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With the PS3 you can use a keyboard and mouse, and there are options for the 360.

Imagine a counter top device that can keep a gallon of milk refrigerated to below 40 degrees F, and is only slightly larger than the gallon of milk... wouldn't that be excellent? OOPS already exists... uses Peltier tech to work. Oh. You can also buy a small cooler/refrigerator that runs off your car cigarette lighter... also uses Peltier.

Yes, there is a lot of talk about how much heat this thing moves. But, to be plain... if you put electricity through a Peltier, the Hot side gets hot, and the cold side... gets COLD! Yes, this means that you are not only just moving the heat from the processor to the heatsink (this goes between them), but you are actually applying a cold surface to the top of the processor. But, if that isn't clear... a regular heat sink and fan doesn't get cold (drop in temperature) on the processor side. This thing does. Ultra made a cooler that used a Peltier. http://www.xoxide.com/ultra-chilltech-cpu-cooler.html

So it isn't just about moving heat. That is part of how it works. But the right (or wrong) peltier in position on a processor can actually cause condensation to form around it. It is about adding cooling.

Not many people use a gamepad in FPSes on PCs. That's true.

There are special gamer keyboards. The Wolfclaw, the Pro Gamer Command Pad, the DX1, Themaltake Flare, and more offer a different setup of keys that some gamers really find advantageous. They can be really nice for a serious RTS player, too, despite being marketed mostly for FPS players.

There are special mice just for gamers. Take a look at Trust's Gamer Mouse, the Razer Copperhead, and even the Zalman pistol-grip mouse.

I have a flight stick with seven buttons, trigger, a top hat, and throttle. I use it for flight games, and I like it much more for Mechwarrior 4 or many other vehicle-combat games than a keyboard and mouse.

I have a racing wheel and pedal set for car games. I have a game pad for my PC for the PC versions of Madden-type games. There are even more ways to command a PC, though.

Some gamers use a voice command system for some functions, although that can interfere with speaking to your teammates through Teamspeak or Ventrilo.

Some use things like the Fragpedal from Good Work Systems. It lets you have four extra buttons (two per pedal and two pedals) you can use without moving your fingers. I've considered buying that one specifically for fall prone/get up, crouch, reload, and strafe. There are also the Kinesis foot switches, although each USB connection with those is only good for up to three buttons. Perhaps I'd leave reload on the mouse or keyboard with the Savant Elite Triple Action. You can hook up multiple Savant Elite pedals, but the Fragpedal is less expensive already. Maybe I'll just see if I can get used to my car game gas and brake pedal set for FPSes before making such an investment. There are even more expensive versions of this concept out there, mostly meant for people with disabilities or to cut down on wrist strain. They could certainly be useful in gaming, though.

In the PC world, you're expected to invest in the level of game play you are after. Some people are quite competitive with a decent stock keyboard and a two-button mouse. A scroll mouse is a very cheap and now standard device and is much better for most games. A little better keyboard can go a long way to help. Every little bit can help, though. If you lose to a guy who has bought a fancier controller, you either shrug it off as okay or you go an invest in a fancier one yourself.

Not many people use a gamepad in FPSes on PCs. That's true.

There are special gamer keyboards. The Wolfclaw, the Pro Gamer Command Pad, the DX1, Themaltake Flare, and more offer a different setup of keys that some gamers really find advantageous. They can be really nice for a serious RTS player, too, despite being marketed mostly for FPS players.

There are special mice just for gamers. Take a look at Trust's Gamer Mouse, the Razer Copperhead, and even the Zalman pistol-grip mouse.

I have a flight stick with seven buttons, trigger, a top hat, and throttle. I use it for flight games, and I like it much more for Mechwarrior 4 or many other vehicle-combat games than a keyboard and mouse.

I have a racing wheel and pedal set for car games. I have a game pad for my PC for the PC versions of Madden-type games. There are even more ways to command a PC, though.

Some gamers use a voice command system for some functions, although that can interfere with speaking to your teammates through Teamspeak or Ventrilo.

Some use things like the Fragpedal from Good Work Systems. It lets you have four extra buttons (two per pedal and two pedals) you can use without moving your fingers. I've considered buying that one specifically for fall prone/get up, crouch, reload, and strafe. There are also the Kinesis foot switches, although each USB connection with those is only good for up to three buttons. Perhaps I'd leave reload on the mouse or keyboard with the Savant Elite Triple Action. You can hook up multiple Savant Elite pedals, but the Fragpedal is less expensive already. Maybe I'll just see if I can get used to my car game gas and brake pedal set for FPSes before making such an investment. There are even more expensive versions of this concept out there, mostly meant for people with disabilities or to cut down on wrist strain. They could certainly be useful in gaming, though.

In the PC world, you're expected to invest in the level of game play you are after. Some people are quite competitive with a decent stock keyboard and a two-button mouse. A scroll mouse is a very cheap and now standard device and is much better for most games. A little better keyboard can go a long way to help. Every little bit can help, though. If you lose to a guy who has bought a fancier controller, you either shrug it off as okay or you go an invest in a fancier one yourself.

Not many people use a gamepad in FPSes on PCs. That's true.

There are special gamer keyboards. The Wolfclaw, the Pro Gamer Command Pad, the DX1, Themaltake Flare, and more offer a different setup of keys that some gamers really find advantageous. They can be really nice for a serious RTS player, too, despite being marketed mostly for FPS players.

There are special mice just for gamers. Take a look at Trust's Gamer Mouse, the Razer Copperhead, and even the Zalman pistol-grip mouse.

I have a flight stick with seven buttons, trigger, a top hat, and throttle. I use it for flight games, and I like it much more for Mechwarrior 4 or many other vehicle-combat games than a keyboard and mouse.

I have a racing wheel and pedal set for car games. I have a game pad for my PC for the PC versions of Madden-type games. There are even more ways to command a PC, though.

Some gamers use a voice command system for some functions, although that can interfere with speaking to your teammates through Teamspeak or Ventrilo.

Some use things like the Fragpedal from Good Work Systems. It lets you have four extra buttons (two per pedal and two pedals) you can use without moving your fingers. I've considered buying that one specifically for fall prone/get up, crouch, reload, and strafe. There are also the Kinesis foot switches, although each USB connection with those is only good for up to three buttons. Perhaps I'd leave reload on the mouse or keyboard with the Savant Elite Triple Action. You can hook up multiple Savant Elite pedals, but the Fragpedal is less expensive already. Maybe I'll just see if I can get used to my car game gas and brake pedal set for FPSes before making such an investment. There are even more expensive versions of this concept out there, mostly meant for people with disabilities or to cut down on wrist strain. They could certainly be useful in gaming, though.

In the PC world, you're expected to invest in the level of game play you are after. Some people are quite competitive with a decent stock keyboard and a two-button mouse. A scroll mouse is a very cheap and now standard device and is much better for most games. A little better keyboard can go a long way to help. Every little bit can help, though. If you lose to a guy who has bought a fancier controller, you either shrug it off as okay or you go an invest in a fancier one yourself.

Peltier-based CPU coolers are quite available - see for example this amusing misuse of manufacturing resources.

Negative, ghostrider.

With proper planning and the right skills, its not hard to build a RAID5 system that can grow with you. This solution is Linux based, but can be applied on any system that has a flexible abstracted filesystem support. The tricks: 1, a big case, 2, Linux w/ LVM.

For the case, check out: http://www.xoxide.com/cooler-master-stacker-case-b lack.html

It's huge. 12 5.25" slots. Supports dual power supplies. And you can get modules with fans that hold 4 3.5" drives in 3 5.25" slots. That's up to 4x4 drives, (or more realistically 3x4 drives, since you have controller units and presumably an optical drive.)

Anyway, you could start with 4x750. RAID5, LVM on top. Later, say you fill it. You could then buy 4x1.25TB (or whatever the latest size is). RAID5 those new discs, and then put an LVM pv on the RAID, and join it to the first RAID's logical volume group. Extend your FS, and there you go. Also, you can now have up to two drives fail at the same time (so long as its just one dead per RAID5) and not lose data.

Say you want to upgrade again? Do the same thing. And keep in mind, so long as the space is there, you could work LVM and filesystem resize magic to remove the oldest set of 4 drives from the logical volume group and replace them with newer drives.

Takes a little linux skill, but its extensible. Also, flexible. You of course don't have to go 4x at a time. I just chose that since the drive cages support 4 drives apiece.

Anyway, though. Start with the largest drives you can afford starting off, otherwise you'll be getting back into administrivia earlier than you'd probably prefer. I don't know your storage needs or finances, but most geeks should be able to swing 500GB drives (or 250, if one must.)

PS - Don't forget to have at least one spare drive on hand in case one dies. Remember, it has to be the same size, or larger, than the drives in the RAID. This is especially advisable if all your drives are about the same age.

Those server cases you use are very very nice, but a bit pricey for me. I prefer to just buy cases with ridiculous amounts of 5,25" bays, like Coolermaster Stacker, much cheaper and with the 4-to-3 bays (with 12 cm fans) can hold 12 drives easily while keeping noise levels down and keeping the drives cool as well despite being packed so close together. I'm hoping hard disk capacity goes up fast enough to meet my storage demands so I won't need a second case :-)

Yeah, it's not like anyone would have an entire page full of them for sale or anything.

I owned one of these, and they look great. But they are 'fingerprint bonanza' and mine turned yellow after a while. It was also very poorly designed and a serious pain to work on, so I upgraded to a Silverstone TJ06. Not real impressed with it either, but oh well.

I think it's completely feasible. Think about it. If this can put out 78CFM@2000RPM, why is it so hard to imagine? For our purposes, let's say we can fit 6 fans (go with me) on the back of this case. that is 468CFM, with the fans on silent. Imagine if you sped them up. Take the same concept, make it use ions to move the air instead, and call it a day. These ionic devices have been shown to move air, however minimal. I think it can be done, unless someone else has something to show me otherwise.

This is what has forced all PCs to look the same

What I think is going to be the downfall of this, though, is the temptation just to pile on colors and nick nacks. Right now the PC market uses a very safe palette.

Every time they try to do something cool, like a pulsing light to simulate sleep mode, they royally screw up because they do not understand that the purpose is not effect, but affect.

Even the most hardened PC user admits that 'architectural details' on the mac are more affective than the lame attempts on most PCs.

What this means is that the OEMs will attempt to use these details as selling points, but they won't be authentic.

The best example of this is sony, the only OEM that is pushing style, and charging for it.

Overall PC users want cheap computers, not cute ones.

Seriously Microsoft sticking thier noses in another business, just makes me laugh. If they honestly think PCs should be sexy, why not design them yourselves.

The fact is Microsoft can't do this, they can't sell the PC's sex appeal themselves because they don't have Apple's employees. Why doesn't the Ipod have a replacable battery? Because it would make the design look ugly. Having a little latch or a big screw on the case? ick. But instead they have this beautiful white case that while you can't open, you don't want to. It's something Sony never really was able to reach, even the Rio wasn't that beautiful. But Apple knows how to do it.

But so Microsoft just can't understand "beautiful" cases, they feel the need to tell others how to do it.

I guess it boils down to "Those who know, do. Those who don't, teach".

Might want to try some Fluid XP coolant. It's non-conductive, so no zapped parts. It's non-corrosive, so fewer motor problems. And it's non-toxic, so if your 2-year old glugs a quart of it, all they get is blue teeth.

I've never heard anything bad about it, and it works fine for me.

1) http://www.xoxide.com/clearacatxca.html
2) Eyeglasses.
3) Pipes.
4) Soda cans. (Pepsi could have used this during their Crystal Pepsi phase.)
5) Windshields.
6) Engines.
7) Bicycles. (Used with carbon-fiber, Lance Armstrong would be deliriously happy.)
8) Hurricane windows.
9) Decorative and durable lawn furniture.
10) Utensils.

I have a feeling someone might find a way to swirl dyed mixtures into the clear part to make some sort of swirlie colored "glass" for vases that won't break. Eh... I'm bored...

You might check this one out too:
http://www.xoxide.com/bluegears-xmystique-ddl-gold .html

Has AC3 encoding for your SPDIF/toslink too!

Yes, SB really annoyed me with their 5.25" bay-of-crap and no AC3 support. (for the $$ spent)

Check this out:
http://www.xoxide.com/bluegears-xmystique-ddl-gold .html

It has AC3 real-time encoding like the Soundstorm had. :)

I like to fill my spare drive bays with these on my beige boxes, and these for my more modern and stylish systems. When these devices occupy your extra drive bays, you may have some money leftover when you find something useful to put in their place.

• Directron huge selection and prices aren't too bad. Does double boxing for a small fee. Has nasty habit of putting fragile sticker on shipping carton which means "kick me" to UPS and Fedex.
  
• Provantagedecent selection and low prices on some stuff. Cable prices are cheap but they make up for it in shipping fees big time. Packing is a little uneven. You want a disk drive real bad if you order from them. I don't check their site unless it's something I know they have at a good price before hand.
  
• Performance PCsPC modding stuff.
  
• FrozenCPUanother modding place.
  

You have to check around. Not any one place has the best prices on everything or the best selection. For a particular part, there may be only one vendor carrying it.

• case: 150
• ps: 70
• mobo/cpu: 300
• HD: 80
• Mem: 80
• DVD: 60
• Vid: 60
• Total:$800

I wonder how much of a market there is for PC DIY types, who aren't complete morons?

The same market that there is for people who run small computer shops. It's kind of a gradual thing - you can get expensive, but tasteful and functional cases like this, or.. there are cases like this or this. I don't think there's anything wrong with making a computer look attractive, but when people start using cases that look like robots or whatever, and that daft RAM with flashing lights on it, it gets a bit stupid.

I wonder how much of a market there is for PC DIY types, who aren't complete morons?

The same market that there is for people who run small computer shops. It's kind of a gradual thing - you can get expensive, but tasteful and functional cases like this, or.. there are cases like this or this. I don't think there's anything wrong with making a computer look attractive, but when people start using cases that look like robots or whatever, and that daft RAM with flashing lights on it, it gets a bit stupid.

I wonder how much of a market there is for PC DIY types, who aren't complete morons?

The same market that there is for people who run small computer shops. It's kind of a gradual thing - you can get expensive, but tasteful and functional cases like this, or.. there are cases like this or this. I don't think there's anything wrong with making a computer look attractive, but when people start using cases that look like robots or whatever, and that daft RAM with flashing lights on it, it gets a bit stupid.

Well, I wasn't able to find a $200 waterblock, but I found one for $130 with a solid silver base. Most that I just now found were in the $60 range, and the one I have sells for $35 brand new. Even the top of the line ones, completely chromed out, are only $85. Check out these sites for waterblocks if you are only able to find $200 ones (five sites specifically for modders and water coolers who like the blinged out products, and not one has a $200 block):

xoxide
SVC
DangerDen
high speed PC
frozen cpu

While I paid twice what I would've had I done it myself with a local machine shop, I think the extra $20 was worth the testing and build experience of a mass market block.

You mean those acrylic cases with blue/purple neon tubes and blue/purple LED infested components aren't the forefront of fashion and bling?

http://www.xoxide.com/acryliccases.html

I like the blue UV-reactive case with dragon etched sidepanels. Instead of dumping $500 for 1GB of RAM on the MacMini, why not get a liquid cooling system and put UV-reactive dye in the coolant so your tubing lines glow?

I agree, if you look HERE, there are (IMHO) 12 cases that look waaaay better than the ASUS offering and would fit right in to your home theatre setup.

• Antec
• Silverstone - if getting an HTPC case, be careful to get one that doesn't have cooling problems with your CPU of choice. HTPC cases with higher numbers in their names are generally better at cooling.
• Travla
• Ahanix
• XOxide carries their own brand of cases, plus a lot of the other ones on this list.
• Arisetec (formerly Kanam)
• CoolerMaster
• Logic Supply

Check out This Site. It has a bunch of awesome cases for making media center PC's - not NEARLY as expensive as the Hush box, but just as sexy IMO. Xoxide has the best (read: most interesting) case selection that I have seen on the internet thus far. I am considering purchasing one of these cases for a MythTV Box.

Check out This Site. It has a bunch of awesome cases for making media center PC's - not NEARLY as expensive as the Hush box, but just as sexy IMO. Xoxide has the best (read: most interesting) case selection that I have seen on the internet thus far. I am considering purchasing one of these cases for a MythTV Box.

I think it's ugly and overpriced. Doesn't match anything else in the living room, might as well put a beige box in there since it'd match just as well. With the vents on top you couldn't even put anything on top of it for risk of over-heating.

Want to see what a beautiful media PC case looks like? Try the Overture Quiet Media Desktop Case, or perhaps the Silverstone Aluminum Home Entertainment Computer Case in Black or maybe the SilverStone LC10M Home Theater PC Case /w front VFD (Black). If you're on a budget the Antec MINUET Piano Black Slimline PC Case looks really nice for only $60 with Antec quality but you'll need a Micro ATX board.

For US users, you can pick up Zalman headphones here for $44, you can add a clip on Zalman microphone for it for another $8.

These on the otherhand (the bottom four anyway) seem to be a much better solution to aditional laptop cooling. I'm thinking of getting one, as my laptop is completly passivly cooled and it gets quite warm when sitting on the carpet or the footrest of the couch.

There is a market for add-ons. Although most people who install fans in adition to where there are brackets/screw holes in their case can install one anywhere. Its really not difficult to cut a fanhole in the side of your case or a blowhole in the top.

I've been drooling over EL keyboards ever since i saw the EluminX, and will probably get a knockoff for my next system, but when is somone going to make a full keyboard. By full i mean a seperate block for the arrow keys, the 3x2 block of insert/home/delete etc. and a little seperation betweek the main section and the F keys. It sucks for gaming having the arrow keys in with everything else.

one of these (the second row)

given this...

Same mouse.

Actually that last one would be pretty cool, slotcar case mod and all... But yeah, they have swing needle and tach versions of this sort of thing.

Actually that last one would be pretty cool, slotcar case mod and all... But yeah, they have swing needle and tach versions of this sort of thing.

Well I found this a while back. I want one. And I'm not even into case modding. It's just tres cool.

As long as your cpu's not under much load this cools pretty well without a fan, and even if the fan's on, a large fan @ fewer rpms will move as much air with less noise than a smaller one running faster.

Absolutely! Air cooling can only go so far, air is not a very good conductor. Even if you had a big heatsink made of silver and the big fast fan, a less volume moving water cooled system would out perform it.

Think geeks
ThermalTake Aquarius II CPU Cooler $119.99 and is great quality.

I would like to start seeing more commercial/module use of water cooling, where you had a large choice of radiators, reservoirs, pumps, blocks, and tubes, that are all interchangeable and at local pc shops. Most of the commercial ones you see are kit for single cpu , 1 harddrive and a video card.

Oh, and some other places with cases and modules:
xoxide
FrozenCPU

For the car. For the computer.

Perhaps someone could mod this?

This guy's modded a monitor, the v2, (i know, uhg flash, but some of the stuff is pretty cool) Also i'd think the Mac CRTs we have at school, came with the G4s, completly transparent would be perfect to put some lights inside. Also i got these and this(also avalible at thinkgeek). Got both in blue and arranged them like in the pictures, they're quite bright and light up my desk pretty well. I had to lengthen the cable on one of the small ones to get it to the other side of the monitor, i attached the control boxes(off-sound reactive-on, and sensitivity) tot he back of my speakers. I got a usb card for something like $5 and wired the ports into the switchbox i made in my empty 3.5" bay. 4 switches with blue LEDs, one controls the case fan, one controls this inside the front of my case. Its one of those radioshack Compaqs with the changable transluscent front panels, it lights up pretty well. The other two switches control the monitor lights. Its a pretty simple but uniqe mod, no window, no cold cathodes. Inside though, round cables for improved airflow and the case fan is a blue led fan and it shines out the vents pretty well. E-mail me if you want pictures.

It all depends on what your interests in watercooling is... if it is just to have quiet computers, then you don't need much. If you want cool looks and good overclocking, then you'll want higher quality stuff.

For just quietness, a low priced kit is fine:
iceberg 1
iceberg 2 (recommended by me)
maxxpert
aquarius 2 (also a good buy)

Those require no work or research, and are inexpensive. For overclocking or to make it look cool with windowed cases, you either buy an expensive kit or build yourself (which requires research).

Good kits:
Asetek (good pick for a new user)
danger den (good quality, requires some research)
other

If you want to build your own (as good as the high end kits at the same price as the low end kits), you'll need:
block (Maze 4 or similar)
pump (Via Aqua)
radiator (pick heater core style)
reservoir (any will work)
tubing (clear flex or tygon, 1/2")
water wetter (any will work)
clamps
fan (120mm, look for quiet)

all of which can be purchased at any of those sites. The radiator can even be the heater core from an '84 Chevrolet Chevette ($16 at Autozone).

Hope that helps.

It all depends on what your interests in watercooling is... if it is just to have quiet computers, then you don't need much. If you want cool looks and good overclocking, then you'll want higher quality stuff.

For just quietness, a low priced kit is fine:
iceberg 1
iceberg 2 (recommended by me)
maxxpert
aquarius 2 (also a good buy)

Those require no work or research, and are inexpensive. For overclocking or to make it look cool with windowed cases, you either buy an expensive kit or build yourself (which requires research).

Good kits:
Asetek (good pick for a new user)
danger den (good quality, requires some research)
other

If you want to build your own (as good as the high end kits at the same price as the low end kits), you'll need:
block (Maze 4 or similar)
pump (Via Aqua)
radiator (pick heater core style)
reservoir (any will work)
tubing (clear flex or tygon, 1/2")
water wetter (any will work)
clamps
fan (120mm, look for quiet)

all of which can be purchased at any of those sites. The radiator can even be the heater core from an '84 Chevrolet Chevette ($16 at Autozone).

Hope that helps.

It all depends on what your interests in watercooling is... if it is just to have quiet computers, then you don't need much. If you want cool looks and good overclocking, then you'll want higher quality stuff.

For just quietness, a low priced kit is fine:
iceberg 1
iceberg 2 (recommended by me)
maxxpert
aquarius 2 (also a good buy)

Those require no work or research, and are inexpensive. For overclocking or to make it look cool with windowed cases, you either buy an expensive kit or build yourself (which requires research).

Good kits:
Asetek (good pick for a new user)
danger den (good quality, requires some research)
other

If you want to build your own (as good as the high end kits at the same price as the low end kits), you'll need:
block (Maze 4 or similar)
pump (Via Aqua)
radiator (pick heater core style)
reservoir (any will work)
tubing (clear flex or tygon, 1/2")
water wetter (any will work)
clamps
fan (120mm, look for quiet)

all of which can be purchased at any of those sites. The radiator can even be the heater core from an '84 Chevrolet Chevette ($16 at Autozone).

Hope that helps.

One! One PC Modification site! Ha Ha Ha!

Two! Two PC Modification Sites! Ha Ha Ha!

Three! Three PC Modification Sites! Ha Ha Ha!

Four! Four PC Modification Sites! Ha Ha Ha!

With apologies to Jim Henson Productions...

I have a LianLi PC60B modified case, and it came standard with a pretty nice front fan filter, works rather well. Also you can purcase filters for most fan types (80mm, 120mm, and i think even 60mm) from sites like xoxide.com.>br>
i think the PC 70 series from Lian Li also has the fan :)