I have the older 7600GT, and it's been a great card! I did have some issues with the heatsink vibrating, at first, but it's stopped since.

I agree with the above, to wait for budget 8800s, since it's a whole generation ahead.

I haven't been around in a while, but I too owe the SPCR for all the help! By no means is my system silent, but what I've learned here is just priceless. My P180 can use a few more modifications and I now have the confidence to approach the next round of tweaking with ease and results.

I have a Rev. B Ninja, and the fan indeed is 1200rpm, but I put it down to around 800rpm through the BIOS.

If it matters, DDR2 consumes less power than DDR1. It all contributes to less heat to move out of your system, which means less fan RPMs needed.

OCZ is highly overrated. They started off with a shady reputation selling rebadged RAM, and while they managed to clean their name, now they've secured a cult following by pandering to young "l33t" gamers. It's interesting how many enthusiast sites praise OCZ PSUs and yet never even heard of Seasonic!

Is the Ninja SCNJ-1100P the same as the reviewed model on SPCR? If not, what are the differences?

The thermal paste is now "bubbled" up. This can't be right. I'm going to order a HS from jab-tech and some nexus fans. Any suggestions for a silent HS for Core 2 overclocking would be welcomed. and good thermal paste, of course. I know the PSU is overkill now, but I needed modularity and I do plan t...

After re-powering, it shuts down immediately. Might it be the PSU shutting down due to the light load? Overheated CPU? I suspect the stock intel fan might be the culprit. Its thermal paste doesn'ty spread very far. I re-seated the CPU heatsink, and the BIOS reported CPU temp of 77-78 C, isn't that t...

Looks like a food processor from the 80s. I'm not too worried about the outlook of silent cards. These cards will be the flagships of ATI and Nvidia for the coming months and they were designed with speed in mind - at any cost. I bet ya they're overclocked too. Once the dust settles, we will begin t...

I ordered a Seasonic M12 500, for $148 shipped. It's pricey, and overkill for my setup, which is probably about the same load as yours, but I intend to keep this PSU for as long as it lasts. The way I see it, components that you'll keep for many upgrade cycles are not worth skimping on. You can't go...

A quickie off the top of my head: CASE Antec SOLO, P150 or P180 $80-120 P180b $120 shipped http://shop4.outpost.com/product/4843800?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG It may be backordered, but I got mines in a matter of a week. CPU Intel Core 2 Duo E6300 $180 www.newegg.com Motherboard www.zipzoomfly.com ...

They're here! http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=50001697&Manufactory=1697 I purchased the M12 500. I'll be running a light load Core 2 Duo system with 2GB DDR2, 1 HDD, 1 DVD, 1 Video card, and so on. Will the PSU too much for it? I do need the extra headroom, as I'll be addi...

The most powerful silent card out now is XFX's 7950GT http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321093 ..there's an overclocked version for $30 more http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=321092 It just came out, so the price isn't as much of a deal as Gigabyte...

I guess once you've succeeded in silencing your PC absolutely, you have to move on to silence everything (and everyone) else around you.

Excellent article, MikeC. It's philosophical enough to keep me thinking about it for a while.

Did anyone see this? # Super High Efficiency [up to 88%] 88%? Wow, that's a new high, isn't it? Does it mean the Energy+ S12's are more efficient than M12? I need a PSU right NOW, so should I get this one over the M12 (efficiency is more important than modularity), and should I wait for other retai...

Thanks for the reality check. I'm not driven by brand loyalty, but it's just that the upgrade guessing game clouds your judgment. I shouldn't care about CPU roadmaps. I'm just a consumer looking for the best product available. Here's a very telling benchmark of power consumption http://www.xbitlabs....

Tonight I'm purchasing the remaining parts: PSU, Video Card, CPU and Motherboard.

Please see the first post.

These M12s couldn't come any sooner. Is it safe to say we'll see them on sale this weekend?

Thanks, Neil! Just what I was looking for. Feel free to close this topic.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139001

Here's a review of its older sibling, http://www.legitreviews.com/article/371/6/

Is it quiet, are the cables long enough for a P180? More importantly, is it SPCR approved?

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Great setup so far, it's very similar to mine except that mines is a couple of notches lower on the CPU and Video Card - E6300 and the passive 7600GT. I got my P180b for $99 shipped here embedded long URL If you don't mind the slightly larger size, I highly recommend this one. It's cheaper than most...

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Ah, I see. I'll just go with a normal 3800 now, and will upgrade to something faster and cooler down the road. The 3600 isn't anywhere to be found except in Asia, as it was axed for some reason.

I noticed that there are new 65w versions of the X2, as opposed to the 89w models. I've seen a few entries on some stores, but there isn't much info. I'm VERY interested in getting a hold of one as I'm in the process of building a system now.

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I already have: 1440x900 19" widescreen LCD Antec P180b DVD burner 2GB GeIL DDR2-800 dual channel kit 400GB Seagate 7200.10 (may not be the quietest, but got it cheap) E6300 $180 @ newegg I'm planning to get: Seasonic M12 500, Seasonic S12 550 Energy +, or Corsair HX520 (possibly based on old S12) h...