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[Hazaro]

I don't get it, what is wrong with that? His PSU is single rail so all outlets give the same power don't they? Maybe I am confused, I don't even understand what he is describing there.

He plugged the 8pin for his motherboard into his GPU.

And the 8 pin GPU into his motherboard based on that.

 

[Zzoram]

He plugged the 8pin for his motherboard into his GPU.

And the 8 pin GPU into his motherboard based on that.

I didn't even think that was possible.

 

[chespace]

He plugged the 8pin for his motherboard into his GPU.

And the 8 pin GPU into his motherboard based on that.

Not the second scenario. Just the 8pin for the mobo into the GPU.

And yes, it's possible.

 

[godhandiscen]

He plugged the 8pin for his motherboard into his GPU.

And the 8 pin GPU into his motherboard based on that.

Wow, but they are so different...

edit: Do you have another computer with which you can try the components?

 

[Hazaro]

Not the second scenario. Just the 8pin for the mobo into the GPU.

And yes, it's possible.

So what did you plug into your motherboard?

Is it just 4 pin powered?

Wow, but they are so different...

Not really :lol

 

[godhandiscen]

So what did you plug into your motherboard?

Is it just 4 pin powered?



Not really :lol

You are right, I was confused with the long one that goes to the side. I remember I didn't sleep building mine.

 

[kakashi08]

Ok final decision. Im getting either of this. But which one should I?

1. Dell Refurbished E248WFP = $299
2. "NEW" Dell E248WFP = $399
3. Acer P243WAid = $329

Is the refurbished dell going to have dead pixels and that stuff? or its just a return? If its just a "return" then think thats good, right?
All three have same resolution 1920 x 1200 and 400cd3 brightness, and all that other stuff. just want something that is good and without dead pixels.

 

[bee]

as far as i was aware its impossible to fit the 8 pin atx mobo lead into the 8pin pci-e socket as they're different and the square and smoothed edge pins don't correlate

 

[godhandiscen]

Ok final decision. Im getting either of this. But which one should I?

1. Dell Refurbished E248WFP = $299
2. "NEW" Dell E248WFP = $399
3. Acer P243WAid = $329

Is the refurbished dell going to have dead pixels and that stuff? or its just a return? If its just a "return" then think thats good, right?
All three have same resolution 1920 x 1200 and 400cd3 brightness, and all that other stuff. just want something that is good and without dead pixels.

I think that refurbished items pass one more quality control test before they are put back on the market. However it is fair for it to have scratches around (not on the screen of course).

 

[Gully State]

as far as i was aware its impossible to fit the 8 pin atx mobo lead into the 8pin pci-e socket as they're different and the square and smoothed edge pins don't correlate

You can still force them in. When I built my first system, I accidently plugged in a cable in the wrong orientation. Luckily no damage was done but it's something that can happen.

 

[prodystopian]

I want to backup my windows install onto my external drive so that I can reinstall after putting my HDDs into RAID 0. Does anyone know of a free way to do this?

Windows XP's backup says that I need to make a floppy to boot from (I don't have a floppy drive). Is there another way to use that tool?

If not, what is the best program I would have to pay for?

 

[Blackface]

If your motherboard has diagnostic lights on it (and most do). Watch the colour/pattern they are flashing, and go to a website or buy a book that explains them. Find your problem, fix it.

 

[Big Takeover]

Not the second scenario. Just the 8pin for the mobo into the GPU.

And yes, it's possible.

That sure doesn't sound good, but I'm not ready to call it broken yet.

Did you ever get a chance to update your bios, or remove some of the ram? If you haven't, try the first, then the latter.

 

[chespace]

That sure doesn't sound good, but I'm not ready to call it broken yet.

Did you ever get a chance to update your bios, or remove some of the ram? If you haven't, try the first, then the latter.

Yeah, I'm not sure it's broken but I really can't say one way or the other without actually doing more drastic shit like swapping out PSU's and GPU's.

So my prime suspicion is that the Powercolor 4870X2 is the culprit so I'm going to experiment. Tomorrow, I'll go to Best Buy and pick up another 4870X2 card (I think they only carry Visiontek) and install it. If it works, then I'll return the Visiontek (or maybe keep it) and RMA the Powercolor. If it's doing the same thing, at least I know my Powercolor isn't the culprit.

In the meantime, I'm going to turn off Cat AI and just play me some goddamn Crysis, which is something I've wanted to do all week but couldn't/didn't.

What are some framerates I should be seeing with Crysis with my setup now, which is basically a 4870 with 1GB DDR5 right (if I don't enable X2)?

 

[careful]

I finally got my system up and running the way I want it after 2 days.

Just a tip for everyone here... DON'T SETUP YOUR DISKS AS DYNAMIC!

I'm still waiting for my Vista to ship, so I reinstalled XP on a new drive. I had this old SATA drive from my previous computer setup as a dynamic drive. When I plugged it in my new system it was f*ckin unreadable. I spent a whole day messing around with it booting my old Ubuntu live CD's and whatnot, but it was pointless. Finally, I found this program GetDataBack that was able to read from the messed up MBR/partition. Lesson of the story, avoid dynamic drives. I don't think I would ever try to fuck with a RAID setup in case things go awry with the MBR/partition data and you gotta recover some data. A f*ckin pain in the ass.

 

[careful]

Che, honestly, go for a single card solution.

 

[Chiggs]

Che, honestly, go for a single card solution.

At this point, I honestly think he should do just that. He's supposed to be enjoying his new pc, not fucking around with ATI bullshit.

 

[_Angelus_]

Just wanted to say thanks for the help you guys. I feel better about what to buy than before. I had been meaning to post my PC specs for ages and get your opinions,now I''m glad I did and atleast have a better idea of what to look for.

 

[godhandiscen]

At this point, I honestly think he should do just that. He's supposed to be enjoying his new pc, not fucking around with ATI bullshit.

Is it really ATI the problem here? Maybe he blew up his card when he did that. I don't know. I would say he should try a cheap Nvidia card to see if that solves things. That will rule out if the card is the problem. The next step would be to RMA the card, and then he will be able to tell if it was a defective card or not. I really don't see how this is a design problem on ATI's part, a manufacturing problem, could be, but design?'

Edit: The reason why I say this is because there are hundreds of people who have a working 4870x2, and are happy customers like me. If che want's power, and doesn't have a SLI board, why should he give up so soon?

 

[Chiggs]

Is it really ATI the problem here? Maybe he blew up his card when he did that. I don't know. I would say he should try a cheap Nvidia card to see if that solves things. That will rule out if the card is the problem. The next step would be to RMA the card, and then he will be able to tell if it was a defective card or not. I really don't see how this is a design problem on ATI's part, a manufacturing problem, could be, but design?'

Edit: The reason why I say this is because there are hundreds of people who have a working 4870x2, and are happy customers like me. If che want's power, and doesn't have a SLI board, why should he give up so soon?

I certainly don't want to turn this into an ATI driver bash, but it seems like quirky can be an understatement when it comes to their drivers. As far as giving up? He's tried for about a week now; he deserves to enjoy his purchase, not fiddle-fuck his way to limited success.

 

[godhandiscen]

I certainly don't want to turn this into an ATI driver bash, but it seems like quirky can be an understatement when it comes to their drivers. As far as giving up? He's tried for about a week now; he deserves to enjoy his purchase, not fiddle-fuck his way to limited success.

I know the day will come for me to damn ATI driver's, but so far nothing. Also, he hasn't tried anything yet to rule out the videocard as the problem, what if he installs another card and he figures out that wasn't the problem? I am just trying to be logical here. So far he hasn't installed his 4870x2 in another system to see if it acts the same, or installed another 4870x2 in his same system to see if his original one was faulty.

 

[careful]

Let's not get into another nvidia/ATI argument please..
I said 'single card' to be generic.

You have solid options on both sides:
280 gtx
4870 1gb
260 gtx 216
4870 515mb
260 gtx

I just ran some Crysis benchmark for my E8400 / 260GTX SC combo (both running at stock) It's pretty solid..

XP SP3 / 32-bit / DX9 (modified config to have "very high" replace "high" - essentially the same as all very high)
1080p: 30fps avg
720p: 47fps avg

I also tried the CCC configs.. Gives the game a very different look from 'vanilla' Crysis (much warmer colour palette with stronger contrasts). I kinda like it.
Level 5 settings @ 1080p gave me 35fps avg. I went through a whole level with it and it's totally playable.

Obligatory screenshots follow..






You can click the image to see the full 1080p shot.

 

[godhandiscen]

What is the command to show the info?

 

[Chiggs]

What is the command to show the info?

r_displayinfo 1

 

[Chiggs]

Let's not get into another nvidia/ATI argument please..

I own both a 4870 1GB and a GTX 260. I can honestly say that the 4870 is the better card, but the drivers can be thoroughly obnoxious. I've had to spend a lot of time in CCC to get things working properly ever since I installed it. I'm happy with the performance, but, man, can it be frustrating.

 

[M3wThr33]

I'm usually an nVidia guy, but I remember upgrading the drivers for an ATi card on Vista and it was AMAZING. That's all.

 

[chespace]

Lame question alert:

How does one boot to safe mode in Vista?

I press and hold F8 before the Windows logo comes up and all that does is bring up a menu asking me which device I want to boot from (looks like it's a boot menu from my bios).

Is that the only way to boot to safe mode?

If I can't to safe mode, I can't run programs like DriverSweeper.

And yeah, I"m reading AMD's own forums right now and the problems people have with their drivers (and others who have Catalyst AI enabled crashing issues like mine) are epic and numerous.

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=98860

Gah, I hate this video card.

 

[GashPrex]

not to get into a ati/nvidia dispute, but it seems like the best performance/cost card right now is the 4850 - I can get one for 110-125 used or 150 new....am I correct?

or should i spend a bit more on the 260 GTX?

 

[Chiggs]

not to get into a ati/nvidia dispute, but it seems like the best performance/cost card right now is the 4850 - I can get one for 110-125 used or 150 new....am I correct?

or should i spend a bit more on the 260 GTX?

4850's are excellent cards, but if you've got the cash, I would definitely go for a 260.

 

[captive]

Lame question alert:

How does one boot to safe mode in Vista?

I press and hold F8 before the Windows logo comes up and all that does is bring up a menu asking me which device I want to boot from (looks like it's a boot menu from my bios).

Is that the only way to boot to safe mode?

If I can't to safe mode, I can't run programs like DriverSweeper.

And yeah, I"m reading AMD's own forums right now and the problems people have with their drivers (and others who have Catalyst AI enabled crashing issues like mine) are epic and numerous.

http://forums.amd.com/game/messageview.cfm?catid=260&threadid=98860

Gah, I hate this video card.

I may be mistaken but F8 should get you into safe mode. I usually just repeatedly press it until it comes up.


Ah the wait is killing me. I ordered last Thursday, but the only thing that's getting her Tuesday is the case, everything else should get here Wednesday.

 

[bee]

I press and hold F8 before the Windows logo comes up and all that does is bring up a menu asking me which device I want to boot from (looks like it's a boot menu from my bios).

pretty sure thats an asus thing, think you can turn that off or if not just select the boot device then hammer f8 again

If I can't to safe mode, I can't run programs like DriverSweeper.

driver sweeper doesn't need safe mode, it deletes all files by just rebooting after running it

 

[Angry Grimace]

as far as i was aware its impossible to fit the 8 pin atx mobo lead into the 8pin pci-e socket as they're different and the square and smoothed edge pins don't correlate

Last week my girlfriend was screaming her head off that her USB printer and my laptop were pieces of shit because they weren't working together. I come in to see what the fuss is about and:

She plugged the USB cable into the Ethernet port.

You can fit anything you want in anything you want, apparently. :lol

 

[GashPrex]

4850's are excellent cards, but if you've got the cash, I would definitely go for a 260.

any particular reason? most of the times they looked about even, maybe a couple of FPS here and there. Though one or two of the tests made it look like ATI was having issues with AA. Will the card be more "futureproof" or is it pure performance? I don't mind spending the extra on it if its actually worth it, not just like 3FPS more

 

[border]

any particular reason? most of the times they looked about even, maybe a couple of FPS here and there. Though one or two of the tests made it look like ATI was having issues with AA. Will the card be more "futureproof" or is it pure performance? I don't mind spending the extra on it if its actually worth it, not just like 3FPS more

Most people in this thread seem to agree that ATI has driver issues.

 

[Gully State]

any particular reason? most of the times they looked about even, maybe a couple of FPS here and there. Though one or two of the tests made it look like ATI was having issues with AA. Will the card be more "futureproof" or is it pure performance? I don't mind spending the extra on it if its actually worth it, not just like 3FPS more

I thought the GTX260 is a step above the 4850 and in direct competition with the 4870.

In regards to futureproofing, I think that it should be pointed out that buying the top of the line computer component does not guarantee future proofing. For my last build I set a high budget thinking that it would be able to run everything for a long while but 2 years into it, I started seeing videocards that cost almost a half the cost of mine shattering performance benchmarks in comparison to my top of the line card. What I guess I'm saying is that it's better to spend $600 every two years to incrementally upgrade than to spend $1200 up front (arbitrary numbers but you get what I'm saying).

 

[Chiggs]

any particular reason? most of the times they looked about even, maybe a couple of FPS here and there. Though one or two of the tests made it look like ATI was having issues with AA. Will the card be more "futureproof" or is it pure performance? I don't mind spending the extra on it if its actually worth it, not just like 3FPS more

More RAM and better performance at higher resolutions. Also, those reviews you're referring to were most likely done way back in June and don't account for the fairly spectacular performance increases seen in recent drivers.

 

[Manp]

Lame question alert:

How does one boot to safe mode in Vista?

I press and hold F8 before the Windows logo comes up and all that does is bring up a menu asking me which device I want to boot from (looks like it's a boot menu from my bios).

Is that the only way to boot to safe mode?

if you press F8 and are prompted to chose which device to boot from you're pressing it too early. you're still at the bios screen and that's the boot device selection menu integrated in the motherboard's bios (the one i was referring to in my post from the other day).

when you get to that boot device selection menu just chose which disk to boot from and keep pressing F8, eventually you'll trigger the menu that let you chose to boot in safe mode.

i know it's pretty lame to use the the same button for boot device selection popup and safe mode menu, but that's how it works on Asus motherboards :lol

usually after the bios screen there should be a small white line (an underscore) in the top left corner of the screen. that's when the motherboard switch to the default boot device. just a split second after that's gone you should press F8 to get directly to the safe mode menu.

 

[captive]

So i keep seeing people saying ATI has driver issues.
Am I going to have issues with the Powercolor 4870 i just bought? I enjoy trouble shooting computers and fixing them(its what i do for a living) but sometimes i just want shit to work right.
I remember i got an Nvidia card that ran CS Source GREAT except for when someone threw a smoke grenade my fps went to shit. Little things like that annoy me.


Also random question on the Antec 1200, how do you guys deal with dust issues? I live in an older house so dust is an issue.

 

[Chiggs]

Also random question on the Antec 1200, how do you guys deal with dust issues? I live in an older house so dust is an issue.

It has dust filters, so I just remove the grills and use canned air. As far as the giant fan on top? :lol Well, not much you can do there, except for open the side panel and give it a good spray.

So i keep seeing people saying ATI has driver issues.
Am I going to have issues with the Powercolor 4870 i just bought? I enjoy trouble shooting computers and fixing them(its what i do for a living) but sometimes i just want shit to work right.

I've been using the oc'd Powercolor 4870 1GB for about a week and a half now, and it's a great card. Here's the thing: I upgraded from an Nvidia card and immediately noticed the driver quirks. Always little things...screwed up AF, VSYNC not working despite the settings being correct, monitor refresh issues. Stuff of that nature...stuff that is really apparent having seen and experienced the maturity of Nvidia drivers. Granted, all of it is workable with some tinkering, but I find that to be a nuisance.

 

[godhandiscen]

So i keep seeing people saying ATI has driver issues.
Am I going to have issues with the Powercolor 4870 i just bought? I enjoy trouble shooting computers and fixing them(its what i do for a living) but sometimes i just want shit to work right.
I remember i got an Nvidia card that ran CS Source GREAT except for when someone threw a smoke grenade my fps went to shit. Little things like that annoy me.


Also random question on the Antec 1200, how do you guys deal with dust issues? I live in an older house so dust is an issue.

Was your previous card an ATI card? If so, then the upgrade process is flawless in my experience. If your previous card was an Nvidia you need to do a hard sweep of the drivers.

 

[captive]

It has dust filters, so I just remove the grills and use canned air. As far as the giant fan on top? :lol Well, not much you can do there, except for open the side panel and give it a good spray.

Sweet.

I've been using the oc'd Powercolor 4870 1GB for about a week and a half now, and it's a great card. Here's the thing: I upgraded from an Nvidia card and immediately noticed the driver quirks. Always little things...screwed up AF, VSYNC not working despite the settings being correct, monitor refresh issues. Stuff of that nature...stuff that is really apparent having seen and experienced the maturity of Nvidia drivers. Granted, all of it is workable with some tinkering, but I find that to be a nuisance.

Not quite so sweet. :-/

Was your previous card an ATI card? If so, then the upgrade process is flawless in my experience. If your previous card was an Nvidia you need to do a hard sweep of the drivers.

Whole new system I have yet to receive, wont get all of it until Wednesday.
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13173924&postcount=5612

 

[Chiggs]

Was your previous card an ATI card? If so, then the upgrade process is flawless in my experience. If your previous card was an Nvidia you need to do a hard sweep of the drivers.

Definitely. Even with Driver Cleaner, I have to wonder if maybe a complete reformat would be the best thing for me.

 

[Chiggs]

Not quite so sweet.

It's a great card; don't get all worked up just yet. I'm very satisfied with the purchase and have no reason to believe you'll be any different, especially since it's a new build.

 

[SRG01]

Last week my girlfriend was screaming her head off that her USB printer and my laptop were pieces of shit because they weren't working together. I come in to see what the fuss is about and:

She plugged the USB cable into the Ethernet port.

You can fit anything you want in anything you want, apparently. :lol

(I'm trying to not make the obvious joke here :lol)

But seriously, what was she thinking when she jammed the USB plug into the ethernet port? If she could do that, how can a person with a similar mindset operate a vehicle?

 

[Chiggs]

I'm trying to not make the obvious joke here

I was relaying this story to a coworker and he made the joke. :lol

 

[Chiggs]

Poor Che....

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1033161448#post1033161448

 

[chespace]

Yes, poor me indeed.

Going to RMA this card and see how it goes with a replacement.

I think maybe I screwed it up when I plugged the EATX12V into the PCIE 8 pin on the 4870X2.

Also, just so tempted to get a GTX 260 or 280 right about now.

ATI has the worst drivers I've ever seen. Refresh issues, weird shit not working (like fan control not working even after I click "apply"), etc.

It works in rivatuner, but not in ATI's own CCC. :lol

POS.

 

[bee]

Yes, poor me indeed.

Going to RMA this card and see how it goes with a replacement.

I think maybe I screwed it up when I plugged the EATX12V into the PCIE 8 pin on the 4870X2.

Also, just so tempted to get a GTX 260 or 280 right about now.

ATI has the worst drivers I've ever seen. Refresh issues, weird shit not working (like fan control not working even after I click "apply"), etc.

It works in rivatuner, but not in ATI's own CCC. :lol

POS.

dual gpu cards are almost always recommended by people who have no real world experience of them they just like the graphs on benchmark sites

return it and get a 4870 1gb or a gtx280, both great cards and without the hassles...mostly

 

[Aselith]

Can anybody describehow to take a fan and heatsink off a CPU? Mine has these tabs that hold it steady and I can't figure out a way to dislodge it. Does it just depend on the type or do most attach the same way?

 

[Open Source]

Yes, poor me indeed.

Going to RMA this card and see how it goes with a replacement.

I think maybe I screwed it up when I plugged the EATX12V into the PCIE 8 pin on the 4870X2.

Also, just so tempted to get a GTX 260 or 280 right about now.

ATI has the worst drivers I've ever seen. Refresh issues, weird shit not working (like fan control not working even after I click "apply"), etc.

It works in rivatuner, but not in ATI's own CCC. :lol

POS.

Since when does the CCC have fan control?