Search results

  1. S

    To upgrade MacBook 2.1 or not is the question

    For this sort of system I think you'll see a better boost from having 3GB of ram than only 2 in pairs. I would go for the 3. That ram upgrade alone may be enough to give you a really nice boost. Macs suffer from too little ram just as much as a Windows machine can, and for several years they...
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    3 dif SMART errors and system hangs on HDD. [PIC - 230 Million Unstable Sectors!]

    Are you still running Vista on it? This should work, but you'll want to do some research on SSDs on Vista, their aren't automatic SSD optimizations like there are on Windows 7 or 8, and I believe commands like TRIM won't work. You might actually be better off with a regular HDD like...
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    HOT! Corsair Carbide 200r - $29.99 AR! @ Newegg

    Thanks for the tip, I ordered it last week, arrived yesterday, and I'm pretty darn pleased with it. Very solid feeling, and very easy to work in. Looks elegant by my desk to boot.
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    Is my drive safe?

    If you want something that fits inside your case, but still has a physical power switch that you can turn on and off, how about something like this? http://salestores.com/byteccbt125e01.html
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    eSATA between computers?

    I think you want something like this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16816151095 Basically NAS device with an esata connector.
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    Home Server Network (Hardware & Software questions)

    "I want to be able to log into any of these computers in either my name or my coworkers name (and be able to change anything on one, then log into the other and access the changes...you know, like a network should be)" This sounds to me like he does want to be using an Active Directory...
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    Desktop icons lost

    It sounds like you may have a virus. I work for an IT company and we've seen several instances in the past few weeks with these Fake HDD viruses. One of the things they do often is hide all your files. Run malwarebytes, an antivirus scanner and a rootkit scanner. Then once you're clean, grab...
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    Networking Issues

    Are you able to get on the internet? ie, are things working and this is something you're worried about, or is the computer not working properly?
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    Just Bought a PC (need help)

    For $600 I think you have a pretty good, but not exceptional deal. If I may politely disgree with another person who commented, the system will be a major upgrade for you over a Pentium D. The 7660D is the graphics half of the AMD A10 cpu and is a good deal faster than a 520. The CPU half of...
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    Computer Input

    The other thing I would add as a WoW player is that WoW loves SSDs. There is a ton of disk access as you move around the world, and the difference if you have an SSD is pretty substantial. If you have a bit of dinero left over it might be a nice upgrade. Just make sure you go at least 120GB...
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    Seagate Barracuda 7200.9 PCB?

    I've had about a 50-50 record with PCB swaps. Go on ebay, and find the exact same drive (same FW too). About half the time you can swap the boards and it'll work. half the time it won't. The drive may have internal issues or the PCB chip may require specific programming. However usually the...
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    Discrete sound cards and onboard sound.

    Well for years I've been of the mindset that discrete cards simply weren't justified anymore, but after reading this thread and some reviews on other sites I found an Asus Xonar DG for $23 on Amazon ($13 after MIR) and decided for that price I'd see what I thought myself. The card arrived last...
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    Upgrading My PC

    The cpu you have came out in Q1 2008, so it's 4 years old. Trying to ask the computer to go for another 4 even with upgrades is probably not a good use of your funds, especially if you are using more demanding programs like CS4. You're probably best saving that money that you were going to...
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    Which is the best choice out of these 3 PCs

    Go with the D3 Barbarian (first link) as it's configured. By far the most powerful system of the 3 systems you're looking at. Very fast CPU, plenty of ram, and nice mid-range video card. Should do you fine, and you even have an extra 100 pounds to spend on an SSD for instance.
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    Upgrade suggestions

    I'm guessing the drive didn't always do that? If not then yes, i would replace it. With your budget and capacity needs, you're probably better off with a fast regular hdd rather than an SSD. Something like this WD Black Edition: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822136284 That...
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    Upgrade suggestions

    Could you tell us what you're doing (or wanting to do) with the computer? Ie what programs, what games, etc. A rough budget would be helpful. The CPU is still great, but depending on what you are wanting to do the video card, ram, or ssd are all possibilities.
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    Problem with new computer, can anyone help?

    I've read a few reviews of new Ivy Bridge boards that mentioned needing to update the BIOS version from the internet before the reviewer could use certain ram modules. If you can get access to a spare stick of ram (doesn't need to be a large capacity one, you just want to be able to update your...
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    brand new build, random bsods

    I agree with Power Hour. I've had systems pass MemTest and other ram testers just fine and I discovered the culprit was still a bad ram stick.
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    Trouble with new computer

    Sounds like the nvidia drivers are still there and running even after you uninstalled from the control panel. I'd try using Driver Sweeper http://www.guru3d.com/category/driversweeper/ after you've uninstalled from the control panel to remove all traces of the drivers and then run the registry...
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    SSD Space issues

    WinDirStat is a really nice tool. You can short by filesize and see where exactly the problem is. And it's free! http://windirstat.info/
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    Anyone have a llano rig yet

    I had time to do a few runs with hyperpi as requested. Turbo is definetly working! I can do a 1M hyperpi calculation on all 4 cores at ~48 seconds on each core. Most of the time cpu-z is reporting operating frequency on the chip at 1.4GHz, or full "normal" speed. If I set hyperpi to test...
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    Looking for a new CPU mostly for MMOs

    One of the things that jumped out in my eyes was the mention of framerate drops in large fights. MMOs have to load and manage everybody else's characters so they are particularly sensitive to both amounts of ram and hdd/ssd speeds. I'm running an SSD currently and my partner has yet to install...
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    Anyone have a llano rig yet

    Here is the requested screenshot. I haven't had a change to bench it with anything, and I may not get one since I'm delivering it tomorrow, but at least the screen shows turbo is working. http://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-oh_X8gPvxtg/TijJwVYcSHI/AAAAAAAAEUo/ftwyUS1_Tzg/A6-3400M-Turbo.jpg
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    Anyone have a llano rig yet

    I just set up a Toshiba with an A6-3400M and it turbos from 1.4 to 2.3Ghz just fine for me. I had cpu-z up while I was installing things.
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    Getting an "incompatible cpu" error message, cpu meets specifications !

    I'd make sure that you have the latest bios from HP.com. Usually that's the issue with these sorts of things.
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    ok, so i finally upgraded to 4gb ram..

    Yeah, disabling the paging file seems rather extreme. And I certainly wouldn't do it with only 4GB of ram. If you hit that 4GB your comp immediately crashes. Win7 is pretty intelligent with it's pagefile usage, and with the extra ram the computer won't be heavily writing to it or anything. If...
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    How to TRIM SSD w/ Windows 7?

    If you install SSDLife http://ssd-life.com/ it will tell you if TRIM is supported and enabled in your system. It's also a pretty neat little program, I like the drive life estimate.
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    3rd Party TRIM Software?

    I'm wondering if the best solution might be to go with SSDs with Toshiba controllers. Anand has recommended these in the past for Apple users (Snow Leopard lack TRIM support) as they have a built-in garbage collection and cleanup. They aren't as fast as Sandforce, but I think they would keep...
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    Dead Processor? AMD Phenom II X6

    To second what other folks have said, I think I'd put a call in to the mobo company and ask them what the code means. I've been fixing computers for 10 years and I've NEVER had a dead CPU in that time. I'm sure it's possible, but I think a mobo or ram issue is way more likely. If the code...
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    Upgrade or Buy Build New System?

    I haven't looked into EVE specifically, but most MMOs (I play WoW myself) really love SSDs. I like the idea of staying with your current build for another year or so but buying a 6950. I'd pair that with an SSD and I think you'll be set!
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    Lapping Sandy Bridge

    Odd but interesting thread. What I'm curious about is lapping in terms of an industrial and financial sense. Take the nickel plating on cpu spreaders. Putting this coating on obviously costs Intel and AMD money, and if it is detrimental to performance, why would they do it? I would guess...
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    Best MoBo for futureproofing "this system"...

    Right, which is what Caveman said. "Up to" doesn't mean including. http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/cpu/display/20100826225852_Desktop_Bulldozer_Processors_Will_Require_New_Platforms_AMD.html "The existing G34 and C32 server infrastructure will support the new Bulldozer-based server products. In...
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    Best MoBo for futureproofing "this system"...

    You got it! And remember, you'll be able to put that DD3 in a bulldozer board.
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    Best MoBo for futureproofing "this system"...

    Yes, Bulldozer will be using a different socket, AM3+. This means that you can put a current AM3 chip in a bulldozer board, but you can't put a Bulldozer CPU in a current board. So you won't want to spend a ton on the mobo if you're planning on putting a Bulldozer in. (DDR3 will be on both...
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    Best MoBo for futureproofing "this system"...

    The nice thing about AMD is that they don't have different sockets based on market position/performance like Intel does, so pretty much any board you buy that supports an Athlon II X3 245 also supports a Phenom II X6. I would stick with an AMD chipset, but beyond that feel free to shop for...
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    Need some advice:Upgrade or switch

    This is the key from what I read, "Video encoding is the most intense thing I do." If you do video encoding I think you want the extra cores of an X6. That said, an unlocked BE from even the X4 series often does as well as a 760 when it comes to gaming.
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    Daily use cpu: How much is enough?

    I'd agree with most folks here that a dual-core machine is currently the cutoff for "most folk's average use". Most people, even my mostly retired clients, are simply accustomed these days to having multiple applications open at once, and the difference there between at least a dual-core...
  38. S

    Time to Upgrade?

    Bah, sorry the 940 isn't going higher, but hope it's still ok for you!
  39. S

    Time to Upgrade?

    As a Civ and WoW player I just wanted to say I too am interested to see how this plays out. Do keep us posted.
  40. S

    AMD AM2+ mobos, micro-ATX, with parallel port?

    Parallel port cards are so cheap these days I think I would just buy whatever motherboard you like best and a parallel port PCI card like so: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-005-_-Product