Power to the People

The Iceberg was out of action for about four hours while I fitted this new hardware.

The fan posed no problems at all, but the PSU just would not slide into its bay. In the end I had to remove the brass grill from the bottom fan, slide the PSU into place, then replace the grill. The PC-6089s removeable motherboard tray proved to be an absolute godsend. I disconnected all the cabling, removed the motherboard and thus had plenty of room to work on the PSU. Then slid the mobo back into place, reconnected and powered-up.

Both the fan and the PSU were well worth the money and the effort. The fan is terrific, adding to the case lighting considerably.

I bought the PSU mostly because I didn't trust the puny 250W unit that the original PC was supplied with (but also because of its cooling technology and cool lighting). The first thing I noticed when I powered it up was how quiet it was, especially considering that it is almost twice the rating of the unit it replaced. I can barely hear it (oh joy).

As to the PSU LEDs, well internally they don't make any noticeable difference whatsoever. But the back of the machine has come to life. With the combined lighting of the fan and the PSU, the wall behind the Iceberg reflects a soft, blue, almost aquatic glow. Very nice.

All in all, I'm extremely pleased with my latest acquisitions.

Next stop, the black optical drives and, maybe, a new CPU cooler!