So, I've got a fairly typical setup, with an AMD Athlon X2 4850e on an MSI DKA790GX motherboard: http://i.neoseeker.com/p/Hardware/Motherboards/Socket_AM2/msi_dka790gx_platinum_profilelarge.jpg all in an Antec Solo case. I'm pondering whether or not to upgrade the CPU, which would imply an upgrade t...

Hm, so does this mean that we should wait for non-reference boards to come out and hope they have lower idle power draw?

Mmph, and now Sapphire's version is within spitting distance --a mere $5 difference. Head-to-head comparison Which means we have: Powercolor -HDMI included (for HDTVs) -better noise at idle -Better GPU overclocking potential (in Win at least; no idea for Linux) -variable stock fan speed Sapphire -Tw...

I hear a massive flaw in the chip doesnt allow the 4850 to clock down and therefore uses 2x as much idlling power as it could Pretty sure you heard wrong : the Powercolor in particular has a fairly aggressive underclock at idle. So, where's a good place to get these aftermarket coolers that seem to...

Oh yeah, but I've gotten to be pretty good at brinkmanship, as I have to listen to lawyers whine and lie to me all day for my day job. :) Anyway, both of those deals are rebate-driven; if it weren't for the rebates neither one would be particularly worth it, or at least not worth the trouble of buyi...

Given the possibility of getting one of these Sunbeams fairly cheap, would anyone recommend getting this HS, or splurging on an FZ120, then waiting for that mail-in rebate to come back (in like 10 months)?

You know, I think I might. The integrated graphics on this motherboard (Radeon HD 3300) is already far better than what I currently have (Radeon 9200); maybe I'll stick with that for a bit and see if it works out. If not, hey, the holiday season is upon us; I'm sure there'll be better sales to come....

So, it's been a few years since I bought my last computer, and it's showing its age (can't play h264-encoded videos without choking, forget about HD anything). So far I've bought the following: Case: Antec Solo PS: Earthwatts 380 MB MSI DKA790GX AM2+ 790GX CPU AMD|A64 X2 4850E 2.5G 4 GB RAM 500 GB H...

Upgrade? Will that work without an "original"? All these weird licencing agreements and Microsoft-sanctioned spyware programs and stuff confuse the heck out of me. Personally I don't plan on ever buying another version of windows past 2000, but I don't think my family is ready to handle Linux and ca...

Cool.

Yeah. *now* I've got to worry about buying him Windows. He swears he'll be able to get it through his school, but then he swore he could buy his own d*** computer too. Anyone know where they're selling a legal copy of Windows XP Pro for cheap? Do those words even go together?

Well, the cheap money's definately on this Arctic Cooling Silencer 64 Ultra. Would that work?

In a bit of a bind on this one. Last week I got roped into making essentially an impulse buy: my brother needed a new motherboard/CPU so I got him this combo at Newegg . Overall it looks like the combo won't be too bad. Only one problem: I didn't notice until after I bought it that there was no heat...

Settings I have selected regarding fan1 and pwm1 (for fan 1): -CPU temp is linked to fan1 in Temperatures window -PWM1 has "automatically variated" checked; going between 0 and 100% at the moment because I can't get the fans to slow down at all. -Under advanced the mode is set to "software controlle...

Hm, well that's disappointing. For some reason setting the CPU fan speed doesn't seem to affect my fan's RPMs. Why do you suppose that's happenning? I have the fan's PWM set to "Software-controlled" and have I think everything else set up right; the Speed setting in the display goes up and down as i...

Okay, so I decided on the new HS (the Whisperrock, as the Scythe was a bit rich for my blood) and got a small tube of that Ceramique stuff as it'll also help with my upcoming project. While I was mucking around I realised the MB was underclocking my FSB to 99MHZ, so I fixed that. I was wondering why...

Hm. Okay, so measuring the interior of the case there is 5.5cm between the top (PSU) wall and the center of the fan, meaning the best I can hope for is about a 100mm fan, giving myself some room for error. Unfortunately I don't have a 80=92mm fan to strap into the CPU to test it, but that's a good i...

Positive. I opened the case and stopped the CPU fan by hand... and suddenly the noise cut by like 70-80%. As to the 120mm fan, that's what worries me. Given that MB/case combo, will a 120mm fan even fit? The CPU socket is very near the edge of the MB, right near the PSU. How much room should there b...

Quiet computer in a dorm room? It doesn't even matter lol. I remember my dorm room and my super loud computer was considered quiet. Heh, seriously. I remember my roommate had FOUR computers, all wildly overclocked, some with the case open and with four or more fans, one with the ROOM fan pointing i...

I've had good luck with an Alpha heatsink -- they fit within the allotted space, and paired up with a quiet 80mm fan (thermally controlled Enermax?), it is fine for the Athlon XP 2500+. I built one for my mother-in-law, and it has been running 24/7 for several years now. Alpha... which one? I can't...

Hi. New here, and looking for advice, but please don't let that scare you away. I'm about to send my little brother off to college, and want to give him something "dormroom-compatible", a computer that can be left on in the same room he's sleeping in. I'm not going to buy him something new as he'll ...