My Rev B iMac I've got one of the "Rev B" iMacs. Its the revision before they added the iSight. I can say that my system gets a bit loud for my tastes at times. For instance, re-encoding long video files and playing the Sims 2 each seem to push the system fans pretty hard. Even when its idle, thoug...

Before I got the iMac I used a Samsung SM-352BENB CD-RW/DVD combo drive. I found it to be very quiet, though initial spin-up was a about as loud as any other drive. When it settled down to DVD read speed it was nice and quiet.

Another unsolicited update - I ran the iMac all day yesterday with the energy saving features (sleep, display sleep, and hard disk sleep) turned off and a 3D screen saver running. Unfortunately, when I returned home from work it was hard to miss the noise. It was borderline loud, and beyond unaccept...

Well, I've cleared the issue up a bit. I chatted with Apple tech support last night, and they said that the user is free to upgrade the hard disk without voiding the warranty. They ask that you keep the original disk so that it can be put back in for diagnostic purposes if you ever run into problems...

Actually, a nice thing about the G5 iMac is that you can open it up and do a few things. However, theres a thermostat cable attached to the drive rails that needs to be removed in order to replace the HD, and you're not allowed to remove it. Of course, if you purchase a new "drive assembly" from App...

Still haven't opened it up, but I found a little utility that shows me the hard disk is a Maxtor. No big surprise there. I did find something out that makes me uncomfortable... apparently changing the hard disk in the iMac G5s voids the warranty. That isn't a good thing, as I was already starting to...

Just wanted to check in and give a quick review. I bought one of these (20" 2.0GHz Revision B) a few days ago. First off, it isn't silent. My PC (listed in my sig) is nearly silent, and the difference is noticeable. That said, it isn't loud, and the noise I hear is pretty benign. Right now it is in ...

Cool. I didn't realize that they had rolled out official support for it. In that case, single drive is definitely the way to go. I wish I could offer you some big drive advice, but I'm still back in the stone age with my 160's! Definitely let us know how it goes. One warning- you're going to find th...

My Series 2 Tivo has a 137GB limit on disk size. Its easy to overwrite the firmware to allow bigger drives, but regular Tivo updates re-overwrite it meaning I'd have to go back in and do it again. Kind of a PITA, so I decided to use 2 drives instead. I don't know if its the same with the Direct Tivo...

Well that's good news... in a manner. I guess I don't need to worry about the quality of music I rip on the Mac, but now I need to second guess the stuff I've already recorded!

Thanks for the input,
Emmett Lyman

Thanks for the music advice. I'd hoped to maitain about the same quality level that I've used up till now by mirroring the 100% VBR MP3 on the Mac, but I guess I'll resolve to use the AAC to get teh best quality I can for similar space usage. Well, I guess my other questions were too hard, so I'll a...

Well, I'm thinking about making the switch. My PC is awesome- dead silent if I manage the fans right, very fast, and can do just about anything. However, I've grown weary of being a tech support guru- especially for my own system. I'd like to get a system in which the software works and I'm not cons...

I contributed to this topic about a year ago when the Tagans were first hitting the market. Thought I'd give everyone an update, especially given the bad reviews I've read in other threads. My 480W is still running strong, and is still inaudible vs the rest of my system (which is impressive, since t...

I use a Seagate 7200.7 in mine, and its pretty quiet (though the Samsungs in my PC are quieter). However, the real noise problem with the Xbox (at least mine) is the fan. I replaced it with one I found at Directron (it was an awkward size- 70mm, I believe), but its still much too loud. I'll be tryin...

I've got to hand it to them... when the Gateway profiles first came out I asked why the heck they didn't contain all the wires via bluetooth and internal wi-fi.... Apple really did a beautiful job here. If it had TV-Wonder-like multimedia ability, and if iTunes had track-on-demand like Musicmatch do...

Heh... they definitely don't compare to my home theater, but I'll tell you what- these Logitechs are a heck of a lot better than the Altec Lansings I used to have! I don't think there are any really high quality "computer speakers" available... the only real solution for top quality audio is a terra...

The Sonata loves to leave "Antec" dust marks from the rather inconvenient holes in it's sides. No bother to me... they haven't caused any problems yet, and I only clean it every few months. I figured I'd leave the "A" on the PSU as an inside joke for any other Sonata owners! As far as the wires go.....

Well, I had to bring my PC into my bedroom a while back, and I thought, "Hey, why don't I use it to play DVDs?" Well, it turned into an obsession, and I've built a nearly perfect PC. Check my signature for the details, but suffice it to say it's fast as hell (for my photo and video editing purposes,...

I've got two Seagate SP1614Cs (that's right, right?) in my SATA RAID 0 array. Works perfectly, dead silent (on Sorbothane), and cool as a cucumber; I couldn't be happier.

Good luck,
Emmett Lyman

I used a Seagate 7200 for mine because it is cool, quiet, big (120GB- I hear that the big HD support is still spotty), and lockable. However, I still found the Xbox loud and had to replace the fan to quiet it down. Now it is nearly silent, and works perfectly with my home theater and AIW network arr...

Everyone continues to be amazed at how cool the ATI 9600 series of cards are. I've got an AIW 9600 with a Zalman silent cooler on it... that cooler is serious overkill for the chip and never even gets warm.

Good luck,
Emmett Lyman

Just thought I'd let people know about this experience. When I first got my AIW 9600 Pro I installed a Zalman HP cooler. I bore down pretty hard on the screws, and ended up pulling the heatsink off of the chip (I think the card was slightly bowed, too). I started getting artifacts all over the scree...

I did a lot of research before buying my Samsung SM-352NENB CDRW/DVD Combo drive. It's much quieter than any drive I've had before, especially while reading DVDs. When it spins up for a new disc or while burning it's still loud, but that is to be expected. For one thing, it is quieter than the Plext...

I got two 160GB SATA drives within days of them becoming available (SATA RAID). Both died about 2 months later. The replacements have been working perfectly ever since, so I'm cautiously optimistic. I threw an old WD 120GB drive into a USB enclsure so my most improtant stuff is backed up. I'm lookin...

I've got a modded Xbox, too. I've replaced the original hard disk with an IBM 75GXP I had lying around. My goodness... it is loud! I'm thinking about getting a Barracuda IV instead. I know there is also a mod at xbox-scene.com for installing an 80mm case fan to replace the loud blower they've got. I...

[quote="kieI used to be deaf and content before I found SPCR...[/quote]

Ain't that the truth. This is an addiction.

Emmett Lyman

You may have difficulty adapting a 120mm fan to the Silent Boost. Check to make sure that there is plenty of room between 1) the heatsink and your power supply (and anything else for that matter), and 2) the side of your case. The adapters add height to the assembly, and naturally the 120mm fan is w...

Putz,

Top performing or most reliable?

Thanks,
Emmett Lyman

Some mainboards are now coming with 4 SATA channels that can all be RAID-ed together. I think ASUS or Abit even has a 6 Ch. SATA board. Here's one I've got two Samsungs in RAID and think they're swell. Once I get around to enabling AAM again, I won't have to think about them at all :-) They're dead ...

Don't apologize for being vague... I didn't expect you or anyone else to have both a 3100 and 6000 lying around! I appreciate your insight. And yes, I'm undervolting all my fans using a Rheobus. I don't know exactly waht voltage they're each at, but I've basically got the two case fans set just abov...