[sdiy] Not a synth question at all.... (but it is about diy and sound! :)

[Eric Brombaugh]

Johannes Öberg wrote:
> While we're at it; isn't the best solution to get a low-power computer
> that can run completely fanless? That's what I'd like to do, but I
> haven't been following the computer hardware evolution for a few
> years, so I really don't know what's out there.

Mini-ITX motherboards are great for this sort of thing. Check this 
website for more:

http://www.mini-itx.com/

You can get pre-built machines, or DIY. Some motherboards are completely 
fan-less. Some cases run from 12VDC with an external mains converter and 
an internal switcher for the various voltages needed for the 
motherboard. One PCI slot is usually provided, along with the usual 
complement of I/O. Video is usually integrated, so it won't be great for 
gaming.

> Another thing, is it viable to use a flash drive as the main disk for
> the OS and stuff ? Do they last enough rewrite cycles these days?

Depends on what OS you're running. WinXP isn't really optimized for 
flash use - the page file will eat up the flash life pretty quick. OTOH, 
if you run Linux this is a real possibility. Some folks have made quiet 
PCs that boot entirely from a USB flash drive with no other storage.

Eric