judge56988, For a first hand account of events that led to the disaster from an engineer who barely survived, check out the interview with Mike Williams conducted by CBS's 60 Minutes. BP was at fault. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/16/60minutes/main6490197.shtml The death of the gulf economy...

I ordered another 2TB Samsung today.

Noctua FAQ for that HS say no AMD rotation. Yesterday I installed an NH-U12P SE2 rotated 90 degrees for a AM2+ socket in an Antec Solo. I had to use optional hardware that Noctua provides without charge after submission of JPGs showing proof of purchase of the HS and either an AMD cpu or MB. Shippin...

I hope my MB doesn't bust a cap in my ass!

I think you probably have more HS options than you realize if you are comparing published HS dimensions with your measurements. Companies measure HS width and depth where those measurements are at a maximum but the HS dimensions close to the cpu are much smaller. I think the top down Noctua NH-C12P ...

Your best option would be selling the Dell hair dryer to someone who is deaf.

It would really help to know the model MB and case.

Check out the the link. http://www.silentpcreview.com/2010_CPU_Heatsink_Test_Platform Recommended cpu coolers was updated last month. There are two great coolers that work very well with minimal airflow. You should pick either the Prolima Megahalems or the Noctua NH-U12P. The Mugan2 is also good plu...

If you decide to move away from your Dell you can easily build a machine to your specs and budget that is much quieter than any notebook I've heard. Forget water cooling. Air cooling can be quiet enough to be effectively silent from a few feet away in most ambiant noise environments. I built my firs...

A week to NZ is pretty darn quick. Maybe mine will arive as fast.

Re the customs guys--If you had to spend all day, week after week, year after year, pawing through the dirty underware of the great unwashed masses you might be looking for drugs as well!

I agree that individual Newegg reviews are often nonsense, but when there are large numbers of opinions supporting or panning a product I take that into account. However, your poll above is never going to have enough responses to be of value. SPCR's review of the WD Ecogreen 2TB reports that the uni...

Here is some statistically relevant information Newegg Customer Reviews - Samsung 2TB vs WD 2TB Samsung 130 Customer Reviews 77% rate as 5 8% rate as 4 4% rate as 3 2% rate as 2 9% rate as 1 WD 77 Customer Reviews 53% rate as 5 21% rate as 4 8% rate as 3 5% rate as 2 13% rate as 1 Go with Samsung. I...

Hi hamfactorial

I am not sure whether you know this but HUTIL is for older Samsung drives. The version that you need is called ES Tool.

Thanks for the clarification, faugusztin. I ordered the HS and emailed Noctua the order for the optional part. The Noctura email required attached jpg copies of invoices for both the cooler and either an AMD processor or motherboard before they will ship. There was no requirement to stand on my head...

I was considering the NH-U12P for an AMD system until I was informed by poster lodestar that the mounting system has been changed and no longer enables proper AMD orientation. AMD users can email Noctua for a free optional mounting kit which will allow proper orientation but they must attach JPGs of...

Thanks lodestar. You prevented me from wasting money on a useless product. I think Mike Chin should update his review.

You might be able to tether the HS in a manner similar to cables used to stabilize tall TV antennas. The customer would need to remove any tethering material after setting up.

I am considering the NH-U12P for a known compatible AM2+ board in an Antec Solo. The SPCR review states "An alternate set of U-shaped wings is provided which attach parallel to the heatpipes, giving the NH-U12P the ability to mount in any orientation in an AMD-based system". Noctura's installation P...

I have no problem with the acoustics of the HD204WI even though my computer is on the desk close by. Although I have no experience with WD, the 10 Samsung SATA drives I own have never been loud or unreliable. Here in the USA a Newegg deal was offered today for $120 USD on the 2TB Samsung. Prices see...

I paid $150 a month ago, damn!

I think your friend's drive is going bad. In my experience a run of CHKDSK will often recover misplaced files enabling the disk to be recovered.

SMART readings don't tell the whole story re drive health.

Although I don't want an Ipad, the device does have some value as an educational toy for very young children and curious kittens. The proof is on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT4EbM7d ... r_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9NP-AeK ... r_embedded

Video satire--The media fawns as Apple releases a revolutionary new computer. After viewing TV coverage of the Ipad release The Onion's video really hits home. Be sure to pause the video some as the screen scrolls. http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no,14299/

I've had an HD203wi for a couple of weeks and idle noise seems slightly higher than the HD103UJ and HD103SJ drives. None of the ten Samsung SATA drives I've used in the last 5 years have exhibited noise or reliability issues. Samsungs can often be found at very competitive prices. I don't think the ...

Have you determine which units are noisy? The Samsungs are usually near silent when suspended.

Instead of addressing your hardware questions I have some advice you might find useful. Go to the Tweak Guides site and download the free Tweaking Companion PDF file for your Windows version. The Tweaking Companion is a comprehensive Windows guide which includes a wealth of information re OS and dri...

Better would be the old Samsonite test where the product is placed in a cage as a toy for a hyperactive gorilla. Could you possibly consider such a test, Mike?

What lost functionalities? I can find everything by using the search in the start menu? You need to know something exists in order to search for it. For example a program called Easeus Todo Backup in my start menu has seven submenu items. I can search for "easeus" but the search will not bring up a...

Thanks Mats. ClassicShell helps restore some of the lost functionality featured by Vista and Windows 7.

Windows 7 is destined to be the dominant OS and for that reason I am forced to familiarize myself with the ins and outs. I really hate the fact that the Windows 7 interface reminds me of a children's book.