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  1. K

    LCD Buyer's Guide

    Correct. My only games are MS FlightSim & Combat FlightSim. FPS games make me ill. Many thanks for your work and advice, xtknight. Happy New Year!
  2. K

    LCD Buyer's Guide

    Ditto, and then some! I need a new display now, as my old Samsung 955DF CRT is starting to get blurry on me. I'm not wedded to the idea of a LCD display, but they seem the only game in town these days. My requirements are the same as Luddite's, but I'm considering the 2005FPW for about $420 +...
  3. K

    17" LCD recommendation

    Too late! I was checking out TFT monitors at Fry's this morning. They'd just gotten a new shipment of Sony SDM-HS95P 19" monitors. Love at first sight! I'm typing this now with the monitor hooked to the DVI port of my fx5900 card. 1280x1024 on 19" display seems about perfect for these old...
  4. K

    17" LCD recommendation

    I'm about to take the leap into LCD, from my current 19" Samsung SyncMaster 955DF. I'm also thinking about going dual-display. My vid card is a GeForce fx 5900, which supports DVI. The Eizo L568 looks to be a superb monitor, but they sure don't give them away. The Dell seems nearly as good...
  5. K

    ~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread ~~~~

    I created a cash (asset) account in Quicken. I enter the rebate in the "receive" column on the day I submit it, with the company name in the "Payee" field. I enter a transfer to Checking, again with the company name in the payee field, when I deposit the check.
  6. K

    Damn you, Windows Messenger! Why won't you die?!

    There's a free plug-in available for Ad-aware 6.0 that turns off Windows Messenger.
  7. K

    Selling a hard drive. What's the best way to completely clean it?

    You can get a 15-day free trial of CyberScrub. This is what the (expletive deleted) Feds use. If you find it useful enough to keep around, the purchase price is $49.95.
  8. K

    Athlon64 Upgrade Questions.... Plz help =)

    I've had A64 3000+ on AOpen AK86-L mobo for a couple of months now. I'm very happy with the combo. See my sig for full details. The AK86-L currently is $88 at mwave. It lacks onboard Firewire, so I bought an inexpensive controller card.
  9. K

    Win 2000 Pro and AMD 64 3000+?

    I'm running Win2K Pro on my new Athlon 64 3000+ system now. It works fine. The only problem I had was that the version of 2K Pro I have is so old (pre-SP1), it locked up when installing the SCSI drivers. I was performing a clean install to a new SCSI boot drive. I loaded onto an EIDE drive then...
  10. K

    Anyone know where I can find an ASUS A7N8X-E Deluxe with the onboard SoundStorm?

    Newegg Scroll down for the Deluxe. They have both new and refurb as I write this.
  11. K

    What to do with extra HDD?

    I just received a replacement drive for the defective Seagate SATA I bought last year. The original drive was DOA but, by the time I built my new rig, it was too late to return the drive to the store. Since I couldn't wait for Seagate's RMA, I bought a WD 120GB ATA 100 drive on sale at Fry's...
  12. K

    [UPDATE with Temps] Sonata front intake fan...is this a joke? WTF were they thinking?

    The holes at the top vent hot air out of the case. I put a Papst 119mm fan behind the drive cage when I added a second HDD. It improves airflow over the drives. I have a 15k RPM SCSI boot drive and a 7200 RPM IDE storage drive. I don't know if the fan contributes at all to case cooling, but I...
  13. K

    Need a good LCD 17-19", 16-25ms w/no ghosting and true colors

    $2,835.49 is "a fraction of the cost" of the 2001FP? Looks nice, though. Unlike some others here, I'm not greedy. Anyone want to give me $2,900?
  14. K

    SATA or SCSI?

    I paid $29 for a four-position cable with LVD terminator from HyperMicro. I think they were out of four-position cables, because they invoiced and shipped a five-position cable for the same price. I mentioned storagereview.com but got charged shipping anyway, so that offer may no longer be...
  15. K

    Computer is so loud, and I make music! What can I do?

    I added the Pabst fan today. I still can barely hear the box running. I have a halogen floor lamp with a rheostat rather than a multi-position switch. It puts out a high-pitched noise when the light's dimmed. The lamp is noisier than my Sonata.
  16. K

    Configure me a solid A64 setup...

    See my sig. AOpen 8K86-L mobo works well. No onboard Firewire, so I added an inexpensive PCI card. Buffalo PC3200 RAM (Samsung chips) runs fine. I've OC'd both mobo and Ram to FSB 220 without a stutter.
  17. K

    Computer is so loud, and I make music! What can I do?

    I have an Antec Sonata case. It comes with a special version of Antec's 380W PSU. The case has a single, 120mm exhaust fan, and an option to add a 120mm intake fan. I got it on sale for $95. I hardly notice my box is running. I currently have an Athlon 64 3000+ with Thermaltake Silent Boost...
  18. K

    What was the last piece of hardware you've purchased?

    From HyperMicro: Seagate 18.4GB 15K.3 U320 SCSI HDD $169.00 Five position SCSI cable w/terminator $29.00 (I ordered a four position, they invoiced and shipped a five for same price) LSI U160 SCSI host adapter $49.00 Shipping & handling...
  19. K

    Installing a Second Hard drive

    What he said. Verify that Pin 1 on the cable is attached to Pin 1 on the drive and Pin 1 on the motherboard. Yes, the connector is keyed, but I've had cables with the connector keyed opposite the drive or motherboard mounting bracket. Also, make sure the cable is fully seated at the drive and...
  20. K

    ~~~~ Rebate Tracking Thread -- Updated 11-16-03 ~~~~

    I'm having problems getting the $50 rebate on the Western Digital 120GB ATA 100 I bought at Fry's 2/14/2004. According to RebatesHQ, February 14 does not fall between February 13 and February 19 (the rebate period). They promise a reply to email inquiries within 24 hours. One week and two...
  21. K

    Update: glad I bought the S45 over the A80

    My unequivocal answer: It depends. I looked at both and decided on the A80. Pro: Small and light enough that there's little excuse not to have it with you; good ergonomics; accepts accessory lenses; flexible enough for a film crank like me, but easy enough for my lovely but technically and...
  22. K

    buffalo ram.. how does it compare

    I have two sticks of their 512MB PC3200 (Samsung chips) in my A64 3000+ system now. It works fine, even OC'd to 220MHz at stock voltage. I haven't tried to tighten the timings or play with voltage yet.
  23. K

    Help ... Need recomendation of 17" LCD ???

    What's the reflected glare like with the plastic screen v. an uncovered monitor? It's an issue for me since the afternoon sun blasts directly through my home office window. Also, does dust accumulate between the cover and the screen? I like the idea of a covered screen, since people seem to...
  24. K

    Firewire card killing my pc?

    Are you using the correct drivers for the card? If the problem follows the card (assuming correct drivers in all test systems), you have a bad card.
  25. K

    Anyone still use a floppy?

    I have one in the new rig I built a couple of weeks ago. For my do-it-all box, I can't justify not having a floppy drive. There's still a fair amount of "sneakernet" file distribution happening and not everyone has a CD/DVD burner or a USB thumbdrive. Floppy drives cost about $6 if you don't...
  26. K

    LCD Monitor recommendations needed

    Click on the "Compare" button. This lets you compare several monitors for such things as brightness, contrast, energy consumption, warranty, etc.
  27. K

    LCD Monitor recommendations needed

    Hitachi from Monitors Direct. $469 with free ground shipping. Warranty: 0 dead pixels; 5 dead sub-pixels. There's a link to the Anandtech review at the site, as well.
  28. K

    Final LCD Choice: Dell 1800FP or Viewsonic vp171b?

    Dell Outlet have refurbished 1800FP for $498. You might try calling to see if they'll cut you a deal on the phone. They were on sale for $448 two weeks ago.
  29. K

    Question for SCSI fans

    I want to add a second HDD to my new rig. I'm thinking of replacing the IDE drive that's there now with two SCSI drives. One would be boot drive/programs, the other storage, video editing, etc. Games could go on either. Should I get two of the 36.7 GB 15K RPM refurbs from Hypermicro, or would I...
  30. K

    173P or 1800FP?

    IIRC, Cleartype actually degrades text on Win2K, which is what I use. Thank you for the reply. There's a following for the 1800FP here that seems almost silly to ignore. Too bad I missed the sale a couple of weeks ago.
  31. K

    173P or 1800FP?

    Refurbs at the Dell Outlet. They had them on sale for $450 a week or so back. Sigh...
  32. K

    173P or 1800FP?

    I've narrowed my LCD monitor choices to these two. I'm interested in opinions from anyone who has had a chance to work with both. Gaming performance is secondary to clear text. I do like the pivot on the Samsung. There's a rebate on the Samsung through 2/28, which still leaves it $150 more than...
  33. K

    (: Please recommend to me a good motherboard and HSF :)

    I can't speak for the mobo. I have the Thermaltake Silent Boost HSF on my Athlon 64 3000+. It's rated at 21dBA. It cools well and is nearly inaudible in my Antec Sonata case. The Silent Boost for Athlon XP is about $27 on newegg, IIRC.
  34. K

    Firewire mobo header-to-6pin plug adapater?

    I'm looking for the same thing...
  35. K

    does the athlon 64 need special ram and what shout I get for around $140 (512mb)

    I'm running two 512MB sticks of Buffalo PC3200 with my A64 3000+. I have a stable OC with FSB and RAM both at 220.
  36. K

    Samsung 173P 17" LCD monitor

    Analog makes a difference, as does the signal degradation caused by the splitters they run the monitors on. You might try to get them to connect the floor sample directly to a PC so that you can more honestly evaluate the monitor. The image of a big $$ prospect walking out the door, never to...
  37. K

    Reliable DVD+R 8x media for Liteon DVD burner?

    Check the Liteon website for their list of approved and compatible media. I have a Plextor DVD burner. According to Plextor's site, media compatibility is a function of the media manufacturers' individual processes and the drive manufacturers' individual firmware. It's not a simple issue of...
  38. K

    Build me a basic amd64 system

    See my sig. I'm currently stable at 220 FSB with stock voltage. RAM is running synchronously.
  39. K

    New rig's finished...for now

    I tried both. The 2K installer reported a fatal error every time it tried to format the drive. I bought the HDD months ago. It's a Barracuda SATA, which has been superseded by the 7200.7. I think the drive's firmware simply was incompatible with Win2K. The Seagate utility was missing one of its...
  40. K

    New rig's finished...for now

    It may just have been the Seagate drive that didn't work. I got errors on every attempt at formatting the drive under Win2K. Seagate have a buggy (by their own admission, in the fine print after the rhetoric about how wonderful it is) HDD setup utility on their website. That didn't work either...