Search results

  1. J

    Did I get Dell to do the right thing here?

    In the long run, it probably doesn't hurt Dell that much by having one guy get an out of warranty TV fixed, but regardless of how you justify it, there was no integrity in doing so. As far as their LCDs, they're the same LCDs as a lot of other major vendors. A large amount of the LCDs out...
  2. J

    Do you think time travel will ever be possible?

    I don't have a PhD or any other meaningful piece of paper to talk to this subject, but even if time travel was possible, everything in the universe is constantly moving and spinning. Wouldn't you risk ending up going forward/backward in time and having the Earth be somewhere else? Perhaps...
  3. J

    Anyone try flashing a (pci-e) X850 XT with XT PE BIOS?

    I have a Sapphire X850 XT PCI-E (not VIVO, but does have TV out) that I got in a trade with a buddy of mine. It runs rock solid stable clocked at PE speeds with any game/benchmark I throw at it. I'd like to flash it, so I don't have to worry about setting the memory/cpu speed in the future. I...
  4. J

    AMD's cool & quiet technology

    Yeah, What Matthias99 said. :) He beat me to the reply. :)
  5. J

    AMD's cool & quiet technology

    If I remember correctly, Cool & Quiet slows/powers down the CPU to reduce heat output. If your fan controller is capable of speeding up or slowing down your fan based on (usually configurable) temp thresholds, then yes, it should slow down and speed up your fan. If you don't have that set up...
  6. J

    Gaming on Widescreen

    Also check the system BIOS. Sometimes it can be found in there on laptops.
  7. J

    keeping dust to a minimum?

    A friend of mine uses an electric leaf blower that he bought at Home Depot for $29 to clean out his case. His stuff is certainly clean, but apart from looking silly on the driveway, anyone have any ideas on if that would be a bad thing to do?
  8. J

    Overclocking an EVGA 6800 Ultra PCI-E card to 425mhz

    The test button in the Nvidia control panel for overclocking (71.84 drivers w/coolbits) tells me that the card fails at 425. While it is entirely possible that the chip is only good at the stock 400mhz, is that Test feature truly reliable, or can some kind of BIOS override tell it to report...
  9. J

    Is there an online guide for "upgrading" the Zen Micro Mp3 Player?

    Zen Micro doesn't use the same form factor drive that your laptop does. You will need to use one of the bigger Zens (not Zen Touch either).
  10. J

    Web Front-End Proxy

    Fair enough. The main page I want to get to is just signin.ebay.com, since I like to check my auctions from work during lunch or other downtime, and they started blocking it, which is really annoying. (They didnt block any other ebay sites). I kind of work for a big company where IT is this...
  11. J

    Web Front-End Proxy

    True, but folks who make money selling PCs probably frown upon the overclocking forum, as it avoids customers buying upgrades or the sale of more expensive hardware (the new 3200+ instead of the more expensive 4000+). I think I found what I needed. It is called a web-based anonymous proxy...
  12. J

    Web Front-End Proxy

    At work, they make us use their proxy server, which doesn't let us log into a lot of normal web sites. (They even block this forum's front page, unless you have a link directly to one of the forum topics.) What I'm hoping exists is something I can setup on my personal web space that would...
  13. J

    Mouse pads...?

    I'm using a MX1000 with a RatPadz surface (cant remember the name of it), but I can tell a difference in resistance. It slides effortlessly across the surface, and when I switch to my desk, it actually feels undesirable due to the increased resistance. Before owning the RatPadz surface though...
  14. J

    The BEST headphones for ipod

    Are the e2c canalphones much different than the iPod in-ear phones? I, regretably, bought a pair of the apply in-ear phones, and they sound worse (to me) than the free ear buds. They sounded very "tinny" and the bass was worse than the freebies too.
  15. J

    Got my Dell 2405 and im in complete love.

    Got mine, and it's darn right lovely. Even with the fast response time, there's still blur in FPS games or other fast action games. (This coming from someone that's used a CRT for a while, so I may be biased). I'm getting used to it, but it did bug me at first.
  16. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    I ended up getting mine today, and I played with it before heading to work. Man, it is gorgeous... only gripe is that at 1920x1600, it seems like the image is pushed too far to the right and comes back to the left. If I could adjust the horizontal positioning left a bit, that would likely fix...
  17. J

    Can't get heatsink off CPU

    Call it what you will, but that is used in the industry more than you'd think for initial testing DOA CPU returns.
  18. J

    Can't get heatsink off CPU

    Beep codes generally require a CPU (even a defective one, depending on the failure). If there's compound in the socket, there's not much you can do to get it out. Also, if it is conductive thermal compound (some are), it could cause even more problems.
  19. J

    Can't get heatsink off CPU

    A few seconds doesn't harm it. This is done in a lot of refurbishing centers for initial quick testing of CPUs to see if they are truly DOA when returned. If they pass that quick test, they are then fitted with heatsink/fan. Yes it is bad practice to use a CPU without a heatsink, but less...
  20. J

    Can't get heatsink off CPU

    Without the heat sink, just insert the CPU, remove all expansion cards apart from what's needed for video (not sure if you have onboard video or not). Also go down to just 1 DIMM (and reseat it as well). When you pulled the CPU, you may have caused things to flex out of socket. (The beeps are...
  21. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    "Yes, Mr. Semler, I can confirm that it didn't actually ship out. I'll have to issue a replacement, which will take 7 to 10 days to process." I'm on hold to see if they can expedite it, but I think I'll just get a refund and tell them to shove the monitor.
  22. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    Nice. I explained the situation, got put back on hold, they came back on and said something like, "Yes, Mr. Semler, I can see that *click*". They hung up on me! Now I'm on hold again. That 21" CRT I've been using is looking mighty good right now. :(
  23. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    Delivered, but gues what? (I'm on hold waiting to talk to someone as I type this.) I ordered the monitor with the little AS500 sound bar thingie. Well, I got the Sound Bar, but the invoice shows that both items shipped in a single box. Lovely. So far DHL delayed me a day, and now it looks...
  24. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    On the night of the 1st, Austin, TX had really serious and hard rain. They delayed my monitor by a day, and I'm IN Austin, TX, due to the rain blocking the roads from Dell's shipping door and the DHL hub on Kramer Lane. If yours was ordered on the first day and went to DHL, they're the ones...
  25. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    Mine had an estimated delivery of March 28, then it shipped. Dell tends to under promise and over deliver. Jta, I paid a bit more, because I got hosed by sales tax. If I remember right, it was almost break-even after the 10% off, then the 8.25% sales tax.
  26. J

    Anything in the rumor mill?

    You pay for pron? ;) just kidding :D
  27. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    I'd have it today, but DHL was afraid of getting their boots wet in today's rain in Austin, TX, so they delayed it. Shipped yesterday. :)
  28. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    Not sure what the policy is about posting links, but it is at the top of the Got Apex website as I type this.
  29. J

    GeForce 6800 Ultra freezing!! *resolved*

    I have a BFG 6800 Ultra OC (425/1100), and nothing worked until I put the two power inputs on different lines. They shared the same line originally, and even though the card was the only thing on that line, it is all that worked. I'm using a Neo2 Platinum motherboard, dual channel RAM, and a...
  30. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    Ordered one too. 10% ain't bad, and I want it now! :)
  31. J

    Dell 2405FPW 24" inch on the way----Now available in US! Who is going to buy this new monster?

    I hope they break out the 15 or 20% off coupon love for this quickly. :)
  32. J

    are there QUALITY laptops with good portability for under $1k?

    I'm typing this on my new(ish) 600M, and it has been a great laptop. I've been using Dell laptops for around 4 years now and have never had a problem. I've dropped it once or twice too, and apart from the scratches associated with that kind of activity, the system's functionality hasn't been...
  33. J

    Shuttle's new nForce4 XPC (SN25P) to have Envy24 integrated audio w/ Wolfson 24/192 DAC!

    Does EAX 3.0 or 4.0 really buy you something worthwhile that can't be (closely) produced by the Envy's EAX 2.0 or even DirectSound support?
  34. J

    Need Advice on Upgrading Toshiba A15-S127 CPU

    This motherboard has a 2.0 ghz celeron in it. It looks like a 478 socket. Can I go get a Pentium M chip and stick it in, or is there special BIOS support that this motherboard would need? It uses the Intel 852GM chipset if that helps. Thanks in advance.
  35. J

    The Unofficial Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Pillow Thread

    Has anyone successfully (and comfortably) stacked two foam mattress toppers? I'm curious if I take two 1.5" toppers and stack them if it will be as good as a 3" topper. I'm thinking that heat transfer may be inhibited, as that's what helps the foam to take shape and such. Your thoughts? The...
  36. J

    The Unofficial Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Pillow Thread

    I picked up one of those $17.99 Novaform visco elastic mattress pads from boscovs.com, just because it was so cheap. It's so pitiful that you can't even tell that it is even there.
  37. J

    The Unofficial Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Pillow Thread

    I wonder how often you have to change the water? I'm sure it may require cleaning at some point as well. I'm surprised they can't fill it with some kind of runny goo instead of water.
  38. J

    The Unofficial Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Pillow Thread

    Is there any sloshing noise if the wife decides to roll over or otherwise shake the bed up? I'd be hitting the restroom 10 times a night if it does.
  39. J

    The Unofficial Memory Foam/Visco Elastic/NASA Pillow Thread

    (How do I say this without it sounding rude? :confused: ) Is the needed extra thickness mainly to make up for the weight that is laying on it? I have a 1.5" thick visco elastic mattress topper that I got from smartbargains.com for $59 about a month or two ago, and I swear I'm not feeling the...
  40. J

    Where to get bawls for cheap?

    Are they really that good? (I've never tried one.) $1.20 to $1.50 seems excessive to me, at least when I think of how I can usually get a 12-pack of Mountain Dew or something for $2.50.