Search found 233 matches

by mrzed
Tue Mar 01, 2011 8:04 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Samsung PN58C6400 Plasma HDTV
Replies: 18
Views: 14259

Re: Samsung PN58C6400 Plasma HDTV

Mike, I have no idea what your stance was before you softened it, but I appreciate your effort to raise the question. I have been following SPCR for years. At first just because I was looking for a way to quiet my PC (like everyone else I suppose) but since then I in part come back for the general q...
by mrzed
Mon Nov 02, 2009 8:20 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Quiet Drive 2.5
Replies: 45
Views: 34777

It is a lot more effective than suspension. Reduces seek noise and motor noise to practically nil. I see what you're saying, but I have two, not SPCR approved hdd's sitting in suspension, and they are 4AM on a tuesday quiet. Like..I can't hear them over my already whisper quiet PSU. (see my signatu...
by mrzed
Thu Sep 17, 2009 8:25 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Lenovo's All-in-one: IdeaCentre A600
Replies: 27
Views: 15474

I think it's worth noting that the all in one pc never really left, it just hid out in Japan. One thing I was really impressed with visiting there 4 years ago was all the all in ones. I figure a very techy culture combined with tiny apartments just pushed them that way before the rest of us. In all ...
by mrzed
Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:14 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Transform 'Cuda 7200.11 1.5tb into Velociraptor Killer
Replies: 78
Views: 82886

so completing our large tasks faster still won't get us back to idle state for long. The primary benefit of short stroking a drive is to reduce seek times. For example, short stroking their 450GB 15k SAS drive short stroking to 45GB cut seek times from 6ms to 3.8ms. For the 250GB 7.2k SATA drive sh...
by mrzed
Fri Mar 13, 2009 9:16 am
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: Why is ATX STILL Alive?
Replies: 57
Views: 50467

Funny - I opened this thread thinking it would be about mATX taking over as there is little need for full ATX boards these days. I think my assumptions as well as some other responses answer the OP's question. Computing is moving continuously to smaller and more integrated. The vast majority of user...
by mrzed
Thu Feb 19, 2009 9:03 am
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: Which is more silent? WD green power or notebook hard drives
Replies: 23
Views: 9881

Yep - notebook drives will be quieter. Though a 7200RPM notebook drive may be noisier than a 5400RPM desktop like the GP. Vibration is almost always less on a notebook in particular, and there are many more options for soft mounting and isolation if you want to get really quiet. I've noticed over th...
by mrzed
Fri Sep 26, 2008 7:27 pm
Forum: Silent Storage
Topic: 3.5" vs. 2.5" for HTPC
Replies: 22
Views: 11526

Can't comment on that particular drive. I can say though that almost any 5400rpm 2.5" drive will be quieter than all but maybe the green power 3.5" drives. The lower power consumption doesn't hurt either. Unless you need the space, cost/Gb is irrelevant. I'm a big advocate of moving to 2.5" drives f...
by mrzed
Fri Aug 22, 2008 10:34 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Passive 3850 or 8800gt a worthwhile upgrade?
Replies: 10
Views: 5600

You are always better off waiting if you have the option. It's not like prices will ever go up.

But any of the cards you mention would be a big step up in performance from your 6600GT.
by mrzed
Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:34 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Samsung F1 750GB & 1TB Drives: Fast... and Silent?
Replies: 26
Views: 25317

I'm not sure what you're referring to exactly. Is this comment directed at something in the review or in the comments here or...? Upon rereading the section of the article, the moral of the story is to come down from the pain meds before posting article feedback. So I'll have to wait at least a wee...
by mrzed
Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:36 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Samsung F1 750GB & 1TB Drives: Fast... and Silent?
Replies: 26
Views: 25317

The idea that platter density and throughput are related in such a way that they would be equal for drives of the same platter size but different capacity sounds suspect. I would think that all other things being equal, the drive with more platters (or heads) has more bits available over a given rot...
by mrzed
Thu May 08, 2008 8:25 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Attack of the Scythes
Replies: 72
Views: 66075

One thing I'd like to see noted - the scythe fans represent great value. At least in NA, they are less expensive than most other premium fans - barely more than the generics.
by mrzed
Fri May 02, 2008 4:06 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Photoshop PC Spec assistance - motherboard choices?
Replies: 4
Views: 2712

Thanks for the replies - The budget - somewhat flexible. Enough to accommodate quad core, not enough for 5 velociraptors. I'd think we are looking at up to 1500 for hardware. A little over is possible, but not enough to afford true hardware RAID or bleeding edge anything. I'll definitely recommend s...
by mrzed
Fri May 02, 2008 12:10 pm
Forum: System Advice / Troubleshooting
Topic: Photoshop PC Spec assistance - motherboard choices?
Replies: 4
Views: 2712

Photoshop PC Spec assistance - motherboard choices?

Hi all, I am helping my neighbour spec out a new PC for primarily Photoshop work. The neighbour is a professional photographer and will be working with very large images, so performance is a consideration, but so is budget. My primary goals are stability, compatibility, performance and silence. Prob...
by mrzed
Fri Apr 06, 2007 6:48 am
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: Intake fan necessary?
Replies: 8
Views: 7057

Not usually.

For a standard case setup, intake fans are normally used around here as spot cooling for hard drives (if needed). You case temps are low enough that HD cooling is probably fine without a front fan.
by mrzed
Sat Mar 31, 2007 8:18 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: CBC's "Test the Nation"...
Replies: 13
Views: 6746

nici wrote:What exactly does age have to do with my IQ? "Your IQ score is calculated based on your age" it says. If i enter all the same answers when im 78 am i smarter then?
Other way around usually. The tests take into account acquired knowledge. The younger you are, the less you are likely to have.
by mrzed
Fri Mar 30, 2007 8:05 am
Forum: Video Cards & Monitors
Topic: Need help selecting NVidia video card for MythTV frontend
Replies: 11
Views: 7146

Actually, smaller transistor processes have meant more leakage for the last few process generations (.09nm and lower). This effect has been reduced somewhat by using different materials. The thing that makes smaller processes run cooler is that they always mean a lower voltage requirement, and as we...
by mrzed
Thu Mar 22, 2007 5:26 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Enermax Galaxy: A KiloWatt power supply
Replies: 47
Views: 45881

In both cases I first simply removed the rear fan and left the bottom on its own. In the second case, where I kept the PSU for longer, I then ran the bottom fan on fixed voltage using a fan controller, as it was the only way I could get it decently quiet. Noise went down noticeably with the first mo...
by mrzed
Wed Mar 21, 2007 7:02 pm
Forum: Green Computing
Topic: new online store for custom environmentally friendlier pcs
Replies: 30
Views: 27563

From an operational energy efficiency point of view, 65W idle isn't very green. Lots of PCs can do much better -- ie, below 50W I know it's not "dark green" - but how about "light green"? Based on the info in SPCR's ENERGY STAR article it still seems like this system will be in the upper 20-25% of ...
by mrzed
Wed Mar 21, 2007 6:37 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Enermax Galaxy: A KiloWatt power supply
Replies: 47
Views: 45881

I think the review is valuable in spite of the ultimately negative conclusion. This is an interesting PSU, with well implemented features and excellent performance in everything but noise and efficiency. Unfortunately for the Galaxy, these go hand in hand, and are thus the primary criteria by which ...
by mrzed
Fri Mar 16, 2007 12:09 pm
Forum: CPU Cooling
Topic: Scythe Mini Ninja spotted
Replies: 106
Views: 95042

Perhaps someone has been monitoring this forum and has seen the light.

If the performance holds out (can't see why it wouldn't) and the price is right, they have my dollar.
by mrzed
Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:56 pm
Forum: Green Computing
Topic: new online store for custom environmentally friendlier pcs
Replies: 30
Views: 27563

You should edit your first post to include the web link. That way, casual thread viewers will not have to discover it several posts later.
by mrzed
Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:42 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Al Gore not exactly environment friendly...
Replies: 95
Views: 46975

When I see discussions like this, one question comes to mind for the climate skeptics: what is the problem with making changes based on this data even in the unlikely event that the data (or analysis) is incorrect? Excepting certain exotic and dubious proposals such as carbon sequestration, most of ...
by mrzed
Thu Mar 08, 2007 1:17 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Spire Fourier IV heatsink/fan
Replies: 11
Views: 11435

Some may say "Silent PC Review" equals "Environmentally-friendly PC Review" and they'd have a good argument, but that paragraph is inconsistent, if not unprofessional. Where was the complaint about the Ninja's packaging, which appears to use at least as much clear plastic, and even more colored car...
by mrzed
Sat Mar 03, 2007 1:00 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Andy Samurai Master CPU heatsink/fan
Replies: 24
Views: 21252

This doesn't mean there will never be any advantage, just that there isn't one for our setup. OC the CPU and put it in a case with dual 8800s... and you'd probably see a difference. This is a really important point. I was thinking about this and wondering if it might be useful to add a single sente...
by mrzed
Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:19 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Al Gore not exactly environment friendly...
Replies: 95
Views: 46975

As for me, I... -- minimize car usage. No car commuting by anyone in my household. Walk or bike whenever we can. How far are you from your work? How do you deal with snow and freezing rain? (I may just be a wimp, but I really suffer in super cold weather... and I can only imagine that Vancouver is ...
by mrzed
Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:20 pm
Forum: The Silent Front
Topic: When [your] computer is too [quiet]...
Replies: 32
Views: 30924

A heavy blanket hung on the offending wall may help. We used to spend many hours in blanket-covered basements in my amplified youth.
by mrzed
Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:03 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Al Gore not exactly environment friendly...
Replies: 95
Views: 46975

I suggest everyone stop spewing hot air and start doing it, then. You don't need to convince everyone around you that you're right in order to walk places instead of driving. Education and awareness is part of the challenge. As for me, I... -- minimize car usage. No car commuting by anyone in my ho...
by mrzed
Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:58 pm
Forum: Green Computing
Topic: How much (extra) power do UPS's draw?
Replies: 17
Views: 32717

This is an interesting question, as I am looking to get a UPS to run all my AV gear through, and I was wondering about the phantom load I would be adding. I'll be watching this with interest for Mike's measurements. On a related note, I'm pleased that my Denon receiver, LG LCD TV, and DVD player all...
by mrzed
Thu Mar 01, 2007 3:50 pm
Forum: SPCR Article Discussion
Topic: Scythe Andy Samurai Master CPU heatsink/fan
Replies: 24
Views: 21252

I've been wondering the same thing. Ideally, I'm looking to replace my retail AMD HSF, but it runs fine at about 7v, and is surpisingly quiet at that speed. I need to fix other noise sources before getting too concerned with the CPU cooling. I'm surprised there has not been a top notch HTPC-worthy h...
by mrzed
Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:45 pm
Forum: Newcomers Briefing Room
Topic: New Computer Break-In Procedures?
Replies: 8
Views: 6977

"Burn in" can also refer to a long-standing myth in the overclocking community that took forever to die (and may still exist in fringe elements). The idea was, after a time of "burning in" a CPU could be clocked faster. The idea was wrong.