VIA C3 - any experience???

Jeeves

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I'm out to build a fan-free system. Silence is paramount, as I intend to put the machine in my living-room. So I ran across THG's article on the C3 and was impressed. Sure it has it's problems, but it seems promising.

Does anyone have first-hand experience on this baby?
- Is a 900Mhz C3 enought to playback DivX-encoded stuff at a resolution of about 800X600?
- Can you really cope with only a passive cooler?
- Are there any known compatability issues?


Mr. Jeeves

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tbirdXPplus

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900MHx will probably have problems with divX-encoded stuff, consider the c3 900MHz same as a p2-300. i use a c3-667, and web surfing is about all that it can do.

yes, it can cope with only a VERG HUGE passive cooler.

no compatibility issues so far for me, but i`ve read reviews saying that it isn`t compatible with some benchmark programs, and some games.

"Is Celeron good?"
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baldurga

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Well, I don't know the level of noise you are ready to support, but have you consider a system using 80mm low fans? I think the can run as low as 2000 rpm, making almost inaudible, specially after they are in a box.

If the cost is not a problem, probably some of the lower clocked P4 paired with good and big HSF, low fan (80mm 2000rpm), can be an option. You can also add some temperature control in order to run it only when is needed and with the power needed.

Bear in mind also that usually the volume of the film you are watching will by far offset the low noise of this kind of fan.

Hope this helps.


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Jeeves

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Thanks for the replys.

Let me explain myself somewhat more...

I'm planning a computer for the living room. The Computer will be on 24/7 and must be almost totally silent. When it is being actively used (movie/music playback), I do not mind some noise, but when not used it needs to be silent enough for me not to hear it. The maximum of what I intend to tolerate is a low-level hard-drive noise... Let me also amplify that I will not be content with a Power source which needs a fan...
Although I might get by with some 8cm or 12 cm fans doing some 600 to 1200 rpm's I'd really rather make do without... (It's also a question of prestige, as I was told it would be hard, if not impossible, and I'm determined to prove the sceptics wrong.)
The computer will be dedicated to media playback, and will therefore not need extreme computing power. I just ran some tests on an old AMD K-6/2 (400 Mhz) testing it for DivX-playback (scaled to 800X600), and it worked without a glitch. I really have a hard time believing a C3 won't do the job. Specifically as the C3-article at THG specifically states that : QUOTE One of the most important markets is the Far East. Here, C3 has won acceptance. Applications usually are office computers, internet terminals and self-made DVD players whose strength in contrast to hardware DVD player lies in the ability to playback MPEG-4 video streams. Here, the C3 has already won acceptance in the Asian market. UNQUOTE...

But still. I would not like to try it just to find it impossible.
The THG-article benchmarks show that in some disciplines the C3/1000 beats a 667 celeron, and in some disciplines the Celeron beats the C3. As there are no DivX-specific benchmarks in the test, I remain uncertain.

What I wanted to know is whether there is anyone out there with a 800-1000 Mhz C3 processor who would like to tell me about their experiences. Thanks for your speculations guys, but what I really need to hear are experiences.

TIA
Mr. Jeeves

P.S. Aren't there some websites which specialice in letting users tell potential customers about the products they are using?


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Schmide

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You can also install a Realmagic XCard...see

<A HREF="http://www.tomshardware.com/video/02q2/020621/index.html" target="_new">http://www.tomshardware.com/video/02q2/020621/index.html</A>

and for further information on Eden...

<A HREF="http://www.mini-itx.com" target="_new">http://www.mini-itx.com</A>

Complicated proofs are proofs of confusion.
 

Crashman

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My Pentium III stock cooler is quieter than any of my hard drives. I'd recommend either a Tualatin Celeron 1000 or an XP 1600+ underclocked to 1050MHz and undervolted in BIOS.

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tbirdXPplus

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believe me, divX replaying will have problems with the c3 667.

the c3 900 and above are based on another core, the ERZA r the ERZA2, needs only a passive heatsink, and the FPU being faster than the c3-667 samuel2 core.

of you`re willing, buy a c3-1GHz. i still think that u might have problems.

buy the way, c3-667 isn`t even fast enough for DVD playback

"Is Celeron good?"
"No. Celeron is bad."
LOL
 

Crashman

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Former Staff
Underclocking is a good option. The 1600+ is around $50, which is close enough to the C3 (even if the C3 was only $10 and the 1600+ 5x as much, it would still only be a piddly $40 difference). And it would run as cool as the C3 if the voltage was lowered enough.

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peter21

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well il be able to tell you in about 2 days or so my friend just bought a C3 800MHz. He will probably install it today or tommorow. He watches lots of Divx movies so i will be able to tell you for sure. He got it for a good price too, $100 canadian or around $60 american for CPU and motherboard.

--------
The only thing i know...

is that i know nothing at all.