Recent content by darbius

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    Is there a way to buy XP 64 out of the trial?

    Okay, so the time has come for brother in law to enter the key for a legitimate version of Windows XP Pro x64. There doesn't seem to be any clear way to purchase it from Microsoft (they just show you all the vista stuff), but more importantly, even when he does get his hands on a key it is not...
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    Photoshop Graphics Hardware Requirements

    I have done a little research on this, but since I trust the people on this forum I thought I would ask here just to confirm everything I've seen. I have a fellow employee who is getting a new computer who will be using Photoshop, Illustrator, and Adobe in addition to other MS office...
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    Is there a way to buy XP 64 out of the trial?

    So I put together a computer for my brother-in-law and set him up with the free trial of Windows XP x64 thinking that it was free for 120 days and if it turned out to function like XP he could just buy it. Or after 120 days SP1 might be out for vista, in which case I'd probably tell him to just...
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    Is there a program specifically to assess vid card performance?

    Hi all, I'm thinking of selling my old GeForce 6600GT 128mb and I'd like to run some diagnostics on the card before I sell it if possible. Are there any programs out there that I can use specifically to diagnose the health and performance of the card without it being too heavily impacted by...
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    GeForce 8800GT Best Prices / In-Stock Listing

    Does anyone else think we should just sticky this until it all dies down? Bumping it because it's so useful but I would say make it a sticky.
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    Do I really need a CPU cooler?

    So here's the ultimate question. I'm looking at the Thermalright Ultima-90 as a cooling tower for my new core 2 duo build. I guess my real question is, if I'm doing some minor overclocking, and maybe some moderate later on (never high-end overclocking), do I really need to drop $50-$60 on a...
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    Is it worth upgrading my 6600 GT for around $100?

    I'm thinking I will probably stick the overclocked 8600gt or an X1950GT (haven't historically been a big fan of ATi cards, but might be worth a shot). As far as the processor, is it at all worth upgrading from the 3200+ to the X2 4200+ for about $70 or is that just a waste of money? Thanks...
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    Is it worth upgrading my 6600 GT for around $100?

    I was looking at possible upgrades for the processor and there aren't a lot of options for a socket 939 board. I guess I would upgrade to an Athlon 64 4000+, Athlon 64 X2 4200+ or maybe an Opteron 175/180. These are all still 2.2GHz or 2.4GHz and the only real differences I can see are in the...
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    Is it worth upgrading my 6600 GT for around $100?

    Thanks guys for all your really helpful responses. I may just wait until around Christmas, after the release of the revamped 8800GT and the HD3850 to see if it pushes any of the others down price-wise. Thanks again.
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    Is it worth upgrading my 6600 GT for around $100?

    I'm building another computer this winter, but it also got me thinking that I would like to pump some life into the computer I built a couple years ago. I was browsing through the video cards and I saw some 256mb and 512mb for around $100. Granted some of them were GDDR2 isntead of GDDR3 and...
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    Case shopping - What case to get?

    I currently have a Thermaltake Tsunami and I really really like it and it runs very cool. It has 2 x 120mm fans and a 90mm fan over the processor. I have been nothing but pleased with it so far and it's relatively low on the noise end. It also comes in black. I'm also looking to build a...
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    Video Card opinion with a 400$ budget

    Yes, if you hit it in mid-December or after the new year, you should be fine timing-wise as far as getting the latest cards. I also agree that SLI is of questionable worth to all but the most hardcore (as far as return-on-investment), so everything I've seen so far would lead me to believe...
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    Picking a Motherboard for less than $150

    I'm not really a big overclocker, but I might get into some light over-clocking. As far as firewire and RAID, I know I don't need RAID and I'm not entirely sure what I would use firewire for anyway. Thanks for the heads up though. I'll take a look at the IP35 and the P35. Edit: I took a...
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    Picking a Motherboard for less than $150

    I looked around at the boards to see if I could find a solid opinion on a motherboard for less than $150, but many of the discussions tend to be in the higher range ($180+), so I thought I'd throw down a post here with the specifics. Any advice is much appreciated. I'm currently looking at...
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    Need Help Building a New System

    As far as the PS, I'm not sure how important noise is to you, but I have a Seasonic in my current desktop and that puppy is whisper-quiet. I've also read great things about the new Seasonic 500W and I will never doubt the quality of any first-party (not OEM'd) Seasonic PS. Good luck.