[Laura-Lee Gerwing]

Originally by Powerslide
LET'S MAKE THIS WORK PEOPLE!

Okay, now as anyone could see there are HUNDREDS of tech threads floating around in CD - ranging from questions about graphics hardware, to questions about pricier graphics hardware and other tech such as monitors, hard drives and Processors to announcement threads of new technology and more. (I accede - I'm not being very eloquent here)

Any questions you have, tech news or ANYTHING related to buying/selling/information/announcements of new hardware should go here.

For example, if you come to the forums to ask "What is the better graphics hardware" or "What sort of RAM should I put in my PC?" then it should go here - I'm a little hazy, I know - but please keep all those graphics card and tech questions to one thread! Please!
So here's the summary, all:

• Announcements and queries on new or unreleased tech
  
• Benchmarks and results of hardware/discussion
  
• Questions on what sort of hardware you need/want for your machine
  
• Questions about existing tech and/or function
  
• Pricing and recommendations

Should be kept to THIS THREAD.

This has been A-okayed by CCNA for all who were wondering - it's up to you to stop filling CD with the same topics again and again that ask what the most powerful card in existence is so you can (not) buy it.

If you feel you have a question or can answer one - please feel free to do so.


Thanks all.
Adding more links shortly, thank you for your patience.

(Threads 1-85 have been all pruned, may they rest in peace)

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1079401-the-community-tech-thread-%2386/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1084024-the-community-tech-thread-no-87/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1090141-the-community-tech-thread-no-88/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1094900-the-community-tech-thread-no-89/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1102258-the-community-tech-thread-no-90/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1108118-the-community-tech-thread-no-91/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1112884-the-community-tech-thread-no-92/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1118559-the-community-tech-thread-no-93/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1145193-the-community-tech-thread-no-94/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1153130-the-community-tech-thread-no-95/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1160717-the-community-tech-thread-no-96/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1167952-the-community-tech-thread-no-97/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1176772-the-community-tech-thread-no-98/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1180239-the-community-tech-thread-no-99/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1188969-the-community-tech-thread-no-100/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1199194-the-community-tech-thread-no-101/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1207079-the-community-tech-thread-no-102/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1217232-the-community-tech-thread-no-103/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1224422-the-community-tech-thread-no-104/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1227492-the-community-tech-thread-no-104/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1228926-the-community-tech-thread-no-106/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1233177-the-community-tech-thread-no-107/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1241366-the-community-tech-thread-no-108/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1247846-the-community-tech-thread-no-109/


Do I also have to put a big glowing neon sign to this in my signature? THERE ARE TOO MANY TECH THREADS - THIS IS NOT A FORUM FOR YOUR TECH WOES!

But we will gladly help you anyway.

Honour list:
Nottheking
Lord Athanar (SUPER-PINK!)
Insaneturbo13
Anothercanadian
Tig Ol' Bitties (Moderator)
Dogsbody
CCNA (Moderator)
Níeh?ggr
wolfpup
Wierd
Softnerd
wingus
DEFRON
Qwaxalot
iGuess
Starforce9
Sivartus


Oh and PLEASE, if you want us to "Build" you a PC, please indicate the following:
1.) your budget in your country's currency
2.) what country you reside if not listed in your avatar area
3.) pre-assembled PC? ...or can you build your own?
4.) what is needed other than the PC tower? Monitor, speakers, mouse, keyboard, Windows OS disc? All these can jack up the price.
5.) product preferences, preferred seller, and intended aim

but please, no "I want teh superererest Peecee evar1!!!!11!1", because really, only Bill Gates has that much moolah.


And, speaking of building your own PC, two sets of good how-to videos from Newegg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPIXAtNGGCw&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_56kyib-Ls&feature=relmfu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxaVBsXEiok&feature=related

Thanks to SpankyTheElf for finding these additional ones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CStOC0hET8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3buj5cIh2Bs&feature=related



Other useful links

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/983941-a-freeware-guide/page__p__14225246__fromsearch__1#entry14225246
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPU/2
http://www.overclock.net/graphics-cards-general/502403-graphics-card-ranking-5th-time-last.html
http://www.hardwareheaven.com/articles.php?articleid=132
http://www.memtest86.com/
http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/
http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm
http://www.irfanview.com/
http://www.knoppix.org/
http://www.jonnyguru.com/
http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/183810-faq-recommended-power-supplies.html
http://www.overclock.net/power-supplies/715889-psu-articles.html#post9110838
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/
http://tftcentral.co.uk/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
http://www.futuremark.com/products/3dmark06/
http://www.fraps.com/
http://trinityhome.org/Home/index.php?wpid=1&front_id=12

[Gavin Roberts]

Would is be possible to get a (at least) decent CPU and motherboard for below 220$?

Yes you can. However, what are we upgrading from? And what type of memory you got? DDR2 or DDR3?

[Melis Hristina]

Anyone particularly skilled at finding obscure files on the web, even when search engines and torrents fail?

[Svenja Hedrich]

Yes you can. However, what are we upgrading from? And what type of memory you got? DDR2 or DDR3?

DDR2,so yes I think I'll be needing some new RAM also.

And what other specs do you need to know exactly?

Also, how much would a decent(by decent I mean at least a 600W) PSU cost? I unfortunetely found out my PSU is only 375W, which would explain the "VPU Recover" issues I've been having.

Thanks.

[Vahpie]

DDR2,so yes I think I'll be needing some new RAM also.

And what other specs do you need to know exactly?

Also, how much would a decent(by decent I mean at least a 600W) PSU cost? I unfortunetely found out my PSU is only 375W, which would explain the "VPU Recover" issues I've been having.

Thanks.

It's sounding like you'll need to upgrade everything, what is your overall budget?

Also, he's talking about, what CPU, videocard, psu, motherboard, ram do you have now? CPU-Z is a good program to find our what you have.

[Teghan Harris]

So I bought an aftermarket cooler to replace my stock(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233082), the install went fine, but now my CPU fan doesn't spin. I plugged the fan into another connector to make sure the fan itself wasn't DOA, but it works fine... I'm pretty sure I didn't bump or break anything, so I'm not sure what the problem is unless my cpu fan never worked and I just didn't notice. What might the issue be and what can I do to fix it?
EDIT: Tried playing a game and it kicked on, must not of been hot enough to spin. Problem solved!

[Emma louise Wendelk]

It's sounding like you'll need to upgrade everything, what is your overall budget?

Also, he's talking about, what CPU, videocard, psu, motherboard, ram do you have now? CPU-Z is a good program to find our what you have.

My budget is probably a problem, I'd say 350$ max, which probably isn't enough for everything(new CPU, mobo(which means new case), new RAM, and a new PSU) I know my GPU(ATI Radeon 5450) isn't very good but I'll upgrade that later in the future. Anyway, here's what I got from CPU-Z

Spoiler

CPU-Z

Binaries
CPU-Z version 1.58

Processors
Number of processors 1
Number of threads 2

APICs
Processor 0
-- Core 0
-- Thread 0 0
-- Core 1
-- Thread 0 1

Processors Information
Processor 1 ID = 0
Number of cores 2 (max 2)
Number of threads 2 (max 2)
Name Intel Pentium D 830
Codename SmithField
Specification Intel® Pentium® D CPU 3.00GHz
Package (platform ID) Socket 775 LGA (0x4)
CPUID F.4.7
Extended CPUID F.4
Core Stepping B0
Technology 90 nm
Core Speed 2793.1 MHz
Multiplier x FSB 14.0 x 199.5 MHz
Rated Bus speed 798.0 MHz
Stock frequency 3000 MHz
Instructions sets MMX, SSE, SSE2, SSE3, EM64T
L1 Data cache 2 x 16 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
Trace cache 2 x 12 Kuops, 8-way set associative
L2 cache 2 x 1024 KBytes, 8-way set associative, 64-byte line size
FID/VID Control yes
FID range 14.0x - 15.0x
VID range 1.116 V - 1.420 V




Chipset
Northbridge Intel i945P rev. 00
Southbridge Intel 82801GB (ICH7/R) rev. A1
Graphic Interface PCI-Express
PCI-E Link Width x16
PCI-E Max Link Width x16
Memory Type DDR2
Memory Size 4096 MBytes
Channels Dual
Memory Frequency 332.5 MHz (3:5)
CAS# latency (CL) 5.0
RAS# to CAS# delay (tRCD) 5
RAS# Precharge (tRP) 5
Cycle Time (tRAS) 15
Bank Cycle Time (tRC) 21

Memory SPD
DIMM # 1
SMBus address 0x50
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Corsair (7F7F9E0000000000)
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)
Part number VS1GB667D2
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 3.0-3-3-9-12 @ 200 MHz
JEDEC #2 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #3 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz

DIMM # 2
SMBus address 0x51
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Corsair (7F7F9E0000000000)
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)
Part number VS1GB667D2
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 3.0-3-3-9-12 @ 200 MHz
JEDEC #2 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #3 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz

DIMM # 3
SMBus address 0x52
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Corsair (7F7F9E0000000000)
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)
Part number VS1GB667D2
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 3.0-3-3-9-12 @ 200 MHz
JEDEC #2 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #3 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz

DIMM # 4
SMBus address 0x53
Memory type DDR2
Module format Regular UDIMM
Manufacturer (ID) Corsair (7F7F9E0000000000)
Size 1024 MBytes
Max bandwidth PC2-5300 (333 MHz)
Part number VS1GB667D2
Number of banks 1
Data width 64 bits
Correction None
Nominal Voltage 1.80 Volts
EPP no
XMP no
JEDEC timings table CL-tRCD-tRP-tRAS-tRC @ frequency
JEDEC #1 3.0-3-3-9-12 @ 200 MHz
JEDEC #2 4.0-4-4-12-16 @ 266 MHz
JEDEC #3 5.0-5-5-15-20 @ 333 MHz


Monitoring
Mainboard Model 0X8582 (0x0000015F - 0x0055C640)

LPCIO
LPCIO Vendor SMSC
LPCIO Vendor ID 0x55
LPCIO Chip ID 0x79

Hardware Monitors
Hardware monitor AMD ADL
Voltage 0 1.11 Volts [0x459] (VIN0)
Temperature 0 33°C (91°F) [0x21] (TMPIN0)


PCI Devices
Description Host Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 0 (0x00), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x2770
Revision ID 0x00

Description PCI to PCI Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 1 (0x01), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x2771
Revision ID 0x00

Description PCI to PCI Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 28 (0x1C), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27D0
Revision ID 0x01

Description PCI to PCI Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 28 (0x1C), function 4 (0x04)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27E0
Revision ID 0x01

Description PCI to PCI Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 28 (0x1C), function 5 (0x05)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27E2
Revision ID 0x01

Description USB Controller (UHCI)
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 29 (0x1D), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27C8
Revision ID 0x01

Description USB Controller (UHCI)
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 29 (0x1D), function 1 (0x01)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27C9
Revision ID 0x01

Description USB Controller (UHCI)
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 29 (0x1D), function 2 (0x02)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27CA
Revision ID 0x01

Description USB Controller (UHCI)
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 29 (0x1D), function 3 (0x03)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27CB
Revision ID 0x01

Description USB 2.0 Controller (EHCI)
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 29 (0x1D), function 7 (0x07)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27CC
Revision ID 0x01

Description PCI to PCI Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 30 (0x1E), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x244E
Revision ID 0xE1

Description PCI to ISA Bridge
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 31 (0x1F), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27B8
Revision ID 0x01

Description IDE Controller
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 31 (0x1F), function 1 (0x01)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27DF
Revision ID 0x01

Description Serial ATA Controller
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 31 (0x1F), function 2 (0x02)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27C1
Revision ID 0x01

Description SMBus Controller
Location bus 0 (0x00), device 31 (0x1F), function 3 (0x03)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27DA
Revision ID 0x01

Description VGA Controller
Location bus 1 (0x01), device 0 (0x00), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x1002
Model ID 0x68E1
Revision ID 0x00

Description Multimedia device
Location bus 1 (0x01), device 0 (0x00), function 1 (0x01)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x1002
Model ID 0xAA68
Revision ID 0x00

Description Ethernet Controller
Location bus 5 (0x05), device 8 (0x08), function 0 (0x00)
Common header
Vendor ID 0x8086
Model ID 0x27DC
Revision ID 0x01


DMI
DMI BIOS
vendor Dell Inc.
version A03
date 07/07/2006

DMI System Information
manufacturer Dell Inc.
product Dimension 9100
version unknown
serial BB5SJ81
UUID {4C4C4544-0042-3510-8053-C2C04F4A3831}

DMI Baseboard
vendor Dell Inc.
model 0X8582
revision unknown
serial ..CN7082157CG2M2.

DMI System Enclosure
manufacturer Dell Inc.
chassis type Tower
chassis serial BB5SJ81

DMI Processor
manufacturer Intel
model unknown
clock speed 3000.0 MHz
FSB speed 800.0 MHz
multiplier 4.0x

DMI Port Connector
designation USB1 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB2 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB3 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB4 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB5 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB6 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB7 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation USB8 (internal)
port type USB
connector Access Bus (USB)

DMI Port Connector
designation ENET (internal)
port type Network Port
connector RJ-45

DMI Port Connector
designation MIC (internal)
port type Audio Port
connector Mini Jack (headphones)

DMI Port Connector
designation LINE-OUT (internal)
port type Audio Port
connector Mini Jack (headphones)

DMI Port Connector
designation LINE-IN (internal)
port type Audio Port
connector Mini Jack (headphones)

DMI Port Connector
designation HP-OUT (internal)
port type Audio Port
connector Mini Jack (headphones)

DMI Extension Slot
designation PEG
type A5
populated yes

DMI Extension Slot
designation SLOT1
type A5
populated no

DMI Extension Slot
designation SLOT3
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated no

DMI Extension Slot
designation SLOT4
type A5
populated no

DMI Extension Slot
designation SLOT5
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated no

DMI Extension Slot
designation SLOT6
type PCI
width 32 bits
populated no

DMI OEM Strings
string[0] www.dell.com

DMI Physical Memory Array
location Motherboard
usage System Memory
correction None
max capacity 4096 MBytes
max# of devices 4

DMI Memory Device
designation DIMM_1
format DIMM
type DDR
total width 64 bits
data width 64 bits
size 1024 MBytes

DMI Memory Device
designation DIMM_3
format DIMM
type DDR
total width 64 bits
data width 64 bits
size 1024 MBytes

DMI Memory Device
designation DIMM_2
format DIMM
type DDR
total width 64 bits
data width 64 bits
size 1024 MBytes

DMI Memory Device
designation DIMM_4
format DIMM
type DDR
total width 64 bits
data width 64 bits
size 1024 MBytes


Graphics
Number of adapters 1

Graphic APIs
API ATI I/O
API ADL SDK

Display Adapters
Display adapter 0
Name ATI Radeon HD 5400 Series
Memory size 1024 MB
GPU ref clock 27000
PCI device bus 1 (0x1), device 0 (0x0), function 0 (0x0)
Vendor ID 0x1002 (0x174B)
Model ID 0x68E1 (0x6000)
Performance Level 0


Software
Windows Version Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)
DirectX Version 9.0c

[T. tacks Rims]

OKAY. So I'm ordering parts tomorrow and I want confirmation that this build is good and okay for gaming and the likes.

http://i43.tinypic.com/346p7o7.png. It's a picture file. I already have the hard disk!

[Nicole M]

ight so im trying to figure out witch motherboard is better the two motherboards are NVIDIA GeForce 7025 vs. ASUS M5A97 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

[Makenna Nomad]

I have a computer power-consumption question...it's not specific to one piece of hardware.

First, here's my specs:

Asus p6T x58 mobo
i7-920 CPU (not overclocked)
12GB DDR3 Kingston HyperX 1600 RAM (six 2gb sticks)
1 evga gtc-590 (not overclocked)
2 mechanical HDD's
Creative xfi extreme soundcard
6 fans that came w/the case (all cheap simple plastic thingies)
1 DVD drive
wired basic keyboard/mouse (still a roller-ball mouse, too, haha)

Second, my PSU: Corsair tx750w

The question:
Some are telling me that even at idle, this setup would be svcking up 700watts of power and at max GPU load it'd be closer to 1100w. eg, I need a much more monstrous PSU. I don't disagree that at very heavy GPU load (something I don't do a lot) I might go a bit over 750, so maybe I could use a 850-900w PSU to be super safe. But 700w at idle? 1100 on load? From my limited research/knowledge & advice from some others, I'd disagree. I'm thinking more like 350-400w. Am I wrong/what's your take? Seems like if it was 700w at idle I'd have all kinds of issues playing almost any current game on top of it.

The eXtreme Power Supply Calculator site has me at around 650w at 90% load...assuming I input all the stuff correctly. (edit: scratch that, input some stuff wrong. Closer to 750w at 90% w/some capacitor aging - but I doubt I reach 90% very much....and not sure what 'capacitor aging' to pick/how accurate that is anyway - 20% seems like a lot, wattage estimate goes up/down a lot per available % selection)

[Portions]

I'm going to be upgrading the i7 2630QM in my laptop to a 2820QM pretty soon and I was just wondering if there's anything that needs to be done on the software side of things once the new CPU is in. Is it just plug and play, or will I have to fool around with drivers and such?

[Katey Meyer]

Hokay, so I'm back again... Since I've got my new cooler, I decided to try my hand at getting some cores unlocked from my Athlon II X3 445. Last time I was here Tigol linked me to http://www.overclock.net/t/535501/amd-k10-5-core-cache-unlocking-guide. I tried following along but I ran into a couple problems. I had to get the newest version of my bios in order to get the core unlocking feature (my mobo is a GA-890x-UD3 rev 1), and it also says if using a Gigabyte board (which I am) to turn on either "EC firmware to hybrid" or turn on "unleashing". I don't see either of those options. I did some googling, and I figured I'd try just turning on CPU unlock and see what happens. It restarts, it shows the 4th core, but when I booted I got a 0x0000225 error about winload.exe being corrupted. I thought that was something about my core being unstable, so I boosted up my vcore and vcore-nb up to 1.5 and 1.275 respectively, going .250 at a time. After that didn't solve anything, I put everything back to defaults and still got this error. Put in my windows disc, did a repair, and now I'm here.

I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, or why my Windows got corrupted. Is my mobo not able to unlock cores properly or something? I don't know what EC firmware hybrid or unleashing is, and why I don't have those options. Any ideas?

[Lucky Girl]

Building my new system, and it boots up no problem, no beeps, BUT the monitor seems to be getting no signal.

It's an ASUS P8Z68 Deluxe/Gen3 motherboard, and EVGA GTX 570 HD 2560mb GPU.

Reading the EVGA manual it says if you aren't getting a display you may need to disable integrated graphics. Reading the ASUS manual there's nothing about this problem. If I don't have any display I have no way of working in BIOS, and I can't seem to find a video connection on the motherboard.

I'm using a DVI cable, and there's two DVI slots on the card. Neither of them do anything.

No software of any kind is installed. I've re-seated the GPU in case that was the problem, and nothing. I've re-checked the power cables, and they're fine. I don't know if there's another problem, like maybe the CPU or RAM isn't installed properly, but like I said there's no beeps or error codes and everything seems to power up fine.

I'm really hoping I didn't screw up the CPU and that's what's causing this. I say that because it felt very tight. I know it was oriented correctly but I didn't expect it to feel so tight when I locked it in place.

EDIT:

Ok I removed the 2nd stick of RAM and I'm getting a display. The problem could be that 8 gigs requires WIndows 64 bit to be installed, so I'll install that then re-install that other stick and see what it does.

EDIT: One of the sticks is bad. I hope I can return and replace it easily.

[Nick Swan]

How will this run The Witcher 1 & 2?


Intel i7 2600k @ 3.4GHz

EVGA GTX 570

8GB RAM


Max? High? What?

[Bloomer]

I just got my Nvidia 550 Ti today from the black Monday sale on tigerdirect.com. I installed it and everything to go as usual with video card upgrades. But something unusual occurred. The drivers installed some 4 other devices that show up in the device manager, but as unknown devices. What are http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w25/SquealOfDeath/4unknowndevices.jpg?

OS: Windows XP SP3
CPU: Intel E7500
RAM: 2GB DDR2
GPU: EVGA Geforce 550 Ti

[e.Double]

How will this run The Witcher 1 & 2?


Intel i7 2600k @ 3.4GHz

EVGA GTX 570

8GB RAM


Max? High? What?

Max easy.

[trisha punch]

Max easy.

Thanks, that's awesome!

I think I'm getting the "ultimate edition" or whatever of the first game and "version 2.0" of the second one for Christmas. I was really hoping I could max them.

[tegan fiamengo]

I'm going to be upgrading the i7 2630QM in my laptop to a 2820QM pretty soon and I was just wondering if there's anything that needs to be done on the software side of things once the new CPU is in. Is it just plug and play, or will I have to fool around with drivers and such?

The most you will have to do is update your BIOS and it should be easy going from there. Make sure you get anything up to date and make sure the socket is compatible. You do not wanna blow 200 dollars or more on a CPU just to get it, find out it does not fit, and FFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!! That is all I can say.

[Erika Ellsworth]

Hello everyone, I'm very new to computer parts and building/buying a gaming computer. I was looking for a computer to run Skyrim on high settings. So I was wondering if you guys had suggestions on parts for me to buy.

1. My budget is pretty flexible. I'm not too smart with how expensive all the parts will be so my budget isn't yet yet. I'm guessing around the 1000 US dollar price range.
2. I live in the US.
3. If there is a good pre assembled PC that would be awesome. If not I have a local store to help with the building.
4. I need a ton of things besides the tower. I basically just need windows. I'll be playing on a TV, and using a Xbox controller so a cheap mouse and keyboard will work.
5. Not many preferences.

Thanks for the help!

[Liii BLATES]

I'm typing this from my new computer Success with the first try (except I reversed the power switch and reset switch).

What svcks is that stick of 4gig RAM that doesn't work. I tried using only it and the system wouldn't boot, but it does boot with the other one. Newegg better accept the 1-stick RMA and let me keep the other stick (it's a 2-stick item). Something tells me they will give me a hard time though.

Anyone else have trouble with multiple-stick RAM like this? If I have to return them both this computer is down for the count for who knows how long.

EDIT: Disregard, the 2nd stick works. Came home today, figured I'd try one more time, and voila it works. I'm now sporting 8 gigs of fast RAM in a system that seems to run BF3 on ultra settings with no problem You have no idea how good that feels, after being stuck with an 8 year old rig all this time.

[Mark]

Looking for a little advice on a RAM upgrade. I want to throw 16GB into my laptop (yes I am a little insane perhaps) and I'm trying to choose what brand and model. Obviously I want the fastest performance, but I'm not sure what I should place the most significance on between base speed, latency, and timing. If anyone could recommend me something off of Newegg (I plan on buying two 8GB packs) that would be great. With my new processor I'll be able to support up to DDR3 1600 RAM.

[Andy durkan]

I'm going to be upgrading the i7 2630QM in my laptop to a 2820QM pretty soon and I was just wondering if there's anything that needs to be done on the software side of things once the new CPU is in. Is it just plug and play, or will I have to fool around with drivers and such?

Looking for a little advice on a RAM upgrade. I want to throw 16GB into my laptop (yes I am a little insane perhaps) and I'm trying to choose what brand and model. Obviously I want the fastest performance, but I'm not sure what I should place the most significance on between base speed, latency, and timing. If anyone could recommend me something off of Newegg (I plan on buying two 8GB packs) that would be great. With my new processor I'll be able to support up to DDR3 1600 RAM.

These expensive upgrades are only going to give you a negligible increase in game performance, so I'd skip them unless you use your laptop for other things that requires the power.

[Tina Tupou]

Looking for a little advice on a RAM upgrade. I want to throw 16GB into my laptop (yes I am a little insane perhaps) and I'm trying to choose what brand and model. Obviously I want the fastest performance, but I'm not sure what I should place the most significance on between base speed, latency, and timing. If anyone could recommend me something off of Newegg (I plan on buying two 8GB packs) that would be great. With my new processor I'll be able to support up to DDR3 1600 RAM.

Does your laptop even support that much RAM? It can be ill advised to exceed the maximum memory per stick your motherboard supports, so first thing is to look up what your laptop supports.

http://www.crucial.com/ has a very comprehensive list for prebuilts and laptops and even offers a http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/ for dead-simpleness.

[Jade Muggeridge]

These expensive upgrades are only going to give you a negligible increase in game performance, so I'd skip them unless you use your laptop for other things that requires the power.

I'm upgrading partially for the performance, and partially for fun. I love tinkering with my laptop, so this is more for my entertainment and enjoyment than for the increase in power. I'm not concerned about the cost either, I have a budget for this kind of stuff and I stay within it, and it just happens to be the right time of year to ask for some RAM for Christmas.

Does your laptop even support that much RAM? It can be ill advised to exceed the maximum memory per stick your motherboard supports, so first thing is to look up what your laptop supports.

http://www.crucial.com/ has a very comprehensive list for prebuilts and laptops and even offers a http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/ for dead-simpleness.

My laptop has 4 RAM slots, each of which can support up to 4GB, so I can do 4x4GB for 16GB. Unfortunately the Crucial tool isn't quite comprehensive enough for my purposes, because my laptop is not available with a 2820QM in stock configurations (unless purchased from a custom builder) and this upgrade allows support for DDR3 1600 RAM not present with the stock 2630QM.

I did a custom search for DDR3 1600 SO-DIMMs and eliminated the higher latency choices and this is what I have left:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=+600006157&QksAutoSuggestion=&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Configurator=&IsNodeId=1&Subcategory=-1&description=1600+ddr3+8gb+sodimm&hisInDesc=&Ntk=&CFG=&SpeTabStoreType=&AdvancedSearch=1&srchInDesc=

So, does anyone have any input? I'm open to any outside suggestions too. Also, if anyone could comment on the difference between the two HyperX models I'd appreciate it, as unless I'm missing something, one just costs an extra $8 because it's black and says "I love Sandy Bridge!"

[hannah sillery]

Alright, I'm fed up with my Skullcandy's this is the eighth pair I've gone through in 3 years. Does anyone have and reccomendations for earbuds around $50 (with silicone ear thingies)?