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SilentPCReview may shut down August 31, 2011

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DaveSimmons said:
Even if there was no new content, the existing reviews of cases, heatsinks, fans, etc. and the tips on making them more quiet would be worth preserving for a few more years.
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This is what I was thinking. Even if just the existing content was backed up, it would be great reference material.

Imp said:
We should add a silencing sub-forum....
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This is actually a pretty good idea. I wonder if the mods would be open to the idea? Or if it would generate any interest?
 
ViviTheMage said:
Or is Mike C looking to get out of the game all together, and wants others to do what he does?
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From his post it looks like he wants someone to take over SPCR from him, including the reviews.

He doesn't say what he'd be doing next, perhaps he wants to work on more designs like the Antec P180, or start a quiet computer company like EndPCNoise. Or maybe he wants to do something completely different -- 10 years is a long time and he might be burned out on computer hardware.
 
Shame, but I can't say I'm surprised. You could definitely notice the downward trend in the number of reviews and forum participation over the last three or so years. That site was invaluable to get me started on the quiet computing path after I have had enough of the golden/silver orb turbine noise. I also strongly believe that site was instrumental in pushing the silent movement along by working with hardware manufacturers such as Antec to put out high quality cases and providing feedback on what worked and what didn't.

However, a lot has changed since 2002 when the site has gone live. Hardware manufacturers put a lot more thought into quiet design now. Hell, even stock DELL PCs sold today are reasonably quiet, not quiet enough for me to use at home, but quiet enough that I do not notice them in the office setting. We have 90% efficient PSUs, cases that are actually designed to provide good airflow at minimum noise, aftermarket GPU coolers, excellent aftermarket heatpipe CPU coolers and SSD/5400 rpm green hard drives that are virtually silent inside the case, an abundance of 500-1200rpm fans, fan controlelrs, you name it. So it is really not surprising that the site was slowly dying for the last couple of years. It just isn't needed as much since quiet has become mainstream.

That said, SPCR reviews have always been top notch. It has absolutely the best methodology for testing heatsinks and power supplies. Nobody else tests heatsinks with a reference nexus fan or provides cooling comparisons at the same noise level. And who else besides SPCR has a silent chamber in the basement for noise measurements? The decibel measurements on every other site is a joke. I will definitely miss the quality of SPCR reviews when it's gone.
 
I've read their reviews on occasion over the years. It was invaluable to me in picking components like PSUs.

I hope it doesn't go.
 
That would be sad if they shut down. Back when I was building computers I was just flailing around experimenting with components trying to make them quieter. SPCR was an incredible resource then.

But today (although you pay a premium), you can get a quiet computer from a company like Puget Systems, knowing they've already done all the research and experimentation for you.
 
mike has updated the original post, they're going to try to keep SPCR operating if possible. at the very minimum the site content and forums will be kept up (thanks vivi and anyone else who offered low/no cost hosting!). they're now looking for a new place to build a lab or two.
 
a tremendous loss. They are and have been ahead of the pack in quiet computing. Tons of helpful reviews and guides/resources to making very quiet computers.
 
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