Pentium Power with Less Rattle and Hum

Jason Krause

In 1994, Silent Systems introduced the FE 4, a system that was for all practical purposes inaudible. The original FE 4, which cost up to $4000, had intricate thermal-conducting technology and plastic acoustic-dampening shields that were too expensive and cumbersome to implement for mass production. To make quieter systems practical, Silent Systems is now selling sound-dampening PC internals based on the FE 4, but which are not as fully noise-retardant, to PC manufacturers.

One of the first systems using this technology is the AST Bravo MS, which comes with a 133-, 166-, or 200-MHz Pentium processor or a 166- or 200-MHz Pentium with MMX technolog y, up to 256 MB of SDRAM, a 512-KB L2 pipeline burst cache, and a 2- or 3-GB hard drive.

The AST machine I previewed had a Silent Systems Eldorado silent fan and SilentDrive hard drive, which is encased in an acoustical shield. Unlike the FE 4, which eliminated all internal fans, the Bravo needs the quiet Eldorado fan to cool the processor and the other internals. Thermal-conducting plates cool the hard drive. The power supply is not silent, although Silent Systems does market a silent one. The power supply is the main source of noise that the machine makes.

The CD-ROM drive and hard drive are not silent components, either. Compared to the average noisy desktop system, the Bravo MS is a marked improvement, but it's not perfect. The preview system's power supply emitted a faint high-pitched whine, and I could hear a quiet hum from the fan and the occasional churning of the hard drive. This machine was quieter than the average PC but not quiet enough for those who demand monastic seclusion and silence.

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Whe re to Find

Bravo MS.....................$1255-$2210

AST
Irvine, CA
Phone:    800-876-4278
Phone:    714-727-4141
Internet: 
http://www.ast.com

Enter 1054 on Inquiry Card.

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You Too Can Have Pentium Power

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