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    Retail Athlon II heatsink for a Phenom II?

    I have a Phenom II X3, and I was wondering if I can use a heatsink from a retail AMD Athlon II X2 (Regor) package to cool this CPU. Does AMD put the same heatsinks in their Athlon II and Phenom II retail packages? It looks like CPU measures about 38mm x 38mm, but the base of this heatsink...
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    Removing user access permission for folders/subfolders/files

    My friend's laptop is no longer able to boot, and it appears to be a motherboard issue. She bought a new laptop and would like to transfer her files from the old laptop to the new one. We put the old hard drive into an enclosure and connected it via USB to the new computer, and we can see the...
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    Samsung ML-1710 prints light

    My Samsung ML-1710 has been printing light lately, but without streaks. It prints a uniformly gray color on a page that is supposed to be filled with black text. The toner cartridge (generic replacement instead of OEM) was purchased about 2 years ago. I've only printed a few hundred pages...
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    Gigabyte GA-MA785GM temperature

    I recently built a new computer with a Gigabyte GA-MA785GM-US2H with a Phenom II 545 and 4 GB PC8500 DDR2. I've run CPUID Hardware Monitor on occasion to check on system temperatures and left it running during various tasks. Most of the temperatures seems fine, running in the 30's when idle...
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    New system build won't POST

    I built a new computer today. Unfortunately, it won't POST. When I push the power switch, all the fans turn on (PSU fan, case fan, CPU cooling fan), but my monitor doesn't get a signal. My motherboard doesn't beep either. I hooked up a pair of headphones to the back audio out jack and still...
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    Northbridge cooling fan popped off!

    I have an Epox EP-8KDA3J. It's a slightly different version ofthis one. Mine doesn't have the same chipset cooler with the spikes on it. Instead, it has a small, low-profile fan that was mounted onto the motherboard by 2 spring-loaded plastic pegs that anchored the fan into the motherboard...
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    Need CPU/mobo recommendation

    I'd like to build a budget system with a Wolfdale core and do a little overclocking. I'm not very experienced with overclocking and want to do something that's simple and won't tax my system much (no increases in voltage). I was thinking about picking up an E5200 and matching it up with a...
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    Win XP RAM limit

    I'm thinking about taking advantage of a RAM sale and upgrading my Win XP system to 4 GB of RAM. I know that Win XP won't be able to recognize all 4 GB, but I'll need it when I switch to Win 7. It'll also help with my current system performance since I only have 1 GB right now and do a lot of...
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    Pros and cons of using Vista to partition hd

    I'm thinking about using the disk management utility in Vista to partition my hard drive. In the past, I've always partitioned my hard drives from a boot disk (e.g. Win XP installation disk). I heard years ago that this is a more reliable method than using programs like Partition Magic. The...
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    Max resolution for this configuration?

    I'm thinking about building a new computer and have been out of the hardware scene for some time now. Could somebody tell me what my maximum display resolution would be when running Win XP on a computer with an integrated ATI Radeon HD 3200 please? I'm not sure if my resolution would be...
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    Buying new laptop: Intel vs. AMD 64?

    I'm buying a new laptop and find myself limited in the number of options when it comes to Athlon 64 systems under $800. I'm tempted to buy a laptop with an Intel processor instead, but I'm worried about long-term performance when Windows Vista becomes the standard PC OS. Do any of you know how...
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    Buying new laptop: Intel vs. AMD 64?

    I'm buying a new laptop and find myself limited in the number of options when it comes to Athlon 64 systems under $800. I'm tempted to buy a laptop with an Intel processor instead, but I'm worried about long-term performance when Windows Vista becomes the standard PC OS. Do any of you know how...
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    Having problems with a few video files

    I'm trying to play some TV shows that I got from a P2P program, and all it plays is a set of colored bands without any sound. There's a large red band that runs across the bottom of the screen, and a set of vertical ands that runs across the top of the screen. I doubt this would help, but...
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    Can't get a post with 1300 MHz Duron and Gigabyte GA-7IXE4

    Hi everyone. I sold a 1300 MHz Duron (200 FSB , Morgan core) to a newbie on Ebay, and she's having problems getting it to work with her Gigabyte GA-7IXE4. I think the motherboard has problems recognizing the processor, because the manual only specifies Athlon processors "up to 1000 MHz and...
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    Can't get a post with 1300 MHz Duron and Gigabyte GA-7IXE4

    Hi everyone. I sold a 1300 MHz Duron (200 FSB , Morgan core) to a newbie on Ebay, and she's having problems getting it to work with her Gigabyte GA-7IXE4. I think the motherboard has problems recognizing the processor, because the manual only specifies Athlon processors "up to 1000 MHz and...
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    Maximum hard drive support for nForce2 chipset?

    I have an MSI K7N2GM2-LSR motherboard that uses an nForce2 chipset (nForce2 SPP/nForce2 IGP to be exact), and I'm trying to figure out the largest hard drive capacity that is supported. MSI doesn't have an exact number in their specs for some strange reason, so I was wondering what other...
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    Chipset fan too noisy--solutions?

    The chipset fan on my Epox 8KDA3J is making too much noise. Everything in my system is silent except for that one component, which is annoying because I just spent a good chunk of money on a Thermalright XP-90. What's the best way to solve my noise issue? Does anybody make a resistor that I...
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    What is an S-AV adapter?

    I'm thinking about buying a new video card, and I saw in the desription of one of the cards that it includes an "S-AV adapter." Is this the same thing as an S-video to RCA adapter?
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    Need Socket A heatsink recommendation

    Hi all, I'm looking for a decent Socket A heatsink and fan that don't cost too much (preferably under $25 shipped, but this is somewhat flexible). The most important characteristics are the following (all 3 factors are about equal in weight): price, low noise, and cooling capability. Could I...
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    How noisy/quiet is the Athlon 64 retail fan/heatsink?

    I'm thinking about getting an Athlon 64 processor soon, and I was wondering how much noise the retail fan/heatsink combo makes. I'm trying to build a fairly quiet system, and I'd like to know whether the retail heatsink will fit my purposes. I haven't decided whether I'm going with socket 754...
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    How much longer before SATA becomes more popular than PATA?

    Admist all the hot deals on PATA hard drives these days, I began wondering whether I should stop jumping on the various offers out there since SATA will eventually become the standard. The parallel interface seems to be still quite popular, but I'm wondering how much longer it'll stick around...
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    Computer won't boot

    My friend has a computer that won't boot. One day it worked fine, the next day it didn't even beep during startup. When we hit the power switch, the PSU fan starts, but nothing shows up on the monitor--no bios, no RAM check, etc. What are the possible problems here? I'm guessing it's the...
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    What are the typical price trends between Nov - Feb?

    It seems like prices for hardware has gone up in the past week. They have for a few of the things that I've been following, anyway, like processors and refurb mobo & video. What are the typical price trends between the end of each calendar year through the first 2 months of the next year...
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    Need Athlon 64 3000 socket 939 Ingram part number

    Does anybody have the Ingram part number for this processor or know how to get it?
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    Had a problem with drivers... but now it's fixed

    Edit: nevermind... problem solved. :)
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    Need P4 mobo recommendation

    I'm getting tired of running off of 256 MB RDRAM, and instead of investing in more expensive Rambus RAM, I'm thinking about buying a new mobo and rebuilding myself a computer using DDR RAM that I already have laying around. I don't know much about P4 motherboards--can you all offer some...
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    Rebuilding a Dell 8250 with new mobo, RAM

    256 MB of RDRAM is just not cutting it for me anymore, so I'm thinking about buying a new mobo, DDR RAM, and case to build a new system out of my old Dell parts. Does anybody have experience doing this? I want to know whether or not there might be some unforseen challenges. I've heard that...
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    Dell 8250 hardware--proprietary?

    I know that Dell used proprietary components in their desktops several years ago, but I'm not sure whether or not the components in my 8250 are proprietary. Specifically, I'm thinking about the possibility of changing my motherboard and/or my power supply. Will it be possible to change just...
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    GeForce2 MX400 or RADEON 7000?

    I don't know much about video cards, so I thought I'd ask the experts here. I'm building a basic system for my sister, and I'm wondering if one card is better than the other. It seems that the Radeon 7000 has a TV-out while the GeForce does not, but this isn't a big deal to us. Since they use...
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    Overclocking Athlon XP 2200 problem

    I'm running an Athlon 2200 on an Asus A7V333. For some reason, I'm able to overclock the bus/pci ratio up to 145/36 MHz in the BIOS (didn't try pushing it higher because I don't want to overclock the PCI any more), but I can't get the processor to overclock when I set the on-board jumpers to...
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    Athlon 2200+ KIXJB 0404SPMW stepping a good overclocker?

    I have an Athlon 2200+ DUV3C, KIXJB 0404SPMW. My mobo won't post, so I can't test the chip to see how much overclocking is possible. If other people have had good experiences, then I figure I'll keep it. Otherwise, I'm going to return the processor and wait until my mobo is RMAed and fixed...
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    HELP! Computer won't post!

    Update #1: OK, I found out that the mobo jumpers are set so that post error messages go out of the on-board sound card, and the error message says that the system failed the memory test. The only possible cause for this that I can think is that I didn't change the bios setting for the FSB/RAM...
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    Which Athlon XP Overclocks Better? 2000, 2100, or 2200?

    Edit 3/21: All right, so I got the processor (Athlon 2200+), but I'm having the problem that is probably most dreaded by people who build their own computers. I can't get the mobo to post. I keep getting an error message saying that the "system failed memory test." I wasn't sure why I was...
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    Upgrading--best Athlon CPU/overclock for my computer?

    I'm currently running a 1.3 GHz Duron on an Asus A7V333, and I'd like to upgrade the CPU. There are 2 modules of 256 MB PNY PC2700 DDR (Infineon chips) and a Thermalright SK-7 heatsink with a Vantec Stealth fan in my computer right now. I'm planning on upgrading only the processor and keeping...
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    19 inch monitors: Sony CPD-G420S vs. Sony HMD-A440 vs. Samsung 955df, etc

    I've been reading a bunch of reviews on different monitors, and it seems like there isn't a whole lot of agreement on what monitors are the best. Quite a few of the monitors that got the highest ratings on CNet have pretty low customer satisfaction -- around 50-60% in most cases. Sony seems to...
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    Asus A7N266-VM $74.99 shipped from NewEgg!!!

    This motherboard is Anandtech's top recommendation for the budget system. NVIDIA nFORCE 220 Chipset 266/200MHz FSB Motherboard Micro ATX- Retail Specifications: Supported CPU:Socket A AMD Duron, Athlon, and Athlon XP up to 1900+ Chipset:nForce 220D FSB:266/200 MHz RAM:2x non ECC DDR DIMM...
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    SOUND BLASTER LIVE! 5.1 (OEM) $36 Shipped from Newegg!

    $32 + $4 shipping at Newegg. link
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    What's causing my system to crash?

    If anybody out there likes the challenge of trying to solve a tough problem, try a stab at this... I'm running a Celeron 533 @ 850 with 384 MB RAM, 2 hard drives (a 7200 and a 5400), a CD-RW, and the usual other stuff (1 floppy, 2 fans, 8 meg video, etc. -- nothing special). For the past few...
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    What's causing the bottleneck in my computer speed

    For you hardware experts out there: I bought a Quantex PII 4 years ago and have upgraded it a few times since. Currently, it's a Celeron 850 with 196 megs RAM and has two hard drives, 5 gigs and 8 gigs (I think both are probably 5400 rpm and ATA-66, but I'm not completely sure). I'm running...