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A Few Hardware Bits

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the well-lookie-here dept.

Zygo writes "Most people seemed to like the hardware bites so here's another edition: A small HD @ GideonTech, the VapoChill PE @ [H]ard|OCP, a big GPU cooler @ OCAddiction, PSU Relay Timer guide @ Virtual-Hideout, a water cooling kit on OverClocker Café, Heat spreaders on OCIA , and to end a PSU at Exteme Overclocking"

3 of 76 comments (clear)

  1. What's really cool about the VapoChill.. by TeknoHog · · Score: 5, Informative
    Heat transfer is proportional to temperature difference. If our processors were running at 500 degrees, the heat (assuming equal power) would be dissipated much better. Unfortunately the chips don't like high temperatures.

    I dunno about the details of VapoChill, but in principle a refrigerator could have its 'hot end' glowing red, thereby increasing heat transfer rate. Remember that the refrigerator only moves the heat around, it doesn't eliminate it. The hot end must be cooled somehow. But unlike the processor, its temperature is not limited by the silicon.

    --
    Escher was the first MC and Giger invented the HR department.
  2. Re:Curious (I'm not a hardware guy) by Toraz+Chryx · · Score: 4, Informative

    Windows 2000 picks up one CPU with HT as two _real_ cpu's, XP/Pro detect it as a CPU with HT.

    As such, Win2k needs double the number of cpu licenses (so for a dual processor HT Xeon box, you need the next version of Win2k up, with 4 processor support.)

  3. Warning on mini hard drive encasements by mcgroarty · · Score: 4, Informative
    There are quite a few of these mini hard drive cases available. Be careful if you're buying a USB2.0 one, however.

    There are a few cheaper models which don't come with a power adapter, expecting to be powered off the USB bus. The thing is, they report their peak load demand to the system's USB power manager, which is the hard drive spinup wattage. This is higher than most USB power busses can deliver, and the result is a current over limit warning and the inability to use the drive.

    The fun comes in, because several of these use nonstandard power jacks (and in at least one case, the model hasn't an external power jack at all). You'll be left modifying the case yourself, trying to find the nonstandard power adapter, or trying to find one of the cheaper USB 2.0 cards without limit protection.