the power consumption of the MX440 and 6200 compare? The 6200 would have to be able to run passive with minimal airflow around it. I don't know about the 6200, but I can compare the MX440 SE and ATI's 9250. The 9250 runs hotter, and it's only because it sustains a heavy...
by Le_Gritche
Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:05 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: How to slow down Coolermaster 380W fan
Replies: 12
Views: 5183

It is still loud overall though compared to my other fans. I don't know what to do now. What kind of noise is it : a wind noise, caused by the airflow, or a mechanical noise caused by the fan's motor ? Depending on that you can either reduce the airflow and improve the airpath or swap the fan. Is t...
by Le_Gritche
Wed May 31, 2006 6:34 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: How to slow down Coolermaster 380W fan
Replies: 12
Views: 5183

Re: How to slow down Coolermaster 380W fan

The fan in my Coolermaster 380W is variable based on the PSU temp. It starts of quietly in the mornings and gets louder after 10-15 minutes. Working the CPU/GPU hard causes it to get quite loud. The fan gets louder because the temp sensor is subjected to a hotter temperature, then in turns raises t...
by Le_Gritche
Fri May 26, 2006 7:06 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: backup drive advice
Replies: 18
Views: 7223

Re: backup drive advice

For around $50, I like this seagate 80 gb drive. Although they're not the quietest drives out there, I rarely notice mine when gaming. Any thoughts? IDE and SATA Seagate's HDDs are not the same. Seagate doesn't use adjustable AAM, so they set up the IDE drives for silence, and the SATA drives for p...
by Le_Gritche
Fri May 26, 2006 6:19 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Venice 3000+@22degress idle! Is my monitoring chip faulty?
Replies: 8
Views: 4355

Re: Venice 3000+@22degress idle! Is my monitoring chip fault

So is it possible that the monitoring chip is not working properly, or is my chip just ridiculously cool and i'm just being paranoid? You can check in the BIOS when the computer has just booted. Look for the CPU temp, it should be the same as the ambient temp (or just 1 or 2° hotter) if the comput...
by Le_Gritche
Thu May 18, 2006 2:13 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: How to cooldown passive Nforce4 motherboards?
Replies: 25
Views: 10451

Re: Mmmm, thermal pad...

I've read that SYS temp is not the real temperature and that the actual northbridge temperature is actually around 35-40c added on to the SYS temperature. Look at the screen captures in Firetech's link, the guy has a NB temp 19°C hotter than the system temp (which is indeed some kind of 'inside th...
by Le_Gritche
Mon May 15, 2006 2:43 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: "Fanless" PSU mod.
Replies: 13
Views: 5834

Re: "Fanless" PSU mod.

How about grounding ? Do have to connect the PSU to some bigger metalplate in order for it to work? No - as soon as you open any psu you will see the ground from the mains cable connects only to the psu case. Although I have checked on a couple of PCs that chassis ground and DC ground are the same ...
by Le_Gritche
Mon May 15, 2006 2:13 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Athlon 2200+ or Pentium M 1.5?
Replies: 2
Views: 1694

Re: Athlon 2200+ or Pentium M 1.5?

Anyone know how the two CPUs compare in terms of performance? I thought Tom's Hardware had a big chart of CPU benchmarks, but it doesn't go all the way down to these low-end processors. You will probably have to search through their past articles, maybe they even tested these 2 CPUs alongside. Othe...
by Le_Gritche
Wed May 10, 2006 8:04 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Modding AC Freezer 4
Replies: 31
Views: 12704

Half the number of fins but twice as big ones. You will keep the same area, but your now longer fins will be cooler at their end (because farther from the CPU core). The speed of heat dissipation depends of the area, but also of the temperature delta between fins and ambient air. Hopefully the bett...
by Le_Gritche
Wed May 03, 2006 4:14 pm
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Single fan madness pt 5 - Midfan File Server
Replies: 10
Views: 6883

Wow, a respectable looking case ! Where is the ghetto look of cardboard + marble vinyl tiles ? ( Single fan madness pt 3) ) :lol: That case may be a "squat beige box" but you are lucky the PSU fits width and height-wise. On mine it wouldn't fit (anyway I have no tool to cut the metal frame). I have ...