Quiet PC IcePipe A40 Silent Computer

I’m sat with this computer now after using it for over a week and I’m still not used to it being completely silent. It really should be making some kind of noise shouldn’t it!?!

While I’ve built PCs before I always used to worry that I didn’t get enough thermal paste on the cpu cooler, or a component wouldn’t quite sit right in the machine, or inserting an expensive component would require so much pressure I would break it. It is so nice to get to configure the machine you want and then have it built professionally.

It looks like it’s been assembled with care and after booting into Windows 8 I’m so glad to see NOTHING annoying - no antivirus, no HP smart-helper rubbish. Just the clean system I wanted.

I was really concerned that a silent graphics card (the Asus HD7750) wouldn’t be able to cut it in games. I have a PS3 so I won’t be playing games on the PC much, but I wanted to know that if there was a game I wanted to play, it would run ok. Been playing a bit of Left for Dead 2 and it runs fantastically at 1280 x 1024. Just tried Arkham City with high settings and that ran really well too. I guess this card will struggle at insane resolutions but it can cope with what I want it to do.

I feel like I’ve got a computer that isn’t going to break any time soon - the fact there are no moving parts is making me think this thing is going to last a long time. I’m dead chuffed with this machine and have no complaints whatsoever.

As for the service, I ordered the system on the Thursday before Easter weekend, received an email telling me it was all built and tested the following Tuesday and it was delivered the next day. The box it came in was HUGE to make room for all the packing they put around the case, which I think goes to show the care that was put into my order.

Would definitely use Quiet PC again and would recommend to friends.

Ordered the IcePipe A40 from Quietpc with a 256 GB SATA and Ubuntu pre-installed. Was amazed to have it delivered only 6 days later, considering I live in the States. Fantastic service. Plugged it in and the system was exactly as I was hoping — zero noise unless I decide to hold my ear to the side of the case. Ubuntu 12.10 works flawlessly on the system.

Only thing wrong with the system is the supplied power cord is VERY loose when plugged into the back of the system. The whole thing wobbles, and the slightest movement across my desk cuts out power. Luckily, I have plenty of spare cords and used a different one that had a snugger fit. This should have been caught when tested.

Only other really minor quibble is that I had to rename the default user the system was supplied with (or I could have created a new admin account and deleted the old one). Would be nice to be asked for a username to configure the system with on install, so this step could be skipped. Novice Linux users might not be as used to doing this. Otherwise, I just had to set my time zone and keyboard to US from UK, change the default Ubuntu server to US from UK, and I was all set.

Overall, I’m extremely happy with the out-of-box experience with the system. Boot time is a few seconds, the hard drive is extremely fast, and the system was downright affordable for what I got. Thanks guys, you have a happy customer.

I’d been searching far and wide on the web for a truly silent PC as my main desktop is always on and sits in a corner of my living room. I was a bit apprehensive since I’m in Canada and worried that ordering across the pond would mean a very long delivery. I wanted a supplier that was well reviewed and at least Linux-Friendly so only quietpc.com seemed to fit the bill. I needn’t have worried about shipping as the large box arrived safe, sound, and quickly, if a bit crumpled. The packaging was perfectly adequate as the contents were immaculate.

The case is very neat and functional, the insides are easily accessed with fingertip-operable screws. The size of that CPU cooler is impressive in person and inspires confidence that it’ll keep it nicely cool. I’ve done a lot of PC assembly and can tell that this build is superb. All the cables are neat, the components were mounted with attention to detail and care. No doubt I’ll get a lot of durability out of it.

Pressing the power button was a happy moment. Not a whirr, not a buzz or even a whisper. It’s silent. Shockingly. The BIOS’ menus are fully functional, gorgeous and informative. Installing Linux was painless (although I couldn’t get PXE working because of the UEFI silliness and expected that) but USB-stick booting worked well. The install was surprisingly brisk. For a lark I compiled a kernel while I monitored the temperature sensors and it was a thing of beauty. 2-minutes range, barely broke a sweat.

Every component was recognised by Linux and worked first-time without any fiddling. I imagine the same experience would be had with Windows but that’s not my bag.

I opted for the Zotac Fanless GTS450 video card and that didn’t disappoint. Once I installed NVidia’s proprietary driver (haven’t tried Nouveau yet), both my 1920x1080 screens were instantly functional; the performance is wonderful.

What more can I say? I’m very satisfied with this system and look forward to many years of usage, in sublime quiet.

Nicely done, quietpc.com.

Danny C.