I'm in the middle of buying parts for a new build, but I'm re-examining my choices for the case. I have somewhat restrictive requirements, as I run two boxes (one Windows gaming/coding box, one Linux server) and they both sit in my living room next to or underneath my desk. Requirements: ATX form fa...

I had looked at the Prominent 5. It's not bad, but there's nothing about it that really seems to make it better than other options. It's cable management is better than my P182, but not as good as most other cases in its price range. It's decent, but I couldn't say that it was better than a few othe...

Yeah appearance is significant. The Arc Midi definitely wins there. I just wish they would finally release the thing for sale. And so is build quality and it typically goes hand in hand with the ability to make a computer quiet. Iv had alot of experience with 690 and some with 690ii and I personall...

ame wrote:The fractal design arc looks really good. I like it. The690ii on the other hand ... Not.

I know its the wrong forum, but what don't you like about the 690 II? (Maybe I'll ask this in the Cases Forum.... hmm).

Now that my Sandy Bridge on its way, I find this thread most useful. Thank you! Is there anything more you want to know? I've done stupid amounts of research. Now, its just research and not personal experience, but I figure if someone else benefits from the hours I spent looking around the web, the...

In March of this year Enermax introduced a PWM version of the 120mm T.B. Silence, model UCTB12P, as an entry level Twister PWM fan. I hadn't seen that. That would be worth looking at, but I can only find it from Scan (UK). This fan has a nominal rpm range of 500-1500. To me this positions it agains...

I was able to duplicate the stalling issue when I was playing with the fan, but even when I was undervolting it, I never had it happen in use, of course, I never dropped it below 8V. I could see how a 7V undervolt might stall, or if you were dynamically adjusting, a sudden drop of voltage might let...

2. It appears that my Magna isn't good for much. It's Nexus and sliptream... or if high static pressure is called for, or it is a horizontal installation its Gentle Typhoon. Maybe the Magna would be good if I water cooled, but that's about it. Can you save me here? I wouldn't say that the Magma is ...

So what is your assessment of the newer generation of Twister Bearing fans in comparison to nexus or slipstream? Hard to say, really. I've never actually held one, so all I've got to go on are some unscientific tests and youtube videos. I'd say that it's hard to beat the nexus or slipstream for all...

You may give a look also to the Enermax Cluster, IME probably slightly more rough at full speed than the Slipstream (subjectively), but with a far better bearing (it's also detachable for cleaning, and if you mind you may light it up). I actually own a Cluster. I got it as a freebie from Enermax fo...

Seems like the NB-Multiframe M-12ps or the Slipstream might be the safest choice if sound is your preeminent consideration. The other two Noiseblockers can slow only to 1000 rpm. I was actually looking at the BlackSilentPro-PLPS [FrozenCPU]: 600-1500rpm +/-10%, claimed 23-58 CFM at 0.15A. No matter...

I don't think I trust non-SPCR reviews of PWM fans. Neither do I, and that's the problem. There hasn't been a (recent) fan review from SPCR (not blaming Mike) for a long time, and I don't think there's ever really been a good PWM review. There are only a couple other places that I could moderately ...

Yes, but those comments are from 1998 . The Scythe Kama Flex PWM (SA1225FDB12H-P) is not the same fan as the Scythe Kama PWM (DFS122512L-PWM), and the Slipstream PWM was just becoming available in 2008. The Noiseblockers weren't really widely known. PWM is still gaining in popularity and the enthusi...

The Akasa AK-CB002 PWM fan splitter cable http://www.akasa.com.tw/update.php?tpl=product/product.detail.tpl&no=181&type=Cables&type_sub=Fan%20Cable%20Adapters&model=AK-CB002 draws power directly from the PSU and only take the control signal from the motherboard CPU PWM fan header. Yeah, I would con...

I've pretty much settled on the Thermalright Venomous-X for my upcoming i5-2500K build. The location where it will sit has some natural sound dampening characteristics, but not the best air-flow, so I'm using a higher airflow case (CM 690 II or Arc Midi... if they ever show up). I'm hoping to be abl...

If you're willing to trust me to condense a dozen or so reviews: The C300 is one of the good all-around drives. The sequential read speed is better than most, but doesn't match the m4 or upcoming Vertex 3. The random 4K read speed is some of the best you'll find, but not overwhelmingly so. It's got ...

I considered the Silver Arrow, but due to price and size and similar performance, I favored the Archon. Was that a bad decision? Either way, it looks like my case will be either a CM 690 II Advanced or a Fractal Design Arc Midi. Both of those should fit either the Archon or the Silver Arrow. Does an...

Since you two utterly failed to convince me otherwise:

I've just ordered a Seasonic X-650.

This is the first official part to be ordered for my new build. Now I just need Fractal Design to give me a chance to see if I want the Arc Midi. Then I'd be pretty much ready to go on all the rest.

I was planning on the X-560, but at $110 shipped the X-650 is hard to pass up. The plan was for a i5-2500K with a GTX-560Ti. Sure, the X-650 is more than enough to power that, and sure, it would have been cool to match up the model numbers on my PSU and GPU, but I don't know that its worth $20 to ge...

Other than price, what's wrong with the Thermalright HR-02? Nothing really. But at $70, its equivalent in price and performance with the Archon, which seems to be easier to find, and takes up less space in a case. The HR-02 would be a drop-in replacement for it if the Archon didn't fit in the case ...

I liked the mounting system. I have open cornered fans so i guess I'm not used to seeing closed-corner fans. I liked the included bolt-through mounting kit included with the Gaia. The corner issue is a small one now that I know to care about it. I still prefer clips and rubber strips for the easy f...

Xigmatec HDT-1283 or "Gaia" D1283 would be acceptable for this. I had considered the Gaia, but it seems to be more expensive than the Hyper 212+ and the only review I've seen of it, but it as equivalent to the Gelid Tranquillo. Given that, I'd prefer the Tranquillo's mounting as I got really annoye...

Afaik 212 is also direct touch , so if your trying to avoid DT then the 212 is out. Still I think it's a very good cooler for the price. I'm not really trying to avoid them (they're everywhere!), but I'm currently using a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 on an Intel Q9450. It's a decent cooler, but I reapplied t...

Have you considered a Scythe Mugen 2 in push-pull? It keeps my hexacore at room temperature even when locked at 3GHz. I knew someone was going to suggest that one too. Yeah, I looked at it and its HUGE. I had been sort of trying to force myself not to look at the Mugen and the DH-14 due to their si...

In a month or so, I'm hoping to start a build around an i5-2500K. A bit of research says that 4.5GHz is a perfectly reasonable overclock. Considering that, I'm looking for a decent cooler to keep it under control... not that it's supposed to be a particularly difficult task. Anyone have advice? Afte...

Do you really play 5-6 games? Possibly. I don't play them often (couple times a week, perhaps), but in the last month I've played Civ V, Dawn of War II, Mass Effect 2, Team Fortress 2, Half-life 2, Company of Heroes and Batman Arkham Asylum. Sometimes I'll stick to one game, but mostly I skip aroun...

Another, simpler option. - Get one of the quiet low noise drives mentioned and partition it as you'd like w/o worrying about short stroking. - Move your currently played games to the SSD and keep the archived games on the HDD. That was already the plan. However, I don't expect I'll be able to keep ...

I'll probably be getting the 2TB Samsung F4EG or the 2TB WD EARS. If you have a small group of files that you regularly access, I would encourage you to break the 1T into an initial 100M volume and a second 1900M volume. The first volume will be put on the outside tracks. That is precisely what I w...

Quick update: The WD 2TB Green WD20EARS is indeed one of the drives that has multiple versions based on platter size. There is a 4 platter (500GB/platter) version and a 3 platter (667GB/platter) version. I really thought it was the EADS drive that had this issue. Of course, SPCR has a nice article o...

Given your OS choices it boils down to price. Your choice in hard drive won't matter nearly as much as your choice in SSD. Just remember every day is International Backup Awareness day. I suspect that you'll approve of (most of) my SSD choices as they are based in large part on your own posts. And ...