Search found 409 matches

by mcoleg
Tue Nov 10, 2009 4:57 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Buying Windows 7 in the US for foreign use ?
Replies: 13
Views: 5545

not really an issue - there's no real restrictions from the government, only private price-control. you can get a us copy from a private seller (check pricegrabber or ebay us), they will ship it as long as you pay the overseas shipping rate. the shipping/handling will add probably $25-30 so count th...
by mcoleg
Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:35 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Antec NSK3480 vibrations
Replies: 9
Views: 5090

I'd first make sure it's only the PSU. Could be something else as well adding to the vibration besides it. Stop the fan by sticking a pencil it the slots before booting up - earthwatts can go passive for loads bellow 200 for a while, no worries about overheating. if the PSU is the main culprit, base...
by mcoleg
Mon Oct 12, 2009 3:18 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Does SPCR seem way too obsessive compulsive about noise?
Replies: 77
Views: 68588

i also do have a migraine so... i wonder how many "migraine folks" are around here. m/b i should start a thread to find out :P I do get migraines as well. But, I'm not sure whether you and I mean the same thing. Visual aura (scintillating scotoma), nausea, throbbing headache for a day, concentratio...
by mcoleg
Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:04 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Does SPCR seem way too obsessive compulsive about noise?
Replies: 77
Views: 68588

It's probably safe to say that without some kind of predisposition to higher noise sensitivity or more acute hearing in general, you wouldn't hang out at SPCR -- esp. the forums -- for long. i think you nailed it, Mike. i am, for example, more noise-sensitive as compared to the most people around m...
by mcoleg
Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:35 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Media Player Classic... not happy with SSD/W7/Quad?!
Replies: 12
Views: 7875

yah, somewhat of a mystery.

i've noticed though that w7 can have delays on starting some of the services. not sure if it's related, could be. when you get back to w7, do keep us posted.

cheers :P
by mcoleg
Fri Oct 02, 2009 5:44 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Media Player Classic... not happy with SSD/W7/Quad?!
Replies: 12
Views: 7875

i see.

opens the exec fast as well. if it helps any, i don't usually download MPC stand-alone, just install it as an option in CCCP codec pack.
by mcoleg
Fri Oct 02, 2009 4:32 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Media Player Classic... not happy with SSD/W7/Quad?!
Replies: 12
Views: 7875

not a whole lot of people had a chance to run MPC on W7? that probably would explain it. however, i just went and tried to open some vids in MPC on W7 myself and there's no delay. vids are h.264 720p encodes. and the hardware is way lower than your - it's a pentium-m based desktop with 2 gigs of ram...
by mcoleg
Fri Oct 02, 2009 3:38 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Is my 600w PSU overkill for this system...??
Replies: 13
Views: 5759

OK, I'll answer the OP questions :P "thats all that is running!!! i think its about 350ish watts??" - you are maxing at under 90W right now, if that, depending on how hot the system is. "So is it bad to only use 55% of the PSU??" - it's from 10 to 15% that you are using. As long as the system boots,...
by mcoleg
Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:27 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: ANR headphones
Replies: 8
Views: 4137

audio-technica ATH-ANC7 are pretty good. the cable is removable and the built is pretty solid. they are about half-sized but cover the ears nicely. i prefer these to sens, btw.
by mcoleg
Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:27 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Kitchen Appliances
Replies: 7
Views: 5565

BTW, new issue of Consumer Reports is out and it's all about consumer appliances. you must be in luck, N7SC :P
by mcoleg
Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:35 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 80mm fans needed, quieter than PSU.
Replies: 7
Views: 3786

the old panaflow slow is still among the best for 80mm, from my experience. very nice and smooth tonality and the sound doesn't propagate far. haven't tried noctuas, however, they could be better... don't worry too much about the fans not moving enough air. even the least powerful ones will move jus...
by mcoleg
Tue Jun 23, 2009 3:54 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Recommended PSU for Antec NSK3480
Replies: 6
Views: 3668

you don't really need a straight-through psu. NSK3480 will work fine with any top-fan psu as well - there are plenty of openings on the top cover of the case for that.
by mcoleg
Thu Jun 04, 2009 10:48 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Advice on replacing the fan for an Antec Earthwatt 430 PSU?
Replies: 6
Views: 4190

i sorta like the idea of the fan starting only when it's needed :P . i don't bother to spin it up whenever i start the system - it will kick in if the load is high enough. otherwise, it's one less moving part.
by mcoleg
Thu May 28, 2009 3:53 pm
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: Questions about upgrading...
Replies: 5
Views: 4236

Radeon X800 GTO should run 1900x1200 no prob. as stromgald said - update the drivers first. secondly, check in ATI control panel for "underscan" I've noticed some ATI cards don't fill the whole screen by default when a new LCD monitor is plugged in. not sure why but it happened to me several times.
by mcoleg
Tue May 26, 2009 4:43 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Tom's Hardware: "Sound Proof Your Hard Drive"
Replies: 4
Views: 3731

one thing though - springs are made of metal and metal transmits sound way better than air. so, as the review said - "The difference between the 3RSystem L-1100 T.REX case and the GUP Smart Drive Neo HDD silencer is noticeable, but only important for those who insist on not hearing their hard drive ...
by mcoleg
Wed May 20, 2009 4:12 pm
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: [WTB] Mobo for Mobile 2500+ Barton
Replies: 3
Views: 2304

where are you at? i've got a DFI NFII Ultra B taking space in the closet, won't mind finding a good home for it.
by mcoleg
Tue May 12, 2009 1:27 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: What? Where? -> "Bench table"
Replies: 7
Views: 3776

HSPC Tech Station has one thing going for it and that's simplicity. Might not have some of the functions of the others but sure as heck is easy to use.
by mcoleg
Sun May 03, 2009 6:59 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: New mobo for my Q9550??
Replies: 4
Views: 2878

the board you have mentioned - P5Q - VM - i had a chance to play with it some time ago.
by mcoleg
Sun May 03, 2009 4:19 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: New mobo for my Q9550??
Replies: 4
Views: 2878

can't recall if it has an onboard firewire connector; but you can always get a firewire card.
by mcoleg
Sun Apr 26, 2009 5:08 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: best way to mount a fan on a heatsink ?
Replies: 3
Views: 2227

equalizing the airflow so that there's no "dead zone" in the center is a good idea but if you simply move the fan away from the sink, all you get is lower air pressure. that would drop the cooling efficiency. the best method for what you are looking for is ducting. you can do it with a gutted fan, j...
by mcoleg
Fri Apr 10, 2009 3:05 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: replace the P182 fans
Replies: 6
Views: 4784

2x for slipstreams. really good results even with low-rpm (800 or even 500) models in that case. especially if the m/b has some sort of a fan control.
by mcoleg
Wed Apr 08, 2009 4:35 pm
Forum: Power Supplies
Topic: Advice on replacing the fan for an Antec Earthwatt 430 PSU?
Replies: 6
Views: 4190

just be careful i swapped in one of mine for an NMB low-rpm fans with pretty good results - it doesn't even start spinning unless there's a high load on a psu :P http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/ is a pretty good place for less-known but quiet fans, like low-rpm panaflows. another good place for t...
by mcoleg
Sat Apr 04, 2009 8:45 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: SSD MLC Based HD use in old laptops. Will it [STUTTER]?
Replies: 33
Views: 25484

in real life applications - not an issue. i've installed a Transcend EIDE SSD in my old Dell and if there's a studdering, it's no more noticeable than with the hard drive that was in before. at any rate, you will not expect a stellar performance out of an old laptop. SSD, however, does help with thi...
by mcoleg
Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:27 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Samsung YP-S3 digital media player
Replies: 21
Views: 23978

it takes pretty expensive gear to distinguish between lossless and good quality MP3s. not to mention most people won't be able to tell the difference even if they get that expensive gear.

$0.02 of my pointless wisdom :P
by mcoleg
Tue Mar 31, 2009 10:40 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Seven - and now Eight Years of SPCR!
Replies: 78
Views: 89522

Congrats on the 7 year anniversary of SPCR, Mike :P
by mcoleg
Tue Mar 10, 2009 8:35 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: More confused than ever - "best" quiet gaming card
Replies: 35
Views: 15179

i am with Mike on this on - a 3870 is plenty for what you are playing and will be for a while. as a matter of fact, i am getting rid of my gtx280 i got for a new build - couldn't make it to wake up properly - and going back to an old hd3870 i have. it's fast enough for now and passively cooled, whic...
by mcoleg
Mon Mar 09, 2009 1:47 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Q6600vsQ9550, which one is cooler?
Replies: 6
Views: 4308

i have both Q6600 and Q9650 and Q9650 runs slightly cooler. but, the difference is not that great, 2-5C at best, both within the limits of quiet cooling. shouldn't be a decisive criteria for choosing a cpu, if you want my opinion.
by mcoleg
Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:20 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: IDE options for an OS drive
Replies: 4
Views: 3132

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820208445 is a pretty descent SSD (and relatively cheap) for IDE. not as fast as newer SATA SSDs but isn't bad. i put one in my old dell laptop, 25 seconds from BIOS to Desktop and 40 seconds to load everything with WinXP. they also have 16Mb ver...
by mcoleg
Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:03 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: DVI+HDMI output required
Replies: 5
Views: 3049

if you want to use both displays, could be a bit tricky.

but what you want is just output your games to plasma through HD 4550, that could be done pretty easily. just connect the monitor, setup multiple displays in drivers and try it.

might take a bit of tweaking but not impossible.
by mcoleg
Thu Feb 26, 2009 5:08 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: External Storage - two options, advice please.II
Replies: 2
Views: 2498

icybox is fanless, which is good for silence, and you can find some freeware backup app, i'm sure, that would let you schedule a back-up. as for switching it off - while the drive is not accessed, it's going to idle and draw very little current. a couple of watts are not exactly a deal breaker. on t...