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I am in the process of upgrading my HTPC and my number 1 goal is to make it quieter. Currently, only the Zalman CNPS6500A-Cu CPU HSF works in the quiet range. My short list for noiseless additions are:
Zalman ZM80-HP VGA Cooler ~$30US.
Nexus NX-3000 300W Power Supply ~$75US.
Seagate Barracuda IV 40G Hard drive ~$72US.
The only place I am having a problem is the DVD drive. I cannot find any specifications as to how loud a DVD drive will be when playing a DVD at normal speed. So for DVD drive choices, I can only go by the general postings that indicate the two leading drives are:
Toshiba SD-M1202 ~$92US.
Pioneer DVD-120 ~45US.
At the extreme end, I found
SilentMaxx PCS-350 (Fanless) 350W Power Supply ~$245US
Smart Drive 2002 Hard Disk Enclosure ~$85US
So back to the DVD-ROM drives, it would be nice to know how quiet, quiet is. How far from your HTPC do you need to stand before you cannot tell if it is on or off? The furthest point that I can get away from my system is 20 feet (line of sight), and I can still hear it loud and clear. I currently have a Toshiba SD-M1502. Can anyone not hear their HTPC 20 feet away?
Rick
Zalman ZM80-HP VGA Cooler ~$30US.
Nexus NX-3000 300W Power Supply ~$75US.
Seagate Barracuda IV 40G Hard drive ~$72US.
The only place I am having a problem is the DVD drive. I cannot find any specifications as to how loud a DVD drive will be when playing a DVD at normal speed. So for DVD drive choices, I can only go by the general postings that indicate the two leading drives are:
Toshiba SD-M1202 ~$92US.
Pioneer DVD-120 ~45US.
At the extreme end, I found
SilentMaxx PCS-350 (Fanless) 350W Power Supply ~$245US
Smart Drive 2002 Hard Disk Enclosure ~$85US
So back to the DVD-ROM drives, it would be nice to know how quiet, quiet is. How far from your HTPC do you need to stand before you cannot tell if it is on or off? The furthest point that I can get away from my system is 20 feet (line of sight), and I can still hear it loud and clear. I currently have a Toshiba SD-M1502. Can anyone not hear their HTPC 20 feet away?
Rick