Quiet Computing from VIA

[MikeC]

VIA Technologies has just created an entire new section on their website dedicated specifically to "Quiet Computing from VIA." Sub-pages and PDF downloadables on relevant topics make it one of the most comprehensive noise/silence related web resources by any PC company:

• Why is Noise a Problem?
• How PC Noise Affects You
• Noise Matters
• Noise, Computing and VIA(white paper, downloadable PDF)
• An Introduction to Measuring PC Noise (downloadable PDF)

SPCR had a hand in this: The last two downloadable PDF articles are by yours sincerely.

VIA Arena, VIA's tech support portal, also has a new article about PC noise related stress. Altogether, these new pages represent a major positioning statement and a deeper commitment to the Quiet PC for VIA, one that may augur increased development on the quiet front, not only from VIA but also from their partners, and from competitors who don't want to miss out on new markets.

[Krokosaur]

In the 1st PDF you said:
"Sounds are additive, but not in a simple linear way. Two 30 dB noise sources results in 33 dB. Four of the same noises makes 36 dB. Eight 30 dB noise sources makes 39 dB, and 16 makes 42 dB: Each doubling of identical noise sources results in a 3 dB increase in noise."

Anyway, they're additive. Wouldn't be this a way to let you measure very low level noise by adding more sources ? Say, you have a cheaper sound meter that can go no lower than 35dB. You have no way to verify the claim that some computer case or fan is really 28 dB. But if you pile up 8 of them, that would be 28+9=37, well within the range of the sound meter ...

I know, it's super-cheesy and very expensive for one person to get all those, but for a determined retailer (or definitely for the manufacturer) that has many of those items that need to be tested laying around, this could be better than nothing ...
I was looking for sound meters to go very low and I noticed indeed that the closer you come to the magic 20dB level, the more expensive they get, even to ~3K$+. Yay!! Then, of course, you would need a very quiet room. But with the cheesy-method(tm), you bring the noise-of-interest above the background noise level, then measure it.

Touch my polygon again, and I'll P-P-K you. -Konoko

[MikeC]

It's true, that IS an option, but you run into problems there too. Room acoustics are not linear and 8 Panaflos altogether may end up having a different frequency balance (and therefore different broadband SPL reading) than a single one. Also, the farther you go with extrapolation the less accurate the result are -- in any discipline. No exception in acoustics.

What I would say, perhaps rewrite!, is that in theory, this is the way it works, but measuring 1 fan, and then 8 together in a normal live room may show some deviance from that theory.

[Athlon Powers]

Bah, VIA processors lack arithmetic and FPU power. VIA is a cheap ripoff, buy AMD and silence that, which isnt hard.

[Zhentar]

in your "unbiased" opinion. for about half an hour here I've had a first hand demonstration that a 1 ghz athlon xp is MORE than good enough for web surfing and what not. The VIA is a weak platform, but very acceptable for basic operations. Their extremely low power consumption makes them very well suited for silence. I don't know the prices though, so I can't say anything on the cost....

[MikeC]

The market VIA is addressing is quite different from the power hungry crowd bred by decades of intense Intel/AMD marketing. It's not directly competitive with Intel/AMD or even Mac markets. It has its own niche and straddles the industrial markets somewhat with low end consumer markets.

In many places in the world such as certain parts of Europe, Asia & China, the single biggest growth market for PCs, low power consumption, small size, complete integration and low cost are highly valued over high power demand, unnecessary speed, large size and high cost.

In the West, the niche that VIA fills is not as a primary PC for the home, but as a secondary (or even 3rd) machine for things other than gaming. The M series works fine as a HTPC & the price is right. It's also the way many larger companies are going for general white collar workers. Certainly a big trend in Japan, Taiwan, Korea, etc and we're just beginning to see it develop here. Most of VIA's big clients are with corp system integrators who are building the EPIA boards into inexpensive bread&butter boxes for every desk -- at half the price of a similar Intel/AMD based machine, with a third of the power consumption, reductions in air conditioning costs, etc.

It is cheap in every way, including ecologically, which is great, and it works fine for what it was intended to do. It is NOT a ripoff.

PS -- And I am NOT writing here as a VIA spokesperson or anything of the sort.

[MikeC]

in your "unbiased" opinion. for about half an hour here I've had a first hand demonstration that a 1 ghz athlon xp is MORE than good enough for web surfing and what not. The VIA is a weak platform, but very acceptable for basic operations. Their extremely low power consumption makes them very well suited for silence. I don't know the prices though, so I can't say anything on the cost....

My own experience is that the last really dramatic and fun computing upgrade was from a Celeron 300A (oc'd to 450) to a P3-550 (oc'd to 800). The improvement in performance was SUCH a RUSH!! The next upgrade to a 1G T-bird was good & definitely noticeable but ultimately disappointing compared to the Cel450-to-P3-800 upgrade. The T-bird change was most noteworthy in that it got me totally involved in PC silencing.

Since then, P4-1.6, XP1700+, XP2000+, P4-2.4, P4-2.8... none of these really did that much for me. I think I could go back to that P3-800 and be content in most of the work/play I do with the PC. Even heavy-duty Photpshop / DTP work.

[Td_nw]

I personally only use AMD now, but...

VIA has a good slice of a section of the market over here. Almost every computer store stocks mini computers the size of a External CD-Burner, and even a little larger HTPCs based an VIA platforms and chips. Still incredibly small, but they get the intended job done.