It’s red. Honestly, it clashes horribly with those neon green GEFORCE letters glowing on my graphics cards. Besides, I’m a loyal BlackRock supporter myself—it’s probably the only thing that might actually provide some cover during a mass shooting if you aren't already wearing a bulletproof vest. 😬
Honestly, if Harman actually put any effort into making audio gear at this price point, Logitech would be out of business overnight. It’s a stroke of luck for them that Harman Kardon is essentially just the "budget" wing of the Harman group, isn't it? 😁
Take the cheap monitors we have here in the States, for example, such as
Now, I haven't had the chance to test these absolute bottom-of-the-barrel models, and while they'd probably crush most standard PC speakers, once you get into the $400 range, you start seeing some truly excellent options.
And as for sound cards—believe it or not—I used to have a surprisingly decent one integrated into an old motherboard, I think it was an Asrock Z68 E3 GEN3. But then I went ahead and bought one of those overpriced USB sound cards, feeling incredibly smug about it, only to realize I can't hear a single bit of difference. 😬 Then I compare that setup to a handful of other laptops and desktops where the audio quality is nothing short of garbage 😁
The design is specifically intended for two units at the top. Plus, the radiator itself is quite slim. Trying to cram three in there just doesn't make sense, does it? You'd essentially be creating negative pressure within the case.
darkowl72 said:Oh, they definitely exist; it’s just that the American market isn't their primary focus. And regarding those underpowered satellites, I actually agree with you—that's precisely why I mentioned how much I liked the power distribution on that 1800 Karaoke (PA) model, which runs two 15W satellites paired with a 15W sub, though I suppose that's all just to accommodate the microphone input...
Generally speaking, a subwoofer ought to have significantly more wattage, given that those lower frequencies require moving a massive driver and pushing huge volumes of air just to be perceptible. But then again, shouldn't we take all these technical specifications with a heavy grain of salt? In this specific instance, they probably just cranked up the satellite output so the peaks wouldn't completely blow them out when someone starts screaming into the microphone. 😁
darkowl72 said:It all comes down to how the amp and the enclosure are designed, the quality of the drivers, and a whole host of other variables. But primarily, you have to consider the intended use (personal) and the price point 😬 because we certainly aren't talking about audiophile territory here.
I still have a set of Logitech speakers on one of my old PCs from ages ago—a 12W wooden subwoofer paired with two 7W satellites. They were budget picks, bought back when I was shopping at Best Buy. I can honestly say they fill a room with sound quite effectively, and the quality isn't half bad. Of course, if you push those bass levels too far (with a 4" sub pushing a modest 12W), your neighbors might start twitching. You can actually feel the vibrations traveling through the floor; it’s not going to bring the house down, but it’s enough to make the windows rattle. As for component quality, you can tell they were built decently because distortion only starts creeping in once you crank them past 90%.
Honestly, it was one of the best purchases I ever made (!) for next to nothing. Even today, these modern, much more expensive speakers struggle to replicate what those could do... It’s a shame that brand doesn't exist anymore, but the best testament to its legacy is that Logitech bought them out back in 2001 just to crush the competition.
Well, obviously, you can't expect miracles at this price point, but technically speaking, there isn't really a "subwoofer" there... just a woofer. It’s like trying to market an integrated graphics card as a high-end gaming GPU; as cosmicheron48 pointed out, their frequency response reaches into the mid-range, which practically makes them monitors (satellites). Of course, that doesn't mean they won't pack a punch. 😬
cosmicheron48 said:Come over and listen to my Adam subwoofer, it only has a 7" driver 😁
Another solid brand, if they even still exist—Microlab.
A long time ago, I picked up this for roughly $133 and it absolutely crushed everything you'd expect for that kind of money, and then some. But the thing I could never get past with those 2.1 PC systems was the underpowered satellites, which forces the subwoofer to try and reproduce the low-mid spectrum—which isn't its job at all. The result? A lovely hole in the mids, and you can easily locate the subwoofer in the room because it's busy pumping out tones above 100Hz. 😁
Come on, at least your little subwoofer actually has a crossover! 😁
I’ve heard stories about some great ones, like Monsoon; they were being produced over a decade ago, but they were phenomenal. Their measurements were so good that they actually have a cult following of enthusiasts who guard them like gold. 🤣
I'm genuinely curious what is actually worth buying today in terms of affordable PC speakers. Does Harman Kardon have anything in the $500 range? $267
The Hyper 212 offers a decent top and front vent setup right out of the box, whereas the Hyper 212+ actually steps things up by giving you two top vents and an additional front one—which, if you're into that sort of thing, even comes with lighting 😁 .
Look, I realize how bizarre it sounds, but honestly, isn't it better to be safe than sorry? It certainly wouldn't hurt to double-check everything just in case.
So, you’re telling me you hooked your PC directly to your laptop using a LAN cable and the connection works perfectly fine, yet when you plug that very same cable into your modem, absolutely nothing happens? If we follow the breadcrumbs of logic here, there is really only one reasonable conclusion: you’re likely holding an Ethernet crossover cable, and that stubborn modem simply refuses to recognize it. What you actually need is a standard Ethernet straight-through cable to establish a connection with the modem.
Take a look at this image. Check both ends of your cable—are the orange and green wires lined up in the exact same order on both sides, or are they flipped? Once you verify that, you'll know exactly what kind of cable you're dealing with.
That's interesting. But tell me, what exactly is going on with those PCI slots, and what are the case feet actually made of? Are we looking at metal or just some cheap plastic?
🤣 It’s all just part of the learning curve, isn't it? But honestly, it's precisely these kinds of little headaches that make you start truly appreciating free shipping. 😁 Now, let me give you a fair warning right off the bat: if your PC case ends up tucked away under some desk, don't be a hero—just lay it on its side on a soft towel and pull the cloth toward you. Otherwise, you'll find yourself straining your back for the second time... and we both know how that story ends. 🤣
I can assure you, there isn't a single sheet of "thin" or flimsy metal to be found in Sophia Thomas7's Fractal Design Define model. My own Skyscraper weighs in at a solid 35 pounds, and the side panel alone is easily over four pounds. Honestly, the thing is heavier than my old desktop case and my laptop combined 🤣
I’ve spent some time watching the YouTube videos on the manufacturer's website, and I have to admit, I really dig how it looks internally; the design is actually quite impressive, isn't it? 😁
Are you running this in true full screen or just some borderless windowed mode? You might want to try dropping both the resolution and the overall graphical settings just to see if that actually improves performance. If you haven't already, I'd suggest installing MSI Afterburner + RivaTuner so you can pull up an on-screen display while you play; that way, you can monitor your CPU and GPU load, your framerate, and your temperatures to figure out exactly which component is struggling under the pressure.
I’ve crossed paths with quite a few laptops sitting in that sub $1333 price bracket... and honestly, I can say without any hesitation that it has never once been a positive experience, especially once you get past those first few months or years of actual use. 😢
Kimberly Gomez34 said:Regarding that liquid cooler, I saw a recent review in PCMag where it actually ran a few degrees cooler than the Hyper T4 under full load. That means you're looking at performance close to a 212 EVO while paying about 80% less. It did run slightly warmer than the T4 at idle, likely because the fan speeds were set lower. Honestly, this cooler is the ultimate Best Buy; you get incredible value for such a low price, especially considering the 65W version...
Check it out—this guy is running a 212 EVO. That Xeon actually stays cooler than a standard Core i7, even though its TDP is technically higher click
Those temperatures look almost too good to be true; they’d probably creep up after a few hours of heavy lifting. Still, it clearly keeps things chilled enough, so I don't see any reason to upgrade if you aren't overclocking your CPU
BTW, regarding those Corsair water coolers—they are painfully overrated. You constantly hear people complaining about how loud the fans are (so many people just swap them out for different ones) or questioning the quality of the tubing...
Personally, I’m running a Corsair H110i, and to be honest, those stock fans that came in the box have never even seen a second of actual playtime; instead, I swapped them out for some quiet ones I salvaged from an old Nanoxia case. I did decide to tuck one Corsair fan at the bottom of my chassis, but even when I set it to its silent profile, I felt like running a little experiment to see what this thing could really do at maximum RPM. It turns out the machine is surprisingly stealthy—my room's ambient noise floor sits at about 33dB, and even when I crank this thing up to full blast, it only hits 47dB, and that’s with the unit sitting just half a meter away from a sound-dampened case. 😬 Honestly, I should have just bit the bullet and bought EKWB gear from the start instead of flushing all this cash down the drain on this mess. 😁
Michael Jackson10 said:Honestly, I don't think even Intel anticipated a scenario where the CPU gets absolutely hammered at 100% for that long. Besides, the Core i7 falls into that "enthusiast" tier anyway, where you're expected to rely on third-party cooling solutions and let the CPU's internal management handle things based on power draw and TDP.
Whatever cooler you pick—whether it's air or liquid—you've gotta remember that the cooler is just one link in the chain. It’s the first link, sure, but what good is a beastly cooler if your case airflow sucks? If the case isn't ventilated well, the cooler just ends up soaking in hot air, and its efficiency drops off a cliff. Plus, room temperature matters too; that air is the medium moving the heat in any setup. We aren't talking about a silent build here; everything has to be dedicated to cooling. You need a properly sized, high-airflow case, clean cable management (get those wires tucked away behind the backplate to stop resistance and turbulence), and an open mesh design on the front and top/back with intake and exhaust fans that actually match up in airflow. Maybe you can cut down on noise by using bigger fans... but without all that, you won't sustain a full load for long, and the cooler itself won't even be the bottleneck.
Look, I get the whole picture here, and honestly, if it turns out that swapping out or adding more case fans is what’s necessary to balance things out, then so be it. Is noise really going to be an issue? Not even slightly. I couldn't care less about how loud the rig gets.
Look, my only priority here is ensuring this thing stays properly cooled without breaking a sweat. We just ran a stress test using Aida64—running the stock Cooler with a fresh application of thermal paste—and the processor overheated and started throttling within literally a minute or two. In a real-world scenario, wouldn't you expect it to actually survive a full 12-hour Aida stability test before we could call it reliable?
Why don't you try plugging in some other speakers to your PC if you can borrow them? It reeks of a speaker issue, so you might as well rule that out entirely.