Month: March 2006

AOpen i915Ga-HFS ATX Pentium M Motherboard

Our review examines AOpen’s first full-sized Pentium M board , which aims at the high performance media PC market. (Particularly the Japanese media PC market.) Based on the i915G chipset, this board features no fewer than five video outputs, support for dual channel DDR2, and Azalia 7.1 channel on-board audio. Small noisy heatsinks and some

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Quiet OC’ed Pentium D 830 System

Chris Thomson built a system around a hot, overclocked Pentium D 830 dual-core processor with a total system power draw of 327W AC and managed to quiet it down to true whisper levels by applying ingenuity and drawing judiciously on the infobanks of SPCR. The great attention to detail makes this one of the best

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Nexus NX-9003 350W Hybrid PSU

Nexus, whose “Real Silent” fans have the right combination of low noise and wide distribution to make them a favorite among SPCR enthusiasts, has released a “hybrid” power supply. The word hybrid denotes a cross between fan-cooled and fanless: The cooling fan is designed to stay off most of the time, kicking in only when

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The State of the Industry, March 2006: Through Silent Eyes

In the three years since an overview of Acoustics in the PC industry was posted here at SPCR, much has changed. Performance-per-watt, Mobile on Desktop, high efficiency dualcore processors, the 80 Plus PSU program, Entertainment PCs and a new Energy Star spec for computers are all converging to suggest a quieter, cooler future is not

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Scythe Samurai Z CPU heatsink / fan

Scythe’s sequel to its Samurai CPU heatsink / fan of 2004 is modestly priced, heatpipe-enhanced (virtually mandatory for aftermarket HSF these days, it would appear), and topped with a quiet 92mm fan of its own brand. A Zorro-like Z marks the new model, whose name is really the only similarity to the original. Samurai Z

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Apple iMac w/Intel Core Duo: A User’s Review

SPCR reader Randy Harris’ appraisal of his new 20″ iMac, powered by an Intel Core Duo processor, comes on the heels of last week’s PR extravaganza at the Spring 2006 Intel Developers Forum and the ensuing tech media frenzy. How does this first product of the new Apple / Intel alliance look and sound to

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Enhance ENP-5136GH 360W PSU: A New 80 Plus Brand

A new brand has made the 80 Plus approved high efficiency roster. We take the Enhance ENP-5136GH for a spin on our PSU testing rig and report some interesting findings.

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