Tech General Chat

[El Oso Blanco]

Sweet. Thanks for being helpful towards a PC noob guys. Means a lot. Now if only I could spend as much time playing as I do modding.

[Flachbau]

My brother's OnePlus One just shipping label created and I'm anticipating it's arrival within a week or so... Very exciting.

 

In other news, I got this pretty nifty Windows 8.1 tablet. It's not a spec monster, but I love it. 8 inch (1280x800) IPS display, Intel Bay-Trail Z3735F (Quad Core), 1GB RAM, and a 4000mAh battery. The model number is NS-15MS08.

[Mince]

I've been considering getting one of those cheap Windows 8 tablets, but I'm not sure what I'd use it for, honestly. I'd rather get a cheap Android tablet, or a cheap Windows laptop. Also, fullscreen apps still can't be snapped at 1280x800 can they?

 

Meanwhile, I have a question. I've just built a new computer, and I've installed Windows 7 on it. My case, a Rosewill R5, has a USB 3.0 port on the front. I've plugged it in to the USB 3.0 port on my MSI Z97 PC Mate motherboard, but it doesn't seem to be working properly. A USB 3.0 external hard drive was messing up when using it, whereas it worked fine in the USB 2 port. I installed an Intel USB 3.0 driver, but I'm not sure if it's working or not. Is there a way I can get the USB 3.0 port to work on Windows 7?

Edited December 7, 2014 by Mince

[Whiskey]

I've been considering getting one of those cheap Windows 8 tablets, but I'm not sure what I'd use it for, honestly. I'd rather get a cheap Android tablet, or a cheap Windows laptop. Also, fullscreen apps still can't be snapped at 1280x800 can they?

 

Meanwhile, I have a question. I've just built a new computer, and I've installed Windows 7 on it. My case, a Rosewill R5, has a USB 3.0 port on the front. I've plugged it in to the USB 3.0 port on my MSI Z97 PC Mate motherboard, but it doesn't seem to be working properly. A USB 3.0 external hard drive was messing up when using it, whereas it worked fine in the USB 2 port. I installed an Intel USB 3.0 driver, but I'm not sure if it's working or not. Is there a way I can get the USB 3.0 port to work on Windows 7?

 

Did any USB 3.0 drivers come with your motherboard? I had the same problem with my case as it came with a USB 3.0 backplate extension and I needed to install the drivers from the motherboard CD to get it to work.

[sivispacem]

Been fettling my GPU overclock. Finally broke the 3,000 barrier on Furmark. For comparison, a reference EVGA GTX680 is circa ~2,700.

 

Hit the voltage wall (currently about 95%) so probably can't go any higher.

[Glass Cloud]

/edit Doing a bit more thinking I think something like an hp stream would be better for me than a chromebook.

 

 

 

 

/edit2. Everything I was looking at this morning are sold out in most places. Ended up ordering the hp stream 14 from microsoft on sale for $229. Know it's nothing special(only need it for the internet/youtube/ & netflix really) but I've been using a sh*tty emachines desktop my parents bought me in 2008 that doesn't even have a full gig of ram. So this will be like night and day.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Glass Cloud

[GreatGig]

Hi folks, just wondering if someone could help me out. My older PC is going to my girlfriend but I need to replace the GPU. Would this one:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GeForce-Nvidia-Graphics-PCI-E/dp/B005F30LLU

 

Work with this board:

 

http://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboards/M3N78_SE/

 

As far as my amateur eyes can see, it should work but I'd rather check with those who know.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[yoječ]

It would, though it seems a bit pricey for what it is. For similar price you can get GT610.

[GreatGig]

The site I'm getting the MSI from is selling it for £18 so it's a cheap and easy upgrade. The cheapest I found the GT610 was £35. If it'll make a big difference then I don't mind paying more. Can you tell me what the difference would be like?

[yoječ]

Nevermind then, GT610 is not worth it if it's double the price of GF210.

 

As for the performance... let's put it this way: GT610 is slightly less crap Only second-hand cards offer somewhat reasonable performance in this price range.

Edited December 21, 2014 by yojo2

[GreatGig]

Apologies for the late reply, I was in work.

 

"Slightly less crap" is what I thought lol. I was actually surprised that there were GPU's in this price bracket. I'm used to seeing three figures after doing my research on a GPU for my own build.

 

Whilst I'm here, can I ask your opinion on upgrading the CPU on the Asus mobo? At the minute it has an AMD Athlon X2 240, is it worth upgrading? She'll be using the PC mainly for browsing, Netflix, the usual stuff, but I also want it to last as long as possible. What do you think?

 

Thanks for the help once again.

[yoječ]

Seems like this mobo supports every AM3 CPU there is. If you think that Athlon II X2 is inadequate you might check out if there are any cheap second-hand Athlons II X4 630/635/640/645/etc. on eBay (or whatever). Do not buy Athlons that end with "1" (631/641/etc.), as they're designed for entirely different socket. Same thing with Athlons that start with "7" (740/750K/etc.).

Alternatively, if Phenom II X4 945/955/965 pops up for not much more cash, then it's a decent option too.

Edited December 21, 2014 by yojo2

[GreatGig]

Found a Phenom II X4 965 for a decent price and it's one heck of an upgrade so that'll definitely be added.

 

Bloody solid advice, man. Thanks a ton for your help, much appreciated.

[sivispacem]

I sold my old 955 for £32 on EBay. For that price the performance boost will be massive.

[GreatGig]

I looked up the 955 first then the 965 and found that the latter was £7 more, both used. If I remember correctly, the 955 is shipped from the US too so I would imagine the shipping would add a few quid.

[yoječ]

I sold my old 955 for £32 on EBay.

That's very cheap indeed, is that a normal price in the UK? In Poland you'd easily get an equivalent of £50-60. Edited December 21, 2014 by yojo2

[sivispacem]

Yeah, that was pretty much par for the course. Actually got more for my Crosshair IV.

[Exxon]

I'm going to make a "B-Movie" (that's how I call it atleast) with a few friends a few months from now.

We're using basic stuff, so I'm in need of help. I want to use my Blue Yeti USB mic as the "boom mic" (or how it's called), could you guys help me with that and give some advice on how to do that?

Also, I'm in need of a new SD card, because my current one isn't good enough to record videos with.

It sometimes stops the video after a few seconds in, so what SD card should I buy to record videos with?

[TheMcSame]

If anyone needs cheering up

 

http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/34813-experiences-with-non-techies/

 

 

EDIT: What would a decent memory overclock be for a 980?

Edited December 26, 2014 by TheMcSame

[Mince]

So, here are my specs:

 

Intel i5-4690k 3.5 GHz OC'd to 4.6 GHz

Sapphire R9 280 3GB

Corsair CX 500W

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB RAM

MSI Z97 PC MATE motherboard

Hyper 212 EVO fan

WD 1 TB HDD

Windows 7 Ultimate

 

I just got the R9 280 graphics card a few days ago. Prior to that, I was doing alright with the 4.6 GHz overclock--hadn't had any issues, crashes, or slowdowns. The old graphics card I replaced didn't require any external power, whereas this one does. Problem is that I'm getting random blue screens. My temps aren't that bad--haven't gone over 50 C really-- but I get random blue screens during games, when launching games, etc. Is it safe to say that my power supply (500 watts) isn't enough for both the overclocked CPU and the new graphics card? (The graphics card uses two of the six-pronged PCI plugs.) I really don't know much about the amount of power a PC needs, this is my first time building a PC from scratch.

 

btw that non-techie experience thread really did cheer me up, haha.

Edited January 5, 2015 by Mince

[TheMcSame]

So, here are my specs:

 

Intel i5-4690k 3.5 GHz OC'd to 4.6 GHz

Sapphire R9 280 3GB

Corsair CX 500W

Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB RAM

MSI Z97 PC MATE motherboard

Hyper 212 EVO fan

WD 1 TB HDD

Windows 7 Ultimate

 

I just got the R9 280 graphics card a few days ago. Prior to that, I was doing alright with the 4.6 GHz overclock--hadn't had any issues, crashes, or slowdowns. The old graphics card I replaced didn't require any external power, whereas this one does. Problem is that I'm getting random blue screens. My temps aren't that bad--haven't gone over 50 C really-- but I get random blue screens during games, when launching games, etc. Is it safe to say that my power supply (500 watts) isn't enough for both the overclocked CPU and the new graphics card? (The graphics card uses two of the six-pronged PCI plugs.) I really don't know much about the amount of power a PC needs, this is my first time building a PC from scratch.

 

btw that non-techie experience thread really did cheer me up, haha.

I'd take the CPU down to stock settings before I do anything. It might seem stable but they can go from being stable to being unstable. It does seem a bit odd if you ask me, it should run fine on 500w, PC part picker estimates ~400w and wattage estimations are always a lot higher than what the build will actually draw. I'd look in the event viewer and look for an error around the time you had the blue screen, that should tell you the cause.

[yoječ]

Yeah, the PSU should not have any problem handling this rig - as long as it's not faulty it should do the job.

 

Chances are that with the new GPU the CPU is stressed more, and is proven to be unstable. That's what I'd look into first. Try lowering the CPU clocks. In general OC capabilities may vary with installed components, or even with operating system (in my case the CPU was perfectly stable on Windows 7, but after upgrading to 8 I had to increase the voltage).

Of course knowing the BSoD message will help

Edited January 5, 2015 by yojo2

[Mince]

Right, I appreciate the help guys. Thanks. For now I've just undid the overclocking until I'm more familiar with the process. (I had followed a guide that showed the "sweet spot" for my processor, but still, probably not the safest method.)

[TheMcSame]

Right, I appreciate the help guys. Thanks. For now I've just undid the overclocking until I'm more familiar with the process. (I had followed a guide that showed the "sweet spot" for my processor, but still, probably not the safest method.)

There's no real sweet spot for overclocks. You're running things faster than the listed specs so nothing is guaranteed, just because someone can hit 4.6GHz doesn't mean you'll be able to with the same settings.

Edited January 6, 2015 by TheMcSame

[yoječ]

Just in case anyone's interested, I want to say that Corsair's support is excellent.

 

My old TX650 (first revision from Seasonic) broke some time ago. I've contacted their support, but shipping costs to Holland would be too high to make it economically viable. Guess what - they've issued a prepaid label. The whole RMA process didn't cost me anything.

 

Better yet - this is what I've received back (in less than 2 weeks since opening a support ticket - note it ws opened on December 25th):

 

I'm more than happy, obviously

to Corsair

Edited January 7, 2015 by yojo2

[TheMcSame]

Just in case anyone's interested, I want to say that Corsair's support is excellent.

 

My old TX650 (first revision from Seasonic) broke some time ago. I've contacted their support, but shipping costs to Holland would be too high to make it economically viable. Guess what - they've issued a prepaid label. The whole RMA process didn't cost me anything.

 

Better yet - this is what I've received back (in less than 2 weeks since opening a support ticket - note it ws opened on December 25th):

 

 

I'm more than happy, obviously

to Corsair

Nice. Granted it's not one I'd buy because there's better options. Just be thankful that they didn't send you one with a higher wattage because 650w is the highest wattage for the decent RM supplies.

[yoječ]

TBH from what I can gather from the reviews, the issue with RM750/850 has been blown out of proportion. They shut down only under extreme conditions (if I'm not mistaken only a single review site has encountered this problem), and it was fixed a long time ago. If that's what you're talking about. Other than that they're decent.

 

But yeah, to tell you the truth it wouldn't be my first choice either (I'd prefer XFX XTR 650W or Antec EDGE 650W instead). I'm actually thinking of selling it, as 650W is unnecessary for my current rig (now I'm using a spare 350W PSU with no issues at all). But I'm probably going to keep it in the end.

Edited January 7, 2015 by yojo2

[TheMcSame]

TBH from what I can gather from the reviews, the issue with RM750/850 has been blown out of proportion. They shut down only under extreme conditions (if I'm not mistaken only a single review site has encountered this problem), and it was fixed a long time ago. If that's what you're talking about. Other than that they're decent.

I wasn't referring to that, in fact I never even knew about that. I was referring to the fact that the 750w, 850w and 1kw RM supplies are actually lower quality than both his old supply and his newer RM650.

[yoječ]

Well, okay - it seems I didn't read the reviews thoroughly enough. The question is to what extent do the differences between these models actually matter.

I would disagree that my old TX650 was better. Bear in mind it was the older version of this model, with group voltage regulation, not so low ripple, etc. Aside from better caps I can see no advantages over RM.

But nevermind

 

It's interesting to note that - according to RealHardtechX - RM750/RM850 are no longer produced by Chicony (Hipro). Now CWT produces the whole RM lineup. I wonder why they changed the OEM. Possibly the newest revision is much more similar to the lower wattage models.

Edited January 7, 2015 by yojo2

[TheMcSame]

It's interesting to note that - according to RealHardtechX - RM750/RM850 are no longer produced by Chicony (Hipro). Now CWT produces the whole RM lineup. I wonder why they changed the OEM. Possibly the newest revision is much more similar to the lower wattage models.

Maybe. I still wouldn't bother with the series though, well I wouldn't bother with Corsair's supplies at all, they are over priced for what they are imo.