Slashdot Mirror

Bering is, AFAIK, x86-only. Of course, it is completely open source, and you could recompile for different targets. However, I do not believe that there are any binary packages for MIPS. I use it with Mini-ITX systems with no moving parts. That's quite a bit more expensive than the Linksys router! :)

Twice the speed, 8 times the storage, more expandable and cheaper? What's the appeal of the AMD device?

caseoutlet.com

They have some nice mini-ITX machines.

I have a Mini-ITX system (1ghz VIA C3), and it works like a charm for my homebrew tivo. Even with a dvd drive and 3.5" hd, it draws less than 50 watts, lower than many laptop PSUs are rated. If you really want to minimize power consumption, consider a low end (500mhz) VIA mobo/cpu combination with a compact flash boot disk and a laptop cd drive. iTuner sells CF to IDE card, and Case Outlet sells beautiful Mini-ITX form factor cases.

Try here for reasonably-priced rackmount rails. They aren't really quite proper for computers, though.

I also have a catalog from Hammond Manufacturing which sells racks piece-by-piece, including rail sets. Their catalog shows a lot of detailed schematics for their racks, as well. You can get a catalog free from their web site.

I use a couple old HP half-height racks (really using only 1 right now, 1 more sitting around). They aren't deep enough for proper cases, though, so I use shallow cases for now.

I'm planning to do the same thing as you, at some point. I've considered some $300 racks off eBay and the normal $250 shipping, but I'd rather build a nice wood-exterior cabinet that would look good in the home. Besides, I need something that is closer to 'normal' specs than the racks I have now. Rack hardware: I'd stick to eBay. Shelves, blank panels, etc. are all much cheaper that way. I also bought a rackmount APC UPS--look for one WITHOUT batteries, and shop around online for replacements. You will pay less for shipping all around, and the batteries are usually crap anyway, unless it's a trustworthy seller who says they put new batteries in it. For cable management, I prefer a simple lacer bar, unless you really have a ton of equipment. Of course, if I had money, I'd get rails and cable management arms...but I was doing good to buy the rackmount cases, as the rest was (mostly) free for me. For rackmount computer cases, I've used Case Outlet for a while. They barely speak English, but they resale decent cases at decent prices. If you are using any kind of multi-drive enclosure or removeable drive racks, be sure to gett the DEEP cases! You can also try KRI Computer for rackmount equipment. I've never bought from them before, but I've heard good things about them, and they have good prices and a good selection. Welcome to the world of Ultimate Geekdom!

We are currently working on a version with faster processor speed. Please check back with us in a couple of months for more information.

If you just want a small, light, portable PC, I think something like the Hush PC is a better choice.

If you want something smaller, you can get systems that fit into a drive bay here.

I picked up a 120G Seagate Barracuda IV for about $140. This drive is impressively quiet. I leave it running at night, and I can't hear it at all. I've had it running 24/7 for about eight months now.

The box makes less noise than my iMac, and it works well as a webserver, mailserver, printserver , and fileserver. It doesn't have the brushed aluminum look of the hush PC or the newer MB/CPU, but it's equally quiet and cost about $200 less.

Or, head over to mini-itx.com and dig around for info on other cases and whatnot.

I know others have already mentioned Via CPUs...

Years ago, when they first came out, I wanted to build a Transmeta system - I longed for the days of my silent Apple IIe. Since then the noise level the average PC has only increased. In the past few months I learned about the mini-ITX board, and the VIA Eden fanless CPU.

Then I bought a integrated Soyo MB with a Via C3 800Mhz cpu ($74),a fanless power supply ($70) and a seagate baracuda 80GB HD. I run it fanless, even though you're not supposed to. Usually (web browsing, email, xmms, ssh, emacs) the CPU runs at about 96+% idle, and its heatsink is slightly warm. When I do heavier stuff (long compile jobs, audio encoding, gnuchess), I flip a switch on the CPU fan to keep it from getting hot. A friend says I'll cook the CPU. We'll see. But until then I can fall asleep and wake up to streaming audio or audio off of the hard drive.

I named the computer silence. And it lives up to its name.

Sort of OT; but why isn't the EPIA series, especially the 6000 model with 800MHz C3 not gaining more attention? It runs fanless, has TV-out on the board, can take 1GB of ram and has everything you could need on the board, throw it into
one of these which happens to have an external PS and a front USB port and was pretty much designed with the EPIA 6000 in mind. I've harped on it before, but why isn't this the preferred RYO PVR platform?
The form factor fits right in with your vcr, and the case comes with a pci-riser card to fit that AMD AWIP card for TV-in, and excellent 3D. Nearly silent and the price is right (the Mobo/Case costs around $195). You could make a fantastic PVR/PC-compatible-gaming-consolesque system for around $500. $195 +$100(AIW) +$75(80GB eide hdd) +$60(1GB pc133 ram) +70(DVD/CD-RW comb0 drive). Add it up. And that's a lot of overkill on the ram, but hey, it's cheap. So why isn't this a story? Because it's not coming from Intel, AMD, or Transmeta? All of this "digital convergeance" is leading to more and more embedded arenas, if we can make a box like that at retail prices, think of what we could prototype for our own foray into the embedded market...

If you are really considering RYO PVR you should really check out the VIA EPIA series mobos. Embedded 533 or 800MHz C3s that run very cool and fanless. They also have TV out along with FireWire, USB on front and back, 10/100 and everything else onboard. Throw that, an ata100 hdd, 512MB and an All in Wonder Pro into this case with external power supply and you have a nearly Solid State (except the hdd) and silent(again, except the hdd) solution for around $300US. Not a bad way to go, though I've yet to get the spare cash to try it myself.

Super Mini computer barebone system . Features:

* Super mini size 5.7" x 1.6" x 10"(WxHxD).
* Accept PIII & Celeron Processor(Optional).
* Ultra light extruded Aluminum body.
* Two standard slim device space for Notebook
CD-ROM & 2.5" 9MM HDD(Optional).
* Heatsink/fan for CPU(included).

I went with the VIA EPIA 800, which features an 800 MHz VIA C3 CPU with on-board TV-out (and much more) for a mere US$120. And it's tiny for a full-featured computer, just 170mm x 170mm.

Plus, it has built-in audio, on-board Ethernet (though I've plugged in a wireless PCI card), USB, etc. -- great for a project like this. And it runs GNU/Linux like a champ.

I put it in a US$90 black mini-ITX case so it doesn't look like a computer -- it looks like an A/V component, fitting right in with the VCR and the cable box.

Finally, it runs very cool and very quiet (or it will once I remove the noisy hard disk and make it boot off the network instead) -- just one small CPU fan required. The CPU isn't that powerful -- mostly around the speed of a 600MHz Celeron, and the FPU is a little weaker than that -- but it's plenty of power for me.

There's a lot more info about this and similar hardware at mini-itx.com. I think a big market is developing around these little boxes.

There are several places, but http://www.caseoutlet.com/case/2688R/CS-2688R.html is where I got mine.

http://www.viavpsd.com/product/Download.jsp?mother boardId=21

Note also the upcoming EPIA-M motherboard, which features USB2, FireWire, and 933MHz clock speed.

As for serial consoles, it appears that the Linux Bios has been ported to it:

http://www.trustytech.com/TMBM-MINI-ITX.htm

That would not only give you serial console management, but also very fast Linux boots.

How much would a similar 3-iface Mini-ITX system cost?

Pretty much the same amount: motherboard, CPU, case, PCI riser, screws, cables, and brick power supply from CaseOutlet.com costs a little under $200. Add to that a $20 CF-to-IDE adapter and the DWL-520. If you want to use lower-cost 5 1/4" drives, you can get a slightly larger case for slightly more money.

Another choice is the WalMart Linux PC, which appears to be using same motherboard, but for $228 also gives you a minitower, a CD-ROM drive, and a 10G disk, and perhaps more fans than you like.

• Motherboard and case from CaseOutlet.com; you get a choice of 533MHz or 800MHz, for about $200. Motherboard and CPU alone are $100.
• CF-to-IDE adapter from various sources, for about $20
• 32MB CF card for $15 (512M for about $175)
• wireless PCI 802.11b adapter, for about $40

This takes a few minutes to put together. You get a choice between 12V or 120V power supply.

And most impressive: it's got a solid-metal case that's much more recyclable than any plastic, and costs one-eighth ($200) what the "Green PC" does ($1600).

Geeze, I was looking forward to a I-Opener 2002! Then I see they're still paying to ship ginormous honking vacuum tubes to people!

As far as the C3, I had just recently been considering one of these cute little boxes for my home entertaintment system. I had read some review somewhere comparing the performance of a C3/800 to a 400mhz Celeron, so they're not speed demons. But damn, these itty bitty ITX boards have everything but TV capture and a modem on them.

My current DNS, mail, and web server is 11.5" x 2.5" x 10.75" and draws about 20 watts. It's based on the VIA C3 EPIA motherboard. The only downside for your use is that there's only room for one hard drive inside this tiny case. But it's cheap (less than $200) and as the power input is 12V, I use two paralleled gel-cells for a UPS. (That way I can swap out one battery for maintenance without interrupting anything.) My DSL router also runs off 12V. Linux installed very easily.

There's a similar VIA-CPU based low power motherboard for a little less money that draws so little power that there's no CPU fan. For reliability this may be a good choice as it reduces the number of moving parts.

If you insist on room for two hard drives, see these cases.

I did a lot of looking myself in the hopes of building a silent computer.

Caseoutlet.com seems to be by far the best.

I recently put together a web and mail server based on a mini-ITX motherboard with a Via C3 processor on it. It cost less than $300 altogether and installing Linux was a breeze.

How about one of these Via Eden 533MHz chips in a mini-ITX case like this one. For about $200 seems to be a lot cheaper than a lower end 300MHz processor. I can't see the other box since the site is slashdotted but the 2677R case seems small enough to me to be used as a set top box complete with an external power supply brick like a Mac G4 Cube. You could easily build one of these with no moving parts since the Eden needs no fan.

1. Eden EPIA w/chasis and powersupply
2. PS Joy Converter (USB)
3. Playstation Controller
4. Debian Linux
5. FCE Ultra

Just add inexpensive keyboard, inexpensive mouse, LCD screen, HD and RAM. A laptop CD-ROM will work, (Case Outlet sells one) and the thing netboots anyway so that would be a possibility for installing the OS anyway without the need for a CD-ROM.

Software? Why, the Debian distribution of Linux, or maybe Slackware Linux. Debian's more Politically Correct, though.

Remember, VIA hasn't signed on to Palladium yet, and hopefully they never will.

Then why don't you simply move the user's home directory over to the server and mount it at startup. Then you mount the OS partition read-only so they can't go and mess up your plans. Oh, that's right. Windows needs the OS to be mounted read/write so it can write data to its root partition. Never mind.

I guess the answer is to trust that people will voluntarily mount a Windows network share and voluntarily use that share for their data. Good luck!

• Its smaller in size than the Shuttle SS40.
• It uses an x86 CPU that runs cooler and using less electricity than Transmeta's Crusoe!
• The 533mhz x86 CPU runs your favorite PC operating systems and software: Linux, BSD, Windows, and it is powerful enough to play DivX movies, DVD movies, Quake 3, etc...
• The CPU doesn't need active cooling (no fans), and the powersupply is tiny and also doesn't require active cooling (absolutely no fans). This means that the entire computer is absolutely silent! Perfect for an inexpensive homemade DivX/MP3 player!
• The motherboard comes with a built in 3D video card good enough to play Quake 3 at playable framerates. It also has integrated CPU, sound, ethernet, and TV-Outs!
• Just add one 256MB PC100 SDRAM stick and one 40GB Barracuda ATA IV harddrive (its power efficient and noiseless). Install your favorite OS, and you are ready to go for less than the price of a modded X-Box!

Yep. This one fits your specs exactly, although it takes some weird new Mini-ITX motherboard that VIA's developing. They make a P3 version, though. Cheers, levine

Exactly. That's why I ditched my full tower case for this three-foot cube (the black and blue version which is a spank ass queen in person). It cost $200, but I'm the only one on my block that has one. And when I bring women home with me and they cry out "Good God, what is that jet-engine sounding ottoman-sized monolith sitting next to your desk!?!," it's worth every penny.

Well, it seem these days, most of the power user just care to get something like 200fps in Quake III. Why ? Beat's me ! I'm not on a quest to get the ultimate frame rate, I just want my box to be quiet as possibly can be.

To help you understand my take on the subject, here is the background :
My PC has the following components :

• A OEM case
• A 235W OEM power supply
• ASUS P3B-F
• Intel Pentium II rated 400Mhz @ 400Mhz
• A cheap OEM SECC2 Heat-Sink made of aluminum
• A 128MB CAS2 no-name DIMM
• Two 32MB CAS3 Samsung DIMM slowing down my memory timing, but preventing the appearance of the all mighty evil SwaP
• A ATI All-In-Wonder Rage128 16MB
• A Creative SoundBlaster Live! Value
• A Realtek 8139 Ethernet NIC
• My beloved USR 56Kbps ISA Real Modem. Sorry but to me a component that uses CPU power to do it's processing instead of taking the load off is not worthy of being in my computer. Not to mention the M$ Win part...
• A Creative 48x CD-ROM drive. It's the loudest damned thing in my computer when it's spinning
• A Quantum Fireball AS PLUS 40GB (7200RPM) in a removable tray
• A Quantum Fireball CX1 10GB (5400RPM) mounted inside the case
• Of course the stupid old 1.44 MB floppy drive only used for booting Tomsbrt in case of emergency

Soon to be :

• A Adaptec 2940UW
• A Diamond Monster 3D II for Glide games

It turn out that the Quantum Fireball AS makes less noise than the Quantum Fireball CX1. I still have to figure it out ...

I use my PC for :

• Running Linux and learning as much as time allows me (Jez I had so much time when I was a student... Think of all the time I wasted in High-School running the evil W monster)
• Doing some gaming i.e. : Diablo II, Unreal, UT, Undying (Although that thing is going to cost me a new box)
• Spending numerous nights filling my brain @ Slashdot, Tomshardware, Anandtech, Arstechnica, StorageReview, Developper.Intel.com, and most importantly, hounding the web for all the case manufacturers and their take at a quiet box.

As I'm writing this post, that is probably going to be the base documentation for my Silent Case Project, you're guessing that my sleepless night of browsing have not yielded the desired result.

I've check out many options such as water cooling, moving the PC to the closet, returning to the forest where a PC is pretty far from your everyday quest for survival. None of them suits me.

The objective of my project is to build a case that meets the following criteria :

• A silent as possible
• Accessible
• Provides sufficient ventilation to maintain all the components running within thermal specs
• Be light enough to be easily transportable (Let's not forget the Lan parties ;-)

To attain those goals I have to :

• Read all I can about noise, sound, aerodynamics, PC specs
• Find suitable materials : A case is not just a protection against unwanted fingers and dust ; it must provide EMI shielding, proper grounding, resist to impacts, and fit into my conception of the king of object you want in your bedroom (If you were thinking about plywood and a box of rusted leftover nails, forget it)
• Find the tools or the companies or individuals with the means to work the materials I choose to build the casing

For the sound isolation I was thinking about some kind of foam. Mineral lint would be affective but that takes too much space and it's not the kind of thing I want beside my bed. Form the casing itself, metal is almost inevitable if you want EMI shielding and grounding. And as for you who wonder why I have not mentioned water cooling yet, the greatest source of noise is not my CPU cooler and your just moving the problem out of the case (Nice ; you have water heating up but unless your reservoir is like a bathtub or something you will have to transfer the heat for the water to the air).

That about as far as I am. If you have any idea that might help me, please fell free to send me some bits forming ASCII characters at Prozzaks@operamail.com

To finish up, here is a list of thing that might help people wanting to achieve similar goals :

• http://www.formfactors.org/ You should be able to find all the documents regarding the ATX form factor and thermal design guides. A must if you want to build a quiet PC.
• http://developer.intel.com/ Intel has contributed a great deal to the ATX definition ; here you will find many relevant documents including thermal design guides for all Intel processors.
• Etract from my favorite's :
  
  

  Hardware\cases PC CASE
  Fong Kai
  PowerOn
  Enlight Corporation
  dir.yahoo Enclosures Manufacturers
  procase
  YY Computer
  Psi
  IN WIN
  Amtrade
  American Suntek
  Addtronics
  A-Top Technology, Inc
  Nikao
  Palo Alto Products
  Antec
  Lian-Li
  amaquest
  Koolance
  Quietpc
  PC Power & Cooling
  
  
  

  Hardware\Heat Sinks ALPHA
  Cooler Master
  AVC
  ekl
  GlobalWIN
  globefan
  RDJD
  Foxconn
  Spring Spread
  Sanyo Denki
  TITAN
  TaiSol
  ChipCoolers
  Orb a
  ElanVital
  
  
  

  Hardware\Info\Form Factor Platform Development Support
  SSI
  WTX
  
  
  

  Hardware\Info\Standards Fibre Channel Industry Association
  PCI SIG
  RAB
  serialata
  SPEC
  
  
  

  Hardware\Info\Storage RAID.edu
  
  
  

  Hardware\Info\Cours CS 252 - Graduate Computer Architecture
  
  
  

  Hardware\Info The PC Guide!
  Hardware Bible
  FullOn3D
  developer.intel.com
  HwB The Hardware Book
  United Overclockers
  Ars Technica
  Tech-Junkie
  HardwarePub
  Webopedia
  Illustrated Guide to the PC Hardware
  SysOpt
  2CPU
  Ace's Hardware
  Technical Support - RaidHelp v1.0 - Free RAID Technology Guide
  Computer Architecture
  OPENCORES.ORG
  TechFest
  MidWest Micro Support
  
  
  

  Hardware\Resalers GeekTek!
  Micro-Bytes
  ALCO
  ABC Micro
  2CoolTek
  Plycon Computers
  TCWO
  ABC Micro - Lprix
  Case Outlet
  The Chip Merchant, Inc
  Cimsys
  OrdiGros
  ALIENWARE
  SHENTECH
  FireStorm
  Hyper Microsystems
  TWEAKBOX
  
  
  

  Hardware\Reviews Tom's Hardware Guide
  Sharky Extreme
  StorageReview
  HardOCP
  AnandTech
  SystemLogic
  x-bit labs
  Active-Hardware
  FiringSquad
  SocketA
  Overclockers Australia
  HEXUS
  dansdata
  SysReview
  
  
  

  Hardware\Manufacturers AMD
  ASUS
  Belkin
  MassMultiples
  Promise
  StarTech
  VIA Technologies, Inc
  ABIT Computer Corp
  Comcase
  Micron Semiconductor
  ECS
  
  
  

  Hardware Freeboxen
  

I know that nvidia has the geforce2go mobile chip. Ati will probably come out with a new laptop chip as well. Those two are probably your best bet.

However, it does take a while to get a new video chip in a laptop because each individual model has to get certified (this is what nvidia told me). So, even though the nvidia chip is out now, it might still be another four months or so until you see it in action.

Now, if you have money, i would suggest this route - microatx. You can get some pretty sweet plastic cases that are very small, and decent motherboards from good manufacturers like Asus. Pair this up with a flatpanel and you'd have a trick gaming machine for sure.... if you're really into hacking you can mount the flatpanel in the side of the case, but you might need to get a slightly bigger case for that.

So, if you don't want to wait, go microatx. if you do, just keep your eyes open until a laptop with the gf2go comes out.

Enlight makes a mini-tower that can be used in a rack for about $140. It is deeper than a standard mini tower so your drives are seperated from your mobo. Not bad looking, but the Yeong Yang is far cooler.

Is the Yeoung Yang Cube Server in the balck color, just got mine and it is now known as the Borg. Big, beautiful, black, lots of room, and it makes an excellent foot rest. More pictures at www.caseoutlet.com

Yes.