[Lady Shocka]

Originally by Powerslide
LET'S MAKE THIS WORK PEOPLE!

Okay, now as anyone could see there are HUNDREDS of tech threads floating around in CD - ranging from questions about graphics hardware, to questions about pricier graphics hardware and other tech such as monitors, hard drives and Processors to announcement threads of new technology and more. (I accede - I'm not being very eloquent here

Any questions you have, tech news or ANYTHING related to buying/selling/information/announcements of new hardware should go here.

For example, if you come to the forums to ask "What is the better graphics hardware" or "What sort of RAM should I put in my PC?" then it should go here - I'm a little hazy, I know - but please keep all those graphics card and tech questions to one thread! Please!
So here's the summary, all:

• Announcements and queries on new or unreleased tech
  
• Benchmarks and results of hardware/discussion
  
• Questions on what sort of hardware you need/want for your machine
  
• Questions about existing tech and/or function
  
• Pricing and recommendations

Should be kept to THIS THREAD.

This has been A-okayed by CCNA for all who were wondering - it's up to you to stop filling CD with the same topics again and again that ask what the most powerful card in existence is so you can (not) buy it.

If you feel you have a question or can answer one - please feel free to do so.

Also, this is a great thread for you PC newbs, for learning more about your PC and hardware. http://www.elderscrolls.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=258050&st=0&p=4626051&#entry4626051

Also, a useful site for a frame of reference (not actual numbers), http://www23.tomshardware.com/cpu.html?modelx=33&model1=476&model2=477&chart=174, and http://www23.tomshardware.com/graphics.html?modelx=33&model1=519&model2=547&chart=211


Thanks all.
Adding more links shortly, thank you for your patience.

(Threads 1-82 have been all pruned, may they rest in peace)


http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1069729
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1073705
http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1076918
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1079401-the-community-tech-thread-%2386/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1084024-the-community-tech-thread-no-87/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1090141-the-community-tech-thread-no-88/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1094900-the-community-tech-thread-no-89/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1102258-the-community-tech-thread-no-90/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1108118-the-community-tech-thread-no-91/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1112884-the-community-tech-thread-no-92/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1118559-the-community-tech-thread-no-93/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1145193-the-community-tech-thread-no-94/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1153130-the-community-tech-thread-no-95/
http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1160717-the-community-tech-thread-no-96/

Do I also have to put a big glowing neon sign to this in my signature? THERE ARE TOO MANY TECH THREADS - THIS IS NOT A FORUM FOR YOUR TECH WOES!

But we will gladly help you anyway.

Honour list:
Nottheking
Lord Athanar (SUPER-PINK!)
Insaneturbo13
Anothercanadian
Tig Ol' Bitties
Dogsbody
CCNA (Moderator)
Níeh?ggr
wolfpup
Wierd
Softnerd
wingus
DEFRON
Qwaxalot
iGuess


Oh and PLEASE, if you want us to "Build" you a PC, please indicate the following:
1.) your budget in your country's currency
2.) what country you reside if not listed in your avatar area
3.) pre-assembled PC? ...or can you build your own?
4.) what is needed other than the PC tower? Monitor, speakers, mouse, keyboard, Windows OS disc? All these can jack up the price.
5.) product preferences, preferred seller, and intended aim

but please, no "I want teh superererest Peecee evar1!!!!11!1", because really, only Bill Gates has that much moolah.

And, speaking of building your own PC, two good how-to videos from Newegg (thanks to SpankyTheElf for finding these):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CStOC0hET8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3buj5cIh2Bs&feature=related

Other useful links
http://trinityhome.org/Home/index.php?wpid=1&front_id=12
http://tools.corsairmemory.com/systembuild/report.aspx?report_id=12472
http://www.memtest86.com/
http://www.techpowerup.com/atitool/
http://entechtaiwan.com/util/ps.shtm
http://www.irfanview.com/
http://www.knoppix.org/
http://www.jonnyguru.com/
http://forums.extremeoverclocking.com/showthread.php?t=136602
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4181.html
http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php
http://www.cpuid.com/pcwizard.php
http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/
http://www.crucial.com/systemscanner/
http://tftcentral.co.uk/
http://www.apple.com/itunes/
http://www.futuremark.com/products/3dmark06/
http://www.fraps.com/

[Lucie H]

Alright, my PC (Dell Inspiron 1750 laptop running Win7 64bit) can't seem to uninstall a program without needing to be restarted afterwards. It isn't that it's prompting me to restart; it just can't seem to function correctly once all is said and done and I close the control panel.

First, it takes several minutes to load the list of programs (not that large of a list), sometimes freezing in the process. It usually goes through the actual uninstall fairly smoothly, but once it's finished, and I go to close the CP, it just fails. Sometimes it just freezes. Sometimes I can move the mouse but it's stuck as the little Win7 loading icon. Just a few minutes ago, when I was having these problems again, it even failed to restart, and I had to power down via holding the button.

Any insight as to a way to fix this? My Inspiron came pre-loaded with Win7 from QVC...did they [censored]-up somehow? Or maybe I have a faulty processor?

[Darian Ennels]

I can't find the answer to this anywhere. When I try to make an ASCII music note, which is ALT + 13, I get an e with a tilde. I had a friend type it in IM, and he saw a music note, I saw an e with a tilde. Even if I copy and paste a music note, it comes up as an e with a tilde in the text box. What is causing this?

[Emma Pennington]

I can't find the answer to this anywhere. When I try to make an ASCII music note, which is ALT + 13, I get an e with a tilde. I had a friend type it in IM, and he saw a music note, I saw an e with a tilde. Even if I copy and paste a music note, it comes up as an e with a tilde in the text box. What is causing this?

Those are Alt codes, and do not necessarily match ANSI charts. Your language and non-unicode settings can change your alt codes. For example, since my non-unicode setting is set to Japanese (for compatibility reasons), my Alt codes have been altered and many programs interpret my backslash key as the JPY symbol.

Most alt code lists you find on the Internet are for US English.

So the problem is either the language settings on your computer or how that program's implementation of unicode.

[lexy]

I am on the hunt now for a new laptop, I won't be buying it for a month or so but am looking for current prices on machines.

what i will use it for:
- .NET development
- running various virtual machines (one at a time)
- possibly gaming if possible

I would prefer if it is was around 15" as 17" is too big and heavy and anything smaller is just too small, I think but 14" would be alright. I do need to be able to take it back and forth with me to class on a daily basis. Driver availability would be nice since I am goign to remove whatever OS is preinstalled and put Windows 7 Professional on it.

I also would prefer to limit my purchasing to NewEgg or Amazon if possible but I do have a local Best Buy I could go to.

[SaVino GοΜ]

Ok so I've been noticing it in some youtube videos, but now it happens when I play WoW. There seems to be a sparkle effect outlining objects. Is my card dying or what?

[Elena Alina]

Before I start scavenging for spare parts, any guesses as to whether this is a monitor or vid card issue, or is there no way to tell?

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e266/Celauran/Display/

[Russell Davies]

Before I start scavenging for spare parts, any guesses as to whether this is a monitor or vid card issue, or is there no way to tell?

http://s41.photobucket.com/albums/e266/Celauran/Display/

Since its before Windows boots its either a RAM issue or graphics card issue. It doubtful the monitor could cause this issue. Usually monitor related issues amount to blank screens, missing colors, or full picture distortion. Check the System Memory (RAM) first, then you might have a defective or overheating graphics card. You can rule out the graphics card driver as it is happening before Windows boots.

[Isaiah Burdeau]

Hadn't even considered RAM. Thanks.

[Claudz]

I'm wanting to reformat my hd but I'm not sure how to go about it. Do I need the original discs or what? (xp here) I don't really have to back up much besides pictures and some documents. Any help would be great.

[sw1ss]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but has anyone installed Windows 7 Service Pack 1, yet? I'm haven't issues getting it to install via Windows Update.

[Stephy Beck]

Sorry if this has already been posted, but has anyone installed Windows 7 Service Pack 1, yet? I'm haven't issues getting it to install via Windows Update.

I didn't even know about it... installing now. Will let you know how it goes.

EDIT: No problems here, smooth as butter. However, it appears that http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1168957-win7-service-pack-1/

[jessica sonny]

In the last thread I posted a question if I should upgrade from xp 32 bit to w7 64 bit.

So now Ive installed w7 64 bit.
And, as a nice bonus, I got 2 gig extra ram (I already had 2).

But I ran into a problem.
My motherboard has 4 ram-slots. I can fill 3, and boot fine. (It does not seem to matter which slots I fill with which ram)
But when I fill a fourth slot, the pc stops booting. No weird sounds, no smoke or crazy fans. It just stops on the screen which shows a windows flag, and the text "Starting windows...".
Waiting for 5 minutes does not help.

How could I get my pc to accept 4 ram-slots? (Does it really matter that much 3 or 4 gig?)

Cheers,
Badboyd

[Strawberry]

In the last thread I posted a question if I should upgrade from xp 32 bit to w7 64 bit.

So now Ive installed w7 64 bit.
And, as a nice bonus, I got 2 gig extra ram (I already had 2).

But I ran into a problem.
My motherboard has 4 ram-slots. I can fill 3, and boot fine. (It does not seem to matter which slots I fill with which ram)
But when I fill a fourth slot, the pc stops booting. No weird sounds, no smoke or crazy fans. It just stops on the screen which shows a windows flag, and the text "Starting windows...".
Waiting for 5 minutes does not help.

How could I get my pc to accept 4 ram-slots? (Does it really matter that much 3 or 4 gig?)

Cheers,
Badboyd

Maybe the 4th stick of RAM is faulty. (or the 4th slot) Did you try switching them around?

[darnell waddington]

Maybe the 4th stick of RAM is faulty. (or the 4th slot) Did you try switching them around?

Yup. I have 4 slots.
Originaly I had: (1 old gig) - empty - (1 old gig) - empty

I tried:
(1 old gig) - (1 new gig) - (1 old gig) - (1 new gig) Does not work (tested with both new ram on both slots)
(1 old gig) - (1 new gig) - (1 old gig) - emty Does work (tested with both new ram)
(1 old gig) - (1 old gig) - (1 new gig) - (1 new gig) Does not work
(1 old gig) - (1 old gig) - (1 new gig) Does work
emty - emty - emty - (1 old gig) Does work (to test if ram-slot#4 is not defect)

So I concluded that it's not the ram, nor the slots.

EDIT:
Also, I have no sound (onboard audio)

[Guinevere Wood]

Yup. I have 4 slots.
Originaly I had: (1 old gig) - empty - (1 old gig) - empty

I tried:
(1 old gig) - (1 new gig) - (1 old gig) - (1 new gig) Does not work (tested with both new ram on both slots)
(1 old gig) - (1 new gig) - (1 old gig) - emty Does work (tested with both new ram)
(1 old gig) - (1 old gig) - (1 new gig) - (1 new gig) Does not work
(1 old gig) - (1 old gig) - (1 new gig) Does work
emty - emty - emty - (1 old gig) Does work (to test if ram-slot#4 is not defect)

So I concluded that it's not the ram, nor the slots.

EDIT:
Also, I have no sound (onboard audio)

I think you may find that your Motherboard (and it's BIOS) does not support 4GB RAM. Check the manufacturer's website to verify.

[Brooke Turner]

I think you may find that your Motherboard (and it's BIOS) does not support 4GB RAM. Check the manufacturer's website to verify.

4 DDR2 DIMM memory slots (supports up to 16GB memory)(Note 1)
from http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2554#sp.

So it should be OK.

Now Im not entirely sure if the old ram and new ram are exactly the same.
How could I check? (The sticker on the new ram says: ddr2-800/1G 1.8V, the sticker on the old ones say nothing)

[ijohnnny]

edit.

[Queen]

little update:
I entered the bios, and changed the voltage from auto, to +0.05, and +0.15 and +0.20. None worked. (I can go further to 0.25, 0.30 etc to 0.60)

Edit:
Another little update: It does boot in safe-mode. And a DxDiag comfirms that it has 4gb ram.

[Yvonne]

Those are Alt codes, and do not necessarily match ANSI charts. Your language and non-unicode settings can change your alt codes. For example, since my non-unicode setting is set to Japanese (for compatibility reasons), my Alt codes have been altered and many programs interpret my backslash key as the JPY symbol.

Most alt code lists you find on the Internet are for US English.

So the problem is either the language settings on your computer or how that program's implementation of unicode.

Yeah, the thing is, It's always worked before, and I hadn't changed any settings. Oddly enough though, I lost internet briefly about a half hour after I couldn't get it to work, and when It came back up, it worked fine. I'm now wondering if it didn't have something to do with a bad connection at the time, but I'm not sure how that would affect it. Thanks for answering regardless.

[Robert Jackson]

Hi, my computer is no longer recognising installing via cd drives, it still runs thm (I have no idea why, it's [censored]) so I installed Oblivion to a portable hard drive via my laptop, I can still play Oblivion off the hard drive, but I can't use any mods or the construction set is there a way to fix this

[CRuzIta LUVz grlz]

So I am looking to buy a new laptop for college and well life after since I graduate soon. I want to spend at most $1000, though less is highly preferred, and I want to limit my purchases to Amazon, NewEgg, or a store if one exists nearby such as BestBuy or TigerDirect.

I want to be able to game on it though that will be a secondary use. Primary use will be programming and running virtual machines of various operating systems.

Anyone have any suggestions?

[Ludivine Dupuy]

Im still working with that RAM problem.
I almost got it working.

Windows will boot with 4 gb of RAM, but the onboard audio and my 8600GTS graphic card no longer work.

Here is what I did while having 3gb of RAM:
Reinstall windows 7.
install latest motherboard chipset drivers.

insert 1 extra gb ram.
Windows stopts booting after the "Starting windows..." screen. (So I got 1 screen further than before)
Take out the 1 extra gb ram.

install latest nvideo drivers.
install AMD dual core optimizer.


insert extra gb of ram again.
Windows now fully boots. But I no longer have audio or video. A DxDiag says I dont have any videocard or audio chipset.
Control Panel--> Device Manager says:
-8600GTS Device stopped, code 43
Audio chipset isn't even there anymore.

What could possible be wrong now?
------------------------------------------------
EDIT:
Seems to fixed. When I run msconfig, and go to the boot tab. I go to advanced options, and I check the Maximum memory. I set it to 4096. After a restart it jumps to 0.
But everything seems to work.

[Symone Velez]

Hey guys, my friend is looking into getting a new computer. I've tried to convince him to build his own, but he says that it is not possible at all.

He's currently looking into http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6899114&Sku=SYX-1070 one, but I'm pretty sure there are better choices. Do one of you guys know a better pre-built computer for the same price or less?

[Maya Maya]

He's currently looking into http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=6899114&Sku=SYX-1070 one, but I'm pretty sure there are better choices. Do one of you guys know a better pre-built computer for the same price or less?

Try finding a machine with a single powerful graphics card, not two weaker ones in SLI/Crossfire. Less heat, less power, and some games seem to perform better with one card.

12GB of RAM is waaaay overkill.