My HD321KJ is slightly quieter then the already quiet Samsung SP2004C, and the indicated temperature is lower, too (barely above room ambient). Both have Nidec motors.

They're both mounted with foam isolation spacers on Sonata drive sleds, and I haven't noticed any vibration with either Samsung.

Beyonder, If I was the sole user of this PC, I might give serious thought to Ubuntu and give it a try. But this is the "family PC" and some of the users are distinctly "anti-tech", so I've worked hard to keep this system as simple (at the user interfaces) as possible. And I've already shelled out th...

I'd be wary of running 4 sticks of RAM...lots of mobo's are: - unable to run 4 sticks at PC3200 speeds. - just unable to drive 4 sticks at any speed. Thanks for those comments, Steve. I should have pointed out that I have previously had 1.5 GB of RAM (2x512 + 2x256, all matching Corsair TwinX) runn...

Now that my taxes are done, I'm about to install Vista Home Premium and have a few questions. I needed to buy a new OS CD anyway (my XP Pro was illegal because I'd been sold a "License" copy by an on-line retailer several years ago), so I bought Vista for a little more then a legitimate copy of XP P...

Many of us on SPCR are quite pleased with Samsung drives. Both of mine are substantially quieter then the previous 80Gb 7200.7 Seagate.

And Welcome to SPCR!

1) What material should I use instead of electrical tape? I though about hot glue, but wasn't sure how well it held fabric against fabric. Could you just tie the ends, or staple them? Instead of fabric elastic, I'd suggest using Stretch Magic in one of the larger diameters (1.5 or 1.8mm) and knot t...

Here's a very inexpensive and, from my experience, pretty effective HDD isolation approach for Sonata drive sleds. However, those Seagates still won't be really quiet, at least my 7200.7 wasn't. That took some Samsungs to accomplish (see sig). PS. The Samsungs also run very cool, reducing the intak...

I've got a Sonata, but would prefer a Solo. My reasons: - The door covering the drives on the Sonata is a pain, unless you have some need to secure access to the PC, which it provides. I removed the door several years ago. - While the intake is much better on the Sonata II, the many small openings m...

I have been looking at the Thermalright XP-120, will it be able to keep the cpu cool and be quiet as well ? My XP-120 with a Papst 4412 F/2GL running at 6-11V works very quietly with a Northwoods CPU (TDP of 89 or 92W, depending on where I look). CPU and other temps under 100% sustained load are ty...

it's Achilles Heel: the hard drive temps are higher in the Sonata, all else being equal. While that may be true "all else being equal," the Samsung drives (see sig) in my Sonata I/II hybrid (Mk II front panel on a Mk I) rarely go over 30C under normal use. That being said, I'll probably get a Solo ...

Sadly its an SATAII drive and my motherboard only has standard SATA drive ports. SATA II drives, at least both of my Samsungs, work fine on regular SATA ports. There's a jumper (supplied with the HDD) that is set for SATA "I" operation. No bridge or other cable required. You won't get SATA II perfo...

Well, I have often read, that the seek noise from the Samsungs is quite loud when compared to the WD5000AAKS, even with AAM turned on. I was also thinking of getting the Samsung, but that deters me a bit. My limited experience with Samsungs (SP2004C and new HD321KJ) has been totally positive. Seek ...

Two HDDs (both extremely quiet and cool): Samsung SP2004C primary Samsung HD321KJ backup I'll flip those around when I get a legitimate version of Windows XP - found out I'd been sold a illegal "Licensing" version by an online vendor two years ago when I was even more naive. I back up data to DVD ev...

on the side note, where do you put all the leftover cables (if you don't have a modular-cable PSU) in your Sonata 2? (if you do use this case) I suggest that you start a topic with this question in "Cases and Damping." Raptor, since you seem to like lots of suggestions before diving in, you'll prob...

Have you seen this threada few lines down regarding the excellent Samsung HD321KJ?

Maybe that HDD isn't available to you, but if it is, I'd recommend it highly.

uGuru reports a "system" temperature, which may be the board temp, or it may be the NB temp (though as I mentioned, it doesn't seem to change, so maybe the board temp is more likely). The uGuru-reported "system" temp does seem to be a board (or "case") temp. The Abit AI7 uses it as the controlling ...

Raptor,

Time for you to do some looking around for yourself. That question has been answered in the past. There are excellent recent fan reviews by SPCR and also by forum members. Try the Search function and User Reviews for the latter.

Raptor, Jab-tech doesn't sell that Zalman ZM-MC1 though. The do, however, have a 12V-to-7V converter . And this one could be easily made into a Molex-to-5V by switching the wires as shown in the how-to link I sent you earlier. And before you ask, don't forget to also get closed-corner fan isolators....

Here's how to make your converter for 5V, 7V or 12V at a Molex connector. Or use Zalman's ZM-MC1, which will give you two 5V and two 12V 3-pin connectors from a single Molex. and which Yate Look should i take? the black one or the orange one? I doubt you'd notice any difference. If it was me, I'd g...

Thank you for the elucidation! now i cn b 1337 2

I work in aerospace engineering, where initialisms and acronyms are rampant. Too often the assumption is that others in the industry will know the meaning of ASD, WER, JKL, etc. (those are random letters!), and that is often not true, even within a single project. Definitely breaks down communicatio...

so you recommend me to buy that Yate Loon from the link i posted here? No, Raptor, I would recommend that you purchase Yate Loons from the link I provided. Jab-Tech has an excellent reputation around SPCR, and we'd certainly like them to get the business so they stay in business. Why buy from e-bay...

Am I the only one that gets irritated by forum responses written in in "text message speak?" It seems acceptable in the frenzy of overclocking forums, but less so in the calm, mature environment of SPCR. What's so hard about spelling out "you," "please," or "to" when you're using a full keyboard? Bu...

I'm using what is essentially a medium speed Yate Loon, as badged and sold by CompUSA - ~1600 rpm at 12V. At 5V it's spinning ~840 rpm, and just as quiet as the nearby Nexus at 8V, also indicating 800-840 rpm.

So I'd surmise that they're all similar at the same fan speed.

well i fear i might screw-up my CPU by lowering the voltage to 1.4V, since my board seem to "voluntary" add 0.1V to it. Try it and see what happens. if one rear 120mm fan have 70CFM, will i get better airflow if i put 2x120mm fans running at 40CFM? (setting the rear fan at 40CFM and adding a front ...

Yup. Cheaper at Jab-Tech . The Nexus is slightly quieter as a result of running slower (it is a slower re-badged Yate Loon), but the Yate Loon-badged version gives more 'overhead', which could be a good idea given your high indicated CPU temps. Another possibility is the Globalwin , which is compare...

2. There doesn't seem to be a good way to mount it on a vertical motherboard. The heat pipes are either going to be like this \/, or they will be like this /\. Either way the evaporated liquid is suppose to head downhill at some point. And do you see a clear path for the condensed liquid to return?...

at maximum speed of 2000rpm it seem to be pretty quiet I suggest that no fan at 2000 rpm is quiet by SPCR standards - air flow noise alone will be higher then we'd like. There is nothing lost by briefly changing the fan speed with your Fanmate to find out what it could be noise-wise. And try slowin...

the only thing that worried me would be possible damage to the fanmate Now that I'm at home and looking at my recessed Fanmate, the metal portion of the Fanmate is set back a mm or more from the black cover. If you use a small brush ( not spray) and go slow, it looks pretty easy. Maybe even trim th...

so you recommend me to put it back on top of my desk when i'll get my new PSU? That's where mine is (no room for the Sonata under the desk drawers). Remember that the PSU is probably only one of your noticeable noise sources. The other big improvements in mine included: - convert the NB HSF to pass...