Recent content by fref

  1. F

    I hate socket 775

    I know they have a locked / unlocked position, that's not the problem. What I'm saying is that even in the correct (locked) position, it's sometimes difficult to have all the pins click into the motherboard because the motherboard bends while you push. I'm often left with one pin that just...
  2. F

    I hate socket 775

    Am I the only one who hates socket 775? With over half of the computers that I build, I have trouble pushing all 4 heat-sink pins all the way so that they click properly into the motherboard. There's often one or two of the pins that just won't click, even though I push hard. Sometimes, I'm...
  3. F

    Weird motherboard behavior

    Hi! I tried building a computer with an Asrock 4CoreDual-VSTA motherboard, but couldn't get it to run and ended up returning the board. I'd like to know if anyone has any idea what was wrong, though. Keep in mind that I had the bare minimum (CPU P4-640, RAM, power supply) connected at all...
  4. F

    Slow system, very weird

    No, I don't have Microsoft OneCare installed. I'm not familiar with it, would that help identify the problem?
  5. F

    Slow system, very weird

    No, I haven't, actually. :) I'll take a look next time I build a system with one of these boards if it still exibits the same problem, but I'd be really surprised if that was the cause. Why would that make screen updates noticeably slow in the BIOS where the DVD drive is not even in use?
  6. F

    Slow system, very weird

    Yes, same DVD, but as I said, the problem does not occur on my own computer with that same disk, an my computer is way slower than the computers I've been assembling lately. Also, driver installation from the motherboard CD was rather slow too, so it's definitely not a disk problem since...
  7. F

    Slow system, very weird

    No, I remember the first system was using a Pioneer SATA DVD burner (212D) and the latest one I built with the P5B had a Pioneer IDE DVD burner (112D). I'm pretty sure I also tried another drive (some other brand CD-RW drive) on the first system, and the problem was still there.
  8. F

    Slow system, very weird

    Hi! Several of the PCs I've built lately have had this weird problem that I just don't understand. When I boot the PC with the Windows Vista DVD in the drive, the setup program starts fine, but is suspiciously slow. When I see the fancy blue and green background appear, it takes about 3-4...
  9. F

    Sapphire RMA

    Thanks! I just sent them a request, but I think that's the same form I tried several days ago, and I have not heard from them since. I'll see how things go this time, and I guess I'll have to figure out a way to call them if this doesn't work. Thanks again!
  10. F

    Sapphire RMA

    Yes, my vendor offers one year warranty only, and the rest is directly with Sapphire. Since the one year period is over, I have to go through Sapphire, and phoning them is a bit difficult for me. I'm only selling hardware as a hobby, I have a full-time job during the day. Since Sapphire...
  11. F

    Sapphire RMA

    Unfortunately, I need to send back a card to Sapphire for RMA. Normally, I wouldn't care too much, but I've just read a ton of horror stories on the web about Sapphire and their RMA service. Apparently, you have to pay to have your card repaired, and it takes a long time to get a card back...
  12. F

    Debug cards

    Anyone?
  13. F

    Debug cards

    A friend of mine has a problem with her PC since last week. The computer appears to turn on properly, but not image appears on screen, and no hard drive activity is heard. I unplugged everything non-essential from the motherboard (video is onboard), and the problem still occurs, so I am at a...