Search found 91 matches

by xafier
Tue Apr 20, 2010 12:35 pm
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: Selling quiet high end PC (UK)
Replies: 0
Views: 1607

Selling quiet high end PC (UK)

I'm selling my main PC as I no longer have a need for it, I just use my PC for browsing the web these days. Dunno if there are any people in my area on here but thought I'd put it up anyway just in case. Intel Q9550 Core 2 Quad (cooled with Xigmatek HDT-S1283 and Noctua P-12) Geforce 8800GT (cooled ...
by xafier
Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:57 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Quiet Drive 2.5
Replies: 45
Views: 34769

Would have been nice to test a velociraptor in this, if I was going to go for a 2.5" that wasn't an SSD it would be that!
by xafier
Tue Aug 11, 2009 2:09 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: AMD's 785G Chipset Boards: 780G Evolved
Replies: 69
Views: 58589

Re: Why do motherboards at all

Hi Mike your comments on wasted time and effort in testing early production models made me wonder why do motherboards in SPCR at all . I know I will probably be flamed for even questioning this but as I see it the Mobo doesn't have a great bearing on silence. The things which bolt to the Mobo are t...
by xafier
Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:18 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Intel Q9550S: A Greener Quad Core?
Replies: 38
Views: 25081

I have a regular Q9550, not only does it run happily at 1.15v but it also runs at 1.15v whilst having a clock of 3.4Ghz :)

The 45nm quads are fantastic, not sure why they've brought out these new energy efficient ones that are just really normal Q9550's that have been specially binned!
by xafier
Tue May 19, 2009 1:34 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Innovation Cooling IC Diamond 7 TIM Giveaway/Testing
Replies: 206
Views: 275038

IC7 is thick, and a little difficult to spread in my opinion, but that is just a matter of personnel preference. It will work fine for you, just don't expect to see a night and day difference. Having used IC7 lots of times, I've found the best method isn't to even bother trying to spread it, it jus...
by xafier
Sun May 17, 2009 11:41 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Antec P183: The P182 Gets More Air
Replies: 145
Views: 129267

My first question is, does the new front covers fit the P182?

My second question is, can I buy some? As that's the only reason to upgrade in my eyes for the less restricted ventilation :)
by xafier
Sat May 16, 2009 7:28 am
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Innovation Cooling IC Diamond 7 TIM Giveaway/Testing
Replies: 206
Views: 275038

MikeC,

I'm guessing you got in touch with IC after I mentioned them in the thread the other day? :)

Pretty cool that they're giving away samples for people to test with, I've used it in both my current systems and its a really good thermal compound!
by xafier
Tue Apr 21, 2009 3:04 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Coolermaster's Fanless TC-100 mini-ITX case
Replies: 33
Views: 23857

Ender17 wrote:swap out the hard drive for a SSD, and you should have a nice little system
My thoughts exactly, would make an ultra silent HTPC or low-end desktop system!

I must admit I really like the look of the case, it looks quite sexy!
by xafier
Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:22 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Where do I go from here?
Replies: 12
Views: 4749

As far as I am aware your AM2 socket CPU will work in an AM2+ motherboard and also in an AM3 motherboard which is set for DDR2 RAM (I am ready to be corrected though) So you could get yourself a modern motherboard, and if the CPU is buggered then you'll not have wasted money and then can consider a ...
by xafier
Thu Apr 16, 2009 1:03 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: DIAMOND-based heat transfer compound
Replies: 48
Views: 52545

This can be done badly though. Noticed this recently: Yes I realise that, and thats exactly why I personally have never done it. It really depends on your CPU and your heatsink, some heatsinks are more concave to match the convex shape of most IHS's. It's really a last resort for those people that ...
by xafier
Thu Apr 16, 2009 12:58 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Apple Noise Patent Applications
Replies: 31
Views: 39463

I'm very much anti-Apple, they ruin everything they get their hands on! They've seriously ruined the DAP (digital audio player) market with the advent of the iPod, my DAP is a Rio Karma, its about 5 years old now, its still quite possibly the best DAP ever made. Its doubtful a DAP will be made that ...
by xafier
Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:53 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: DIAMOND-based heat transfer compound
Replies: 48
Views: 52545

It was new to me... and thank you for the link. We've ignored the raging debates about TIM for a long time as the variances and margins of error in testing seemed to be at least as big as that claimed by various makes... but perhaps these diamond-based ones are really better. We'll try them out, th...
by xafier
Thu Apr 16, 2009 9:19 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: DIAMOND-based heat transfer compound
Replies: 48
Views: 52545

Last time I bought some thermal paste I bought the following:

http://www.innovationcooling.com/ Innovation Cooling Diamond 7 carat

It dropped my temps by about 2*C compared with Artic Silver 5.

That was about 6 months ago, so that diamond thermal compound isnt anything new!
by xafier
Fri Mar 20, 2009 2:20 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Cooler Master Hyper N520 dual 92mm fan cooler
Replies: 13
Views: 8838

I'm confused... surely they know that this thing is going to be loud... why send a sample to SPCR unless they're just being lazy and letting you do a full test so they can get some accurate figures for the sound levels??
by xafier
Thu Mar 12, 2009 12:50 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: New system woes
Replies: 13
Views: 5997

What I meant to say was that, yes on my mobo only the 4 pin headers are controllable ones, but you dont have to use 4 pin fans on them, a normal 3 pin fan will work and be controllable :)
by xafier
Thu Mar 12, 2009 6:23 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: New system woes
Replies: 13
Views: 5997

If your gigabyte is anything like mine then firstly, the only fan headers that are controllable in Speedfan are the 4 pin headers... Secondly, to make it work in speedfan you need to go into the advanced options bit and change the PWM mode to "software controlled", and then it should work... can't r...
by xafier
Tue Mar 10, 2009 6:32 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: New Low Power NAS Machine - Advice Wanted
Replies: 10
Views: 27635

Looks similar to what I built for a fileserver / torrent box... except I went for a PicoPSU to power it :)

It's uber low power usage, the power supply you've got is definitely overkill for it really!
by xafier
Tue Mar 03, 2009 7:33 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: silencing my Sapphire HD4830
Replies: 12
Views: 6033

Most graphics chips are happy up to 80*C or more!
by xafier
Mon Mar 02, 2009 9:43 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Do drives get noisier as they get older?
Replies: 12
Views: 5790

LodeHacker wrote:Note to self: Never buy Antec again xD
Nothing wrong with the P182 case :P
by xafier
Mon Mar 02, 2009 7:30 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Dell Poweredge T100 - noisier than I thought...
Replies: 12
Views: 13451

The zalman fanmate basically has a variable resistor to adjust the voltage, so it would not be wise to use it in conjunction with the motherboard using variable voltages to control it. It may be wiser to replace the fan with one whose maximum RPM is lower, i.e. a 1200 rpm 12cm fan. What is the maxim...
by xafier
Mon Mar 02, 2009 6:09 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Dell Poweredge T100 - noisier than I thought...
Replies: 12
Views: 13451

You could give the "Zalman Fan Mate 2" a try, it allows you to adjust the fan speed manually. But then the motherboard won't be able to control it if the heat increases.
by xafier
Mon Mar 02, 2009 4:54 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: $16,000 "silent" PC
Replies: 12
Views: 10900

Well, if silence was really a big issue then I would have gone the NAS route for the storage with a Gigabit connection! Unless access time would be an issue, it would provide the bandwidth, and you could stick it in another room! And SSD over velociraptors for definite... once you've spent $16k you ...
by xafier
Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:19 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: $16,000 "silent" PC
Replies: 12
Views: 10900

$16,000 "silent" PC

Just read this on Toms Hardware:

http://www.tomshardware.com/picturestor ... treme.html

I highly doubt this PC is actually all that silent in SPCR terms... with 9 120mm fans even at 5v its going to be fairly audible, especially with that many hard drives!!
by xafier
Sat Jan 10, 2009 8:24 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: low power file server / download machine
Replies: 20
Views: 10472

Finally built the system today... Before any tinkering: idle: 38w load: 57w Using RMClock to set 800mhz to 0.8v and 2.2ghz to 1.0v: idle: 29w load: 43w Tinkered in the BIOS, reduced onboard GPU to 200mhz, disabled IDE, parallel and serial ports: idle: 28w load: 43w Added the 1TB drive from my curren...
by xafier
Sat Dec 27, 2008 12:48 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: low power file server / download machine
Replies: 20
Views: 10472

I decided to buy the following... I think I might buy one of those little gadgets that measures power draw and see how much it uses :) Think I'm going to undervolt the CPU as low as possible to try and reduce the consumption, also, I decided to go for a single stick of RAM as it uses less power than...
by xafier
Thu Dec 25, 2008 4:11 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: desktop matx cases?
Replies: 3
Views: 3264

Doesn't matter now, trying to find a case to meet all my needs is seemingly futile, so I've decided I'm just going to run a network cable into what used to be a coal house and put it there :)

Now it doesn't matter if its a big case or whether its particularly quiet, as its out of the way of everyone
by xafier
Wed Dec 24, 2008 1:37 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: desktop matx cases?
Replies: 3
Views: 3264

desktop matx cases?

What desktop matx cases are there out there? * want to be able to fit two 3.5" drives minimum * don't care about 5.25" slots for dvd drives as I wont need them * not fussed about a PSU as I think i'm going to get a picopsu * needs to be no taller than 140mm * needs to be no wider than 450mm * doesn'...
by xafier
Tue Dec 23, 2008 9:28 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: low power file server / download machine
Replies: 20
Views: 10472

I really need at least 1TB of storage, probably more in the future, so a case that can take two 3.5" drives would be my target really.
by xafier
Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:55 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: low power file server / download machine
Replies: 20
Views: 10472

y'know, those Asus EEE box's actually look quite tempting if you could yank out the HD and replace it with something larger like a 1Tb or 1.5Tb....

[EDIT]
Or maybe not... because it only takes 2.5" drives :(
by xafier
Tue Dec 23, 2008 7:49 am
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: low power file server / download machine
Replies: 20
Views: 10472

I think the main problem is going to be finding the right case and PSU, a semperon and the 740G mobo should be enough, probably throw in 1Gb of RAM and a 1TB hard drive, maybe a 2nd and have a mirrored RAID setup?

Realistically I probably don't need any more than a 100w PSU I'm guessing?