very tempted to go SFF, but I have some questions first.

mustang_steve

mustang_steve

c[H]ewbacca
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I was thinking about going to an SFF since they first came out, but I've always had some questions:

First is the cooling....I am a nut for silent computing...how quiet can a gamerig built on these get? I figure I'll probably have to buy an Exos, but it's worth asking.

The next is the small-ish power supply...Just from the heat ouput figure from the CPUs today alone, you would think that at least a 400w supply would be called for...but I could be a way off here too....so has anyone had issues running 6800 ultras/X800 XTs?

Last is DIY, are there any good places to get SFF motherboards and cases, I'm a big DIY nut, so it would be a bonus if I could do this.


Thanks!
 
Shuttles come in barebone systems or fully intergrated systems, so putting together your own mb and case is out of the question. For silent computing I would say that it really depends on the video card that you have. It will more than likely be the biggest source of noise, unless you spring for something along the lines of a fans less video card (i.e. Gigabyte's fanless 6800). I have a 9600xt in my SN95G5 and the noise is killing me. :(
 
Look into an ARIA & mATX board. The only major source of noise is going to be the near silent 120mm power supply fan. Shuttles are nice to look at + a bit narrower, but offer limited customizability, and a 40mm power supply fan that you are just not going to be able to do anything about the noise. The ARIA also uses 1/4 thick plastic panels to absorb the sound and you can use a Zalman 7000 with it. Spraypainted mine all black and it looks sick. :cool:

Downside with the ARIA is the limited number of mATX boards available, especially if you overclock. If you're looking to go AMD, the only 939 mATX board that is at all available in the US is the MSI RS480M2-IL. Not bad features, but no overclocking. Other than that, there's at least half a dozen boards that are supposed to be out, but have been indefinitely delayed. Edit: Just found out about this Foxconn today! The only small downside is it's AGP only, but it most likely offers the full gambit of overclocking options on an nForce3 Ultra! Kickass! The PCI-E version is already out in the UK, so hopefully it also comes out here shortly. The high-end AGP cards are cheaper anyway. :)

As for the power supply, any of the SFFs should have no problems with running any card stock. In that regard, it's probably better there aren't any 939 overclocking boards available. ;)

I'm not sure about Intel, but I know they seem to have a fair number of boards out there that you might want to look into. A Dothan and the AOpen would make a very tight combo...
 
32dB is not silent. 20dB is considered silent, 25-28dB I would consider quiet and 32dB is considered medium. To someone who stresses silence, it's going to be something you will notice.
 
sleepeeg3 said:
32dB is not silent. 20dB is considered silent, 25-28dB I would consider quiet and 32dB is considered medium. To someone who stresses silence, it's going to be something you will notice.
Click to expand...

Its all about perception. 32dba to ME is dead quiet.
 
People dont understand decibels (Im not talking about anyone here). 40Db doesnt look like much more than 20Db.

But since the decibel scale is logarithmic, Im sure 30Db is 10 times louder than 20, and 40Db will be 100x louder than 20.
 
One of my desktops that I currently use is a shuttle sb65G2, running a P4 3.0C and a 9800pro graphics card. This thing is NOT quiet! The case is rather stylish(except for the cheesy super-bright lights), but I decided to keep it tucked away under the desk because of the noise(and I cant stand having the bright blue LED staring at me as I work). I've looked into ways to modify the system to make it quieter, but all of which involves more time than I have for such things, plus the outcome is questionable. Honestly after living with the system for over 6 months, I completely fail to justify spending the money on the SFF -- as the size of it became irrlevent once I tuck it under the desk, and so is its appearance. All the mods that I've seen that supposely quiets it down, uglifies it to something monstreous -- and lessens its appeal on a desk.

I've looked into other SFFs, and honestly only the ones that doesn't have an agp slot (read: on board graphics) and an external power supply can be considered quiet enough to be placed next to your monitor(shuttle SK62TS)... If noise is a concern, be prepared to tuck the thing out of sight -- or better get a tower case and you can easily devise multiple ways to effectively silence it.

just my 2 cents,

yass

mustang_steve said:
I was thinking about going to an SFF since they first came out, but I've always had some questions:

First is the cooling....I am a nut for silent computing...how quiet can a gamerig built on these get? I figure I'll probably have to buy an Exos, but it's worth asking.

The next is the small-ish power supply...Just from the heat ouput figure from the CPUs today alone, you would think that at least a 400w supply would be called for...but I could be a way off here too....so has anyone had issues running 6800 ultras/X800 XTs?

Last is DIY, are there any good places to get SFF motherboards and cases, I'm a big DIY nut, so it would be a bonus if I could do this.


Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
bob said:
People dont understand decibels (Im not talking about anyone here). 40Db doesnt look like much more than 20Db.

But since the decibel scale is logarithmic, Im sure 30Db is 10 times louder than 20, and 40Db will be 100x louder than 20.
Click to expand...

I can understand that, but those ratings are still subjective to the methods of testing.
 
The new Dell optiplexes are nearly silent. I certianly cant hear them running. Im sure they use a wimpy celeron processor, and they do have an external PSU. You could steal about 5 of these at one time with a backpack at my school...
 
IceWind said:
Its all about perception. 32dba to ME is dead quiet.
Click to expand...

then you have been deffened....

my definition of scilent is i can BARELY hear the fan if i have my ear right next to it...
32db is easaly noticable from 5 feet away...
 
something truely 20dbA and under should sound silent to most people. :)
 
I have a Ideq 210p with a amd 3000+ and a ATI x800xt pe and it runs good and it runs silent and cool i love it oh yea and i have cosair vaule selecet pc3200 and power is no issue for me as i thought it would be i love it i dont think i will go back at all
 
My SN95G5 is damn near silent for me... The LEDs can be a pain when across from your bed but other than that its fine.

The only major problem with the current gen Shuttles is the same with all SFFs: expandability kind of sucks. I need a firewire hub soon since I'm running out of space.
 
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