Daffodils

[armb]

The first daffodils are out in the front garden.
Bought a 19" monitor from Cambridge Computer Resale. Not sure how long the reassembled machine will last from the noise (from a fan bearing, I think, probably PSU) though.
I want to make this machine quieter too sometime. Have been browsing QuietPC among other places.

Comments

[the-magician.livejournal.com]

Can you post up a list of the quietpc-like sites that you find and any thoughts you have on them with respect to prices, quality of site etc. I want to do some stuff to the pile of computer bits around my feet and assemble them into a music PC workstation, for recording acoustic music, so must be quiet and bombproof!

Re:

[armb.livejournal.com]

QuietPC.com is the only UK site specialising in selling that sort of stuff I've come across. Prices are not as good as they first appear because they don't include VAT. Dabs have some of the same stuff, so do Kustompcs, and various sites with "overclock" in the name and mixed reviews on a Google group search. I always find the output on Dab's pages a bit of a mess, but they do have a good reputation for actually delivering what you ordered when they say they will (QuietPC and KustomPCs don't seem to have bad reputations, but are much smaller).
The Silent PC and Silent PC Review have lots of reviews. Apart from that Googling for "silent PC" and/or "quiet PC" finds various guides and reviews and US retailers.
But I haven't been looking very seriously, or with as strict as requirement as recording acoustic music. Record to DAT and then do the computer processing later? Put the computer in another room with a long mic lead to the sound card input?

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I wonder if we could persuade production to source nethsm bits from quietpc...

Re:

[armb.livejournal.com]

> source nethsm bits from quietpc

The basic "use big heatsinks (and big slow moving fans if convection alone isn't enough)" idea rather conflicts with "fit in a 1U rack".