Is four seperate 12V lines enough for you?

Subject: Systems | February 8, 2006 - 06:19 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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The SilverStone Strider ST60F Modular 600W PSU can provide exactly that.  Just because quad SLI systems are only theory at the moment, that doesn't mean you can't get ready for them now!  Plus, with a nearly silent 120mm fan and a modular setup with well shielded cables, this PSU shouldn't be crippled by a systems power needs for a while.  Read all about it at Techniz.

"The SilverStone ST60F Modular 600W PSU is a totally silent and powerful PSU.

Overclocked out of the box

Subject: Systems | February 8, 2006 - 02:11 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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[H]ard|OCP has gotten their hands on a sweet system from OverdrivePC, the Gemini.SLI.  This is one of their top models, and can be completely customized when you order it.  The big selling point is that every possible component that can be overclocked already is, and all the stability testing has been done for you.  Check it out.

"Overdrive PC is a company that specializes in systems using over-clocked processors and GPUs.

No piece greater than $400

Subject: Systems | February 1, 2006 - 06:22 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Firingsquad is putting together a powerful system, with one constraint, no component can cost more than $400.  Take a look to see what made it into the system.

"FiringSquad just posted an article describing a system build with a limit of $400 per component.

How much Juice does your system drink

Subject: Systems | January 31, 2006 - 03:22 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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PCApex (who were PimpRig until yesterday) has just released a power consumption calculator, called Juice.  Just pick all of your components from the drop down menus and it calculates your total power needs, don't forget to specify the number of each component you have.  The only caveat is that this tool calculates total power consumption, it doesn't specify loads on each seperate rail.

"Fu3lman has released a new application which is an advanced PC wattage calculator for

determining the power u

Choosing an HTPC

Subject: Systems | January 24, 2006 - 06:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Wondering where to start with that HTPC project you keep putting off?  T-break comes to the rescue with their first article on choosing the right HTPC chassis, with a comparison between 2 popular designs, one from Silverstonetek and one from DIGN.

"HTPCs seem to be getting more and more popular by the day and while one route to take is to buy a

SFF from Shuttle or MSI, lots of us like to build everything from scratch.

5 pounds of quiet power

Subject: Systems | January 24, 2006 - 03:06 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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System Cooling has posted a review of Enermax's Noisetaker AX 600W PSU.  With dual fans, and dual 12V lines, it is ready for the newest power hungry, heat producing PCIx video cards.  It's Power Factor sits between .98 and .99, making it an extremely efficient power supply.

"Coolergiant Computers, Inc. is the USA subsidiary of Enermax Technology. In addition to a full line of PC power supplies, their products also include numerous cases and peripheral devices for the PC enthusiast.

MESH puts together a killer system

Subject: Systems | January 19, 2006 - 06:16 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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HEXUS reviews a great system from MESH, their new Titan X1800 FIRE.  As you might guess from the name, it is based around a pair of x1800's, running in Crossfire mode.  The performance is amazing; it is a fairly expensive system, but you certainly get your moneys worth.

If you are more into building your own systems from scratch, the PCPerspective Hardware Leaderboard was updated recently, drop by and get some ideas for great hardware to put into your next system.

"MESH, pu

Thankfully, we still don't need a PSU with a kilowatt of power

Subject: Systems | January 18, 2006 - 12:13 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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CoolTechZone takes a minute to bust the bubbles of those who thought we would be using a PSU with 1000 watts in order to power SLI rigs by 2006.  While the PSU's overall power keeps growing in importance, we haven't quite reached the extremes that we could eventually need.

"Ever since NVIDIA's SLI debuted, we've been hearing about high powered power supplies, which were

supposed to have surpass the 700W+ limit in order to support the power hungry SLI setup, b

Who to trust to build your system for you

Subject: Systems | January 13, 2006 - 03:33 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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[H]ard|OCP has a pair of system reviews up, the first of which is WidowPC's WidowFX.  That's followed up by the Maingear Prelude.  Consider these 2 as a good start for getting new system with very little assembly required.

"The experience that we had with WidowPC on the back end was above average. They have friendly and

responsive techs, and, essentially, they build a stable gaming system— once you get the parts that

you ordered.

ToughPower, subtle styling

Subject: Systems | January 10, 2006 - 06:10 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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The ThermalTake ToughPower is 550 watts of quiet power.  It has dual 6-pin VGA power connectors for SLI/Crossfire rigs, and four SATA connections all at a fairly low price.  Even better, the sleeved power connectors won't detract from a case set up for it's looks.  Read the full review at Overclocker's Cafe.

"Keeping it simple is always a good plan. Thermaltake has done this with the ToughPower 550w PSU.

Holiday Buyers Guide

Subject: Systems | December 22, 2005 - 02:42 PM | Ryan Shrout
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The gang at HotHardware has posted a Holiday Buying Guide for your viewing pleasure.  Of course, you can view our Hardware Leaderboard as well. 

Before we begin, it makes sense to outline our approach and illustrate what we're trying to accomplish.

Enermax contunes to provide uninterrupted power

Subject: Systems | December 12, 2005 - 07:19 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Club OC powers through a review of Enermax's Liberty series.  As you might expect, Enermax has added all the newest goodies, without going overboard, and does it in style.

"With dozens of Power Supply companies to choose from these days, it's hard to make the right

decision. However, there is still a few companies out there that you can choose by brand name only

and be guaranteed that you made the right choice. One of those companies is Enermax.

TIVOs are for wimps

Subject: Systems | December 9, 2005 - 02:54 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Real geeks build HTPC's on their own.  So if you do feel like making a personal video recorder, you will probably want a SFF case and board to start with.  Consider the Silverstone SUGO SG01, a comparitively spacious SFF system, with enough room you won't be shopping for add on cards that were made for laptops.  See what Think Computers thinks of it here.

'Small form factor (SFF) cases are becoming more and more popular these days, especially as LANS

and home theater PC's are becomi

Antec gives you a way to test your power

Subject: Systems | December 9, 2005 - 02:38 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Antec provides you with good quality PSUs, and now they also give you a way to verify that.  Think Computers has posted a review of Antec's ATX 12V Power Supply Tester.  This is probably the best way to find out if the flucuations on your 12V line that your BIOS reports are actually happening.

'Ah yes, another product from one of the top makers of PC cases and Power Supplies. Antec would be who I am referring to.

Creating a great Linux workstation

Subject: Systems | December 8, 2005 - 02:58 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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The aptly named LinuxHardware has been running a series on creating a great Linux machine, and the pictures are finally in.  This is a great series to introduce you to building a Linux box with no hardware problems.

Or, for a second opinion, check out the newly updated PCPer Hardware Leaderboard.

"So, where's the value and justification for buying a system similar to this one, that costs about

fives times more than a budget system but has similar

Not your father's PSU

Subject: Systems | December 5, 2005 - 06:12 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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DriverHeaven has a review of the Thermaltake PurePower PST 520W, which goes a little bit further than the usual PSU.  Not only is it a PSU, but it also has 2 "Power Stations" that connect to the PSU.  Read the full review to see exactly why that is, and what you can do with them.

After you're done, don't forget to check Lee's review of the Antec Neo HE 500 High Efficiency PSU.

'In 2005 another of Thermaltake's innovative products entered the re

So that's how I check my powersupply

Subject: Systems | November 30, 2005 - 05:02 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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If you don't want to be digging around in your case with a multimeter, but are pretty sure that your crashing is caused by a bad PSU, BigBruin has a review of the tool you want.  The FrozenCPU ATX 2.0 PSU tester is about the simplest way out there to check your PSU.

"When it comes to troubleshooting hardware inside your computer, any enthusiast can tell you that

any particular problem can be caused by one or more components going/gone bad.

The [H] sounds off about Puget Systems

Subject: Systems | November 23, 2005 - 11:55 AM | Jeremy Hellstrom
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Continuing on in their series of pre-built PC's, and the stores that sell and support them, [H]ard|OCP has a look at Puget Systems Dual Core Custom system.  The box they put together certainly has power, but how well did Puget Systems tech support and buying process stack up?

"Can $2600 get you a dual core processor, 2GB of RAM, a top-end video card, and backing from a

quality company?