I would suspect a bad PSU damaging the motherboard first, as a PSU generally has very good, and quick overload and over current protection, but even with that, nothing is guaranteed. Even if you have a regular sized PSU (unless the motherboard plugs are custom sized), you could open the case up and ...

The best way to find out is to swap out the PSU to test it. If parts keep failing, it could be the PSU, but it could also be the motherboard, or individual components going.

If you really wanted to turn this into a power saving file server, try this: Remove the front, bottom and side fans. Swap out the graphics card for something lower power. Put in the Scythe Ninja, and the Antec PSU. Remove the KamaBay. Your wattage will depend mostly on the activity of the hard drive...

I see a lot of new faces around here lately. I haven't been posting as much because I've been working more, but I'll throw in a few cents here and there... 1) Philips head screwdriver, or a multi-bit screwdriver is nice to have. If you can get one with 10 interchangeable ends, that's great, and cond...

I just looked up the board, seems like the Asus website has a few problems, but it does support Phenom X4 CPUs, so consider that your next upgrade option. I would suggest making sure you get the latest BIOS on that motherboard, and populating 4gb of RAM, as well as thinking about a Phenom X4 as an u...

Depends on the shop. I know where I work, max. labor charge is $195USD. I feel like you could get an AM2+ based motherboard which runs DDR2 for ~$100USD. This will give you an upgrade path to a Phenom X4 in the future, as well as room for at least 8gb of RAM. I feel like overlooking this upgrade wil...

If you wanted to do a slower upgrade path (I did this a little over a year ago), you could jump up to a newer motherboard, which would support a Phenom CPU by the time you wanted to make the jump. I don't trust Green Power drives, but to each their own. Also, new Tri-Power fans are two speed, not Tr...

Fan bearings could be bad, but the best thing to do is pull the fan and put in a new one and make sure that the new one doesn't do the same stuff. What size is the fan? 100x15? It's not too hard to source oddball sized fans, but if the fan isn't starting, then either the bearings are getting old, or...

If you have a warranty with it, you'll most likely need a new system board, unless the graphics card alone can be replaced. Being factory refurbished, I don't know, it's a total tossup. It could be a problem with a cracked board, be it a major issue, or a hairline fracture, which even Dell wouldn't ...

From a Mighty Mouse to the Magic Mouse, is it a nice switch? the only thing stopping me is that i don't want to go wireless with a mouse...too many batteries to go through for me. I definitely remember the old build quite well, the new one looks great...your apartment is amazingly neat, and the comp...

Why such a powerful "general use" computer? Why not opt for an i3 and integrated graphics, or lower end ATI graphics rather than the 2600k, which is really more for overclockers/gamers/workstations? It's almost like a gamer told you what you should get because it's good hardware, not because it's wh...

What USB wifi adapter is that? Looks like a pretty good one to me, just the way it's put together. Easy to mod (and that's all I care for) and small. Nice build though, very compact. For a while I had thought about using a rackmount system, but I've lost the patience to get the case, and I still don...

LOL, shouldn't go by memory for Thermalright heatsinks..

Dually noted about the AXP, I'll have a look at prices and see what my boss thinks.

Thanks a ton!

So I've got an nVidia GTX280 sitting here at work with a bad fan on the stock cooler, so we're looking to just replace the whole cooler. Am I right in thinking the HR-05 is a direct fit? If not, what cooler should I put on it? Cheaper the better, but in the end, we have to go with what fits. Thanks!...

Coil whine on the motherboard when voltage changes. C-State adjusts the voltage to the CPU when it changes clock rates.

It may have stopped that noise, but keep an eye on temps and stability. If things start to get warm, you're going to want to get a different cooler for the CPU.

Overheated/damaged VRM? That's my guess. It's entirely possible that what ended up happening is that a circuit is able to work under a certain load, but once the current either increases or decreases beyond a tolerance (what that is, I wouldn't know), and it stops working. I have a Dell 22" widescre...

I don't know if it affects other software right now, but USB3.0 drivers are not playing nice with some audio gear, which means the drivers could still use a lot of work. Because of this, I suggest users be careful about what they choose. Adding a PCI-E card for USB3.0 in the future is no big deal. I...

500W would be "a lot" for this computer. Might I go so far as to say a Nexus 430W? Seasonic 530W maybe? Nexus has a 530W too, but I haven't heard of anyone using it here, so I'm not sure if it's as good as the 430. I'm also going to say that you might opt to save a little bit more by starting with 4...

I use M-Audio devices almost exclusively. I'm well aware that there are heated debates about the quality of them, but I've worked my way through all of my problems. I would say Mackie units are rock solid, and budget friendly, but if you're looking for just a couple inputs, maybe go for a device wit...

What interface are you looking to use for this? I know that I personally only have M-Audio gear, and it's very picky. I would say that AMD is a very solid choice for the cost right now, and you can't go wrong with the Phenom platform. If you have any online retailers which offer combo sales, the Phe...

I'm honestly just curious to know how much the Mac Pro is really utilized. Upgrading to Snow Leopard x64 is a huge start, as well as adding more RAM, because either way, Me@Work is going to have to get x64 software to compliment the new computer either way, so I think it would be worth getting at le...

Low temps aren't really the selling point, it's moreso the speed. The fact that it's quiet is an added bonus, and it's very easy to work on. We'll be using it until it sells, when it'll get a fresh install of 7 again, and most likely another 4gb of RAM. The Ninja was already ordered, it just didn't ...

HP systems and even Dell systems usually do just fine after replacing the stock Bestec power supplies. It's a good thing you're replacing it too, because I've seen many die without warning, and seemingly no failed internals. Replacing the cooler as well would be a great place to start. A tower style...

NZXT Phantom Asus M4A79XTD EVO 4GB DDR3 Western Digital 150gb Velociraptor Antec 650W AMD Phenom II 1090T MSI 5770 Hawk LG Blu-Ray burner http://www.kwikpiks.com/files/172/IMG_20110222_190356.jpg http://www.kwikpiks.com/files/172/IMG_20110222_191143.jpg Soon it will be getting a Scythe Ninja 3. It's...

Is your Mac Pro the model with two Dual Core Xeons, making a total of 4 Cores? It does make a huge difference. I would say that your Mac Pro has a lot of untapped potential that has yet to be used. First off, it may "only" be 2.0GHz, but it may be running at the 1333mhz FSB. Not too bad for that kin...

1) If you're going to run Sonar, run sonar. On my MacBook Pro, I have Audition, Pro Tools 9, Reaper, Logic Pro 8, Sound Track Pro and Ableton Live Lite. I very much prefer Audition because I used it for years on Windows, and the recent Mac version is decent, however I find myself using Reaper most o...

I know I'm silly for saying this, but to get things a little back on track, I'd like to know a few things from the OP. 1) What DAW software do you plan on using? Do you use a lot of VSTs, effects, virtual instruments, etc? 2) What type of work will you be doing? Example, how many tracks at a time, w...

Video rendering and Audio rendering are VERY different.

Don't compare grapefruits to tomatoes.

Even knowing that heat wont be much of a problem, I wouldn't go to overclocking for this computer. In fact, I would keep it as basic as possible. The less that can go wrong, the better, especially when you're working with audio. I would not go with the "latest and greatest" sandy bridge just yet, be...

A quad core i5 + 8gb of RAM + Velociraptor + mediocre graphics + 1 scratch HDD = ~450W I'm being really vague because I'm not really up on i5 right now. I would say ATI 5xxx series is more than enough, I'd go for a passive version, because you really don't need more than that. I would suggest maybe ...