Support NeoGAF

[AColdDay]

Upgraded my video card from a Radeon HD 5770 to a Radeon HD 7970 and now sometimes when my computer wakes up, it goes to a black screen.

If I press the sleep button on my keyboard and then power it back up it is fine. Some googling of this issue tells me it has might have something to do with my PC monitor turning off.

I have a two monitor setup, and I've tried googling this to find a solution. However, i have uninstalled and reinstalled my video card drivers like three times now, so I really doubt the drivers are the root of the problem (who knows maybe they stilll are?!).

Has anyone dealt with this issue, or know something that can help me out?

 

[Mister Wilhelm]

Whenever I turn off my computer, the internet cuts off on my wife's computer and she has to restart it to get the connection back.

We're both hooked into a wireless comcast modem and we use identical netgear dongles to connect with our desktops.

 

[Cpt.Underpants]

So i finally built my first pc and there are issues:

I'm using my old hard drive and one new 1 terabite hard drive.

On the boot priority menu theres: P4 hp DVD A DH1GAAL (7857mb), on the second option there says, WDC (953869mb)

Theres also red stuff in the ASUS BIOS screen

My specc: i5 3570k, asus gtx 670, 16gb ram, asus p8 Z77-V LK, Corsair H80i

edit: red pixels gone now, I plugged in the dvi cable to another dvi slot in the gtx 670.
Changed where my old hd was plugged in and now the mobo is able to read the old hd, but cant boot properly
I'm still being told the cpu fan error

 

[Casanova]

So I started using my cousin's old computer because I was having a lot of problems with mine..

It is an HP Pavillion a6203w Desktop, here are two links that show some description about this model:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Pavilion a6203w

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...5&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=3548186



I took some RAM out of my old computer and luckily it fit in this motherboard, but it was very very little ram. I ran "dxdiag" and here are my current specs:




Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_qfe.101209-1646)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP-Pavilion
System Model: GS354AA-ABA a6203w
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 2942MB RAM
Page File: 821MB used, 3305MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode





TO THE POINT: I WAS PLANNING ON MAKING A RAM UPGRADE SO THAT I CAN RUN TEAM FORTRESS 2 AND LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, SO WHAT RAM SHOULD I GET AND WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST RAM I CAN FIND FOR THIS COMPUTER?? PLEASE SHARE A LINK IF POSSIBLE.

Also, I am very new to PC gaming, so do you think adding more RAM will make this computer run these games better and on higher graphics settings?? Because I currently run them at only like 15-20 FPS on the lowest settings which is almost unbearable...

 

[Cpt.Underpants]

Got the cpu fan issue resolved, now the only problem is booting my old hard drive

Everytime I tried booting it, its normal for a few seconds then I get an instantaneos blue screen and it resets

Gotta try using the repair option and see if it works

edit: Nope diddnt work, It resets after a few seconds at "Starting Windows" not before displaying a blue screen

 

[Casanova]

Got the cpu fan issue resolved, now the only problem is booting my old hard drive

Everytime I tried booting it, its normal for a few seconds then I get an instantaneos blue screen and it resets

Gotta try using the repair option and see if it works

edit: Nope diddnt work, It resets after a few seconds at "Starting Windows" not before displaying a blue screen

If you have moved an old hard drive to a new motherboard, the hard drive has to configure to work on the new motherboard. Refer to this previous post, courtesy of the NeoGaf user, Dai101, I posted it below.

It has worked for me in the past when I moved an old hard drive of mine into a new computer. The SAME exact blue screen pops up really fast, so fast that you cannot read it at all and then the computer just restarts... it was very very frustrating so I know how you feel.

Have you tried using Fix HDC?? I usually use this when i move a hard drive to or from another PC and it got stuck in a loop from it can't start.

There are several Live CD's that has this tool, the most famous is Hiren's Boot CD/DVD, here's how you use it:

http://www.ehow.com/how_12225538_fix-hdc.html

hope this helps

 

[Cloudius12]

So I started using my cousin's old computer because I was having a lot of problems with mine..

It is an HP Pavillion a6203w Desktop, here are two links that show some description about this model:

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Pavilion a6203w

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...5&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=3548186



I took some RAM out of my old computer and luckily it fit in this motherboard, but it was very very little ram. I ran "dxdiag" and here are my current specs:




Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 3 (2600.xpsp_sp3_qfe.101209-1646)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: HP-Pavilion
System Model: GS354AA-ABA a6203w
BIOS: Phoenix - AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: AMD Athlon(tm) 64 X2 Dual Core Processor 4400+, MMX, 3DNow (2 CPUs), ~2.3GHz
Memory: 2942MB RAM
Page File: 821MB used, 3305MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.5512 32bit Unicode





TO THE POINT: I WAS PLANNING ON MAKING A RAM UPGRADE SO THAT I CAN RUN TEAM FORTRESS 2 AND LEAGUE OF LEGENDS, SO WHAT RAM SHOULD I GET AND WHAT IS THE CHEAPEST RAM I CAN FIND FOR THIS COMPUTER?? PLEASE SHARE A LINK IF POSSIBLE.

Also, I am very new to PC gaming, so do you think adding more RAM will make this computer run these games better and on higher graphics settings?? Because I currently run them at only like 15-20 FPS on the lowest settings which is almost unbearable...

Adding in more RAM will not help. If you are on a 32bit OS you are already pretty much at max. What you need to do is upgrade from the integrated video card you have there. First however, you would need to buy a better power supply to power a new video card if you go that route. 250W is way too low.

 

[Casanova]

Adding in more RAM will not help. If you are on a 32bit OS you are already pretty much at max. What you need to do is upgrade from the integrated video card you have there. First however, you would need to buy a better power supply to power a new video card if you go that route. 250W is way too low.

I have a 350 W power supply that I could put in there. I also have this graphics card from my old computer but i took it out because it was making a really loud noise, i tried to fix it and then a very little piece of metal fell of of the fan piece, so there is no fan on it... if you think those two things would help me out a bit.

 

[ambientmystic]

I have a 350 W power supply that I could put in there. I also have this graphics card from my old computer but i took it out because it was making a really loud noise, i tried to fix it and then a very little piece of metal fell of of the fan piece, so there is no fan on it... if you think those two things would help me out a bit.

They'd both certainly help, especially a better power supply to support your dedicated graphics card.

 

[Casanova]

They'd both certainly help, especially a better power supply to support your dedicated graphics card.

I put the graphics card into the system and the new power supply, but the graphics card was getting incredibly hot just after a couple of minutes because the fan was not running... so I took it out.

What kind of card would you recommend for this computer? Would you post a link to it please? I'm saving for a new computer so this is just temporary so please be frugal with your recommendations.

I found this one on newegg but I'm not sure it would fit on my motherboard...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150659

 

[Cpt.Underpants]

If you have moved an old hard drive to a new motherboard, the hard drive has to configure to work on the new motherboard. Refer to this previous post, courtesy of the NeoGaf user, Dai101, I posted it below.

It has worked for me in the past when I moved an old hard drive of mine into a new computer. The SAME exact blue screen pops up really fast, so fast that you cannot read it at all and then the computer just restarts... it was very very frustrating so I know how you feel.

Yep, googled it

Cheers

Edit: Where do I find Windows Boot File? With the "Fix HDC"

 

[ambientmystic]

I put the graphics card into the system and the new power supply, but the graphics card was getting incredibly hot just after a couple of minutes because the fan was not running... so I took it out.

What kind of card would you recommend for this computer? Would you post a link to it please? I'm saving for a new computer so this is just temporary so please be frugal with your recommendations.

I found this one on newegg but I'm not sure it would fit on my motherboard...http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150659

That looks fine and should fit since it is low profile. Low profile cards should be perfect to complement the low end, cramped setup you've got for your current PC and limited power supply, since they don't require a seperate 4pin or even 6 pin power connector.

The 5450 HD will definitely give you much better 3D gaming performance as compared to the 7300 GS you were using earlier, although you should still lay off the heavier, newer games (like Tomb Raider, Metro Last Light etc) unless you want to be disappointed.

 

[Dai101]

Yep, googled it

Cheers

Edit: Where do I find Windows Boot File? With the "Fix HDC"

Boot in "Mini Windows XP" mode, once it booted execute "HBCD Menu" and there go to Programs > Registry > Fix hard disc controller (fix_hdc.cmd), now just follow the steps the program tells you and it should fix your problem

 

[Casanova]

That looks fine and should fit since it is low profile. Low profile cards should be perfect to complement the low end, cramped setup you've got for your current PC and limited power supply, since they don't require a seperate 4pin or even 6 pin power connector.

The 5450 HD will definitely give you much better 3D gaming performance as compared to the 7300 GS you were using earlier, although you should still lay off the heavier, newer games (like Tomb Raider, Metro Last Light etc) unless you want to be disappointed.

Yeah, I play all newer games on my Xbox with friends in party chats so that's not a big deal. I only play with a couple friends on PC, and we only play League of Legends and some Source games.

So the 5450 HD in that link I posted will fit my motherboard and be compatible with it (i think it mentions 64 bit and I have 32 bit windows)? How much of a boost in FPS and quality will it give me if you had to guess? Right now, as sad as it may seem, I barely run at 20 FPS on League of Legends and that's on the lowest settings... I just want to know if it is even worth spending that $50 on it, so could you give me a figure of some kind?

 

[ambientmystic]

Yeah, I play all newer games on my Xbox with friends in party chats so that's not a big deal. I only play with a couple friends on PC, and we only play League of Legends and some Source games.

So the 5450 HD in that link I posted will fit my motherboard and be compatible with it (i think it mentions 64 bit and I have 32 bit windows)? How much of a boost in FPS and quality will it give me if you had to guess? Right now, as sad as it may seem, I barely run at 20 FPS on League of Legends and that's on the lowest settings... I just want to know if it is even worth spending that $50 on it, so could you give me a figure of some kind?

I forgot to ask, what monitor/screen resolution are you aiming for?

If you're just aiming for low end 1024x768/1280x720, you're looking at 60+ FPS easy for those games at the lowest settings, especially for League of Legends. You could even bump some settings like texture quality and Anisotropic filtering with a minimal FPS hit.

1080p monitor gaming is a bit of a dicier proposition, especially due to the CPU bottlenecking. That AMD Athlon x2 is past it's prime, even for lighter games, unless heavily OCed, which in your PC is rather unfeasible due to the poor cooling inherent to that casing.

 

[See You Next Wednesday]

This is more of a recommendation question, but is there any good alternatives to Windows photo & fax viewer?
I'm tired of opening up IE to view animated gifs when browsing my folder every single time.

There is a hack to let Windows Photo Viewer view animated gifs (http://www.goofwear.com/windows/), but when I tried it, the gifs animated at half speed!

Picasa 3 was absolutely GREAT, except it doesn't support animated gifs.

XNView won't let me scroll images in my folder with the arrow keys & it has to opens up a new windows for every new picture I click on.

Irfanview won't let me zoom in on pictures with my mouses scroll wheel.

Don't want a editor, don't want extra features, just the simplest options that photo & fax viewer offers.


Is there a decent alternative to Windows Photo Viewer anywhere or a solution to view gifs in it without slowing the speed of their animation?

 

[Cpt.Underpants]

Boot in "Mini Windows XP" mode, once it booted execute "HBCD Menu" and there go to Programs > Registry > Fix hard disc controller (fix_hdc.cmd), now just follow the steps the program tells you and it should fix your problem

I'm not sure what to pick on this one

I am being given options:

*Setup Massive Storage Devices
*Set Target Root
*Do nothing

 

[Dai101]

I'm not sure what to pick on this one

I am being given options:

*Setup Massive Storage Devices
*Set Target Root
*Do nothing

1. *Set Target Root
2. Enter target root (here you have to check in which disk under Mini XP your Windows install is i.e. Z:\Windows)
3. *Update MassStorage drivers
4. ???
5. PROFIT

 

[Van Owen]

My problem...

I noticed my gpu fans werent spinning on my sandy bridge build so I took it out to clean it. Couldn't get them working when I put it back in, and now there was what I thought at the time no signal to the monitor so I thought the gpu had died.

Order new card and put it in, still nothing on the screen. That's when I noticed the dram light was red on my asus p8p67 pro. Took all the ram out and tried all combinations of sticks and still nothing. So I figured the motherboard was at fault as there was no way all my ram sticks could have died at the same time.

Order new motherboard and hook everything up and still nothing. This time I'm using an as rock z77 and the error on the motherboard is 55 for "no memory installed" so I figure it was the ram all along. Go out and buy 8gb of new ram, and still getting error 55.

Most people said bad psu was more likely than bad CPU. Bought new psu and tried it today, error 55 again.

So do I just buy a new CPU?

 

[ambientmystic]

So do I just buy a new CPU?

Since you've pretty much eliminated all the other possibilities... why not?

 

[Cpt.Underpants]

1. *Set Target Root
2. Enter target root (here you have to check in which disk under Mini XP your Windows install is i.e. Z:\Windows)
3. *Update MassStorage drivers
4. ???
5. PROFIT

Rofl, it worked thanks

 

[Dai101]

Rofl, it worked thanks

 

[Casanova]

Nevermind.. I found that it is, in fact, compatible.

 

[kennah]

Is this graphics card... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...bb3r-_-Video+Cards+-+AMD/ATI-_-XFX-_-14150659

compatible with this PC...

http://www.crucial.com/store/listparts.aspx?model=Pavilion a6203w



?

Probably not.

"Minimum Power Supply Requirement:400 Watt"

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsuppor...5&contentType=SupportFAQ&prodSeriesId=3548186

"Power Supply
250W
250W power supply"

It _might_ still work, since video card companies massively overestimate power needs, but that was a power hongry generation and it is probably a pretty shitty powersupply in your computer.

 

[ArtistDude88]

Silly question time!

I was taking apart some old computers the other day and took out this 9 pin serial port connector. I would like to have this in my pc, so I was looking through my mobo user guide and noticed it has a 9-pin USB port...

Can I hook the serial port into there?

It looks like this:

and the mobo has the same looking pins as the connector:

ooooo
oooox

It's just labeled USB and I don't want to screw up anything haha.

 

[Dai101]

Silly question time!

I was taking apart some old computers the other day and took out this 9 pin serial port connector. I would like to have this in my pc, so I was looking through my mobo user guide and noticed it has a 9-pin USB port...

Can I hook the serial port into there?

It looks like this:

and the mobo has the same looking pins as the connector:

ooooo
oooox

It's just labeled USB and I don't want to screw up anything haha.

¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡

No, just, NO

 

[ArtistDude88]

Worth a shot haha! Thanks.

 

[krzy123]

Worth a shot haha! Thanks.

check if your mobo has a com port header, the Asus i bought last year has one. its the white/grey shrouded one.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Any way to legally download Windows 7? I obviously have a working product key for it, but I never actually got a reinstall disk (it was a dell computer, don't shoot me). It's been a while and I just want a clean slate.

Edit: found legal iso's.

 

[ArtistDude88]

check if your mobo has a com port header, the Asus i bought last year has one. its the white/grey shrouded one.

Son of a-- This whole time I've had it on the rear of my pc. I've just never heard it called a com port before haha!

So in my excitement I grabbed my cable to hook my old ass piano up and looked at it... It needs a 15-pin joystick connector, not a serial port. Oy vey..

Thanks anyways !

 

[kennah]

Son of a-- This whole time I've had it on the rear of my pc. I've just never heard it called a com port before haha!

So in my excitement I grabbed my cable to hook my old ass piano up and looked at it... It needs a 15-pin joystick connector, not a serial port. Oy vey..

Thanks anyways !

Motherboard and piano model numbers?

 

[Tamanon]

Son of a-- This whole time I've had it on the rear of my pc. I've just never heard it called a com port before haha!

So in my excitement I grabbed my cable to hook my old ass piano up and looked at it... It needs a 15-pin joystick connector, not a serial port. Oy vey..

Thanks anyways !

They usually sell Serial converters you can use to connect it to the 9-pin.

 

[Blablurn]

Is it possible to start and play steam games from an external HDD when its USB 3.0?

 

[ArtistDude88]

Motherboard and piano model numbers?

Asus P5P43TD Pro mobo
Casio LK-43
And I have a Casio Universal PC MIDI connector cable

They usually sell Serial converters you can use to connect it to the 9-pin.

I'll have to look into it Thanks

 

[kennah]

Asus P5P43TD Pro mobo
Casio LK-43
And I have a Casio Universal PC MIDI connector cable



I'll have to look into it Thanks

That person is incorrect - This device stems back to the time that sound cards provided the game port - thus allowing easy integration with MIDI into the Sound Card. Connecting it to serial through an adaptor will either do nothing, or start a fire.

Thankfully, your motherboard still has legacy PCI slots, so you should be able to find a cheap sound card to do what you're looking for.

LIke this one
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829128001

Or you could get a PCI Gameport card, but since I couldn't find one, you may as well just go for a sound card.

 

[Dries]

So... Something strange just happened. Today I moved out of my parents place to my own new house. Unfortunately, I haven't got internet yet, but I wanted to see if my steam games work (they do) However, the framerate was terrible. Then I found out everything was runnig off of my on-board Intel graphics card instead of my ATI 6970. When I open CCC it says it can't show me driver info (probably due to the fact that I'm not connected with the internet?)

My question is: how do I get my PC to use my ATI card instead of the on-board Intel card. Note: I have no internet. Thanks!

Edit: Solved! My monitor plug wasn't in the ATI socket. I feel so stupid!

 

[Casanova]

Please help. I am on an old Windows XP computer that I had to start using after my old comp trashed out on me.

So today I downloaded Windows Service Pack 3 for it, and so to complete the download (which went very smoothly) I needed to Restart, so I did. Before the login screen appeared, a screen popped up that shows the Windows XP logo and under it it says "Please wait..." It's been stuck in this screen for about 15 minutes now. All I can see is the minute counter cursor loading thing and I can move it around no problem. But it is just STAYING on this screen indefinitely it seems.

I guessed that it was just performing some general updates before logging in but after this long, I'm starting to doubt that..

Any suggestions GAF?

EDIT: I believe I've fixed the problem. I just did a hard reboot and, strangely enough, unplugged my DVI and plugged in a VGA cord into my graphics card and everything booted up fine... but his brings me to another question:

For gaming, would you guys recommend using a DVI or VGA connection? I'm using a 20 inch monitor with 1680x1050 resolution and 60Hz

 

[Vincent Alexander]

For gaming, would you guys recommend using a DVI or VGA connection? I'm using a 20 inch monitor with 1680x1050 resolution and 60Hz

When you have the option for either DVI or VGA, I'd always go DVI.


So, I have a pretty serious ailment. My external drive seems nice and messed up, and I have no idea how to fix it. Pretty much, most of my media files are playing the wrong things. For instance, if I go to open an episode of a TV show, it will sometimes play a completely different TV show or episode. Same thing is happening with music. I think something is indexed wrong, but I've no clue how to fix. I've run the drive through disk check with Windows multiple times and no help.

 

[Heretic]

Gaf, I need your help...

Excel 2007 Settings

If I hit CTRL + Home, my cursor should jump to cell A1 but it doesn't. It will jump to A[x] where [x] is whatever column you're on.

I searched the web and found that turning ON Transition navigation keys fixes the issue but it shouldn't fix it. Turning OFF this option should be the fix but it is off. Turning it ON makes "CTRL + Home" run normal.

But if I turn ON Transition navigation keys (Windows Button > Excel Options > Advance > Scroll way down) it changes the "Tab key" settings so now when I press "Tab" on my keyboard, it jumps a whole page across.

If I turn OFF Transition navigation keys it fixes the "Tab" but messes with "CTRL + Home"

The way it should work is:

With Transiction navigation key unchecked
Press CTRL + Home to quick jump to A1
Press Tab to jump one cell

With Transition navigation key checked
Press CTRL + Home to quick jump to A[x] or first cell of that row
Press Tab to jump one page

But the checked and unchecked are giving me the opposite results for CTRL + Home.

 

[CornBurrito]

So how fucked is my laptop?

I own an HP DV6 quad laptop, about 3 years old. I haven't once used compressed air to clean out the vents and I think as a result the fan has become clogged with a thick layer of dust. Within minutes of turning on the laptop the fan starts to become really really loud, and then increases in volume and heat as it runs. It hasn't overheated thankfully.

The weird thing is that it seems to maintain the same loudness when browsing the web, or playing a graphically intense game. Though the level of heat changes when playing games.

For some reason I can't remove the back of the laptop to even access the fan, so I can't manually clean it. I also have never done that before and am afraid of dismantling the laptop.

So would compressed air even work in this case, or is it too little too late? Or could something else be causing this fan problem?

 

[Dai101]

So how fucked is my laptop?

I own an HP DV6 quad laptop, about 3 years old. I haven't once used compressed air to clean out the vents and I think as a result the fan has become clogged with a thick layer of dust. Within minutes of turning on the laptop the fan starts to become really really loud, and then increases in volume and heat as it runs. It hasn't overheated thankfully.

The weird thing is that it seems to maintain the same loudness when browsing the web, or playing a graphically intense game. Though the level of heat changes when playing games.

For some reason I can't remove the back of the laptop to even access the fan, so I can't manually clean it. I also have never done that before and am afraid of dismantling the laptop.

So would compressed air even work in this case, or is it too little too late? Or could something else be causing this fan problem?

Looks like there's no other solution. Maybe i can get you a service manual to dismantle it. Is not that hard to, believe me

 

[CornBurrito]

Looks like there's no other solution. Maybe i can get you a service manual to dismantle it. Is not that hard to, believe me

I don't even know if I have the screwdrivers required. I tried to remove the back just now and only managed to get one screw loose. The rest are REALLY in there and I can't get them loose. Dunno if it is a problem with the screws, me, or the screwdriver.

 

[ambientmystic]

So how fucked is my laptop?

I own an HP DV6 quad laptop, about 3 years old. I haven't once used compressed air to clean out the vents and I think as a result the fan has become clogged with a thick layer of dust. Within minutes of turning on the laptop the fan starts to become really really loud, and then increases in volume and heat as it runs. It hasn't overheated thankfully.

The weird thing is that it seems to maintain the same loudness when browsing the web, or playing a graphically intense game. Though the level of heat changes when playing games.

It is possibly at the highest fan speed consistently due to the temperature having already been exceeded by even the lightest of tasks. For the record, these fans are linked to mobo and CPU sensors that have have built in safety thresholds for the operating range of temperatures. E.g. Once temps have exceeded a certain threshold (say 70 C), fan speed would kick up to max speed and would stay there until it goes down.

In your case, since it is so clogged up with dust, even the lightest of tasks pushes it really high thanks to the lack of adequate ventilation, and gaming just makes it worse. You could be close to overheating and not know it. The fan can only rev up so fast.

For some reason I can't remove the back of the laptop to even access the fan, so I can't manually clean it. I also have never done that before and am afraid of dismantling the laptop.

Is the back split into many mini panels uncovering small portions of the components or a single large one?

If it's the latter, a set of mini Phillips head screwdrivers should do the trick.

You shouldn't have to dismantle the entire laptop. Just remove the back panel.

So would compressed air even work in this case, or is it too little too late? Or could something else be causing this fan problem?

Try it anyway, it can only help the problem if you get even some dust out of there. 3 years is a mighty long time to not to be cleaning out those innards.

 

[Ocho]

Hey guys.

Today I recieved my ASUS VG248QE 144hz gaming monitor. Before using this monitor, I had no crashes or any issues whatsoever. However, now I get a PC crash (power off, no BSOD, etc) when playing 'intensive' games (like CSGO and BF3), but seems to work fine in Eve Online and LoL.

I've made some tests, and it appears that if the monitor is connected to the videocard (enabled or disabled, doesn't matter), my computer crashes. If I use my other monitor with the VG248QE completely disconnected, game works fine. If I play with the other monitor, while the VG248QE is connected, but not currently enabled (display only the other screen), PCcrashes. If I play with VG248QE either in dual or alone, PC crashes.

I have Windows 8, Nvidia 670 gtx with latest drivers, 750w PSU, and an OCd 3570k to 4.5. What could possibly be happening?

 

[velociraptor]

I have fibre optic broadband.

My internet speed is 64.5mbit according to speednet.

So what should my download speed be? 6.45mb/s?

 

[Ondore]

8megabits = 1megabyte

So if you're getting advertised speeds (lol) you should see about 8 megabytes/second.

 

[Ocho]

I have fibre optic broadband.

My internet speed is 64.5mbit according to speednet.

So what should my download speed be? 6.45mb/s?

64.5 mbits translate to 6.45 mb/s. Your internet es working perfectly fine.

 

[velociraptor]

64.5 mbits translate to 6.45 mb/s. Your internet es working perfectly fine.

Okay cool, makes sense. Last net was 8.1mbit. Download speeds were around 750-800kb/s.

Guess you divide by 10.

 

[t-ramp]

Divide by 8, actually.

Is it possible to start and play steam games from an external HDD when its USB 3.0?

I think you can. I had a Steam folder including Skyrim on an external drive (USB 2.0) a while back and was able to launch and play the game.

So how fucked is my laptop?

I own an HP DV6 quad laptop, about 3 years old. I haven't once used compressed air to clean out the vents and I think as a result the fan has become clogged with a thick layer of dust. Within minutes of turning on the laptop the fan starts to become really really loud, and then increases in volume and heat as it runs. It hasn't overheated thankfully.

The weird thing is that it seems to maintain the same loudness when browsing the web, or playing a graphically intense game. Though the level of heat changes when playing games.

For some reason I can't remove the back of the laptop to even access the fan, so I can't manually clean it. I also have never done that before and am afraid of dismantling the laptop.

So would compressed air even work in this case, or is it too little too late? Or could something else be causing this fan problem?

I have a 5-year-old HP and basically dismantled the entire thing to clean out the fan and reapply thermal paste. Have you tried to use an air compressor canned air or something to try to blow the fan/heatsink out really good without any ridiculous disassembly?

 

[velociraptor]

Divide by 8, actually.


I think you can. I had a Steam folder including Skyrim on an external drive (USB 2.0) a while back and was able to launch and play the game.


I have a 5-year-old HP and basically dismantled the entire thing to clean out the fan and reapply thermal paste. Have you tried to use an air compressor canned air or something to try to blow the fan/heatsink out really good without any ridiculous disassembly?

Oh, so I should be getting 8mb/s? Tbh no site has allowed me to download anywhere near that speed. I downloaded the Forza 5 trailer from MS and it was a constant 4.0mb/s