I've had a nice Shuttle system for the past few years, but the fan noise is starting to drive me crazy, so I'm looking to go completely fan free. Here are my requirements:
* NO FANS
* ATI or Intel graphics with basic 3d support (think quake3 level)
* Cpu >= my current 2ghz athlon64 (would prefer dual core)
* smallish case (like SFF or mini-ITX)
* No need for CD/DVD drive or 3.5" HD (already have a 2.5" SSD)
* Case+PS+Mobo+CPU+Memory should be no more than $500-$600
So far, all I've found is the Serener GS-L10, but at $430 for just the case, it's a little pricey. Any other ideas?
reasonably priced and somewhat powerful FANLESS system?
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NeilBlanchard
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Hello & welcome to SPCR,
A small fanless system is a challenge -- if you have very quiet fans, then you have a much easier goal. If you could use a mini-tower case, then a passive CPU would be possible, and it might even work to have a passive PSU, but a really small case really puts the squeeze on having a large enough heatsink to get the job done without a fan.
I would recommend reading the reviews of small form factor systems here on SPCR, and listening to the recordings of the sounds they make, and try to judge the performance vs the heat that the hardware produces.
A small fanless system is a challenge -- if you have very quiet fans, then you have a much easier goal. If you could use a mini-tower case, then a passive CPU would be possible, and it might even work to have a passive PSU, but a really small case really puts the squeeze on having a large enough heatsink to get the job done without a fan.
I would recommend reading the reviews of small form factor systems here on SPCR, and listening to the recordings of the sounds they make, and try to judge the performance vs the heat that the hardware produces.
Hmmm... Does it HAVE to be a desktop system?
I mean, the only times I hear my laptop fan is when I'm alone in the room, with no external sounds, and even then is just a whisper... The only thing I had to do was to (severely) tweak the VID of the CPU (via RMClock). It's only a T7300 (65nm), X3100 IGP. It has a Quake3-like GPU (:lol:), the only thing I can't do is game and decode HD content.
My guess is something based on G45M (X4500) without a dedicated GPU and an 8000 or 9000 series CPU (45nm mobile parts) can be practically inaudible and still be able to do just about anything you want. Or ditch the G45M and go for the 9x00 (not sure if there are laptops available with this one yet, except for Macs, of course... hehehe).
If you REALLY want something with a desktop format, be advised it will be VERY hard not to have at least one fan in the system. The ATX form factor assumes at least SOME forced airflow, as do most electronic equipments installed in a computer.
My advice would be, then, to at least keep the PSU fan (you can find some very "ear-friendly"). That's what my brother did, the only things you can hear in his computer (right next to it, I might add) are the PSU fan (generic 12cm fan PSU) and the HDD (not suspended, but it's not that bad for a 1st-gen 80GB SATA drive...). The CPU (overclocked Northwood P4, and yet always below 55ºC) sits below a Thermaltake Sonic Tower cooler (pretty efficient, actually), which then passes hot air to the PSU fan right above it. And that's it...
If you want fanless, you'll have to make sure you have NO airflow bottlenecks whatsoever, and go for energy saver components, and then undervolt them a little... hehehe
So, fanless system:
- PicoPSU+brick;
- Mobo: G31-based (Gigabyte "E" series, Biostar and ECS are rather good with idle power draws, check the review over at Tom's Hardware), which are also terribly cheap; or something 9x00-based (since GMA3100 is horrible on the IGP department...);
- E5200 or E7200 (most energy efficient C2D, though they are rather expensive);
- at least 2x1GB DDR2-800 (G31 maxes out at 4GB, and most G31-based boards have only two slots, so you might just max it out from the start... lol);
- no idea for the case, but you'll want something where a Sonic Tower, Scythe Ninja or similar fits. And you'll need to have your motherboard upright (convection is LOUSY in tower coolers when they aren't placed sideways...). Oh! One thing I remembered: the Asus TM series have a rather severe cavitation problem with the 7200rpm frequencies, so keep that in mind.
No quotes, too, since I'm not on the US.
Btw, I chose an Intel-based system because it's the easiest way of getting very low power draws (so you don't have to worry too much about anything overheating... The more power you draw from the outlet, the more heat you have to deal with...) without severely underclocking the CPU. AMD X2+Abit AN-M2+ PicoPSU still is, to my knowledge, the best ultra low-power system, but that assumes you run your CPU at 0.8v and 1GHz, which is not that powerful. Intel rigs can't go that low (well, I've seen reports of some CPUs being able to handle 0.8v with the lowest multi, but there aren't that many motherboards that can do that), but their "stock" power draw seems to be lower than the AMD counterparts...
In the end, remember to keep a very good airflow path convection to work conveniently. And supersize your CPU cooler.
Cheers.
Miguel
I mean, the only times I hear my laptop fan is when I'm alone in the room, with no external sounds, and even then is just a whisper... The only thing I had to do was to (severely) tweak the VID of the CPU (via RMClock). It's only a T7300 (65nm), X3100 IGP. It has a Quake3-like GPU (:lol:), the only thing I can't do is game and decode HD content.
My guess is something based on G45M (X4500) without a dedicated GPU and an 8000 or 9000 series CPU (45nm mobile parts) can be practically inaudible and still be able to do just about anything you want. Or ditch the G45M and go for the 9x00 (not sure if there are laptops available with this one yet, except for Macs, of course... hehehe).
If you REALLY want something with a desktop format, be advised it will be VERY hard not to have at least one fan in the system. The ATX form factor assumes at least SOME forced airflow, as do most electronic equipments installed in a computer.
My advice would be, then, to at least keep the PSU fan (you can find some very "ear-friendly"). That's what my brother did, the only things you can hear in his computer (right next to it, I might add) are the PSU fan (generic 12cm fan PSU) and the HDD (not suspended, but it's not that bad for a 1st-gen 80GB SATA drive...). The CPU (overclocked Northwood P4, and yet always below 55ºC) sits below a Thermaltake Sonic Tower cooler (pretty efficient, actually), which then passes hot air to the PSU fan right above it. And that's it...
If you want fanless, you'll have to make sure you have NO airflow bottlenecks whatsoever, and go for energy saver components, and then undervolt them a little... hehehe
So, fanless system:
- PicoPSU+brick;
- Mobo: G31-based (Gigabyte "E" series, Biostar and ECS are rather good with idle power draws, check the review over at Tom's Hardware), which are also terribly cheap; or something 9x00-based (since GMA3100 is horrible on the IGP department...);
- E5200 or E7200 (most energy efficient C2D, though they are rather expensive);
- at least 2x1GB DDR2-800 (G31 maxes out at 4GB, and most G31-based boards have only two slots, so you might just max it out from the start... lol);
- no idea for the case, but you'll want something where a Sonic Tower, Scythe Ninja or similar fits. And you'll need to have your motherboard upright (convection is LOUSY in tower coolers when they aren't placed sideways...). Oh! One thing I remembered: the Asus TM series have a rather severe cavitation problem with the 7200rpm frequencies, so keep that in mind.
No quotes, too, since I'm not on the US.
Btw, I chose an Intel-based system because it's the easiest way of getting very low power draws (so you don't have to worry too much about anything overheating... The more power you draw from the outlet, the more heat you have to deal with...) without severely underclocking the CPU. AMD X2+Abit AN-M2+ PicoPSU still is, to my knowledge, the best ultra low-power system, but that assumes you run your CPU at 0.8v and 1GHz, which is not that powerful. Intel rigs can't go that low (well, I've seen reports of some CPUs being able to handle 0.8v with the lowest multi, but there aren't that many motherboards that can do that), but their "stock" power draw seems to be lower than the AMD counterparts...
In the end, remember to keep a very good airflow path convection to work conveniently. And supersize your CPU cooler.
Cheers.
Miguel