Search found 397 matches

by Plekto
Sat Aug 10, 2013 7:58 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: The fastest GPU ever discontinued??
Replies: 4
Views: 4799

Re: The fastest GPU ever discontinued??

I just bought the 7850 myself for my son's new box (my old one - heh). My thinking was this: - I'd spend $40-$50 on an aftermarket cooler like the Accelero S1, including decent vram heatsinks (the ones with the S1 are junk and don't stick most of the time, sorry to say) and shipping, tax, and all of...
by Plekto
Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:05 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Accelero S1 Rev 2; plus a thermalright VGA cooler?
Replies: 5
Views: 3548

Re: Accelero S1 Rev 2; plus a thermalright VGA cooler?

I had to buy low profile heat sinks, though, as the ones that came with the Accelero were too high to fit under the card. (oops). Note - I have a slot fan on it. I tried the Accelero cooling fans that they make for it and they worked well, but dies after a year. A slot fan works just as well and is ...
by Plekto
Sat Dec 24, 2011 7:00 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: HD6850 Passive by PowerColor!!!!!!
Replies: 56
Views: 36342

Re: HD6850 Passive by PowerColor!!!!!!

Looks interesting. From what I can tell, because of the extreme temps created by this card, a normal fan won't work. Too much back-pressure due to the tightly spaced fins, which reduced airflow and increases speed. You'll need a slot fan or a side fan blowing outwards to suck the heat off of the car...
by Plekto
Wed Jun 15, 2011 2:02 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Ultra low power 24/7 box
Replies: 5
Views: 2702

Re: Ultra low power 24/7 box

Power supply - the PICO is fine. Case - you want small minitower case with the side removed entirely. Place it on its side so that the heat has at least 2-3 ft of airspace to radiate into. Technically all you really need is the mounting chassis from the case and the power switch. You could as easily...
by Plekto
Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:41 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: I do not want to hear this system ...
Replies: 29
Views: 12262

Re: I do not want to hear this system ...

I tried to build a system like that for my (now ex) girlfriend. And the Samurai cooler failed to adequately cool an older Athalon. We're talking about a sub-2Ghz model, no less. It's really a pathetic little thing that only works if you keep the fan at 12v pretty much all of the time on a modern mul...
by Plekto
Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:21 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Unexpected crashing
Replies: 4
Views: 2589

Re: Unexpected crashing

I had this exact problem last week. The machine would be fine and then simply cycle its power like that. The solution was to get a new power supply. The old one would not be able to supply enough current to the 6 pin aux connector on the video card and it would crash the entire system as a result of...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:19 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: The "7V trick" on fans with adjustable voltage - RPM gone!
Replies: 28
Views: 12795

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

That's likely the motherboard increasing the rpm as its components heat up. The idea being that since stock coolers were all downward-flowing, turning on the CPU fan to a higher rate would cool the board as well. Myself, I just hard-wired it to ~9V straight from the PSU.
by Plekto
Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:14 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Passive graphic card
Replies: 8
Views: 4624

Re: Passive graphic card

Just get a dual slot motherboard - the HDMI card is a simple thing if it's just being used for movies, so a tiny TV tuner card or similar would probably be more than enough to get the job done.
by Plekto
Thu Mar 24, 2011 7:11 am
Forum: Quiet Prebuilt, SFF and Barebones Systems
Topic: I just wrote an article about a completely silent PC
Replies: 7
Views: 5700

Re: I just wrote an article about a completely silent PC

If you are using that little power, get a PICO PSU. The problem with most power supplies is that they are rarely even 50-60% efficient when run at such a small fraction of their rated output. So you are creating excess heat for nothing. Also, the CPU eventually will heat up too much without some sor...
by Plekto
Mon Mar 21, 2011 7:42 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: The "7V trick" on fans with adjustable voltage - RPM gone!
Replies: 28
Views: 12795

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

Those type of diodes are generally able to handle the heat. But they DO get quite hot, so be aware of it. Common sense and others who have done this trick before suggest a larger 5W diode (or as close to the power rating of the fan in case it stalls due to an obstruction or shorts out at some time) ...
by Plekto
Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:21 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: speaker recommendation
Replies: 20
Views: 13261

Re: speaker recommendation

Magnepan does make good speakers, but finding them in Europe is really tough. They also are one of the few brands that should pretty much not be bought used, as they are extremely prone to damage. They also require a good amplifier. That said, they are stunning. The best arrangement is to mount them...
by Plekto
Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:50 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: recommendation for a back-up drive
Replies: 33
Views: 9520

Re: recommendation for a back-up drive

I have a 2.5 inch drive in a no-name metal case that I use. It's on top of my PC and is essentially silent and not even warm to the touch. One thing, though - a metal external drive case is slightly better as it will act a bit more like a heat sink than a plastic one.
by Plekto
Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:33 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Installation question for long-time Windows 7 users
Replies: 24
Views: 10893

Re: Installation question for long-time Windows 7 users

Some programs won't run. Anything that you have to run in compatibility mode under XP of course, is unworkable either way.(case in point, say, GTA3 series - has to be run in Windows 2000/98 mode under XP). Windows 7 simply pukes it up in either mode.(game loads but no mouse - sorry) When an issue ha...
by Plekto
Fri Mar 18, 2011 7:07 am
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: The "7V trick" on fans with adjustable voltage - RPM gone!
Replies: 28
Views: 12795

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

The problem with the fanmate is that it eventually will burn out - it gets quite hot and is from what I can tell, a pretty miserable design. A resistor is of course the best solution, but it takes careful planning since most systems react poorly to 5v cooling levels for any extended period of time. ...
by Plekto
Wed Mar 16, 2011 11:15 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Installation question for long-time Windows 7 users
Replies: 24
Views: 10893

Re: Installation question for long-time Windows 7 users

Also be aware that the Pro version has XP compatibility more while the lesser versions are crippled and don't have it.

Spend the extra money on it.
by Plekto
Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:30 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Here is one interesting CPU Cooler
Replies: 30
Views: 10125

Re: Here is one interesting CPU Cooler

Actually, fanless is only good for about 40-50W max. Beyond that, it's horrendously hard to get rid of the heat quickly enough without a massive external heat sink or something similar.
by Plekto
Sat Mar 12, 2011 5:42 pm
Forum: CPUs and Motherboards
Topic: Do PCIe mobos require mandatory PCIe graphics cards to run?
Replies: 6
Views: 2887

Re: Do PCIe mobos require mandatory PCIe graphics cards to r

Very old PCI cards actually require 3.0V, IIRC, and most new systems don't put enough voltage ut to handle it.
by Plekto
Fri Mar 11, 2011 12:14 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time builder
Replies: 34
Views: 10378

Re: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time build

SSDs that are based upon MLC (multiple layer cells) are known to suffer from fragmentation at a much faster rate than with a typical hard drive. Enterprise-level SSDs that support TRIM and that are single layer cells exist, but they are incredibly pricey. And you absolutely have to be running Window...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 10, 2011 9:57 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time builder
Replies: 34
Views: 10378

Re: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time build

SSDs fail on writing, so if the system files are merely being read and your main applications are as well, then it will last nearly forever and you can pretty much ignore the traditional issues of hard drive crashes and bad sectors. But you cannot put them in RAID (normally) and you need a separate ...
by Plekto
Thu Mar 10, 2011 12:32 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time builder
Replies: 34
Views: 10378

Re: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time build

SSDs can work, but the problem is the way that Windows uses caching. If you have a SSD, you need roughly 2x the memory and no swap file at all on the system. It will of course yowl like a starving cat about the lack of it. If you want to save money, the cheapskate alternative (tm) ;) is to get the s...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:03 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: micro ATX advantage?
Replies: 25
Views: 11810

Re: micro ATX advantage?

The big deal is that the smaller cases cannot generally fit any aftermarket cooler of any size nor can they generally fit larger video cards and potential aftermarket coolers(Accelero or similar). A typical Mini ATX can do this and still be fairly small.
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:55 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: New here. Trying to construct a build.
Replies: 15
Views: 4986

Re: New here. Trying to construct a build.

The deal about solid state capacitors and power regulation circuitry is that they can handle lower airflow or very little airflow over them. Most of these massive tower shaped CPU coolers actually make the problem worse as while they are great for low noise CPU cooling, they don't really cool the bo...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:27 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time builder
Replies: 34
Views: 10378

Re: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time build

What makes you think that "Lower heat and speed" of a 1GB laptop drive pushing the limits of technology would be the dominating factor over reliability compared to a 500G WD Black drive (that can be cooled in the case as much as you choose to cool it)... especially in light to the Google research o...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 2:01 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: New here. Trying to construct a build.
Replies: 15
Views: 4986

Re: New here. Trying to construct a build.

I'm not so sure. Fixed-enough-low-fan-speed is a very limited scenario, to the extent that it can be almost an hazard: it can't be a widespread use, as it doesn't keep count of different usage patterns, ambient conditions, hardware differences, upgrades, failures, and so on. Moreover it likely requ...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:51 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: New here. Trying to construct a build.
Replies: 15
Views: 4986

Re: New here. Trying to construct a build.

ASUS or MSI, forget those Gigabytes: you need a mobo with better support for SpeedFan. I'm not so sure. All of the fans in my system are running at fixed speeds and are directly wired into the power supply itself. Speed Fan and monitoring is simply turned off. I've been running it this way for almo...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:39 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: speaker recommendation
Replies: 20
Views: 13261

Re: speaker recommendation

Ah - my old brain was confused. I was thinking about Mirage. Replace what I said about Paradigm with Mirage. But, yes, Paradigm are great as well. As for Energy, I did mention that they were what I'd consider a bare minimum standard, along with the Mercury series by Tannoy. Anything less capable is ...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 7:41 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time builder
Replies: 34
Views: 10378

Re: Parts list critique for long time geek, first time build

It looks pretty good, but you should get different drives. Use the 500GB for data. Expect it to die, eventually, though. I'd get a 1GB laptop drive instead. Lower heat and speed should mean a slightly longer life span. Get two WD 250GB RE4 drives - the smaller ones, actually. This is purely an OS dr...
by Plekto
Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:30 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: speaker recommendation
Replies: 20
Views: 13261

Re: speaker recommendation

Cabinets are MDF - who cares where they are from as long as the glue holds together. It's the drivers and design that matters. That said, of the budget speakers, entry level Paradigm are good. They are virtually identical to the less expensive Tannoy models in sound and price (the MX/MXM series) whi...
by Plekto
Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:16 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: speaker recommendation
Replies: 20
Views: 13261

Re: speaker recommendation

I should make a bog called the skinflint audiophile. ;) 1: Unless you have special requirements, if all you need is basic sound reproduction, amplifiers are pretty much the same. All you should care about is basically the power transformer and how much current the thing can handle. It's a pretty goo...
by Plekto
Sun Mar 06, 2011 2:51 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Max safe temp for hard drives?
Replies: 103
Views: 687151

Re: Max safe temp for hard drives?

I do know that in the past I had Maxtor drives, and they were known to be horribly unreliable. Yet running a fan over them resulted in 10+ years and half a dozen systems that I used them in and not one failure.

If it's too hot to touch, it needs cooling.