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Subject: Re: Quiet computer
Name:
 ludicrous
Date: 11/24/2006 8:44:53 PM (GMT-7)
IP Address: 71.212.160.33
In Reply to: Re: Quiet computer posted by
BH Davis
Message:
CPU power -- no hard rules, process shrinks and design modifications have non-obvious effects on this parameter. Dual Core? Only if you typically do multiple processor-intensive tasks at once.
WD hard drives -- don't know because I haven't bought one in a while. In the past, they tended to produce a grinding whine, almost as if someone was using a Dremmel two rooms over. Whatever you buy, look for a "Fluid Dynamic Bearing." Really helps with the motor noise.
Case -- looks nice enough, although you may want to put a dust filter over the bottom inlet fan. Worst thing you can do here is buy a cheap one, because thin metal not only fails to supress noise, it may resonate in time with fast fans or disk drives and even cause plastic fasica components to vibrate, also.
General power consumption questions -- try The Tech Report's archives, look for any recent articles that deal with video cards or CPUs. They usually take a power test at the wall, which is only ballpark if your system is different from their test setup, but at least gives a general idea how the power profile will change in response to CPU or GPU changes (all power consumed must exit as heat).
PSU -- this one you didn't mention, but it is important. Look for a high-efficiency unit, preferably near 80%, as these produce less heat, and usually use slower and/or temperature controlled fans. Also, the efficiency sweet spot for a switching supply is usually somewhere around 70% of rated power, so don't hang a 700W supply in a modest system and don't use a fully-loaded 300-400W supply in a high-end CAD or gaming rig.
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