The Silent Front

At Computex 2012 last week, there were two fan developments worthy of serious note for SPCR readers. The first and more revolutionary of the two is an Active Noise Cancellation fan project from Noctua, with partner RotoSub. The second is from a more unlikely source, Corsair, of memory, PSU and case fame.

The passage of a decade is always considered a major milestone, and on Sunday April 1, 2012, SPCR entered its second decade.

Six years ago we conducted an anlysis of power consumption and distribution in several desktop PCs. Today we repeat the analysis with three modern machines to see how things have changed.

This article is in response to a recent email from a sophisticated technology user who suffers from tinnitus. The writer refers specifically to electronic noise from second generation Intel SSDs triggering his tinnitus symtoms in such an upsetting way that he was compelled to seek help from Intel directly. The kind of electronic noise Richard describes is not normally audible to most people, but there is little question that it is all around us, emanating from just about every type of electronic gizmo that is part and parcel of modern living.

The HD 6800 series cards are officially launched today, as any tech media reader is well aware. The 6870/50 cards are featured in umpteen reviews already — AMD feted a hundred tech journalists in Los Angeles for two nights last week. Our brief report and musings on the new cards and on the event.

Silent PC Review is officially eight years old today. Great thanks to all the supporters whose donations helped SPCR come this far, and hopefully go farther into the future. Much thanks, too, for all the corporate supporters over the years. SPCR's anechoic chamber remains the high point of all this support, and it has become the unique centerpoint of our identity among tech web sites. Thank you all!

After rubbing shoulders with 4,000-odd mostly tech-geeks for a few days, after a dose of zen and several cold pints to soothe the swollen brain, a state of contemplation sometimes prevails. I then feel compelled to share these nuggets — of gold or lead, the reader is free to judge.

Another month, another silent PC. This time, in a handsome presentable case with just one moving part: A 120mm fan spinning at 500rpm. The SMPPC combines an Intel X25-M 80GB SSD, a Cool'n'Quiet AMD Athlon 64 2X processor, high efficiency DC/DC power conversion and DIY modding on a heatpipe heatsink in a Silverstone TJ08 for a system that is immeasurable even in an 11 dBA anechoic chamber.

A PC without any moving parts has been the Holy Grail of Silent Computing for years. It's a quest that has led some individuals to fabricate their own cases, massive heatsinks turned inside out, with the components bolted inside them. The final moving part to go is the spinning hard disk drive. A new PC for our anechoic chamber uses a Samsung SSD to eliminate all moving parts for truly silent performance.

The 2008 Fall Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco came and went last week. Here is a summary of the highlights, as seen through the SPCR glass. In a nutshell, it was Atom, SSDs and Core i7.

No one from SPCR is in Taipei for Computex, but that doesn't stop us from bringing you exclusive photos, information and a video of Antec's aptly named Skeleton chassis. We've also got photos and info about the upcoming P183 and Sonata Elite cases.

New products from Asus include the Eee Box, bigger and better versions of the Eee PC laptop, and the Xonar HDAV1.3, a unique new A/V combo card.