Search found 64 matches

by farns
Wed Oct 03, 2012 4:12 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Fractal Design D3 vs Antec P280 vs Corsair Obsidian 550D
Replies: 7
Views: 8190

Re: Fractal Design D3 vs Antec P280 vs Corsair Obsidian 550D

P280 is a good general case that cools a quite powerful system fairly quietly, but after building a low-mid range gaming system in it for family member I didnt think it was that great as a super quiet case compared to something with panel dampening like my old P150/Solo (or the P182), or maybe the F...
by farns
Sat Sep 29, 2012 9:59 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Whats the best SPCR 7200rpm these days
Replies: 2
Views: 3451

Whats the best SPCR 7200rpm these days

I need a new OS drive, SSDs wont fit the 300gb+ of games (that I never play) etc, so where are we at these days with quiet and low vibration 7200rpms? Obviously Ill be going for the bigger platter sizes, are only Seagate doing 1tb platters so far? The fewer platters the less vibration noise and heat...
by farns
Mon Sep 24, 2012 2:18 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Short 7870?
Replies: 7
Views: 5031

Re: Short 7870?

Sounds great, I think thats the only one from looking around, but that particular R7870-2GD5T/OC (with the "T") is hard to find and more expensive.

My best option seems to be upgrade my case to a 550D or Define R3 or similar, and put whatever I want into it.
by farns
Mon Sep 24, 2012 2:01 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Fractal Design D3 vs Antec P280 vs Corsair Obsidian 550D
Replies: 7
Views: 8190

Re: Fractal Design D3 vs Antec P280 vs Corsair Obsidian 550D

Im choosing between these also (and R4), my requirements are GPU cooling (single overclocked gaming card) , hard drive vibration and general sound leakage/panel dampening. I currently have a Antec Solo/P150 which is as quiet as it gets with very thick panels and antec hard drive system, but it lacks...
by farns
Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:21 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Short 7870?
Replies: 7
Views: 5031

Re: Short 7870?

I know what my needs are, hence particularly after a 2gb 7870 that is short enough for a P150/Solo :wink: FYI, the clearance in an Antec P150/Solo is about 24cm. 7870 reference is 27cm, 7850 reference is about 24cm, so I really want a card of 23cm or less if such a 7870 exists. I have a 2560 x 1440 ...
by farns
Sun Sep 23, 2012 2:58 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Short 7870?
Replies: 7
Views: 5031

Short 7870?

Hi, does anyone know of any shorter than average 7870 videocards? Need to squeeze into an old P150/Solo (10"/24cm clearance I think , havent measured it yet) though I may upgrade the case to a USB3 and with better intake Ok so I know the new Geforce GTX 660 are short and frugal on power but they are...
by farns
Wed Sep 21, 2011 12:49 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Quiet / Noisy Monitor Survey
Replies: 272
Views: 506707

Re: Quiet / Noisy Monitor Survey

Dell U2311H with E-IPS and CCFL Buzzes audibly in a quiet room at pretty much any common brightness setting iirc but I had it at 75 brightness. Its a replacement , the first one also buzzed and then went dead (backlight I think) after a few short weeks. First monitor thats ever died on me. Id RMA it...
by farns
Mon Feb 07, 2011 3:06 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Asus s775 boards: Cant make speedstep undervolt at idle
Replies: 4
Views: 2589

Re: Asus s775 boards: Cant make speedstep undervolt at idle

Thanks, yes it has latest BIOS, Ill try an earlier one and see if "offset" features

As far as I can tell Asus mobos are a write off for a stock voltage overclocking low-power PC due to the lack of this feature.
by farns
Sun Feb 06, 2011 12:01 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Asus s775 boards: Cant make speedstep undervolt at idle
Replies: 4
Views: 2589

Re: Asus s775 boards: Cant make speedstep undervolt at idle

Thanks for help, there is no "offset" in BIOS, here are the relevant screens http://iforce.co.nz/i/r1istw2v.xyc.jpg http://iforce.co.nz/i/3ddey401.tsb.jpg http://iforce.co.nz/i/wjindjye.xop.jpg I will change the NB voltage later but I want to have everything at default first until I can sort this ou...
by farns
Sat Feb 05, 2011 5:08 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Asus s775 boards: Cant make speedstep undervolt at idle
Replies: 4
Views: 2589

Asus s775 boards: Cant make speedstep undervolt at idle

Hi there, I have a P5Q-E (very similar to P5Q Pro), does anyone know how in BIOS to make it undervolt when idle (speedstep/CIE/EIST etc) when the FSB is raised ? The multiplier drops but the voltage does not. Which option do I select in BIOS? AUTO voltage seems to raise Vcore as FSB is raised, and s...
by farns
Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:24 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD 6400AAKS vs Samsung F3 1TB 7200rpm
Replies: 13
Views: 7579

Re: WD 6400AAKS vs Samsung F3 1TB 7200rpm

Mine doesnt hum , in a dead quiet environment it spins a little louder than either of my 2 old WD Blue 6400AAKS but not as you describe.

750gb platter drives have just started to be released so when a half decent 7200rpm version comes out Ill grab one of those
by farns
Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:57 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: GTS 450 launched, various versions available, fanless too
Replies: 23
Views: 10159

According to German site HT4U, the MSI cyclone is the quietest one, quieter than their GTX 460 Cyclone and quieter than the Gigabyte Windforce
by farns
Tue Sep 21, 2010 5:22 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Replacement HSF for Radeon 5670
Replies: 5
Views: 4488

HIS iCoolerIV cards have a L2 Pro, but with only a 2-wire fan. It cools excellently and is very quiet with a good tone and I cant hear it normally in my rig over 4 silicon grommet mounted HDDs and the fairly quiet PSU. On auto (36% fanspeed) it keeps my 5750 under 65C, at a fixed 20% fanspeed (the l...
by farns
Tue Sep 07, 2010 12:35 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Suggestion for a quiet speedy small OS drive (not SSD)
Replies: 16
Views: 8507

My Samsung F3 1TB is not as quiet as either of my WD Blue 640gbs, its temp reads about 4c lower though .

For a 3.5" drive I would recommend Velociraptor minus its heatsink or a WD6400AAKS (WD Blue), WD has good seeks also
by farns
Thu Sep 02, 2010 5:18 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: passive 5770 (Gigabyte)
Replies: 17
Views: 10971

I had the 9600GT version of the Gigabyte passive card in my Solo, didnt get much over 70C.
Seeing as a 5770 has very similar load power to a 9600GT it should be ok, probably on the limit for what those gigabyte coolers can handle though
by farns
Wed Sep 01, 2010 2:46 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD 6400AAKS vs Samsung F3 1TB 7200rpm
Replies: 13
Views: 7579

I just got a F3 also, I unplugged everything except PSU, seeks are very quiet (even with AAM disabled) but I only care about idle noise which perhaps is a little bit louder than the WD6400AAKS (the WD is really a great drive) and my HD Tune graphs show massive regular dips about every 7 seconds :sho...
by farns
Mon Aug 23, 2010 2:45 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Fanless 5750 availability in Australia?
Replies: 11
Views: 5878

The widely available HIS iCooler IV 5750 is inaudible in my system but I will know better later in the week when I disconnect HDDs, replace the PSU and dial down the case fans to 500rpm. It comes with an Arctic Cooling Accelero L2 Pro cooler and could barely get up to 60C playing Crysis for ages. Fo...
by farns
Mon Aug 23, 2010 12:52 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: My Shiney New Gigabyte HD 5750 Silent Cell & OC Benchmar
Replies: 9
Views: 7528

Im pretty pleased with my 5750 too, not too far behind a 4870 but shorter, doesnt even heat up barely and uses 60w less than my 4870 at idle (80w less under load).
by farns
Sat Aug 21, 2010 7:15 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Hows the Seasonic S12II 520 Bronze ??
Replies: 7
Views: 14602

Have a read of the review I posted in the Antec Neo Eco thread, they are the same PSU even down to the fan profile

Also the Corsair TX650w is the loudest of all mentioned, theres quite a few quieter since then without being overpriced.
by farns
Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:17 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Hows the Seasonic S12II 520 Bronze ??
Replies: 7
Views: 14602

I think the "II" Bronze series are the same (or nearly) as Antec Neo Eco, both have the same Adda fan as usual but it idles at ~600rpm. Im not sure how that would stack up vs the Enermax Modu/Pro 82+ which have a specialised fan that idles around 400-500 rpm if I remember. Good value PSUs but Im als...
by farns
Sun Aug 15, 2010 10:11 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Antec Neo Eco
Replies: 0
Views: 2978

Antec Neo Eco

I found a review of these: http://forums.guru3d.com/showthread.php?t=317192 Seasonic made, they look good for the price, at least here in little NZ where all other 80+ PSUs are more expensive. Has anyone compared these (subjectively or whatever) for noise under "computer idle" load? I quote from rev...
by farns
Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:35 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: GTX 460 launched today
Replies: 93
Views: 70355

Does anyone with a MSI Cyclone know if you can reduce the fan speed with Afterburner below the "Auto" idle level?

Apparently this card is pretty quiet but Ill probably hear anything over 800-1000rpm
by farns
Sun Aug 08, 2010 12:35 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: WD 6400AAKS vs Samsung F3 1TB 7200rpm
Replies: 13
Views: 7579

WD 6400AAKS vs Samsung F3 1TB 7200rpm

Hi there, My 2 suspended WD 640gbs (the old SLK3000B foam sandwich) are the loudest part of my system. They are pretty snappy and quiet for 7200rpm, but id like a quieter OS drive. Ive seen conflicting reviews, so does anyone know if the 7200rpm Samsung F3 1TB (500gb platters) is any quieter? Techre...
by farns
Sat Aug 07, 2010 4:17 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: GTX 460 launched today
Replies: 93
Views: 70355

It seemed to me from googling around that the MSI cyclone is the quietest (one review had it quieter at idle than the gigabyte twin-fan card) and they are about to release a "Hawk" version which should be quieter still if the 5770 Hawk was anything to go by.
by farns
Sat Aug 07, 2010 3:48 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Best list of quiet vidcards Ive seen
Replies: 6
Views: 5211

Sounds like it, thanks. Ill probably get a gtx 460, the reference cooler is fairly quiet apparently and the MSI cyclone is quieter still.
by farns
Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:01 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Best list of quiet vidcards Ive seen
Replies: 6
Views: 5211

http://itshootout.com/ben/eax5870/eah5870-2.jpg Thats the reference cooler, according to the chart above its about the quietest fanned reference cooler around, at idle. It gets up there under load but if you have a very quiet PC (suspended HDDs, very slow fans etc etc) can you hear it at idle with ...
by farns
Thu Aug 05, 2010 6:43 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Best list of quiet vidcards Ive seen
Replies: 6
Views: 5211

Best list of quiet vidcards Ive seen

http://ht4u.net/reviews/2010/gesamtvergleich_lautstaerke_grafikkarten/index4.php They have reference coolers in there as well as many of the best 3rd party solutions. The MSI Cyclone GTX 460 stands out but apparently the reference cooler is extremely quiet also, although its not listed there. Is the...
by farns
Fri Feb 20, 2009 12:33 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Quiet 140mm Fans?
Replies: 35
Views: 23001

How does the Scythe Kaze Maru go against a 120mm slipstream for quiet/airflow ? Id guess it should be better assuming the bearings are up to it
by farns
Fri Aug 29, 2008 5:19 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Undervolting CPU bad for anything?
Replies: 5
Views: 3049

Thanks for answers, Im in Taupo btw Neil (small semi-resort town by the countrys biggest lake, skiing/fishing/hunting + summer beach stuff, nice food etc) its nice for a small town I guess. So in theory stable undervolting actually prolongs the life of the CPU, ideal. As pointed out there could be a...
by farns
Fri Aug 29, 2008 4:56 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Undervolting: how low can you go?
Replies: 234
Views: 271952

E6600 @ 1.06V(after Vdroop) @ stock 2.4ghz

I can probably get it down to 1.01/1.02 stable but feel safer with a bit of leeway as shorting Cmos pin is annoying :)

Stable using Orthos

It does 3.2ghz on stock voltage with speedstep enabled, pretty typical values for an E6600 from what Ive read.