PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[echo1 0]

Its interesting that you heard bad reviews about that board, I would be interested in reading them myself before I recommend it again. I have read two good reviews on the net, and a friend of mine has a similar board (one that uses the older and inferior P31 chipset instead of the P45 which is the latest and greatest.) and he's had no problems (The decision to buy it was made on the fact that it also got good reviews). The rest looks grand. I havent read much about OCZ PSUs, I know that they bought PC Power & Cooling (Considered by many to be one of if not the best PSU manufacturer out there) and sell some of their PSUs as their high end models. Not sure what their run of the mill PSUs are like.

[Praelium 0]

Well, it got some bad user reviews on Newegg, but reviews on other sites say it's good.

http://www.phoronix.com/scan.ph....s&num=1

http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2325042,00.asp

http://www.thinkcomputers.org/index.php?x=reviews&id=814

I guess I'll go ahead and take my chances and buy it.

[echo1 0]

You'll always get a few people who got dodgy units, or messed something up because they were too lazy to read the manual properly. If its getting the thumbs up from the large hardware sites, then I would give it the benefit of the doubt.

[Shadow NX 1]

The PC works again, just wanted to say thanks to all who answered all my silly questions lately especially ch_123  

Indeed my USB ports were deactivated in bios... pretty bad if you only have a USB Keyboard at hand.

The PC itself started again as soon as we removed the bios battery for a few seconds, odd.

---

Btw, should a modern Harddisk be heareable?

I know there are things moving inside but the new Samsung Spinpoit 320GB i installed is lot louder than my old Western Digital Caviar, it sounds like some geiger counter with a not too loud but constant clickering when working.

But doesnt sound like the dead harddisk samples you can find on some manufacturers websites.

[BlackScorpion 0]

HP DV5-1095EO notebook

Screen: 15.4" TFT WXGA Bright View (1280x800)

GC: nVidia GeForce 9600M GT, 512 MB

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 (2.26 GHz, 3 MB cache)

RAM: 2 GB + 1 GB for a total of 3 GB, upgradeable to 4 if needed

HD: 320 GB/5400 rpm

Soundcard: 16-bit Soundblaster

Others: Bluetooth, WLAN a/g/n, 4x USB, Blu-Ray DVD+/-RW SuperMulti DL (?), eSATA, HDMI, RJ-45, VGA-out, 5-in-1 memory card reader, Windows Vista Home Premium

Battery: 6-cell Li-Ion

Price: 1060 €

Yes, as you can see I'm getting a laptop for general use and partly to replace this old 2003 table PC in gaming and picture editing... you can see the specs above, do you think it's any good or should I get something else? The price is pretty much the max I'm willing to pay.

[echo1 0]

Whilst I never quite got the idea of replacing a proper desktop "gaming machine" with a laptop, those specs look quite good. A 9600GT is a pretty powerful graphics unit, and even though its a mobile version, it should still be more than sufficient. My laptop has an 8400M GS, and it can play things like ArmA, WiC, Rome Total War and Red Orchestra at reasonable FPS at reasonable resolutions.

[BlackScorpion 0]

Well, thanks to the Finnish government, getting a powerful gaming PC now and even using it 2 days a week would be kinda... illogical. A powerful laptop and a good screen should do me good for a few years I guess...

[echo1 0]

Ah right, if circumstances dictate that you need a portable PC, that's alright. I just don't get people who decide that laptops just "look cool" and then proceed to try to use them as if they are regular computers, which causes no end of problems to them...

[456820 0]

I'm just wondering about dual monitors, is it worth to get them? I'm soon moving into a new room in my house and I wont have TV so I'm going tog et a TV tuner card for my computer and then watch TV on my computer but then I'll miss out on using my computer at the same time. So I'm thinking about getting a second monitor to have TV/films/games/videos etc on one screen and then doing all my usual stuff on the other.

It sees to be a lot cheaper to get two 17" monitors rather then getting one big 34" monitor.

Also how do I tell if my computer is able to run two monitors?

cheers.

[Mr_Tea 0]

I use an 32" HD ready LCD TV, only 1360x768 capable, but i love to use it instead of my 19" CRT Monitor on which i can play in 1600x1200. You can get some of that LCD TV`s relatively cheap, but take care it has an VGA or DVI port.

[echo1 0]

Generally most graphics cards have at least two outputs (usually VGA and DVI, although its dual DVI on modern cards) And if it has two outputs, it will support two monitors at the same time. I'm sure you can dedicate one screen to TV, depends on your software (both for the TV and the graphics drivers).

[Praelium 0]

Hey, it's me again, quick question. Will this DVD burner work with this motherboard?

DVDBurner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813152049

The rest of my specs are on the last page or two.

As far as I know they should work. The Motherboard has four SATA ports, and I only need one for the hard drive (I think, it might be IDE). I just want to make sure there's not anything I'm missing. The burner should also be able to read, write, and possibly rewrite CDs/DVDs.

[Mr_Tea 0]

Generally most graphics cards have at least two outputs (usually VGA and DVI, although its dual DVI on modern cards) And if it has two outputs, it will support two monitors at the same time. I'm sure you can dedicate one screen to TV, depends on your software (both for the TV and the graphics drivers).

I have one VGA and one DVI port, but could use two displays too.

But i`d rather go to one 42" LCD, if 1000 Euros for it where in my budget.

For the near future i`ll stay very happy with my 32" LCD, other updates do have priority above this.

[Shashman 0]

Hey, it's me again, quick question. Will this DVD burner work with this motherboard?

DVDBurner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813152049

The rest of my specs are on the last page or two.

As far as I know they should work. The Motherboard has four SATA ports, and I only need one for the hard drive (I think, it might be IDE). I just want to make sure there's not anything I'm missing. The burner should also be able to read, write, and possibly rewrite CDs/DVDs.

As long as that mobo has SATA connections, then yeah, but that's not a very good motherboard. It's low end, and even after just a few seconds of reading the user comments on it, I can see you'll have problems with it. Plus it's an AMD board and Intel CPUs are better atm.

[echo1 0]

I think he opted to get another board in the end (A Gigabyte EP45-DS3L)

[BraTTy 0]

Plus it's an AMD board and Intel CPUs are better atm.

Depends on your needs and costs

I quote a review I happened to read one day from a user that bought Phenom 9850's BE for his work:

Quote[/b] ]

This is an excellent Processor I now own two Pruchased by my company for more workstations one is running at 2.9Ghz and the other one at 3.0ghz. I also own two Q6600 system both OC'd to 3.0ghz. Other than the processors and motherboards the rest of the workstation components are basically identical. Both running giga-byte motherboard Intel=P35 and a AMD=790FX and both run two 10K Raptor 150GB Raid0 and all systems run 4ghz 1066 memory. In day to day work comparisons the AMD systems builds code faster as the AMD's seems to be superior to the Intels when it comes to multi-threaded applications (like compilers). For just about everthing else the Intels seem to be quicker but not by as much as some of the Intel fanboys say. If you buy this CPU make sure your motherboard can handle the higher current, and I cannot stress this enough, buy 1066 memory as it makes a noticable difference. Finally use the AMD overclocking utility as it really is the best way to get the most from these cpu's

They both have dropped prices so it really is more you spend faster you are.No matter which brand.....

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Kentsfield 2.4GHz 2 x 4MB L2 Cache LGA 775 Quad-Core Processor - Retail

$189.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6700 Kentsfield 2.66GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80562Q6700 - Retail

$269.99

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor Model BX80580Q9300 - Retail

$259.99

AMD Phenom 9850 BLACK EDITION 2.5GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 125W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

$169.00

AMD Phenom 9950 BLACK EDITION Agena 2.6GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 2MB L3 Cache Socket AM2+ 140W Quad-Core Processor - Retail

$173.99

Quote from user of 9950

Quote[/b] ]

I upgraded from Athlon x2 3600+ to E8400 (which is pretty fast and overclockable), then to this processor. Windows Index went from 5.7 to 5.9. I can't say it boot up my windows any faster, but definitely runs programs/graphics faster. I had the E8400 to 3.15 without a hitch and I have this at 2.9 without a hitch... BUT Phenom was a cheaper set up

Another

Quote[/b] ]

Good stuff so far. Overclocked to 3.0 easily with multi change....could go higher, but just playing safe.

Timed a multitrack .wav mixdown at exactly twice the speed of my old E6600 computer.....before I overclocked too.

I am just saying buy whichever you want...both are fast

[Praelium 0]

Hey, it's me again, quick question. Will this DVD burner work with this motherboard?

DVDBurner

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827151171

Motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/product/product.aspx?item=N82E16813152049

The rest of my specs are on the last page or two.

As far as I know they should work. The Motherboard has four SATA ports, and I only need one for the hard drive (I think, it might be IDE). I just want to make sure there's not anything I'm missing. The burner should also be able to read, write, and possibly rewrite CDs/DVDs.

As long as that mobo has SATA connections, then yeah, but that's not a very good motherboard. It's low end, and even after just a few seconds of reading the user comments on it, I can see you'll have problems with it. Plus it's an AMD board and Intel CPUs are better atm.

Yeah, that's my current motherboard. I'll be buying a new one sometime this month and using some of my old parts to rebuild a new computer. For the parts I'm not/haven't replaced, (case and optical drive), I need to buy for the second build.

[echo1 0]

I am just saying buy whichever you want...both are fast

It can also be argued that, since the Socket AM2/AM2+ will be forward compatible with any CPU that AMD is likely to come out with in the next 18-24 months, that a system designed around a socket AM2/AM2+ board might represent a more prudent investment. This is in contrast to the current Intel Socket 775 which will be replaced before the year is out, and thus no new CPUs will be made for it. Of course, there's still alot to be said for getting a Q6600 and a cheap P45-based motherboard, which will likely to last you at least 3 years if you don't plan on upgrading regularily. Depends on what your requirements are.

[Mr_Tea 0]

I´m planning to build an new system, hopefully before this year ends. The only thing that is sure is, that i`ll use my "old" SATA drives and and new AM2+ Board.

From 2 core Athlons to 4 core Phenoms every CPU can be used, so it`s easy to build an system with at low cost that can be upgraded later to the latest quad core CPU.

Try to do that with Intel CPU`s.

[echo1 0]

There's a good possibility that with the new integrated RAM controller on the Core i7 chips that we'll see an end to the status quo whereby everytime Intel comes out with a new chip or version of a chip they need a new chipset and motherboard... Then again, the integrated memory controller may have nothing to do with it and its just a case that AMD makes an effort to be more backwards compatible... Time will tell.

[Shadow NX 1]

Been a while since i last had a PC problem and as i fear you guys could miss me and my problems heres a new one

System:

Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-MA78G-DS3H (rev. 1.0) ( AM2+ )

CPU: AMD Phenom X4 9850 BE

Cooler: Zalman 9500 LED universal

GPU: AMD / ATI Sapphire HD4870

RAM: Corsair Dominator DDR2 1066, 2 x 1024MB Module

OS: WinXP Pro + SP2

HD: Samsung Spinpoint F1 320Gb

PSU: Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 550 Watts

All Drivers are the latest availeable ones including a actual BIOS version.

The system is running and all works well exept one weird thing, from time to time the system tends to suddently reboot the PC.

It happens total randomly and isnt connected to gaming or something.

Sometimes nothing happens the whole day and on other days i have 2 reboots within a few hours.

As i said its really random, sometimes when i look trough some folders under windows and sometimes shortly after i started a game, either right when the game starts or shortly after the first splashscreens.

Most of the time once it rebooted it runs fine for hours and hours.

Reboots tend to happen mostly within the first 30mins after i started the PC

---

Was thinking it may be heat because all new parts in the old case are lil hotheads and theres quite some heat in the case which is pretty noticeable when i open the drives.

However if it was Heat or PSU connected shouldnt it happen especially when i play demanding games and not while browsing folders under windows?

Because once the PC runs i can play things like Crysis Warhead in Ultra Mode without a problem or reboot so heat or power doesnt seem to be the prob, and judging by the calculator page that was posted here the 550Watts PSU should be enough for all components.

---

Could it maybe be a faulty HD?

Because the new Spinpoint is fast but also pretty loud when it works like soem muffled geiger counter sound... the old Western Digital Caviar ( 250GB ) HD i had was rather silent.

Next guess may be ram but im either to stupid to use it but memtest86 doesnt work for me, especiall because i lack a floppy drive and it seems a USB stick wont do.

Also the Samsung HD test tools wont even start, hmm.

So once more im clueless.

[VictorTroska 0]

Shadow, still got problems ? Even with new configuration ?

...guess bad luck

1) Check your HDD with HD Tune

2) Check your memory with Memtest86+

-you will need to format your USB flash drive with this utility HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool ( also download Windows 98 system files from that site )

-after you format your flash drive and put memtest on it, go to bios and set your flash drive to boot 1st

-now you can run memtest

...also there is an option to burn memtest to cd, or to test your memory if you have linux cd (ubuntu or similar), or to download Hiren's BootCD...whatever you like

Btw is there BSOD prior to the reboot ?

If so please do this:

-In the System Properties window click on the 'Advanced' tab

-Under 'Startup and Recovery' click the 'Settings' button

-Now in the Startup and Recovery window, under 'System Failure' remove the check form the 'Automatically Restart' checkbox

-Next click 'OK' then click 'OK' in the System Properties window for the changes to take effect

BSOD displays information about the error that occurred, but now you have more time to write it down.

------------------

Can you please go to your Event Viewer and look for errors in system log

Here's the guide how to do it :

Link

[Lepardi 0]

With my last AMD setup it did the same, and it was the CPU clocks which were too high (stock clocks), even though the thermals were good.

I had to underclock it to get it stable.

[echo1 0]

Could it maybe be a faulty HD?

Because the new Spinpoint is fast but also pretty loud when it works like soem muffled geiger counter sound... the old Western Digital Caviar ( 250GB ) HD i had was rather silent.

I can't add much that VictorTroska didnt already throw in, but I would point out that a dead HD is very unlikely. Hard drive errors (at least the ones that I have seen) tend to be characterized by errors and lock ups when you attempt to access files on the hard drive, or BSODs during boot up. But you're saying that the computer works fine for 30 mins and then just resets? Doesnt really sound like a dead HD to me.

Hard drives will make a variety of different noises depending on make an model. A clicking noise can be associated with a dead hard drive alright, but I'm not sure if this is what's going on here. Make sure the drive is completely secured within the case (sounds like stating the obvious, but just to make sure).

Also, download a utility called "Speedfan". This will allow you to monitor your CPU temp inside Windows. I'd keep this running in the background while you use your PC, and check it every five minutes or so. Another question that pops into mind - does the rebooting thing depend on what youre running? Does it only happen when youre inside a game or will it happen when youre on the net or listening to music or the like?

[Shadow NX 1]

At first thanks to you both for the suggestions especially on how to booth with the usb stick.

About the reboots, well yesterday i was only a few % from upgrading the pc with my foot in the case... 3 reboots in one hour.

THe first two happened when i loaded ArmA and then went to the editor to take some screens of the new wip mari... ( already said too much ) and tried to acess the vilas weapon crate.

Tried it again after reboot and the same happened.

Then i used the HDD test tool posted before and was lsurfing the net meanwhile and bang another reboot.

As soon as the screen gets dark and i hear the typical swooosh sound that the HD4870 makes on startup i could go maniac,... its like its laughing at me :/

Ram error doesnt seem totally unlikely?

Well i will try and run all tests i can find on all parts and then well see.

About the HDD noise, well, doesnt soudn like the test sounds of broken HDDs on some manufactuere websites and the sound only happens when it really has to acess bigger files.

Sound slike a typical workign HDD but quite a bit louder than im used to, checked soem friends PCs and they are all more silent.

The HDD itself is just mounted in the quick mounting plastic rails that came with the case so new screws there