PC Discussion Thread - All PC related in here.

[Supernova 0]

Geek Squad lol. You actually had to call in the stores geek squad. For cpu coolers just get a OCZ VENDETTA 2. Btw I've been checking out the Antec 1200 and thats a beautiful case even better than the COSMOS-S in temps etc...

[SHWiiNG 0]

Whan Nforce motherboards are there for AMD processers..

If i can get one in the UK then i can make one monster of a PC when i upgrade this summer.

[Supernova 0]

Go for the Asus Crosshair II formula. It is nforce 780a (a means amd , i means Intel).

[froggyluv 2136]

Quote[/b] ]Geek Squad lol. You actually had to call in the stores geek squad.

Hehe- I just moved back to the States from the Carribean and was in desperate measures as I didn't have my normal Jungle Geek posse at hand for comfort  

[echo1 0]

Whan Nforce motherboards are there for AMD processers..

If i can get one in the UK then i can make one monster of a PC when i upgrade this summer.

Why AMD? AT the moment, Intel's CPUs are considered to be better across the board. And why an nForce board in particular? The 780 chipset boards as suggested above cost about €250, and aren't worth that at all.

[Balschoiw 0]

Grr...

My DVD drive wasn´t operating properly for quite a while now. It had no problems reading CD´s and burning them, but any DVD I inserted didn´t get recognized.

I recently decided to buy a new one, a LG H55 DVD Drive.

I replaced the "defect" one with it and to my surprise it still doesn´t work. Same error. DVD´s are not recognized.

Sometimes the drive isn´t even listed as a DVD-RAM drive in windows explorer. It´s simply listed as a CD-drive. Unistalling the drivers , the hardware, replacing the cables, changing Auto-play options, etc haven´t had any impact at all.

I can´t believe that the drive itself is malfunctioning as it´s brandnew and the error is exactly the same as with the old drive.

I also clocked the comp back to normal speed with no effect.

Booting computer in safe-mode also showed no effect.

I´m using Windows XP SP2,

Asus A7V-600X latest BIOS

AMD Athlon XP 3000+ running @ 2400 Mhz

I will remove the drive and test it in another computer.

Could it be that there is a problem with Windows drivers for the DVD-drives as it uses the standard Windows XP drivers ?

There are no separate drivers available for the drive.

[echo1 0]

Generally, most drives are plug and play, so drivers aren't really an issue. I used to have problems like this. It was due to a dodgy installation of windows, and went away when I reinstalled. I'm afaid to say it, but that's probably the next thing you should try.

[Balschoiw 0]

Ok, I tested the drive in another computer and it works without any problems there. What I have noticed with the other computer I used to test the drive with is that if I have a DVD in the drive and boot the computer the drive blinks and seems to recognize the DVD while in my usual computer the drive doesn´t stop blinking as the DVD is not recognized.

Could it be that my power-supply could cause this ?

[echo1 0]

I would doubt it. If its able to give power to the DVD drive it should be fine. PSU failures tend to manifest themselves in causing the computer to lock up or restart at random. I've never heard a PSU doing anything like that. Is the drive IDE or SATA?

[Balschoiw 0]

IDE

As I said the strange thing is that even before/during Windows is booting the other comp seems to accept and read the DVD while my primary comp doesn´t do that and keeps blinking. Hmmm...

I guess I need a bootable DVD to be able to determine the error.

But where to get such...

Edit:

I´m still opting to reinstall windows but this gets along with a lot of data backup and stuff...or is there a way to install a fresh version over the exisiting one on the fly ?

[echo1 0]

IDE

As I said the strange thing is that even before/during Windows is booting the other comp seems to accept and read the DVD while my primary comp doesn´t do that and keeps blinking. Hmmm...

I guess I need a bootable DVD to be able to determine the error.

But where to get such...

Edit:

I´m still opting to reinstall windows but this gets along with a lot of data backup and stuff...or is there a way to install a fresh version over the exisiting one on the fly ?

Hi,

If you need an example of a bootable DVD, I would download the installation ISO for Fedora 9 (select the i386 DVD, direct download), the Linux distribution. You don't need to know how to use Linux, it would be just sufficient to have a bootable DVD to test your theory.

I'm afraid you cant install over an old installation of Windows, you will have to back up everything before trying it. I know its a pain in the arse, but its the only way you can rule out any problems with Windows as the cause of it. Is the DVD drive on a different IDE cable to the hard drive?

EDIT: If you know someone who has a PC that came with Windows Vista, you could try booting the Vista installer, which would save you downloading a 3GB DVD ISO.

[VictorTroska 0]

You could backup whole C: partition with Acronis True Image, then reinstall OS to see if thats the problem, if not just restore your partition back.

Oh btw, did u try to put new firmware:

Quote[/b] ]------------------

Version History

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

v105

- Improved media support

v103

- Improved DVD recording

v102

- Improved playability for CPRM media.

- Reduced playback noise of DVD movies.

v101

- Improved disc readability.

U can download it here:

Firmware

What kind of media/brand do u use?

[Hoot1988 0]

hmm i had this problem last year.

a strig of problems that had stared with a CD drive ot reading DVDs which i sorted by getting a SATA drive instead of a normal one, and i thought my video card/ram was being funny. it all came doewn in the end to my otherboard after id spent hundreds on new hardwear.

so im just saying it COULD be your motherboard.

[Supernova 0]

Sshwing , I have to agree with ch_123 here. Unless you are on a really strict and tight budget I would go with Intel quad core's on a 790i or X48 motherboard.

[echo1 0]

Oh btw, did u try to put new firmware:

...

U can download it here:

Firmware

What kind of media/brand do u use?

Make 100% sure you get the right firmware, taking into account what country you bought it in, and what Revision (if any) the drive is. It's very easy to kill something if you use the wrong one. At any rate, taking everyone's suggestion into account, you should try the following in this order:

1) Try booting from a Vista or Linux installation DVD to see if its a hardware problem.

2) Try updating firmware.

3) (If the previous steps don't do anything) Try reinstalling XP.

4) Look to possible problems with the PSU or Motherboard.

[Balschoiw 0]

Firmware is up to date already.

I´m currently backing up the windows partition and will reinstall XP after that.

[echo1 0]

Did you try the bootable DVD though?

[Balschoiw 0]

No, right now I don´t have access to a medium of that sort and a download is out of question because of my bad internet connection

[echo1 0]

Right-oh. Anyway, a fresh installation of Windows will tell you quite quickly whether the problem is hardware related or not. Let us know how it goes.

[Balschoiw 0]

Fresh XP SP2 install, still the same problem. Next week I will test with a different PSU that I can borrow from a friend.

If that also fails I know that it´s a motherboard malfunction...

[froggyluv 2136]

Well I haven't won my claim on my destroyed PC's insurance yet but thinking optimistically I'm looking at building a new PC again. Problem is, I've been out of the tech. loop for a while now and these new CPU's ie. Quad's vs. Dual's; VGA's ie. 8800 vs 9800 vs 280x?!? etc..

Basically I'm looking to build a damn good second tier high-end system primarily for playing Arma\Arma2 for under $1500 U.S.

With the research I've done so far the E8400 looks like a winner at $190.00 U.S but should I go Quad?

Mobo's are tough to research there are so many but so far the X48 series seem to be a great card and NewEgg's got one for 225.00 US

As far as VGA, I had an 8800GT 512 that was nice and I think I'd stay in that tier although maybe upping to GTS but honestly don't know much about the newer cards and their impact on Arma.

Of course Ram,PSU,HD,Coolant etc are important but I'm primarily in need of feedback for the top 3.

All feedback appreciated

[Supernova 0]

Hi froggy , If you really want to go for a quad core I would suggest going with the AMD X4 Phenom 9850 BE. Its the top of the line model and costs about 230+. Now for video card I would suggest going with either the 9800 GTX/+ or the Radeon HD 4850/4870. If you want Intel based then Rampage Formula (Asus) and its DDR2 so it will save you a ton of cash. I would not get a GTX 260 ,its just not enough bang for the buck.

[Supernova 0]

If you insist on going for Intel based CPU's then I would choose a Q6600, Q6700 , Q9300 or Q9450. All depends whether you are looking to overclock. I would not choose GIGABYTE X48 boards as they are poorly designed and arranged. In terms of memory you should definitely choose OCZ/Corsair or Crucial and cooler : OCZ Vendetta 2.

[echo1 0]

Froggyluv,

Here's some stuff;

CPU: Core 2 Quad Q6600 (Dual cores are slightly faster, but you get more out of Quad cores in the long run)

RAM: Anything by OCZ or Corsair, 2GB is the best unless you want to get Vista 64. Don't bother with DDR3 because its too expensive to justify the negligible speed gains.

Motherboard: Brands; ASUS, Gigabyte and Abit are the best. The best chipsets are either the X48 or the P45. Basically, see what you can afford and read reviews. One Im looking at for my next upgrade is the Gigabyte X48-DQ6.

Graphics Card: The 8800GT or 8800GTS 512 are pretty good, but with the new cards coming out, a cheap version of the 9800GTX is going to be coming out soon.

Universal;

Quote[/b] ]I would not choose GIGABYTE X48 boards as they are poorly designed and arranged.

Really? Because when I read reviews of Gigabyte's X48 boards, they were all in unanimous praise of them. Perhaps you would like to share your sources with us?

Quote[/b] ]AMD X4 Phenom 9850 BE

Why oh why would anyone want to use those? More heat, more energy, less speed, less overclocking ability. Thats before we consider that by and large, the chipsets for Intel CPUs are better than those for AMD CPUs, which has impacts on the system overall. Not so long ago, you were spamming on various boards accusing people of being AMD fanboys, sudden change of heart I see :P

[Supernova 0]

P45 is a downgraded version of the X48. It is not worth considering. ch_123 I would go for a 9850 BE or even a 9950 BE if I was on a tight budget. Btw DDR3 is justified at above 1600mhz but it gets real expensive there. Also I embrace AMD/ATI/NVIDIA/INTEL so I am not a fanboy.