Thanks, Bob -- I'll check out silentpcreview. Perfect... in the meantime, I'll note that interference would be a problem for me, as I have an FM tuner (which I use, mostly for KLCC) on my tv tuner card. Already, I notice occasional banding on my tv reception, which I think is interference (since it isn't apparent on my standalone idiot box).
In terms of keeping a system cool, quietly, what does our readship think of this: setup a peltier cooler between the heat and a huge heatsink (of some mystical nature!), to harvest some extra energy from the temperature difference? And then, if that difference is not great enough to naturally (ie, heatsink xfer) cool the system, switch modes and use the peltier device to induce a temperature difference at the base of the heatsink and cool the system directly (although *using* energy). If the system was built near an always-cool environment (like down in the wine cellar, or up on the Sisters) then it seems a few wasted watts could be reclaimed... which could run an always-on sound-cancelling device inside the case (which does best in the low end of the spectrum, and would hopefully help mask the hard drives' hum). Am *I* crazy? I'd say yes, at least until I have enough money to get any new hardware at all!! Thanks for your time (and feedback), Ben Barrett On Fri, 6 Jun 2003 11:30:13 -0700 Bob Miller <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: | Ben Barrett wrote: | | > Eeek, don't these have major EMF/RFI shielding issues? Starting | > with not being FCC certified, moreover simply not being very safe | > (in that the contents of a PC *belong* in a faraday cage, no?)... | > although I plead partial ignorance, I wanted to ask. Most geeks | > will not argue about the coolness factor, but are they safe? Also, | > acrylic is so brittle! Gah... | | Safe? Electromagnetic radiation won't hurt you (certain "alternative" | opinions aside), it'll just mess up your WiFi and your cell phone and | maybe your neighbors' TV and radio reception. | | That said, yes, EMI-tested cases make good neighbors. | | > My question: what is the cheapest way to *quietly* make a system | > cool? | | Here's the mother lode of quiet computing resources. They have lots | of good info both about cheap, and about extreme low noise. | | http://www.silentpcreview.com/ | | > I'd love to [eventually] get a nice watercooler | | Cheap is not water cooling. Water cooling isn't really quiet, either, | because you still use a fan to cool the radiator. It's a bigger fan, | so it can spin a little slower, but it isn't a panacea. I put | waterblocks on the dual Athlons a year and a half ago, and I've been | working ever since to get the noise down (and keep them from crashing | -- they generate A LOT of heat). | | I'm thinking about scrapping my water cooling setup in a couple of | months and going back to CPU fans because it hasn't been reliable, and | it's been high maintenance all along. And the noise is still too | strong for my taste, both the fans and the pump's vibration. (I like | to listen to quiet music in the office.) | | > Can I put the storage array in the freezer? | | Unlike solid state devices, disk drives have a fairly high minimum | working temperature. The lubricant gets funky and the metal gets | brittle when it's too cold. | | -- | Bob Miller K<bob> | kbobsoft software consulting | http://kbobsoft.com [EMAIL PROTECTED] | _______________________________________________ | EuG-LUG mailing list | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | http://mailman.efn.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/eug-lug _______________________________________________ EuG-LUG mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://mailman.efn.org/cgi-bin/listinfo/eug-lug
