Re: fanless II: anyone using, or interested in decTOP [Boston area]

["Tom Metro-12" <user=71@nabble.blu.org>]

 John Girash wrote: 
> ...I'm now looking at x86-compatible mini-pcs like this one: 
> http://www.dataevolution.com/dectop%20info%202.htm

Ah, so that's what happened to the AMD PIC that used to be sold through 
Radio Shack. I've been waiting for them to show up on the surplus 
market...the price seems fairly good, but it sounds like they're still 
in production and haven't gotten quite cheap enough... 

So is this identical hardware to the version being sold back in 2005, or 
have they updated it. The specs sound pretty much the same, from what I 
remember. (The 10 GB hard drive seems to imply old stock.) 

I notice they make no mention of the CPU or its speed. Isn't it an AMD 
Geode or something like that? 


> There was a thread earlier this month about going 
> fanless in order to have a quiet desktop... having 
> tried various cpu fans and power supplies on my 
> AthlonXP 2600+... 

Isn't this box a performance downgrade from an AthlonXP 2600+, or is 
that not important to you? It won't be much of a desktop by today's 
standards. 

What have you tried for quieting your AthlonXP 2600+? You can use a 
passive cooler on the CPU and a passively cooled power supply (plus a 
single, low-speed chassis fan), but you'll probably spend as much as the 
decTOP for those parts, and the result will be far bulkier, if space is 
also an important factor. 

How quiet does it need to be? Have you tried inserting resistors to drop 
the fan speed on the various fans? I find that has the most impact. If 
performance isn't a concern, try dropping your CPUs clock frequency so 
it generates less heat, permitting safe operation with a slower fan. 

Have you done anything with your hard drive? It's possible the noise 
from your drive dominates over the fans (try powering up the system with 
the drive unpowered), so replacing the drive may offer a substantial 
improvement. 


> A single unit is $138 ($99 + 39s&h)... 

Not too bad, but as the reviews point out, it lacks an Ethernet port and 
USB is limited to 1.1. That limits the useful greatly. At minimum, you 
need to add the cost of a USB Ethernet adapter. 

I wonder if you'd be better off getting one of those Walmart $200 Linux 
PC, which internally contain a Mini-ITX motherboard that could be 
repackaged into a small case. The CPU is probably faster than the 
decTOP, too. It probably has some real PCI slots as well. 

  -Tom 

-- 
Tom Metro 
Venture Logic, Newton, MA, USA 
"Enterprise solutions through open source." 
Professional Profile: http://tmetro.venturelogic.com/

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