Recent content by Peter

This approach is expensive, since it requires a ton of silicon (one PCI bridge per slot, and a core chipset that lets you connect these to begin with), and complicates the layout pretty massively. Consequently, it was only used on server/workstation boards. These often had multiple PCI and...

There is no exactness in numerical math (i.e. math using finite precision numbers). Creating and arranging algorithms that minimize the inherent error is making an entire subject in CS. Fun it is not, but very useful.

Have we tuned into the Homework Channel again? :) Iteratively: double result=0 for (i=1; i<=N; i++) result += 1.0/(double)i; Hardly "highly technical", or is it?

There isn't any problem in having multiple sound devices in the same computer. Windows, and sometimes even the individual applications, let you choose which one to output to. So just add that card for the MIDI port, let it install all its drivers - and then go set Windows audio preference to...

Let's skip the "IRQ conflict" myth this time. This isn't an ISA card, it's PCI, right? Windows hanging for a long time at boot much more often is storage or ethernet related. Try disabling unused IDE and SATA channels, make sure that no Ethernet channels are set to DHCP with no cable...

These are 8000 series, to be used in two-, four- or eight-socket mainboards. Registered DDR2 DIMMs are required, ECC-enabled if desired. The stillborn Athlon-FX platform is the exception, allowing unbuffered DIMMs (at the expense of fewer DIMM slots per CPU). In my opinion, they'd be utterly...

Graphics chips typically map a 256-MByte window into system space, not a flat view of their entire RAM. This is done exactly because else 32-bit systems would be left with too little space left for system RAM. Your X2 card maps twice that (probably). You can see for yourself in Device Manager...

So your case USB wiring can't cope with USB 2.0. You are aware that you have now limited your USB speed to 1 MByte per second (from 30)?

AMD have the much better graphics engine, and lower power consumption under light CPU load. Intel's processors are faster and consume less power under high load. Your applications list sounds like you want the former.

Nope, you just have to wire them up correctly.

This thing has the "right" age for capacitor flatulence disease. Check for bulged, leaked or otherwise not-quite-right looking capacitors, particularly in the hot areas around the CPU and RAM.

Nope, that's a speed negotiation screwup in the SATA-II spec. This causes 3-Gb capable drive to not link up on SATA-I controllers. This is a double-posted thread btw. Long form answers in the other one.

Exactly. That's a protocol fsckup in the SATA-II specification, with the result that 3-Gb capable drives won't link up to SATA-I host controllers. Many drives indeed do have a jumper to limit them to 1.5-Gb. Some of those that don't can be soft-configured via a vendor specific utility...

Proper rugged computers don't use standard mainboards. Any socket, slot and cable connector compromises shock, vibration, humidity and other parameters. There's a whole industry doing these things properly (which I happen to be working in). And yes, we do -40 to +85 degrees Celsius...

Anything will do as long as it's 1.5V AGP ... I'd like to mention that you'll be hugely disappointed by the storage bandwidth in that rig. Come on, if you're going to spend this much on disks, why not use at least a low grade server board with PCIE 4x or PCI-X slots and a RAID controller with...