Search results

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    Help picking a reliable X79 board for workstation

    Yes, I had to get a different case for it, since the case I have would not accommodate the board in size or in cooling requirements. I went with a Lian Li PC-A71F - Newegg had a massive sale on it and I got it for almost 100$ off what I would normally pay.
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    Lehtv, That is a good point, and by the time I got around to purchasing the card, the 670 had been announced and was available. However, I haven't been playing games as much as I would like due to hardware restrictions. So I went with something that could run just about anything for...
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    Taltamir, At the time in the past I was subsisting on donated hardware from generous friends. I couldn't afford backup hardware. I developed a "backup" system where I left old versions of the data on multiple drives. Now, during the course of building this system, I bought a backup drive.
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    I want to thank you all for your input. I went with a case that had a really good 1-day deal: Lian Li PC-A71F. It's really quiet (the loudest fan is on the processor heatsink. I think I'll change that in the future). Much quieter than my last system. The noise characteristics are much more...
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    Help picking a reliable X79 board for workstation

    Thank you all for your input and help. I went with the ASUS P9X79 WS. I am very pleased with this decision
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    Thanks all! I went with a fresh install of Windows 8 RP instead. This thing is FAST.
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    Help picking a reliable X79 board for workstation

    hmm, I have heard from two owners of ASUS WS boards so it sounds like maybe their WS boards are free from the quality control problems I have heard plague their other products. It doesn't appear, however, that it will fit in the Obsidian 550D. But I like that the Supermicro board offers an...
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    Help picking a reliable X79 board for workstation

    The X9SRA appears to lack the features I wouldn't use and have the features I would use. But I can't find any reviews on it and I don't know much about Supermicro's reputation or the C602 chipset. Care to comment? Edit: I have a Supermicro box at work and while it seems fairly stable, it's...
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    Help picking a reliable X79 board for workstation

    Hello, I am building a workstation to last me for several years. As such, I am prioritizing reliability and silence when selecting components. The two choices I have narrowed myself to are the Intel DX79SI and the ASUS P9X79 WS. The Intel is less expensive and has fewer PCI-e slots, but...
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    your least favorite cpu of all time?

    Reminiscent of the "Demon Core", I inherited a (dead) computer with a P4 3.2GHz HT Prescott. The motherboard around the CPU socket was warped from heat as a result of the wrong heatsink/fan providing insufficient cooling. When a friend came along with a motherboard that supported this chip and a...
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    Recommend me an x79 board?

    I, too, am looking at an X79 board since my system is feeling its age. (see the signature) I am not too concerned with overclocking. The big things for me are stability and quiet. I have narrowed it down to the Intel DX79SI and the ASUS P9X79 WS. I have chosen those because they don't have...
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    I can't think of a way to check within windows without booting linux, but I believe my NTFS was formatted with the default 4096 allocation block size. I did not specify any non-default value for it. The partitions, except for the extended one containing linux, are all 4k-aligned as well. Even...
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    Shmee, I am still using that system in my sig. I am upgrading it piece by piece. But maybe I'll just go ahead and upgrade the whole thing right now. :D
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    Thanks to you all for your help and suggestions!
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    For this drive, unfortunately, the manufacturer only includes Norton Ghost. I say unfortunately because the general opinion of Norton Ghost seems to be pretty low. I may use gParted or Clonezilla bootable CDs.
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    >fdisk -lu /dev/sda Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders, total 312581808 sectors Units = sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes Sector size (logical/physical): 512 bytes / 512 bytes I/O size (minimum/optimal): 512 bytes / 512 bytes Disk...
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    I'm only concerned the 512B emulation will affect lifespan and performance. I don't care too much about compatibility. If all I have to do is make a 1MB partition to aligns the 512B sectors with the 4K sector boundaries, then great.
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    Cloning existing install on 512B sector drive to 4K sector SSD

    Hello, I just took the plunge and bought an SSD (Samsung 830 256GB, if you're interested). My current machine has an old PATA 180GB system drive with a Win7 Pro X64/Mythbuntu dual boot. I'd really rather not do a fresh install of windows on the new drive. I can lose the linux install since...
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    Understanding the effects of power failure on flash-based SSDs

    I got the impression from the article that they weren't testing complete SSDs, but rather they were testing specific chips to see how they handled power failure. If you think about it, in order to control power failure so precisely, it makes much more sense that they have a single controller and...
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    yeah, thanks for the unhelpful link. I was looking for the TNN-500 but they don't make it anymore (not the TNN-300 either) Besides, those cases are as much as the entire computer going into them.
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    I am seeing that the 550D is really a contender worth considering. I am strongly leaning towards it now. My only concern with most of these cases is the quality of construction and materials. My current case certainly isn't quiet (a fact I'm reminded of by the ringing in my ears after a few...
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    DigitalWolf, in the review I read for the 550D, the reviewer expressed concern that the "optional" panels on the top and side might rattle in the future. Have you noticed anything with those that might lead you to have the same concern?
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    I definitely need a case larger than the P180 Mini. The 550D definitely has been added to my list, but it's fairly new. Do you have any experience with one?
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    I thought the R3 had sound-dampening plates covering the top mounted fan slots when they are not in use.
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    Quiet Case Recommendations for a Workstation-eqsue system

    I have pretty sensitive hearing, so as I am planning my new system I am trying to find a case that is quiet. I am looking for suggestions from users of any case who think they have sensitive hearing. I'd also love to hear from owners of the cases below. I have read several of Dustin's...
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    PCI SATA card

    So far, it looks like the Silicon Image card from dealextreme or the Addonics card from newegg. I'm going to keep looking around, if anybody has anything else to contribute, it's always appreciated. EDIT: I've sort of given up on the idea of replacing the motherboard with one that has SATA...
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    PCI SATA card

    Ok, I'll keep in mind that write caching is something to disable on PCI SATA controllers. I never would have thought of that.
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    PCI SATA card

    These links look good. Anybody have any more advice or other links?
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    PCI SATA card

    A family member gave me a 400GB seagate harddrive for my birthday. I found out, unfortunately, that it uses SATA and none of my desktops have SATA (yes, they are that old). Since I am a ways off from upgrading to anything that supports SATA, and I don't want to bog down the performance of the...
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    Folder Synchronization/comparison

    Free is good. I rather prefer free. SyncToy looks good, but I haven't tried it yet. Any other ideas/candidates, preferably free? Thank you all for your responses so far.
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    Folder Synchronization/comparison

    I am working on a friend's computer and I backed up several of his important folders to my file server running SaMBa. However, just to be certain, I want to double check that all the files copied correctly and that even the hidden folders/files were copied. Every application I've tried so...
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    Taking Hardware Suggestions for a new Workstation

    Thank you for the information, and the links. One last question, any suggestions for motherboards? I know the chipset/motherboard scene has changed since I last looked at them. Also, I think I will wait until the yorkfield xeons (nehalem 45nm) are available in january. More cache...
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    Taking Hardware Suggestions for a new Workstation

    How foolish of me! I forgot to post my budget. Well, $2000 - $3000 is a little steep; I pegged my budget around $1500, but I can go a little higher if need be. First, thank you for your response, Blain. I tend to use Newegg to buy parts, but I can't seem to find a Xeon X3230 in their...
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    Taking Hardware Suggestions for a new Workstation

    myocardia, thank you for the information about the TPM; it is as I feared: that I had waited too long to buy. I apparently haven't had the pleasure of buying a (faulty) PSU, but I'll keep in mind your advice that not all PSU the come with the case are as good as gold. [edit: I'm not going...
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    Taking Hardware Suggestions for a new Workstation

    So, I rarely have enough money for a PC, but I've saved up, and I need a workstation that will last me at least 5 years. I personally want to build it, so I can choose the parts. This system will do just about everything: A/V Editing/TV recording, gaming, software development, internet. I...
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    IPTables vs pf

    Well, I settled with IPTables because I know how to set up my server in Linux. Before I started this, I didn't know either IPTables or pf; now I know a little about IPTables. I'm rather familiar with OpenBSD, and I like the base install environment: nothing extra. I feel like I have a clean...
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    Dimension 4100 CPU compatability

    Dang. What does the adapter do, exactly? Does it just change the voltage, or is the pinout on the Tualatins different than the pinout on the Coppermines?
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    Dimension 4100 CPU compatability

    I found an old socket 370 Pentium 3 (Celeron, maybe) Tualatin 1.4 GHz, that runs a 100MHz FSB, has 256k L2 cache. I have an old Dell Dimension 4100 that I use quite a bit, but the CPU is feeling its age, so I was curious if I could put this CPU into this motherboard. I don't want to put it in...
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    CPU compatable with Dimension 4100 Motherboard?

    I found an old socket 370 Pentium 3 (Celeron, maybe) Tualatin 1.4 GHz, that runs a 100MHz FSB, has 256k L2 cache. I have an old Dell Dimension 4100 that I use quite a bit, but the CPU is feeling its age, so I was curious if I could put this CPU into this motherboard. I don't want to put it in...
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    How would you refocus Linux development?

    I'd like to see considerable effort put into writing quality open-source alternatives to closed-source blob drivers. I really am getting tired of having to load low quality binary drivers (I'm looking at you, ATI/AMD) just to get my hardware to work the way I need it to. That or, I'd like to...