Ok, I will check that out. I seem to have a four pin connector on the motherboard so I am leaning towards using that. It's not conclusive: sometimes some 4-pin headers are not true PWM ones, but rather voltage controlled headers with one more dummy pin. So, your mileage may vary, it depends on the ...

before choosing a fan, first decide how you will control it, are you going for 4pin PWM fans or 3pin voltage controlled. If you let says dont care, or dont know, then just get a good fan that can be undervolted. I like a lot the SPCR Fan Roundup #6: Scythe, Noiseblocker, Antec, Nexus, Thermalright ...

I could try a fan speed controlling program. Not sure which one to try. Check the motherboard model, then search Asus main page for it, then go into support of that motherboard, inside go to downloads and to utilities, search for AI SUITE III. What's the easiest way to find out the MB model? Crack ...

I heard that the pwm Cougar fan was an issue and there was a recall a while back. Is this fan ok now? http://www.cougar-world.com/products/fans/vortex_pwm.html I just have one case fan connected to my mb and I want to replace it with a quieter one and be able to control the speed. Do I need to look ...

Im assumming a prebuilt Asus system will have an Asus motheboard, have you tried plugging the fan to the motherboard and running AI SUITE III / FanXpert2? The fan came connected to the motherboard. One thing I notice is that the fan is exhausting out a hole in the case with perforated cut-away hole...

I disconnected the case fan and it was by far the loudest thing in the box. PSU is probably the quietest. I will try installing a quieter case fan for starters. After that, if it's still noisy I will look at the CPU fan/cooler. I guess I will look in the fan forum. It looks like some more reading. I...

I bought this Asus box and it seems noisy. http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=7_1203_124&item_id=065795 I use this PC in the corner of my bedroom near my bed and I will listen to music stored on hdd so quieter is better. The box: ASUS (M11AD-US005S) Desktop PC Mid Tower - Intel Co...

I have an old 939 AMD system with an Athlon 3000+ CPU and an even more ancient Geforce2 GTS video card. I don't play games, but sometimes I wonder if my video card is so old that it is causing issues when I try to watch videos etc. Is there any point in upgrading the video card to something a bit fa...

What's the best value AMD dual-core AM3 CPU under $100 (CDN) for combination of low power and fast processing speeds? Going to use the MSI 785GM-E65 main board. Should I get an e CPU and undervolt/tinker or should I get a regular Athlon II and undervolt. I see mixed responses. Some people say the e ...

I wish I could find the MSI 785GM-E65 for sale locally. I wonder if MSI has something new to replace it. I'm not necessarily building an HTPC, but I like having the capability, and....it's a low powered option.

Is this MSI MB becoming out-dated already? Is MSI replacing it with something else soon?

Need a MB for a new PC build. Would like HTPC capability, but main PC use will be internet, wp, spreadsheet work but would also like to do video and music editing. Very litte to no gaming. I was looking at the ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO but it seems power hungry vs the MSI SPCR compared it to. I cannot fin...

You may want to also consider the AMD Athlon II X2 250. I would like to know how the X2 235e compares to the X2 250. These CPU's are within $4.00 of one another. The X2 235e is a 2.7 GHZ part with TDP of 45 watts. The X2 250 is 3.0 GHZ but has a TDP of 65 watts. The X2 250 is faster. Does it use muc...

The X2 250 looks like a good value for $14 more than the 240. I wish I knew how these compared to the C2D. Obviously not as fast as the ones I was thinking of initially, but, they are also $100 cheaper. You can find some comparisons of the Athlon II X2 250 with the Core 2 Duo E8400 here: Neoseeker ...

I live in Canada, so prices are in CDN$ relative to what else I can get here. Just an example of one place. $65 AMD Athlon II Dual Core X2 240 2.8GHZ AM3 65W (ADX240OCGQBOX) $75 AMD Athlon II Dual Core X2 245 2.9GHz AM3 65W (ADX245OCGQBOX) $76 AMD Athlon II X2 235e / 2.7 GHz Energy Efficient - Socke...

How would the AMD Athlon II X2 235e compare to my AMD64 3000+ or intel CPU's like C2Duo? Seems very inexpensive. If there was a good all-in-one motherboard and some reasonably priced ram I'd be good to go. How about: CPU: AMD Athlon II X2 235e $76 MB: ASUS M4A785TD-M EVO $95 (or the M4A785TD-V =$106...

Well, I shouldn't be too concerned with the PCI video capture card as it's kinda old and I could always get a USB2 version from Happauge. If it works, it works, otherwise, I can replace it later. I like the idea of getting a fairly modern AMD platform and inexpensive CPU. So which AMD Athlon II cpu ...

Thanks for the feedback. I like the idea of going for less expensive and perhaps trying amd again. Would be nice to get a much faster cpu that uses less watts than the one I have now...and of course, a motherboard that is not power hungry either. I'll check out all of your suggestions and start zero...

I've been putting off upgrading for many years, and it's finally time. My PC needs revitalization. The good thing is, I can spend not a whole lot and get a very significant performance upgrade. Current system is AMD64 3000+. I want to spend the least amount of money possible on motherboard, cpu and ...

32 bit windows XP can utilise 4 GB of physical memory but will not see all of it due to video card memory, system ROM, PCI cards etc which use up some of the address space, which is limited to 4GB. I have XP 32bit (with all service packs and updates) on an Intel socket 775 system and Windows sees 3...

Gotcha. I've heard good and bad things about Vista. What's the short and dirty on that one? What do people like, and what do people dislike? I have no problems with XP Pro SP2. I suppose I could always stick to 2 GB of dual-channel or 3GB of ram, which ever proved faster.

What 64 bit OS is there? Windows XP Pro in 64 bit? Vista?

I have a 939 based 3000+ AMD64 PC with Windows XP Pro SP2. If I change my platform to AMD AM2(+) or Intel 775 Core 2 Duo...do I need a 64 bit OS..or is a 64 bit OS preferable vs what I have now?

Neat. I think I'd want a faster CPU. There are some faster one's that are still 45 watts. I keep going back and forth between the Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 and something AMD AM2. Also, I am in Canada, so pricing and sourcing is a little different. I'll check out your combo. It looks good. thanks Chris ...

That's not bad. Of course, I'm in Canada, so it'll cost me a little more :p

Is there going to be an update to the list at the top of this post? Is there another newer thread? Some of the boards on the list aren't available anymore.

So I was comparing the AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ to the Intel E8500 and it looks like a significant difference between these 65 w tdp CPU's but then I see the 5600+ listed as 89 watts somewhere else. It's frustrating that these CPU's are not listed with the same TDP everywhere. In fact, one store lists...

Ah, right. Doing stuff with the PC. I forgot about that. Ok, not so much games. Possibly HD-HTPC and maybe sound and video editing, the usual internet and office tasks, some photo work etc. Budget, I'd say low to midrange. Would rather not spend too much. Give me some options for lower priced stuff ...

Let's say I built a PC around an Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 or E8500, just because they are affordable, which motherboard would be a good one to use that has onboard video with an HDMI output? If I wanted to build an AMD PC with similar performance to the above, what would you suggest? Can I stay at 65 ...

Yep. I'll upgrade the platform.

I'm going to go with an E8500 or an equivalent AMD cpu. (same TDP as my current AMD64 3000+ winchester CPU but probably much much faster).

Yeah? Crap. I don't have time to re-install my system and go through the possible teething problems. Was just hoping to find the fastest CPU available. I suppose I could get something used. I will keep checking out a new system, but the cost and time to start over is kinda much at the moment.