[RFI] Recommended PC Components for Low EMI/RFI?
Phil Duff
na4m at arrl.net
Sun Dec 28 05:50:23 EST 2003
At 04:10 12/28/2003, Colburn wrote:
>I am about to assemble a new PC. I would like to select
>components that have better than average resistance to
>external RF and minimal output of same.
>
>I'd like to start with the motherboard. While I am fond
>of the features of the EPoX 8KRA2+ (I am told that it is
>just now out of production and replaced by the 8KRAI so
>dealers still have them). I cannot find any data re.
>EMI/RFI specs. (Indeed there is little if any comparative
>data between mobos anywhere.)
>
>Then I need to select a case and power supply: ATX,
>400 watts or better, front panel USB access ... but
>aluminum or steel? I don't care about looks, certainly
>not about clear side panels or colorful lights ... just
>stability and low EMI/RFI.
I went thru this same exercise about 2 years ago.
My approach was to select the case and power-supply first as it's the
computers first line of "defense" in EMI/RFI suppression.
I chose an Antec steel mid-tower case and power-supply. The Antec cases
are well designed and the power-supplies seem quiet.
I've had two different mobo's in this Antec case both running an AMD Athlon
Thunderbird cpu at 1.2ghz - the first was a ASUS mobo with which I was
disappointed when one of it's EIDE channels died and corrupted a harddisk
after a few months. I replaced the ASUS with a FIC mobo and have been very
pleased.
As a point of reference - this 1.2ghz system has far and away much less EMI
than my old generic case and p.s. that ran a Cyrix P166+ cpu. I have no
noticeable EMI or digital noise in my receivers that I can blame on the
computer. And have never had the system crash due to RF getting into the
system at power levels up to 1.5kw. The computer is in the radio shack BTW.
73 Phil NA4M
_. ._ ...._ __ _. ._ ...._ __ _. ._ ...._ __ _. ._ ...._ __
Phil Duff NA4M Ann Duff Georgetown, Texas
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