Search results

  1. W

    Need help lowering system temps

    Dude, that's not his CPU temp. It's his system temp that's hitting 45C. The question is, which system temp? It might be OK if it's the PWM temp, but if it's the case temp, it's definitely bad.
  2. W

    Laptop Suggestions

    Thinkpads up to the T43 are true-blue IBM. After that the product line will become Lenovo-designed-and-built. So if anyone is thinking of buying a Thinkpad, now is the time to do it. IBM will still be doing tech/warranty support for Thinkpads though.
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    Buying an Athlon 64 system, need advice

    You won't be able to use your current ATI Radeon 9700Pro with a PCIe-SLI motherboard-- Those mobos won't take AGP cards. HTH.
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    What was your first Computer?

    Back then, the IBM version of MS-DOS ("PC-DOS") could only address up to 640K. Unless Corkyg was running some other OS (like various versions of UNIX), 2MB was not feasible on the IBM-PC. It wasn't until much later versions of DOS when memory beyond 640K was supported..
  5. W

    Need help lowering system temps

    A PSU with two 80mm fans DOES NOT vent any better than a single 80mm-fan PSU. Airflow depends on the size of the opening, and that 80mm fan in the back is the bottleneck. Don't take my word for it-- PC Power & Cooling doesn't think 2 80mm fans are better than 1 either. In the future if you...
  6. W

    Help on my first build

    to Mark2582: Seasonics are great PSUs. But rather than the Super Silencer, you want to get the Seasonic S12-430. The S12 vents better than the Super Silencer because it has an 120mm fan, and it's even quieter. The Fortron the other guy suggested is a reliable PSU, but it's loud. The...
  7. W

    First Time Builder.... Please Critique My Build....

    Agreed with UsandThem on the PSU-- Get a Seasonic. Definitely modify your vid card choice as Twitchee says-- Not compatible with your mobo! Also, you might want to buy a Venice-core A64 3000+ instead of that Winchester-- The Venice OEM A64 is $150 at Newegg, and add a Zalman CNPS7000 CPU...
  8. W

    Need help lowering system temps

    Hi Ike, Things I would consider: 1) Get a window-mounted air conditioning unit. (best solution probably-- Because we humans need cooling too! :laugh: ) 2) Think about replacing that stock PSU in your Sonata. It uses a dinky 80mm fan that does not vent particularly well. You might...
  9. W

    Less then $1600 Gaming/College PC

    The OP's price list also includes a 19" LCD monitor for $1500 total. You need to add that to your list to make a fair comparison, and it jacks your price up to almost $1100. Definitely NOT half the price. Also, picking the lowest prices on Pricewatch almost certainly mean you have to buy...
  10. W

    DVD drive broken or lack of power?

    Put that DVD drive back into the old machine if you still have it, and see if it works. If it works fine, the problem isn't the DVD drive but with your Shuttle. HTH.
  11. W

    Need CPU Cooler for intel P4 prescott 3.0EGHz

    Concur on the XP90. That's the best option. The Zalman CNPS7000 is almost borderline for the PresHott-- If you use that, you will have to run the fan at full-speed. HTH.
  12. W

    Laptop Suggestions

    The Thinkpad T41 in my sig I got during the last year of my grad-level work. It was awesome. Light, long battery life, great WiFi performance, well-built, got it with a great discount through my school's educational discount (saved $400). Definitely give Thinkpads a look. HTH.
  13. W

    Need Build Advice

    How quiet do you want it? If you really want quiet, these are the parts to get: A case with 120mm fan mounts and rubber washers for drive mounting, like the Antec SLK3000B, as Yoyo suggested. Seasonic S12-430 PSU. Zalman CNPS7000 CPU heatsink if you go with an AMD64. Either an...
  14. W

    computer locking up during Gameplay

    Plenty of possible causes... Bad RAM, overheating, inadequate power supply, bad drivers, etc. etc. Check out each possibility and you should be able to find the cause. HTH.
  15. W

    power supply

    If I have no choice but those two, OCZ over Thermalfake. :laugh: If I had other choices, Seasonic as Operandi says. :thumbsup:
  16. W

    SilenX Fans

    RPMs also affect bearing life.. With the same bearings, a fan spinning at 3000 RPM is going to wear out its spindle faster than a fan spinning at 1500 RPM. So slower-spinning fans (like the Yate Loons in the Seasonic PSUs) should have a longer bearing life..
  17. W

    I'm havin some overheatin problems....

    Yeah, the PSU fan serves as a failsafe redundancy to continue venting your case if those dinky case fans fail. The Vapochill and the Lian Li case should solve your temp problems yes, though I think it's probably overkill. But you already bought it, so might as well use it. :laugh:
  18. W

    I'm havin some overheatin problems....

    No wonder your system was overheating. Horizontal HTPC cases need to have a PSU help it vent.. And since you got that Neopower hanging out the back (as it can't fit inside the case), it can't help vent it. I've been running a Silverstone LC13 with a pretty hot-running P4 3.0C and also a...
  19. W

    I'm havin some overheatin problems....

    Isn't Cavalier 4 one of those horizontal cases with a nonstandard PSU...? How did you cram an Antec Neopower 480 in there?
  20. W

    Less then $1600 Gaming/College PC

    Not sure which university you attended or when, but the universities I attended all had WiFi hotspots in the libraries, in the cafeterias, and in the classrooms so you can get on-line from those locations. The instructors are finally wising up and putting their course materials on-line so the...
  21. W

    What was your first Computer?

    Commodore VIC-20. It had an MOS 6502 CPU clocked at 1mHz (same CPU as Apple's I, II and IIe), 4K RAM. You had to buy a tape drive that uses audio cassettes for data storage, and it transfers something like 100 bytes per second or something. Those were the good old/bad old days.. (P.S...
  22. W

    Less then $1600 Gaming/College PC

    The Seasonic S12-430 you spec'ed is an excellent PSU for your purposes. It puts out 14A and 15A on its two 12V rails, sustained. That's only 1 amp less than the Fortron Blue Storm 500W, while being a bit more efficient and lots more quiet. And yes, the S12 series all have 24-pin harnesses...
  23. W

    HTPC questions

    LOL, definitely check out HTPC News. Lots more guys there who does HTPC stuff..
  24. W

    New system - How am I doing? Edit: All done

    Since you are looking for quiet, you are going to have to do something about the NB fan on that Asus A8N mobo. It spins at an insane 8000-9000 RPMs, the spindle will wear out after 1 month, and you will be hearing a horrible grinding noise. You will probably also need to do something about...
  25. W

    HTPC questions

    Hiya, - Just get a gig. RAM is dirt-cheap these days, might as well. Besides, MCE2005 works best at 512MB and up. - That 6200TC should be enough for SDTV and DVD playback at 480p. I'm not sure if it can drive HDTVs though, but it sounds like you don't need to. - Good-value HTPC...
  26. W

    Need a Power Supply Suggestion

    HTPC means you want QUIET. Go with Seasonic. It's a no-brainer. Those who are suggesting PCP&C PSUs obviously have NO experience whatsoever in building HTPCs.
  27. W

    Help me make this setup quieter!

    If you want to use the XP120, assuming that it can actually fit with your mobo and case, you want to have a nice, quiet 120mm fan on it. I would go with a low-speed Yate Loon/Nexus, and put it on a fan controller. Other things you should do to quiet down your system: 1) CUT OUT THOSE...
  28. W

    case and power supply questions for my new rig...

    The S12-430 will power that system with PLENTY of power to spare, and the cables should reach. If you are not a quiet freak, stop reading and enjoy your new system. (the below is for quiet freaks only.) I'm not sure if the Lian-Li is the best choice from a ventilation and quietness...
  29. W

    Help! Failing Prime 95 Torture Test - CPU hits around 59C

    Interesting thread over at Silent PC Review on cooling the Northbridge on the NForce 4 HERE. All I can say is, barring a miracle from Monarch, you will probably need to extensively overhaul your system to get it to run cooler (which is why we recommended that you self-build in the first place...
  30. W

    quiet system suggestions?

    MSI recommends at least 350W for the RS480M2-IL.. Despite our admonitions, the OP seems fixated on that Enlight case and POS PSU. It's his money. (shrug)
  31. W

    help me choose a motherboard

    Can't use dual cores with existing 915 and 925 boards... Gotta wait for 945/955 boards for that. HTH.
  32. W

    quiet system suggestions?

    Get a case with implements for quiet components-- One that will take 120mm fans, rubber washer mounts for the drives, AND NO INCLUDED PSU, like the Antec SLK3000B. That Enlight PSU will be noisy, I guarantee it. Then get yourself a Seasonic 120mm-fan PSU like Matthias said. Those are...
  33. W

    Help! Failing Prime 95 Torture Test - CPU hits around 59C

    How did your Prime95 go with your overnight session? Was it stable? If it was, it's definitely a heat problem.
  34. W

    That tears it. No new comp for me.

    ANNNND? Clothes on your back... Roof over your head... Bread on the table... feeding the Missus and the kids, maybe? :laugh: That's THE full-time job for many of us, you know.
  35. W

    That tears it. No new comp for me.

    ...Except that's almost a full-time job in and of itself! :laugh:
  36. W

    Replace fans or go to water cooling?

    In addition... Get rid of that loud-a$$ POS Raidmax PSU with its dinky noisy 80mm fans (and PATHETIC 13-amp 12V rail) and get your friend a near-silent Seasonic Super Tornado 400 PSU.
  37. W

    Help! Failing Prime 95 Torture Test - CPU hits around 59C

    Yea, the NB = the Northbridge chip. It's the chip sitting underneath your SLI vid card with its own dinky little ineffectual fan and heatsink on it.
  38. W

    Help! Failing Prime 95 Torture Test - CPU hits around 59C

    Well, it's looking more and more like case heat slowly baking your computer indeed... As I mentioned before, in order to bring down that case heat, I would: 1) Cut out those fan grills. They are too restrictive to air flow. 2) Figure out some way to better cool your NB. 3) Better...
  39. W

    Help! Failing Prime 95 Torture Test - CPU hits around 59C

    Two vid cards in SLI are bound to heat up your computer some... Maybe you also want to think about putting better HSFs on the cards.. Zalman VF700s or Arctic Silencers. And yep, you got a pickle there with the dinky NB fan... The NForce 4 boards presents quite a dilemma on NB cooling...
  40. W

    Rate/Comment on my build

    Sounds like the beginnings of a quiet PC (I like!). All you have to do is make sure you got quiet case fans and fan controllers, and do something about that insane loud-a$$ 8000RPM Asus NB fan! Good luck!