PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[echo1 0]

Does it provide any information as to why it wants a Flash update? If not, I would avoid it. Firmware upgrades of any kind for any appliance should be avoided like the plague, unless 100% necessary.

Im actually having a spot of Computer trouble myself... I was forced to turn off my PC during hard disk activity and I seem to have damaged the file structure on my hard disk. It hangs when loading windows, and hangs when examing the disk while loading up the recovery console. Question is, how can I use CHKDSK without recovery console or Windows?

EDIT: Nevermind, I ended up sorting the problem out withuse of Knoppix and Gparted. Thank God for Linux...

[operation madman 0]

I have a PX7600GT TDH and i put it in the computer and then start it and then the monitor said" no signal" The computer mouse keybord is all working exept the monitor.

here is my computer specs http://www.gateway.com/retail/gt5408.php

mine is american not canadian.

Pls help. And also if you dont now whats wrong then can you link me to a techinical support becuase I try dialing the manual tech but it is weird like this 883(0)2 8456 8268

That is not the number but that is how it looks like.

Pls help

[echo1 0]

First off, remove the card and then run it as normal just to make sure the PC is still fully operational. Then try plugging the card back and checking if it you get anything. Which port are you plugging the monitor cable into?

[HotShot 0]

Pls help. And also if you dont now whats wrong then can you link me to a techinical support becuase I try dialing the manual tech but it is weird like this 883(0)2 8456 8268

That is not the number but that is how it looks like.

Pls help

The 883 is the International code and the (0) is the bit you take out when dialing into another country. If your countrys international dialing code is the same as the 883 section then you add the 0 and dial the rest of the number but NOT the 883 bit, if that is not your country then you dial the 883 bit and the bit after the (0) but NOT the actual 0. See here.

Either way it will cost a crap load so better off trying to find an electronic means (email).

[xawery 0]

Hello gents,

I'm struggling with a dilemma and would like to hear your opinion.

My (outdated) gaming rig recently gave up the ghost. Apparantly replacing the CPU would fix the problem, but finding a socket A processor is quite hard nowadays. I could upgrade the Mobo to accomodate a newer processor, but then I might just as well purchase a brand new system.

I am thus faced with the question: should I build a new system or wait just a little longer? I should add that my late computer was for gaming purposes only. I have a laptop for work-related activities, so I'm not computer-less right now. In other words, buying a new rig is not a necessity.

I do, however, enjoy gaming. My old pc couldn't run ArmA, so if I went ahead and bought a new one I would certainly want to be able to play Armed Assault at high levels of quality. This is what worries me though. The game appears to be quite unstable and very capricious when it comes to certain bits of hardware. I really wouldn't know which GC to buy etc. Then there is the rumour that ArmA was actually developped for 'future hardware', in an effort to prolong its shelf-life. I don't know how much of this is true, but it does contribute to my waivering.

I was (and am) a die-hard OFP fan, but I'm not one of those people who want to play ArmA RIGHT NOW, at all costs. If waiting a little longer is the sensible thing to do, then I will do just that. If ArmA seems to be stable as it is, I might as well set up a new rig right now.

Please let me know what you think!

Regards,

Xawery

[echo1 0]

First off I have never heard of a dead CPU, unless you overclocked the thing, or the fan died, so its good that you didnt waste your money on replacing something that might actually be fully operational

Second, the only hot tech on the horizon the low cost Geforce 8 series cards (8600GT, 8600GTS) these are due to be released in about two weeks though so you dont have to wait long. Other than that - all technology is good to go. The only big thing on the way will be lower cost Quad core CPUs, but thats several months off and wont be essential tech till well after the current generation will be obsolete. ArmA runs fine on my PC at highish settings at high res, and I have a year and a half old PC that is midrange in power. Even a relatively decent midrange PC with current tech should be good. If you need advice on specifics, dont be afraid to ask for more advice. Are you self-building or buying?

[BlackScorpion 0]

My Athlon XP 3000+ died last summer... guess it overheated. Stock PC!

Bought a 1 gig block of RAM, 400 MHz DDR, thought it'd be enough... well, plugged it in aaaand guess what? Windows not starting. Took it off, all normal. Put it back, same thing. Took the old blocks off and tested just with the new one. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! NOT working.

Now I got the block in my bookshelf, got still about a week (bought it this Monday, 14-day money-back return period)...

[wex-q 0]

How many MBs is the old one, and which year is the computer from?

[BlackScorpion 0]

2003, it's a Scaleo 600... funny thing is that the description doesn't quite mach my machine. 2x 256 MB DDR blocks inside, and 1 free slot (3 total, that is)... so I have no idea what sorta motherboard my PC has!

[4 IN 1 0]

sometime old MB wont support newer rams with 400 FSB, some factorys might give you bios update to support newer rams but manys just doesnt give a shit....

added: is there any model no. or stuff like that to give you an idea what your MB is?

[echo1 0]

2003, it's a Scaleo 600... funny thing is that the description doesn't quite mach my machine. 2x 256 MB DDR blocks inside, and 1 free slot (3 total, that is)... so I have no idea what sorta motherboard my PC has!

The actual type of motherboard you have isnt quite as important as what Northbridge/Southbridge combo you have. once you know them, you know what drivers to get. They can be determined with CPU-Z

[wex-q 0]

I've got an OLD Pentium 3 comp, wich I use for surfing (and OFP from times to times ).

The motherboard can't handle memorysticks larger then 128mb, it gives a system-beep if I connect a 256mb, just as it would beep, if I for example, took out the GFX without uninstalling it first.

I wouldn't trust a site saying "guaranteed compatible", it can change over a few years.

But since they said it was guaranteed, demand them your money back, and a free memorystick that work, otherwise you'll sue them or something

[xawery 0]

First off I have never heard of a dead CPU, unless you overclocked the thing, or the fan died, so its good that you didnt waste your money on replacing something that might actually be fully operational

Second, the only hot tech on the horizon the low cost Geforce 8 series cards (8600GT, 8600GTS) these are due to be released in about two weeks though so you dont have to wait long. Other than that - all technology is good to go. The only big thing on the way will be lower cost Quad core CPUs, but thats several months off and wont be essential tech till well after the current generation will be obsolete. ArmA runs fine on my PC at highish settings at high res, and I have a year and a half old PC that is midrange in power. Even a relatively decent midrange PC with current tech should be good. If you need advice on specifics, dont be afraid to ask for more advice. Are you self-building or buying?

Thanks for the info, ch_123. I wouldn't want to waste time and effort putting a new pc together, just to miss some imminent, crucial development. I'm not actually putting it together myself; should I decide to buy a new system, it will be assembled by professionals.

Speaking of professionals, perhaps one of you wise chaps can help me out with the problem I'm having with my current rig. It may be old, but it's still perfectly capable of performing regular pc duties: word processing, image editing etc. etc. It would be a shame to throw it away if it can be fixed.

The problem I'm having is as follows. The pc starts up normally, but after some time (seconds, minutes, sometimes hours) it freezes completely. The monitor still gets a signal, but everything stops: the cursor, the clock, animations... When I restart it, it won't boot at all. Sometimes the friendly lady who seems to be trapped in my mobo shouts "system failed CPU test!!".

I performed the standard routine: opened it up, cleaned out the insides (I can't believe how quickly dust accumulates!. I cleaned the cpu fan thoroughly, took it off and cleaned the heatsink (which was filthy as hell). This seemed to help for 24 h or so, but after that the problem reoccured.

I did some searching on the internet and it appears that the "system failed CPU test" message is quite ambiguous. Apparantly, it can mean that the CPU is busted, or that the mobo is damaged, or something may be wrong with the psu. I really have no idea, so any suggestions would be appreciated. I could send it to the shop for a diagnosis, but I'd rather try finding out myself and saving myself the money.

Here are the specs (don't laugh, I said it was old!:

AMD Athlon XP 2200+

Asus A7V333 mobo

768 MB DDR Ram

GeForce Ti 4400

Thanks in advance for any advice.

[echo1 0]

Random crashing? Random parts not working as they should? Sounds like a PSU failure. If the CPU was dead the PC would refuse to turn on. A dead motherboard generally has a similar effect although it can vary. What sort of PSU have you got in your system?

[xawery 0]

Ah, forgot to add that. It's a relatively new PSU, as I had to replace the original. 300 W... That's all I have, can't find the name of the manufacturer anywhere.

[echo1 0]

Theres your problem Non-brand PSUs are synonomous with this sort of problem. What power rating is it? My advice is to get a good quality PSU. They can be quite expensive (€70+) but theyre a good investment.

[xawery 0]

Hmm, this scenario sound very plausible... But the possibility that it's something else persists. I'd rather not spend 70 EUR on something only to find out that wasn't it Hmm... is there any way to determine whether a PSU is functional? The fan works, voltage output is nominal and stable when I check in BIOS... If all else fails I'll just bring it to the shop, but I'd rather be able to do it myself of course... Being the cheapskate that I am :P

Incidentally, which PSU would you recommend? I'm considering the 650 W Sweex and the 450 W Coolermaster, found on this page.

[echo1 0]

Mmm...The best way to pinpoint the problem is to get a PSU from another working PC and use it with the computer. If you see the same problems then it may be a motherboard issue. Not sure what is the best course of action if you cant do that. There are apparently little tester units you can get for PSUs, though Im not sure how good they are.

PSU wise, my advice is always to buy a PSU from one of the big names, that way you know youre getting something good. I would count the big names as:

Antec

Hiper

Enermax

PC Power & Cooling

OCZ

Fortron Source/FSP

Seasonic

Tagan

Thermaltake

(Theres probably a few others, but these are the best ones)

Something like this should be good. It may cost more and have a lower power rating than the one you linked, but it would be much more reliable. Power Ratings on PSUs from smaller companies/non brand PSUs dont really mean much because they basically make the figure up Good name PSU companies dont. You may pay more, but you get something that lasts.

[xawery 0]

Thanks for all the advice ch_123. I would like to call your and others' wisdom in another matter. I've decided to buy a new computer en demote the one I have now to household status (once it's fixed, of course).

I aim to buy a computer which will last me for a while, while retaining the ability to run the latest games. The one I have has served me well for four years. Let's see if I can match that score with this new setup.

Seeing as I already possess a lot of required peripherals (monitor, DVD rewriter, mouse + keyboard) I'm only going to have to purchase certain elements. As said before, it will be assembled by certified professionals. Here's what I had in mind.

1. Case: Coolermaster Centurion 5. It has received many favourable reviews and it's not too expensive. Nice layout, good airflow, sleek design. Comes with house brand fans (one at the front, one at the back). These too have received good reviews. 49,95 EUR.

2. PSU: Coolermaster Real Power. 550 W. Powerful, but a bit noisy. Good test results. 99,95 EUR.

Mobo: Asus P5B. Has less features than the deluxe edition but still quite powerful. Has an Intel P965 Express chipset. Supposedly supports 1066 Mhz busspeed. Comes with an onboard sound card. Usually not a big fan of those, but I've never had trouble with Asus on board SCs. 129,95 EUR.

Video card: EVGA GeForce 8800GTS 320 MB. Very good reviews, appears to be quite powerful. Supposedly needs a PSU of 400+ W. Comes with a lifetime warranty. 299,95 EUR.

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600, 2.4 Ghz, 4 MB cache. I reason that there is little sense in getting something slower - CPU's aren't exactly easy to upgrade (usually requires a new mobo) so I might as well get the best now. 299,00 EUR.

Internal memory: 1024 MB APACER DDR333 PC2700 SoDimm, 2 sticks. 200 EUR.

That comes down to 1078,80 EUR. Have I omitted anything? Can I get better value for this kind of money? All advice is welcome.

Regards,

Xawery

[berghoff 11]

Is that mem DDR2 (240 pins)? You can only put DDR2 mem sticks on that mobo.

[dm 9]

DDR2 or not, using that old RAM will cripple your Conroe. Sure it'll be able to do a lot of calcs per second, but it wont be able to transfer that data to/from the RAM fast enough.

I know its more expense, but some better RAM will improve performance, and as Berghoff has pointed out, may even be necessary.

[xawery 0]

Good points gentlemen, I hadn't thought of that. Indeed, these mem sticks are incompatible with that mobo... How about Kingston 1024MB PC2-4200 DDRII CL4? DDR2, 240 pins, speed is 533 Mhz...

[echo1 0]

Can you get Pc-5300 RAM? Not much more money, but better performance.

[Shadow NX 1]

Ok time for me to also ask something here... should mention it first i just know enough about PCs to upgrade little things and have it work ( nearly ) perfect howeverim a total noob when it comes to all the numbers that designate certain parts and types of things like RAM... always was a pain for me to find the right types for upgrades...

So i plan to upgrade my PC a lil bit, main thing to get is bit more ram and a much better... erm... power unit ( whatever the english word may be... siomeone enlighten me there... ) cause my PC is freaky loud even if not in game mode.

Tried to track the noise a bit and indeed seems the power unit is the main problem... guess most pre configured PCs you can buy got rather lousy power units?

So i tend to get me the "be quiet!" Straight Power BQT E5-400W cause it seems to be very silent and rather cheap when you wage value for money.

Only thing im completely unsure about is the RAM... like i said i know nearly zero about the types and all i know is its PC3200 with 1024MB by G.Skill ( single bar ).

So is PC3200 anythign worth using for a gaming PC?

What are the possible options for better ram?

Whats a good and not to overpriced option?

Either i buy another bar or if the 3200 is shiite i better switch to two completely new 1024MB ram bars i think.

Honestly dont know too much about the system lets see what i can remember ( dont have the pc availeable atm to check ):

- Nvidia board

- 1024MB PC3200 Ram by G.Skill

- Nvidia 7800GTX 256MB

- Win XP Pro

- 250GB Samsung HD

Also how about the Graphics card?

So far it worked well with most new games on mid to high settings main porlem is still the ram on the system i guess.

[VictorTroska 0]

PSU: I preffer Seasonic (very quiet)

Memory: 2x of RAM PC-5300, 1024MB, DDR2, CRUCIAL Ballistix, DDR 667 is what i have atm,good price-great quality,recommendation.

PC3200 thats 400Mhz memory,kinda slow 4 todays requirements,its that ddr or ddr2?

Max memory Mhz supported by your MBO is?

Does it support DDR2 memory?