Month: January 2006

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Hitachi TravelStar E7K100 7.2k-rpm notebook drive

This new 7.2k-rpm notebook drive from Hitachi has such low seek noise that the difference between idle and seek is difficult to hear. It’s not just quiet; its performance is such is that it blurs the distinction between desktop and notebook drives. The TravelStar E7K100 may well be a harbinger of good things to come

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Samsung Writemaster SE-W164C External DVD±RW Drive

An external drive that can handle read/write just about every kind of optical disc for computers: The Writemaster SE-W164C is from Samsung, a brand that’s developed a reputation for quiet storage components.

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Noctua / Coolink Tower Heatsinks

Noctua of Austria and Coolink of China are working together to offer large tower-style heatsinks for the performance-oriented aftermarket. Both companies supplied review samples of two models, one very large and one merely big. Coolink’s products are offered with a fan and fan controller; Noctua’s are bare. How do they fare against the current noise/cooling

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SilverStone Strider ST56F power supply

SilverStone is best known for their very nice aluminum PC cases and for their fanless power supply. They also happen to offer many other power supplies. The Strider is one of the quieter ones they offer — other than the fanless one — and still rated for 560W power delivery. How does the Strider fare

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Quiet PC for Torrid Thailand

An old friend from another life asked about a quiet computer… and the end result is a PC that’s been custom built to be quiet in the tropical heat of rural Thailand. Its components include an Athlon64 X2-3800+, EVGA nVidia 6800GS-256, Samsung 200GB HDD, and six fans in a modified Antec P150 case; still, measured

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Zalman ZM460-APS Power Supply

Our first article of 2006 is about a new, powerful, quiet, efficient PSU from one of the sector’s longest established brands. Enjoy.

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