Some Epia lovin'
 

So I bought a Via Epia low power system 2 weeks ago. While my P4 2.6C was fast, it was just impossible to get completely silent. This Via Epia M10000 isn't. :)

I don't feel like uploading all the pic so I'm going to attach them one by one.

Teh board:

Small thingie, 17*17cm.

And this nice case to put it in:

It's a lianli PC402B. Normally it has a plexi front, but that's not my kind of taste.

Back:

The standard cooling is way overkill and prett noisy. The 40mm fan keeps the processor below 30 degrees all time... yet it's completely stable up to 85 degrees.

I dismantled my Zalman 80C-HP videocard cooler from my R9800 and modified it somewhat to fit the Epia board. The processor doesn't get hotter than 50 degrees this way. Good enough. :)

Other side:

The only PCI slot is filled with my good ol' hauppage TV card. I had to modify the PSU somewhat to fit, the case is designed for miniATX PSU's, which are much, much smaller.

The Lianli comes with a 180W miniatx psu, but it's waaaaay to loud.

top view of PSU and DVD:

Thats really nice done RB.
How loud is the PSU ? (relative , not in dba)

edit : i was typing the question while you were posting i see

Benchmarking:

mp3 load: 3%
mpeg2 (DVD + 5.1 sound): 70-80%
[i]I haven't managed to enable the hardware mpeg2 decoder under linux yet, but it's just powerfull enough to decode it through software.
mpeg4 (divx): 30-40% load

Office & internet: fast enough


For those who have a fast backup rig to play games and love silent rigs, I would seriously recommend it. :)

Inaudible. The 550W psu manages to power 60W with a mosfet temp of 45-55 degrees.

-edit-
I can't hear the fans when they're running at 5V, so I hooked them up today. They're even more quiet than a papst NGL 13dBa, but move (even less) air. :)

To give you an idea of the noise it produces: I can't tell by hearing whether it's on or off.

very nice, where did you buy tha tlian li ? and the price was ?

hoffline, 132 euro.

and the via?
Been looking for one of those for a router.
And I also need a small quiet (passive) PSU, but needs some power for ADSL modem (internal)

http://www.inkoopacties.net/ia/q49ccksz/1

This may be interesting for you. There is a case too, although it has already a small psu built-in, so that can ba a problem.
You can find a much faster intel/amd solution for that price, but of course this epia is much smaller and consumes less power.

I wouldn't buy it there, 'inkoopacties' take too long. :)

loveno: 160 euro
tones: 166 euro
...

Passive psu: haven't seen one in belgium yet, but they can only pull 60 watts. That's too much if you're using a desktop hd and dvd-drive. Either buy expensive laptop hd / dvd or get a decent regular PSU with large heatsinks.

Voor een goede how-to voor Linux zie:
http://blade5.bvu.edu/wiki/tiki-inde...stallingGentoo

It's a good guide, but VIA driver support for gentoo is bad. :/

didn't try it yet.
Am trying to gte enough money together to buy me one.
Going to make a small dvd player from it. (that is also able to play divx, xvid,...).

Just a HDD, a 5400RMP should suffice. CD only for install, I can use a regular PSU for that. And maybe a small laptop HD might be better, probably more quiet. (4200RPM)

I saw a Small PCB you could plug into the ATX connector, with some molex connectors attached. It was powered by a 12V adapter. That should be a great solution.
I fear for the ADSL card, some time ago I had some problems with it that I think were PSU related.
But a Shuttle like PSU should suffice. With more room for modding (custom case) I should be able to put a quiet 60MM fan in it somehow.

Those miniatx psu's are hard to cool: I melted the 180w miniatx psu in 15 minutes with the 40mm fan removed and a 90mm enermax at 1500rpm ontop of it. :s

i think zalman has a passive psu, i saw one @ a local computer shop, but it is huge

why did you bought a matx and not a shuttle?

shuttle = loud

<@Loki^> damn birds
<@Loki^> make too much noise
<@_zOmbIE_> watercool them

mod it a little bit with papst fans

There's no such thing as a quiet, performant 40mm fan. Even those from papst are unbearably loud.

After a while, you get tired of trying to cool a hot chip with expensive heatsinks, fan ducts and low rpm papst fans.

Solve the problem by eliminating the source: don't buy processors that consume +50W.

howmany W does your 2.6c consume then

edit: just searched google and found that a p4 uses 82 watts

madmark has that info too :)

If you have a gaming rig, your cpu has to be a bit powerfull imo.

Isn't that what overcocking is all about actually.

overclocking is about most bang for the buck in my humble opinion

what's the point in buying a cheap XP1700+ and using a €50+ heatsink to make it run like an XP2400+ that costs €50 more then the XP1700+.. catch my drift ? :)

overclocking has 2 categories
- the best bang for the buck
- als fast as possible / faster then the fastest cpu in the shop


edit : moehahah @ freestylers typo :^D

No more p0rn for you mister!

Did you test the tv-out yet? And what about the onboard sound?

I'm thinking 'bout bying me that board for a divx-mp3 box. Has to be very mobile, so i can easily put it downstairs for mum&sis to watch an occasional movie on it...

Ben ook aan het knutselen met een epia maar de mijne gaat ingebouwd worden in den auto. ;)

Voor uw stille voeding kunt ge eens hier gaan kijken.
http://www.techcase.de/default.php?cPath=93

Is wel in duitsland maar in belgie is er hier inderdaad weinig van terug te vinden.

Sound is good. It's a jack sensing AC97 5.1 codec, like found on many i865pe / 875e boards.

Haven't had the chance to check TV-out yet.

If you do find the time, could you test if you can easily boot with tv-out on, so you don't need a normal screen anymore? (To make divx-box)

Thx in advance

Buying a 1800+ with a 50€ HSF and making it run like a 3200+ that's about 10 times the price :grin:
Bang that buck (since I'm on the subject anyway)

Did anyone buy somehting yet at www.Techcase.de?

Is it a shop we can trust?

I did,
I've ordered a case(mini-itx) and its arrived today.
Shipping cost € 14 instead of the € 7.

Did you have to pay 25 verzollungskosten (don't know how to translate this)?

No.Only delivring costs.