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    Dell Optiplex FX160 - No HDD Spin Up

    Gosh, it's been a while since I've been in here, but I've got an issue that is perplexing me. I have a Dell Optiplex FX160 that I bought to convert into a linux-based FLAC audio-streaming client, and the machine I bought had no HDD, only the NVRAM. I bought a hard drive kit (including the...
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    RAID 5 Problem: GeForce 9300 (Nf 730i) - Blue Screen

    Hello Gentlemen (& Ladies), I've run into a perplexing issue while attempting to set up a RAID 5 array in my home theater PC. The intrinsic backup provided by the RAID 5 scheme is more attractive than needing to have a 1TB drive on standby just to back up a 1TB HD. The system drive will be a...
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    75 watt RMS receiver into 50 watt RMS speakers

    Going a little further: A clipped sine wave causes tweeters to fry first because it introduces a great deal of upper-frequency harmonics to the musical signal (which occurs as a result of the hard 'knee' where the amplifier's output hits the rails). The tweeter's lightweight voice coil can't...
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    75 watt RMS receiver into 50 watt RMS speakers

    Right, clipping blows voice coils because it causes the chopped-off parts of the sine wave to begin to look more like a square wave. Even though the amplifier no longer has the headroom to track the waveform beyond the ability of the amp's power supply rails to supply voltage, the amp's output...
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    Speaker bass port question

    No, in the case of the B&W, those plugs are definitely there to help the speakers integrate with a sub, not for an intended aperiodic damping alignment. Having designed a few aperiodic boxes myself, a foam-filled port is far from ideal for an aperiodic vent. If you were using these speakers...
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    Secret BOSE Technology Revealed.

    There's a How It's Made episode about speaker drivers somewhere on YouTube if you're interested in learning how it's really done. It was filmed at the Canadian pro audio manufacturer Belisle Acoustics, who makes their own drivers for their "Transparence" brand of pro audio speakers. Some...
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    Component -> HDMI adapter

    It's called a 'transcoder', and it isn't cheap. http://www.partsexpress.com/pe...fm?&Partnumber=252-140
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    Need advice on speakers

    I'm personally a fan of Definitive Tech's ProCinema series speakers. You can get them locally, if you have a Best Buy with a Magnolia home theater shop inside. Try the ProCinema 600 system. Their design is tasteful -- I've always found the KEF eggs too 'weird'-looking for me. You ought to be...
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    Recommend a system build for me

    I'd say so. I'm not sure how long it's been since you've looked at processors, but things are quite different from the way they were in the days of Intel's NetBurst-Into-Flames architecture and the Pentium 4. These days, new processor architectures place more emphasis on efficiency, doing more...
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    Can I get away without a fan on a tower cooler?

    The two coolers to use for this sort of thing are the Scythe Ninja Plus and the OCZ Vindicator. Not every tower cooler is as suitable for fanless operation as another, since fin spacing also plays a role in the heatsink's effectiveness under passive convection. If the fins are spaced closely...
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    My new computer parts, are they any good?

    I probably don't really have to tell you this, but if you aren't planning a RAID array, a single 500GB drive will be easier to work with (you can partition it if you really want multiple "drives") than two separate 250GB drives. So, you'll probably want to go to a single 500GB drive. I've long...
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    If I was lacking power in my PSU...

    There is no technical reason why your power supply would cause your computer to run more slowly. Your PC will either run fine, or experience random restarts, or not boot at all, but it won't simply run slower if there are power problems. Look elsewhere for the cause of your issues. I'm quite...
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    Antec Solo Front Panel Grounded?

    The Solo's front panel features an aluminum layer that is adhesive-bonded to a plastic panel, like the P180. There's a nice large (1-1.5mm) buffer region between the aluminum panel and the front ports that is just plastic. However, if you received a static shock, all that charge had to have gone...
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    Can someone please recommend a good heatsink/fan for an ATI X800 video card?

    Surprisingly, Thermaltake's recent TMG coolers are actually very quiet. You could use the TMG AT1 for your particular card.
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    If only you could chop an ATX motherboard into mATX...

    NZXT Duet would be my suggestion. It can support full-height expansion cards, and it looks good. Also, it's not limited to vertical or horizontal orientation by design. (Reviewed) Also, I like the NSK2400 as well.
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    Gemini HS Out Now

    Evercool and Yate Loon have 140mm fans. I've been using the 120mm and 92mm Evercool fans, and both are very quiet even at 12V, which came as a surprise to me. I wish I had a Yate Loon 120mm to compare with, though. I could try comparing it to the 120mm fan that came with my Scythe Ninja, but I'm...
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    Slow down the case fans...

    Bad idea -- these fans are anything but silent, even at their slowest speed. Their motors and bearings are very noisy. I recommend Evercool's "Ever Green" case fans (the green ones) -- they're very quiet even at 12V, and could be silent if run from the PSU's 5V rail. I use the 92mm and 120mm...
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    XION Stacker XON-791B

    That rear fan grille is going to be really restrictive, to the tune of 40% or so open (60% restricted). You'll want to dremel that thing out and use a hamburger-style wire grille. I wouldn't be surprised if the front grille is also half-arsed.
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    Is there a case as nice as the antec p180 for a lesser price?

    I agree completely; people just need to get it through their heads that you gotta pay to play. Personally, I wouldn't put my rig in anything other than an Antec (or maybe Silverstone) case.
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    How loud is too loud?

    In general, below 20dB is widely considered 'silent', while below 30dB is considered 'quiet'. Below 20dB, the background noise in a quiet house is still louder (according to Intel), obscuring the operating noise of the machine. There are special cases where there's practically no noise sources...
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    How loud is too loud?

    Fine... I guess that's why a base-10 logarithm is employed in that formula.
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    How loud is too loud?

    From an article I'm writing about PC silencing considerations:
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    What is your favorite computer case?

    Either the Antec SOLO (Piano Black, no included PSU) or the Antec P150 ('Piano White' with included PSU) are fantastic cases, both from a system-building standpoint and a user-experience standpoint. I think they're the very best cases available in their size class. Attention is given to...
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    Computer restarts everytime I try to launch a 3d app

    This could be a power supply problem. Launching a 3D app causes your video card to ramp up and draw more power from the power supply. If the power supply can't meet the demand, it will momentarily interrupt the power, which the motherboard may interpret as a power failure.
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    Looking for a Budget-Range 19" Widescreen LCD

    Hi, all I'm looking at finally moving from a 17" CRT to a flat panel monitor on one of my machines, and I think that the 19" widescreen provides the screen area that I want. However, this decision was precipitated by the fact that these monitors are coming down significantly in price. I'm...
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    Sonata III

    The SX1040 had a removable door. 2c
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    Another *Help me build a gaming rig* Thread

    Is this by any chance being built by VIGOR? (since I see that's the brand of CPU cooler being used.) The optimal amount of memory when running 32-bit software is 2GB. If you plan to overclock, you may want to look for PC2-8800 memory. Stick with a reputable manufacturer like Corsair...
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    New Computer Turns Off After A Few Minutes?

    Most likely culprit is the power supply. Get another one and try it. If it doesn't fix the problem, return it and keep the original PSU. Next culprit is the motherboard. Before we go pointing fingers, though, make sure a power connector from the PSU is plugged into every power connector on...
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    Computer Hosed Itself

    Does the same USB key work in other computers without frying them? The only thing I can think of is that the front USB ports may have been improperly wired, perhaps screwing up something on the motherboard. I'm thinking that possibly a lot of power (intended to power the USB key) may have been...
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    How to keep the cat hair out!?

    I'd agree with the furnace filter suggestion. Furnace filters are designed to pass very large volumes of air without providing too much restriction to the blower in a furnace, so their media should work well in this application. Use scissors to cut it, though.
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    quiet case fans?

    Actually, Adda has been doing well recently with their lowest-speed 80mm fans. The fan in the Antec NeoHE power supply (which SPCR deems to be silent) is an Adda fan. There's just not a whole lot of availability. SPCR has their 80mm fan roundup available, though they unfortunately cut the balls...
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    Anybody no where to get the spring loaded clips to fasten chipset coolers?

    Might this be what you're looking for? http://www.sidewindercomputers.com/pushpinssetof4.html I'm not sure, but I thought I'd pass it along on the off chance that it's what you need. If you still have the old springs from the broken push pins, you could install them onto these, and they could...
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    Power Supplies

    That system (Pavilion 7975) is an oldie. 2GHz P4, 512MB SDRAM, 80GB hard drive. Some modest upgrades probably couldn't hurt too badly, but I think you'll reach a point where the benefit from further upgrading would be lost. Don't count out a new system -- I think you'd be astonished with what...
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    ProMedia Ultra 5.1 or the Z5500

    As an alternative to the Quintets, Best Buy's Magnolia Home Theater stores have Mirage NanoSat systems, which run about $600, though I don't recall if that includes the subwoofer. I don't think so on that one. The Athena Micra 6 system (which is still available online) does include the...
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    My laptop screen went red and frooze ?

    I think it may already be too late for the video card. The standard troubleshooting patterns still apply -- try reinstalling the video drivers. Also, you could try uninstalling and reinstalling the web browser, if you use Firefox. If you use IE, don't even bother trying, as the browser is...
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    Transporting a desktop computer internationally

    Another vote for shipping. If you ship the system, the people dealing with the package won't assume they're just dealing with somebody's old clothes and tubes of toothpaste. Though the way UPS treats some of their heavier packages these days, you'd almost wonder if there was a difference. If...
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    "Future-ready systems" from Dell

    The idea is probably to offer the very least to customers who only want as much as they absolutely need to install and run Windows Vista, which is the forseeable future of Windows operating systems.
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    Looking to get a new audio setup for my computer

    If you're into the idea of building a subwoofer, take a look at the TC Sounds dB-500 10" driver. For $99, you're not going to do any better. Build one of the TC Sounds recommended vented enclosures for best results, and power with the Dayton HPSA500 from parts express. If your room is big...
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    Just another "Rate My Rig" thread ...

    I'd use the Corsair HX620 power supply instead of the Seasonic M12 if low noise is one of your goals. That little 60mm fan on the M12 power supply doesn't turn off once it turns on. I really wish that Seasonic would have given the 60mm fan its own fan controller in this case.