[OT] New SFF workstation recommendation

["Paul Gordon" <paul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey chaps, looking for any recommendations to narrow down my research
into a new small desktop system to replace my main workstation at home.
I currently have a Soltek QBIC system which is *remarkably* quiet, but
sadly now is getting a bit long in the tooth, and needs replacing
(rather than upgrading). I'm definitely after a small-form-factor box
(i.e. shuttle size), and noise is definitely a consideration. I'd prefer
a barebones, since I already have most of the new components ready to go
in it (Core2 CPU, DDR2 RAM, PCI-E GPU, 500GB SATA HDD etc.)

Clearly I'll be doing my own research over the coming weeks, but there's
a lot to choose from, and often very little information about how loud
many of these systems are. I know from my own experience that it is
perfectly feasible to design very quiet SFF systems (I've got one), but
I've also seen (or rather heard) some horrendously noisy shuttle
systems, and I'd hate to end up with one of those, - and the one problem
with this brave new world of online commerce is that one can't
physically experience/evaluate goods before purchasing - by which time
it's too late. I'd also prefer to get one which is quiet from the outset
rather than having to subsequently go through the hassle of having
modify it to quieten it down.

So I'd be grateful for any personal experiences/recommendations to
narrow down my research criteria, - any to avoid? - any specific models
to consider, etc...

TIA


Paul G.



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]