Search results

  1. D

    Stops powering on

    Hi All, So I just built a new HTPC (details in sig). I got it running with just the boot SSD about a week ago, just installed Win7 and drivers then set it aside for the week til I could get to it again. It ran fine then, booted multiple times, I played with it a little here and there. I...
  2. D

    Silverstone NT01-E - *don't buy* (unless aware)

    On mATX boards the Silverstone NT01-E blocks the first expansion slot. If you are looking for an H67 mATX board, all such currently commercially available boards have the PCIe 2.0 x16 slot in the first position, so the NT01-E precludes using a VGA card. Silverstone makes no mention of this...
  3. D

    can we post things for sale on this forum?

    Sorry, I read the rules but I didn't see this covered. I'm trying to sell my Antec P193 case locally (greater Boston area), and this is my favorite review site around, so I figured that this is a community that might have interested people. Are we allowed to post things for personal sale...
  4. D

    Will future games be more or less CPU limited

    Right now it depends a lot on the game, note how much the CPU effects Dragon Age: Origins framerate versus say Starcraft II or Crysis:Warhead, which have only a 10-15% spread in performance comparing current to 3 year old CPUs. Has anyone seen inclings of which way the current trends are...
  5. D

    Building a new server

    Hi All, I'm building a new server for my (small small) company, we just need it for communal data storage and access, so HDD capacity is my primary concern. I just wanted to throw this out there to see if anyone has any suggestions: SB: Intel Core i5-2500K - $224.99 ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.0)...
  6. D

    Toshiba R385 Impressions/Review?

    Hi All, I was wondering if anyone has any opinions yet on Toshiba's new R800 series. It will be interesting to see how it compares to Lenovos upcoming X220 and whatever Asus ends up offering in the 14" SandyBridge category. Plus if admins are listening, +1 vote for a full review...
  7. D

    Asus U35-X1 versus Toshiba Portege R705-P35

    Hi all, I'm having a tough time deciding between two notebooks. I'm looking for something light, portable, sufficiently powerful for productivity tasks (including web browsing, MS Office Suite, Mathematica/Matlab/Maple, AntiVirus applications, FTP clients, etc., but there's no gaming...
  8. D

    HD5850 After Market Heatsink: Component Heatsinks

    Hey All, So I'm running an HD5850 (ATI OEM) and decided to go with an aftermarket heatsink, the Scythe Musashi. The Musashi comes with VRM and component heatsinks that have an adhesive so they stick right onto the desired components. I had planned on using the fan and GPU heatsink of the...
  9. D

    HDD bricked?

    Hi All, I'm building a new system, but some parts have arrived before others. I got the HDDs a couple weeks ago (WD Caviar Black 640GB and 1TB), so I want to make sure they're looking good before it gets tough to RMA them. So I just put the 640GB in an enclosure, and I don't *think* that my...
  10. D

    ASRock X58 Extreme ($170) versus Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R ($200)

    I don't care about the USB3.0 (as I don't really plan on taking advantage of it) or the SATA3 (as Marvell's SATA3 controllers seem limiting right now), or anything more than 3 DIMMs, I'm really only interested in a solid, well priced X58 board with well-spaced PCIe x16 slots, and I was wondering...
  11. D

    Safe to buy an open box MoBo?

    Newegg has an open box of the MoBo I'm looking to buy, the ASRock X58 Extreme, for a huge discount. Do you think it's safe to buy? There's a 30-day refund policy on it, but assembling the whole system and trying to test each output on the board to make sure everything's functioning properly...
  12. D

    New Build ($1500-$2000) - Please Review

    Hi All, Thanks in advance to anyone who takes a look. This is my first custom build, so I've done the obligatory months of research and so far am pretty comfortable that I've considered most of my options for each component. Location: US, Boston Usage Considerations: Primarily for gaming...
  13. D

    Using 2 PSUs?

    Hi All, Building a new rig, and plan on going with the GTX480 for now and if prices drop in a couple of years getting another one for SLI to get a performance boost (or getting a different card in 3-4 years, depending on what seems like the best option at the time). The power drain from the...
  14. D

    3rd party PCIe lane controllers

    Hi All, I'm building a new rig (LGA1366/X58/ICH10R) and had a simple question: Should I be suspect of MoBos that have more PCIe lanes than the X58 northbridge natively handles? What controllers do they use, and is their performance up to par? I know it's supposed to be a standardized...
  15. D

    Full Tower Case Choice

    Hi All, I'm building a box with a full length GPU that I'd potentially upgrade to CF/SLI within the next couple years. I don't intend to overclock the CPU at all, although I'd like the option to push the RAM or GPUs a little bit. Also, the box will be in my bedroom, and if it happens to be...
  16. D

    Case Suggestions: Can be big and ugly but...

    I'm looking for a case that is reasonably cool and quiet when running but not operational (bedroom use), noisy when gaming is OK. Specs: - Large enough for GTX480 SLI or HD5850 CF - <$120, preferably << - Cool enough for gaming (but not really overclocking anything) with 3HDD and 2 GPUs...
  17. D

    6Gbps SATA and USB3.0: Where to get the PCIe lanes?

    Hi All, Thanks in advance for any help. Here's the situation. I'm currently building a system. The primary function I have in mind for it is gaming. My approach is the same now as it has always been when building systems for myself or others, I try to achieve, balanced with as low or...