Search found 414 matches

by J. Sparrow
Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:40 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: HOWTO: Disable Seagate DM001 APM Head Parking *Permanently*
Replies: 12
Views: 60696

Re: HOWTO: Disable Seagate DM001 APM Head Parking *Permanent

Looks like the guide may no longer apply to newer models: my DM004 has the APM Feature Set locked on Enabled, HDAT2 won't let me change it.
by J. Sparrow
Tue Jan 30, 2018 6:03 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Storage (In The Next 5 Years)
Replies: 17
Views: 18937

Re: Storage (In The Next 5 Years)

but even for storing movies, an average remux right now is around 25gb, a 4k x265 is already going into 60gb, not considering the super extended versions studios release on certain movies. That much is true, however it also seems media consumption is moving increasingly towards subscription/streami...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Jan 30, 2018 5:40 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: HOWTO: Disable Seagate DM001 APM Head Parking *Permanently*
Replies: 12
Views: 60696

Re: HOWTO: Disable Seagate DM001 APM Head Parking *Permanent

Hello everybody, long time no see! I've got a decent deal on a Seagate BarraCuda 3.5" ST4000DM004: ideally, this is going to be used as both boot and storage drive on a small, lightly used file server running Linux, which is currently using a WD Green where I had disabled the head parking feature, t...
by J. Sparrow
Fri Mar 12, 2010 7:13 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Upside down PSU in Solo?
Replies: 3
Views: 2241

Yup the clearance is an often quoted problem, but in all the threads I've found, it never looked as if someone actually tried it in practice. But quiet PSUs don't move a whole lot of air, and maybe clearance is not /really/ that much of an issue. In fact I am more concerned with the effect on the ai...
by J. Sparrow
Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:00 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Fan-Noise: Nexus Value 430 vs Be quiet! L7 300
Replies: 18
Views: 7404

Since you're planning to use a 3480, I should point out that at least 2 out of 3 users have reported a faint hissing noise coming from the L7 at times, which might be more noticeable than in other cases.
by J. Sparrow
Thu Mar 11, 2010 6:39 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Fan-Noise: Nexus Value 430 vs Be quiet! L7 300
Replies: 18
Views: 7404

Alexander01 wrote:Do you think the Be quiet L7 300 produce less noise then a 500rpm fan?
Less than a S-Flex @500 rpm used as a system fan (in free air or for a different application the same fan will sound quieter).
by J. Sparrow
Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:47 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Fan-Noise: Nexus Value 430 vs Be quiet! L7 300
Replies: 18
Views: 7404

the OP made it clear that he's prepared to pay for a passive PSU if needed. And that's great, but that PC will have a single case fan which will provide the baseline noise: even the best 120 mm fan @500 rpm is not dead silent. As long as the PSU is as quiet or quieter than that (easy), it will stil...
by J. Sparrow
Thu Mar 11, 2010 9:03 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Upside down PSU in Solo?
Replies: 3
Views: 2241

Upside down PSU in Solo?

I'm toying with this idea to reduce the chance of hot air pockets around the PSU: but I think it may have several undesired consequences.

I seem to recall someone tried this already? What were the results?
by J. Sparrow
Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:30 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Fan-Noise: Nexus Value 430 vs Be quiet! L7 300
Replies: 18
Views: 7404

The Value 430 is still among the most quiet PSUs SPCR have reviewed. Just because it's the quietest, it doesn't mean all the other PSUs have stopped being inaudible! 11 or 14 dBA make no difference...unless you live in an anechoic chamber! :) Plus, the Nexus is a 430W whereas the L7 comes in a 300W...
by J. Sparrow
Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:48 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Fan-Noise: Nexus Value 430 vs Be quiet! L7 300
Replies: 18
Views: 7404

PlanetOfTheApes wrote:Have you considering a fanless or semi-fanless supply?
If fanless means a PicoPSU or WinMate, I second that. Fanless ATX supplies -OTOH- are hard to come by, expensive and inefficient.
bozar wrote:Nexus is clearly superior of those two.
Have you used both?
by J. Sparrow
Wed Mar 10, 2010 6:42 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

Is the Nexus Value 430 more quiet? That PSU exhibits SciFi SPL, just 11 dBA, that only makes sense in an anechoic chamber. As a reference SPCR's own test lab measures ~17 dBA at night. The L7 is inaudible for me even in the middle of the night, but I don't live in an anechoic chamber :) However, th...
by J. Sparrow
Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:03 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Solo resonating?
Replies: 4
Views: 2192

I wonder if adding some dense foam blocks to the empty 5 1/4 bays would help? That could something worth trying. I dug up a formula from this page: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/Waves/cavity.html#c3 And it suggests that the blocks -by reducing the volume- should drive the resonant freq...
by J. Sparrow
Mon Mar 01, 2010 10:01 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

frenchie wrote:Thanks a lot for the review. (Could have been in the User review section ;) ).
Yep you're right, I only realized later this should have gone elsewhere. I wonder if a moderator would be kind enough to move it to the proper section?
by J. Sparrow
Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:59 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

My system is ready, only some minor details need attention. Post pics :) My PSU also exhibits the same hiss but it's very faint, BTW I realized it's only audible when the system is powered on from dead cold. Give it a few minutes to warm up and it's gone. To give some (useful?) comparisons: my HTPC...
by J. Sparrow
Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:52 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Solo resonating?
Replies: 4
Views: 2192

Solo resonating?

I've got this little niggle on my main which is quite annoying: when the case fan is spinning within a certain RPM range the PC emits a distinct 'whooooo' noise. It is quite loud too! ...more than the rest of the PC anyway. Bump the voltage a little, or turn it a bit down, and it's gone. The funny p...
by J. Sparrow
Sun Feb 28, 2010 5:20 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: HDD seek noise in Lian Li PC-A71
Replies: 5
Views: 3444

If seek noise is your only concern, you could try enabling acoustic management on the drives. As long as it's supported, the seek noise is reduced but some performance is lost as well. If you're under Windows, Notebook Hardware Control and Crystal Disk Info both have pretty GUIs. If you're not scare...
by J. Sparrow
Wed Feb 24, 2010 11:29 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: Heads up: OpenHardwareMonitor
Replies: 0
Views: 1469

Heads up: OpenHardwareMonitor

It's a new, nifty, little monitoring app. Some highlights: Solid hardware support, including: built-in sensors for Intel and AMD CPUs, nVidia and ATI GPUs, and HDDs via SMART. mCubed T-Balancer, and many SuperIO chips (for a complete list check the website) Fast and simple to use (no configuration n...
by J. Sparrow
Wed Feb 24, 2010 7:58 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: t-balancer miniNG bigNG with system sensors?
Replies: 5
Views: 3399

The 3M thermal tape that comes with the TBan makes a good job, provided you don't ask it the moon. Some things to keep in mind: 1) Clean well both surfaces before attaching the probe, using e.g. isopropylic alcohol or something that doesn't leave residues behind. 2) Choose the attachment point wisel...
by J. Sparrow
Sun Feb 21, 2010 3:02 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: t-balancer miniNG bigNG with system sensors?
Replies: 5
Views: 3399

Yes it is possible but you need software to feed the readings back to the T-Balancer, is because the thing itself wouldn't have a way to read those sensors all alone. So basically this means you need Speedfan and the Navigator open at all times to control fans unless you're using the probes as a bac...
by J. Sparrow
Fri Feb 19, 2010 7:16 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Silverstone Fortress FT02 ATX Case
Replies: 76
Views: 65429

There's one thing that all of these Silverstone case reviews make me wonder about.

Just how many replacements can you find for those 180mm fans if, for whatever reason, you need or want to get a new one?

The 120mm format is so very much widespread, there are fans for each and every taste. But 180?
by J. Sparrow
Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:31 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

If you lose the front exhaust and ramp up the back intake you could try to make it work in positive pressure. Close the holes on the back and stick a filter on the back intake and you've got rid of dust. It won't be as cool or quiet as a Solo or another well-designed negative pressure case, but I gu...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:29 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

I wouldn't be too worried about the 4670, it's quite a cool card and if you get the one with the Accelero cooler the fan barely spins at all. Plus it can take some punishment at stock clocks. BTW I remember that Lian Li case and I'm a bit skeptic about the ass backwards concept -- I suppose you have...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Feb 16, 2010 11:44 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

I'll be looking out for your pics - and it'll be interesting to see if/how the PSU fan will ramp up if you manage to put it under a more serious load. My HTPC wouldn't probably go much beyond 100W from the plug under stress testing. What case are you planning to use anyway? You should be able to coo...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Feb 16, 2010 9:16 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

You're welcome. Let us know whether your own unit exhibit that weird high frequency buzz as well!
by J. Sparrow
Fri Feb 12, 2010 1:09 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review
Replies: 16
Views: 21633

BeQuiet! L7 300W mini review

The L7 models are a relatively recent addition to the PurePower line of budget, quiet PSUs by BeQuiet! aka Listan Gmbh. On paper they look quite interesting: 80+ Bronze certification SPCR-friendly power ratings (300W, 350W, 430W and 530W), a 120mm silent fan and attractive price to complete the offe...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Jul 14, 2009 3:16 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Old PSU?
Replies: 4
Views: 2223

Yes, when I said it's pre-ATX12V I meant exactly it lacks the 4 pin power connector for the CPU. The board won't power up unless I get an adaptor. The PSU is an older ATX unit, pre 1.x specification, so the 5V line is stronger and the 12V weaker than current units. TBH I'm concerned about frying up ...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Jul 14, 2009 7:01 am
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Old PSU?
Replies: 4
Views: 2223

Old PSU?

I'm re-building a machine on the cheap, and have an old 235W PSU lying around from the pre-ATX12V era; the 12V rail rating is 8.0A, or 96W. The machine would run an undervolted Winchester A64 and one 3.5" HDD, used to pull about 40-45W during normal operation. I'm mostly concerned with peak absorpti...
by J. Sparrow
Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:52 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Undervolt-ability of 8800GT/9600GT?
Replies: 2
Views: 4055

Thank you for your reply, it's very interesting and essentially confirms the feeling I had - that the current crop of cards, despite some indications of the contrary, have little in the way of decreasing power consumption. The ATI 3850/70 have reasonable 2D draw but nothing spectacular, and besides,...
by J. Sparrow
Tue Aug 05, 2008 9:23 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Undervolt-ability of 8800GT/9600GT?
Replies: 2
Views: 4055

Undervolt-ability of 8800GT/9600GT?

I'm thinking of one of these two cards to replace my aging 6600GT. Goals are: 1) lower power consumption 2) better 3D performance, in that order. My current card is both undervolted and underclocked in 2D (amounts to ~10W less than stock at the socket); how would the newer cards compare to my curren...
by J. Sparrow
Mon Apr 30, 2007 2:31 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Just ordered my Ultra-120 Extreme!!!!!
Replies: 11
Views: 6957

As usual TR ripping off... :roll: