Computer Help Thread

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prince1142003
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by prince1142003 »

It could also be a motherboard issue, which is why I would try it in an entirely different system if possible. But it does sound like it quit on you. Since it is a relatively old tuner, maybe you overstressed it by watching HD programming?
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

Yeah, I watched HD but isn't that what it's made for >_<? And I didn't use it that much. I'd be spewing if it's a motherboard issue because it cost me $310 >_< It still detects the hardware, but the hardware won't work =-S
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by vellu »

baumaxx1 wrote:Yeah, I watched HD but isn't that what it's made for >_<? And I didn't use it that much. I'd be spewing if it's a motherboard issue because it cost me $310 >_< It still detects the hardware, but the hardware won't work =-S
Have your tried switching the card to a different PCI-slot (if available)?
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

Yeah, there's one, but I wouldn't run anything in it because it'll get in the way of the PSU fan. Worth a shot though. I'll have to do it after exams when I have time, but one thing I noticed was that there was a green light on the card. I hope it doesn't mean the card's working and the PCI slot isn't... Anyway... I better worry about exams.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Koenigsegg_Rox »

OK, I've already asked for a refund on it but no shame in posting my problem here I guess.

I got my Logitech G9 mouse 6 days ago. Today, I wake up, open up my lappy, move the mouse, nothing happens. It was working perfectly fine when I got it, but now the cursor just refuses to move at all. I can still click all the buttons, and the scrollwheel still works as well, but the cursor doesn't move. I researched the problem, some people say it's SetPoint (software that comes with the mouse, and the only possible explanation I can think of at this time), while others say that the laser is really unreliable and just grows dimmer with use...which considering that the laser technology has been used with many other Logi mice (not to mention after months of use and abuse of my VX Revolution and the laser still performs at its best), I'd say is pretty far from the truth.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by donaldgladden »

My cpu has a overheating problem lately. For maybe the past 3-5 months the metal top part has come off the green part.Mostly because of the "Magnetized" aspect of the cpu vs the heatsink(not really magnetized, but the two stick together). So last week i took out my heatsink and such for a routine check-up and found that some of the grey compound has gone away. I didn't think much of it so, i put everything back, go into bios and find that my temps suddenly skyrocketed to 150 degrees F. :shock:

Now i know that stuff is the source of my temps, but whenever i try to use the cpu again my Mobo says"system failed cpu test". Is it because my cpu overheating or my addiction to overclocking finally killing my cpu. Luckly for me i have a extra 1.8 ghz cpu for my overclocking needs (now running at 2.16 :mrgreen: ).

I tried googling to find out what that grey stuff is, but no avail.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

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Do you have any idea what you're doing? I don't. What's metal top part, green part?

You're probably looking at thermal grease, thermal paste, thermal interface material. Different names for the same stuff.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by vellu »

donaldgladden wrote:So last week i took out my heatsink and such for a routine check-up and found that some of the grey compound has gone away. I didn't think much of it so, i put everything back, go into bios and find that my temps suddenly skyrocketed to 150 degrees F. :shock:
You need to apply a new layer of thermal compound. It tends to dry and come brittle in a few years anyway, and especially if you've removed and replaced the cpu without changing the compound the thermal connection is sure to be very weak.

Remove the cpu, clean both surfaces propely (the cpu and the bottom of the heatsink), apply a new layer of compound and reattach the cpu. That should do it. Careful with static electricity when handling the cpu.

Thermal compound should be available at any decent computer store for 10€ or less. You'll only need very little.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by donaldgladden »

PSZeTa wrote:Do you have any idea what you're doing? I don't. What's metal top part, green part?

You're probably looking at thermal grease, thermal paste, thermal interface material. Different names for the same stuff.
I was talking about about the part of the cpu that would face the heat sink as the metal part and the green part being the half with the pins. On the half with the pins there's i'm guess the cpu core and on top of it is some sort of grey compound that's gone away.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by vellu »

The pin side should obviously not have any "grey matter". The other (smooth) side needs a new layer of thermal paste, if the original one has "rotted away". As said before, be sure to completely clean the old compound off first before applying the new layer. A very thin layer is all that is needed (nearly translucent).
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

My TV card works now...

I put it in the old computer and it worked. Then I just put it straight back where it was in the new PC (before I tried the second slot... which I didn't need to do), and the only different thing I did was go into the bios and cleaned the air filter and it works for some reason now. All good =-)
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by vellu »

Most likely some dust in the pci slot or the card connector surfaces. Doesn't take much to malfunction due to static electricity from dust.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Koenigsegg_Rox »

Don't really know where this belongs, but I do require some help. I'm going to be buying a new computer soon and I have the tower and monitor picked out, but I want to change out the graphics card (9600M GT) for something that would be killer for the games that I have. I was wondering what would be best suited for it while still being fairly cheap (I'm not willing to spend more than AU$450-500, but hopefully there's something decent for quite a bit cheaper than that). I was thinking of the 9800GTX, which is 250, but would that run Far Cry 2 on high?
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by vellu »

Maybe not completely fluently (depends on other specs too), but should run ok atleast. From ATI side you could consider some 4850 model which offers roughly the same performance (or 4870 depending on budget but would be faster than 9800gtx, they have gotten a bit cheaper now that 4890 is out).
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Koenigsegg_Rox »

Well the current system I'm planning on buying has Intel Quad-Core 2.33GHz, 4GB of RAM and Vista Home Premium 64-bit, and the current card it has is a 9600M GT. And I just checked eBay and there's 4890's going for around the AU$330 mark which is well within budget. The 4870 is around about the AU$250-300 mark so that's also under budget.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

Koenigsegg_Rox wrote:Don't really know where this belongs, but I do require some help. I'm going to be buying a new computer soon and I have the tower and monitor picked out, but I want to change out the graphics card (9600M GT) for something that would be killer for the games that I have. I was wondering what would be best suited for it while still being fairly cheap (I'm not willing to spend more than AU$450-500, but hopefully there's something decent for quite a bit cheaper than that). I was thinking of the 9800GTX, which is 250, but would that run Far Cry 2 on high?

$450-500 is overkill unless you're going extreme high end. A GTX 260 can be picked up for $239 @ MSY. It will run Far Cry 2 on maximum settings (Ultra High) @ 1080p, 8x AA and benchmarks very well. The Inno3D card itself is actually the quietest card I've had (FX5600, 7600GT, 8600GT and 9600GT and then the GTX) and runs at comfortable temperatures. Depending on your system, you won't really need more. What tower and screen are you looking at?

I run this ->

Intel i7 920 (4 x 2.66ghz with HT)
6GB 1333 speed DDR3 G-Skill RAM
Inno 3D GTX 260
Gigabyte Ex58 UD3R

It will easily max almost everything but Crysis... which it gets close to. This graphics card is also supported by AutoCAD (I do engineering, lol), the 8 threads are very handy for simulation in MATLAB, and the graphics card also supports advanced features of Photoshop CS4. Not sure if that applies to you or not, but they're some of the things I do. Anyway, if you were looking at 450 - 500 for a graphics card, maybe look at doing an i7 build for longevity (will still be quick later down the line), and going for a 260 or 275 as the graphics card is likely to be the first part that you will replace. ATI also have the 4870 and 4890 which are good cards, but not sure if they have PhysX (not a big deal anyway), but the thing that made me stay away from them was the ridiculous temperatures they reach.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Koenigsegg_Rox »

Ah. Point taken...the basic specs I have explained above, and the monitor is a BenQ 22" G220HD Full HD monitor. The reason why I was saying 450-500 is because that's what a GTX285 generally goes for which is something that I was also thinking along the lines of. But yeah, I just want something that's pretty much future-proof for gaming without going as extreme as an i7 system which are quite expensive at the moment.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

Budget? And yeah, a quad core would be a good choice then.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Koenigsegg_Rox »

This tower along with the monitor and the new graphics card is going to be costing me about 1800 bucks, which is what I paid for my laptop ironically. The store that I'm buying from has an own it now thing with weekly payments so I'll get the monitor and stick with the 9600 until I get enough dosh for the GTX 260 (Although I might get the 275).
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

Where are you shopping? What's the full spec list? My tower was $1900, and you may not need 2 HDDS, an audiophile grade sound card, and part prices have dropped further since I bought it. It was an i7 build too, so you might actually be able to afford it if you're lucky. Depends if you'd drive down to Adelaide and go get parts from MSY, or just stick with a shop at Mt. Gambier.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Koenigsegg_Rox »

This is from a Mt. G store lol. And I have tried other sites as well. Mwave.com.au, eBay, Dell.com.au (Shock horror...), even getting desperate and trying Alienware (big mistake), but because I can't exactly come up with the money upfront PC Zone (the store I'm looking at) and Dell are the only two options I really have because they take weekly payments.

This is the full spec list straight off the site:



High-end Home PC!! Photo & Video
Editing and Great Gaming PC...


Home Premium
Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200 2.33Ghz
4Gb 800Mhz DDR2 RAM
1TB SATA Hard Disk Drive
Dual Layer DVD +/- RW Burner
1Gb GeForce 9600GT Video Accelerator
10/100 Ethernet
Intel High Definition Audio
Deluxe Tower Case (2 x Front / 4 x Rear USB)
Internal Flash Memory Card Reader
22" Widescreen LCD, Logitech LS-21 Speakers
Logitech Wireless Keyboard & Optical Mouse
Microsoft Vista Home Premium & Trend Micro Internet Security

Methinks that part of the quite hefty price tag (this full setup with the monitor, speakers, kb and mouse is $1999, the tower itself is $1699 as I just found out today) might be down to the security and operating system. That and the Quad-Core alone from memory was rated at $1049...
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by baumaxx1 »

Do you need the Keyboard, mouse, speakers, internet security, and card reader? Dropping some of those could save a bit of cash, and I doubt the keyboard and mouse and speakers would be anything other than basic, low-end stuff. Might be worth just using what you have if it's an option and maybe spoiling yourself later. And the case looks like a generic. I have an Antec 300... it's very very good and is only ~ $100. There's also an equivalent Coolermaster CM gladiator, not sure of the number but it's a similar price and is very very good. Also check what PSU you're getting. I run a Seasonic PSR650+ and it meets all my power needs nicely and Seasonics have huge rep. Antec are also a good PSU brand. But yeah... maybe look at 600W, 650W. Could get away with 550W though. Look at all the parts separately, too to make sure you get the best buld you need.

I am very surprised about the tower being that much. Really haggle if you have to.
I'll give you an idea what I was looking at for $1600 before I stretched my PC to an i7 build (for my high end use stuff =-D).

CPU: Decent, but I would give the 8200 a miss... Maybe go an E8500 or Q8400 (De-tuned 9400). Both will perform well, maybe the E8500 if you just do gaming and light photoshop, and the wuad if you do HD viseo editing and encoding, massive multi-tasking and photoshop massive professional files, or do advanced simulation.

RAM: It's only 800mhz... The tower is too much IMO if you just get that.

GPU: That tower price is GTX 260 + territory. 1GB on a 9600 is unneeded... may as well go a 512 9800 as it's quicker.
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by Stereo »

I have an Antec TruePower Trio 650W, have had it for around 3 years, still in perfect condition and hasn't had any problems. Highly recommend Antec. The CPU is alright, but as baumaxx said, get the quad-core if you do heavy multitasking or HD video encoding/photoshop. And at first, by tower I thought you meant a case for $1600, when I re-read it I calmed down. :D
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by viper16 »

is this a good card to play all new games including shift and cod 6

http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/prod ... u=A2925258
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Re: Computer Help Thread

Post by vellu »

It's a decent midrange card. Nothing superb, but should play almost anything at mid-to-high gfx settings.
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