System Review – PC-Club Silencer
by Jarred Walton on March 28, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Systems
Testing Configuration
For our testing, we will be comparing the PC-Club to our previous SFF systems. Right now, we'll only include the recent Shuttle SN25P, although we'll be adding other setups in the near future. You'll be able to see how the Silencer compares to other SFF systems (even though it's not technically a SFF) in upcoming articles. We have a few more socket 939 systems coming, as well as a Pentium M SFF and the socket 775 SFF roundup.For this review, we will actually have several sets of benchmarks, depending on the test. First, we have the system as configured by PC-Club. We will then have a separate test using the 6800GT with our own OCZ Rev.2 Platinum (Samsung TCCD blanks) RAM running 2-2-2-5 timings and our 80GB Seagate SATA HDD that we use in our SFF tests. In this setup, we will unplug the extra case fan, as it should not be necessary with a single 7200 RPM HDD environment. Finally, we will include results for the system using our complete set of SFF equipment, which means that we'll swap the 6800GT Silencer out for a Sapphire X800 Pro. We'll also provide a few tests using the onboard graphics, primarily as a means to reduce noise levels and heat output.
Of course, you can't purchase the Silencer in most of these configurations from PC-Club without doing a custom order, and we wouldn't actually recommend several of them. The SFF configuration is included in order to get an apples-to-apples comparison with our SFF setups – at least insofar as the graphics card, RAM, and hard drive are concerned. The IGP represents the minimum noise configuration, but unless you have no interest in any 3D or TV application, we wouldn't bother with that setup. Our recommended setup is to keep the 6800GT, as it is both faster and quieter than the X800 Pro. Then, go with a single hard drive, or if you want to take a risk, simply unplug the case fan.
We will label the Silencer configurations as follows: "Stock" is the default configuration and will be shown in blue; "CL2" will use our OCZ RAM with the Seagate drive and will be in green; "X800Pro" will also use the OCZ and Seagate parts only with an X800Pro graphics card, and it will be in red; and lastly, "IGP" will use the Intel Integrated Graphics with the OCZ RAM and Seagate and will be in yellow. (The SN25P will be in black.)
| Performance Test Configuration | |
| Processor(s): | AMD Athlon 64 3800+ (2.4GHz 512KB cache) Socket 939 Intel Pentium M 755J (2.0GHz 2MB cache) |
| RAM: | 2 x 512MB Mushkin 2.5-3-3 2 x 512MB OCZ PC3200 Platinum Rev. 2 |
| Hard Drive(s): | Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10000RPM SATA Western Digital 200GB 7200RPM SATA Seagate 80GB 7200 RPM SATA (8MB Buffer) |
| Video AGP & IDE Bus Master Drivers: | nVidia nForce 6.39 Intel 855 Chipset Drivers 6.3.0.1007 |
| Video Card(s): | eVGA 6800GT Silencer 400/1000 Sapphire X800 Pro PCIe VIVO |
| Video Drivers: | NVIDIA ForceWare 71.84 ATI Catalyst 5.2 without CCC |
| Operating System(s): | Windows XP Professional SP2 |
| Systems: | PC-Club Silencer EN-SI1 Shuttle XPC SN25P |
If it seems unfair to match up the Pentium M 2.0GHz against a 2.4GHz Athlon 64, remember that the current retail pricing puts the Pentium 755 at $450 while the Athlon 64 3800+ can be had for $375 and the Athlon 64 4000+ can be had for $540. Price-wise, the Athlon 64 system is actually cheaper than the Pentium M, and it is certainly the better buy (assuming that it outperforms the Pentium M as we expect).
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WooDaddy - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
Geez, Jarod... You sound like you absolutely hated the system. I think there was a little bias there... Most people who buy a full-blown system aren't as picky. I do agree with the LCD alarm issue. I had the same athenatech case and it would drive me nutz especially with the fact that sometimes my CPU fan would shutdown and the temperature alarm would go off.Also, I agree with #10 about the build cost. $100 is nothing to guarantee you have a working system. Also, the tax issue is moot as you'll have to pay shipping charges separately since those component prices listed aren't all at the same vendor.
I think you're doing a diservice to those who want a cool looking yet powerful system that isn't your typical Dell, Emachines system. They would be pretty satified with this.
Admit it. The system is good and the price is great considering it's prebuilt and tested. ADMIT IT, DAMMIT!!!
LoneWolf15 - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
Off topic, but I love my Fuji FinePix S5000 and disagree with the reviewers' assessment. Also, for web images you can set to ISO 800 (limited to 1MP resolution) if you need it, however at 200 and 400 film speeds I've had no issues with the quality of my pictures.michael2k - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
The conclusion was a tad baffling, regarding paying taxes.PC Club may charge you $175 in taxes, but if you bought the items yourself you can avoid paying $166 in taxes?
Anyway, $100 for assembling and testing is actually quite low; considering it is less than taxes, it's roughly 5% of the total cost.
On the other hand, you CAN get quieter and cheaper systems, if you are willing to trade off things here or there; perhaps a slower processor, in exchange for a better video card, or a smaller hard drive in exchange for a quieter one, etc.
EPAstor - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
I thought I should point out an inaccuracy - although quiet systems are generally not the focus of this site, 35dB for a fast system is far from unheard of, though it does take significant effort. Another review site, www.silentpcreview.com, focuses primarily on silence. Following some of the techniques there, it is certainly possible to achieve 35dB levels or lower, even while using a higher-end CPU such as an Athlon 64 and improving the cooling on the GPU.JarredWalton - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
AtaStrumf - did you like my "camera mini review"? I even purchased a few halogen lamps to see if increased light would help with the graininess. It didn't help at all. :(I'm working on getting a new camera, but first I need to take care of taxes. (I'm one of the "lucky" ones that will be paying the gov't rather than getting a return.)
AtaStrumf - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
Jarred you REALLY need a new digital camera because the ones in this and your previous articles are of extremely appalling quality. I can't believe that it is even possible for a camera like that to produce such low quality images.May I suggest you go for a Canon A510. I have one and I think it offers great quality and unbeatable features for a surprisingly low price. A520 is NOT worth the extra $$$!
Avalon - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
In Soviet Russia, AGP 8x owns you!JarredWalton - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
#4 - Right you are! And anyone that tries to convince you that AGP 8X is substantially faster than AGP 4X should take a look at these benchmarks. AGP 8X offers more theoretical bandwidth, but it's almost never used.RadeonGuy - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
on the second page where it lists the specsshouldnt the AGP be 4x not 8x since its the 855g
shipset
flatblastard - Monday, March 28, 2005 - link
damn second posters... :)