[STEVI INQUE]

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/
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1297566-the-community-tech-thread-no-110/
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1328500-the-community-tech-thread-no-111/
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1348566-the-community-tech-thread-no-112/
http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1358707-the-community-tech-thread-no-113/


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. [img]http://www.gamesas.com/images/smilie/wink.gif[/img]

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

[Mandi Norton]

Hi,

My question concern those of you that use/used the Opera web browser. When I am on the Community Discussion of the BGSF, I get flickering when I scroll the page. It's doing that only on that particular section of the BGSF. No other website for the moment.

Anyone has the same problem?


Cheers,

Koldunic

[Tasha Clifford]

Hi,

My question concern those of you that use/used the Opera web browser. When I am on the Community Discussion of the BGSF, I get flickering when I scroll the page. It's doing that only on that particular section of the BGSF. No other website for the moment.

Anyone has the same problem?


Cheers,

Koldunic

Nope, don't get that, but then again I don't ever use the horrid warrior theme. If I had to guess, I'd say it's related to smooth scrolling, which is enabled by default in Opera.

[Soraya Davy]

Nope, don't get that, but then again I don't ever use the horrid warrior theme. If I had to guess, I'd say it's related to smooth scrolling, which is enabled by default in Opera.

Thank you for answering Defron.

Smooth Scrolling is currently disabled. I'll try to play with the theme. I have a Nvidia GPU with current beta drivers. I don't know if it could be related.


Cheers,

Koldunic

[Bedford White]

Hey there, I was wondering if anybody had an idea of what I should do to fix the hinges on my Toshiba Satellite. It makes a crackling sound whenever I open and close it, and it's begun to split the case right off of the base. I took it to a repair shop about 3 months ago, and they was able to fix it, but it's somehow happened again. I open it just like you should any other laptop, so I can't begin to know what's causing it to do it.

Here's some pictures to give you a better idea:

http://i40.tinypic.com/33o2nbq.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/2u4pkzr.jpg

[biiibi]

Changing the theme has solved the problem. No more flickering when scrolling.

Anyway, I prefer that to the warrior theme too!

[Barbequtie]

I have a budget of around $300 (US currency), and would like to upgrade my computer.

It's about 3-4 years old so I figure it's time, anyways, current specs:

C2D E6750 (OC to 3.2 Ghz)
4GB a-data RAM DDR2-800
500GB HDD 7200rpm
512 MB MSI NX8800GT
Abit IP35 Pro motherboard
700 watt PSU
32-bit Windows XP Pro
22 inch monitor, 1920x1080
Lian-li midtower case


Would like to upgrade the component(s) that give(s) the best returns.

Mainly play the 3 Elder Scroll titles (Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim). Preferred quests and NPC interactions over pretty graphics (graphic is secondary, but don't want horrible graphic either).

Just unsure. More RAM? A new 2GB GPU? An SSD?

Please help out.

[Dustin Brown]

Networking issue I'm trying to deal with . . . the internet in my dorm randomly drops me from the network about once a day and requires that I log back in. More often than not, this will happen while I'm away at classes. Ordinarily this would not be a big deal, but it has become a serious annoyance due to the effect on my results in Folding@Home. My desktop is folding 24/7, but when the connection times out, it has to sit idle for hours, waiting for me to log back in to the network and bringing my folding to a halt while my PC is unable to submit finished work units and receive new ones.

The login screen appears the first time I try to load a webpage after the connection times out, so I was wondering if there is a way to write a script or something that will periodically make my computer load a webpage and complete the login if necessary without requiring manual input? Or is there some simpler way to avoid these disconnects?

On a completely unrelated side note, can anyone point me to a good Sandy Bridge overclocking guide? I was just winging it with my old i3, but I'm not so inclined to just jump in and see what happens with my 2600K. Main concern is figuring out how to reliably set my voltage. Auto settings are definitely too liberal with the voltage as soon as I adjust anything from stock, but I'm not entirely sure what to tweak when setting my voltage manually to make sure my CPU stays where I want it under load. I know Vdroop causes voltage dips, but are there any extra adjustments I need to make to ensure my voltage doesn't go above or below my settings under full load?

[Roberta Obrien]

I have a budget of around $300 (US currency), and would like to upgrade my computer.

It's about 3-4 years old so I figure it's time, anyways, current specs:

C2D E6750 (OC to 3.2 Ghz)
4GB a-data RAM DDR2-800
500GB HDD 7200rpm
512 MB MSI NX8800GT
Abit IP35 Pro motherboard
700 watt PSU
32-bit Windows XP Pro
22 inch monitor, 1920x1080
Lian-li midtower case


Would like to upgrade the component(s) that give(s) the best returns.

Mainly play the 3 Elder Scroll titles (Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim). Preferred quests and NPC interactions over pretty graphics (graphic is secondary, but don't want horrible graphic either).

Just unsure. More RAM? A new 2GB GPU? An SSD?

Please help out.

If you're still on 32-bit XP Pro, there is no point in getting more RAM. 32-bit operating systems only see about 3.2GB of RAM that would be usable, so the 4GB you have right now . Then save the address space required for video card VRAM, the amount of system RAM you'd have if you were to use a 2GB video card would be rather small. Highly suggest you move on to Win 7 64-bit soon if possible to open up that limitation.

Your biggest return will still be a new video card. However, I used to have that CPU OCed to the same speed. It can be a bottleneck in those games you play. Cards more powerful than a Radeon 7750/7770 or a GTX 560 and you'll probably start feeling that CPU holding things back. I have a 2GB Radeon 6950 and tried it with my OCed E6750 for a week or so, but it was a night and day difference once I got my i5 2500K. I wouldn't get more than the cards I just mentioned prior to be honest unless you plan to overhaul the CPU/RAM/mobo as well. Staying on LGA 775 is rather expensive for CPU upgrades....should jump on Sandy or Ivy Bridge platforms when possible.

In the meantime with $300, can just upgrade that video card and save the rest for an overhaul later on. And make that change to Win 7 if you wish.

Also, you say 700W power supply. Would be more informative to know what brand and model.

On a completely unrelated side note, can anyone point me to a good Sandy Bridge overclocking guide? I was just winging it with my old i3, but I'm not so inclined to just jump in and see what happens with my 2600K. Main concern is figuring out how to reliably set my voltage. Auto settings are definitely too liberal with the voltage as soon as I adjust anything from stock, but I'm not entirely sure what to tweak when setting my voltage manually to make sure my CPU stays where I want it under load. I know Vdroop causes voltage dips, but are there any extra adjustments I need to make to ensure my voltage doesn't go above or below my settings under full load?

Can answer your last one if you have an Asus board or one with UEFI BIOS. I've used a couple guides, both rather helpful:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1578110
http://www.clunk.org.uk/forums/overclocking/39184-p67-sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-beginners.html

Gigabyte board:
http://www.overclock.net/t/910467/the-ultimate-sandy-bridge-oc-guide-p67a-ud7-performance-review

Some useful info:
http://www.overclock.net/t/908782/sandy-bridge-overclocking-guide-ocn-members-only

[Valerie Marie]

Hey there, I was wondering if anybody had an idea of what I should do to fix the hinges on my Toshiba Satellite. It makes a crackling sound whenever I open and close it, and it's begun to split the case right off of the base. I took it to a repair shop about 3 months ago, and they was able to fix it, but it's somehow happened again. I open it just like you should any other laptop, so I can't begin to know what's causing it to do it.

Here's some pictures to give you a better idea:

http://i40.tinypic.com/33o2nbq.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/2u4pkzr.jpg

Can you lift the top easily or does the bottom readily drop away?

[Alex Blacke]

In my laptop (and pretty much every laptop) the F buttons have secondary functions and to press F1 I must press Fn and then F1. Otherwise it will start "help" programs.
Is there a way to revert this so when I press F1 it actually does the function F1 should do? Very furstrating in games where once a while forget to press Fn and thus minimize the game when it starts some stupid help program.

Edit: Windows 7

[Cassie Boyle]

In my laptop (and pretty much every laptop) the F buttons have secondary functions and to press F1 I must press Fn and then F1. Otherwise it will start "help" programs.
Is there a way to revert this so when I press F1 it actually does the function F1 should do? Very furstrating in games where once a while forget to press Fn and thus minimize the game when it starts some stupid help program.

Edit: Windows 7

Usually an option in the BIOS. Where exactly depends on the brand. On Dells it's usually called "Function Keys Settings" and on HPs it's usually called "Action Keys Mode"

[Rachael]

If you're still on 32-bit XP Pro, there is no point in getting more RAM. 32-bit operating systems only see about 3.2GB of RAM that would be usable, so the 4GB you have right now . Then save the address space required for video card VRAM, the amount of system RAM you'd have if you were to use a 2GB video card would be rather small. Highly suggest you move on to Win 7 64-bit soon if possible to open up that limitation.

Your biggest return will still be a new video card. However, I used to have that CPU OCed to the same speed. It can be a bottleneck in those games you play. Cards more powerful than a Radeon 7750/7770 or a GTX 560 and you'll probably start feeling that CPU holding things back. I have a 2GB Radeon 6950 and tried it with my OCed E6750 for a week or so, but it was a night and day difference once I got my i5 2500K. I wouldn't get more than the cards I just mentioned prior to be honest unless you plan to overhaul the CPU/RAM/mobo as well. Staying on LGA 775 is rather expensive for CPU upgrades....should jump on Sandy or Ivy Bridge platforms when possible.

In the meantime with $300, can just upgrade that video card and save the rest for an overhaul later on. And make that change to Win 7 if you wish.

Also, you say 700W power supply. Would be more informative to know what brand and model.

Thanks for the information. I have Win 7 64-bit and planning to install it soon.

PSU is the Thermaltake W0106RU 700W 80+ certified. Hopefully the PSU will last me up until the next Elder Scroll game.

Planning to upgrade the Mobo and CPU in 6 months or so.

So would you say something like (order of upgrade): GPU -> Mobo & CPU & RAM -> HDD?

Would you recommend a 2GB GPU like Radeon 7850 ... or would a 1GB GPU (like the Radeon 6850) be enough? I'm looking for something that will last me until the next ES (or 3-5 years). Play mainly heavily modded RPGs and Action RPGs, visuals are important, but not essential.

[Gemma Flanagan]

A few days ago I ordered new memory and another SSD drive to put my games on. I have the memory installed no problem, but when I hook up the ssd it will show up in my bios as being hooked up, but upon booting up into windows, it doesn't show up at all. Surely I must be missing something simple here, but could still use some advice on how to get it to register as installed. I would like to transfer my games to that one instead of my current mechanical drive.

NOTE: The addition of this drive makes a total of four drives I have. I might drop it back down to three once I get my games transferred over to the new one.

[Sophie Payne]

A few days ago I ordered new memory and another SSD drive to put my games on. I have the memory installed no problem, but when I hook up the ssd it will show up in my bios as being hooked up, but upon booting up into windows, it doesn't show up at all. Surely I must be missing something simple here, but could still use some advice on how to get it to register as installed. I would like to transfer my games to that one instead of my current mechanical drive.

NOTE: The addition of this drive makes a total of four drives I have. I might drop it back down to three once I get my games transferred over to the new one.

1. open start menu

2. type diskmgmt.msc

3. Find your SSD, it'll be unformatted

4. Format it.

[Zosia Cetnar]

1. open start menu

2. type diskmgmt.msc

3. Find your SSD, it'll be unformatted

4. Format it.

Thank you DEFRON, figured it was something simple. Now I can get to work transferring my games over to the new drive.

[Krista Belle Davis]

Looking for input on this rig
edit: link not working, 1 min.

Spoiler

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138341
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819106009
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231455
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150540
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817148046
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136950
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106333
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811154109
Intending to get 2 of the 6770's. a Link to the "Wish List" wasnt working

Good idea, bad idea? The case is just a place-holder.
I've never crossfired, or had dual GPUs before. Currently running a single 6870, would the two 6770's be an improvement?

I couldnt find a AMD motherboard with PCI-E 3.0 so the 7xxx series seem kind of meaningless to get right now. Or am I wrong?

[Lalla Vu]

Would anyone advise against getting the AMD FX-8150 8-core?

[Alada Vaginah]

Relating to a post a made a while back that Niohoggr answered, how nessesary is a dedicated sound card really? A system I'm putting together requires the ability to record audio through a microphone via a sound desk, so only really requires basic line-in and out functionality. However the person I'm putting the system together for is dead-set that a dedicated sound card is needed, whereas I am led to believe otherwise.

So does forking out extra cash for a proper sound card offer any appreciable benifet?

[Hannah Barnard]

Relating to a post a made a while back that Niohoggr answered, how nessesary is a dedicated sound card really? A system I'm putting together requires the ability to record audio through a microphone via a sound desk, so only really requires basic line-in and out functionality. However the person I'm putting the system together for is dead-set that a dedicated sound card is needed, whereas I am led to believe otherwise.

So does forking out extra cash for a proper sound card offer any appreciable benifet?

The main area that makes a sound card better is the CPU usage. It lowers strain on the CPU for gaming, and for rendering and playback of sounds. Some are outfitted to have better performance than standard integrated sound. If this sound card is going to be used as part of a producer's studio, make sure to get one with ASIO compatibility. This will ensure the highest quality and speed. If you are a huge audiophile, it is definitely worth the extra money, but there is no need for one without the sound system to keep up with it. Standard computer speakers just will not do. If for gaming, there is no real reason to get one unless you have a 5.1 or 7.1 system set up in that room.

[leni]

The main area that makes a sound card better is the CPU usage. It lowers strain on the CPU for gaming, and for rendering and playback of sounds. Some are outfitted to have better performance than standard integrated sound. If this sound card is going to be used as part of a producer's studio, make sure to get one with ASIO compatibility. This will ensure the highest quality and speed. If you are a huge audiophile, it is definitely worth the extra money, but there is no need for one without the sound system to keep up with it. Standard computer speakers just will not do. If for gaming, there is no real reason to get one unless you have a 5.1 or 7.1 system set up in that room.

This isnt for gaming. This is part of a church set-up mainly used for projecting onto a screen. The audio component only comes in with the fact that we use a program called RipVinyl to record sermons from the audio that comes from the sound desk. A monster sound system isnt needed, there's already one behind us. My question was just if I'm fine with integrated audio for this basic line-in and out functionality.

[lolly13]

This isnt for gaming. This is part of a church set-up mainly used for projecting onto a screen. The audio component only comes in with the fact that we use a program called RipVinyl to record sermons from the audio that comes from the sound desk. A monster sound system isnt needed, there's already one behind us. My question was just if I'm fine with integrated audio for this basic line-in and out functionality.

If the speakers are compatible with the line-in, then you should be fine. If it is for that, then there should be little to no problem, although, you may want to invest in an amplifier if they are larger speakers because a small line-in will not produce enough voltage for large speakers to operate loud enough to be heard across the room. Of course, you will want to check to make sure that the connectors for the speaker will work with standard 3.5mm jacks.

[joeK]

Would anyone advise against getting the AMD FX-8150 8-core?

Depends what it's for, although at that price point, I'd imagine you be much better served buying an Intel processor. Care to elaborate on your intended use?

[Nany Smith]

Quick scandisk question.

My wife's Vista laptop has been having problems so I recommended she check her harddrive for errors. She started the check before going to bed, and this morning I was surprised to find that it was still going, although it was nearly done (81% of the last step). It slowly got up to 91% and now appears to have frozen.

Any suggestions on what to do? Should I turn it off and reboot it? (I'm not really sure what other option I have.)

[Danielle Brown]

Quick scandisk question.

My wife's Vista laptop has been having problems so I recommended she check her harddrive for errors. She started the check before going to bed, and this morning I was surprised to find that it was still going, although it was nearly done (81% of the last step). It slowly got up to 91% and now appears to have frozen.

Any suggestions on what to do? Should I turn it off and reboot it? (I'm not really sure what other option I have.)

1. How big is the hard drive

2. what switches did you use with chkdsk? /r /f /b ?

3. What stage did it make it to?


Generally an ever-slower chkdsk means it's trying to recover a lot of errors, worst with the /r switch.