quiet pc's?

[Ken Moffat]

Leon Goldstein wrote:

> Ken Moffat wrote:
>
>> Anyone recommend a very quiet pc that would run as a home server and 
>> internet access computer in a pinch? Something I could leave running 
>> all the time without driving the wife crazy? And it must, of course, 
>> be cheap!  I don't ask much....
>> I'm wondering about the VIA chips or maybe I should just spend the $$ 
>> on quiet fans.
>>
>>  
>>
> Ken: What sort of CPU power are you looking for?  I've mentioned in 
> earlier threads my Compaq Presario 5151, originally equiped with AMD 
> K6-2 @ 350 mHz but subsequently upgraded to K6-III+ @ 500 mHz and a 
> Promise ATA 100 PCI card.
> The Compaq has VIA chips, and it is limited to a maximum of 384 MB of 
> ram.  It is quiet, and that is because it has a passive CPU heatsink.  
> (With the overclocked K6-III+, the base of the heat sink got hot 
> during a kernel recompile, but the top of the fins remained cool to 
> the touch, so it has adequate heat dissipation.)
>
> I've seen similar boxes on sale cheap at pawn shops, but you need to 
> check the boards, since Compaq used a variety; some have SiS chipsets 
> and onboard video, others VIA chipsets and onboard ATI Mach 64 video.  
> I highly recommend the VIA chipset version over the SiS.
>

That type of machine could work. I'm just sharing pics and stuff for the 
family on the web and home net and running mail server. Not much volume 
or stress. Just need the option to read email, web ,etc, now and then.

I'm trying to quiet things down, since this box I"m using has noisy fans 
(3-4 year old amd t-bird 1.4), and they-re getting much louder lately. I 
might move it to another room and let the kids play, while I quiet 
things in here. The tbird puts out some heat.

As an aside, I have a compaq presario amd xp2200 that I'm curious about. 
It is quiet after WinXP boots, and quiet after Mepis Linux boots (at 
least kernel 2.6.7) BUT if I boot libranet or slackware the fan is 
noisy, always. As soon as winxp shows a screen the fan shuts off, and 
the same is true for Mepis, but not the other two distros. Ideas? I 
assume power control settings, but need details. (On the noisy t-bird 
computer the fans run all the time, no matter what distro I'm using)

-- 
Ken