If you haven't gone through it already, you just might. I spent a bunch of money on motherboards recently and they all seem to be having the same problem. Is it because they just don't make them like they used to? I am referring to the active cooling on my Northbridge; the fans keep making funny noises then crapping out. It drives me crazy. Usually though, the active cooling on the Northbridge was always sub par any way; just enough to get by. With all the advancements in mobos, the cooling solutions have been getting more and more important. So with two fans going on two different motherboards, what options do we have left? Thermaltake not only has an answer, they claim they have a better solution than was shipped with the motherboard in the first place. Enter the Extreme Spirit II. (more...)

You have a new CPU Cooler in the box and you are installing it. You get everything installed properly and you are getting ready to see if that $30.00 you just spent on CPU cooling will help with the temperature issues you have been worried about lately. You start your rig up, get to doing some thangs, and realize you might have just wasted your money. But alas, computer go'er, your money has not been wasted, your airflow sucks. You already have a fan installed in the front and one in the back, but they are too loud and you don't want to drill a hole in your case to mount a quiet 120mm fan... so what do you do? Scythe thinks they might have the solution. Enter the Scythe Kama Bay 5" Bay system Cooler. (more...)

In my pursuit of elevating myself to the upper echelons of the geek community, I am always looking for ways to separate myself from my neighbors. This started with my consumption of "extreme" computer components, to windowed cases glowing with bright blue cold cathodes, rheostats, dials, knobs, green fluids, and now; the Cooler Master Musketeer. This is in no way an introduction to a new product, but more like a great idea revisited. Products like this offer a fresh and innovative means of breaking away from the plain old beige box that most of the computing community is striving to steer away from, making computing a more personal experience. (more...)

Companies are always trying to get consumers to buy new products aimed at the current "point of concern." These days, it seems as though cooling and noise is the focal point. Our cases are no longer 1 fan cases that suffer from poor air circulation, our video cards have MONSTER heatsinks on them, our CPU's are adorned in copper and CFM's, but our hard drives remain naked; dressed in nothing but their simple enclosures. Hard drives have never really been a focus of cooling for many until recently. This is evident with the introduction of SATA and hard drives that spin upwards of 10,000 RPM's. Vantec, along with a slew of other companies, claim that their products can improve hard drive cooling over the simple mounting in most cases. (more...)

Everyone has their own ideas on how to add their own personal touch to the overall aesthetics of their computer. Some people have windows with neon lights, some have laser etched applique's, but most of these people still populate their cases with BORING wire fan guards. Why? Who knows, but with the decreasing costs of today's laser cut fan grills, it amazes me that more and more people haven't caught on. I am going to show you a few options for those of you who aren't afraid to dive into self expression. (more...)

I'm sitting at my desk in my nice comfortable chair, I have the 5.1 surround sound speakers in the perfect positions, the mouse and the keyboard are primed for fragging, BUT I CAN'T HEAR THE DAMNED GAME because my computer is TOO loud!!! There is a solution that doesn't require losing fans. I'm not introducing you to a revolutionary product here, or one that will change computer cooling forever. I am, however, introducing you to one company's idea on what a rheobus is. Sunbeam is the company and the Easy Fan Controller Rheobus kit #2 is the product. (more...)

Vantec has released yet another stylish bay device. The NXP-201, or better known as the Nexus Fan Controller is the newest addition to adjustable fan rpm and loudness. But before you buy this at your favorite online store join me as I show you the problems I have encountered while owning the NXP-201. (more...)