"A new video card and earplugs to use the R710 as a workstation. Don't forget the earplugs. "
Yes, you will need a video card.... but the earplugs, not so much. I've been running R710's for quite a while now, and they aren't nearly noisy after boot-up as some folks would lead you to believe. Yes you can hear the fans... but no, they aren't a problem.
The only thing I can figure, is that they are so super-sensitive that they can't handle even the slightest fan noise. I bet they also get annoyed at birds chirping in the yard, distant trains going by, or the sound of their mothers yelling at them while they are down in their basement hide-aways.
I think this question should be moved to superuser. – Khaled – 2011-01-31T07:35:05.900