Search found 133 matches

by Avalanche
Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:14 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build
Replies: 11
Views: 7752

Re: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build

Main mistake: I would have sworn this was a modular PSU. I was pretty surprised to open the box and find the cables attached. I think I just looked at components until my eyes were crossed. As Steve pointed out, the cables exit the PSU in a good place. I really thought my PSU would look like his, ab...
by Avalanche
Sun Dec 21, 2014 12:07 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build
Replies: 11
Views: 7752

Re: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build

Thanks a bunch for the advice, everyone! I’m sorry it took me so long, but I owe you all a report on how things went. This post is going to have to discuss the build only, not the power or overclocking results. I’ll post that stuff later. As I said before, my last build was a Conroe C2D 6300 (built ...
by Avalanche
Wed Dec 10, 2014 7:04 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Cryorig R1 Ultimate & Universal CPU Coolers
Replies: 5
Views: 8136

Re: Cryorig R1 Ultimate & Universal CPU Coolers

The individual tower stack is separated into two sections, the loose air intake and the high density exhaust section. By the laws of fluid dynamics, the increase in fin count in the exhaust section squeezes airflow and increases exhaust air speed. The increase of airflow speed in our Jet Fin Accele...
by Avalanche
Sat Nov 15, 2014 6:29 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build
Replies: 11
Views: 7752

Re: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build

Awesome, thanks for the advice everyone. Stevo, thanks especially for the photos. You documented your work really well! The SeaSonic S12G 550 looks like a perfect match, so I'll go with that. Abula, the Crucial low profile RAM seems like a no-brainer. I have no idea why Corsair sells a "low profile"...
by Avalanche
Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:52 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build
Replies: 11
Views: 7752

Formerly active poster seeks advice on Node 304 build

I used to be more active around here, but now I have a wife, house, children, job, etc. My current PC is a C2D 6300 in an Antec Sonata, and it's time to upgrade. I want to play Elite: Dangerous, Civ: Beyond Earth. I do some modest home video editing. Lowest sound level possible is not a requirement,...
by Avalanche
Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:15 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Tower Case
Replies: 20
Views: 13799

Re: Zalman Z9 Plus ATX Tower Case

Just curious, if you decked the case out with Acoustipack would it make any difference in the recommendation of the case for silence? If you wanted to reduce perceived noise from case internals, then you'd need to cover over the vented side panel, which would dramatically affect cooling. I think th...
by Avalanche
Mon Jun 28, 2010 10:50 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Athlon II X4 610e & Phenom II X4 910e: 45W & 65W Qua
Replies: 41
Views: 22894

RoGuE wrote:Once again, the 'energy-efficient-way-more-expensive' processors fall short.
Amazing how in the fast-paced world of consumer electronics, this story hasn't changed in 4 years. Who buys these AMD 'e' chips?
by Avalanche
Tue Jun 08, 2010 11:49 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel LGA1366 Stock Cooler Performance: Good Enough?
Replies: 12
Views: 10522

Very interesting review, Lawrence! Look how much more aggressive the angle on the Intel fan blades are than the Nexus http://img103.imageshack.us/img103/3419/dsc01140wt9.jpg vs http://www.silentpcreview.com/files/images/intel-i7-hsf/03-hex1.jpg No doubt the Intel fan is designed to move a lot more a...
by Avalanche
Fri May 28, 2010 9:38 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Need a few opinions on Plasma TV market
Replies: 20
Views: 9069

I have had a Panasonic Viera TH-50PX80U 50" 720P plasma since June of 2008. I use it primarily for DVDs, Netflix and XBOX, and some sports OTA. It was $1300 and I've been thrilled with it.
by Avalanche
Mon Mar 08, 2010 8:13 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Inwin Maelstrom: An Affordable Gaming Case
Replies: 34
Views: 20800

Handles

Case reviews are my favorite kind of reviews. I appreciated reading it, thanks Lawrence. I would give this case a pass on appearance, if the handles (its most apparent feature) were functional! They are just begging to get tugged on.
by Avalanche
Mon Mar 01, 2010 9:37 am
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: The quiet beast: dual Xeon and Quadro 4000 workstation
Replies: 63
Views: 45262

Sweet rig, thanks for sharing! The hardware is obviously awesome, and your DIY work is very neat. The result looks great.

Sometimes people show off their high powered rig and the only comments are, "lol, no way that things quite." Glad to see that's not the case here.
by Avalanche
Thu Dec 24, 2009 4:06 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Samsung UN55B7100 55" LED HDTV
Replies: 39
Views: 31416

I agree with Neil. It sure looks sweet, but right now I am not comfortable spending $2500 on a TV. I have a $1k 50" 720p that is great for movies and xbox.
by Avalanche
Mon Nov 02, 2009 5:07 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Winmate DD-24AX DC-DC Module for Silent, Efficient Power
Replies: 35
Views: 45557

electrodacus wrote:PS: This Xbox AC adapter will not work with DD-24AX this require min 18V input so it is not making to much sense to post here.
Ah, drat. I read the article and then commented a few days later. :oops: So much for my brilliant idea.
by Avalanche
Sun Nov 01, 2009 9:48 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Winmate DD-24AX DC-DC Module for Silent, Efficient Power
Replies: 35
Views: 45557

Has anyone tried a power supply for an Xbox 360? They seem to put out 12V DC up to 200 W: Amazon.com Link. The price seems good, but there might be a trick or two to getting it to work just right. I know there's a couple of models of them, due to the various Xbox models Microsoft has released.
by Avalanche
Mon Oct 19, 2009 12:03 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Cheap case for 780G uATX, Sargas, F2, picoPSu, 1 case fan?
Replies: 5
Views: 4500

Hey, can I dig this thread up? Newegg is having a combo special with the Sargas, and I have an idea for building a SFF case. But I need a power supply. Like Martin, I'm interested in building on the cheap. I've never bought the Pico PSU, but I don't find the price compelling. I realize it can't be b...
by Avalanche
Tue Apr 21, 2009 11:10 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 2TB Western Digital 3.5-inch (WD20EADS) is QUIET?
Replies: 71
Views: 64331

Of course we'll get real data once MikeC gets his hands on these drives, but I found this chart from Tom's HD Roundup article quite confounding: http://media.bestofmicro.com/8/D/193405/original/sound_level_idle.png How can the adding one platter make the WD Caviar Green 2 *that* much louder? How can...
by Avalanche
Mon Apr 20, 2009 7:04 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: DIAMOND-based heat transfer compound
Replies: 48
Views: 52515

I like to think of heat transfer like water flowing through a pipe. The "pipe" that carries the heat from the high temperature source (CPU) to the low temperature sink (air) is a combination of pieces, like the heat spreader, the TIM and the heatsink. These "pipes" are all in series, and the flow ra...
by Avalanche
Thu Apr 02, 2009 10:19 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Seven - and now Eight Years of SPCR!
Replies: 78
Views: 89471

Congrats, Mike! And thanks also to Devon, Lawrence and the other reviewers and contributors! I agree that computing is moving away from hot CPUs and ATX sized cases, but miniaturization will mean more 60mm, 40mm and (heaven help us) smaller fans. Unless the designers (and consumers) value silence, t...
by Avalanche
Sat Mar 07, 2009 1:39 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: AMD's Maui HTPC Platform
Replies: 163
Views: 162571

Inputs: Currently, there are 2 inputs (2 channel line in, SPDIF In). Now that is very interesting. Seems like Windows 7 makes this a much more viable platform. I see that you can buy a remote controlled 4-in/1-out S/PDIF switch box for ~$150. Just to follow up on this a little... My PS2 has an opti...
by Avalanche
Wed Feb 11, 2009 8:16 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: VIA Artigo: A Pico-ITX System
Replies: 27
Views: 16282

Looks like a nice bit of design work went into that. It's small and tidy. If the price was around $100, I would be interested. Nice review, Lawrence. I appreciate all the pictures!
by Avalanche
Fri Dec 05, 2008 10:03 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Ninja 2: Tweaking a Classic
Replies: 36
Views: 24824

Nice review Lawrence, especially considering the ho-hum nature of another ninja-clone tower cooler. That picture of the motherboard bending scares me. As I understand, your test bench doesn't involve screwing it flat again, like it would be if it was installed in a case. It seems like doing that wou...
by Avalanche
Tue Nov 18, 2008 1:06 pm
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: Nov 18 NewEgg - Samsung 1TB 5400 $99, + other stuff
Replies: 2
Views: 2023

I've been thinking of getting this scanner. My intended uses are to scan old family photos for preservation (ie, museum level archive-quality not required) and to scan documents for records.

$50 seems like the cheapest available. Should I spend more?
by Avalanche
Mon Nov 10, 2008 8:55 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: New Nexus Value 430W (better than their high end units?)
Replies: 7
Views: 3568

Their webpage says this about it:
Image

But then there's nothing about modular cables in the description.
by Avalanche
Mon Nov 10, 2008 5:52 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: New Nexus Value 430W (better than their high end units?)
Replies: 7
Views: 3568

rpsgc wrote:How is this a "value" PSU again?
Well, it's not painted. :wink:

Image
by Avalanche
Thu Nov 06, 2008 3:47 pm
Forum: Quiet Prebuilt, SFF and Barebones Systems
Topic: Out of the box HTPC
Replies: 5
Views: 6241

That device looks fine to me, like a pretty standard media extender without the network capability. It looks great for portability. The only problem I see is adding more content will probably require you to disconnect your USB HD and carry it over to your computer. I've heard good things about the P...
by Avalanche
Thu Nov 06, 2008 7:46 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: US Presidential Election 2008 thread
Replies: 93
Views: 26091

I was probably wrong about the youth turnout not being higher than normal, and I am certainly not excited that people with little wisdom or experience are voting. News flash! Young people will get older. How do you expect them to get wisdom or experience? I for one and very excited to see the react...
by Avalanche
Sat Nov 01, 2008 4:24 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Signature 650 PSU: Antec's Challenge
Replies: 34
Views: 24751

I think my stance on buying monitors is common: Buy the best you can afford. A nice one will last a long time, while other part of your computer will be come obsolete much faster. This is still my problem with these " all-in-one " PCs (iMac, for example) that are trying to make a comeback. You want ...
by Avalanche
Fri Oct 24, 2008 11:20 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: An Anechoic Chamber and Test Equipment Upgrades for SPCR
Replies: 44
Views: 42656

Mike, I really appreciate your writing. You include enough details to convince me that you know what you are talking about, but not so many that I get bored and skip to the next paragraph. It's very dedicated of you to devote an entire room of your house to the project, even if it is theoretically r...
by Avalanche
Fri Oct 17, 2008 7:24 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Netbooks Saving PC Sales in Economic Downturn
Replies: 14
Views: 23754

Here's my take, since you asked. It's simple. Go to the original article Daily Tech referenced: Perhaps because of consumers' economic worries, a lot of sub-$500 computers sold in the third quarter. Whether it's a new worldwide Netbook market that's being created, or they're cannibalizing cheap lapt...
by Avalanche
Thu Oct 16, 2008 11:13 am
Forum: Quiet Prebuilt, SFF and Barebones Systems
Topic: Small and quiet Media Server?
Replies: 8
Views: 10104

I don't have one, but the Popcorn Hour media extender seems to be very popular. I've been thinking of getting one. It sounds like you don't really need a full computer.