[Elizabeth Davis]

So guys I'm looking for a new graphic card, while I can handle that on my own (and with a little help from my friends who knows about that stuff), I'm looking for some help about might getting a new motherboard.
My current motherboard is a Nvidia nForce 710a, the problem i am facing is that, I can't seem to find any specs on that motherboard anywhere. When I google it, only driver updates show up, there is nothing about the specs on the motherboard.

What I'm wondering about is if I need a new motherboard if I want a newer graphic card or if I can keep using my current motherboard? Or if you guys know about a site where I at least can find the specs on the motherboard?
My PC is from 2009, and my current graphic card is a NVIDIA GeForce GT 120.

[Dalton Greynolds]

So guys I'm looking for a new graphic card, while I can handle that on my own (and with a little help from my friends who knows about that stuff), I'm looking for some help about might getting a new motherboard.
My current motherboard is a Nvidia nForce 710a, the problem i am facing is that, I can't seem to find any specs on that motherboard anywhere. When I google it, only driver updates show up, there is nothing about the specs on the motherboard.

What I'm wondering about is if I need a new motherboard if I want a newer graphic card or if I can keep using my current motherboard? Or if you guys know about a site where I at least can find the specs on the motherboard?
My PC is from 2009, and my current graphic card is a NVIDIA GeForce GT 120.

You can keep your motherboard:
http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/53752/LC_nForce_AMD_web.pdf

[Paul Rice]

Is there like a USB hub that is constructed as a box that places the flash drives INSIDE of it to protect the drive from being yanked out and damaged?

[jessica Villacis]

Is there like a USB hub that is constructed as a box that places the flash drives INSIDE of it to protect the drive from being yanked out and damaged?

There are adapters for http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815201028

Never heard of an enclosure for your ports on the outside, though.

One way to do it: if you have an empty drive bay you can run USB extension cables from the adapter linked above to the opening for the bay. Assuming your bay has a hinged front flap you can use that empty bay for the same purpose. Alternatively you can build one yourself on top of your boxes.

The reason I don't think anyone does this is USB devices come in all sorts of sizes, so it isn't really practical to make an enclosure around the ports. Also most ports are in the front or in the back. If you make a decent-sized enclosure in the front, you run the risk of someone running into it and damaging the computer as a whole -- better to just damage a single device than the entire computer. Such an enclosure could also cause problems with signal strength for wireless USB devices.

[Sarah Edmunds]

I'm talking about something like what he's saying. (no idea what it is)

http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=3133

Now, my dongle is INSIDE my mac pro on an internal usb port I've had installed. And I only take it out when I go on the road. When on the road, I hold my heart in my mouth on a daily basis...

[Nick Jase Mason]

I'm talking about something like what he's saying. (no idea what it is)

http://www.steinberg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=81&t=3133

That's the header-pin USB adapter I linked to. It goes inside your case. Not really viable for constant swapping, but if you have something you always leave plugged in, or you run extension cables to an unused bay, it can be useful.

[Ella Loapaga]

That's the header-pin USB adapter I linked to. It goes inside your case. Not really viable for constant swapping, but if you have something you always leave plugged in, or you run extension cables to an unused bay, it can be useful.

What if I'm using one of these instead of a case?

http://www.highspeedpc.com/

[Taylah Illies]

A Core2Duo 6700 2.66 GHZ. How bad is that?

The GTX 580 would be a waste of money with that processor. It's still a good CPU today, but that would just hold back the card too much to be worth it. Even the GTX 570 would be held back, but not as bad. The GTX 560Ti would be better suited for that processor tbh, but you'll probably consider the GTX 570.

So guys I'm looking for a new graphic card, while I can handle that on my own (and with a little help from my friends who knows about that stuff), I'm looking for some help about might getting a new motherboard.
My current motherboard is a Nvidia nForce 710a, the problem i am facing is that, I can't seem to find any specs on that motherboard anywhere. When I google it, only driver updates show up, there is nothing about the specs on the motherboard.

What I'm wondering about is if I need a new motherboard if I want a newer graphic card or if I can keep using my current motherboard? Or if you guys know about a site where I at least can find the specs on the motherboard?
My PC is from 2009, and my current graphic card is a NVIDIA GeForce GT 120.

If you're already using a GT 120, which should be a PCI-E card, then you shouldn't have problems running other PCI-E cards...doubt you need to change the board.

[Eve(G)]

What if I'm using one of these instead of a case?

http://www.highspeedpc.com/

It plugs onto your motherboard/some PCI cards, so wherever that is is where it'll be. It'll be as enclosed as your setup for your motherboard permits.

[Hayley Bristow]

You can keep your motherboard:
http://www.nvidia.com/docs/IO/53752/LC_nForce_AMD_web.pdf

If you're already using a GT 120, which should be a PCI-E card, then you shouldn't have problems running other PCI-E cards...doubt you need to change the board.

Ah, thanks to both of you, that .pdf file is great.

I'm very blank on this kinda stuff so... Modern cards are PCI-E cards, right? I'm looking at a GeForce GTX 460, it looks somewhat cheap but still good, from what little knowledge I have about this stuff. So, areGeForce GTXs PCI-E cards?

[Connie Thomas]

The GTX 580 would be a waste of money with that processor. It's still a good CPU today, but that would just hold back the card too much to be worth it. Even the GTX 570 would be held back, but not as bad. The GTX 560Ti would be better suited for that processor tbh, but you'll probably consider the GTX 570.

Ah, and now the question shifts to whether or not I'm willing to upgrade my processor in the future. I'm aware that my processor is also a bit old and obsolete. Honestly, my motherboard probably is too (the XPS 700 had a problem where the mobo was not compatible with more recent processors. They did upgrade them for free, but I never did it- however, I did get it swapped out as part of a repair, and I don't know if they gave me the new one).

Right now, I'm graduating from college and it's also my birthday soon, so I have a little money to throw around. My computer can only handle DX9, and I want that to change. But once I get a little more money in the bank after this, the processor is the next thing my upgrade spree will target (if my motherboard has to be eliminated as collateral damage, all the better- I want PCI-E 2 and DDR3+ support).

[Naughty not Nice]

I'm looking for a 1080p monitor that features a nice stand that can easily be rotated for viewing in portrait mode. Seems like an uncommon feature reserved for high-end screens, as all I know of are Dell's UltraSharp line, and the U2211H at $230 is a bit out of my price range right now.

Budget tops out at around $180, 22" or larger would be nice. If there's nothing in that price range, perhaps a third-party stand that offers what I need?

[Thomas LEON]

Ah, thanks to both of you, that .pdf file is great.

I'm very blank on this kinda stuff so... Modern cards are PCI-E cards, right? I'm looking at a GeForce GTX 460, it looks somewhat cheap but still good, from what little knowledge I have about this stuff. So, areGeForce GTXs PCI-E cards?

Yes, the GTX 460 is a PCI-E 2.0 x16 card...it'll work fine with your board. Just make sure your power supply is adequate enough for the upgrade and also make sure your processor isn't slooooow.

Ah, and now the question shifts to whether or not I'm willing to upgrade my processor in the future. I'm aware that my processor is also a bit old and obsolete. Honestly, my motherboard probably is too (the XPS 700 had a problem where the mobo was not compatible with more recent processors. They did upgrade them for free, but I never did it- however, I did get it swapped out as part of a repair, and I don't know if they gave me the new one).

Right now, I'm graduating from college and it's also my birthday soon, so I have a little money to throw around. My computer can only handle DX9, and I want that to change. But once I get a little more money in the bank after this, the processor is the next thing my upgrade spree will target (if my motherboard has to be eliminated as collateral damage, all the better- I want PCI-E 2 and DDR3+ support).

Motherboards continue to be proprietary with Dell's cases...either it's a Dell compatible mobo or a new case or both (meaning new PC almost). Now if you have the original XPS 700 mobo, it will support up to a Core 2 Quad QX6800 with latest BIOS. The Q6600 and Q6700 are options, but these are older quads and are considered quite expensive these days if you were to buy them new. I'd shop for a used Q6600 or Q6700 if you're in this boat....might get lucky at the for sale forums at overclock.net. I believe this board allows overclocking too and the Q6600 can overclock quite a bit

If you have the XPS 720 board (the upgrade one that you missed), that board supports the Wolfdale Core 2 Duos and a few of the Yorkfield Quads as well up to a Q9550 I think. This board would be more desirable as the Wolfdale and Yorkfield CPUs are still quite powerful.

Not entirely sure the model number breakdown between the two boards, but you can run CPU-Z and see what model number comes up in the Mainboard tab:
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

I'm looking for a 1080p monitor that features a nice stand that can easily be rotated for viewing in portrait mode. Seems like an uncommon feature reserved for high-end screens, as all I know of are Dell's UltraSharp line, and the U2211H at $230 is a bit out of my price range right now.

Budget tops out at around $180, 22" or larger would be nice. If there's nothing in that price range, perhaps a third-party stand that offers what I need?

Nothing worth mentioning in that price range, but this might be handy:
http://www.amazon.com/Ergotron-33-310-060-Neoflex-Stand-Black/dp/B000FLXW90/ref=dp_cp_ob_e_title_0

$150 for this LED:
http://www.amazon.com/ViewSonic-VX2250WM-LED-21-5-Inch-Widescreen-Integrated/dp/B003HFCDLY/ref=sr_du_1_map?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1305102190&sr=1-1

[jadie kell]

Just bought a i7-2600, 3.4Ghz, 8MB cache, LGA1155, 95w Cpu, was wondering what ASUS motherboard would be best matched for it.

Was looking at the ASUS P8P67-M LGA 1155 SATA 6Gbps and USB 3.0 Supported Intel P67 DDR3 2200 Micro ATX Motherboard, but if there is a better option I would like some opinions.

(Price isn't much of an issue at this point).

Regards
GS

[Kelly Upshall]

@Golden Sabre: P8P67 Pro.

[Laura Wilson]

@Golden Sabre: P8P67 Pro.

Cheers iGuess

[oliver klosoff]

I'm in serious need of some expert advice.

I have dual Intel SSDs in my laptop with 320GB space and tonight I was trying to clean out some space by uninstalling old programs, moving unnecessary files to external drive, etc.

That's when I discovered my drive is harboring a ginormous WTF 16GB file called pagefile.sys

Naturally I googled this to figure out why my pagefile is so freaking huge, only to stumble upon what is apparently the most controversial issue since Team Edward vs. Team Jacob LOL... There are so many forum posts out there saying pagefile needs to be the same size as your RAM, or larger. Others argue that you should reduce the size it if you have more than 8GB RAM.

What do you guys suggest? Can I reduce it? I frequently work with extremely large outdoor advertising image files in Photoshop, as well as video files in video, motion graphics and disc authoring apps such as Avid, After Effects, Encore, Netblender, Sonic Scenarist, etc. However, IIRC, I don't think I've ever maxed out current processes to my total RAM which is 16GB. I seem to recall seeing my memory in use get up to around 8-10GB on occasion according to task manager.

Can I reduce the pagefile size to 4GB? 8GB? Do I need to keep it at 16GB?

Here are my specs:
Envy 15 laptop
CPU: i7-820QM 1.73GHz - 3.06GHz turbo
GPU: 1GB AMD 5830M
Memory: 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM
Primary Drive: 320GB Dual Intel X18 G2 SSD in Raid0 (160GB x 2)
Display: 1920x1080
Ports: USB 3.0, eSATA, HDMI
Dimensions: 14.96" (H) x 9.60" (W) x 1.04" thick (2.64 cm)
Weight: 5.15 lbs

[laila hassan]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Eee+Pad+Transformer+Tablet+/+NVIDIA+Tegra+2+Processor+/+10.1%22+Display+/+16GB+Storage+Memory+-+Brown/Black/2475916.p?id=1218329537880&skuId=2475916

Asus - Eee Pad Transformer Tablet / NVIDIA Tegra 2 Processor / 10.1" Display / 16GB Storage Memory - Brown/Black

[Kat Lehmann]

I'm in serious need of some expert advice.

I have dual Intel SSDs in my laptop with 320GB space and tonight I was trying to clean out some space by uninstalling old programs, moving unnecessary files to external drive, etc.

That's when I discovered my drive is harboring a ginormous WTF 16GB file called pagefile.sys

Naturally I googled this to figure out why my pagefile is so freaking huge, only to stumble upon what is apparently the most controversial issue since Team Edward vs. Team Jacob LOL... There are so many forum posts out there saying pagefile needs to be the same size as your RAM, or larger. Others argue that you should reduce the size it if you have more than 8GB RAM.

What do you guys suggest? Can I reduce it? I frequently work with extremely large outdoor advertising image files in Photoshop, as well as video files in video, motion graphics and disc authoring apps such as Avid, After Effects, Encore, Netblender, Sonic Scenarist, etc. However, IIRC, I don't think I've ever maxed out current processes to my total RAM which is 16GB. I seem to recall seeing my memory in use get up to around 8-10GB on occasion according to task manager.

Can I reduce the pagefile size to 4GB? 8GB? Do I need to keep it at 16GB?

Here are my specs:
Envy 15 laptop
CPU: i7-820QM 1.73GHz - 3.06GHz turbo
GPU: 1GB AMD 5830M
Memory: 16GB 1333MHz DDR3 RAM
Primary Drive: 320GB Dual Intel X18 G2 SSD in Raid0 (160GB x 2)
Display: 1920x1080
Ports: USB 3.0, eSATA, HDMI
Dimensions: 14.96" (H) x 9.60" (W) x 1.04" thick (2.64 cm)
Weight: 5.15 lbs

Nope, that's totally normal. It's true that if the page file gets too big it starts to yield diminishing returns due to lousy HDD seek latency (among other things). This is reduced significantly with an SSD, and IMO 16GB isn't unreasonable for a system with 16GB of RAM anyway. My systems only have 8GB of RAM and I set the page file to 12GB. Since you're using SSD's you don't really even need to worry about fragmentation of the page file. I'd leave it alone.

[Horse gal smithe]

Motherboards continue to be proprietary with Dell's cases...either it's a Dell compatible mobo or a new case or both (meaning new PC almost). Now if you have the original XPS 700 mobo, it will support up to a Core 2 Quad QX6800 with latest BIOS. The Q6600 and Q6700 are options, but these are older quads and are considered quite expensive these days if you were to buy them new. I'd shop for a used Q6600 or Q6700 if you're in this boat....might get lucky at the for sale forums at overclock.net. I believe this board allows overclocking too and the Q6600 can overclock quite a bit

If you have the XPS 720 board (the upgrade one that you missed), that board supports the Wolfdale Core 2 Duos and a few of the Yorkfield Quads as well up to a Q9550 I think. This board would be more desirable as the Wolfdale and Yorkfield CPUs are still quite powerful.

Not entirely sure the model number breakdown between the two boards, but you can run CPU-Z and see what model number comes up in the Mainboard tab:
http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html

Yeah, I ran CPU-Z a couple days ago just to see what it said. It would appear that I unfortunately missed the upgrade, even with my repair, as my model number is that of the 700, not the 720. So, drat. When I do plan to upgrade my processor, I'll need to either find a new mobo and possibly case (which is unfortunate, because I rather like my case, which is plated with steel).

[-__^]

Thinking of upgrading to windows 7 on my gaming PC so am just wondering which would be best 32 bit or 64 bit.

[Kate Schofield]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Asus+-+Eee+Pad+Transformer+Tablet+/+NVIDIA+Tegra+2+Processor+/+10.1%22+Display+/+16GB+Storage+Memory+-+Brown/Black/2475916.p?id=1218329537880&skuId=2475916

Asus - Eee Pad Transformer Tablet / NVIDIA Tegra 2 Processor / 10.1" Display / 16GB Storage Memory - Brown/Black

$399 for base model and another $150 for keyboard add-on that has an extended battery pack as well giving 16 hours. Aside from the touchscreen, screen size, and slightly longer battery life, this is pretty much notebook prices but without a DVD drive and dedicated HDD. To me, I can get an 13.3" Asus notebook that has 12-13 hour battery life and just has more features and is waaaay more powerful than this tablet. So these just don't make sense to me, but hey...that's me.

Played around with my buddy's Transformer the other day...it's nice I suppose. I tend to see no need for a tablet for myself so my opinion may somewhat be biased because to me, it's a toy. Right now, it's the best tablet for the money currently and gives the iPad a run for its money. They're apparently in low supply right now too, unable to meet demand. If you just have to have a tablet, it's the one to get. Otherwise, even a netbook makes more sense to me to have and can be had cheaper.

Thinking of upgrading to windows 7 on my gaming PC so am just wondering which would be best 32 bit or 64 bit.

64 bit is a must just for the sake of addressing more than 3.25 GB of RAM.

[DAVId MArtInez]

Close enough to be closed.


New thread:
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1188969-the-community-tech-thread-no-100/