I made some modifications, turned 180 degrees the CPU0 heatsink so they're more close to each other, added an exhaust duct made from a SilenX 38mm frame :-) and a little "heat screen" to prevent some air from going up the PSU :-) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/th_SPR_6...

No unfortunately on this board they ain't aligned: CPU0 has the DIMMs on top, while CPU1 has them on bottom, so there's a 1" misalignment. Before starting to build the card duct I wanted to check the potential with the blue duct since I had it layin' around recycled from my HR01 :-) Just now trying ...

I'm trying different approaches. The one you see in the picture is the push-pull version: the intake fan (1) blows into CPU1 heatsink, then air passes into CPU0 heatsink and is extracted by fan 2 on the rear (i.e. Mac Pro), but this way I'd have to use some high-pressure fans, if not air tends to es...

Testing a ducted symmetrical intake-exhaust PWM cooling system... have to try tweakin' it :-) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/th_SPR_6833.jpg But that's not the only one modification I made :mrgreen: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/th_SPR_6...

Before the DIMM prices rise again...

16384MB OK



Added a USB 3.0 HDD docking station too.

Now it's finished so that frankenstein-power supply's gone :-D I know drilling a 120 hole in the cover would cool it more efficiently, but this is more of an experiment than a super silent system, and (as in every 1U rack system) air flow is supposed to go horizontally from the front to the back :-)...

It's almost done... have to drill the vents on the front and then it's finished

After the 16-Xeon workstation and the E5200 6-HDD HTPC, now it's time to experiment something else :-) Having some components laying around I decided to recycle them in a different way :-P And I named this project "Unsuspecting Nettop" because I will try to stuff a complete Core 2 Duo desktop system...

Planning on upgrading system memory to 16384 MB

I had to replace the Gigabyte mobo with the Asus I had before, since I damaged it during an attempt to find the reason for the DVB-S2 card malfunction. But now, by only chaging motherboard, the card works :shock: :-D and using the onboard Sata replicator... no more external or onboard controllers :-...

All "new" fans perform wonderfully :-D the SAS blower and the Verax between the chipsets too :-D And now, Asus ENGT220 1GB Silent DIY 8-) with a modified heatsink taken from an old 7600GS, now temperatures are alright :-) http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/SPR_6501.jpg htt...

Some new pictures :-) Let's cut some L-shaped aluminum and make the security holder for the second CPU heatsink :-D http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/SPR_6484.jpg An attempt at silencing the Geforce GT220 using one of the 60mm blowers... not as expected :-( http://img.pho...

Have performed color calibration for the SM245B main screen :-D I just found out the NEC 1850E from 2002 used an IPS panel, that's why its viewing angle is so wide 8-) shame it has a contrast of only 350:1 and as said, backlight has reached the end. But this won't bother me: I have just ordered a br...

Some little updates :-D We'll see for graphics: if I have to, then I'll swap the silent Radeon HD4350 for a Nvidia Quadro FX580 (since the program I would want to use needs a FX560 or better... :-?) let's hope the fan is silent enough :wink: And now the new L5640 Xeons are out... a little pricey but...

I prefer some industrial-grade binding posts and this has an advantage: the internal 5V regulator makes it usable on any external switching 12V power supply, not PC related

To power the external optical drives I have under the Canon printer . Inside the 1U case there's a 5V switching regulator

http://silenx.com/ixtremaprofans.asp?sku=ixp-34-12
Undervolted to 9V

BTW I wasn't able to enable xvYCC mode but I calibrated my PJ on some test signals in full RGB (DVI) mode, now Color1 and Cinema1 are the most natural color modes

Being able to set all possible movie refresh rates in Win7 (23.976p, 24p, 25p, 29.97p, 30p, 50p, 60p) I'm able to perfectly match every movie I have and so I can enable the 100 Hz scanning on my projector (Frame Creation mode2, mode1 is 50 Hz). More fluidity and more temporal detail :-D Next step wi...

I found out the old WD10EACS drives I had on the workstation vibrate less than the new EADS ones, so I swapped them :-) Now I should slow down some fans and test performance in closed system... For now, MPEG-2 video sync and quality tests :-D on Win7 I'm able to force 23.976p refresh rate 8-) http:/...

I don't use sleep mode. If I don't use it, I power it off

These days I bought a lot of new GP HDDs :-P, two single-platter WD5000AADS to replace the two old WD5000AACS which still were in my 4x500G array, now they're 4 identical and the difference is clear... :mrgreen: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/BIGDISK.jpg :-) Now before...

Intel stock have very dense fins and a 60mm fan so to cool them down you need a fast and noisy fan. They're way smaller so less surface, from some brief tests I made before getting the Noctuas in open air condition I found out with the stock HSF it's hard to keep them below 80 °C without a very goo...

Ntavlas I know that, and in fact now I tie everything's possible in a way that it can be replaced without going crazy :-). Now I'm doing some vibration tests, and it seems that my WD3200BEVT 2.5" drive vibrates way more than normal... :cry: it'd be the 4th faulty WD Scorpio in a year :-x I mounted m...

This is the replacement bolt for the defective one http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/IMG_2586.jpg And the washers used to get more spring load http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/WORKSTATION/IMG_2587.jpg I explained this manufacturing issue to Noctua's techn...

I modified the brackets by adding a 5x10 washer on every screw to get more spring load, if mounted vertically these heatsinks tend to detach from the CPUs that's why I added the washers and the little wire you see in some images hanging from the PSU cage to CPU0 HSF, I'm planning to add a similar su...

I didn't like the original Silverstone NT01E mounting system, so let's cut off some foam from the backplate and remove the fans mount to maximize air flow http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/dunk5.1dts/RACK4/WNT_6134.jpg Let's place some nylon washers together with some steel ones and place it on...

Note: the new F8D BIOS which has to be installed on the X48-DQ6 to correctly detect the E5200 CPU, finally enables correct sensor readings from Everest, including the onboard DES system with its real-time CPU amperometer: on stock voltages, idle is 5W and load is 21W. Not bad

ces The duct is a simple piece of plastic :-) widely used for industrial/exhaust ducting airflow, it is the piece which converts a round Ø90mm (3.5") type duct in a rectangular 100x52 (4x2") type, angulated 90 degrees. The round end fits perfectly a round Intel LGA775 stock heatsink and the outer e...

It's time for a V2.0 :-D I took out the Asus P5Q board and replaced it with a Gigabyte X48-DQ6 (it was on my Q6600 workstation), keeping the good old E5200. Maybe the DQ6 is a bit over the top for a HTPC but it has 8 SATA connectors so I can pull out the Marvell card and use the onboard JMB363 chip ...

Today some first HD encoding tests with meGUI 0.3.4.0 and X264_64.exe
On H264->H264 1920x1080->1440x1080 it makes slightly more than 1X, 26 fps first pass, let's see 2nd pass... big improvement over Q6600