The computer and electronics super geek thread

[akt_m]

Anyone know how to display corretly japanese language???

Still after having installed the windows xp japanese language pack, there are some files that are just ??????, or others i see a square or  in the middle of katakana/hiragana...

So how i do install the full thing???

Thank you.

it's currently got a GeForce 7900 GS with 256MB Ram. (this is what it came with in 2007)

I was looking at replacing it with this

Radeon 3870

Wouldn't be better to get one of the last generation cards?? 4xxx... Probably they consume less power...

Edited December 8, 2008 by akt_m

[azrael]

Anyone know how to display corretly japanese language???

Still after having installed the windows xp japanese language pack, there are some files that are just ??????, or others i see a square or  in the middle of katakana/hiragana...

So how i do install the full thing???

In which kind of application? Web browsers? Office? Japanese games?

[akt_m]

In which kind of application? Web browsers? Office? Japanese games?

MP3 tags, not every, just some of them... Also some lyrics i downloaded...

[kensei]

Thinking of getting a new system now. I got a good lineup ready, but just wanted to ask a few very general questions.

With cooling components, it seems to me that the only difference with a Liquid vs Fan is the noise issue. Is one better than the other really? LCS don't seem that much more expensive.

Also, which components of a complete PC (such as DVD Burner, RAM, All in one Card reader) can I be less fussy about when buying to put together in a computer? I understand that there are some BIG differences such as CPU and Graphics card, but those little things I mentioned before I'm not sure if I want to bother thinking about too much.

[azrael]

MP3 tags, not every, just some of them... Also some lyrics i downloaded...

I think I know what your talking about. It's related to Unicode. Unfortunately I haven't really dealt with this problem in years (say 2002-2004). I can't recall how to fix it or how I got around it...

With cooling components, it seems to me that the only difference with a Liquid vs Fan is the noise issue. Is one better than the other really? LCS don't seem that much more expensive.

Liquid is normally better than air cooling. Much better. Think of it this way, what's going to cool a hot pan down faster, leaving it by an open window or just dropping it into a tub of water?

But like any kind of liquid piping, you have to be sure your setup doesn't leak and maintain it. Also, you normally don't use regular tap water. You use a distilled or deionized water or some non-conductive liquid in the case that it does leak and make your new system into a giant paperweight.

Also, which components of a complete PC (such as DVD Burner, RAM, All in one Card reader) can I be less fussy about when buying to put together in a computer? I understand that there are some BIG differences such as CPU and Graphics card, but those little things I mentioned before I'm not sure if I want to bother thinking about too much.

RAM can be a little fussy, especially if the voltage is higher than what your motherboard will run. The more expensive stuff may not run right out of the box as the cheaper stuff and may require some tweaking. But the more expensive stuff is usually geared toward gaming machines anyways.

[vermillion01]

Thinking of getting a new system now. I got a good lineup ready, but just wanted to ask a few very general questions.

With cooling components, it seems to me that the only difference with a Liquid vs Fan is the noise issue. Is one better than the other really? LCS don't seem that much more expensive.

Also, which components of a complete PC (such as DVD Burner, RAM, All in one Card reader) can I be less fussy about when buying to put together in a computer? I understand that there are some BIG differences such as CPU and Graphics card, but those little things I mentioned before I'm not sure if I want to bother thinking about too much.

Liquid cooling does provide a higher rate of coling over air and thus better for overclocking. If you're just building a system for everyday type use, i'd go for air cooling or even a passive tower cooling (look up a "tuniq tower").

You'd be right not to skimp on the cpu and graphics card, but also save some budget for RAM as it is easily one of the most imporant components and the difference between cheap 'generic' ram and the decent stuff is huge! - i'd stick to ddr2 for the time being as there is no real performance gain for you extra cash on ddr3.

Power supply is also somewhere that cannot be skimped on. A good solid power supply can save your system! Always plan ahead so go for something slightly more powerfull than you need right now, that way you will the room for expansion (extra hard drives, new graphics card etc.)

As for the other bits, card reader - meh... they're all more or less the same. dvd burner - well, personally, i'd opt for a sata drive as i hate having ot tidy IDE cables, but either would be fine (and to be honest, there is very little difference in price among optical drives so long as you dont look at blu ray)

[Dante74]

vermillion01's right about the power supply and RAM.

Before choosing RAM, you should know what RAM frequency the MB is capable of handling. You could spend tons of cash on top of the range 1600mhz RAM but if your MB can only handle 1066 mhz it'll be stuck at 1066.

What do you plan to use it for?

[ruskiiVFaussie]

Laptops... i have a visiable line or mark running across above centre of my screen, only notice it when the screen is black/dark from watching movies, should i report it to warranty? Is it normal for laptops to have these flaws? Only just noticed it since a week ago, is it possible i have rubbed too hard whilst cleaning it and it pressed back onto something to cause the mark? Honestly it's not that bad, only noticiable when fully dark, but annoying. I have warranty, so i wonder if i should get it replaced.

Any help guys would be terrific!

[azrael]

Laptops... i have a visiable line or mark running across above centre of my screen, only notice it when the screen is black/dark from watching movies, should i report it to warranty? Is it normal for laptops to have these flaws? Only just noticed it since a week ago, is it possible i have rubbed too hard whilst cleaning it and it pressed back onto something to cause the mark? Honestly it's not that bad, only noticiable when fully dark, but annoying. I have warranty, so i wonder if i should get it replaced.

If it's not going away, why won't you call it in?

[kensei]

Hey boys, thanks for the advice. I didn't know that there was a big difference in quality of RAM at the same specifications under different brand names. I'll make sure I'll get some decent stuff. Kingston alright?

Dante, my basic wants is a good gaming system that will last for at least 3-4 years. Yes I know it's a big ask with the unforgiving world of electronics, but i want to try. I've actually never ever bought a solid system, it was always the one that was just able to do the basics and play the odd good game. This time I want to spoil myself.

My aim for a monitor is a 2 MS one that is at least 19". I'm looking at a Samsung one or Viewsonic. Dunno about Dell and Acer monitors, I tend to shy away from those brands. Popular, but not always good. I'm into fast refresh rates, I hate videos or games that have ghosting.

For me processor I'm thinking of getting the i7, lower end one. For the next one for .33 Ghz more I pay double, and for the next one double AGAIN. I don't think I need something that powerful, and no chance those new processors will go down soon. Plus I heard that those performance benchmarks were sweet. It's $10-20 more than a one of the top end Quad Cores though, so I'm going to be careful what I choose.

The size of the case is important I know if i'm going to have one of those big 9800 GTX cards. I'm getting a ThermalTech Armour MX + Case. Looks too cool. I'll have to get dimensions though to make sure.

For the HDD I'm getting a 150 GB Velociraptor to speed up disk access.

The cards I'm looking at the BFG 9800GTX. The reason why is cause it's overclocked already and has a warranty that is valid in Australia. I'm looking at two of them for SLI, dunno about a third card, heard that the difference isn't that good. Still torn though, cause the Sapphire is much cheaper for great performance, but the cooling fan is crap.

[vermillion01]

Kensai, I've not long built a new system myself... and i hope this will do me roughly 3 years (with maybe a graphics upgrade sometime)..

intel Q6600 2.4Ghz (now overclocked at 3.4Ghz)

Tuniq tower cooling

8GB Corsair dominator XMS2 pc 8500 (now overclocked from 1066Mhz to 1200 Mhz)

Asus P5Q-e (great board for noob freindly overclocking and a good layout for connections)

IceQ 4 Turbo HD4850 (comes overclocked and still has room for further o/c) - great cooling fan and very quiet too

Kingwin mach 1 900w PSU (modular and looks the bomb!)

Akasa Omega case with window side panel - huge inside and not too heavy. It will fit ANYTHING you throw at it, its quiet and has a good cooling.

I thought about the i7 but its just too expensive when coupled with the X58 mobo and DDR3 ram (you'll need at least 3gig). The only thing i may need to upgrade in future is the GPU, or buy a second card to run crossfire... You must one helluva budget to looking at the i7 stuff!

[mikeszekely]

Hey boys, thanks for the advice. I didn't know that there was a big difference in quality of RAM at the same specifications under different brand names. I'll make sure I'll get some decent stuff. Kingston alright?

Kingston's fine. I use the regular Kingtson stuff in most of my computers, and I have three sticks of their Hyper-X stuff in my main box.

For me processor I'm thinking of getting the i7, lower end one. For the next one for .33 Ghz more I pay double, and for the next one double AGAIN. I don't think I need something that powerful, and no chance those new processors will go down soon. Plus I heard that those performance benchmarks were sweet. It's $10-20 more than a one of the top end Quad Cores though, so I'm going to be careful what I choose.

The benchmarks for the Core i7s have been really stunning, no doubt. But while the Core i7s are starting to trickle out for enthusiasts, I'm not sure I'd recommend them just yet. There's a very limited motherboard selection for them, and you have to use DDR3 with it. I'm not even convinced that four cores are necessary... it seems like most developers are just getting used to threading their apps/games for two. Why be an early adopter when the Core 2 line is still very capable and the Core i7s will still need a year or two to really go mass market? You'll save money not just on the processor but on your mobo and RAM if you stick with the Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad. Heck, the E8600 is two steps above my processor, is cheaper than the cheapest i7, and the the E8500 (still a step above mine) is under $200, and my main computer is already so fast that I won't use any of the others for more than watching SD avi files or surfing the net. If you must go quad-core, the "Yorkfield" Core 2 Quads run between $200-$300, and most (if not all) of them will post the maximum score in the Windows Experience Index.

The size of the case is important I know if i'm going to have one of those big 9800 GTX cards. I'm getting a ThermalTech Armour MX + Case. Looks too cool. I'll have to get dimensions though to make sure.

Definitely. My Antec P182 is a big mamma jamma, and I had to totally remove the upper hard drive bay.

For the HDD I'm getting a 150 GB Velociraptor to speed up disk access.

IMHO, Raptor/Velociraptor HDDs are one of the worst upgrades in terms of cost versus performance. You can get a terabyte of storage for less than a 150GB Raptor, and the Velociraptor is really only going to cut down on boot time by a tiny bit, and launch programs a tiny bit faster. Windows Vista only takes my current hardware about 30 seconds to boot, and that's not even off a SATA II hard drive. As for programs, once they're in the RAM, you'll hardly notice the difference.

The cards I'm looking at the BFG 9800GTX. The reason why is cause it's overclocked already and has a warranty that is valid in Australia. I'm looking at two of them for SLI, dunno about a third card, heard that the difference isn't that good. Still torn though, cause the Sapphire is much cheaper for great performance, but the cooling fan is crap.

I have the BFG 9800GTX+. It ran Crysis at about 30FPS at the maximum settings, until I got to a snow level and the particle effects dragged it down. For a lot of games, like Portal, even with the highest settings I had to enable vsync because the monitor couldn't keep up with the framerate. Currently, I'm playing Fallout 3 at the highest settings. In short, it's a great card that I'd recommend to anyone looking for great performance without breaking the bank. I just can't stress enough how long it is and how pick you have to be about which case you're going to use. And that's just with one card.

You get solid gains in performance with a second card in SLI, but yeah, two is enough. The theoretical extra boost from three-way SLI is offset by the fact that virtually no one is programming games or other apps to take advantage of it.

[vermillion01]

Have to agree with mike. also, i have a WD raptor X in my rig and while its nice and fast, its not that much faster than my samsung F1's (1TB) and they are half the price! my advice... get a couple of F1's and raid them... wicked quick!

[azrael]

The benchmarks for the Core i7s have been really stunning, no doubt. But while the Core i7s are starting to trickle out for enthusiasts, I'm not sure I'd recommend them just yet. There's a very limited motherboard selection for them, and you have to use DDR3 with it. I'm not even convinced that four cores are necessary... it seems like most developers are just getting used to threading their apps/games for two. Why be an early adopter when the Core 2 line is still very capable and the Core i7s will still need a year or two to really go mass market? You'll save money not just on the processor *snip*

Agreed. a Core i7 just isn't worth the price when you can get a Yorkfield-core system for a lower price.

IMHO, Raptor/Velociraptor HDDs are one of the worst upgrades in terms of cost versus performance. You can get a terabyte of storage for less than a 150GB Raptor, and the Velociraptor is really only going to cut down on boot time by a tiny bit, and launch programs a tiny bit faster. Windows Vista only takes my current hardware about 30 seconds to boot, and that's not even off a SATA II hard drive. As for programs, once they're in the RAM, you'll hardly notice the difference.

Agreed. Frankly, I find more space/price to be more tempting than speed.

[lechuck]

Can anybody recommend me a good media drive, I mean those things that hook up to your TV and allows you to play back your movies, music and pictures.

Basically I am looking for something that can handle the following:

- Containers: avi, mkv, mp4, ogm

- Video codecs: Divx/Xvid, H.264, WMV/VC-1

- audio codecs: mp3, ogg, wma, aac, ac3

- subtitle formats: srt, ssa/ass, idx/sub

Is there a site out there that discusses this stuff?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

[VF-19]

Can anybody recommend me a good media drive, I mean those things that hook up to your TV and allows you to play back your movies, music and pictures.

Basically I am looking for something that can handle the following:

- Containers: avi, mkv, mp4, ogm

- Video codecs: Divx/Xvid, H.264, WMV/VC-1

- audio codecs: mp3, ogg, wma, aac, ac3

- subtitle formats: srt, ssa/ass, idx/sub

Is there a site out there that discusses this stuff?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

Are you looking for what is basically a hard drive mated to a special board, or do you want a whole Home Theater PC? If you want the whole PC attached to your TV it might be the simplest route as you can use your older hardware (but a newer videocard capable of outputting proper HD) to save a ton of cash.

[eugimon]

Can anybody recommend me a good media drive, I mean those things that hook up to your TV and allows you to play back your movies, music and pictures.

Basically I am looking for something that can handle the following:

- Containers: avi, mkv, mp4, ogm

- Video codecs: Divx/Xvid, H.264, WMV/VC-1

- audio codecs: mp3, ogg, wma, aac, ac3

- subtitle formats: srt, ssa/ass, idx/sub

Is there a site out there that discusses this stuff?

Any help is appreciated, thanks.

http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/

[ruskiiVFaussie]

If it's not going away, why won't you call it in?

Yeah nah i just wanted to get advice in regards to if it's an occasional problem with other laptops, i will call it in thanks Az.

[taksraven]

Your cabling makes the Baby Jesus cry.

The dust inside my machine would make Baby Jesus head explode.

Taksraven

[kensei]

Thanks guys.

It seems like I might back off on an i7 and go for a Quad Core. Seems safer, and I can use DDR2 still.

I'm glad you have the BFG Mike. Good to hear that Crysis is running well for you, I'm hoping to reach 50 fps with Dual SLI.

Seems like Crysis is the benchmark for the latest games. Every forum I read its always the standard. Is that statement pretty much true? I will get that game, I heard it was great. But the game I really want to get in future is Mirror's Edge, it's an awesome game.

Need a sound card for 5.1 surround sound too. I'll get that new ASUS one, it's their only one and pretty good from what I heard. Might want to do some sound editing in the future too, and music creation as well as games.

I saw a nice Blu Ray Writer for $250. That doesn't seem too bad for now. Although, a DVD Burner is only $60 or less at the moment.

Edited December 10, 2008 by kensei

[Dante74]

Thanks guys.

It seems like I might back off on an i7 and go for a Quad Core. Seems safer, and I can use DDR2 still.

I'm glad you have the BFG Mike. Good to hear that Crysis is running well for you, I'm hoping to reach 50 fps with Dual SLI.

Seems like Crysis is the benchmark for the latest games. Every forum I read its always the standard. Is that statement pretty much true? I will get that game, I heard it was great. But the game I really want to get in future is Mirror's Edge, it's an awesome game.

Although Crysis is already over a year old it's still considered the game to test graphics processing power.

I saw a nice Blu Ray Writer for $250. That doesn't seem too bad for now. Although, a DVD Burner is only $60 or less at the moment.

BluRay disks aren't cheap either, which is why I went with good old DVD.

[lechuck]

http://www.popcornhour.com/onlinestore/

Eugimon, thanks for that link, this is exactly what I was looking for.

My DVD player with Divx/Xvid playback isn't cutting it anymore and I've grown tired of constantly re-encoding everything.

[Zentrandude]

Anyone know a good gamepad thats simular to the ps3 controllers? I know you can use them with the 3rd party semi working driver/hack, but I would like one thats doesn't require much user intervention to make it work ie plug and play. im thinking about the xbox 360 controller but I just don't know about the placement of the stick and the d-pad locations compared to the usual pads.

[mikeszekely]

Anyone know a good gamepad thats simular to the ps3 controllers? I know you can use them with the 3rd party semi working driver/hack, but I would like one thats doesn't require much user intervention to make it work ie plug and play. im thinking about the xbox 360 controller but I just don't know about the placement of the stick and the d-pad locations compared to the usual pads.

Logitech has a wireless PS3 controller out that traded tilt for rumble back the in the pre-DualShock 3 days. They were $40, but I've seen a lot of stores selling them for less. I bought one with my PS3 because I had the Logitech controller for the PS2, and I thought the Sixaxis felt too flimsy.

Unlike the Sony controllers, the Logitech one isn't Bluetooth. It has a little USB dongle. On a whim, I stuck it into my PC once, and Windows readily identified it and it works like a charm. I'd say that's about the best you'll get if you don't want the 360 controller.

[Roy Focker]

Well my notebook/lap top whatever is the proper name LCD screen is showing pressure spots or dead pixels along the sides. Owned it for about 2-3 years. Spots are along the screen's border with one side having a lot of them. Only notice them if your looking at the screen's borders. Got me somewhat concerned with how much life my screen's got left. 2-3 years old is still new to me. I figured I replace my notebook after 5 years of use. Notebooks are cheaper now but if get something new I want it too be really good. With the economy the way it is my budget is limited. I don't want buy something I don't want nor have to make monthly payments. I don't want to put aside other things on my to buy list to buy something I already have.

I did a bit of research. Doing your own replacement screen doesn't seem like a too difficult of a repair. Problem is finding one. They aren't listed on your big box electronic store sites. Random google shopping brings up some results but I'm wary of sending money to "Discount Larry's Laptops" anyone know of some legitimate parts stores?

[kensei]

Problem is Roy, that most of the screens costs as much as a laptop. Plus, if your rig is really 2-3 years old, chances are you might as well update for the same price and get an even better machine.

[yellowlightman]

Anyone know a good gamepad thats simular to the ps3 controllers? I know you can use them with the 3rd party semi working driver/hack, but I would like one thats doesn't require much user intervention to make it work ie plug and play. im thinking about the xbox 360 controller but I just don't know about the placement of the stick and the d-pad locations compared to the usual pads.

The 360's layout works a lot better than the Playstations, as far as I'm concerned. Thumb sticks that don't bump into each other, and overall better ergonomics (which you get from not recycling the same design for 14 years). But the 360's d-pad sucks, so if you're going to be playing 2D games it wouldn't be very good. For 2D games, you'd want to go with a USB Saturn pad.

[vermillion01]

I know this has been floating around the interwebs for a while now but just in case anyone missed it.....

Best casemod ever

(if you like BSG that is...)

[eugimon]

that's awesome, so impressed with the little DRADIS screens.

[vermillion01]

Here's the full step by step guide to how it was done....

BSG casemod

Should be of interest to some of our modellers here.....

[Zentrandude]

The 360's layout works a lot better than the Playstations, as far as I'm concerned. Thumb sticks that don't bump into each other, and overall better ergonomics (which you get from not recycling the same design for 14 years). But the 360's d-pad sucks, so if you're going to be playing 2D games it wouldn't be very good. For 2D games, you'd want to go with a USB Saturn pad.

I wont be doing much 2d games for awhile. I might have to try the 360 pad for awhile ;I got gta4 for the pc almost a week ago and it really seams it needs a good game pad to play it descently, the keyboard+mouse takes some arm movements to operate the cell phone while doing your thing.

[mikeszekely]

I wont be doing much 2d games for awhile. I might have to try the 360 pad for awhile ;I got gta4 for the pc almost a week ago and it really seams it needs a good game pad to play it descently, the keyboard+mouse takes some arm movements to operate the cell phone while doing your thing.

The biggest advantage to the 360 pad is that all games with the "Games for Windows" banner is required to support it, I think.

[kensei]

That's it, I've cracked. I'm getting an i7 system. Bottom end though. I just saw the performance specs for the overclocked version and I just think thats all I need. I do not need to get anything higher than the 920. My friend who got it already can not get the smile off his face for hours after mentioning it.

Thinking of getting the ASUS P6T Deluxe or the Rampage II motherboard. Rampage is the highest of the high, but it seems that the P6T is not far behind. Anyone got this MB? I'm thinking that there might not be much point getting the Rampage II. And also I'm only dual channeling the RAM, the tri channel can come much later.

I'm following your advice on the HDD though. 1 TB 7200 RPM HDDs are cheap!

Just wondering though, about Crossfire and SLI. I know that they are a name for a configuration for specific brands of cards that are able to be linked up and share the GPU load, making things faster overall. (SLI for NVIDIA and CrossFire for ATI). But while they are the same thing by concept, hypothetically, will I have trouble with applications that SAY that they support SLI, but I have ATI Crossfire cards? I was planning on getting the BFG 9800 GTX (2 of them), but some of the ATI cards that can X-Fire come really cheap, and I'll lean that way as I heard that NVIDIA has had some faulty crap nowadays.

Luckily the ASUS P6t or Rampage II supports either SLI or Crossfire, so the problem is not there.

[grss1982]

I know this has been floating around the interwebs for a while now but just in case anyone missed it.....

Best casemod ever

(if you like BSG that is...)

Hey the site also features the "Worst Body/Case Mod Ever"

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/10/not_awes...asebody_mod.php

[azrael]

Thinking of getting the ASUS P6T Deluxe or the Rampage II motherboard. Rampage is the highest of the high, but it seems that the P6T is not far behind. Anyone got this MB? I'm thinking that there might not be much point getting the Rampage II. And also I'm only dual channeling the RAM, the tri channel can come much later.

i7 systems are fairly new so I doubt many people here have one. Let alone have the money.

Just wondering though, about Crossfire and SLI. I know that they are a name for a configuration for specific brands of cards that are able to be linked up and share the GPU load, making things faster overall. (SLI for NVIDIA and CrossFire for ATI). But while they are the same thing by concept, hypothetically, will I have trouble with applications that SAY that they support SLI, but I have ATI Crossfire cards? I was planning on getting the BFG 9800 GTX (2 of them), but some of the ATI cards that can X-Fire come really cheap, and I'll lean that way as I heard that NVIDIA has had some faulty crap nowadays.

Don't even get me started on Nvidia's drivers right now. I would say if you are looking at an i7 setup, you may want to go with a Crossfire setup if you want to offset the price. But if money is no object or you just don't care, then just stick with the 9800s.