[Josh Sabatini]

Are there any free programs that sync pictures from my ipod to my PC?
I downloaded the "free" edition of "CopyTrans Photo" and it worked, but it also put huge, opaque watermarks on all the pics it transferred.

[Joanne]

Are there any free programs that sync pictures from my ipod to my PC?
I downloaded the "free" edition of "CopyTrans Photo" and it worked, but it also put huge, opaque watermarks on all the pics it transferred.

iTunes? How did you get them on there in the first place?

[Barbequtie]

iTunes? How did you get them on there in the first place?

Itunes only syncs pics from the computer to the Ipod.
The Ipod can access the internet, that's where the pictures came from.
Doesn't matter now, I found something.

[jenny goodwin]

My speakers seem to have blown or, at least, gotten really crappy all of a sudden. They're a $50, 2.1 CyberAcoustic set and have lasted for a while (year and a half at least). The first issue was the bass adjustment knob screwed up and would set the bass to max unless I taped it off pulled to the left. Earlier this week, I noticed the sound seemed a bit off and I'm going to guess that the actual speakers may have shot.

So, what's a good bang-for-the-buck set of 2.1 speakers? I don't really have the right set-up to get surround sound, though I'd like to, but the way my computer desk is and my room is set up, surround sound just wouldn't work right.

[cassy]

The important question is what kind of RAM are you working with? The latest CPU technology (AM3, LGA 1156, LGA 1366) all require DDR3 RAM. There are AM2+/AM3 compatible motherboards that use DDR2 if that's what you have. But I'm uncomfortable with making suggestions until you make clear on what RAM you've got.

That's DDR2. Won't go with the GA-MA785GMT-UD2H motherboard, which takes DDR3.

Oh shoot, I try to be helpful and forget about a thing as basic as that... :facepalm:

[Benji]

Guys, now I've got a question of my own... Can a CPU stop functioning if its temperature gets too... low? :-/

Apparently my case and CPU cooling combo is too badass and at the moment my CPU temp is 27?C! (Although it's idle at the moment, no doubt it will get hotter under load.) Can that be bad for the CPU?

[Janine Rose]

Well, it's that time again. Considering building a gaming PC. Need suggestions, etc. Basically, I have up to $2000 USD to spend on it. I would much rather NOT spend $2000 on it, but that is my upper limit. I currently have a laptop that runs new games play-ably. ME2 isn't bad on a lower resolution, Oblivion is okay, Crysis runs reasonably, but AA is a setting I never, ever touch. So this PC would have to be able to run games significantly better for it to be worth it to me. So, with that in mind, how cheap can I get away with?

I have no peripherals, so I need the whole package. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. I have good enough stereo speakers, though I'll probably upgrade eventually.

Also, I've never built a PC before. I'm fairly confident in my ability, but I have literally no tools in my dorm, so what will I need, exactly?

[CHangohh BOyy]

Well, it's that time again. Considering building a gaming PC. Need suggestions, etc. Basically, I have up to $2000 USD to spend on it. I would much rather NOT spend $2000 on it, but that is my upper limit. I currently have a laptop that runs new games play-ably. ME2 isn't bad on a lower resolution, Oblivion is okay, Crysis runs reasonably, but AA is a setting I never, ever touch. So this PC would have to be able to run games significantly better for it to be worth it to me. So, with that in mind, how cheap can I get away with?

I have no peripherals, so I need the whole package. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. I have good enough stereo speakers, though I'll probably upgrade eventually.

Also, I've never built a PC before. I'm fairly confident in my ability, but I have literally no tools in my dorm, so what will I need, exactly?

Most of the time you can get away with just a screwdriver. Might need a certain sized wrench depending on how the CPU's heatsink is attached.

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808 - $164
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378 - $110
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857 - $300
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 - $85
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002 - $140
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 - $55
Optical: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188 - $25
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 - $90
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 - $105
Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 - $230

Total: $1,304.89
$35 in Mail-in Rebates

If you think you're ever going to run more than one GPU, you might want to swap out the PSU for the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139012, which has 4 PCI-E connectors as opposed to thr HX620's 2. If you plan on overclocking, or live in a warmer area, the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029 ($45) is an excellent heatsink. A cheap pair of 2.1 speakers will probably run you $20-30, keyboard and mouse $15 if you don't need anything fancy.

[Becky Cox]

Well, it's that time again. Considering building a gaming PC. Need suggestions, etc. Basically, I have up to $2000 USD to spend on it. I would much rather NOT spend $2000 on it, but that is my upper limit. I currently have a laptop that runs new games play-ably. ME2 isn't bad on a lower resolution, Oblivion is okay, Crysis runs reasonably, but AA is a setting I never, ever touch. So this PC would have to be able to run games significantly better for it to be worth it to me. So, with that in mind, how cheap can I get away with?

I have no peripherals, so I need the whole package. Mouse, keyboard, monitor, etc. I have good enough stereo speakers, though I'll probably upgrade eventually.

Also, I've never built a PC before. I'm fairly confident in my ability, but I have literally no tools in my dorm, so what will I need, exactly?

Regarding tools, I think it'd be best if you spent some money on a http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261003&cm_re=tool_ki%2d%5f%2d99-261-003%2d%5f%2dProduct and two or three http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16899261005&cm_re=anti_static%2d%5f%2d99-261-005%2d%5f%2dProduct. I say two or three because I can never seem to get any to last longer than several uses. The toolkit I linked to I use myself, and the many screwdriver bits come in handy, as do most of the other tools.

[Stephani Silva]

CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103808 - $164
Motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128378 - $110
GPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102857 - $300
RAM: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231277 - $85
PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139002 - $140
HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 - $55
Optical: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151188 - $25
Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119197 - $90
OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116754 - $105
Monitor: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236049 - $230

That's a good one. :goodjob:

I'd recommend this motherboard, though: http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/Products/Motherboard/Products_Overview.aspx?ProductID=3005. At least if you ever plan on having more than one GPU. Also, if you plan on upgrading your PC in two-three years instead of throwing it away and getting a completely new one, it might be better to get a very good motherboard, like this one. It seems it's http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128377&cm_re=ga-ma790fxt-ud5p%2d%5f%2d13-128-377%2d%5f%2dProduct, though.

Also, if you think that monitor is too big for you, buy http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236050.


As far as other peripherals go, for the keyboard I suggest http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-UltraX-Premium-Keyboard-USB/dp/B000QUJY24.

[Reanan-Marie Olsen]

Hey, http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&source=hp&q=GA-MA790FXT-UD5P&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=15411702582628754114&ei=-LZmS4EDkcf-Buq7lPQD&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBEQ8wIwAg#ps-sellers...

[Luis Longoria]

Thanks for all the replies. I shall put this in my mind, and ponder it for a while. So how well should this system run games, exactly?

Also... I know this is a terribly simple question, but which component would handle bluetooth? I'm definitely going to want bluetooth connections without a dongle, and probably a Wifi card.

[Adam]

Thanks for all the replies. I shall put this in my mind, and ponder it for a while. So how well should this system run games, exactly?

Better than you can imagine.

I have a computer couple of months old that's very similar to this build; it's got the same processor, motherboard is the one I linked you to (the UD5P one), 4 GB of DDR3-1600 RAM (although my RAM is Corsair's), my GPU is http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2009/02/23/sapphire-ati-radeon-hd-4870-1gb-toxic/1 with 1 GB GDDR5 VRAM.

It runs every single game that's out there at the moment butter-smoothly at highest details with highest anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering settings. Everything - Oblivion, Fallout 3, Dragon Age: Origins (until the game's memory leak sets in and I have to restart the game...), Risen,... Everything at 60-ish FPS, or more.

[Neko Jenny]

So how well should this system run games, exactly?

It'd run pretty much any game out there on max settings with good framerates. You'd probably have to turn down AA a bit in Crysis, but other than that it should be fine.

[Kahli St Dennis]

HDD: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822152181 - $55

Any particular reason you recommended that hard drive? I mean, one can get a good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 for less than double that price. But it's up to iGuess.

[Sian Ennis]

Any particular reason you recommended that hard drive? I mean, one can get a good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 for less than double that price. But it's up to iGuess.

Indeed, you should get a 1 TB HD now.

Personally, I strongly recommend http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284.

edit: Holy crap it turns out I've chosen the same HD as Antibody... Wasn't intentional, seriously.

[SiLa]

Any particular reason you recommended that hard drive? I mean, one can get a good http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284 for less than double that price. But it's up to iGuess.

It's cheaper and faster than/as fast as the 500GB Caviar Black and I don't personally need 1TB, so I didn't recommend it. If you need that much space it's a fine drive, but as far as HDDs go, there's always more space for "a couple extra bucks."

Two of the Spinpoint F3 500GB drives in RAID0 would be faster than the Caviar Black, offer the same amount of storage and stay in that price range.

[Vickytoria Vasquez]

It's cheaper and faster than/as fast as the 500GB Caviar Black and I don't personally need 1TB, so I didn't recommend it. If you need that much space it's a fine drive, but as far as HDDs go, there's always more space for "a couple extra bucks."

Two of the Spinpoint F3 500GB drives in RAID0 would be faster than the Caviar Black, offer the same amount of storage and stay in that price range.

How much faster would two in RAID0 be? I definitely need storage (I have a 1TB external that is almost completely full already), and HD speed is one of the most annoying factors for me with computers. I always manage to make my HD do so much work that even using firefox becomes difficult.

[D IV]

Here are HD Tune benchmarks for both:

http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/7244/1tbblackwe6.jpg

http://www.zen53583.zen.co.uk/benchmark.jpg

[Alexander Horton]

Guys, now I've got a question of my own... Can a CPU stop functioning if its temperature gets too... low? :-/

Apparently my case and CPU cooling combo is too badass and at the moment my CPU temp is 27?C! (Although it's idle at the moment, no doubt it will get hotter under load.) Can that be bad for the CPU?

Considering that some people overclock CPUs using dry ice, I don't think they can be "too cool".

[Bitter End]

Considering that some people overclock CPUs using dry ice, I don't think they can be "too cool".

Some chips may encounter a "cold bug" at certain temps where the CPU doesn't operate properly, if at all. You won't encounter it under normal conditions, only extreme cooling like DICE, phase or LN2. I know it effected the original Phenom lineup, believe it was fixed with the Phenom IIs. I also heard that 939 Opterons had it, I'm sure there are others.

[Multi Multi]

Some chips may encounter a "cold bug" at certain temps where the CPU doesn't operate properly, if at all. You won't encounter it under normal conditions, only extreme cooling like DICE, phase or LN2. I know it effected the original Phenom lineup, believe it was fixed with the Phenom IIs. I also heard that 939 Opterons had it, I'm sure there are others.

So 27?C is definitely safe? All right then.

[An Lor]

My speakers seem to have blown or, at least, gotten really crappy all of a sudden. They're a $50, 2.1 CyberAcoustic set and have lasted for a while (year and a half at least). The first issue was the bass adjustment knob screwed up and would set the bass to max unless I taped it off pulled to the left. Earlier this week, I noticed the sound seemed a bit off and I'm going to guess that the actual speakers may have shot.

So, what's a good bang-for-the-buck set of 2.1 speakers? I don't really have the right set-up to get surround sound, though I'd like to, but the way my computer desk is and my room is set up, surround sound just wouldn't work right.

Reposting this but I also have another question.

My manager has an HP Mini 1153NR that doesn't have a CD/DVD drive. She ordered it used off of EBay and it doesn't have Windows XP Home installed (the guy completely wiped the hard drive) but it has the serial code sticker on it.

I just checked the Boot Devices and the only one is the hard drive. If I used a USB CD drive, would it show up on the boot devices?

[nath]

My speakers seem to have blown or, at least, gotten really crappy all of a sudden. They're a $50, 2.1 CyberAcoustic set and have lasted for a while (year and a half at least). The first issue was the bass adjustment knob screwed up and would set the bass to max unless I taped it off pulled to the left. Earlier this week, I noticed the sound seemed a bit off and I'm going to guess that the actual speakers may have shot.

So, what's a good bang-for-the-buck set of 2.1 speakers? I don't really have the right set-up to get surround sound, though I'd like to, but the way my computer desk is and my room is set up, surround sound just wouldn't work right.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836121122

If those are too pricey, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16836157006, although they look a bit funky.

[Haley Cooper]

So I've just been putting together the parts Overclockers finally deigned to send me... And I'm lacking anything to connect the HDD and DVD drives to the motherboard. Great work there, Overclockers. Useless prats.