Hi everyone, longtime member, lately a rare visitor, have loved this site for years. I'm in the market for a new PC right now, and much as I would love to do the research, the purchasing, and the construction as I have on every system I've ever owned (with much help from this site's recommendations), at the moment it's just not realistic for me to put in the time required to do it right. I need a new system, relatively quickly, and am looking for a custom-built but turnkey rig.

The pinned topics on sponsored systems are out of date, by my standards. Is there a way to spec out a state-of-the-silent-art system in collaboration with a builder (I want low-power and passive-cooled-as-possible, but also need some horsepower, some warranty/service guarantees, and have a pretty flexible budget) and throw some money SPCR's way? Is this even the right forum for this question?

I'm in the New York City area, if that matters. As always, thanks for your feedback.

SPCR sponsors EndPCnoise and Puget sell very quiet or silent systems. SPCR has also "certified" some Puget systems. Check the links on SPCR's home page for more info.

downwitch

I bet if we ask MikeC nicely maybe we could get him to do something like that. What kind of system(s) do you think would make the most sense... given the nature of people who visit the site?

@HFat Thanks, I do know about the homepage links. I guess I'm just asking if that's the *best* way to go about it.

@ces I guess SPCR isn't in this business, and fair enough--if you have to review lots of stuff without bias, you can't really be in the business of promoting one system or another. On the other hand, they *should* be cutting deals with suppliers that they endorse, because they're not in the business of reviewing builders. I would think that actively driving traffic to a supplier or two after an in-depth analysis of their products and their SPCR chops would be worth some money. Maybe this is all those homepage links are.

I believe that MikeC is open to new ideas in this area.

I think you should continue discussing your ideas and wants... assuming SPCR is listening and considering them.

See:
viewtopic.php?p=555520#p555520

Start discussing what you want to see. MikeC is listening and has an open mind.

Well I've made my specific, immediate (and rather urgent, let's not lose sight of that, where my moneymakers at?) need pretty clear I think, but I can see a generalized case here: on one side, you have the hardcore SPC enthusiast (or rather enthusiasts, forming a shop) building systems and needing buyers, on the other side you have educated demanding consumers like the readership here... Lots of people want to wade through the wealth of material here and build their own thing (as did I for a long time, and I will again some day when Other Pressures let up), but I'll bet there's a healthy minority of site visitors who would *love* to see some prominently displayed, full-featured systems built and backed by boutique HW specialists like what I'm asking for.

If you get here, you're not likely to buy your PC from Dell. You may or may not want to build your own system, but you want something you can't buy off a (pardon my francais) crap PC manufacturer. If you don't want to build it yourself, what are the options? Why aren't they curated here as carefully as the components and rec lists are? In a word, where's the supply? (If I were setting this sort of thing up on the SPCR side, I'd be asking a healthy cut of the gross proceeds for any SPCR-driven sale. Built-in niche marketing is a hot commodity these days.)

Even here there are multiple tastes though probably a handful of configurations would satisfy most of them. But for example, I haven't a clue as to what system you would be interested in. And for SPCR to do something they need to formulate several.

Here are some
1. the absolute lowest wattage system.
2. A completely fanless system
3. Powerful but quiet... without strong gaming capabilities
3. Powerful but quiet... with a reasonable video card
5. Top Line powerful... but as quiet as can reasonably be expected
6. DAW with a remote control

Micro ATX or Mini-ITX. I just don't think anyone needs a full ATX now adays... but maybe some would disagree with me on that.

SPCR could define the rules, test the systems and then rank them like consumer reports.

It seems to me that what you're looking for is the SPCR "certified" systems I mentionned in my first answer.
If you couldn't find the link: http://www.silentpcreview.com/section18.html

Yes my suggestion would be that SPCR would define a range of system priorities (much like yours, it's a good start) and then builders could compete for SPCR's rankings. Again, I doubt this site wants to be in the position of saying "this or that component gets our seal of approval", which is a different statement than "this builder outmatched the others and will back up their construction with a good warranty/service and we're suggesting you buy from them for the next x months".

You are very right that different people want different things, and I think you break it down pretty well for a quick take on the question; silence, low-power, and green computing all get sort of mashed together, but they are important future strands of the PC industry, to the extent it will find consumers.

My specific needs are finicky and not worth discussing with someone who won't be cherry-picking my components, but as I said above, I need considerable power and the maximum amount of silence I can get for it. Puget could do it, but the price vs. the horsepower seems steep to me. Otherwise put, that certified page is just about silence, and as you say, there's more to it than that--and the newest certification is now 6 months old, a long time in PC evolution...

The cost of vendor-built custom systems of the type you are talking about (very high quality components which are the quietest possible) would exceed what the vast majority of people on this forum are willing to pay (most are willing to build the systems themselves and save several hundred dollars), so the market for such systems is small. However, there is some market, and there are vendors who provide such systems (which you can discuss with the vendors and customize). Information about vendors who provide such systems has already been provided to you in two of the above posts, which should be sufficient.

All due respect, don't confuse my original question with the direction the thread took. I don't think I've gotten any more specific information than "look at the certified/home pages", which "information" did not require a forum thread or my time (or yours) to unearth. I wouldn't have bothered posting here had I thought that was the answer I'd get, though it's now been repeated a couple times, I suppose in case I'm thick.

I think what ces was talking about was an interesting and useful idea; clearly, you don't, but I don't see how your voicing that here adds to the discussion any more than your advice answers my original question.

I am still at a complete loss as to your problem, since the links above by Hfat point to two vendors who seem to offer exactly what you want. The vendors are Puget Systems and End PC Noise. I am curious, have you been to their websites and looked around? What exactly is it that you find lacking? If the previously certified systems are out of date or don't meet your needs, I am sure that you can call them to discuss what they would recommend for your specific requirements.

BTW, Puget Systems has configurations certified by SPCR in the past and they specifically claim that do cherry pick components, so my guess is that you really haven't bothered to visit their site. End PC Noise also seems to have some good systems. However, I might wait a month or so for the new Intel processors that will be available shortly. But in the meantime you can call these vendors to discuss.

My particular favorite thing about this restatement of your first reply, among many potential candidates, is that you give me, yet again, the names of those vendors. I can assure you, my "problem" is pretty clearly stated--it just isn't a problem. I have visited their websites, in fact, and I have looked around, yes, so your facility for posing as a cookie in my browser is found somewhat lacking, alas. I have even been to a number of other websites, just using the gugglez and the review sites like the kidz do, and looked around there too. Some cherry-pick, some don't. Some (over-)emphasize silent computing, or green computing, or low-power computing, but as you correctly surmise, these are configuration questions, not dealbreakers.

What none of them do--and here I'll refer you to, oh, the thorny, over-complicated title of this thread--is make sure SPCR gets compensated for what I'm looking for in a PC. Does SPCR have to get compensated on my shopping spree? No. Would I like it to, because of what I've learned here over the years? Yes. Do means exist to Allow It To Be So? Still unclear, beyond (wait for it!) Puget and End PC Noise, and whatever cut they offer SPCR via a click-through/"certified" purchase.

Have you brought any further clarity to that last question? Two replies running, that's still a no. Though I acknowledge your old-school-regular attempts to educate me on how not to ask my question here, I'm not likely to gain much by them, and so with thanks for your efforts, I would appreciate it if you would kindly step aside and let those who might have more insight, or at least be willing to approach the question from a non-stale perspective, follow up, should anyone else wish to do so.

Here is my solution to noisemakers on this forum. It works great, try it:
viewtopic.php?p=556502#p556502
Whatever m0002a posts... I just never see. For me at least it substantially improves the SPCR user experience. I bet it would work for m0002a if he used it as well.

I think I am sort of most interested in the configuration you mention.... lots and lots of horsepower with minimal noise. But I also want it in a small form ITX package.

The two vendors mentioned do emphasize quiet computing, and at least one of them (Puget) claims to cherry pick components (test individual samples to make sure they are the quietest, and reject those that are not). I am not sure how you determined that SPCR doesn't get compensated by these firms, because I believe you are incorrect on that. I doubt they get compensated by click-through, but I believe that SPCR has been compensated in the past by these vendors in other ways.

Also, maybe you should read this thread about the current situation of SPCR.
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=62491

downwitch you are extremely rude, all m0002a is trying to do is help and with the incredibly unhelpful and unspecific requirements you gave him
.
Seeing as you are unwilling to do any research or building yourself and only want the best parts it boggles the mind that you think you should get it cheaply, as your demands are niche to say the least.
If you wanted to support SPCR you could always donate directly rather than having others pay for it.

Me too, tired of my big ol' (awesome) Lian Li ATX! good description of what I happen to be looking for. I think lots of other people are, too--desktop PC answers to Apple, I suppose.

Maybe another way of saying this is that the vendor offers on the site are too high end. I realize silence is the obsession here, but it would be nice to have some silence/power hybrids, and some silence/barebones hybrids, and some...

Yeah, that makes sense.
SPCR reviews affordable low-power systems as well as boutique systems. But it seems there's lack of intermediate commercial offerings, probably because it wouldn't be trivial to market enough units to drive down prices.

Have you tried contacting a mainstream large builder? Some of them do rate the noise of their systems and it has gotten easier and cheaper to build relatively quiet computers. While I don't think you'd find a powerful computer that's anywhere as quiet as the systems built by boutiques and fanatics, maybe there's a mainstream commercial product out there that's quiet enough for you.

1. I disagree. Here is what you can do if you don't like the cut of someone's jib here, Just turn them off:
viewtopic.php?p=556502#p556502

2. What do you think would be some standard types of configurations for which SPCR could run a buildoff to see who does the best job of configuring and building them?

It seems to me that SPCR has always been striving stalwartly to have as few commercial entanglements as possible, as that is a slippery slope in the realm of integrity. I'm aware that the modern way of doing things is having all these revenue streams and whatnot, but I think that would complicate matters here and not be advisable.

Why not just contract another forum member to build your system for you, preferably someone who's acquired a good reputation?

But ig SPCR were at some time in the future to decide to take such a route... how do you think they should or could do it?

I haven't done this, mainly because my experience of their product in other settings (offices mainly, plus some friends who've owned them) have been so abysmal. (I don't think the American market does as well in this respect as the European market, perhaps because the volume is so high and so driven by business users.) I know SPCR reviews cover the gamut, but of course they're targeting component buyers and HW hackers, not people in my current situation. I do understand I'm asking for something different.

Maybe I should try another approach... I'm not here enough to know, do any boutique commercial builders actively participate in the forums? Or is it all DIYers?

It can't hurt to consider possibilities.

I hear you, absolutely, and I'm really not pushing for further commercialization necessarily. I just thought there might be some form of it already in existence (other than the now oft-mentioned certified systems) that was less visible but still beneficial to the site.

When I built or leveled up my own systems in the past, I always found the recommended lists very good places to start--it can be overwhelming here, even if you know more or less what you're doing--and found it strange that no one packaged them up and backed them with a commercial guarantee of some sort, with or without SPCR's blessing but certainly using the site to do some hard or soft marketing.

I would be happy to make a deal with a good DIYer here as long as SPCR got cut in on it, but there is always the problem of support. Speaking of slippery slopes. But again, my original intent has gotten somewhat obscured in the (lively!) cross-talk: I just wanted to see if there was a straightforward avenue I was missing out on to spec out a system (which I didn't try to do in this thread, and won't) and then just sit back on my lazy ol' bones and wait for the UPS truck. I'm guessing one is unlikely to emerge at this point in the thread.

I think that is just another way to support the site. And that is a good thing.

We should not take this site for granted nor assume that it can exist without some stream of income. It costs money to do those reviews and run this site. If we want more reviews we need to be concerned about the economic health of SPCR.

See:
viewtopic.php?t=57962

Have you thought about the non-complicated way of accomplishing this by just sending Mike 50$ via donate@silentpcreview.com?

That hasn't been working so well. You can either struggle against human nature or harness it. Fighting human nature is not a sustainable battle.

Yea I would disagree on just mini itx and micro atx being the only ones needed. A lot of people like to run crossfire set ups with a couple slots spacing in between the cards, Can't do that on micro atx. Some people need audio cards installed in pci-e for audio recording and there is no room on micro atx even if u put the cards right on top of each other. Hardware raid cards, tv tuner cards, many many people have use for even all the expansion ports on XL ATX but especially ATX. I do plan on a high powered mini itx build for easy moving to lan parties. Bitfenix prodigy case + GTX 690 + IVB, it will be nice so it does have it's place but atx is far from useless