The roar of the new PC

Let me take a few minutes to talk about the new PC. As you may have read, I recently got a new PC on the last day of 2011. It took a while, but it’s finally here. I brought it home Saturday evening, and spent New Year’s Eve watching Crazy Stupid Love and backing up (and later transferring) my data to the new PC. What’s the verdict so far?

Well, it’s pretty good. I like having a fast, responsive machine. Four CPU cores, 8 GBs of RAM, and a super-fast video card helps, of course. However, I must admit that the whole experience doesn’t feel quite right though. I’m missing a few things.

  • I want my new desk. With large tracts of land. I know it is at IKEA, but I just need to get it.
  • I want my big 24″ monitor. I’ve narrowed down the future monitor to either the Dell UltraSharp U2412M or Dell UltraSharp U2410 monitors. Both have good review, plenty of ways to adjust them, and I get an employee purchase program discount through work.
  • I want a new keyboard and mouse. My long-lived Logitech Cordless Duo MX isn’t compatible with 64-bit Windows 7 . The keyboard is working, but I’ve swapped in a [gasp!] corded Logitech mouse. Not ideal, and it is irking me.
  • Our long-lived Epson Perfection 1660 flatbed scanner isn’t compatible with 64-bit Windows 7 either. It’s currently unplugged, awaiting eventual replacement.
  • While I’m glad the PC runs cool due to all the fans, the rear exhaust case fan is LOUD. I like a quiet PC, and this sounds like jet engine.

So let’s talk more about the loud case fan. I’ve got four fans in the PC, but the rear fan is the loudest. I considered living with it, but it’s annoying me too much. Way too much. I did some research this morning, and ordered a Noctua case fan that runs quiet (adjustable with 3 different speeds.)  It’s an Austrian product, and a weird brown color, but I don’t care. I want a quiet nexus to my digital life. I ordered from my favorite retailer Amazon.com, and it’ll be here by tomorrow. Egads, they’re fast. Wednesday night, I’ll be replacing the fan, and hoping that this improves the situation.

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The new PC, circa 2012

The Noctua NF-S12B case fan

The Noctua NF-S12B case fan: silent but deadly

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8 Responses to The roar of the new PC

  1. Jim says:

    Stick with the IPS monitor.

  2. Joel says:

    Which one? The U2412?

  3. Jim says:

    Yea. The 2412 is an IPS monitor. They are a little more pricey, but from all the reviews I’ve read, that’s the one you want to get.

  4. Joel says:

    Yeah, that’s the one I’ve got my eye on. I believe it’s the eventual replacement for the U2410. The U2410 does have nicer specs, but it’s a question of spending $329 vs $459. To be realistic, I think the U2412 is the better value for me. I kinda hope to get everything (new desk, monitor, keyboard/mouse, etc) over the next six months.

  5. Joel says:

    Oh, btw Jim, I installed the new Noctua case fan, and it was easier than I imagined. It’s very quiet. I realized afterwards that the front fan is now louder and little annoying (in comparison.) I did some quick reading, and Antec considers it technically optional. I opened the case back up, disconnected the front intake fan, and now I’m monitoring the heat. So far, it’s just cold air coming out the back, so I think I’ll be able to live off the one exhaust fan. At the moment, the PC is nearly silent, and I’m loving it.

  6. Jim says:

    To be honest with you, my current PC has no front intake fan and it runs just fine. Personally, I find it as a way to get dust quicker into your machine… at least from past experience. As long as your room doesn’t stay hot, you’ll be fine. During the summertime, our study gets so warm from my PC being on but it never affects the machine at all. It runs just fine.

    Also, I am jealous that you got a new PC. I want a new one so bad, but I refuse to replace the one I have until it dies. My Athlon x2 5200 will have to do for a little while longer. The proc I have my eye on is the AMD 8-core bad boy. I love Intel, but an 8-core proc for around $200 is very tempting.

    Did that Epson scanner fix work out for you?

  7. Joel says:

    Hey Jim,

    It’s been 24 hours, and the air coming out of the back of the PC is still fairly cool. It could also be as a result of our guestroom being cold. 😉 I think this will work out for now, until the summer months arrive, and the room gets hot. If at that time the PC could benefit from more air circulation, I’ll pick up another of these Noctua crazy-ass-quiet fans, and set it up to blow air in.

    Since you’re running a dual-core PC 2.3 GHz processor, that still sounds reasonable. I, on the other hand, was way overdue for a new machine. I guess you like the AMD chips, specifically the FX-8150 Bulldozer chip? It does look interesting, but I’ve been reading that the Intel Sandy Bridge was just bit better in performance. Of course, what the hell do I know? I considered an AMD chip, but I ultimately went with Intel.

    The scanner fix did not work out for me, but I appreciate you looking. I actually also found that link, but I was initially worried about malware. After you sent the link, I thought maybe I was being too paranoid, so I did download it. However, Norton threw up red cards about a lack of a digital signature, etc, and my paranoia came back. I decided to err on the side of caution. This scanner is pretty old, so I’ve put it “new scanner” on the list of new items to replace, along with web cam, keyboard, mouse, and home office desk.

    It’s time for a refresh anyway.

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