Search found 147 matches

by Lensman
Sun Aug 12, 2012 5:54 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Recommend me video card
Replies: 9
Views: 5043

Re: Recommend me video card

are you having any issues with the dcuii in your fortress? from what ive read, dcuii designs dont work well in vertical cases because the heatpipies extend beyond the heatsource. i cant validate that, but ive heard it from a number of sources, including this forum. anyway, according to techpowerup'...
by Lensman
Sat Jul 28, 2012 9:33 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Recommend me video card
Replies: 9
Views: 5043

Re: Recommend me video card

Which 670 did you use? Was it one with a stock fan? I recently undertook to get the quietest GTX 670. Under consideration were the Asus DC2, the Gigabyte Windforce, and the MSI Twin Frozr. All will be silent at idle - and this is from reviewers I consider to be trusted for measuring noise (not quite...
by Lensman
Tue Jan 24, 2012 11:46 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Western Digital Livewire Powerline Networking Kit
Replies: 24
Views: 20027

Re: Western Digital Livewire Powerline Networking Kit

I ended up buying some Motorola NIM-100 MOCA adapters on eBay instead and they give me 40Mbps+. This is another good solution to consider when you can't run ethernet to some or all of your house. This is what I did and it worked out well. Again, I specifically needed the line for my Tivo and I plan...
by Lensman
Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:48 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: SOLO-like case that is not SOLO?
Replies: 19
Views: 6552

Re: SOLO-like case that is not SOLO?

quest_for_silence wrote:
Hector wrote:I was planning on getting a Corsair 650W PSU.

Just a side note: I'm not aware of any 650W Corsair PSU which is really quiet.
Yeah, I think everyone's been raving about the Seasonic X-series, the Corsair AX750 and AX850, and that new Kingwin Lazer Gold and Platinum series.
by Lensman
Sat Mar 19, 2011 10:36 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: The "7V trick" on fans with adjustable voltage - RPM gone!
Replies: 28
Views: 12784

Re: The "7V trick" on fans with adjustable voltage - RPM gon

If you decide to move away from using your MB controls and just want a static solution, I've been happy with the "Deluxe Multi Power Port" from FrozenCPU or Microcenter. It provides 12V, 7V and 5V outputs. I think you can pull the power leads to this unit and fan indicator lead to your MB and still ...
by Lensman
Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:48 pm
Forum: Quiet Prebuilt, SFF and Barebones Systems
Topic: Make your Boxee Box silent (0 dB)
Replies: 16
Views: 23278

Re: Make your Boxee Box silent (0 dB)

NixNix wrote:the noise was absolutely bearable when watching a movie
Did you mean absolutely unbearable? Was it noisy or quiet? Just want to make absolutely sure.
by Lensman
Fri Mar 04, 2011 7:38 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: USB SSD
Replies: 6
Views: 4007

Re: USB SSD

I've been using Intel X-25M (G2) in an Antec MX-25 enclosure for about a year now. Was using it connected via eSATAto my desktop and USB to my laptop. It comes with a combo cable that you can use to connect to your computer as pure USB to USB, powering the drive via USB and connecting to the drive v...
by Lensman
Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:09 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: quiet eSata drive for DVR
Replies: 6
Views: 3865

Re: quiet eSata drive for DVR

I bought a Rosewill enclosure for 3.5" hard drives, but after installing a Seagate Barracuda 320GB drive, I was disappointed with the loud noise emanating from it. I think I"m going to install a 2.5" hard drive in the enclosure and suspend it with cords. Is the loud noise the fan? I bought a Rosewi...
by Lensman
Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:31 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: quiet eSata drive for DVR
Replies: 6
Views: 3865

Re: quiet eSata drive for DVR

I don't know how quiet you need, but I have been very happy with the sound levels of the newest generation green drives. For enclosures I've been happily using the Antec MX-1 for a good number of years.
by Lensman
Wed Feb 02, 2011 11:29 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Quiet quality external HDD case
Replies: 6
Views: 3935

Re: Quiet quality external HDD case

I have one of these . It may be big, comparatively expensive, and the fan does make some audible noise, but it does keep the drive much cooler than normal enclosures. It doesn't look or feel too cheap either. The fan could maybe be modified to run slower or maybe even temperature-controlled if it's...
by Lensman
Fri Sep 03, 2010 11:51 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: P180 + noctua D14
Replies: 13
Views: 6843

I've done a couple of builds lately and ended up using the D14 for my i7-860. Noctua had to be the easiest mounting system I've ever had the pleasure to deal with. It was simply amazing. I subsequently did another build with a Scythe Mugen 2, which is an amazing deal at $40 including a nice quiet PW...
by Lensman
Sat Aug 28, 2010 4:35 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Bending Heatpipes on Heatsinks Help?
Replies: 20
Views: 9664

The one additional concern is whether you are actually "unbending" the heat pipe vs. bending it. In going from a "U" to an "L", do you intend to take the part of the heatpipes that are currently bent 180 degrees and bend them back to 90 degrees? There's probably a greater chance of something bad hap...
by Lensman
Thu Jun 17, 2010 9:16 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: External enclosure
Replies: 1
Views: 1776

I ended up contacting Antec support and boy did they come through for me. They are sending me out a free replacement fan.

This means the MX-1 is back at the top of my list as my go-to enclosure.
by Lensman
Mon Jun 14, 2010 6:10 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: External enclosure
Replies: 1
Views: 1776

External enclosure

Is there an e-sata enclosure out there with a replaceable fan? I've just had the fan on my second Antec MX-1 crap out on me after 3 years (the fan seems to last 3 years - this is the second one to get very noisy and die at the 3 year mark). I'm otherwise very happy with the MX-1. I've contacted Ante...
by Lensman
Sat Jun 12, 2010 10:27 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: should I keep my TRUE? or update to a Megahalems?
Replies: 17
Views: 5899

I've never considered anything but active cooling for my main computer (I have a Noctua NH-D14), but I did consider a passive HSF for my i3-530 file server build). I had previously built an HTPC using an Intel e4300 with a passive Ninja mini. It worked out well. When picking a heatsink for my new i3...
by Lensman
Wed Dec 10, 2008 7:37 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: another custom case (focus on small)- pics!
Replies: 11
Views: 4995

If you want some interesting, creative layouts, look at SFF Dell desktops.

One cautionary notes is that I think they sometimes use nonstandard MB layouts to achieve more compact designs.
by Lensman
Thu Jul 31, 2008 7:29 pm
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: NewEgg coming to Canada
Replies: 11
Views: 5792

by Lensman
Mon Jul 28, 2008 6:50 pm
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Antec NSK1480 HTPC
Replies: 5
Views: 13425

Thank you very, very much for this report. I've been waiting months for the 1480 to actually be available from an etailer so I can rebuild my htpc into a smaller form factor. It's currently in a 2480. Given all the mods you've had to do to make your case "acceptable", I think I'm going to save mysel...
by Lensman
Wed Jul 23, 2008 8:15 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: thinnest 3.5" hd drives?
Replies: 15
Views: 6085

er, what are the 320gb slim models? I looked around on the Seagate site and found model #st3320613as. It's a 320GB drive that's 20.17 mm (0.794 inches) high. Normal/HH drives are 26.1 mm (1.028 inches) high. I think I've detected a pattern where the second-to-the-last digit in the model number is a...
by Lensman
Tue Jul 22, 2008 8:49 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: thinnest 3.5" hd drives?
Replies: 15
Views: 6085

Since drive manufacturers are packing in 320-333GB (maybe even 375GB) onto a single platter right now, that'll be the biggest drive there *could* be in a thinner form factor. Not sure if they're actually putting those platters in the drives you're talking about. What's the model number of the drive ...
by Lensman
Thu May 15, 2008 8:52 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Antec Stanza
Replies: 8
Views: 4408

Speaking of the NSK line, has anyone heard what happened to the NSK1480? It seems to have come to market very, very briefly and then disappeared.
by Lensman
Thu May 08, 2008 4:01 pm
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: Antec Solo at Newegg - [$40] plus shipping after $50 rebate
Replies: 7
Views: 4269

What was the original deal?
by Lensman
Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:18 pm
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: [dead] WD 1TB GP drive $190 at buy.com
Replies: 6
Views: 3602

The buy.com item says it is manufactured by Cavalry, a manufacturer of external hard drives. It is my understanding that only WD itself sells new WD hard drives - either retail or OEM.

OP, how did you determine this was in fact a WD GP drive?
by Lensman
Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:39 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: antec nsk1480
Replies: 34
Views: 40543

I'd think they have more than 65mm. I have a minuet which probably uses the same sized power supply and i mesured about 90mm for the heatsink, lets say 80mm to be safe. I could be wrong, but I'd guess they were referring to the clearance for the heatsink not including the fan and were providing an ...
by Lensman
Tue Mar 11, 2008 10:07 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Top blowhole cover for the P182
Replies: 42
Views: 29826

I'd like to chime in that the home (without kids) is much quieter than any office other than when I worked in a private SCIF office (and even then the noise from the A/C probably made it louder than the home.
by Lensman
Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:59 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: antec nsk1480
Replies: 34
Views: 40543

Yeah, I think the ninja mini just fit into an NSK2480 so I think it's a no-go in an NSK1480. I was thinking the Thermalright XP-120 would be a decent cooler in that case.

I also like the idea of a downdraft fan to help cool the RG780 Northbridge on the MB I was thinking of getting.
by Lensman
Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:43 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: HD3450 or HD2400pro?
Replies: 13
Views: 8637

The new Intel G35 chipset got delayed a few months, but motherboards using that chipset should start appearing in-channel very soon. Here's a review of an Asus G35 based MB. I dunno what your timeline is and whether you're interested in Blu-Ray playback, but the next generation G45 boards are suppos...
by Lensman
Wed Feb 27, 2008 12:53 am
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: need motherboard for HTPC build
Replies: 2
Views: 2437

Am I allowed to link to a thread on another board?
by Lensman
Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:23 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Lowest power HTPC capable of decoding 1080p Bluray content
Replies: 4
Views: 2976

Yeah, the 780G is going to be the center of my next HTPC build. What's ironic is that I'm only now finishing my current HTPC - just needed a new video card to decode Blu-Ray. What's interesting about the 780G is that it will open up the possibility of getting a new case that doesn't support full-hei...
by Lensman
Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:24 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Gainward re-thinks the 8800GT's cooler
Replies: 15
Views: 13035

Where does all the hot air go? It sounded to me from the review that the fan drew air in from the slot and the front of the card and blew onto the GPU. This means that the hot air would exhaust into the case.