PC Tech Talk

[mag36]

I thought it might be good to start a thread about everything PC.

I've noticed lots of people having problems and questions on pc stuff lately and it might be a good idea to have one thread devoted to computer problems, builds, and new tech stuff that's coming out instead of someone making a new thread when someone has something they want to share.

I saw this and thought it was funny by the way
http://www.funnypictures.net.au/images/pc-vs-mac-upgrade-cartoon-hi-im-a-pc-and-im-a-mac-.jpg

[[UA] Mos Def]

I have thought about creating this thread myself after seeing all the PC talk lately as well. I am glad you did it mag. I was also thinking about creating a thread that pertains to everyone listing what kind of rig they have. I would be curious to see what kind of systems people are running.

Also I have a quick question for anyone reading this post: I have 2x2 gig corsair ddr3 1600 240-pin (pc3 12800) 1.65v timing 8-8-8-24 c latency 8 memory sticks and I have two open slots and I want to put another 4 gig in this machine, but I am curious if I can use another brand and if I do, what specifications need to be the same for it to run correctly. For instance if it is different timing and stuff would that create a problem? I have seen a few deals on new egg for memory but I am hesitant to buy it because I don't know what is compatible with what I already have....help please!!!

[Bullshit]

Have a question. Are there any other there have big issues with there HP Laptops. Me and my gf have 1 each. And the have both been broken over 2 times. So i will ask if any other have same problem with a HP.

And what brand should i pick for the next computer. (remember has to be a laptop)


Bullshit

[mag36]

Mos Def;56801']I have thought about creating this thread myself after seeing all the PC talk lately as well. I am glad you did it mag. I was also thinking about creating a thread that pertains to everyone listing what kind of rig they have. I would be curious to see what kind of systems people are running.

Also I have a quick question for anyone reading this post: I have 2x2 gig corsair ddr3 1600 240-pin (pc3 12800) 1.65v timing 8-8-8-24 c latency 8 memory sticks and I have two open slots and I want to put another 4 gig in this machine, but I am curious if I can use another brand and if I do, what specifications need to be the same for it to run correctly. For instance if it is different timing and stuff would that create a problem? I have seen a few deals on new egg for memory but I am hesitant to buy it because I don't know what is compatible with what I already have....help please!!!

There been gaming setup thread been made but it gets buried easily
http://www.ibisgaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1644&highlight=gaming+setup
My Rig is on pg. 11

And as far as you question goes I assume your running dual channel memory. and you board has it separated by two colors(Memory Banks). Its best to keep the same memory in the banks and try to keep each bank at the same speeds 1600mhz for bank 0 and bank 1. But far as brands go it shouldnt matter. Im not sure about latency though but I wouldnt think it would effect it to much if the latency from bank 0 and 1 are diffent.
you can read more on it hear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_channel


Have a question. Are there any other there have big issues with there HP Laptops. Me and my gf have 1 each. And the have both been broken over 2 times. So i will ask if any other have same problem with a HP.

And what brand should i pick for the next computer. (remember has to be a laptop)


Bullshit

I just fixed and HP with a corrupted Windows system and had to do a full system recovery, and a few weeks ago my buddy power button stopped working so he has to hit a media button to turn on his HP laptop anymore. But far as laptop go I have a toshiba and haven't ran into any problems with mine yet execpt its 4 years old and getting slow now compared to most.

[StarsMine]

I just fixed and HP with a corrupted Windows system and had to do a full system recovery, and a few weeks ago my buddy power button stopped working so he has to hit a media button to turn on his HP laptop anymore.

Holy shit my sister has the same problem and I had no idea what to tell her.
It was after some company fixed the mobo as somehow it got fried.

[Bullshit]

There been gaming setup thread been made but it gets buried easily
http://www.ibisgaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1644&highlight=gaming+setup
My Rig is on pg. 11

And as far as you question goes I assume your running dual channel memory. and you board has it separated by two colors(Memory Banks). Its best to keep the same memory in the banks and try to keep each bank at the same speeds 1600mhz for bank 0 and bank 1. But far as brands go it shouldnt matter. Im not sure about latency though but I wouldnt think it would effect it to much if the latency from bank 0 and 1 are diffent.
you can read more on it hear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dual_channel



I just fixed and HP with a corrupted Windows system and had to do a full system recovery, and a few weeks ago my buddy power button stopped working so he has to hit a media button to turn on his HP laptop anymore. But far as laptop go I have a toshiba and haven't ran into any problems with mine yet execpt its 4 years old and getting slow now compared to most.

i have an 5 years old medion that still runs. But its cant run css.. :banghead:

[acolyte_to_jippity]

Have a question. Are there any other there have big issues with there HP Laptops. Me and my gf have 1 each. And the have both been broken over 2 times. So i will ask if any other have same problem with a HP.

And what brand should i pick for the next computer. (remember has to be a laptop)


Bullshit

lenovo thinkpad.

i have a t500 and i love it. you can customise it a bit when you order it. i have vista 64bit, 4GB ram, and a discrete gfx. card (ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3650).

runs css beautifully, same w/ oblivion, fallout3, masseffect...

[XxMastagunzxX]

Have a question. Are there any other there have big issues with there HP Laptops. Me and my gf have 1 each. And the have both been broken over 2 times. So i will ask if any other have same problem with a HP.

And what brand should i pick for the next computer. (remember has to be a laptop)


Bullshit

My grandpa has a dv6000 and it sucks dicks and breaks.

[Bullshit]

we kinda agreed that we wont hava a HP again.. Maybe an acer next time:wtg:

[[UA] Mos Def]

I always thought it was common knowledge HP Laptops suck major ass.....sorry you guys had to find out the hard way! And Asus does make some pretty good Laptops!

[mag36]

Ok I know many of you have heard about the Gulftown processor (aka i7 980) with six cores that is coming out soon. But has anyone heard about the Intel Haswell processor? :smirk:

[StarsMine]

Ok I know many of you have heard about the Gulftown processor (aka i7 980) with six cores that is coming out soon. But has anyone heard about the Intel Haswell processor? :smirk:

I really wish the i7 980 remained the i9. When I ask people what processor they have they generally can only tell you whats on the sticker.

[uuntiltheendd]

I've noticed lots of people having problems and questions on pc stuff lately and it might be a good idea to have one thread devoted to computer problems, builds, and new tech stuff that's coming out instead of someone making a new thread when someone has something they want to share.


i would like to know if there is a good free anti virus out there that i do not have to keep renewing/reinstalling. i have avast now but the free trial ran out and i guess i have to reistall it.. anybodys help would be awesome.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

www.free-av.com (http://www.free-av.com)


that's one of the best out there. maximum PC liked it far far better than avast. it almost outperformed most of the really expensive antivirus suites. in fact, kasperski and symantec super full were the only two paid ones that beat it as far as detection rate.

very small footprint on your system's resources, background's very nice.

simple user interface...but it works.

[mag36]

i would like to know if there is a good free anti virus out there that i do not have to keep renewing/reinstalling. i have avast now but the free trial ran out and i guess i have to reistall it.. anybodys help would be awesome.


I use AVG and really like that as anti virus. You do have to switch to newer versions about once a year but hey its free

http://free.avg.com/us-en/homepage

[ZERO]

Maximum pc gave AVG good marks a few years ago but in recent shootouts it has been downgraded mainly for being annoying.

The first thing I think of when I hear avast is "avast another false positive off port!"

[ZERO]

So today I got the M11x in and it has been great so far! It is smaller than a broken sony vio from a few years ago that I took out of spare part storage to reference and weighs a lot less. I got the silver and love the color as it is even better than the silver in the old Alienware Area-51m, the laptop it is replacing. All the fancy features Alienware has today were not invented when I got mine so seeing the cool lighting effects and setting them up was a lot of fun. I hope that some plugins come out that will allow me to do more cool things with the effects in the future. The facial recognition also was not hard to set up and works well. I have seen this on my sisters computer too and it is not fooled by any tricks. I love the fell of the mouse and the computer as a whole has a great solid feel to it that echos its quality build. Switching between the gpus works well and you can OC the cpu though the bios from factory and without losing the warranty assuming you use their OC.

Attached is the windows experience test thing taken at stock with integrated, stock with nvidia, overclocked cpu with intigrated and oced cpu with the Nvidia chip. You will notice that the memory also improves with the oc becuase of the higher speed as they are able to run at their "normal" speed of 1066 instead of 800.

[ZERO]

For gaming I was able to run the CS:S benchmark at >100fps with the default video settings which were all turned up from what I saw.
I was able to run SC2 beta at 30fps which is all I get on this computer too for what ever reason. This was on max settings and I can say that this computer WILL run SC2 at max settings when it comes out based of what I have seen here.

Now my big mission is to find a dam bag for this thing. I want something small that isolates the computer and protects it but also has storage space for other assories like my imod and amplifier and headphones and the power bricks for those and the wall splitters and cat5 cables and usb cables and an external cd drive and space for an external HDD in the future. I am willing to use a 15" bag to do this but I can not find any that are right...

Also the metal that the case is made out of behind the LCD reflect electromagnetic waves. As a result you can not allow it to get within 2" of a crt based monitor or it can cause damage to the crt as the electromagnetic interference messes with the field produced by the crt.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

ummm, about the bag. i use a targus grove bag, sling style. i can hold plenty of books as well as my laptop, and mouse.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834997446&cm_re=targus_grove-_-34-997-446-_-Product

[ZERO]

Thanks but I am looking more for a briefcase. Also I need to be able to store the items in a separate pocket from the computer to prevent them from destroying each other.

[mastercheff]

Product Features
Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor P7450
Features 2 processing cores, 1066MHz system bus, 3MB L2 cache and 2.13GHz processor speed per core.
2 high-performance processing cores
To run multiple demanding applications simultaneously without hesitation.
4GB DDR2 memory
For multitasking power.
Multiformat DVD±RW/CD-RW drive with double-layer support
Records up to 8.5GB of data or 4 hours of video using compatible DVD+R DL media; also supports DVD-RAM.
16" LED-backlit LCD high-definition widescreen display
With 1366 x 768 resolution showcases your movies and games in stunning clarity.
320GB Serial ATA hard drive (7200 rpm)
Offers spacious storage and fast read/write times. 1 E-SATA connection for added convenience.
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics
Features 1GB DDR3 video memory for lush images. HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV. 2 built-in speakers with Creative Audigy HD support.
See the benefits of an NVIDIA graphics processor in your laptop.
Built-in 1.3MP webcam
Makes it easy to chat online with family and friends.
Built-in facial recognition
Protects sensitive information.
8-in-1 media reader
Supports MultiMediaCard, Secure Digital, xD-Picture Card, Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, Memory Stick Duo and Smart Media formats.
IEEE 1394 (FireWire) interface and 4 high-speed USB 2.0 ports
For fast digital video, audio and data transfer.
Built-in wireless LAN (802.11b/g/n)
Wirelessly connect to the Internet.
Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps fast Ethernet LAN
With RJ-45 connector for quick and easy wired Web connection.
Weighs 7.2 lbs. and measures just 1.6" thin
For portable power.
Fair battery life
Of up to 1 hour and 36 minutes.
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit operating system preinstalled
Provides a stable computing platform.
Software included
With Adobe Acrobat Reader 8, Nero 8 Essentials and more.
Intel, Pentium, Celeron, Centrino, Core, Viiv, Intel Inside and the Intel Inside logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries.

Thats the features of the new computer i'm gonna buy soon. How is it going to handle l4d2 and most modern games?

[mag36]

Product Features
Intel® Core™2 Duo mobile processor P7450

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260M graphics

Thats the features of the new computer i'm gonna buy soon. How is it going to handle l4d2 and most modern games?

Check this Site out for mobile graphics benchmarks
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Computer-Games-on-Laptop-Graphic-Cards.13849.0.html

yours looks like you wont have much of a problem

[StarsMine]

a laptop with only an hour and a half of battery life is no laptop.

[ZERO]

How much are you paying for that b/c my sisters has simular specs but better cpu and thus preformance with the M15x, your trying to buy an m17x are you not?

You really should look at core i5 or i7 as they are much faster than the old gen. Also do not be fooled by the lower clock speeds as they oc with turbo boost stock way way beyond spec.http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/laptops/2009/11/13/intel-core-i7-mobile-720qm-benchmarked/1

You will see that the 720qm is way faster than your cpu even though it is rated at 1.6ghz

Ok I looked at the site and I see what your trying to do and yea I would do the same as there is no way in hell I would be forced to use ati and get fucked by them just to have the i7. Your best choice performance wise thus is to buy a M15x as it will be after than your M17x for about the same price.

NVM I realized your not talking about the M17x but you should still look at the M15x

[mastercheff]

I went to bestbuy yesterday and i saw some better computers but thanks anyway on the feedback guys. I saw a 310m nvidia graphics card with a dual core 2.33(sorry for my horrible tech talk).

[ZERO]

Do not get a 300 series! Its a TRAP!!!!! The 300 series are just rebrands of the old versions and are less powerful. This is not becuase Nvidia is trying to trick anyone but the OEMs demanded that Nvidia rebrand their lower lines so they could trick customers into thinking it is new. Tne 260m, 280m and 285m are the fastest out there right now. See this page for more information: http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_m_series.html

Also the specs on the system you just posted would have lower gaming performance then my M11x which starts at $700 and yes it only 11.6"

[DeadEyeDeNNi$]

Thanks but I am looking more for a briefcase. Also I need to be able to store the items in a separate pocket from the computer to prevent them from destroying each other.

I use the Swiss Army computer bag for my business briefcase and PC bag as I have the Patriot and it comes with 2 in 1.

There are many to choose from and the quality is topflight and the price is great! Staples wanted $139.95 for the same bag I bought online for $69.00.

http://www.buy.com/store/wenger-swiss-gear-bags/58703.html



EDIT:

Mos Def - Ref. mixed memory and brands. There are MB out there today, like the one I have (Crosshair 3) that will allow you to mix and match but are not that common.

Rule of thumb is to always use the same memory matched memory right down to the same batch if possible. I have 4 sticks of Corsair of 2g each and I bought them at two different times (within 4-5 months) I got as close as I could to the original purchase but they were no longer making what I bought originallly so I bought the replacement batch memory which were similar but faster than the first set. I can get them balanced close in the cmos but they are still different while performing w/o any problems I attribute that to the MB I have.

[mastercheff]

Ah thanks ZERO i'll be sure to find one that isn't "ITS A TARP". I'm not sure if bestbuy knows how to find a decent computer for a price below 900 to a 11 y/o kid. I'll try to find one thats decent online then.

[StarsMine]

Do not get a 300 series! Its a TRAP!!!!! The 300 series are just rebrands of the old versions and are less powerful. This is not becuase Nvidia is trying to trick anyone but the OEMs demanded that Nvidia rebrand their lower lines so they could trick customers into thinking it is new. Tne 260m, 280m and 285m are the fastest out there right now. See this page for more information: http://www.nvidia.com/object/geforce_m_series.html

Also the specs on the system you just posted would have lower gaming performance then my M11x which starts at $700 and yes it only 11.6"

Nividia has dissapointed me as of late beacuse of that
310 rebranded 210 rebranded something rebranded 8800gtx I think it went.

My card is a rebranded 8800 gts or gs(idk its a 9600gso) or god fucking damnit nvidia enough with this shit, and release a DX11 card to compete with ATI!

I never heard someone say it was the OEMs fault o.O

[mastercheff]

Well all i wanted was a good graphics card and what not to game and all of these little secrets and bullshit pop up why can't it be simple :S

[ZERO]

Yea like I said it is not Nvidias fault as they had no choice but they did make the rebrands for OEM only to prevent confusion in the normal market.

So you want the best thing for <900$?

What do you need the computer to do? Really the best way is to tell us how much money you want to spend and we can tell you the best you can get for that price. Do you need a lot of storage space or anything else? What is your max increase if you could get something a lot better for only... more.

My M11x has a 335m which is over 4 times faster than the 310m a 1.7ghz core 2 duo 4gb DDR3 and a 500gb HDD. It cost <$1000 with student discount. It has a built in web cam, facial recognition, 8 hours of battery life, <5lbs, 720p monitor and better gaming performance than yours. The only thing it does not have is any disc drive.

If you tell us what you need and how much we got we can find you the best deals.

Also I wanted to point out that the 310 is slower than the 210.

[mastercheff]

Well i need a computer below 1000$ that has a decent amount of storage and battery life. It should also be able to run battle field bad company 2 decently. The screen should be somewhat decent into 11-15 inches as well and a 1hour or close to 2 hour battery would be fine. Also i should be able to find the laptop you guys are recommending at bestbuy.

[ZERO]

Your not going to find anything good at a store. They will all be overpriced and the logic behind this is simple. Because the computer is located in a store you not only got to cover the costs to get it there but now the cost of it being in the store along with all the employees, ect. You are also limited to whatever the store has with no room to customize the product to fit your unique needs. Is there any reason you want to get it at bestbuy? Note that shipping is not very much to free on a lot of laptops on the internet and the ability to custom order allows you to get what is best for you.

Also what you described is bad battery life you would be hard pressed to find a computer that gets less than 2 hours battery life when not gaming. Also how important is portability? Can you lug a 10lbs brick with you or do you want the smallest thing that can play your games and get good fps?

At your price point I would recommend the M11x if you want something portable and gaming systems from Asus if you want something a bit bigger. Those are the two best performance options at your price point and they are not sold at bestbuy...

[StarsMine]

For the most part Gaming laptop is an oxymoron (untill i saw the mx11 holy shit)
You have a 10 lb brick and 1-2 hours of battery life, Id rather have a 500$ laptop and an actual gaming PC at home.

Like zero said the mx11 would be your best bet.
up to 8 hours of life when not gaming and im sure that you could find a 6 cell battery for it and get 12 hours.

[mastercheff]

oh well i'll get the one i said above now but thanks for all the help but i think i'll be fine on one of those mediocre gaming laptops bestbuy has

[ZERO]

It already has a 6 cell...

[ZERO]

That is not a gaming laptop though!!! Even with a 335m the m11x barely qualifies. Anything under that is not a gaming laptop and WILL NOT RUN GAMES.

You might as well buy a 400$ netbook b/c a 310 is not going to run games. Maybe CS:S if you turn everything all the way down. But you are not going to be able to play any new games at any decent quality.

[StarsMine]

It already has a 6 cell...

.... :icon_mrgreen:

[mastercheff]

/HULK SMASH Well i might as well settle for a netbook then.

[A Baby Panda]

/HULK SMASH Well i might as well settle for a netbook then.

This is the same conundrum I have haha. I keep looking and I see these laptops with DX11 graphics but then its out of my price range. I have my epic desktop at home so I may as well just buy a netbook with a 14 hour battery life

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

Update on my VIdeo Card. Sent it to EVGA. After 20 million questions asked by the tech. His conclusion was to RMA it. Sent out today and should have a new NVIDIA 260 GTX in a couple of weeks.

As for laptops...I can never play games on one. I'm going to build my new desktop soon. Its much cheaper to build one. No more DELL desktops for me.

[ZERO]

Just an fyi there are no dx11 laptops...

[StarsMine]

Just an fyi there are no dx11 laptops...

yea I was wondering about that when he said it. As far as I know the only way to have DX11 is to have a 5000 series card until nividia pulls its head out its ass and finally release a new card.

[ZERO]

Also there are virtually no if any games that actually use DX11 or are planed to. In fact with valve looking at mac now and the announcement of opengl4 it is possible that many may be using that instead anyways. Valve especially may be making the move toward opengl4 for its new games down the road. Nvidia has said that its new cards will support opengl4 and ati has not given any word but will likely fallow nvidia.

[A Baby Panda]

yea I was wondering about that when he said it. As far as I know the only way to have DX11 is to have a 5000 series card until nividia pulls its head out its ass and finally release a new card.

There ARE 5000 series laptop graphics available though they are few and far between and range in price between $850 and $1600.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=Property&Subcategory=32&Description=&Type=&N=2034940032&srchInDesc=&MinPrice=&MaxPrice=&PropertyCodeValue=402%3A54108&PropertyCodeValue=402%3A54075&PropertyCodeValue=402%3A54076&PropertyCodeValue=402%3A54305

[ZERO]

The current gen laptop cards are always 1 gen behind the desktop even if they have the same name. However it probably does have dx11 support as the software is the same even if the hardware gen if different due to revision changes.

[mag36]

I watch a youtube show called Hak5 and the had an interresting topic on public wifi's and how easy it is to mess with people. So if your one of those people who take your laptop everywhere and connect to hotspots.
Think twice before just connecting to them.
skip to 3:00 to get the the main part of the show
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N_tnHHEFGKs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N_tnHHEFGKs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

[StarsMine]

I watch a youtube show called Hak5 and the had an interresting topic on public wifi's and how easy it is to mess with people. So if your one of those people who take your laptop everywhere and connect to hotspots.
Think twice before just connecting to them.
skip to 3:00 to get the the main part of the show
<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/N_tnHHEFGKs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/N_tnHHEFGKs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

That show is actually owned by revison3, they have alot of intersting shows. I genreally only watch tekzilla and HD nation
http://revision3.com/

[A Baby Panda]

http://208.116.9.205/10/content/21964/10.jpg

[mag36]

LOL that sounds about right :lmao:

[ZERO]

Forgot to say that the pc has 100% more mouse buttons.

[A Baby Panda]

Forgot to say that the pc has 100% more mouse buttons.

But in the case of the magic mouse the pc lacks a multi touch mouse... because thats incredibly practical.

[ZERO]

Actually pc already has that. The trackpad on my laptop allows multi touch to zoom in and out....

[A Baby Panda]

Actually pc already has that. The trackpad on my laptop allows multi touch to zoom in and out....

Aaah touche sir. I suppose with modded drivers I could do the same with my tablet

[StarsMine]

Well the reviews for the nividias 470 and 480 are out.

From what I can tell the 470 is a decent card, and the 480 is a hot, power hungery, overprice,d cool looking, heat pipe stuffin card.

yea dont get the 480.

[ZERO]

Both looked useless. For something that needs to be a game changer this is looking like the fx series all over again. I figured this would happen when I heard of the fab problems back in the winter. Unless I hear of a driver update that gives 50% boost in performance they are in big trouble.

[A Baby Panda]

Both looked useless. For something that needs to be a game changer this is looking like the fx series all over again. I figured this would happen when I heard of the fab problems back in the winter. Unless I hear of a driver update that gives 50% boost in performance they are in big trouble.

Not to mention tremendously behind...

[StarsMine]

Yea, Nivida is going to need to pull something amazing to save their ass
The only thing the 400 cards excel at is doing lots of tessellation (unengine heaven 2.0), by the time we have programs doing massive tessellation, the 6000s will most likely be out, blowing away whatever lead Nividias cards had on the 5000s

apparently they built these cards to run veary well with SLI, and looking at the benchmarks, im impressed. but that is way to much power, nearly 800 fucking watts at full load!

http://www.hexus.net/content/item.php?item=23132&page=1

[ZERO]

Really though if your not running over 1000w and you want multi gpu your kidding yourself.

[A Baby Panda]

Really though if your not running over 1000w and you want multi gpu your kidding yourself.

I am running 2 ATI HD5770s in crossfire, quad core phenomII processor, and a wd caviar green with a 750w.

[ZERO]

I was referring to things that actually use power. Also I am assuming that a balanced system is being used. For example if your already spending all the money for two gpus I would assume that you would also water cool them for overclock as to extend the lifetime and thus value of the investment. I also assume that you are going to run two high end cards becuase while you can take advantage of two low cards to be a bit better than one top end card this is not the case for every environment. Also I can say that you are pushing that psu close to its limit and run the rick of needing a new psu in the future. Remember to that as you get close to the limit you also decrease in conversion efficiency and as a result waste more money. I have been using 500+w systems for over 5 years. The benefit is that they can still be used and that is why when I needed a new psu for my tv computer I got a 910w so I would be ready for anything down the road.

[StarsMine]

I am running 2 ATI HD5770s in crossfire, quad core phenomII processor, and a wd caviar green with a 750w.

You dont need 750w in that machine, you could easily run that with 600W
However that does give you room to upgrade

[A Baby Panda]

You dont need 750w in that machine, you could easily run that with 600W
However that does give you room to upgrade

Precisely, I want headroom

[StarsMine]

Precisely, I want headroom

I always found it silly when I see people trying to buy 600+ watt PSU with a one gpu setup, most never plan on upgrading via sli/crossfire so they end up wasting money on what could go towards a better gpu or more HD space

[A Baby Panda]

I always found it silly when I see people trying to buy 600+ watt PSU with a one gpu setup, most never plan on upgrading via sli/crossfire so they end up wasting money on what could go towards a better gpu or more HD space

My hard drive is almost full =[
I guess I'll need another terabyte :P

[StarsMine]

My hard drive is almost full =[
I guess I'll need another terabyte :P

A rather cool tool for keeping your hd in check is WinDirStat, it doesnt clean it out but it tells you how big you folders really are instead of having to right click every folder.

[mag36]

I was referring to things that actually use power. Also I am assuming that a balanced system is being used. For example if your already spending all the money for two gpus I would assume that you would also water cool them for overclock as to extend the lifetime and thus value of the investment. I also assume that you are going to run two high end cards becuase while you can take advantage of two low cards to be a bit better than one top end card this is not the case for every environment. Also I can say that you are pushing that psu close to its limit and run the rick of needing a new psu in the future. Remember to that as you get close to the limit you also decrease in conversion efficiency and as a result waste more money. I have been using 500+w systems for over 5 years. The benefit is that they can still be used and that is why when I needed a new psu for my tv computer I got a 910w so I would be ready for anything down the road.

Yeah you have to consider capacitor aging. But the nice thing about new Technology is we find ways to make things run faster with less and less power consumption.

**Electrolytic capacitor aging. When used heavily or over an extended period of time (1+ years) a power supply will slowly lose some of its initial wattage capacity. We recommend you add 10-20% if you plan to keep your PSU for more than 1 year, or 20-30% for 24/7 usage and 1+ years.


I always found it silly when I see people trying to buy 600+ watt PSU with a one gpu setup, most never plan on upgrading via sli/crossfire so they end up wasting money on what could go towards a better gpu or more HD space

The people paying for 1000w psu and greater I find silly. My current system psu recommended wattage is 357w and 464w with 30% Cap aging. But will jump close to 700w if I can ever find good price for a ATI 4850x2 to add to my existing 1 4850. So plenty of head room is always nice and thats why I got the corsair 750 PSU

PSU Calculator (http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp)

[ZERO]

Actually the end up saving money on energy cost b/c the conversion efficiency is based on load and the lower the load the better the AC-DC conversion saving power costs.

Yea I really worry about cap aging with my 7 year warranty....

[StarsMine]

to anyone looking for a cheap PC upgrade
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102824&cm_re=4850-_-14-102-824-_-Product

a 4850 for $80

[Bullshit]

IE 9 Prewiev

Okay im running vista 32bit. And i have installed sp2. and now i downloaded and install'd the Direct 2D that is need to run the new IE. But when i try to install it still says i need the direct 2D driver. Then i followed the link that microsoft gave me from there install. But its only bullshit on that page. Then i trying Google. And holyshit. Nothing !

Any that have succeded install it?

[acolyte_to_jippity]

: pshhh: go for firefox mate. kicks IE's ass in every way humanly possible. the add-ons completely make the internet worthwhile.

[ZERO]

I can not play games as a result of lastnights windows update. I am trying to update my grafix drivers and hope that it fixes it...

[XxMastagunzxX]

Hopefully you'll be able to fix it in time for a late night ownage session tonight.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

I can not play games as a result of lastnights windows update. I am trying to update my grafix drivers and hope that it fixes it...

what kind of update did it put on?

[StarsMine]

I can not play games as a result of lastnights windows update. I am trying to update my grafix drivers and hope that it fixes it...

Hmm, I didnt get that problem, it actually improved my computers speed :lmao:
I was like omg! Windows update did something good for once, just dont know what.

[ZERO]

I do not know, it could be that this gpu really is shot. I will try again tomorrow. In may I will try to switch to 64 bit and add another 3gb of ram and maybe somehow that will do something. If not I will be forced to get a 480...

[XxMastagunzxX]

Maybe your last resort is the oven trick.

[StarsMine]

I do not know, it could be that this gpu really is shot. I will try again tomorrow. In may I will try to switch to 64 bit and add another 3gb of ram and maybe somehow that will do something. If not I will be forced to get a 480...

a 480? If you want I guess, I just see no way of that being economical, its not much better then the 5870 and it costs so much more, uses more power, and makes more heat.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

Maybe your last resort is the oven trick.

i thought that was supposed to fix red-rings o' death

[ZERO]

Yea power is a big consurn for my 1200w psu also heat is a big problem b/c my 4x 120mm gpu loop only rad might not be able to cool it....

Also the gpu is fine, I found the problem was the ram.

[StarsMine]

i thought that was supposed to fix red-rings o' death

well thats because the oven trick does the same thing to both, reseats the soder, thats what causes the RROD and some burnt out GPUs.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

hmmm, instead of the oven trick though (could warp your case if done wrong) i'd just do the towel one. wrap your 360 in heavy towels, turn on for an hour, turn off, let cool, try now.

[yours' truely]

OK, here's my bag of tricks.

I know a bit about computers, enough to build and maintain my own rig. Other than that I do get a bit clueless with the software aspect, but I do know that google is a great help. Also, I read a lot about pc's.

MaximumPC (http://www.maximumpc.com/) This is where I learned the basics. Just got a subscriptions and read every article through out the year. Now I just periodically check the site for any interesting news.

NeoWin.Net (http://www.neowin.net/) Wonderful site. It's a tech site that features a pretty specific news feed and the forums are very active and full of people with lots of knowledge. Also, with the active community, if you post a question, you will get a constructive response very quickly. In addition, the forums are also super detailed with specific channels, and the search engine is great to use b/c if you have a problem then most likely it's been addressed before and there's already an extensive thread or two on it already.

TomsHardware (http://www.tomshardware.com/us/)Similar to neowin with it's purpose, but tomsharware is much more indepth and actually does really informative articles, walkthroughs and reviews. Hard to navigate, imo, but if you get time, just get lost on it and you will learn something new.

NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/) Net based Electronic store. You can buy anything with computer related and even get OEM products. Normally it will have some kind of steller deal once in a while but the biggest thing I use it for is the reviews of the products. When I go to look for a new purchase, I first find the items I may be interested in and then read the customer Negative customer reviews just to see what may not be mentioned anywhere else.

I skimmed the previous posts and saw that a lot of people seem to prefer laptops. I'd recommend that anyone that wants to do some gaming, media editing or just hack a gibson or two, please get a home desktop. They're cheaper and normally out performs laptops. Of course, if you don't have the money to change or you think you need your laptop for school, I would suggets a netbook.

I also saw a small mention for free anti-virus/spyware. I recommend Windows Defender. In all the most recent reviews I've read, it's been rated the best of the free anti-virus' around in terms of protection and low resource usage. You can get it from the windows website, download center (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=435bfce7-da2b-4a6a-afa4-f7f14e605a0d).

I've fallen a bit with keeping up with the gpu's, but I've been reading several articles and reviews that say that NVidia's been pretty shady with it's recent cards, so definately do your research on their products before commiting your money to a card. I do want to mention AMD's ATI cards. From what I've read they are really making huge improvements in their product that is on par with NVidia in many aspects. They are also often cheaper than NVidia.

Finally, I have to recommend, whenever you buy any computer product, either parts or a set, always register it with the company. I've had several parts replaced or upgraded by the manufacturer when their product has failed even 4 years after purchase.

[mag36]

OK, here's my bag of tricks.

Couldn't Agree more with everything you said. I read all those sites as well. One other thing i like about newegg is they will typically honor the manufacture warranty and you don't have to deal with alot of bullshit. Only one site I didnt know about was NeoWin.Net, Ill have to check them out sometime.

[mag36]

I bought this cooler (priced 61.99)back when i built my pc back in 3/24/09
Vigor Monsoon III LT
http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/35-702-007-S01?$S180W$
One of the fans began to fail little over month ago. It had a one year warranty, So I called up the manufacture. All i kept on getting was a voice recording saying they would call me back. well after 2 or 3 weeks of calling and never hearing from them. I went to Newegg and see they would RMA it. And they did!

Now they sent this one as a replacement. (69.99)
Nexus VCT-9000 120mm
http://www.frostytech.com/ArticleImages/201002/!cid_3290026717-1.jpg

They didn't ask me or anything and Im Not sure if i like it though. I cant find any good reviews on it yet.

[ZERO]

I have been subscribed to Maximum PC for 10 years.

[yours' truely]

I have been subscribed to Maximum PC for 10 years.

been waiting to get money set aside for that too. I'm trying to collect any old pc parts and pc mags so I can play with them.

[StarsMine]

Nividia released there quad sli drivers for the 4XX series of cards.
and look what happened http://www.evga.com/forums/tm.aspx?m=316295, new world record.
1500 watt of shit I need more money for my electricity bill.

[ZERO]

For the price of that entire card I can make a nice HTPC.

[anex]

I need your help guys.

I bought another sound system and I want to connect it to my computer.

1x 5.1 Optical slot
1x 5.1 Green sound slot

I want to play sound simultaneously though them. But realtek only lets me establish one "default device." Is there anyway to set it up so I can have two default devices?

EDIT: I got it working in some sort of gay way after downloading audio repeaters and other programs. All I had to do was tell REALTEK HD that I plugged in the same input twice.

[ZERO]

Uhm... in windows 7 the os lets you send to multiple devices at once...

[StarsMine]

Trying to build a computer for my dad that beats this for the same price.
http://premierconfigure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?cs=RC1228907&oc=rcRC1228907-2555302

I did except for the graphics, Tbh that dell is an awesome deal for a pre-fab.

[ZERO]

No computer or specs show up on that link...

[StarsMine]

well regardless I have this so far http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5632/i7920.png (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/i7920.png/)

I know that the 1600mhz ram should downclock to 1333mhz, but i didnt find any of those that were cheaper, so what the hell. However anything you guys might change. He isnt a gamer so the video card really isnt important, just would like something that could speed things up that have graphic acceleration, like some forms of encoding, as he does some video work.

[mag36]

well regardless I have this so far http://img12.imageshack.us/img12/5632/i7920.png (http://img12.imageshack.us/i/i7920.png/)

I know that the 1600mhz ram should downclock to 1333mhz, but i didnt find any of those that were cheaper, so what the hell. However anything you guys might change. He isnt a gamer so the video card really isnt important, just would like something that could speed things up that have graphic acceleration, like some forms of encoding, as he does some video work.

Secondly that's Dual channel memory and those x58 boards run in triple channel setup.
Although Dual channel kits will work. But the memory needs to only have a stock voltage of 1.65 or less. The core i series have the memory controller on the cpu die. So if you use that memory double check the voltage.

[StarsMine]

Well I didnt think Dual channel would be a problem, I dont see how it would be either, just a perk that if he wanted more ram in the future, he could just by another stick and put that in, and change it to triple channel.

I did check anyways and they run at 1.5 volts.

[StarsMine]

We talked about this before, but damn, its still impressive

KZq5GnqHMLc

[mag36]

yeah its impressive that its possible to clock that high, but i find it more impressive when you can get it clocked and stable without having to put tons of money into cooling it

[OnEyEdMaN]

is there a thread about posting your pc specs?

[mag36]

is there a thread about posting your pc specs?

Yes, http://www.ibisgaming.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1644&highlight=gaming
speaking of which i should update it

[Spasm]

How long is the typical RMA wait time... It's been 2 weeks and I am getting sick of my xbox.

[StarsMine]

How long is the typical RMA wait time... It's been 2 weeks and I am getting sick of my xbox.

2 weeks is incredibly long, what the hell are you RMAing?

[Spasm]

2 weeks is incredibly long, what the hell are you RMAing?

8800 gtx and motherboard. 8800 is PNY and motherboard was gigabyte. My motherboards PCI-express slot died, so it needed RMA. My 8800 gtx has a upper memory problem, causing artifacts in memory intensive games, not CS:S but games like crysis. When the motherboard went out I decided to RMA them both at the same time, since I was going to be without my desktop anyways.

[mag36]

ok Im stuck between deciding on two cpu coolers?
ZALMAN CNPS9900 or CORSAIR Cooling Hydro Series CWCH50

Im usually not a big fan of water cooling, always afraid of leaks but its a closed system, and i would almost feel that i would have a waste of the 5 fans that are already in my case.
I plan on overclocking back up to 3.8ghz like i used to have it before my last cooler failed. Currently using stock cooler on my i7

Test results from 3dgameman at 4ghz
zalman: idle 27c load 69c
Corsair: idle 36c load 59c

Current system
My gaming rig (http://www.ibisgaming.com/forums/showpost.php?p=30360&postcount=106)

http://tech-reviews.co.uk/images/reviews/cnps9000/main.jpghttp://benchmarkreviews.com/images/reviews/cooling/Best_CPU_Coolers_Q3-2009/Corsair_H50_CWCH50_Cooler.jpg

[StarsMine]

the h50 will keep it cooler meaning you could do a higher OC.
also you can easily lap the h50 for a few more degrees off http://www.gametrailers.com/users/Bravospaz/gamepad/
If you want you could lap the CPU to, but that would void your warranty

use those 5 fans in your case to give your 4850s more of an OC and keep it cool

[Spasm]

wow really impressed with pny, they sent me a brand new 260 gtx to replace my 8800 gtx, hopefully new motherboard will be here soon.

[StarsMine]

wow really impressed with pny, they sent me a brand new 260 gtx to replace my 8800 gtx, hopefully new motherboard will be here soon.

nice a free 260 gtx, I want o.O

[ZERO]

Technically that could be bad if you needed the exact same board b/c you had a custom setup with wc or something. For example I have rmaed stuff and had to request that they did not try to "upgrade" me to the version 2 board that did not have the sas support that I required.

[Spasm]

Technically that could be bad if you needed the exact same board b/c you had a custom setup with wc or something. For example I have rmaed stuff and had to request that they did not try to "upgrade" me to the version 2 board that did not have the sas support that I required.

Yea motherboard wise it better be the same exact one, but a upgraded video card doesn't do much but improve my system

[alex_mamaroneck]

@ uuntiltheendd

I strongly recommend you keep everything legit. If you don't, it will backfire. Trust me. I've done computer repairs for 3 years and the major problem for customers is always their free anti-virus.
I've seen customers having 5 ANTI-VIRUS WORKING AT THE SAME TIME. All were trial version. I've had customers who came up to me saying that their new AV is better than what i recommended, but their AV turns out to be a Trojan Virus in disguise (stupid cheap assholes lol). Most customers who don't take my advice, go somewhere cheaper, or who do it themselves end up paying even more in repairs. some ended up buying another computer and the whole cycle repeats itself.

My repair process takes one whole day but its well worth the wait and money. the gauruntees all depend on the customer because its up the them to maintain a good condition to the PC.

Reinstallation is always recommended because you may have some Anti-virus that are not properly removed. also your registry will be clean and would be alot easier to install your new anti-virus. Its also best to reinstall incase your computer is highly infested with viruses.

I came across all top anti-virus such as Bit-defender, Nod32, Norton, Mcaffe, Panda, CA and Webroot. Some were complex and others had more that one program running at the same time slowing your PC performance. i've had cases where CA and Pand anti-virus were hacked and controlled. Kaspersky was the last AV i researched (regrettably). Luckily bought 5 Kaspersky Internet Securities for $20 each at Costco (it was on sale). 5 for 15 of my PCs. After reinstalling all my computers and installing Kaspersky i had not a single problems what so ever. Its very easy to use and runs on one program, real time. It will not slow down your computer like other cheap AVs. Best thing of all it works by itself it almost as if you don't have an anti-virus. its Downside is the Full Virus Scan. when you scan it... it works like a Horse taking up your speed as it works overload. good thing is that it finishes faster that other tops AVs.

To get Kaspersky Internet Security, you can buy it in Best Buy or Staples. they usually cost $80 for 3 pcs. I would go to a good website that sells for a good price. Since its not on sale in Costco anymore, i bought more on Amazon.com for $35....

Please take my advice and not go through what my customers did...

[StarsMine]

Comcast gives you free AV, it used to be Mcaffie but now its Norton.

I used to use Norton my whole computer life untill Comcast started this, and I must say back then Norton sucked (resorse hog that didint catch everything :/) but the most recent version is amazing, it will never slow down your computer while you are using it. It waits till you just idle your PC to do any updates/scans and puts them on hold if you get on.

[ZERO]

I would not trust anyone who only has 1 entry in the VB100. What is Norton afraid of, people realizing it does not work...

[loka]

The Comcast AV is awesome. So light I don't even notice it's running half the time, and does it's job pure and simple. I fumbled around with NOD32 and AVG with my old laptop, but it always had performance issues. Norton AV with Comcast is legit.

[StarsMine]

Hmm that really disapointing GTX465 can possibly be unlocked to a 470, makes me have hope for that week card.

[ZERO]

Actually some got 470 that had the 465 bios and thus a 465 and were like wtf and had to rma. So we do know that the 465 bios works on the 470 but not if the 470 bios will work on the 465.

[StarsMine]

Yea apparently in the rush to push out the 465s, a few 470s got put in the initial batch, however as far as we know the only thing missing is the 2 memory chips. The rest could still be functional, so a moded Bios could possibly get it to work, however those parts are disable for a reason. There is also the rumor that nividia destroyed the other parts on the card so that we can never unlock them, its yet to been seen. something that should be nice to follow.

[Holy-Sonic]

I have a question when I use my computer my fan makes a LOUD fucking noise and happens for no reason, its not even hot inside and will do it for long periods of time then will randomly stop and go again... What is it?

my PC: HP Pavilion Elite M9150F Desktop PC (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 720 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium NVIDA GeForce 8500 GT

Yes yes i know my PC is crappy, but I'm getting a new one so can anyone make a custom PC for me that is for gaming?



My Price Range is up to 0 - 2,250 for everything from monitors,speakers, key and mouse etc., I am giving this shitty comp for my brother

[yours' truely]

my PC: HP Pavilion Elite M9150F Desktop PC (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 720 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium NVIDA GeForce 8500 GT

Yes yes i know my PC is crappy, but I'm getting a new one so can anyone make a custom PC for me that is for gaming?

what's your price range willing to spend on the pc? do you already have a monitor, key/mouse, speakers? You got any parts you don't need to buy new?

I can go on new egg and make you a wishlist, but either you'd have to put it together yourself or send it to me (a complete stranger) to put it to gether and maybe send it to you, lol.

gimmie your old one, i'll pay for shipping!!!!

[StarsMine]

no send it to me ill rip that quad core and HDD out and put it in mine

And yea sonic, give us a budget and we can make you a wishlist.

[ZERO]

Fans ride on ball barrings over time these ware out and get filled with dust ect. This will cause noise, fan failure and a fire.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

Fans ride on ball barrings over time these ware out and get filled with dust ect. This will cause noise, fan failure and a fire.

yeah, invest in some canned air and graphite. that'll get your fans working smooth again...as long as you don't overdo the graphite. nothing fucks your comp up like it getting filled w/ graphite dust.

[StarsMine]

yeah, invest in some canned air and graphite. that'll get your fans working smooth again...as long as you don't overdo the graphite. nothing fucks your comp up like it getting filled w/ graphite dust.

shit sounds like a short waiting to happon.
Canned air is nice, but make sure you dont just shove the dust even deeper in, use a vacuum along with it.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

shit sounds like a short waiting to happon, Canned air is nice, but make sure you dont just shove the dust even deeper in, use a vacuum along with it.

:pshhhh: take the fucker off and do it seperate from the rest of the comp

[Holy-Sonic]

:pshhhh: take the fucker off and do it seperate from the rest of the comp

lol I was going to say won't that make suck some uber important stuff


AND EDITED MY POST FOR YOU FOLKS trying to help me

[StarsMine]

I have a question when I use my computer my fan makes a LOUD fucking noise and happens for no reason, its not even hot inside and will do it for long periods of time then will randomly stop and go again... What is it?

my PC: HP Pavilion Elite M9150F Desktop PC (Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor, 3 GB RAM, 720 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium NVIDA GeForce 8500 GT

Yes yes i know my PC is crappy, but I'm getting a new one so can anyone make a custom PC for me that is for gaming?



My Price Range is up to 0 - 2,250 for everything from monitors,speakers, key and mouse etc., I am giving this shitty comp for my brother


Well since you need all that stuff, now more questions have come up, like how large a monitor, do you want a mechanical keyboard, and mouse is completely up to preference.... Do you want surround sound?

[Cal45]

For dust just get a filter for your intake fans.

[Holy-Sonic]

Now my monitor is starting to flicker if I go on any games, if I go on CSS dots appear everywhere within 30 secs ,I didn't change anything, I updated my graphics driver, I don't know if its because my graphics card is burned out or anything, or do I need to get a new HDMI cord?

[acolyte_to_jippity]

Now my monitor is starting to flicker if I go on any games, if I go on CSS dots appear everywhere within 30 secs ,I didn't change anything, I updated my graphics driver, I don't know if its because my graphics card is burned out or anything, or do I need to get a new HDMI cord?

hmmm, what kind of monitor is it?

[Holy-Sonic]

hmmm, what kind of monitor is it?

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/office/monitors/premium/LS24KIQKFV/XAA/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail&tab=features

[ZERO]

You are playing the game at 1920 x 1080 right? Also does this happen on the menu of the game when it first comes up or after your playing for a little bit.

[Holy-Sonic]

You are playing the game at 1920 x 1080 right? Also does this happen on the menu of the game when it first comes up or after your playing for a little bit.

yes I am ZERO, but its my cord, i figured it out its starting to do what my 1st cord did.... but it happens as soon as the game goes to the menu

[ZERO]

How in the fuck would the cord cause this?

[Holy-Sonic]

How in the fuck would the cord cause this?

my cords get plugged in and out incorrectly, nah ZERO now its my graphics card burned out

[StarsMine]

Now my monitor is starting to flicker if I go on any games, if I go on CSS dots appear everywhere within 30 secs ,I didn't change anything, I updated my graphics driver, I don't know if its because my graphics card is burned out or anything, or do I need to get a new HDMI cord?

problem before or after?
If its after, just roll back the drivers

[Holy-Sonic]

problem before or after?
If its after, just roll back the drivers

Well before I could do that, the night before I put everthing into a external hard drive, and the day after that, it won't load up to windows log in, it will get to the part where it says MICROSOFT CORP {copyright sign} then just goes black and won't go any farther. Time for a new computer?, my dad says its the hard drive he would go get it fixed but he hasn't had the time to, so whats the problem so i could just easily get the parts for my dad.

[ZERO]

I can tell you it is probably not the HDD. Have you tried safe mode?
Also have you reseated your ram.

If you can not load safemode make sure that your os is not corrupted. If you do not think it is a software problem then test in this order:

memory
gpu
psu
cpu

If you got win 7 you can run a memory debug to test it.
The rest will require swapping parts/resetting bios/switching slots

[Perry]

Ok so for some fucking reason my graphics/video card sucks ass.

ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics card is what I have.

any recommendations that is cheap but better?

[mag36]

Ok so for some fucking reason my graphics/video card sucks ass.

ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics card is what I have.

any recommendations that is cheap but better?

how cheap?

This site is pretty good at telling you best bang for your buck......every month they do best graphics car for the money article
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: August 2010 -TomsHardware.com (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-radeon-hd-5570-gaming,2697.html)

I bought 2 4850 a while back ago both were right at 100 bucks and they been able to throw out pretty much anything i toss at them

[maynard]

weak... so last night I was fucking around on my comp... and I accidently hit the sleep button on my keyboard so the Pc started shutting down and I had a bunch of programs running... so after saying some choice words I took it out of sleep mode and typed in my password, hit enter and BOOM... PC's F-U-C-K-E-D

Stop: 0xc0000218 {Registry File Failure}
The registry cannot load the hive (file):
\SystemRoot\System32\Config\SYSTEM or its log or alternate.
It is corrupt, absent, or not writable.

so long story short 1 of my hard drives shorted the fuck out... the part was under warranty but still had 2 pay labour and shop time... was weak

[Perry]

how cheap?

This site is pretty good at telling you best bang for your buck......every month they do best graphics car for the money article
Best Graphics Cards For The Money: August 2010 -TomsHardware.com (http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-radeon-hd-5570-gaming,2697.html)

I bought 2 4850 a while back ago both were right at 100 bucks and they been able to throw out pretty much anything i toss at them

I was talking to HMDBrian today in game and he told me to pick up Nividia. But he said something about finding out what kind of power supply and that I need. HAlp?

EDIT
Also i opened the side of the computer case to check it out and I cant find the card anywhere!!!!! this is what I found:
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad159/axel4488/DSC00896.jpg

[maynard]

I was talking to HMDBrian today in game and he told me to pick up Nividia. But he said something about finding out what kind of power supply and that I need. HAlp?

open your case, it will say on the power supply what wattage it is. and for the card I recommend the gforce 9800 GT... it's a sweet card and not expensive

[StarsMine]

open your case, it will say on the power supply what wattage it is. and for the card I recommend the gforce 9800 GT... it's a sweet card and not expensive

9800 is 2 generations old, its a nice card but its showing its grays. Like mag said how cheap is your cheap, my recomendations would be 160$ for a 5770 or 200 for the 460(best price/performance is here :D) Both are dx11 so should last you a good 3/4 years before it stops maxing out everything on the market

and perry unless you have ever changed the PSU you will need a new one, prefabs always come with the cheapest parts possible and sell them for a premium (making your own gets you much much better parts and is much cheaper)

[mag36]

I was talking to HMDBrian today in game and he told me to pick up Nividia. But he said something about finding out what kind of power supply and that I need. HAlp?

EDIT
Also i opened the side of the computer case to check it out and I cant find the card anywhere!!!!! this is what I found:
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad159/axel4488/DSC00896.jpg


OK well it looks like you have Onboard graphics. Best i would recommend without an extra power source is the 4650 or 4670
They about the most graphical power you can get without an extra 12volt power source. But still it be nice to know how many watts you power supply puts out.
Nvidia 240 or ATI 5570 might be another option if your looking cheap but want the newer gen tech.
Granted these wont play nothing like crysis but if you got by with onboard graphics this long, Im pretty sure this will get you going till you need another PC

Since you look like your running a stock machine i would recommend a new power supply if you want a graphics card with some real power behind it.
What are you PC specs anyways?

Far as brand name? doesnt matter to me ATI has been known to have more drivers issues with Crossfire configurations but i never had a problem.

[maynard]

9800 is 2 generations old, its a nice card but its showing its grays.

lol, what grays? I play GTA, bad company 2, starcraft 2 and every other game on ultra graphics, and it handles it 100% fine. what grays do you speak of. I'm aware it's not the newest card, but odds are he doesn't need the newest card lol... also, if I can play all the latest games on ultra settings 100% fine, then clearly it's an awesome card, even more so cause the price is right.

[Perry]

My computer is a Dell Insprion
AMD Athlon II X@ 240 Processor @ 2.8GHZ per core.
3 gigs of ram (12 to max out)
Windows 7 ultimate 64bit

I personally love this computer. this is the first problem I have had, well besides my mic crackling lol.

[loka]

Dude... I would just buy a new custom built computer if you can wait not to be wowed in the graphics section. On board anything is asking for issues down the road. Been there, done that. I hate desktops now because of it.

[Perry]

im not going to waste another 1000 bucks on a computer when mine is just fine and needs a 120 dollar card.

it says 300watt max....

[StarsMine]

lol, what grays? I play GTA, bad company 2, starcraft 2 and every other game on ultra graphics, and it handles it 100% fine. what grays do you speak of. I'm aware it's not the newest card, but odds are he doesn't need the newest card lol... also, if I can play all the latest games on ultra settings 100% fine, then clearly it's an awesome card, even more so cause the price is right.

I like how the games you mentioned are very very CPU heavy, not GPU. GTA is a terrible terrible port :/ only 1% of the computers w/ steam have 3 cores dumb ass coders.

Anyways are you talking about the 9800GTX? you just said GT the GTX takes massive power to run and it does match the power of say the 260GTX but there are better cards for the money and power usage.

Perry it may say max 300Watts but that means nothing about the quality of the PSU, I would never try to got to the "max" of a prefab PSU most of that wattage are on the 3.3v and 5v not the 12v where it is needed

[Perry]

lol mine says all those numbers ahah

[maynard]

I use the 9800 GT

like I said, it runs every single game at maximum graphics, without skipping a single beat. it pwwns and is cheap, and that's all perry wants is a decent card that's cheap.

I also play crysis and many other games that require a decent card and PC in it's self.


when I find a game the 9800GT can't pwwn, ill stop using it.

[StarsMine]

lol mine says all those numbers ahah

Well what are the amps next to those volts?
Anyways what would be your budget of what your willing to spend? 150? 200? 250?

Best price performence like I said is the gtx 460 but the card is 200 and a PSU would be 30-50 so I would go for a 5770 + a PSU for 180-190 anything lower would be say a a 4850 like mag

look here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-radeon-hd-5570-gaming,2697-3.html


Maynard stop it with the 9800 GT, at that price the 4850 is better more powerfull card and uses less power, when you upgrade you get the best you can for your budget at the current time, not what was the best for the budget 2 years ago

[Perry]

thanks.

[maynard]

Maynard stop it with the 9800 GT, at that price the 4850 is better more powerfull card and uses less power, when you upgrade you get the best you can for your budget at the current time, not what was the best for the budget 2 years ago

ill recommend whatever card I damn well feel like:icon_mrgreen:

as I said, perry doesn't need a top of the line card, the fact there's better then mine is completely irrelevant cause he doesn't need anything that good.

[StarsMine]

ill recommend whatever card I damn well feel like:icon_mrgreen:

as I said, perry doesn't need a top of the line card, the fact there's better then mine is completely irrelevant cause he doesn't need anything that good.

the 9800 GT is 90-95$, the price performance there is terrible compaired to the 240GT(75) or the 4850(100) and those 2 cards use less power, so with that in mind you could say you spend less on the 4850 then the 9800 GT and get more FPS

[maynard]

look here
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-460-radeon-hd-5570-gaming,2697-3.html



http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/276826-33-9800gt-4670 :icon_mrgreen:

according 2 newegg, the gt 240 has 96 Stream Processors where the 9800 has 112

[StarsMine]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/276826-33-9800gt-4670 :icon_mrgreen:

according 2 newegg, the gt 240 has 96 shadders where the 9800 has 112

Now I didnt say the GT240 is better then the 9800 but lets make one thing clear, the amount of shaders does not matter between 2 separate series of cards, I just said the 240 is a better price/performance then your 9800gt (you have to pay attention to that in the 8000/9000/200 cards) The 200 cards are more efficient with the shardrs on the 240 are more powerful. not to mention the 240 is a much less power hungry card as I said, makes the price performance there even better for the 240.

Perry if you find a good deal for the 9800 GT (like your buddy selling it for 60 used beacuse he is upgrading) sure pick it up but do not pay 90 for it

[maynard]

Now I didnt say the GT240 is better then the 9800 but lets make one thing clear, the amount of shaders does not matter between 2 separate series of cards, I just said the 240 is a better price/performance then your 9800gt (you have to pay attention to that in the 8000/9000/200 cards) The 200 cards are more efficient with the sharers on the 240 are more powerful. not to mention the 240 is a much less power hungry card as I said, makes the price performance there even better for the 240.

yes, but the 240 is NOT better performing then the 9800GT, go read the reviews lol, every review (just read 6 diff sites including the 1 you linked.) all say the 9800GT is more powerful.

[StarsMine]

yes, but the 240 is NOT better performing then the 9800GT, go read the reviews lol, every review (just read 6 diff sites including the 1 you linked.) all say the 9800GT is more powerful.

Please point out where I said the 240 was better performing? I said price/performance, the individual shaders, and power efficiancy on the 240 are better, not the overall number crunching. If you can find 9800 new for 75 go for it, used... well if its XFX doesnt matter its got Double lifetime warrenty(or was that EVGA?...) but if it doesnt dont go for more then 65

But a 9800 GT at 90 bucks is not worth it when you can get a MUCH better card for 10 bucks more the 4850 that mag mentioned.

[maynard]

, I just said the 240 is a better price/performance then your 9800


the / would suggest you're talking about price and performance as 2 seperate issues, I guess you meant the performance for the price though. either way, it's like what a 10 dollar difference, big whoop. if you're gonna spend roughly 80 on the 240 might as well spend another 10 and get the 9800

[StarsMine]

the / would suggest you're talking about price and performance as 2 seperate issues, I guess you meant the performance for the price though. either way, it's like what a 10 dollar difference, big whoop. if you're gonna spend roughly 80 on the 240 might as well spend another 10 and get the 9800

if your going to spend the 90 on the 9800 gt then spend the extra 10 and get the 4850 or the gts250

[maynard]

if your going to spend the 90 on the 9800 gt then spend the extra 10 and get the 4850 :/

Lmfao... <3 stars (no homo)

[mag36]

Perry.....Whats your Budget? Like star recommends i would get a decent Power supply you can pick one up for a round 60 and up. I paid around 100 for my Corsair 750watt and Im still amazed at the 4850 preformance for a 100 dollar price so i picked up two a while back ago.
Newegg Prices
9800GTX 512mb runs about $134.99 $119.99 with Rebate
4850 1gb runs about $99.99 $84.99 with Rebate


Here are two Charts to give you idea of FPS and Power consumption
http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/skymtl/GPU/CROSSFIRE/CROSSFIRE-47.JPG
http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/skymtl/GPU/CROSSFIRE/CROSSFIRE-42.JPG

[Perry]

I dont want to spend more than two hundred all together.

But how can I run 2 video cards? there isnt a way to take the one I have now off

[mag36]

I dont want to spend more than two hundred all together.

But how can I run 2 video cards? there isnt a way to take the one I have now off

Ok you don't have a card. You have alittle chip built on the motherboard. when u buy a real graphics card u put it in. Then go into the BIOS and tell it to use the card instead of the onboard chip by changing a simple setting.

[StarsMine]

200? well then this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171046
PSU (30$ but a good psu)
and
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102873&cm_re=5770-_-14-102-873-_-Product (5770 $145, 130 with mail in rebate)

[Perry]

nice. thanks guys.

[StarsMine]

Sandy bridge review
http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row
the i5 2600 is impressive, but dammit intel just wants to confuse the fuck out of people with its naming scheme and now the i serese is spread out on 4 sockets, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011... Fuck

[ZERO]

Regardless of the names what you can know is that if your on Sandy bridge there will be no overclocking.

[StarsMine]

not quite true, they said the same thing before the i series. page 5 http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row/5

Beacuse the CPUs have turbo you can OC the actual prosesors a bit. If they sell the k series for a reasonable price (like $30 more then the base model) you will find many people OC those.

although we wont fully find out untill intel releases more details.

[DJ_MikeyRevile]

ok so i just finished DLing and installing F.E.A.R. i load the game up and as soon as i start it up my monitor goes black

i use an HDMI connection to a 27in flat screen HDTV why does the HDMI stop working when i start up the game? all the other games work perfectly fine

[mag36]

i saw this article and thought it was interresting. I dont a agree with all at is shown but But I might recommend

The Article
http://www.tomshardware.com/picturestory/540-windows-7-free-download-application.html

~What I have or find useful~
Their top 20 list
Security Essentials (MSE) (http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/)
Live Essentials (MLE) (MSE) (http://explore.live.com/windows-live-essentials?os=win7)
Daemon-tools (http://www.daemon-tools.cc/eng/home) virtual drive, great for playing games with requiring the cd in tray ;-)
Handbreak (http://handbrake.fr/index.php) - video transcoder
CCleaner (http://www.piriform.com/ccleaner) - Registry cleaner
GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/) - photo editor ***we all know Gimp***
7-zip (http://www.7-zip.org/) -pen-source file archiver for compressed files
Fences (http://www.stardock.com/products/fences/) - help organize windows shortcuts and thing ***dont see a need***
VLC-Video player (http://www.videolan.org/index.html)- Video player
openoffice (http://www.openoffice.org/) -Alternative to Microsoft Office
SpyBot Search and Destroy (http://www.safer-networking.org/en/home/index.html) -spyware and adware removal
WindowBlinds (http://www.stardock.com/products/windowblinds/) - help organize windows icons and things ***dont see a need***
FileZilla (http://filezilla-project.org/) -FTP Client
7stacks (http://www.alastria.com/index.php?p=software-7s) - help organize windows shortcuts and thing ***dont see a need***
Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/index.php?lang=en) -Alternative Adobe Illustrator
scribus (http://www.scribus.net/) -alternative to Adobe's InDesign
]Swtcher (http://insentient.net/)- windows desktop screen switcher ***good for hiding desktop screen at school/work when someone walks by***
Steampowerd (http://store.steampowered.com/) ***We all know this*****
trillian (http://www.trillian.im/) - multi-client chat programs
SysMetrix (http://www.xymantix.com/sysmetrix) -skinnable dock and metering application

if you have any Free programs that you suggest is a must have make recommendations. And again this isnt mine so dont flame that that list sucks to me

[StarsMine]

WinDirStat - amazing for managing your HDD. 80% of your HDD full? run that and see whats taking up all the space
VirtualCloneDrive - an alternative for Deamons tools
DVDFab - free dvd ripping (pretty much says f-you to copyright on dvds you want to take a scene from)
Windows Media Classic - many consider it a better alternitive to VCL, I personally have both, and am growing more fond of WMC, better tracking and less glitching up the video. although VLC can play incomplete files

[DeadEyeDeNNi$]

i saw this article and thought it was interresting. I dont a agree with all at is shown but But I might recommend

VCL-Video player (http://www.videolan.org/index.html)- Video player



Just an FYI -- It's VLC not VCL :P

[acolyte_to_jippity]

malwarebytes - excellent anti-malware tool. free to download and use

[maynard]

any 1 know how I would go about getting SP3 for windows xp when my verison of windows is not legit? I'm sure I could just update windows... but I'm quite sure it will then give me that annoying "your copy is not genuine" msg...

[StarsMine]

any 1 know how I would go about getting SP3 for windows xp when my verison of windows is not legit? I'm sure I could just update windows... but I'm quite sure it will then give me that annoying "your copy is not genuine" msg...

get a legit version o.O

also win 7 pro is nice

I can understand pirating many things but to pirate the OS that runs your computer does not make sence

[maynard]

but to pirate the OS that runs your computer does not make sence

why? ive done it for 8 years, never been a problem till now.. and it's not even a major problem, it's just the beta installer for final fantasy 14 was telling me I need it.

also my question was if any 1 knows a way 2 do it without having legit...

[ZERO]

Why is your version not already sp3, there are sp3 ones out there...

Also it really is time to switch over the win 7 it really is a big step up from XP and I really loved XP. You can even get student OEM copies from a university (if your a student or know one) for like $10.

[Nemesis]

check this out, a curved monitor, is there such thing as too big?

and for $6500...

http://www.crvd.com/

[maynard]

check this out, a curved monitor, is there such thing as too big?

and for $6500...

http://www.crvd.com/

sswweett

[XX0wnsXY]

Well, my computer has taken a dump. I'm using my laptop temporarily, but I'm not exactly sure what the root cause is. I will explain the issue and the specs here, perhaps someone can provide some input:

The specs are:

Processor:
AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 6400+ (2 CPUs), ~3.2GHz


Motherboard:
Asus M2N-SLI Deluxe Motherboard

Power Supply:
OCZ GameXstream (either 600w or 700w, not sure).

Memory:
4094MB RAM (Patriot - 4 1gb sticks)

Hard Drive:
Seagate 250 GB

Video Card:
NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT


Operating System:
Windows Vista™ Home Premium (6.0, Build 6000) (6000.vista_gdr.071009-1548)

No parts have been replaced. The computer itself is about 3 years old.

Ok. My issues first started when I would reboot my computer. It would come on and the power supply would act like it wanted to start, but it just wasn't getting there. The fans would go but it just kept recycling with no boot up. I would flick the power switch in the back, and that seemed to give it the boost it needed to start...no issues other than that every time I restarted.

Then today, My computer shut off...the same thing as before happened, only when I got it to reboot this time, it would load to the windows loading screen, then just shut off. Now, I can't get the computer to boot past the windows loading screen.

It has to either be my hard drive or my power supply, right? What do you guys think?

[mag36]

hmmm what your first described was your power supply what it sounds like but if you getting to windows Loading screen and it freezes it would sound like a hard drive failure. Usually you can tell by a hard drive failure if you start hearing a ticking noise. I would recommend seeing if you can get it to boot to BIOS screen or a Boot CD and let it sit for a few min.... this way you can tell if the Power supply is failing.
Specifically look at the Power supply Fan itself see if its causing it to overheat

Im really leaning towards the Power supply over-heating or just dieing.

[XX0wnsXY]

hmmm what your first described was your power supply what it sounds like but if you getting to windows Loading screen and it freezes it would sound like a hard drive failure. Usually you can tell by a hard drive failure if you start hearing a ticking noise. I would recommend seeing if you can get it to boot to BIOS screen or a Boot CD and let it sit for a few min.... this way you can tell if the Power supply is failing.
Specifically look at the Power supply Fan itself see if its causing it to overheat

Im really leaning towards the Power supply over-heating or just dieing.

my computer has made a ticking sound before, but i assumed it was the fan or something on the side because when I smack it, it stops... haha. Oh god...

[mag36]

my computer has made a ticking sound before, but i assumed it was the fan or something on the side because when I smack it, it stops... haha. Oh god...

lol well you can put your hand on the hard drive and feel it click when it makes the noise but you would normally have corrupt files and stuff some time before the hard drive going bad.

I keep a good look at the psu fan inside cause it the psu overheats it would shut of your pc so many times for it just dies and thats usually cause the fan stopped working in it. But OWNS!!! Dont SMACK IT!!!! leave that find of stuff for the bed bedroom

[StarsMine]

owns needs a RL computer nerd with spare parts to test what went bad.
or a keyboard that registers in the bios... get yourself a ps/2 keyboard, they are better for gaming anyways due to that it interrupts when you press a key instead of waiting for a ping from your computer to see if a key got pressed recently

[maynard]

when I smack it, it stops... haha. Oh god...

atta girl:icon_mrgreen:

[mag36]

owns needs a RL computer nerd with spare parts to test what went bad.
or a keyboard that registers in the bios... get yourself a ps/2 keyboard, they are better for gaming anyways due to that it interrupts when you press a key instead of waiting for a ping from your computer to see if a key got pressed recently

Well i got all the stuff to test at my place but i dont think she wants to drive 4 hours. Far as the bios I really surprised it doesn't recognize usb being that old. and I still prefer usb or PS/2

[StarsMine]

im building my friend a $1000 workstation tomorrow and I have a question on what does better GPU acceleration for things like photoshop and flash, Cuda or DX11?

(basicly i need to choose between a 9800 or a 5670)

She isnt very much into gaming so I couldn't care less about those benchmarks

[mag36]

im building my friend a $1000 workstation tomorrow and I have a question on what does better GPU acceleration for things like photoshop and flash, Cuda or DX11?

(basicly i need to choose between a 9800 or a 5670)

She isnt very much into gaming so I couldn't care less about those benchmarks

Well what you really compare is Cuda vs OpenCL..... most of what Ive heard and read is currently Cuda is somewhat better via support and been more developed then OpenCL but OpenCL has alot of potential. Really we are talking backs photoshop and not a whole bunch of 3D rendering. Id probably lean slightly toward Nvida i guess, but I just really would get whatever is cheaper for your build.

[StarsMine]

Well what you really compare is Cuda vs OpenCL..... most of what Ive heard and read is currently Cuda is somewhat better via support and been more developed then OpenCL but OpenCL has alot of potential. Really we are talking backs photoshop and not a whole bunch of 3D rendering. Id probably lean slightly toward Nvida i guess, but I just really would get whatever is cheaper for your build.

As far as I know OpenCL is open source and works on both. I know that such a question is difficult to answer, dx 11 and cuda are to very diffrent things but they both make a difference when it comes to GPU acceleration.

wish I could put a gts 450 in the build w/o going over budget :/

[ZERO]

Why are you using a 9800? The price on the 250s and others have dropped and are very cheep. For gpu accelerated computing things like lower end products from the latest line are much better than higher end of the previous. For example even a 450gts is like 10 times faster for those tasks and only costs 2x as much.

What are the tasks for this computer? Just photoshop?

[mag36]

Just giving you guys a head up that uses pubic Wifi alot.....

There is a new FireFox extension exploit(FireSheep) where it sniffs and tracks people cookies on a network and lets them access other peoples sites. (facebook, myspace, youtube ect.)
So if your not on a secure network. LIKE A PUBLIC WIFI. Someone can easily access your accounts and lock you out.

heres a vid on it
9T8xaDoYNmg


To prevent this, its really easy....
Just make sure your using HTTPS and it will keep it secure from it.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

Just giving you guys a head up that uses pubic Wifi alot.....

There is a new FireFox extension exploit(FireSheep) where it sniffs and tracks people cookies on a network and lets them access other peoples sites. (facebook, myspace, youtube ect.)
So if your not on a secure network. LIKE A PUBLIC WIFI. Someone can easily access your accounts and lock you out.

heres a vid on it
9T8xaDoYNmg


To prevent this, its really easy....
Just make sure your using HTTPS and it will keep it secure from it.

this may or may not help.

but it does work as far as i've seen

http://webgraph.com/resources/facebookblocker/

[StarsMine]

Just bought this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121390

135 bucks with 20$ mail in rebate, :D

[ZERO]

Just bought this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121390

135 bucks with 20$ mail in rebate, :D

Good Deal, I am hoping there will be a sale on vertex 2 drives this Friday as if the price goes low enough I am totally upgrading my vertex turbo. :wtg:

[XX0wnsXY]

Well, My computer has finally seen it's last days. My computer decided that it didn't want to load windows anymore, and shut down every time that I went to the windows login screen.

So, I installed a new HD, but have yet to be able to install Vista. Whenever it gets to completing instillation, it shuts down and when I restart it says "Windows has shut down unexpectedly, please restart to resume installation". Whenever I do that, the same error occurs.

I've been having several issues with my PC, which the ones I mentioned a few pages earlier were the start. Since I can't get windows installed on the new HD due to BSOD/Random shutdowns during instillation, I can't really determine if that will fix the issue or not, but I doubt it. It was worth a shot.

Whenever my PC shuts down, I can't turn it back on unless I use the switch on the back of the power supply, like before, only now it doesn't work unless I have the internet cable plugged in, otherwise it won't start at all, the Power supply will just recycle, like it doesn't have enough power.

As I was instructed by someone, I took out a few of the memory sticks and tried to install vista on the new HD with only 2 gb in...still no dice. I exhausted a lot of options, including loading drivers for my SATA HD onto a jump drive and loading them manually at the installation screen, no dice.

After losing a lot of hope for the new HD, with 2 sticks of ram still in the machine, I hooked up the old HD and it happened to boot windows up without crashing, as it was doing before. I shut the computer down and added the rest of the ram and with anything more than 2gb the computer absolutely WILL NOT load windows. It will with 2 though 0.o. It was okay (Other than the fact that vista is a memory hog anyway, and 2gb was slow as hell) for a while, but then again, shut down randomly. This is the case every time. I can get windows loaded on the old HD with 2gb, but it will shut down, not always within the same time frame.

What are your guys thoughts on what it could be, what might help, etc?

I do plan on replacing some/if not all of the parts, but would like a direction if anyone has any pointers.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

well, it sounds to me like your power supply might be dying.

i'm no expert, so i'm probably wrong, but it definately sounds like the power supply isn't putting out enough power to run at high load, or w/ 4 sticks ram. either that or your copy of vista randomly degraded itself to the 32-bit version o.O

[StarsMine]

well, it sounds to me like your power supply might be dying.

i'm no expert, so i'm probably wrong, but it definately sounds like the power supply isn't putting out enough power to run at high load, or w/ 4 sticks ram. either that or your copy of vista randomly degraded itself to the 32-bit version o.O
32 bit windows wont do that,

it could be the PSU, is the computer a prefab with upgraded parts and a stock PSU? that and the degregation of the psu (~5% a year in some cases) could very well do it.

[XX0wnsXY]

No the computer was completely built inside a case from scratch...not me, obviously lol. im thinkinlg the psu too, but it's hard to believe that that thing is causing all of my issues. it may be a combination of things. just gonna start with the psu and work my way up, but im scared ill end up with non compatibkle parts.

[acolyte_to_jippity]

32 bit windows wont do that,

it could be the PSU, is the computer a prefab with upgraded parts and a stock PSU? that and the degregation of the psu (~5% a year in some cases) could very well do it.

well since she had 4 gb ram, she has a copy of 64-bit vista. and 32 won't run on 4 gb, though i think it's less a crash an more of a "it just won't use 2 gb of it" thing

[StarsMine]

well since she had 4 gb ram, she has a copy of 64-bit vista. and 32 won't run on 4 gb, though i think it's less a crash an more of a "it just won't use 2 gb of it" thing

You can put 16 gigs in and 32bit will work, it just wont recognize it
now a fun hack to do is to put 8 gigs of ram in , and use 4 as the page file, and you now have 8 gigs of ram running in 32 bit :D

[mag36]

i have troubleshooted the shit out of her computer and it comes up memory error bsod code. Some siimilar issues had compared to her had a 8800gt graphics card which she has and the memory of the graphic could possible cause the problem but i have no way of testing that theory for her since there is no onboard VGA.....

So im currently at a lost to figure out what to do at the moment I always have spare parts to to test with but i cant do that for owns..... only other thing i no of is to modify the cd and make a copy with updated service packs and drivers.... or take aout all the extra devices in her pc and try again ........

Really you proablyl need to get a new pc owns.......... or you can install Linux I guess

[Holy-Sonic]

I installed Win7 and now that I try to launch CSS it won't execute, it just exits as soon as it starts up

[mag36]

I installed Win7 and now that I try to launch CSS it won't execute, it just exits as soon as it starts up

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=6218-USFX-5568

try that see if it helps

[mcilwain]

My desktop specs:

GPU:GPU:Geforce GTS 240(http://www.nvidia.com/object/product_geforce_gts_240_us.html)
CPU:AMD Phenom II X4 945(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103675)
HD:660GB Sata Hard drive
RAM:8GB Ram(DDR2)
OS:Windows 7 Home 64 bit
MB:MSI 790XT-G45(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130265)
PSU:CORSAIR-750 Watt SLI Ready(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006)

This is updated today, most bought from ebay.

[Holy-Sonic]

MAGGG
I get BSOD's now not everyday i had like 5 on the 26th and just got one like 10 mins ago...
I will upload the files if you can help

I am getting new ram video card and case if you need that info...

[DJ CAN]

What do you guys make of doing your own mineral oil computer setup? It should be very good for overclocking right?
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs750.ash1/164164_183893354971716_100000531575018_571507_3951 25_n.jpg

[StarsMine]

What do you guys make of doing your own mineral oil computer setup? It should be very good for overclocking right?
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash1/hs750.ash1/164164_183893354971716_100000531575018_571507_3951 25_n.jpg

its not all that good for OC unless you can get that oil moving fast, and that takes some really powerfull fans.
I will say it is a fun mod, just you have to clean it every 3 months to avoid contamination, and thats a bitch, mineral oil is some messy stuff

[DJ CAN]

Ahh... Did not think about having to clean it every 3 months, I mean with water it would not matter but with oil I could see many hours being spent on that.

[mag36]

its not all that good for OC unless you can get that oil moving fast, and that takes some really powerfull fans.
I will say it is a fun mod, just you have to clean it every 3 months to avoid contamination, and thats a bitch, mineral oil is some messy stuff

totally agree i picture oil in f frying pan.... cool mod but not very practical for overclocking use. And think when you have have that new graphics care agn game you want to install your hands are all messy and you so badly want to play that new game

[StarsMine]

its a pretty good coolant
fJdUhtD1zns
edit: turns out I was wrong about cleaning it every 3 months, i must have been thinking of something else
full ep is here http://revision3.com/systm/oilcooling youtube cuts out a bit early

[Steamer]

Probably talking about the use of vegetable oil when you clean it every 3 month... No clue

[mag36]

So looking for a Cheap Laptop for my mothers since shes going back to school. Find myself constantly wanting to get her a Higher end laptop. So i need help in suggestions.
All she will be doing is mainly surfing the web and office programs and may need to use dvd/cd rom drive. Looking to be under 500 but prefer 400 or lower. In other words cheaper the better but I always look for quality as well. Any suggestions for a decent cheap laptop please post

[XX0wnsXY]

So, I finally got my parts all in and my computer is now back to mint condition. That is, it's a brand new computer, except for the monitor and keyboard/mouse/case.

MB GIGABYTE|GA-X58-USB3 X58 1366 R

VGA EVGA|01G-P3-1366-TR GTX460 SE R

PSU CORSAIR|CMPSU-650TX 650W RT

MEM 2Gx3|KST KHX1333C7D3K3/6GX RT

FLDRV 4G| KST DT101G2/4GBZ R

CPU COOLER CM| RR-B10-212P-G1 RTCore i7-960 3.2GHz LGA 1366

The processor came from microcenter because it was a lot cheaper to get in the store. I believe this is the one: Core i7-960 3.2GHz LGA 1366

and I switched from vista to windows 7! woot. I have been playing rift on Ultra settings with no problem. I'm so happy! haha.

[maynard]

ughhh I gotta get windows 7 so I can play battlefield 3... pisses me off.... I like xp =(

[StarsMine]

Xp is a HUGE security hazard right now, also 7 should run faster the XP on anything built in the last 3 years

Yes XP was amazing when it came out, definitely there best OS since 98 SE, but when its such a huge security risk that you need to be downloading a constant stream of new definitions, and even then you still get crap, its time to move on

Anyways Owns, nice new build, although I dont recognize that cooler model number. but what was it that made you choose a 460 SE, as apposed to a 768 or a 1 gig model?

[Steamer]

ughhh I gotta get windows 7 so I can play battlefield 3... pisses me off.... I like xp =(

Modified SLIC2 bios, Cert and OEM Key, good to go, completely legit, will always pass WGA / DC Validation. :wtg:

[XX0wnsXY]

Xp is a HUGE security hazard right now, also 7 should run faster the XP on anything built in the last 3 years

Yes XP was amazing when it came out, definitely there best OS since 98 SE, but when its such a huge security risk that you need to be downloading a constant stream of new definitions, and even then you still get crap, its time to move on

Anyways Owns, nice new build, although I dont recognize that cooler model number. but what was it that made you choose a 460 SE, as apposed to a 768 or a 1 gig model?

Well, I didn't choose anything. I know nothing of building computers. That was a direct copy and paste from my newegg invoice. Someone told me what to get and they built it. I don't know their rationale, but they know their stuff.

[StarsMine]

well there is a reason its called SE, its is a special 460, very very special. XD
Its a gimped 460 basicly, still better then a 450 though

[ZERO]

Dam, the last air cooler I bought was almost 7 years ago.

[StarsMine]

zero, we cant all afford a 300$ custom water cooling set up that only gets things 2 or 3 degreas lower then a noctua d 14

[ZERO]

You can water cool for $300!?

[StarsMine]

http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt142/Excess2itall/fuuuuuuuuu.jpg

its still only 2-3 degrees better then a noctua d 14

[mag36]

My cpu is water cooled for 50 bucks with the corsair H50 :shrug:

[StarsMine]

My cpu is water cooled for 50 bucks with the corsair H50 :shrug:

Those premade water cooling sets acatually kinda suck when compared to equal cost air coolers, the only thing they are good for are small cases. although usually you have a small case for some thing you want to be out of sight... and things like the h50 and h70 are quite loud. Kinda defeats the purpus, but its a nich market so eh.

The only real way to go water cooling is by going custom, and that actually costs you a shit load, espesially if you want to add your gpus and chipsets into the loop, but due to its design you dont need airflow, so you can have uber boss case mods :D. If I ever get stupidly rich, im doing it.

[toma]

found this interesting

http://kottke.org/11/03/upgrading-windows-from-10-to-70http://kottke.org/11/03/upgrading-windows-from-10-to-70

also building out a PC for a friend

i5 2400
2 TB Caviar Black 7200rpm
EVGA GTX470 SC 1280MB
Lite-On CD/DVD Burner
8 GB RAM
ASUS P8P67-M PRO REV 3.0 Socket 1155 uATX Motherboard
Antec 750Watt TruePower
Sonata Elite Case

All for less then a Grand =)

[mcilwain]

My cooling fans suck and i have been killing my computer for almost the past months :headache:

But i can't afford even a game or nonthing but play crysis 2 demo and starcraft II.

The highest temperature that happened was my GPU at 78 C and i even got a $15 pci-e cooling and the case is in good condition.

But currently the latest thing i am happy with it as it can play the 2010 games all the way on DX10.
But once i can get a job i will be treating my computer with more parts and space and then will just keep it that way. In case you noticed if i didn't post my specifications here it is:

Power supply:Stock PSU 500W.
Case:Unknown but was made by cooler master cosmos, has 4 fan ports and a front open door.
Disk Drives:2 DVD+RW.
Hard drives:
-C:\, 80GB/21GB free
-E:\, 80GB/74GB free.
Both are High performance drives thats why its low space but i will be adding 2 more overtime if i get luck into getting money.
Processor: AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0 GHZ(OC with TurboV performing at 620mhz.)
RAM: 1x1 2GB DDR3.
MotherBoard: Asus M4a78t-e

Thats all but i think the overheating is also caused by poor fans or just the stock heat sink. Which i wish to get a buy a heatsink and new fans that will power better than my current ones.
I use my laptop to surf and do my things on it now.

[maynard]

windows 7 regular cheap version or ultimate? which should I get? from a gaming standpoint do I really need anything above the cheaper version of windows 7?

[toma]

depends if it's only gaming and nothing else get home, if ur going to do a little networking the get win 7 pro, don't need ultimate because i doubt you'll be using bitlocker and the other features in ultimate that pro already doesn't have.

[mag36]

I do alot of networking stuff with my servers so i have pro..... but home should be fine if your not doing much more with it then play games

[ZERO]

My tv and big computer run ultimate and my laptop has pro, I am not sure what the other versions have. I only know that to avoid problems I need the top end versions so I just start with them to save myself time. :smirk:

[StarsMine]

new big giant ass cooler from scythe, by big its bigger then a Micro ITX board
http://www.chiphell.com/forum-viewthread-tid-164288-from-portal.html

Its fairly decent. 5.4ghz i5 (1.64 volts i believe) on this thing and it just barely peeked at 90 on core 3 when stress tested http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grYybJPVpVE


And its only 90 bucks :smirk: move on over noctua d-14

[Steamer]

That thing is a monster...

Also hideous. It doesn't even look safe... lol

[mag36]

Saw this and thought it was pretty funny but so true when it comes to fixing OS for most of us

http://media.bestofmicro.com/C/H/289457/original/the_oatmeal.jpg

[maynard]

I fixed the bottom of the pic.

http://i378.photobucket.com/albums/oo230/ktown4life1337/the_oatmeal.jpg

[mag36]

lol well done maynard

[Holy-Sonic]

JW are the temperatures good or no? this is when it is idle also...

because my Core0 runs at like 50 degrees C does it mean time to clean the dust out?3784

[StarsMine]

None of those temps are high at all
Phenoms safe temps are 62 and below, intel core is 80 and below though if they go higher when running prime 95, so what. no app pushes the cpus that hard

however those are idle temps, go ahead clean the dust out (you should be doing this regularly anyways) and see where that puts you. its not like it takes much longer then half an hour

[Holy-Sonic]

None of those temps are high at all
Phenoms safe temps are 62 and below, intel core is 80 and below though if they go higher when running prime 95, so what. no app pushes the cpus that hard
So basically my temps are normal?

[StarsMine]

Idle temps dont matter all that much though
you can tell better when you load it

[Steamer]

Idle temps dont matter all that much though
Don't lie.

[StarsMine]

:( it was finnaly officially announced that bulldozer has been delayed to August September time frame. This really my change my plans for my next computer as I was planing on using the Bulldozer for my Desktop build in my new dorm. Now I have no idea if I am going to be able to use it or not. :banghead:

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

Just upgraded my processor to the Intel Core i7-990X Extreme Edition Gulftown 3.46GHz. I'm ready for MW3 and BF3 faggots !!!

[StarsMine]

:lmao: Please tell me you didnt buy that 1000 dollar processor for gaming

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

:lmao: Please tell me you didnt buy that 1000 dollar processor for gaming

Actually I didn't pay 1000 dollars. Not even close to 1000. I do other things other than play video games. Multitasking apps will be at ease.

[mag36]

Actually I didn't pay 1000 dollars. Not even close to 1000. I do other things other than play video games. Multitasking apps will be at ease.

so how much did you pay then ?

[Dual]

Nice Processor!...I Have the same one too!.....:wtg:

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

Nice Processor!...I Have the same one too!.....:wtg:

Yeah, government workers receive 50% discounts. Ain't that somethin' !?

[StarsMine]

:lmao: you spent 500 for a processor to game and multitask :lmao:

OC that thing to 4.4 ghz and do some -bigadv WU on F@H :D

[-=NYS=- C.O.]

:lmao: you spent 500 for a processor to game and multitask :lmao:

OC that thing to 4.4 ghz and do some -bigadv WU on F@H :D

I guess some people have extra money to throw away. Yes, I'll get right to it !