Recent content by und3rscor3

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    Lenovo Thinkpad E430, or HP Pavilion?

    OK, I'll go with a ThinkPad and install extra RAM myself. As for battery life, Lenovo gives you the option of paying an extra $10 for a battery rated for 72 watt hours (Whr), rather than the standard 48 (for the E430). Does this mean extra battery life? Seems like it should, but I just want to...
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    Lenovo Thinkpad E430, or HP Pavilion?

    The T series is more power than I need I think, and too expensive for that reason. The T420 is good, but $50 more than the E430 even with many lower specs... not sure why. I'm not too concerned about an internal roll cage as long as the PC is high quality otherwise, chubbyfatazn, but thanks for...
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    Lenovo Thinkpad E430, or HP Pavilion?

    Thank for the feedback, but really, I think you're making things too complicated to be honest... Sure, you might as well subtract two hours from any battery life rating, but even so, if laptop A is rated for 7 hours and laptop B is rated for 5, even if those ratings are innacurate, they are...
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    Lenovo Thinkpad E430, or HP Pavilion?

    Hi, I'm a student and I'm going to buy a laptop. The most important factors are battery life, portability, quiet operation, and speed of course. I will use it for writing papers, taking notes, etc. which will also involve research using internet databases and many many pdf files open at a time...
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    Buying sound card, need advice

    Yes, my audio driver is up to date. In another topic I made, someone posted a link to a topic on another forum where people were discussing this issue with Oblivion. Some things in that topic actually indicate that Oblivion doesn't quite cooperate with the Sigmatel audio in many Dell computers...
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    Buying sound card, need advice

    I dunno. Like I said, everything in the game runs smoothly until I get near a creature that creates a lot of impact sound effects. So if my processor doesn't have a problem with anything else in the game, why would the sound effects of a four-legged creature suddenly push my CPU way beyond its...
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    Buying sound card, need advice

    Damn, I forgot the all-important rule: always post your specs... Dell Dimension E521 desktop OS: Windows XP Home Edition 32 bit Processor: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600+, 1.90 GHz RAM: 2.5 gb DDR2 Video card: Sapphire Radeon HD 5570, 1gb DDR3 The game I recently installed is The Elder Scrolls IV...
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    Buying sound card, need advice

    First, let me say that I have no experience with sound cards. Here's the issue: in a game I recently started playing, my on-board audio chip cannot process certain sound effects fast enough. This leads to significant lag in the game. So I am going to buy a low level sound card, but I can't...
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    x-fi xtrememusic PCI $30 + tax ascendtech?

    Would it be worth it to buy this card? The X-Fi XtremeMusic is from 2005. Six years have passed since this card was new tech. Are more modern $30 sound cards lightyears ahead of this X-Fi? What do you all think about the X-Fi XtremeMusic compared to these: Creative Labs Sound Blaster Audigy SE...
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    Audio causing lag during gaming - need advice

    Yes, my on-board sound hardware is a Sigmatel. I'll try updating the Sigmatel driver if there is an update. Though if a sound card really makes a game sound noticeably better, I think I want to get one whether a driver update helps or not! :) I've been looking at this Asus Xonar DS sound card...
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    Audio causing lag during gaming - need advice

    Thanks for posting. That sound card link you posted actually looks pretty good, and within my price range. The game is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. My computer's performance has been very satisfactory, except in very specific in-game situations. Whenever I get near a four-legged animal in...
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    Audio causing lag during gaming - need advice

    Hello. I recently installed a game on my computer, and soon discovered that certain sound effects in the game cause very disruptive lag. The cause of the lag seems to be that my on-board sound device can't process the audio quickly enough. I now want to buy better sound processing hardware. I've...
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    Help Choosing a new Graphics card

    Those are blown capacitors on your card. The same thing happened to an XFX card of mine when (or shortly before) it failed. Do you have XFX's lifetime warranty on your video card? You could save your money that way. Unless of course you are looking to upgrade.
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    Buying low/mid-level card, need advice

    I ordered the Sapphire HD 5570. I think it will work great for me, and maybe even go beyond the performance of my old 8600 GT. Thanks a lot to everyone who posted for the advice. This was also a good learning experience for me about all the factors that should be noted when choosing a video card.
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    Buying low/mid-level card, need advice

    So it's a definite "no" for any cards with a tall fan/heatsink. That's really a bummer. I was attached to that Sapphire HD 5670. But thanks for the heads-up, DominionSeraph. I'm not sure what I'll do now. I don't think I can stand my on-board graphics chip any more, so I still want a graphics...