Topic: The PC-building/hardware knowledge thread (Read 338108 times)

MrBlu · « **Reply #350 on:** 17 Feb 2010, 20:24 »

I should check this more often.

Troll, did you buy that stuff yet?

Cire27 · « **Reply #351 on:** 27 Feb 2010, 18:42 »

Is this worth it? As far as I can tell, this is the best thing on Newegg I can afford.

MrBlu · « **Reply #352 on:** 28 Feb 2010, 17:26 »

Nope.

The sum of the cost of parts in that is probably around $400.

EDIT::

Ok, maybe a bit more. But still.

Cire27 · « **Reply #353 on:** 01 Mar 2010, 17:47 »

Add Windows 7 to that list and it's about $20 off.

MrBlu · « **Reply #354 on:** 06 Mar 2010, 14:03 »

Truth. Go for it.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #355 on:** 13 Apr 2010, 14:16 »

Does anyone know how many watts I would need from my power supply to run a GT 240, 4 gigs of DDR2, a 2.8 intel dual-core, and 2 hard drives? I might be getting a new graphics card but I don't want to buy it if it is going to fry my power supply.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #356 on:** 13 Apr 2010, 22:24 »

kind of a guesstimate but I'd say 500-550 watts...there should be wattage calculators out there though...Antec has one at their site

Nodaisho · « **Reply #357 on:** 14 Apr 2010, 02:29 »

Thanks. I'll keep that in mind for future reference. I decided against getting the new graphics card.

Chesire Cat · « **Reply #358 on:** 19 Apr 2010, 20:08 »

Stepping out of exile to ask, what is the fasted MXM-II video card for my Acer Aspire 6920 laptop?

I currently have a nVidia 9500M GS, 512MB DDR2 memory with a 128 bus width, full specs here

Dimmukane · « **Reply #359 on:** 06 May 2010, 20:28 »

Damn, I think my XP install is dying. Or one of my hard drives. Windows sounds (noises from opening folders, volume beep, etc.) stopped working; but games, videos and music still have sound. Plus it took 3 minutes from my background appearing on the screen for the rest of Explorer to show up. At least I got a free copy of Win 7 from school, now I just need a blank DVD before it's too late.

Correction, some videos have sound, others don't.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #360 on:** 23 Jun 2010, 05:20 »

S I installed Win 7, along with 2 more gigs of RAM. I boot it up, and...Windows recognizes 4 gigs of RAM but is only using 2...wtf? I'm running 64-bit, so there shouldn't be a cap. I ran CPU-Z and that told me I have 4 gigs of dual channel, so I know the RAM's good. It's the right frequency for my mobo...any ideas?

Cire27 · « **Reply #361 on:** 23 Jun 2010, 20:51 »

Check your bios settings?

Dimmukane · « **Reply #362 on:** 24 Jun 2010, 21:54 »

Turns out I'm an idiot...RAM actually was the wrong speed. The last time I checked Newegg's product page for the mobo, I thought it said it would support 1066. Checked the Asus page for it yesterday, and it tops out at 800. Already have an RMA number, and ordered the right kind this time.

Edit: Hahahahaha, apparently I'm going to have to re-install a 3rd time, because the ISO that was linked to me in the email is the wrong version for the serial key MS sent me. Wonderful.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #363 on:** 26 Jun 2010, 17:52 »

Are either of these good? Is one better than the other? I'm pretty sure I have a 1066-compatible mobo, but I can look for the box to check. Failing that, is there any way to check in the bios or something? I just got paid and want to upgrade from 1GB in my gaming computer. It runs modern games surprisingly well, but some games are prone to OOM crashes after a few hours, and I have to keep the options pretty low.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220396

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298

bicostp · « **Reply #364 on:** 27 Jun 2010, 08:46 »

@Nodaisho: What's your motherboard brand and model, or if it's prebuilt what is the specific model of your PC?

Quote from: Dimmukane on 24 Jun 2010, 21:54

Edit: Hahahahaha, apparently I'm going to have to re-install a 3rd time, because the ISO that was linked to me in the email is the wrong version for the serial key MS sent me. Wonderful.

Actually you can fix that with a free utility. All Windows 7 discs have all the software needed to install any edition of the OS for that architecture. (32 bit discs can only install 32 bit Win7, 64 bit discs only do 64 bit.) The only difference is one little file named ei.cfg, which tells the installer what edition to use. If you remove that file, the installer will display a menu asking which edition you want to install, from Starter up through Ultimate. There's a free utility which can do that for you here:

http://lifehacker.com/5438005/eicfg-removal-utility-lets-you-use-any-product-key-with-your-windows-7-disc

Alternately, you can accomplish the same thing by using a thumbdrive instead of burning the ISO to disc. (It has to be at least 4 GB.) Use Microsoft's USB download utility to write your ISO to the thumb drive (this will delete everything on it, regardless of how big it is), then delete ei.cfg manually (it's in the Sources folder). The tool is necessary to prepare the drive so your PC will recognize it as valid boot media; just copying the ISO or the files within it to the drive won't work.

http://store.microsoft.com/Help/ISO-Tool

Dimmukane · « **Reply #365 on:** 27 Jun 2010, 08:56 »

Yeah, I can't use the second option, I don't have a 4gb thumb drive. I'll try that utility, because either way I'm going to have to burn a new install disc (I could just use slmgr /rearm indefinitely, but I'd rather not).

Nodaisho · « **Reply #366 on:** 27 Jun 2010, 10:53 »

I have a Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L, which according to newegg (I just looked it up to make sure I was reading the right part of the board) only can use 800.

So is this a good deal? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820220396 or is there something better and the same price or as good and cheaper out there as far as 4 gigs of DDR2 goes?

edit: I just checked my processor, and saw that it is 64-bit compatible. I have a free copy of windows 7 64-bit sitting around, and my mobo maxes out at 8gigs, but only has 2 slots. Should I try to find a 4gig stick and then buy another when I can afford it?

edit^2: Oh crap, the more I look at newegg, the more stuff I'm seeing that I want to upgrade. My wallet is starting to cry. Second alternative plan: should I wait until I have another 50 or 60 dollars and buy a new motherboard, selling my old one to my brother who needs one with a PCI-E slot, and buy DDR3 RAM since it is barely more expensive than DDR2? Not sure how long it would take to get the extra money, might not be long depending on how much I get for my birthday from various relatives.

bicostp · « **Reply #367 on:** 27 Jun 2010, 21:37 »

Upgrading the motherboard to one that supports DDR3 would let you use the RAM in a future build, but as far as I know the speed difference isn't extremely dramatic with Socket 775 CPUs. In my opinion it's not worth buying a new LGA775 motherboard just to use DDR3, because your CPU upgrade options pretty much end at the Q9650. Hold off on the motherboard upgrade until you can afford an LGA1156, LGA 1366, or AM3 setup. Unfortunately the DDR2 4 gig sticks are ridiculously expensive; more than twice as much as that 2x 2GB set you linked, even before the rebate.

Get that 4 gig Patriot set and your current PC should last you a while. When you're ready to upgrade again you can sell your brother the whole thing.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #368 on:** 27 Jun 2010, 21:41 »

Okay. That saves me more money, I guess.

GuitarFreak · « **Reply #369 on:** 28 Jun 2010, 00:30 »

So I got an 8800GT last month or so to replace my 7900GS. It's so much better

Here's a pic

Dimmukane · « **Reply #370 on:** 28 Jun 2010, 19:04 »

~~Alright, does anyone know what BIOS setting I would have to change to get the full 4 gigs? Windows and the BIOS are detecting it, but claiming only 2 gigs are usable.~~ I have 2 1 gig sticks and 1 2 gig stick...if for some reason that configuration is the reason my shit's broke I'm gonna be pissed.

Edit: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Turns out this is the case. I can only use two (of 4) slots per CPU, and since I only have one CPU (and they are no longer manufactured), I have to go out another 2 gig stick.

Cire27 · « **Reply #371 on:** 29 Jun 2010, 04:03 »

If they are DDR they have to match anyways, right?

bicostp · « **Reply #372 on:** 29 Jun 2010, 08:08 »

In order to run dual-channel, yes.

If you've got a grab bag of RAM in, all of it will run at the slowest stick's speed.

Dimmukane · « **Reply #373 on:** 29 Jun 2010, 16:09 »

They're all the same speed...which just made me realize I can just swap out one of the 1 gig sticks and have 3 gigs. Temporary fix, but whatevs.

Edit: haha oh man this whole memory issue has been fun

Nodaisho · « **Reply #374 on:** 10 Jul 2010, 01:03 »

So I just got the 4 gig patriot kit I linked earlier, and it works fine except that when I try to load L4D2, it crashes while loading the main menu. I haven't reinstalled the old ram to make sure it is the new ram, but since it worked yesterday and didn't work today, odds are good that is the cause. Anyone know what the problem could be?

edit: I deleted the common file and the client for l4d2 and it works now, hopefully it keeps working.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #375 on:** 13 Jul 2010, 20:13 »

doubleposting up in here to double-check on something. I know I asked this before, but some of the links from the last discussion are dead, and this time I'm giving someone else advice, so I want to make absolutely certain I don't mess it up. A socket 775 P4 will work in a Core2 mobo, right? I see on newegg some that say they work for pentiums, some that just say they work for core2s, but they are all socket 775s.

bicostp · « **Reply #376 on:** 13 Jul 2010, 22:15 »

Most likely, but to be absolutely sure you should check the CPU compatibility list for your motherboard's chipset.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #377 on:** 14 Jul 2010, 00:41 »

Is it the north bridge or the south bridge that matters? Or is it both?

Trollstormur · « **Reply #378 on:** 27 Jul 2010, 15:26 »

Quote from: MrBlu on 17 Feb 2010, 20:24

I should check this more often.

Troll, did you buy that stuff yet?

I should check this more often too

I wound up building an i5-750 (@3.8ghz) with a heatpipe style arctic cooler, 4 gigs ram with a Radeon 5850. The parts were inexpensive and very efficient. No parts were DOA.

ackblom12 · « **Reply #379 on:** 25 Aug 2010, 05:24 »

So I installed a new heatsink for my CPU yesterday.

This here is the heatsink.

Put a couple of Scythe 120mm fans on it and it's dropped my CPU temp by a good 20c. Gonna try and see what it does full load sometime this week I think.

Next on my list is a Video Card Heatsink for my Radeon 5770. This one here will do nicely I think.

Edit - Few hours with a torture test and the CPU never broke 45c.

bicostp · « **Reply #380 on:** 26 Aug 2010, 08:12 »

Holy crap that heatsink is massive!

Does it come with a brace to attach to the frame somewhere? It's probably not an issue, but I'd worry about a heatsink that large and (undoubtedly) heavy breaking something once the motherboard is mounted vertically in the case again.

I'm just running the stock HSF that came with my Q9550. With dust filters everywhere and the fans set up for positive-pressure (so dust doesn't get sucked into every gap in the case), it works well enough for now.

clockworkjames · « **Reply #381 on:** 16 Oct 2010, 14:02 »

I got a loverly new case, it's a Silverstone Fortress FT02B-W v1.7 (so the new one with 3 air penetrator 180mm's in the bottom) and looks sick, especially using 2 extra CP05 adaptors to make 3 of the 5 hdd bays hot swappable (really just for tidyness). Feeling like I should get a new graphics card so I can stop using 9600's in sli, they still run really well and at great speeds/temps overclocked but I want a 460 pretty bad, that would also tidy up the case.

Still using a q9550 as I cannot find much of a reason to buy an i7 or something but I am looking to buy a new cpu cooler, so I can get rid of the stock one, cannot find my tuniq so I am thinking I could get a prolimatech megahalems and perhaps run it passively at ~3ghz super quiet since the massive fans push so much cool air and it's a big ass cooler.

If anyone has any suggestions for a new cooler, just a massive tower really would be awesome for south of 50gbp please lemme know.

est · « **Reply #382 on:** 17 Oct 2010, 14:00 »

I've got a Fortress too, but I went for the one without the window. With it or without, they are a seriously great case. I made the mistake of buying a while bunch of watercooling gear for it because I'd never really played around with that sort of stuff before and wanted to have a go. I'm regretting it now, as it's not really well kitted out for it. It is an absolutely great air-cooling unit though, there is a positively beaming review of it somewhere that I wish I had read before getting all the watercooling gear, but then again I started buying the watercooling gear for my previous case

Anyway, to answer your question, if I wanted to start over I'd prob get something like a Corsair Hydro H70 and attach it to the fan at the top. It's got a push/pull fan config and should work fine with the FT02's vent so longer as it can fit in with everything else you want to put into it. If even contained watercooling ain't your bag then check out the Noctua NH-D14 instead. It's got a 140mm fan on it. Pretty great! Just make sure that it'll fit in properly, because my Thermalright Ultra120 doesn't fit on account of the rotated mb.

clockworkjames · « **Reply #383 on:** 18 Oct 2010, 08:38 »

Yeh the h50 and h70 were a consideration but they work best when they are on an intake fan sucking cool air, something I cannot put at the top 120mm fan unfortunately, if I used one yeh it would most likely still be great but maybe not as great as a fantastic air cooler. The Noctua NH-D14 looks pretty safe if a little ugly, I just want to make the most use of the awesome air cooling the case has, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m8fC809TK0 shows the ap121's against other fans and it's pretty crazy how direct the airflow is so with 2 of those blowing over a cpu fan I recon I could use a big enough heatsink passively with acceptable temps on a little overclock. Obviously something like the Thermalright HR-02 would be perfect but I don't think I could justify spending that much to myself and I prefer the look of the Prolimatech super mega for that money because it is a copper megahalems.

One gripe people had about the case was about room for cables round the back of the mobo, i found this too as even with the cables pushed neatly in single file vertically it's still quite snug at the back with the side panel on, other than that I would not change a thing I think, other than the front panel of it I would just put 1 optical drive slot there to keep it looking smooth and sleek btu maybe some people need 6 for some reason

lulmotorized964rajek · « **Reply #384 on:** 01 Nov 2010, 09:02 »

Great stuff. I have been researching some computers. The Noctua NH-D14 is the best cooler out, by far. The editor of overclocked3d.net filled me in on that. I saw stats and almost made a mistake of an inferior one, which is still better than everything else out. He said dont do it. I am looking to move to the i7 980X 6 core next. Current is a Q6700 on an MSI P43 NEO3 mobo.
I did some research on aftermarket options for the Noctua NH-D14's 2 fans, on Sven3d site, configured in push pull, was maybe the ultimate, although I did see some better stats on one other air cooler but that site had some mistakes apparently, and the NH-D14 is the sure thing according to the overclocked3d.net editor, who personally said dont buy anything else.
He had just overclocked his i7 970 6 core from stock 3.2 to 5Ghz on the stock Noctua, enough to boot and validate in CPU-Z. Stable 4.8Ghz. I am using a Spiral Q right now.
I had ordered a Tuniq Tower 120 Extreme, but he said send it back.

I read about an interesting Twin Frozr III GTX480 Lightning edition with over voltage switch and special made capacitors that has the best aftermarket cooling around, overclocks up to 30% better performance and still runs cooler than stock GTX480, the cooling is fantastic. It comes out soon. Also MSI makes a waterblock version of the GTX480, but it wont run as well, but also on this aftermarket cooler on the Lightning if you waterblock it the GPU and RAM are seperate so you can do just the GPU, but it would be difficult to beat the card already.

lulmotorized964rajek · « **Reply #385 on:** 01 Nov 2010, 09:18 »

Another thing, you guys got me thinking about the negative and positive pressure situation, and the fact of sucking cool air in places. Not sucking dust would be great on the new rig, so would cool air intake. I think Ill stay with the Noctua either way. Like I said sven3d is a site that has archived somewhere the fan test of every aftermarket 120 and the other one in push pull configuration on the Noctua and other coolers. I am finding out now what the best thermal paste is.

Here is my current Thermaltake Spin Q :

clockworkjames · « **Reply #386 on:** 01 Nov 2010, 11:52 »

Yeh the Noctua NH-D14 is a beast, last cooler I bught was the original tuniq tower which was fantastic back in the day, the new one is apparantly a huge dissapointment. The Noctua NH-D14 might fuck with my dominator memory too, it's a good idea to think about how you are going to use it before jumping in for what tests the best, the Thermalright HR-02 however I will be buying soon-ish because it will be arse to face with my case exhaust fan and the 2 180mm fans just below it will mean plenty of airflow to let it be passive I think, the close proximity to the exhaust fan is what sealed the deal for me.

est · « **Reply #387 on:** 01 Nov 2010, 14:11 »

If I was doing air I'd prob put the NH-D14 into my machine (if it would fit) and/or perhaps rig up some kind of baffle for one of the huge, quiet fans at the bottom of the case to see if it could be convinced to flow mostly into the HSF. It'd probably fail, but it'd be fun to try out.

Also, while I do love this case I am sorely tempted to hock it to my brother at half off and either a give up big machines and get a little Mini-ITX case like I used for Hannah's pc (SG06) or go the other way and get a TJ07 and mod the crap out of it as basically everyone else does. The main problem with the latter is that I'd prefer to use a couple of individual 140mm rads directly before each of the things I'm cooling and a decent pump rather than the usual 3x120mm stuck in the bottom of the case. So unfortunately while the look of the TJ07 appeals to me it doesn't really fit in with what I want to try to do.

clockworkjames · « **Reply #388 on:** 02 Nov 2010, 02:27 »

I never tried mini-itx, I like playing video games so they have never suited me. Seem like they are just for use as torrent boxes, NAS or simple desktops. Micro-atx is the smallest mobo I have used but that was a while ago on an amd platform.

I dunno about matx cases, they always seemed so cramped to work inside but if you have already done a build in the case you have in mind you should have a really good idea of how it will be. The mini p180 looks COOL for a lan box but for full size atx mobo's an isotope case might do the trick, just be careful as people who choose little cases always seem to come around to big ones again, I bought the ft02 with the intent of it lasting me a long time through upgrades to come. I dunno if you got a newer build of the FT02 or one of the first ones but the air penertator fans route air pretty damn well from my tests with pieces of paper and my hand, like I said is pretty much the only reason I wuld be happy with passive. I think this situation would benefit a big single group of fins over two individual arrays.

est · « **Reply #389 on:** 02 Nov 2010, 04:52 »

Thankfully the mini-itx form-factor isn't just for Atoms and such low-power things anymore. Han's mini-itx pc is as follows:

Silverstone Sugo SG06 with the PSU upgraded from 300w to 450w
Gigabyte H55 USB3 mini-itx mobo
Core i3 cpu (think it's a 540, can't remember. Future upgrade is a decent i5, and when this happens we'll probably get a H50 to cool it)
4 gb ram (future upgrade is higher performance ram. I re-used this stuff from an old server build)
Geforce 460GTX gfx card
500gb hdd (future upgrade is a 60-120gb OCZ Vertex 2 for the OS, apps & games, 500gb drive for other data)

It is a decent enough machine. I played a bit of Portal on her machine at max graphics (but a decent AA level) at 1680x1050 and it ran just fine.

The only thing that gives me pause is that there's been no onboard RAID on any of the mini-itx boards I've seen and no space for an expansion card, so my current RAID0 setup is impossible to replicate

est · « **Reply #390 on:** 02 Nov 2010, 05:44 »

Also:

Quote from: clockworkjames on 02 Nov 2010, 02:27

The mini p180 looks COOL for a lan box ...

That was my previous case!

Here's my current machine, Maximilian - still a work in progress.

-> I would prefer the green crap be red, but this was the easiest stuff to get to start with.

-> Ignore most of the innards, they will be replaced in a couple of months.

-> mATX because it previously had to fit into the Mini P180.

-> herp derp RAID0 60gb Vertex2s.

Was planning on updating to 2xGF460s, but then AMD had to go and ruin that idea by releasing a new set of fucking ace 68xx cards and promising more later. Then nVidia chimed in, so now I'm stuck in a holding pattern until the dust settles.

By contrast, here's Han's machine, and a shot of her desk for size comparison:

Pretty big size difference, no?

clockworkjames · « **Reply #391 on:** 02 Nov 2010, 15:12 »

I guess even though size is going to be the limiting factor you can push the boundaries to the limit, I googled that mobo and just... wow, cannot help but think "toasty and noisy".

My pc looks pretty but simple and 2 things piss me off about it.

PSU cable for second gfx card are in my dads loft, so cannot get them just now, making do with a crappy molex*2 connector, this will change when I get a 460, the other thing is the stupid stock hsf.

Included pics of 2 cans on the air penetrators to show how big 180 is relative to something other than the case, they HUEG.

Decided to go with hotswap adaptors for all the drives, just to make it look pretty and simple not because I intend to actually use the functionality.

I struggled to think when I last used an optical drive so... omitted.

est · « **Reply #392 on:** 03 Nov 2010, 04:18 »

Yeah same. I have a drive I used for installs, but it's always only a temp attach. Afterward it is removed and I mostly don't miss it.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #393 on:** 09 Nov 2010, 04:11 »

I love giant fans. I got one in my new power supply (120mm, takes up the entire bottom of the power supply). I can tell when the computer isn't using much power because the fan slows down and shuts down with the stereotypical power-off sound.

clockworkjames · « **Reply #394 on:** 10 Nov 2010, 06:16 »

I like what they do, but I would not have bought them if they did not come with the case, £15 is far too much to spend on something just to move air about your case.

Nodaisho · « **Reply #395 on:** 13 Nov 2010, 09:49 »

When they say bare drive with regards to a hard drive, what do they mean? What parts are missing?

One of my hard drives is erratic in whether the computer is recognizing it. Sometimes after coming out of sleep or on powering up, it won't show up. It could be the SATA socket on my motherboard, or possibly the cable. I could use a new hard drive anyway, though. I've only got 280 gigs total space on here.

clockworkjames · « **Reply #396 on:** 13 Nov 2010, 13:37 »

I have no idea but it sounds like no mounting screws or sata cable. It might also be unformatted I guess.

As for my build I bought a passive cpu cooler but it is too big to fit in the case! So I am just gonna take it to Austria in January.

The joke being after spending money on holiday and a new board there is none left over for pc parts /sadface

Streetwise · « **Reply #397 on:** 18 Nov 2010, 00:44 »

Had a question, and didn't know where else to throw it, it's not a hardware thing per-se, but couldn't find a software thread.

I've got a blu-ray burner and player coming in the mail tomorrow, and I'm wondering about software for the burning of audio/video, home movies in either .avi or .mp4 format. I'm not positive, but I don't think Windows7 came with a blu-ray burning software, and i've been using WinDVD maker to put together my clips so far...

Any suggestions would be fantastic, freeware/trialware is fantastic, but I'm willing to pay a bit if the software is worth it. Thanks!

imagist42 · « **Reply #398 on:** 07 Dec 2010, 22:35 »

I recommend CDBurnerXP. The last copy I used is over two years old, but supposedly they've added blu-ray support and if it works as well as normal CD features then it doesn't get much better for being freeware.

LTK · « **Reply #399 on:** 16 Dec 2010, 13:33 »

Uh-oh. It seems that our desktop computer kicked the bucket. My dad was playing Fallout New Vegas on it, then the game crashed, and then the game failed to start up again, so he restarts the computer, after which it freezes up once the desktop is loaded, so he resets it, and now it doesn't do anything anymore. Everything has power, fans are spinning and heat sinks are warming up, but the screen is not getting a signal. The CD/DVD drives are stuck in a loop most of the time, and an installation disk also fails to load. I have no idea what he did to it to get it this fucked up.

We're guessing the problem is in the system BIOS, or else we should be getting some sort of error message to show up on the screen. I'd be happy with a BSOD at this point. But the five-second timer on shutting down the computer when you hold down the power button is still working, and that five-second rule is written in the BIOS, isn't it?

It would be easier to assess the problem if someone in the house was using another desktop computer, but all we have is an old, unused one where the motherboard is incompatible with every bit of hardware that is in the current build. So, does anyone have tips for solving this problem or should we go ahead and buy a new one?

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: The PC-building/hardware knowledge thread (Read 338108 times)

ackblom12