When hardware dies, after the smoke clears and you determine whether you think you noticeably voided the warranty, the next step is not to return that hardware to the store you bought it from.  Instead you hop onto the manufacturers website, determine if the warranty is expired and if not then you get in touch with the RMA department of that manufacturer.  Depending on how you choose to proceed, the replacement piece of hardware may well be in the mail to you before the end of the day.  The process is not always smooth, but it does beat holding onto the dead component in the hopes it will rise from the dead.  Other pieces of hardware are simply destined for destruction.

For those wanting socializing more than customizing at the moment there is always high strangeness to be found in the Off Topic Forum and thanks to the recent mid-term elections in the States, The Lightning Round is sparking even more than normal.

Finally, if you are looking to rest your fingers for a bit and enjoy some passive entertainment, this weeks PC Perspective Podcast is up for your enjoyment.  See what Steve, Allyn, Josh and I get up to when Ryan can’t make the show.