Search found 44 matches

by micksh
Sun May 01, 2011 6:48 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: [DIY] Antec P180 Bottom front chamber 25mm wide FAN mod.
Replies: 24
Views: 42523

Re: [DIY] Antec P180 Bottom front chamber 25mm wide FAN mod.

I didn't update this thread, I posted my findings in another thread http://www.silentpcreview.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=54324 Since this thread is bumped, maybe I should update. I have P182 and Yate Loon 120x20mm fan fits perfect. I just had to put another resistor to make it totally quiet. I ...
by micksh
Tue Jan 11, 2011 2:25 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Best silent GPU at $200 - Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 SOC?
Replies: 7
Views: 7619

Re: Best silent GPU at $200 - Gigabyte GeForce GTX 460 SOC?

Nexus noise measurements are worthless. Their noise floor is too high and they have a lot of other noise sources in PC. They can't register difference in video card noise. They say Powercolor 6850 PCS+ is quieter than Sapphire 6850 at idle? I trust these measurements better. PCS+ - 20.3 dBA, Sapphir...
by micksh
Thu Dec 02, 2010 10:36 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: EVGA GTX 460 Fan/Voltage Bios Mod for a quieter GPU
Replies: 63
Views: 44052

Re: EVGA GTX 460 Fan/Voltage Bios Mod for a quieter GPU

yuu wrote:I would have changed 28 to 14 following your advice, but there was also something esle changed from 8B to 9F, what it does is unknown.
In the end of the file? Probably checksum.
by micksh
Thu Nov 18, 2010 7:08 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

Yes, 6850 regulates fan speed based on temperature like all decent cards. Hmm, I certainly do not get that impression from my 6850. It was spinning at 76% all of the time as soon as soon as windows boot... At what temps does your card start to spin up so that you can clearly hear the fan noise? I d...
by micksh
Wed Nov 17, 2010 12:03 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

...and Sapphire 6850 is surely quieter at idle. What do you mean by idle, here? I presume you don't mean that the card is idle because then of course it would be dead silent. But if the computer is idle then the card fans could still be spinning at 75% - all depending on the config (hardware and so...
by micksh
Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:29 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

If you use Media Center and are affected by the 29/59 Hz bug, I've never seen a card worse for it than the HD6850. Is it the bug that is only applicable to 1080i TV recordings in Media Center and only shows up on a few TV models? I haven't seen it. ReClock doesn't help? I guess automatic re-encodin...
by micksh
Sun Nov 14, 2010 11:01 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

I have several WD EADS in server, I know what they sound like, some used to be in my HTPC. I could not tolerate them in living room. There is no way Sapphire 6850 would be louder at idle than any 3.5" 5400 RPM drive. It would be noticeable, yes, but not louder. Tima, you probably got a bad sample. N...
by micksh
Sat Nov 13, 2010 9:24 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

Scoop , make sure you connect VGA to the right port. In 6850 specs Sapphire lists one DVI port as DVI-D meaning no analog VGA signal on it. ATI/AMD rearranged everything in Catalyst earlier this year. I can't compare to the old Catalyst as I didn't have it. But there are multiple posts on AVS Forum...
by micksh
Sun Nov 07, 2010 11:25 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

Yes, I was very surprised how quiet this card was at idle. When I tested it during the night in quiet house on my desktop with silent Seasonic X650 PSU and SSD I disconnected case fans and HDD, only had CPU fans at 300rpm and this card could barely be heard at 2-3 feet in open case. Almost complete ...
by micksh
Sat Nov 06, 2010 1:53 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: EVGA GTX 460 Fan/Voltage Bios Mod for a quieter GPU
Replies: 63
Views: 44052

Re: EVGA GTX 460 Fan/Voltage Bios Mod for a quieter GPU

twilothunder Thank you for sharing this. This is very creative work and I'm glad that the result was successful for you. As a software developer I admire the research you did for this. I am thinking of buying 460 but minimum fan speed 30% (or 40% if wrong BIOS) doesn't look good. I have a question....
by micksh
Wed Nov 03, 2010 11:15 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

It's a pain to download Sapphire TriXX. It requires registration, product serial number and captcha is case sensitive. It allows to set fan speed to 0% and it proudly reports fan speed at 0%. Although the fan is clearly spinning at regular 20-26%. I just don't see any reason in using TriXX. MSI Afte...
by micksh
Tue Nov 02, 2010 7:57 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

MSI Afterburner works well. I had it installed for NVidia card and it refused to work when I replaced card to AMD. Then I downloaded and reinstalled it and it worked fine. Created fan profile that should allow watching HD video with fan at 20% in summer. Will be replacing fan in PSU soon. Thanks for...
by micksh
Sun Oct 31, 2010 11:47 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

OK, this card can actually be loud. I left it overnight for Furmark stability testing and it had fan spinning at 72% in the morning (GPU temperature = 75C). This is kind of loud in the morning. Then I let my son to play Stalker for one hour (in headphones) and the fan was at 50% which to me seems re...
by micksh
Sat Oct 30, 2010 7:09 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

Here is default fan behavior. All numbers taken after ~15 minutes of activity when fan had stabilized. Percent of fan speed followed by GPU temperature according to Catalyst. 24% / 39C - idle, case open 26% / 41C - idle, case closed 33% / 51C - Blu-ray playback, case open 36% / 55C - Blu-ray playbac...
by micksh
Wed Oct 27, 2010 6:17 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

I don't have Catalyst, I have NVidia cards everywhere. Didn't want to mess up desktop so didn't install drivers. Will do it by the end of this week on another PC.
by micksh
Tue Oct 26, 2010 10:36 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

I got the card. I only tested it at idle. It is not silent but it is very quiet. When I move my ear ~3-4 inches close to the card I can hear crackling fan noise. Can't hear it from 1 meter from open case. BTW, the noise can be reduced if I slow down fan with my finger. My setup is pretty quiet, I go...
by micksh
Sun Oct 24, 2010 12:39 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x ?
Replies: 80
Views: 70256

Re: Sapphire Radeon HD 6850 very silent and not even vapor-x

Heck, even SPCR's anechoic chamber only goes down to 13dBa, off the top of my head. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that though. Corrected. 11dBa. Link to SPCR test chamber is on the front page, easy to check. OTOH, I follow HT4U reviews for a long time and they seem to be pretty consi...
by micksh
Fri Oct 22, 2010 10:59 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Radeon HD 6xxx
Replies: 48
Views: 20733

Re: Radeon HD 6xxx

Just look at idle noise level of Sapphire HD 6850. I think at idle it's the quietest active cooled card that HT4U tested.
As of right now the card is still available at newegg for $180.

http://ht4u.net/reviews/2010/amd_radeon ... ndex17.php
by micksh
Sat Apr 10, 2010 10:11 pm
Forum: General Gallery
Topic: Antec P182 build. With Q9550. Update: Finally quiet
Replies: 17
Views: 17021

Finally I was able to return to this and finish it. It ultimately became quiet, as quiet as I wanted. I could sleep in the same room with this PC on if I wanted to. New parts: - Intel X25-M G2 160GB SSD - Intel Q9550 Quad CPU - Scythe Mugen 2 CPU cooler - Arctic Cooling AF9 PWM fan, 2nd fan for CPU....
by micksh
Fri Feb 05, 2010 1:08 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: 5770 recommendation??
Replies: 22
Views: 10666

Check today's MSI Hawk review and compare with Vapor-X. MSI is quieter at idle (24.8 vs 25.8 dbA) and much quieter at load.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/ ... WK/29.html
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapp ... -X/29.html
by micksh
Tue Dec 22, 2009 1:46 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Asus NVIDIA GT240 is very quiet.
Replies: 4
Views: 4881

Asus NVIDIA GT240 is very quiet.

This one: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5516905&SRCCODE=WEBLET03SHIP&cm_mmc=Email-_-WebletMain-_-WEBLET03SHIP-_-03ship Sorry, I just got it today and when I was writing this post it became unavailable. It was available this morning for $80 when I checked ...
by micksh
Tue Dec 15, 2009 2:42 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Have any of you seen a 5000 series card with D-sub out?
Replies: 13
Views: 6397

Here is one with D-Sub - Asus CuCore 5770
http://www.techpowerup.com/110491/ASUS_ ... _Card.html

BTW, I have no problems with my KVM switch working through DVI to D-Sub adapters. Forgot the model of the switch, can tell you if you need.
by micksh
Wed Nov 04, 2009 7:41 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Quiet Drive 2.5
Replies: 45
Views: 34763

I got shipping price from Scythe EU for 3 SQD. They sell the SQD for equivalent of US $49 + 17% VAT. Shipping - $52 for 3 drives with regular air (7-14 days, no tracking) and $112 for UPS with tracking. Also plus tax. 3pcs x Quiet Drive 2.5 by UPS = ($49 + $8.33) x 3 + ($112 + $19.04) = $303.03 3pcs...
by micksh
Tue Nov 03, 2009 12:11 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Quiet Drive 2.5
Replies: 45
Views: 34763

Where can I buy Quiet Drive 2.5" in US? I could not find it anywhere. Only AeroCooler lists it and it has always been out of stock (as well as 3.5" version). Contact Scythe USA. I'm sure they'd be happy to help. I just did it after you advised and they responded within about an hour. Basically this...
by micksh
Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:13 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Quiet Drive 2.5
Replies: 45
Views: 34763

Where can I buy Quiet Drive 2.5" in US?
I could not find it anywhere. Only AeroCooler lists it and it has always been out of stock (as well as 3.5" version).

Anybody wants to sell me it? I need 2 or 3.
by micksh
Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:28 am
Forum: Deals, Vendors and Classifieds
Topic: Wanted - Scythe Quiet Drive 2.5"
Replies: 2
Views: 2053

Does anybody know where to get it in US for the full whack? (without importing from UK)
by micksh
Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:00 am
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Luxa2 LM100 Mini: "Exquisite & Desirable" m-IT
Replies: 22
Views: 13660

a finer looking HTPC you will not find
OrigenAE m10 mini-ITX is also very good looking (as well as their larger cases).
http://www.origenae.co.kr/en/htpc_m10.htm
It should have better ventilation.
But, probably it's not available in US yet.
by micksh
Sat Aug 22, 2009 1:48 am
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Look at this beauty! - Wooden case, nMediaPC HTPC 8000
Replies: 14
Views: 8573

The case panels never helped with cooling. That's a myth. Air is a horrible conductor of heat True. That myth probably appeared because some people touched their too small-form cases without decent airflow. My mini-ITX steel case iStarUSA S3 is surely a little warmer than ambient. But it’s small....
by micksh
Fri Aug 21, 2009 1:28 pm
Forum: Cases and Damping
Topic: Look at this beauty! - Wooden case, nMediaPC HTPC 8000
Replies: 14
Views: 8573

Thanks a lot, cordis. Very useful information. Do you think it would be possible to suspend, or at least grommet-mount HDD in some quiet enclosure? That fits in 5.25" bay like Logisys HDD Silenser? Would there be enough space below HDD cage or maybe it can be modded? edit: I mean to suspend 5.25" HD...
by micksh
Tue Aug 18, 2009 1:51 pm
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Is Dell 2209WA a safe buy with regard to noise?
Replies: 11
Views: 8874

Dell does sell them in US. Here is the link http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=bsd&cs=04&oc=2209WA Of course, $279 is more expensive than it was before. Many bought it for $212. But still it's an excellent monitor for the money. My 2209WA has zero noise. There is a thread...