http://www.tomshardware.com/2007/0 [...] index.html

Until the introduction of fast-and-capable CPUs with low-power requirements, fast and quiet could often pose conflicting goals when building a PC. We put a fast mobile dual-core and a fast desktop quad-core CPU to work in a super-quiet case and measure sound output from both systems to prove that fast and quiet are somewhat simultaneously achievable.

Not to quibble but shouldn't the article be titled "...quieter as well as faster"?

Is it possible to use, say, a Thermalright Ultra 120 Extreme, without a fan with the QX6800? (Instead of the Thermaltake TMG i2 CL-0372) Wouldn't the rear fan draw enough air across the large 120-Extreme?

Thanks, this article was helpful.

I know this article had a video focus, but did you record the max power consumption for a task other than 3DMark (which you say addresses the graphics capability)? I'd like a rough estimate of how much consumption was due to the graphics card at full load, and how much was due to the rest of the system.

Also, I assume that the power consumption measurement involved only the computer and not other peripherals such as a monitor?

i would love that my pc is soooooo loud, i cant spleep with my pc making such a loud noise, drives me mad!!! how can i make my pc quieter?

The faster CPU will output more heat and require the fan to spin faster to keep it cool; faster = noisier.

Also if you want a quiet system one of the first things to do is to replace the stock Intel cooler. With a high end cooler that is optimized for low airflow performance such as a Scythe Ninja, you can still run a pretty fast CPU and cool it with a 12” fan running silently at ~600 RPM. Provided the rest of the system is suitably optimized I don’t see a problem in cooling a Q6600 G0 silently up to about 3GHz provided you keep Vcore at stock or below. If you keep a Q6600 G0 at stock speed it will undervolt very nicely (1.1V or less) according to this thread at OCForums. The lower voltage significantly reduces power consumption and therefore makes cooling easier.

I was a bit disappointed with the components chosen, as usual.

That case allows heat from the PSU to go up and over all the rest of the components, which is a step backwards in design. Sure the fan blows out the back, but still quite a bit of heat dissipates off the top. This is why cases have had the PSU at the top of the case for years.

Then they used the stock 80mm CPU fan (after pointing out that 80mm fans should be avoided for noise) on both CPUs. For around $35, a much better 120mm CPU fan would reduce that noise and cool better. Since money was no object for the RAM and CPU, why skimp on the CPU cooler?

Who cares about DDR3 now? The memory used in both systems was quite expensive. Some Crucial Ballistix PC2-6400 would have matched most of those results on both systems (of course using the P35-DQ6 instead of the P35T-DQ6) for about half the price. I don't understand the reasoning behind the memory they used, other than it's what they had laying around at the time.

Overall I think the review totally missed the plot and the results were less than impressive.

Lots of cases have top fans now. Like I said "That case allows heat from the PSU to go up and over all the rest of the components" including the chipset and CPU while on it's way to the top exhaust.

32-34C isn't very impressive and would probably drop 5-10C if the PSU were at the top. I'd expect better for a system that was going to be overclocked regularly.

I've been more impressed with cases that have top fans plus put the PSU and hard drives at the top rear AND have a separate hard drive exhaust. Ambient temp in our Thermaltake Armor and Kandalf are 24-26C with that set up under full load. I've got a micro case (X-Box) which uses a single exhaust fan in back, but because the PSU and hard drives are at the top the ambient temp at the motherboard is 29C under full load.

The Cosmos 1000 has rails that will scratch a solid floor. It also has very limited cable space. It will require a separate USB hub if you store it under your desk, but I have the same problem with the Thermaltakes.

Anyway, I'm probably more picky than most in this regard. No biggy.

I still don't understand the use of the 80mm CPU fans though. :-)

I'm glad someone else thinks that... all along I've been thinking they were in Engrish.