The Unigine 'Heaven' bench seems more useful for simulating a gaming load than Furmark.

http://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/21 ... k_3.0.html

I am thinking about buying a aftermarket backplate to put on the back to maybe reinforce it? While that will stop the GPU area from bending so much it will unfortunately concentrate all of the stress on the area near the PCI-E slot and the slot itself. Does it? AFAIK it's attached to the rear mount...

I did some further research and found some somewhat useful noise comparisons on Tom's Hardware of some 7950 cards . They're useful in demonstrating that Asus and Powercolor cards are quiet under full load. But they seem somewhat biased to me. A noise test under normal gaming load would make a lot mo...

Did you get any resolution to this problem? I'm considering the same card based on the SPCR editor's choice review, but I wonder about how Asus's customer service is with problem units. Also, does reapplying the thermal paste void the warranty? I've heard that EVGA explicitly allows this in their wa...

I've been shopping around for a quiet high end single video card solution lately, and Techpowerup.com seems to have the best measurements on temperature and noise that I've found so far. Their formatting isn't the best though, since temperature and noise are on different pages, but the numbers so fa...

I think a foot powered bike pump might do the job. It also has the benefit of being useful if you have a bike. I think a automotive tire pump or a leaf blower would also do the trick. You'd have to lock the fans down though and I'm not sure if these appliances could discharge static. Here's a video ...

I've been using PC Part Picker to shop for parts lately and it's very handy. I wish there was something like this for parts that have been reviewed by SPCR? It would be great to have all the relevant specs and a link to the reviews, where to buy and for how much on one page. Currently I wind up jump...

After reading the latest fan roundup , I've been checking the major online retailers (Amazon, Newegg, etc.) and the only sellers I can find for these parts are third-party sellers on Amazon that I don't know much about (I don't want to spend $20-$30 on a possible knockoff). Is there someplace repute...

Do the 3.5 inch hard drives block any of the RAM slots? Judging from the photos it looks possible, but not entirely clear. I'm wondering if it is possible to fill all four DIMM slots as long as there are no heatsinks on them.

The thing is I'm gradually retrofitting my setup from noisier components. So the quieter the case is, the better. The Temjin TJ08-E is starting to look appealing. I dismissed small cases like that at first as being too difficult to build, but with the removable motherboard tray, it may not be so hard.

The Define Mini is too good for me to have considered alternatives. At the time it was pretty much the Temjin or this. If you want more features or a different look or even smaller dimensions, then feel free to check out SPCR reviews. Silverstone has the most variety and some SPCR approved models. ...

Buying cans of disposable cans of air to clean computer parts seems pretty wasteful. Is there a reusable alternative? I'm wondering if you could fill your own can of air somehow. I know bike shops and gas stations have air compressors for filling tires, but those units are probably too large and exp...

Any chance of reviving this project? I'm wondering if it would be possible to at least compile a list of configurations that whine from the forum and see what patterns emerge. I'm seeing some anecdotal reports of whining video cards or PSUs here and there on the forum, but it's scattered.

I wonder if you could store music files on cheaper media such as SD cards. Audio files are usually pretty small anyway, so I wouldn't expect much more latency especially if the computer is smart enough to cache the next file on the playlist.

I've tried an Antec and a Nexus power supply so far, they both have some kind of odd chemical smell that takes years to dissipate. Is the odor caused by fire-retardants or the PVC cabling or sleeving? I'm not sure how toxic these chemicals are, but they are rather pungent. Do any power supply manufa...

It doesn't affect the audio quality if you use use the audio connectors in the back of the case does it?

Also, is there any way to swap out the audio connectors in the front? Maybe there's some sort of 5.25" drive bay accessory that could take care of the audio instead.

It looks like a good deal if you live near a Microcenter. Otherwise shipping is $17-18 which sort of kills the deal.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/3742 ... puter_Case

I don't know how the quality is in the Corsair case. My Antec Sonatas and P180B had poor front panel assemblies, for example, terrible hiss on audio connectors and one of the Sonatas had a very sensitive power button. What's wrong with your Antec power buttons? Does it cause the computer to sometim...

Phew, glad to see I can now post normally now.

If you're actually worried about it, use Vegemite instead . Or this . Haha, it's too bad Vegimite would eventually dry out. In any case, I bet it would make your computer smell like burn Vegimite after a while. Any idea where to find the White Ice 510FGfrom the second link? I searching for the stuf...

Just what the topic says, I'm wondering if what type of thermal compound is safest for both humans and computers. Wikipedia has a few clues: Thermal greases use one or more different thermally conductive substances: Ceramic-based thermal grease has generally good thermal conductivity and is usually ...

I just joined, an I was wondering if every single post is requires moderation or if this is only applied to new forum members. I understand why this might be done to block spammers, but it's not the greatest user experience.

Looks like a good case. It seems to me that a lot of manufacturers are moving to the minimalistic, no frills look with all the essential features such as case dampening, cable management, and hard drive cages. Just off the top of my head, cases from Antec, Corsair, Fractal Design, Lian Li, and NZXT...

Hi, I'm preparing for my first quiet PC build. Can anyone comment from experience on the sound insulation used in Antec cases versus Fractal cases (or any other manufacturers who make good silent enclosures)? Here is the ad copy from Antec's website: Externally, the SOLO II’s dual-layer 1.0 mm SECC ...

Has anyone tried the Seasonic SS-520FL lately? The SPR review reported some coil whine that was fixed in the second model so I am wondering if any of the units in the retail chain still have the coil whine issue and if Seasonic would take it back if that is the case. Also, FYI I found a clip of some...

What happened to the pictures on this thread?