Recent content by txsouthpaw

Thank you for the explanation.

Are these batches better clockers? Please elaborate.:)

If I were upgrading today, I would definitely go w/ the Intel SBK's. I have a 2600K and it's been an awesome CPU. Things may change in June, but I wouldn't hold my breath on a significant price drop from Intel. I thinks it's more likely that AMD will charge a bit more than we're used to seeing...

If you just purchased the cooler, get an exchange. Otherwise, MC sells the exact fan for $11.99 (CM BladeMaster 120mm PWM). I am surprised to hear that you are having problems with it, as I own three of these that perform quite nicely. I suppose there will always be defective units.

Some other things you can do that helped my similar install: 1) disable system protection (this will disable the restore function, thus freeing up space on the SSD. I do a secure erase + fresh install every 8 weeks anyways, but your needs might vary). 2) Disable Virtual Memory (this will free...

^^Pretty close. (DFW). Here's the link to mwave: http://www.mwave.com/mwave/SKUSearch.asp?scriteria=SA02537&pagetitle=Arctic%20Cooling%20Freezer%20Xtreme%20Plus%20VGA%20Cooler,%20Universa

My SC 560 Ti ran 34C idle and 79C under full load w/ stock cooling. With the Xtreme+, it ran 29C idle and 48C load.

Mwave has the Xtreme+ for the cheepest ($48.99), but you would still have to buy the VR005 to mount it and pay for shipping. I have one on my 580 and previously used it on an EVGA 560 TI SC with great results. It's extremely quiet and cools wonderfully. It is also better than others in that the...

Z68 puzzles me a bit. The SSD caching function seems not to have been implemented too well and I'm not crazy about the lack of real gain to be had w/ IGP / VGA switching, especially considering a third party driver must be used. I would have liked to have seen better implementations of both...

The "armor" concept doesn't really impress me either. I would have given more consideration to the Sabertooth had it's price been lower. Also, I don't care for the color scheme. On the other hand, the extended warranty period is nice. I run a WS Rev. and couldn't be happier with it, but my...

Also, I believe PC2-6400 JEDEC (includes 1066 MHz models) requires that the RAM not sustain any damage under 2.1V. I know there are ICs out there that will take more, but I researched this a bit for an older platform and saw this detailed a number of times.

With a thinner TIM, I will spread a very thin layer using a purpose-made mini-spatula or a section of a grocery store rewards card. For thicker TIM like ICD, I will apply a liberal BB sized amount to the center of the CPU/GPU and allow the compression to do the work. In my opinion, if you want...

For all that Sandy Bridge was hyped, I was pleasantly surprised by the 2500K & 2600K price points. I think if there is any increase in price on the 22nm Ivy Bridges, it will be minimal. Also, I'll be willing to pay a few dollars more for a CPU upgrade that doesn't require a new board and RAM...

I like buying my processors and motherboards at Microcenter (they will match Newegg on boards). Paying the tax is sometimes worth the convenience of having a B&M to return a faulty motherboard to if something goes wrong. The price Microcenter charges for CPUs is actually significantly less than...

I had heard bad things about Creative, but I purchased an SB X-Fi Titanium HD on sale and it sounds wonderful. The drivers have been rock solid, however, I didn't install any of their extra bloatware utilities (only the driver and console). I use mine mainly for music and movies, with some...