Search found 486 matches

by Modo
Tue May 17, 2011 9:31 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Sandy bridge -- temperatures high and changing quickly?
Replies: 11
Views: 7226

Re: Sandy bridge -- temperatures high and changing quickly?

This is WAD, perfectly safe. I see the same behaviour on my i5 2500. Similar things happened with my E6550 in the previous rig. Now Intel made the idle power even lower, so the swing is bigger.
by Modo
Sun May 15, 2011 6:07 am
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Gaming rig in Anctec Fusion
Replies: 2
Views: 6153

Re: Gaming rig in Anctec Fusion

If you have a free 3.5'' space. See, that's the thing. The top area is blocked by the Veris panel, which I do plan on using. Btw, a great computer, try CPUID HWMonitorPro for fan control. Thanks. I tried the HWMonitor, no joy. Just like SpeedFan, it doesn't show the case fans at all. There is some ...
by Modo
Sun May 15, 2011 3:43 am
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Gaming rig in Anctec Fusion
Replies: 2
Views: 6153

Gaming rig in Anctec Fusion

After a couple of years with the previous rig, I've built a new quiet yet fully 3D-capable PC. This is used for work, multimedia, and games, all in one box. Not strictly a HTPC. Sorry about the photo quality--it's all my old Nokia can manage. Inside: http://img64.imageshack.us/img64/5798/overviewl.t...
by Modo
Sat May 07, 2011 11:00 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Whining Components
Replies: 128
Views: 306257

Re: Whining Components

One Gigabyte Radeon HD 4850 Silent Cell. The whine is very faint, barely audible from up close in my old rig during startup and high-FPS 3D rendering, but clearly there. One Intel SSD 320 (120 GB version). Unlike with the HD 4850, I can't correlate this whining with the device's activity. It's on an...
by Modo
Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:02 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Silent gaming PC - suggestions?
Replies: 14
Views: 9506

Re: Silent gaming PC - suggestions?

Looks good overall. Pretty close to my new build as far as the innards go. :) After a few days with MSI Afterburner, I can recommend their Twin Frozr II cards (Radeon HD 6950 in my case). If you want silence, you can set the card up to stay virtually inaudible when you're not playing. I'm not sure w...
by Modo
Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:04 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Fan stragegy - what would be better?
Replies: 5
Views: 3359

Re: Fan stragegy - what would be better?

I'd actually try to remove the free-floating fan completely. Without it, the back vents should provide a direct fresh air intake for the graphics card.
by Modo
Mon Apr 25, 2011 2:01 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: giant Scythe Susanoo for passive cooling
Replies: 4
Views: 3632

Re: giant Scythe Susanoo for passive cooling

I pity your motherboard. ;) Seriously, though, the HR-02 is more than enough on a modern CPU, maybe (only maybe) except for extreme overclocking. Plus, it's a safe bet that the TR is infinitely easier to install. By the way, remember that a proper case is more of an issue for fanless cooling, since ...
by Modo
Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:41 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: i5 2400 and a ATI 5770 in a Q-08 - which power supply?
Replies: 1
Views: 1656

Re: i5 2400 and a ATI 5770 in a Q-08 - which power supply?

There's nothing much to overheat. You've already got a fan pushing air through everything, which is better than in standard tower enclosures. Yeah, the graphics card is hot, but it's at the end of the airflow path. I'd try a fanless 6850 instead, provided you can get and fit one (mostly to have even...
by Modo
Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:26 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: SSD Endurance - My Personal Surprise
Replies: 35
Views: 19103

Re: SSD Endurance - My Personal Surprise

3. If an SSD uses its extra space for wear leveling, why does it help to convert some of that space into extra wear leveling provisioning space? Not sure about other manufacturers, but Intel says you have to explicitly assign the additional spare area. They've even published a white paper on doing ...
by Modo
Thu Apr 14, 2011 12:12 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: New Scythe Big Shuriken 2
Replies: 3
Views: 5678

Re: New Scythe Big Shuriken 2

Interesting catch. And timing: Right on the day I ordered the previous version. :lol:

They could have spaced the heatpipes even wider on the upper part.
by Modo
Sat Apr 09, 2011 4:04 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Silverstone Fortress FT03 microATX Tower
Replies: 44
Views: 38358

Re: Silverstone Fortress FT03 microATX Tower

As said before, the fans seem pretty useless. This case could have a nice chimney effect going for it. With performance so poor there seems to be no reason for the motherboard flip at all, obviously a design flaw, as we've seen it work before. I disagree. Mounting a fanless graphics card vertically ...
by Modo
Tue Apr 05, 2011 4:36 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Silverstone Fortress FT02 ATX Case
Replies: 76
Views: 65425

Re: Silverstone Fortress FT02 ATX Case

sync00 wrote: Then it would be a negative pressure case.
My point exactly. Add a GPU exhaust or two, and you can turn it into a negative pressure setup. You don't have to, but you get the capability.
by Modo
Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:05 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Silverstone Fortress FT02 ATX Case
Replies: 76
Views: 65425

Re: Silverstone Fortress FT02 ATX Case

sync00 wrote: I don't understand the purpose of an exhaust fan in a positive pressure case.
Remove the bottom fans, and you'll see. Granted, one would probably get rid of all fans instead of leaving the top one in, but it is a viable configuration.
by Modo
Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:04 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire 6870 Vapor-X not that quiet... alternatives?
Replies: 4
Views: 3512

Re: Sapphire 6870 Vapor-X not that quiet... alternatives?

The MSI 6950 is supposed to be OK on its own, plus it comes with the Afterburner software, which allows you to customize the fan speeds if need be. I should know if it's as good as it looks around May. ;) Since there are fanless 6850's, maybe a fanless 6950 will also be available this year.
by Modo
Sat Mar 12, 2011 1:14 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Decent replacement for UltraX Keyboard?
Replies: 29
Views: 50701

Re: Decent replacement for UltraX Keyboard?

The Logitech K750 looks like a nice upgrade. For simpler designs, look at Cherry Easyhub, and Cherry Infinity. The Cherry ones can take much more punishment than Logitech products.
by Modo
Fri Mar 04, 2011 1:01 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Here is one interesting CPU Cooler
Replies: 30
Views: 9886

Re: Here is one interesting CPU Cooler

Judging by the weight, they spread the fins of a standard high-end heatsink to make airflow easier. Good idea, but the covering of a GPU slot seems unnecessary. Only 2 heat pipes, and not direct touch? I would laugh if this thing has higher thermal impedance than more normal sized coolers. :D The di...
by Modo
Thu Feb 24, 2011 11:23 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 5dBA 120mm Fan.
Replies: 55
Views: 25283

Re: 5dBA 120mm Fan.

Mike, what you have described works independent from the findings shown here. I think you are making my point. All you reall know is that is was lower than 19 or in other words not did not register above the amb noise. Thank you, too, for making my point. When the ambient noise of the lab is as low ...
by Modo
Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:38 pm
Forum: Fans and Control
Topic: 5dBA 120mm Fan.
Replies: 55
Views: 25283

Re: 5dBA 120mm Fan.

Maybe it's just me, but the only important data is, when does a fan get inaudible in my system? This is what SPCR tests answer quite well. So what if fan noise levels can be extrapolated much lower? I, and probably everyone here, don't get such low background noise even on very quiet nights. And we ...
by Modo
Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:07 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Your opinion on "the perfect" case..
Replies: 9
Views: 4736

Re: Your opinion on "the perfect" case..

My take: Take the SilverStone Fortress 2, but make it square, resize to mATX, and put everything other than the motherboard flat on the opposite wall.
by Modo
Wed Feb 16, 2011 6:57 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Alpenfohn Peter announced
Replies: 15
Views: 9141

Re: Alpenfohn Peter announced

goatsandmonkeys wrote:If it can fit those two 140mm fans why not have the heatsink extend out another inch and a half.
That would not fit into many HTPC enclosures. The "small" one does.
by Modo
Fri Feb 11, 2011 9:53 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Changes to PSU Testing
Replies: 15
Views: 9632

Re: Changes to PSU Testing

1. OK, but I don't recommend any of those cases unless your system is <200W TDP, at which point with a half decent PSU, its fan will never ramp up. I see your point. I guess it makes sense to assume that people coming to SPCR will take time to read, and not just browse the list of PSUs. 2. yeah, th...
by Modo
Fri Feb 11, 2011 6:40 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Changes to PSU Testing
Replies: 15
Views: 9632

Re: Changes to PSU Testing

I'd keep the hotbox in some form. There are still many cases with the PSU at the top, and some PCs simply run in hot places, so testing this aspect of PSU performance remains important.
by Modo
Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:32 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Soundscience Rockus 3D | 2.1 by Antec
Replies: 29
Views: 27101

Re: Soundscience Rockus 3D | 2.1 by Antec

MikeC wrote:The reviewer blithely tells us of his subjective impressions without a single word about the setup for each speaker system. That's just a joke.
That's true about most reviews of audio equipment, even high-end stuff. The gear gets referenced, but not the room configuration.
by Modo
Tue Feb 08, 2011 5:17 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Soundscience Rockus 3D | 2.1 by Antec
Replies: 29
Views: 27101

Re: Soundscience Rockus 3D | 2.1 by Antec

Interesting. I'm imagining a similar analysis of some high-end audio equipment, and I can't stop an evil grin. Migth be hard to get donations, though. :>
by Modo
Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:04 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: is 700D a better case than the P180?
Replies: 20
Views: 9740

Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

Unless you have to buy everything at once, it might be best to wait and see. I wouldn't dismiss the fans before trying them out. I didn't check, but the manufacturer might be sourcing some middle-of-the-road stuff that is not bad on its own. Also, there is no direct sound path out of the case, so ev...
by Modo
Tue Jan 25, 2011 6:15 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: is 700D a better case than the P180?
Replies: 20
Views: 9740

Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

quest_for_silence wrote: Precisely: out of the box it is not optimized for silence.
Neither is the P18x, given its loud fans and vibrating top cover. You're reaching.
by Modo
Tue Jan 25, 2011 2:02 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: is 700D a better case than the P180?
Replies: 20
Views: 9740

Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

It's not optimized for silence, if you may call this a problem (with a $250 case, it may even be). How so? You've got steel and no front openings or fans, so low vibrations plus no direct noise path to the user. Slap some dampening material on the walls, maybe cover the top vents, and you're good t...
by Modo
Tue Jan 25, 2011 1:35 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: is 700D a better case than the P180?
Replies: 20
Views: 9740

Re: is 700D a better case than the P180?

It looks pretty solid. If the features are good for your needs, so much the better. It's not the only P18x competition out there, it's just that they don't seem to come here (i.e. donate cases for reviews) much.
by Modo
Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:32 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Fan Distance from Passive Card ?
Replies: 7
Views: 3286

Re: Fan Distance from Passive Card ?

You should be fine as long as you open a slot cover or two below the graphics card. The only real problem you can have with a fanless card is that it's cooked in its own heat. Opening the slot covers (if they aren't already open by design) gets rid of the dead air in the lower back of the case. With...
by Modo
Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:02 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Can't find a reference ATI 6850 - do they exist[?]
Replies: 4
Views: 2666

Re: Can't find a reference ATI 6850 - do they exist[?]

Wow, they really are rare. Found one almost like it by Sapphire, but even that looks like the shroud was changed. There are many reference 6870s out there, so maybe that would be an option for you.