Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

Just wondering, as single case (high-end) PCs are starting to get noisy and
hot, can you build a PC like a HIFI separates system?

e.g. one box for Mboard, RAM and GPUs (max 4 as in Gigabyte's Quad GPU
board), one box for disks, one for sound (probably OTT) and one for power
(probably OTT but nice to have it separate from the mboard). Is this
crazy?
--
Grumps

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

like my old MAC setup, all drives are in a external SCSI array in DATA -LINK
enclosures all with their own PSU's
My sound is connected to my Home theater. Its actually going a step or two
backwards. Takes up allot of room.

"grumpycrab" <grumpycrab@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:119hi7ree9m1v55@corp.supernews.com...
> Just wondering, as single case (high-end) PCs are starting to get noisy
and
> hot, can you build a PC like a HIFI separates system?
>
> e.g. one box for Mboard, RAM and GPUs (max 4 as in Gigabyte's Quad GPU
> board), one box for disks, one for sound (probably OTT) and one for power
> (probably OTT but nice to have it separate from the mboard). Is this
> crazy?
> --
> Grumps
>
>

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

In article <119hi7ree9m1v55@corp.supernews.com>,
grumpycrab <grumpycrab@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:
>Just wondering, as single case (high-end) PCs are starting to get noisy and
>hot, can you build a PC like a HIFI separates system?
>
>e.g. one box for Mboard, RAM and GPUs (max 4 as in Gigabyte's Quad GPU
>board), one box for disks, one for sound (probably OTT) and one for power
>(probably OTT but nice to have it separate from the mboard). Is this
>crazy?
>--
>Grumps
>
>


It sounds like a laptop with a firewire disk and a wallwart power
supply. Most laptops are fairly quiet and don;t get hot, compared to
a desktop.


--
a d y k e s @ p a n i x . c o m

Don't blame me. I voted for Gore.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Sat, 28 May 2005 20:39:29 +0100, "grumpycrab"
<grumpycrab@hotmail.co.uk> wrote:

>Just wondering, as single case (high-end) PCs are starting to get noisy and
>hot, can you build a PC like a HIFI separates system?
>
>e.g. one box for Mboard, RAM and GPUs (max 4 as in Gigabyte's Quad GPU
>board), one box for disks, one for sound (probably OTT) and one for power
>(probably OTT but nice to have it separate from the mboard). Is this
>crazy?


"Crazy" is relative.

There is no reason to believe separating parts will help
with noise or heat (that is, not both).

DIfferent enclosure designs could reduce noise, but so could
similar strategies for an "all in one", the traditional
system.

By separating components you'd mostly limit the available
space for the most optimal flow-rate/noise fans and
heatsinks, that by their larger (and particular) dimensions,
integrated into a traditional system because that system was
designed to accomodate their dimensions.

There is no reason to separate the power from the mainboard.
The potential for longer cable lengths and more mechanical
connectors in itself are further concerns. A power supply
exhausts, it does not add heat to a case but rather helps
remove heat from other components.

It is true that with modern systems the PSU's small exhaust
area is beginning to look aged (small) and yet it isn't a
problem in itself as the PSU is modular and designed to be
self-sufficient. IE- it intakes the air it needs so if your
system produces a lot of heat, that system has sufficient
intake and exahaust _case_ fans too. Sufficient doesn't
necessarily mean loud, but the fact is that a given amount
of heat requres a certain amount of airlfow to maintain a
target rise over ambient temp- and separating the parts
doesn't reduce this flow rate as heat generation was still
the same. Instead separating them just makes parts
selections fewer and causes redundancy where it's arguably
not necessary- one could have redundancy in a typical system
too if desired.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

Sorry, but no can do. Impractical.

--
DaveW



"grumpycrab" <grumpycrab@hotmail.co.uk> wrote in message
news:119hi7ree9m1v55@corp.supernews.com...
> Just wondering, as single case (high-end) PCs are starting to get noisy
> and hot, can you build a PC like a HIFI separates system?
>
> e.g. one box for Mboard, RAM and GPUs (max 4 as in Gigabyte's Quad GPU
> board), one box for disks, one for sound (probably OTT) and one for power
> (probably OTT but nice to have it separate from the mboard). Is this
> crazy?
> --
> Grumps
>

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 03:04:33 GMT, Tony <none@none.com>
wrote:

>On Sat, 28 May 2005 16:18:31 -0700, "DaveW" <none@zero.org> wrote:
>
>>Sorry, but no can do. Impractical.
>
>Actually,
>
>One of the pci express specs makes having your super-duper vid card in
>a box on your desk with a cable connecting it to your pc backside a
>probable soon2be reality.


No, it doesn't. Gaming cards tend to need maximum bandwidth
and any extended bus is necessarily slower than possible
local to the m'board. While it may be possible to put a
card-on-a-cable, it certainly will never be for the desribed
use.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 14:16:12 GMT, kony <spam@spam.com> wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 03:04:33 GMT, Tony <none@none.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 28 May 2005 16:18:31 -0700, "DaveW" <none@zero.org> wrote:
>>
>>>Sorry, but no can do. Impractical.
>>
>>Actually,
>>
>>One of the pci express specs makes having your super-duper vid card in
>>a box on your desk with a cable connecting it to your pc backside a
>>probable soon2be reality.
>
>
>No, it doesn't. Gaming cards tend to need maximum bandwidth
>and any extended bus is necessarily slower than possible
>local to the m'board. While it may be possible to put a
>card-on-a-cable, it certainly will never be for the desribed
>use.

"MaximumPC mag Sept'05
----
PCI Express Goes Outside the Box

New cable could allow videocards to run from external enclosures


"The specs are being developed by the PCI Special Interest Group with
a goal to uise PCI-E for external storage purposes. But with 5GB/s per
wire of bandwith, more than twice that's available over current PCI-E
implimentations, the spec would be more than able to handle graphics
card data and storage duties"" (www.pcisig.com)

I did mis-type a but what I remembered about the article. It's a spec
in development and not the current spec..

The artist-rendition of what it could look like showing a desktop with
a video card enclosure sitting on top next to the monitor did look
nice and easier to keep cool.

-Tony!-

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Mon, 29 Aug 2005 02:25:31 GMT, Tony <none@none.com>
wrote:

>On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 14:16:12 GMT, kony <spam@spam.com> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 03:04:33 GMT, Tony <none@none.com>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>On Sat, 28 May 2005 16:18:31 -0700, "DaveW" <none@zero.org> wrote:
>>>
>>>>Sorry, but no can do. Impractical.
>>>
>>>Actually,
>>>
>>>One of the pci express specs makes having your super-duper vid card in
>>>a box on your desk with a cable connecting it to your pc backside a
>>>probable soon2be reality.
>>
>>
>>No, it doesn't. Gaming cards tend to need maximum bandwidth
>>and any extended bus is necessarily slower than possible
>>local to the m'board. While it may be possible to put a
>>card-on-a-cable, it certainly will never be for the desribed
>>use.
>
>"MaximumPC mag Sept'05

Even before I read the rest, note that I do not consider
MaximumPC a credible reference.


>----
>PCI Express Goes Outside the Box
>
>New cable could allow videocards to run from external enclosures
>
>
>"The specs are being developed by the PCI Special Interest Group with
>a goal to uise PCI-E for external storage purposes. But with 5GB/s per
>wire of bandwith, more than twice that's available over current PCI-E
>implimentations, the spec would be more than able to handle graphics
>card data and storage duties"" (www.pcisig.com)
>

That's a future projection. USB2 sounded pretty good too,
but anyone who's used it knows that even ATA66 runs circles
around it for performance with HDDs.

Even so, it completely ignores the point I made, that the
question is never "what's possible" but rather, "what's
best". Gaming cards will be optimized for the fastest
internal, low latency bus. Some "other use", lower data
rate type of video application, sure it's possible but that
doesn't make it practical.



>I did mis-type a but what I remembered about the article. It's a spec
>in development and not the current spec..
>
>The artist-rendition of what it could look like showing a desktop with
>a video card enclosure sitting on top next to the monitor did look
>nice and easier to keep cool.


It's not hard to keep a video card cool as it is, so adding
an external box with fan(s) can only be harder, and/or more
costly.

Archived from groups: alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt,alt.comp.hardware.homebuilt (More info?)

On Sat, 28 May 2005 16:18:31 -0700, "DaveW" <none@zero.org> wrote:

>Sorry, but no can do. Impractical.

Actually,

One of the pci express specs makes having your super-duper vid card in
a box on your desk with a cable connecting it to your pc backside a
probable soon2be reality.

With the large heat sinks etc on them these days, a combo
container/cooler with heat pipe cooling with a fan on top would be
quite nice I think!

-Tony!-