Is there a huge difference between card brands if the chips are the same...eg MSI 6600 vs Legend 6600....? Personally myself, as I've only heard of the MSI brand (in the UK, anyway) I would go with that as it's a relatively popular brand. If the Legend has a good package though and is significantly...

The only thing I'm wondering about is the low amps on the 5V rail (14amps?) - is this enough for an average modern system? It follows ATX12V v2.2 PSU design guidelines. Please read Power Distribution within Six PCs . From the article: 1) It seems to be highly unlikely that a modern system will ever...

The closest I have to a review of the 6600le is that of a 6200, which has the same pipes and core speed, with only the memory speed differing : - http://www.digital-daily.com/video/nvidia_geforce_6200/ The 6600le may be close to the 6600 in some games, but in games where the pipes matter more, the 6...

Firstly, that's an excellent review Ralf! That is a very efficient case and those are certainly very nice CPU and motherboard temperatures. I like the idea of the stock suspension set-up alot too, and the PSU seems very good in regards to low-power sound and cable management. The only thing I'm wond...

The 6600le should have the same clocks as the 6600 - 300mhz core, and 500mhz or 550mhz effective DDR memory. The difference is that the 6600le has four pipes disabled, but the chip is NV43 (the codename) so will probably still generate nearly as much heat as the 6600. If you can find a 6600 with a p...

Excellent - thanks for the additional information; I'm amazed I can start that low with the voltage - that would be fantastic!!

lol... oh I see, I wasn't thinking at all!! Well, it will be on a new build (when I get it) so there's no important data/files to worry about - if I have to reformat because of corruption that's Ok in the testing phase. I feel like a proper noob now. How much would an average Venice A64 3000+ easily...

I'm confused: why would undervolting the CPU affect data storage?

I know over-volting can be bad - increased heat and voltages above what a processor is designed for. But is undervolting 100% safe - i.e. are there any side effects from testing the limit of the processor at a low voltage and at the same frequency, or is it, as i assume, perfectly safe? I'm just cur...

Ta very much, thanks for the info!!!

If gaming is rare, then just increasing the fan for 3D is the cheaper solution - it depends whether it's too noticable - the in-game sounds can help cover up a lot of the noise in some situations... In terms of temperatures though, you don't really want to risk frying the card though - 60's at idle ...

I'm surpised the Leadtek isn't quiet, as they're usually among the quieter VGA cards...

Anyway, what are the temperatures like in idle/games with the fan throttled down compared to normal? If they're still ok and you're happy with the sound now, then there's no point changing. Just my opinion.

Just for reference, there are quite a few NF4x chipsets for S754, so Socket 754 an still provide users with features such as PCI-Express along with Cool&Quiet on the Semprons 3000+ and higher, and of course 64 bit functionality. For the ultra bargain buyers who don't need the power but do want the q...

Ah, ok, I'll tell him about that one then.

Interesting - ta for the info!!

Hi, My mates just ordered a 9550, which he intends to OC, and so is after a replacement cooler to keep the GPU cool and quiet. He's looked at the Arctic Cooling ATI Silencer 2 VGA cooler and likes it as it is in his price range (only about £12 on Overclocker.co.uk)... Is a 9550 compatible with it, a...

I'm a big fan of the Sempron 64's - so nice to have a cheap 90nm alternative...

When I get my system I might have a go at undervolting (if I need to).

Any news on when SPCR will review the Sonata 2?

The review was handy for providing some more piccies at different angles than I've seen already for the Sonata 2.

btw my point about the 6600 was because of the lower nm process (110 vs 130). The 6600s use more power because of thier higher clocks (and presumably higher voltage to support those clocks), is that right? If so, could you mod the card to take the idle power consumption lower than the 6800s or 5700...

I'm thinking about possibly getting either one of the heatsink/fans in the title as they're just about in my price range. After reading through various reviews on this website over the apst few days I remember one mentioning that the Gigabyte motherboards don't have a standard backing plate (for AMD...

Hi, thanks very much for the detailed reply!!! I was keener on the SLK3000B so your information means I'll definately go for the SLK3000B. What would be a good material for sealing the side vents in a temporary way should I want to reopen them in the future? Also, I assume that in my case (no pun in...

Hi All, I'm looking to keeping costs low and both Sonata cases seem a fairly cheap branded PSU/Case combinations. At first a I noticed the Sonata and liked the idea of getting it very much - that was until I started hearing that the cooling in it wasn't particularly great and it wasn't really that q...