Quiet components guide

There are various components that are dedicated to creating a PC that's as quiet as possible, here are some of the options.

One of the best ways to keep noise down in your system is to work preventatively. Although it's possible to locate and eliminate excess noise once you've got a PC you want, it's preferable to build a PC that has quietness in mind from day one. Everything from PSUs to hard drives are available with 'silent' variants that make less noise than a standard version, though they usually trade off something in terms of price or performance to do so. The upshot is that no silent PC will ever be the fastest you can get for your money - but if you're sensitive to the noise your PC makes, it'll definitely be the least irritating.

So, if you're looking to choose some quiet components for your next PC build, this guide has everything you need to make the right decision.

9 reasons to use a system builder

Building a system for yourself has a lot going for it, but there are many convincing reasons to call upon a professional too.

If you've ever put together your own PC, you're probably wondering what system builders can offer you. But don't be too hasty to think you'll be able to save a few quid by shopping around for components and assembling the computer yourself. There are plenty of good reasons to use a system builder even if you consider yourself a confident handler of hardware. To prove it, we've come up with nine reasons to buy a prebuilt system instead of doing it yourself.

Why an iPad Pro really does make sense

Why bigger iPad should be widely welcomed.

Rumored larger device could be very good news

Looking at the Apple product range right now, including both the devices presently available and those in the pipeline for the coming months, you'd be forgiven for thinking that there's not much more the Cupertino firm could do. However, there must certainly is one more product in the offing for early next year, at least if widespread reports are to be believed: an iPad Pro.

The most recent October keynote was a big one for all admirers of Apple's wellestablished tablet, with a lithe iPad Air 2 breaking cover alongside the iPad mini 3. Indeed, the use of the term 'Air' mimics the naming conventions applied to the MacBook Air and Pro laptops, which begs the question... will we get a more professional or educationally-oriented larger version of the tablet, bearing the name 'iPad Pro'?

The 'professionals' tablet' is certainly one category with growth potential, with Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 being an obvious rival for any offering from the Cupertino stable.

OMG they killed mini!

For friends and family of the most affordable Mac, this new version offers a terrible shock. It’s one of those Doctor Who moments when a friend turns around and… they’re a Cyberman.

Previously in the four-year history of the unibody Mac mini, its base was a black plastic disc with indents for your thumbs. Twisting this off revealed the inner workings. The RAM was right there, with a diagram to help you swap modules, so you could upgrade the memory at any time, rather than pay Apple’s extortionate prices for extra RAM when buying your Mac. If you were more ambitious, after removing a few more components the main logic board slid right out, revealing the power supply and drives.

14 million 745 thousand 600 pixels

Apple’s brand new Retina 5K display shows seven times more detail than 1080p HD, and nearly three times more than a 15in Retina MacBook Pro. And it comes with a free iMac.

It’s true: when you look at the prices emerging for other makers’ 5K monitors, they’re similar to what Apple is charging for the new 5K iMac. That’s not to say it’s cheap; but its apparent £550 premium over the basic 27in model is only £240 once you adjust all the specifications to match (even then, the 5K has a slightly faster CPU).

And when you see this screen, £240 is suddenly not going to seem like a lot of money. The obvious question about the Retina display, with its fourfold increase in pixel count, is: can you tell the difference? We saw it for the first time, at Apple’s invitation, in the new conferencing annexe to the Apple Store on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm, which is as good a place as any to see a thing but offered no previous Macs to compare with. Even so: yes, we could see the difference. Such a huge display with such a complete absence of pixellation is quite something to behold.