Month: March 2004

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Enermax NoiseTaker 475 PSU

Frankly, the performance of this new NoiseTaker PSU from Enermax, whose products I have shunned for a couple years, surprises the heck out of me. Why? How about the highest efficiency I’ve ever measured, and the highest power output before the fan ramps up beyond idle? Is it the new ATX12V V1.3 compliant circuit they

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SPCR’s Revised PSU Testing System

It’s a brief article about SPCR’s PSU Testing System as it evolves forward. A new thermal simulation box provides a realistic working environment for the PSU under test, and a soon-to-come lab-grade Variable AC Power Supply will allow thorough examination of output power capabilty under real world stress conditions. Both new tools are better investigative

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StealthPC Foundation Kit by ARM Systems

  March 17, 2004 by Mike Chin Product StealthPC Foundation Kits Manufacturer/Vendor ARM Systems The ARM Systems StealthPC P4-3.2 Powerhouse was reviewed here January, to much kudos from SPCR enthusiasts. There was a great deal of interest expressed in the case ARM Systems uses for their PCs. In response to the expressed interest, Roy Manalastas

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Antec Aria SFF Case (w/PSU)

  March 14, 2004 by Mike Chin Product Antec ARIA SFF Case Manufacturer Antec Inc MSP US$129 Toaster-sized small form factor (SFF) PCs have invariably been “barebones” products that include the case, power supply and motherboard — often cleverly integrated with unique design and features. They are the domain of motherboard makers who have driven

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Is the Silent PC Future 2.5-inches wide?

March 8, 2004 by Mike Chin The silent future is 2.5″ wide, I announced in a SPCR Forum post at the end of January. I was referring to the future of silent computing, and to my recent discovery of extremely quiet notebook hard drives that easily put the quietest of 3.5″ desktop drives to shame.

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Archive: CPUs Ranked by Noise / Heat

NOTE: Consider this article an archive; not updated since March 2004. Check for more recent articles in the CPU & motherboards section. A long-overdue update (the first in a year!) to CPUs Ranked by Noise / Heat, SPCR’s listing of processors and how easy or hard it is to cool them quietly. Now includes info

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PC Cooling & Silencing… with a Cookie Jar!

Feb 29, 2004 by Carl Bohne Carl Bohne, better known as Bluefront in the Silent PC Review Forums, has a thing about filters and ducts. He uses them to great effect in keeping his PC systems cool, quiet and dust free with a minimum number of fans. Carl is an inventive mechanical tinkerer with excellent

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