Month: November 2006

Model Eleven by EndPCNoise

A whisper quiet SPCR-designed media PC system by EndPCNoise of Vancouver, Washington.

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SPCR’s Fan Round-Up #2: 120mm Fans

Our second fan round-up is here. This time, we look at 120mm fans from Nexus, Noctua, Scythe, EBM/Papst, Antec and ARX. Competition was tough, and it wasn’t easy to decide which fans we liked most. In the end, it was almost a 3-way tie.

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EnergyStar Computer Spec 4.0 Finalized

Since 2005, SPCR has been eagerly anticipating the new EnergyStar 4.0 specifications for computers. As reported in our March ’05 article, “A New Energy Star… in 2007“, the EPA proposed tough new targets for both operational and idle power consumption. After nearly two years of revisions and industry consultations, the final spec has finally been

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Apple’s 24″ iMac: There’s more to High End than Performance

Last April, Apple got our attention with a Core Duo 17″ iMac that was the quietest, most efficient stock system we’ve seen from a major brand. The iMacs now sport Intel’s Core 2 Duo chips. Apple has introduced a new version with a massive 24″ screen that will impress even those who don’t follow technology

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Corsair HX520W & HX620W Modular power supplies

It’s another memory brand that stepped into the PSU arena this year: Corsair power supplies promise high efficiency, stability, low noise, modular cables and a 5-year warranty. How suitable are they for SPCR? Given their pedigree, it’s not surprising that our response is very positive.

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80x25mm Fan Round-Up #1

Here it is at last! You’ve read about it for years, we’ve tantalized you with a methodology article without publishing results, but we’ve finally come through: It’s the first episode of SPCR’s Calling All Good Fans series of fan round-ups, with detailed noise information about twelve different fans. This round-up has a little bit of

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Anatomy of the Silent Fan

A distilled summary of fundamental design elements and key factors that affect the acoustic performance of DC axial fans in the role of PC cooling. This information is presented apart from our fan test methodology or actual fan review articles to keep information overload at bay. NOTE: A Postscript Q&A features Dorothy Bradbury, UK fan

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Zalman ZM600 heatpipe-cooled modular power supply

Zalman’s new high power PSU sports a technology they’ve been using on many of their other products for a while: Heatpipes. With a power supply, you’d think this might mean passive, but the ZM600 is fan equipped. How does the new 600W modular cable Zalman compare against the silent power champs we’ve reviewed thus far?

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SPCR’s Fan Testing Methodology [2006]

This article describes the goals, techniques, and procedures we’ve established to test and rate fans for acoustics. No other fan testing methodology covers noise as extensively or as realistically. SPCR’s fan roundups are coming, finally!

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