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[Akim]

Download CPU-Z and take screenshots of each tab.

Run OCCT and make sure it passes the tests fine.

What are your scores in the two individual CPU tests in Vantage? They should be around 2400 and 110.

alright i'll do that, i just checked my bios and it said my cpu was running at 93 degrees...i think that could be a problem. Maybe it is getting too hot and slowing itself down?

 

[brain_stew]

alright i'll do that, i just checked my bios and it said my cpu was running at 93 degrees...i think that could be a problem. Maybe it is getting too hot and slowing itself down?

Yeah, that's almost definitely it. Try reseating your HSF, its probably not sitting flush.

 

[Ikuu]

I have a modular PSU at the moment, should I be running one cable to, for example, a HDD and then using splitters to power the other ones? I'm not actually sure how I have it setup just now, but I'm pretty sure I'm using every connection from my PSU.

 

[Akim]

Yeah, that's almost definitely it. Try reseating your HSF, its probably not sitting flush.

Hmm, I'll check...It was pretty easy to put on just set it and turn 4 things. Maybe I did it wrong?

Edit: I think something is wrong with my heat sink. My CPU is running around 90. Is it safe to have the computer on until I buy a new heat sink or should I just leave it off?

Edit 2: I fixed my heatsink and I'm getting 17k now, still lower than it should be...any suggestions?

 

[yanhero]

If you mean 17K from 3dMark, thats what I get too, I think its normal.

 

[Kadey]

Is your video card overclocked? My old Ati 3850 gave me the error even if I overclocked a mere 5Mhz. At stock clock it still did it rarely and wouldn't let me run TF2 without crashing. I tried all the "fixes" found from Google and none of them worked for me. What card do you have?

There is never a need for me to OC my GPU. It's ATI drivers having a conflict with something. It only happens when I play video files. The screen will get pixelated and then reboot showing that error.

 

[Minsc]

If you mean 17K from 3dMark, thats what I get too, I think its normal.

I'm curious too now, anyone else with a Core i7 720 who can chime in with a CPU score from Futuremark?

17K is quite a bit below the average score of 24K that Core i7 720 users on futuremark are getting...

 

[brain_stew]

I'm curious too now, anyone else with a Core i7 720 who can chime in with a CPU score from Futuremark?

17K is quite a bit below the average score of 24K that Core i7 720 users on futuremark are getting...

That average is going to be skewed an awful lot by the serious OCers. Any program like 3DMark is instantly goig to attract the OCers, infact its the target market of the program, so the average core i7 920 recorded on the Orb will likely be running in the 3.4-3.6ghz territory, and many over 4ghz, which is obviously going to mess up the result, a heck of a lot.

Considering that then, the fact that the average is reported as 30% above his 17K figure tfits right in line. His figure will be right at the bottom, any sort of OCing or tweaking is going to result in a higher score, so, for the average to be 30% higher makes perfect sense. A 40-50% OC is par for the course for a decent i7 920 chip.


Edit:

There you go, an i7 @ stock scoring under 17k in the CPU test:

Just look at the i7 965 score to see how well it scales with clockspeed, which shows any OCing is going to have a huge effect on the result. His CPU is fine!

 

[MWS Natural]

Does it boot with the video card installed, but the monitor hooked to the internal/onboard graphics? It might be set to only look at onboard in the bios if so. Also I assume you are connecting power to the video card...



That should work as long as the onboard video card is the same brand (either nvidia or ATI) as far the main video card, or else I would think driver conflicts might happen.

Thanks

 

[Yoboman]

That doesn't say it fits Intel's new socket, though?

I've always found Zalman's coolers to be ovrpriced given their thermal charicteristics tbh. Look nice, mind.
This site should help you out with reviews of coolers, worth digging through:

http://www.frostytech.com/


This looks a little smaller than most other the others and performs decently it seems:

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleID=2357

Their reviews list all the dimensions of the HSF so you'll be able to measure it up.

I've almost decided on XIGMATEK Nepartak S983... Would this be efficient enough? Or should I be aiming for something even bigger?

I'm using that exact case and it's excellent. I have a OCZ vendetta cpu cooler and it fit no problem. The top fan does not push air out though, it sucks it in. I also put a 120mm fan in the front, and removed the lower hdd cage just like in that pic. Stays nice and cool with fans on lowest settings, and using a gigabyte 4870 video card.

Is that a fairly large fan?

That sounds like a good idea, what did you use for the front fan?

Might just go with:
http://www.megabuy.com.au/zalman-zm-f3-120mm-black-case-p35190.html

 

[RyoHazuki]

I just helped my friend put together a PC and when we turn it on nothing shows up on the screen. The LEDs light up and the fans spin. We can't hear any beeps because the Antec 300 doesn't have system speakers. Any ideas what to do?

Specs:


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model $288.99

ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1333C9

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" $74.99

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B $26.99

XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card $199.99

Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor $169.99

Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active $89.99

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

 

[dionysus]

I just helped my friend put together a PC and when we turn it on nothing shows up on the screen. The LEDs light up and the fans spin. We can't hear any beeps because the Antec 300 doesn't have system speakers. Any ideas what to do?

Give us the list of components. Try booting without the graphics card. If you have old RAM swap that in as a test.

 

[RyoHazuki]

Give us the list of components. Try booting without the graphics card. If you have old RAM swap that in as a test.

Added list of parts to my previous post. I don't think it has onboard graphics so booting it without the graphics card seems out of the question?

 

[brain_stew]

Added list of parts to my previous post. I don't think it has onboard graphics so booting it without the graphics card seems out of the question?

Try a different display connection port and or connection type.

 

[Darklord]

I was wondering something. When I use the default downloader in either IE7 or FF3 I get really erratic and slow downloads(Can go from 55kb/s - 250kb/s) but when I installed a download manager it pushed my speeds to 550kb/s to my max which is 1.2mb/s depending on the site.

How the hell does a download manager give such a massive performance boost?

 

[BravoSuperStar]

Is that a fairly large fan?

That sounds like a good idea, what did you use for the front fan?

Might just go with:
http://www.megabuy.com.au/zalman-zm-f3-120mm-black-case-p35190.html

This is the fan I bought for the front:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185004

Spec:
Fan Size: 120mm
Bearing Type: S-FDB (Fluid Dynamic Bearing by SONY Corporation)
RPM: 800 RPM
Air Flow: 33.5 CFM
Noise Level: 8.7 dBA

I didn't need it to push all that much air due to the large top fan, so silence was more important than massive airflow spec's.

 

[zbarron]

These are my Vantage scores with a stock clocked i7 920.

 

[BeeDog]

Sorry for bumping this thread, and the potential OT, but hopefully someone can help:

My 750 GB Samsung HDD broke down, and I lost several hundred gigs of stuff (which sucks). I'm looking for a new harddrive and wanted to choose between this (sorry for the Swedish):

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=94130 (Seagate)
http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=92586 (WD)

I've had a somewhat decent experience with WD harddrives (much better than with fucking shitty Samsung drives that's for sure), and I have absolutely no experience whatsoever when it comes to Seagate. Which one should I choose? Thanks!

 

[brain_stew]

Sorry for bumping this thread, and the potential OT, but hopefully someone can help:

My 750 GB Samsung HDD broke down, and I lost several hundred gigs of stuff (which sucks). I'm looking for a new harddrive and wanted to choose between this (sorry for the Swedish):

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=94130 (Seagate)
http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=92586 (WD)

I've had a somewhat decent experience with WD harddrives (much better than with fucking shitty Samsung drives that's for sure), and I have absolutely no experience whatsoever when it comes to Seagate. Which one should I choose? Thanks!

Seagate, is a no, no, they've had tons of recent problems.

I'd go with a Samsung F1 personally (love mine), should be faster than both those drives, and cheaper too:

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=77806

If you want to go with WD than its the Caviar Black you want:

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=89870&traff=1

 

[Everdred]

For those of you with the Q6600, what are your idle and max CPU temps?
I just had to replace my motherboard and I never checked what my original temps were. Everything is the same as before except the motherboard but my idle CPU temps are at 52(c) which seems insanely high to me.


Also what is a normal temp for 8800GT.

 

[BeeDog]

Seagate, is a no, no, they've had tons of recent problems.

I'd go with a Samsung F1 personally (love mine), should be faster than both those drives, and cheaper too:

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=77806

If you want to go with WD than its the Caviar Black you want:

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=89870&traff=1

Thanks for the fast answer. There's no way I'll touch that Spinpoint F1, since it was the same series (but the 750 GB model) that broke down. No-go.

That Caviar Black looks interesting, if you don't mind me asking, what's better about the Black notation than the Green one I linked to?

 

[brain_stew]

Thanks for the fast answer. There's no way I'll touch that Spinpoint F1, since it was the same series (but the 750 GB model) that broke down. No-go.

That Caviar Black looks interesting, if you don't mind me asking, what's better about the Black notation than the Green one I linked to?

Green edition is the "power efficient"" drive, performance is purposefully cut back to give the best balance of performance/power usage but really HDDs don't suck up that much juice, if you want a fast drive then the Caviar Black is what you're after.

 

[Minsc]

That average is going to be skewed an awful lot by the serious OCers. Any program like 3DMark is instantly goig to attract the OCers, infact its the target market of the program, so the average core i7 920 recorded on the Orb will likely be running in the 3.4-3.6ghz territory, and many over 4ghz, which is obviously going to mess up the result, a heck of a lot.

Considering that then, the fact that the average is reported as 30% above his 17K figure tfits right in line. His figure will be right at the bottom, any sort of OCing or tweaking is going to result in a higher score, so, for the average to be 30% higher makes perfect sense. A 40-50% OC is par for the course for a decent i7 920 chip.


Edit:

There you go, an i7 @ stock scoring under 17k in the CPU test:

[]http://images.hardwarecanucks.com/image/mac/reviews/intel/corei7/3dmarkvantage.jpg[/IMG]


Just look at the i7 965 score to see how well it scales with clockspeed, which shows any OCing is going to have a huge effect on the result. His CPU is fine!

Well played, :bow

 

[M.Bluth]

I don't think this is worth a new thread so I figured I'll post it here:

I've got the same problem shown here:
http://i39.tinypic.com/1h8o6x.jpg

Only it's not in the Sims 3 (I don't have the game, pic is not mine)... From what I gathered it shows up in every DirectX9 game, since it's only absent in Crysis.
GRID is unplayable and it sometimes occur in the Witcher.

I tried setting my CPU back to it's stock clock, cleaned my rig of dust, checked power connections, uninstalled the video card's driver and installed it again... nothing.

I thought about uninstalling DX9 and reinstalling it but I don't know how, and I cant find an older driver to check if it's a Catalyst 9.6 problem.

Any ideas?

edit: forgot to post my setup
Core i7 920
ATI HD4870

 

[larvi]

For those of you with the Q6600, what are your idle and max CPU temps?
I just had to replace my motherboard and I never checked what my original temps were. Everything is the same as before except the motherboard but my idle CPU temps are at 52(c) which seems insanely high to me.


Also what is a normal temp for 8800GT.

I just checked my stock clocked Q6600 and it's running at 26C with a light CPU load, my 8800GTS is running at 65C. 52 does sound high for idle, I would suggest redoing your thermal paste and making sure your CPU fan is mounted correctly.

 

[Darklord]

Is there anyway to fixed a screwed up key on your keyboard? All of a sudden my 'I' key doesn't respond properly. It only works if I press down hard on it or press it on the very bottom left of the key(there's nothing blocking it I checked).

 

[Crazymoogle]

Is there anyway to fixed a screwed up key on your keyboard? All of a sudden my 'I' key doesn't respond properly. It only works if I press down hard on it or press it on the very bottom left of the key(there's nothing blocking it I checked).

By blocking, you mean you pulled the key out to take a look? (assuming this is a desktop keyboard! Bad idea for some laptops. :lol )

 

[Darklord]

By blocking, you mean you pulled the key out to take a look? (assuming this is a desktop keyboard! Bad idea for some laptops. :lol )

Yeah, I popped it off and yeah I'm talking about a desktop keyboard. I pocked the little responder thing, the flat button under the key(What's it called?) and it worked fine. After that it worked slightly better when I put the key back on top but still skips it every so often.

 

[Agent Ironside]

For those of you with the Q6600, what are your idle and max CPU temps?
I just had to replace my motherboard and I never checked what my original temps were. Everything is the same as before except the motherboard but my idle CPU temps are at 52(c) which seems insanely high to me.


Also what is a normal temp for 8800GT.

Mine are idle at 28c with the cpu oc'd to 3.6 with a xigmatek 1293, without the OC and heatsink they were around 32ish, something is def not right with your temps, like the previous poster said, make sure all the push pins are seated correctly, its a pain if the board is already in the case, but turn the board over and make sure all the black nubs are through.

 

[Crazymoogle]

Yeah, I popped it off and yeah I'm talking about a desktop keyboard. I pocked the little responder thing, the flat button under the key(What's it called?) and it worked fine. After that it worked slightly better when I put the key back on top but still skips it every so often.

Well, if that's the case it may have just gone bad. Keyboards can be tough as nails sometimes but they cost so little that it's usually best to just swap in a new one.

 

[DeadTrees]

I just helped my friend put together a PC and when we turn it on nothing shows up on the screen. The LEDs light up and the fans spin. We can't hear any beeps because the Antec 300 doesn't have system speakers. Any ideas what to do?

Specs:


Intel Core i7 920 Nehalem 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W Quad-Core Processor Model $288.99

ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard

CORSAIR XMS3 12GB (6 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10600) Desktop Memory Model HX3X12G1333C9

Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" $74.99

Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black SATA Model AD-7240S-0B $26.99

XFX HD-489A-ZDFC Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card $199.99

Acer X213Hbid 21.5" 5ms HDMI Widescreen Full HD 1080P LCD Monitor $169.99

Antec EA650 650W Continuous Power ATX12V Ver.2.2 / EPS12V version 2.91 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active $89.99

Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Had the same problem with the same motherboard--returned it under the assumption that it didn't play nicely with some RAM (I used Mushkin).

Try powering on with one stick in one the orange slots. If you get it to boot, flash to the latest BIOS before adding more RAM.

 

[careful]

Guys, wtf is happening to my PC?

All of a sudden, I can't play any games anymore.. All the games are either refusing to boot or are loading all fucked up! (see pics below)

I suspected the problem was related to either:
a) DirectX
b) Nvidia drivers
c) my video card (260 GTX)

Btw, I run WinXP Pro SP3.

a) I have 9.0c latest version and I ran the diagnostic tool and it said everything tested out OK for DX9.
b) I re-installed the latest drivers from Nvidia.
c) I popped in my old 6600GT to see if it was a hardware issue or Windows issue. The shit still occurred for the 6600GT, so now I know it's some Windows problem... But what?

Look at the sky:

Old 6600GT with low settings:

Tried running old game (COD2) to see:

 

[Spiderjericho]

I'm finally deciding to do a little upgrade on my PC. I have a Q6600, cheap o Gigabyte motherboard, 750 GB hard drive, 9800GTX and two GBs of ram (along with a retarded XiFi sound card).

I bought a Asus 4890 (as it had great feedback on NewEgg and a decent warranty) and 4GB of ram. I have a 400GB Sata hard drive lying around also. I'm contemplating either installing Vista 64 or Windows 7 64.

 

[Grayman]

I'm finally deciding to do a little upgrade on my PC. I have a Q6600, cheap o Gigabyte motherboard, 750 GB hard drive, 9800GTX and two GBs of ram (along with a retarded XiFi sound card).

I bought a Asus 4890 (as it had great feedback on NewEgg and a decent warranty) and 4GB of ram. I have a 400GB Sata hard drive lying around also. I'm contemplating either installing Vista 64 or Windows 7 64.

The only reason to go for vista over 7RC would be if you have a download cap that you can't fit 7 into, or if you figure you won't be able to buy 7 within the next year - even then i'd use it now and format when it starts turning off next march.

 

[Grayman]

Hey dumb question,
my buddy owns a 360 with wireless controllers only, are they plug and play over usb or does he have to buy a special cord/adapter?

 

[ElfoMan]

Hey dumb question,
my buddy owns a 360 with wireless controllers only, are they plug and play over usb or does he have to buy a special cord/adapter?

He needs an adapter like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HZFCT2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Connecting the 360 controller to the computer using the Play&Charge Kit will only charge it. I read somewhere here that they were being discontinued (don't know why) so they might be hard to find. I have one, if you have any other questions ask.

 

[Grayman]

He needs an adapter like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000HZFCT2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Connecting the 360 controller to the computer using the Play&Charge Kit will only charge it. I read somewhere here that they were being discontinued (don't know why) so they might be hard to find. I have one, if you have any other questions ask.

Well that is a big steamy pile of shit. (thanks)

 

[Talyn]

Perhaps a stupid question but I know some of you also built systems with the Gigabyte MA790X-UD4P motherboard so maybe you can help me. I've been running my newly built system (Phenom II x4 940) for a month or so now and I've noticed that during POST it displays a list of system devices and their assigned IRQs but the SMBus controller is listed as NA. Can anyone tell me if this is normal or is there something defective on this board? Thanks!

 

[Leonsito]

Guys, wtf is happening to my PC?

All of a sudden, I can't play any games anymore.. All the games are either refusing to boot or are loading all fucked up! (see pics below)

I suspected the problem was related to either:
a) DirectX
b) Nvidia drivers
c) my video card (260 GTX)

Btw, I run WinXP Pro SP3.

a) I have 9.0c latest version and I ran the diagnostic tool and it said everything tested out OK for DX9.
b) I re-installed the latest drivers from Nvidia.
c) I popped in my old 6600GT to see if it was a hardware issue or Windows issue. The shit still occurred for the 6600GT, so now I know it's some Windows problem... But what?

Look at the sky:

Old 6600GT with low settings:

Tried running old game (COD2) to see:

Crysis pics make me think of an overheating problem, but he last error seems like faulty RAM maybe.

Try running memtest.

 

[careful]

Crysis pics make me think of an overheating problem, but he last error seems like faulty RAM maybe.

Try running memtest.

Thanks for the suggestion.

The thing is I can do everything else in Windows fine.. it's just the games. lol

I'm gonna try to system restore to last week maybe. I did install MediaPortal over the weekend, which required me to download and install a bunch of stuff.

 

[MisterAnderson]

Seagate, is a no, no, they've had tons of recent problems.

I'd go with a Samsung F1 personally (love mine), should be faster than both those drives, and cheaper too:

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=77806

If you want to go with WD than its the Caviar Black you want:

http://www.webhallen.com/prod.php?id=89870&traff=1

Damn, makes me feel a little uneasy since I bought a 1.5TB Seagate Barracuda for my new rig at Fry's. Seemed like a good deal (was on sale, like 20 bucks off) I guess now I know why. Are problems so common that it's worth swapping out with another brand? I probably still have time to return it and it's not like I've done so much shit on my new PC that it would be terribly inconvenient to reinstall everything again.

 

[Spiderjericho]

The only reason to go for vista over 7RC would be if you have a download cap that you can't fit 7 into, or if you figure you won't be able to buy 7 within the next year - even then i'd use it now and format when it starts turning off next march.

Well, I have a technet account, so I can download any of them. I'll try it out. I have a virus on the Vista, so it's time to kill it.

 

[Darklord]

Crysis pics make me think of an overheating problem, but he last error seems like faulty RAM maybe.

Try running memtest.

I don't think it's over heating. Anytime I've seen a problem with that you see the spiky artifacts and ends up rebooting the PC.

 

[MisterAnderson]

Can anyone confirm if the Microsoft Sidewinder Force Feedback 2 is Windows 7 (64-bit) compatible?

Years ago I bought the first Sidewinder Force Feedback Pro and was forever scarred after upgrading to XP from Windows 98 only to find out that it wasn't compatible. In an instant my $149.99 baby would no longer let me experience Freespace 2 the way it was meant to be played.

So after discovering GoG.com and realizing there were Vista (and assuming Windows 7 compatible) versions of old games like Descent, Descent 2, Freespace and Freespace 2, I kind of convinced myself to track down a Sidewinder FF 2 which, according to customer reviews online, is in fact supported by XP and Vista. My only concern is paying 100-200 dollars on a stick off of ebay or something and being stuck with a cool looking over-priced paperweight. Can anyone confirm if this thing works with Windows 7 64-bit?

 

[Nemo]

Just got a 23" 1080p monitor. How would the 4850 perform on this? Is it even worth the difference to play at 1080p on such size?

 

[dionysus]

Just got a 23" 1080p monitor. How would the 4850 perform on this? Is it even worth the difference to play at 1080p on such size?

You should always attempt to play at the native resolution of a LCD monitor. Other resolutions look like shit.

 

[Darklord]

Just got a 23" 1080p monitor. How would the 4850 perform on this? Is it even worth the difference to play at 1080p on such size?

1080p looks amazing even at 22".

 

[Darklord]

I was just talking to my Dad and he was wondering something about his work computers. There only a small business(5 people) and some computer guy was saying they need a new $6000 server and for every 5 people added it costs $1700.
I'm not an expert or anything at servers but would such a small number of PC's really need to be linked up to a server at all?

 

[brain_stew]

Just got a 23" 1080p monitor. How would the 4850 perform on this? Is it even worth the difference to play at 1080p on such size?

A million times yes. You'll understand when you ahve it hooked up.

Quite a few modern games "wil" play decently at 1080p with a 4850 but you have to bear in mind it just wasn't meant for playing games at such high resolutions. A 4890 will be a pretty huge upgrade, and considering the cost of them things now, its money well spent imo.

 

[brain_stew]

I was just talking to my Dad and he was wondering something about his work computers. There only a small business(5 people) and some computer guy was saying they need a new $6000 server and for every 5 people added it costs $1700.
I'm not an expert or anything at servers but would such a small number of PC's really need to be linked up to a server at all?

Sounds very iffy to me. What are you using the server for? Are the work computers thin clients that do all their processing on the server? Is it just a glorified file server?

A consumer grade quad core in a big ass case to store plenty cheap 1TB HDDs would be enough for a 5 person workplace Id imagine but I'm not knowledgable enough of the area to give a real insight.