Certainly try what Psiu suggested, but are you sure it's not just vibration? If you have even a single hard-mounted hard drive, there could be an incredible amount of vibration running through your case. If you're confident it's not vibration, try running a voltmeter between the case and some ground...

Nope. When my SSD failed - it disappeared. Of the 16GB only 15MB remained available and that contained Zippo. Must be a controller failure. On the Mtron site, there is now a known failure mode where only this 15MB is available. So beware. Is there a comparable Magnetic Drive failure mode anymore ? ...

Nope. I want years of real world testing before I trust SSD. Remember how long CD's were supposed to last originally? Surely, even with long-lived magnetic media, you have a backup strategy in place? As I said earlier, I would happily use an SSD in my computer, both for the performance and noise. O...

I've been pleased with my Velociraptor, mostly because the performance is incredible. However, I suspect I'll switch to an SSD fairly quickly once I can get a reasonably-priced >64 GB drive without the stuttering/random write issue currently plaguing the cheap examples of the technology. Partly it's...

For performance-minded people, the only flash drives currently worth buying are either very expensive SLC drives, or the also-very-expensive units made by Intel or Mtron (for which MLC is just fine). If you're just looking for silence, pretty much anything will do, but don't be surprised if the comp...

Picking a specific software package will depend on what tasks you're looking to perform. Vista Home Premium has a rather good media center, and MythTV is also highly-regarded. However, if you don't have a TV tuner card and simply want to play back music and movies, there's nothing better than XBMC ....

Apologies for the confusion; when I wrote my reply I wasn't thinking GreenPower, I was thinking Velociraptor. However, I stand by my comment about RAID editions vs non-RAID editions: At best it's parts-binning, and at worst it's marketing. There aren't substantial differences.

I've got a non-raid version which has been running 24/7 since May, with an accumulated total of probably around 48 hours spun down. It's still going strong. FuturePastNow - isn't it a bit wasteful to put such a fast drive into an enclosure which will never allow it to access or transfer faster than ...

Yeah, that's a pretty common problem around here. I occasionally have to go listen to friends' and family's computers, to remind myself of what I used to consider quiet. Strangely, the very small amount of noise from my computer irritates me more than louder systems not designed with silence in mind...

Am I just too fussy? :D Yes. If the person you're building for has intentionally selected a non-modular PSU, why are you so adamant that you get a modular PSU? I'm not familiar with the supply they've selected, but if it's not modular then that doesn't seem to be a huge issue. Look for an Enermax P...

I don't believe that different versions of E8400 use substantially different amounts of power, but there's not much difference between E8400 and E7300. After all, they run the same voltage and very similar clock speeds. The benchmarks I've seen suggest the E8400 uses approximately 33 watts; I don't ...

As far as I know, the only cables available for a Wii are component (three cables, red, blue, and green) and composite (single yellow cable). I'd expect this issue with a composite cable. If that's what you're using, trust me, it's worth buying the better cable set; the difference in video quality i...

It depends on where you're coming from. If you've never gotten very heavily into silent computers, it's actually surprisingly quiet. You have to understand just how badly most computer hardware would score in an SPCR review. However, the 9700 is just exactly as bad as the review says, if you're comp...

Even with your current video card, that computer will have no trouble playing standard-definition movies, including DVDs. On the other hand, there's no video card in the world capable of allowing it to play HD content.

Although either cooler will fit, even the smaller S2 is overkill for that card and should have no trouble keeping things cool in a reasonably ventilated system. The price difference is small, so if you have extremely limited airflow (less than a single typical 120mm fan at ~800 RPM) you can certainl...

Because computer fans are brushless instead of the simpler brushed type, I'm fairly sure they won't act as a generator without an additional control circuit or at least a bridge rectifier. There is, however, an exceptionally large capacitor in the power supply, which could easily power the fan for s...

Based on some of the SPCR mATX motherboard reviews, I'd say you're looking at around 80 watts at full load for everything except the video card. Bearing in mind the SPCR review of the 4850 doesn't have Furmark numbers while the 4830 does, I'd guess that the 4850 draws about 110 watts at absolute ful...

That's a development that came after the card's release. This means great fun trying to find the small-process card; the only difference is the detailed designation on the GPU, which won't be available to you until you've already paid for it. You want a G94-300-B1 card, as opposed to a G94-300-A1 ca...

Yep. 9600GT is better performance per watt than a 9600GSO, although it's running at a higher wattage. You could easily underclock it to GSO levels if you were really concerned, but at that point you might also want to look at an HD4670. It's slower, but it's pretty much the king of all performance-p...

Clean airflow paths (including proper cable management) are what really works for silent computers. Damping materials are more aesthetic than effective, but they can be very aesthetic indeed

The E5200/E7200 are only about 20W at full load at stock voltages. They can be undervolted quite a bit too. I don't think a HD 4670 is out, but a Geforce 9500GT is quite a bit lower power at load. Don't forget everything else in the computer, though. SPCR has been testing a lot of mATX motherboards...

That Soldam Windy is compelling. It's not really built with silence in mind; there are no special features and no real attempt at silence. However, it's probably the prettiest case I've seen, and I'd love to try my hand at silencing it.

Here's hoping we get some distributors soon.

The 82plus program themselves maintain a list of the efficiency characteristics of every supply they've tested. They don't generally record lower than 20% efficiency, unfortunately, but they do provide a graph of efficiency vs output, so you could extend the curve to a lower level to see an approxim...

I'm a member of the smaller-is-better crowd. No need for a built-in optical drive (don't use it that often, so use an eSATA or USB external drive). 3 x 2.5" drive spots (1 SSD for boot/applications and 2 HDD in RAID 1 for my stuff), and you can use the power supply area for some of that 'cause I'll...

I think your wiring diagram will work, though it would make a lot more sense if you included only power supply wiring, and left out the SATA and PCIe connections. Since those are obvious, leaving them out of the diagram will make things easier to plan.

I don't think that there is any way to go straight from the PW-200-V to a P4 ATX connection. Correct me if I am wrong. Also if there is anyway that I could make the connections simpler... If you order a bare P4 lead and a PW-200 simultaneously from Mini-Box.com, they'll automatically solder them fo...

Engineers at TT are called Corperate Spy's to the rest of the world. They dont design any of their own stuff. Just copy other peoples' work. Well, go on. Post a link to the company who originally came up with this cooler. It's entirely possible that many TT products resemble things made by other co...

Yes, there's no reason you couldn't use that in a standard computer. You'd just have to find a switchmode power adapter providing between 6 and 30 volts, with a decent amperage (more than 250 divided by the voltage of your chosen supply). The Dell DA-2 power brick most people seem to favor with the ...

•5½" bays from top to bottom, with provisions to suspend a hard drive in any of them. •If you insist on tool-free assembly, give me thumbscrews instead of horrible plastic latches...but I'd prefer normal screws and easy access to them. •Soft silicone case feet. •Free-flowing 120mm intake an...

If I do end up deciding to use this case, I will be removing the Power supply and using a fan in its place. I assume that this means that I will be able to use better coolers (possible a Thermalright HR-01 Plus even?)... I would be fine using a 4670, but if the only reason that I should use it is b...