azrael Posted February 2, 2010 Posted February 2, 2010 What the hell is it with Crysis anyway? This game came out like 4 years ago, but it still seems to be the "King Raoh" of pc games-untouchable no matter how trick your setup is. I need to give this game a try... The kids at Crytek (the developers) developed their game engine as a way to properly bring real-life elements, or realism, to games. Things like movement, water effects, animals, physics, lighting and shading, surfacing, depth of field, parallax, blur, really really really large areas without the need to load section by section, etc etc. etc. Those things require some powerful graphics to properly replicate on both the CPU and GPU side. This is why the CryEngine is used as a benchmark for graphics cards because many of those features really pushes graphics cards to their limits. When most people want properly to test their system, they'll use something running the CryEngine system to see how well their setup does. Most games use a certain amount of textures and shaders, while the CryEngine usually uses double or triple that amount, which is why it pushes systems.
Roy Focker Posted February 3, 2010 Posted February 3, 2010 Totally Pissed!!! I bought a new Toshiba P500 Laptop about a month ago. Had them throw on a TV Tuner Card. Turns my HD Taptop into a second HD TV. That is great thing to have. Sadly it broke after just a month of use. The Card attaches to an antenna by the way of a cheaply made connecting cable. The end of this cable broke of in the card. This of this part like the Shoulder on a Yamato. It can't do what it is designed for without breaking. I contacted the TV Tunners customer support. Got a form response back about how I can get a replacement cable for $5. Shipping on their site makes the total $20. I spent $80 for the entire card. The cable weighs as much shoe lace. Their form response included another email I should contact for more help. Five days have passed and no answer from that one. I tried calling but I hear I have to wait 15 minutes for help. I've sent an email in vain to Toshiba to see if they can help.
shiroikaze Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 (edited) I guess they shot you down for warranty because it's physical damage? I hate when that happens. Is it broken in or broken off? If you're considering getting different tuner, I know that Monoprice and Newegg has some cheap alternatives. Don't mean to overshadow your trouble with my happy news, but I finally got "all" the parts I needed to build a new computer. My brother will mainly be using it. The purpose for it will be productivity (homework), gaming, watching movies, illustration, and web-surfing. But sometime in the future, I may take up 3D modeling and animation for it. No overclocking at the moment. Specs are: AMD Phenom II X4 965 3.4 Ghz (C3 Stepping) Asus M4A785TD-M Evo G.Skill Ripjaws DDR3-1600 2x2 GB (9-9-9-24) Samsung 500 GB Hard Drive (single platter) SeaSonic X-750 PSU Asus Silent Knight AL CPU Cooler ...and an old IDE DVD+RW Drive Got the CPU cooler for under $10, it might perform well for the price but I think I should get a better cooler. The Asus motherboard wasn't my first choice, I wanted a Gigabyte board but the SATA ports would've been covered by the HD 5850 I will be getting in the future--living off integrated graphics for now--I didn't realize AMD had slim pickings when it came to mATX-sized boards. I'll also get a Blu-Ray drive someday too. I will be in this forum's care if and when I run into any troubles. *bows head humbly* Ps. First minor setback of the night, bottom dust filter of my P180 wouldn't let my PSU sit flush. I took out the filter but I may set something underneath to prop up the PSU slightly. Not really a problem. [edit] Scratch that. The dust filter can actually be fitted on the underside as well. Whaddya know? Edited February 4, 2010 by shiroikaze
myk Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 Nice list of parts, although I bet you're itching to get that video card. With my new MB, CPU and RAM finally here I'll probably refit my system tomorrow. AvP and Crysis are on the gaming to-do list...
Roy Focker Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 I think most warranties are written in the "if we feel like it" language.
mikeszekely Posted February 4, 2010 Posted February 4, 2010 I think most warranties are written in the "if we feel like it" language. More or less. If there is any conceivable way they can argue that the issue isn't their fault, whether it's misuse, neglect, or accidental damage on the owner's part, or "normal wear and tear," manufacturers will do everything in their power not to pay.
blacklotus Posted February 5, 2010 Posted February 5, 2010 More or less. If there is any conceivable way they can argue that the issue isn't their fault, whether it's misuse, neglect, or accidental damage on the owner's part, or "normal wear and tear," manufacturers will do everything in their power not to pay. Yup. I learnt this expensive lesson years ago. Nowadays, I don't go for cutting edge/bleeding edge stuff. I just get electronics that's 1 generation or 2 generations back that's on sale. My point is as long as it does what I need it to do, there's no point paying a premium to beta test for these s-hole manufacturers/companies. p.s. Still running Year 2003 PC with winXP sp3 on a AMD-754 chip with a ati Radeon 9800pro 420watt power supply. The only "new" thing in this PC is a 2TB drive I upgraded last month. Other than that, everything works fine - 1080p video viewing, surfing, light 3D gaming, heavy GoG.com gaming (still playing old games like MtG and MoO2) p.p.s. No virus hit since 2003. The only time I got a virus hit was when I just upgraded from win98se to winXP because it's more secure.
shiroikaze Posted February 5, 2010 Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) Speaking of warranties... I think it's retarded that using an aftermarket cooler voids a CPU's warranty... Anyway, I'm almost finished with the build, I just need to grab the DVD drive and monitor from the other computer... which of course my brother is still using at the moment. I almost cut myself on the heatsink fins a many of times... I feel pretty tenderized after that and handling all the stiff cables. One thing that irks me is the Phenom's stock cooler. The pre-applied thermal paste looks kinda shoddy with all the small holes, is that normal? Broken cover being the culprit? CPU on the other hand, looks fine... Edited February 5, 2010 by shiroikaze
azrael Posted February 5, 2010 Posted February 5, 2010 One thing that irks me is the Phenom's stock cooler. The pre-applied thermal paste looks kinda shoddy with all the small holes, is that normal? Broken cover being the culprit? CPU on the other hand, looks fine... I don't think that's normal. But then again, assuming you were going to use it, when it gets pressed onto the CPU, the pad will probably spread out and fill the holes. Even with the holes, there's still coverage so I won't worry that much. It's not like the pad is missing 15%.
shiroikaze Posted February 5, 2010 Posted February 5, 2010 (edited) Can't hurt to have a backup . Stupid question: Should I worry about air pockets forming? Edited February 5, 2010 by shiroikaze
azrael Posted February 5, 2010 Posted February 5, 2010 Can't hurt to have a backup . Stupid question: Should I worry about air pockets forming? Just jiggle the heat sink to spread the thermal pad around when you press it on the CPU. That should fix the holes. I won't worry too much about air pockets if you wiggle the heat sink around when you press it on the CPU. If you're really worried, scrape off the thermal pad and apply some AS5.
shiroikaze Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) Just jiggle the heat sink to spread the thermal pad around when you press it on the CPU. That should fix the holes. I won't worry too much about air pockets if you wiggle the heat sink around when you press it on the CPU. If you're really worried, scrape off the thermal pad and apply some AS5. artic silver 5 Yes, I do know what it is. =\ Anyway, I salvaged a 2.5 inch pc speaker from one of my oldcomputers lying around--Should it be mounted or can I just set it on my marble tile floor? [edit] Nevermind, I was just pretty much doubting myself. Looks like I stumbled onto the answer. Edited February 6, 2010 by shiroikaze
Vince Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 Yes, I do know what it is. =\ Anyway, I salvaged a 2.5 inch pc speaker from one of my oldcomputers lying around--Should it be mounted or can I just set it on my marble tile floor? [edit] Nevermind, I was just pretty much doubting myself. Looks like I stumbled onto the answer. sorry I didn't read the previous message all the way..
shiroikaze Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 Argh. Powered it up. Mobo LED lit up, chassis fans spun up, CPU cooler's LED and fan powered up. No display. No beep. No POST. Argh. I dunno if anything shorted, but I'm attempting to build outside the case now to see if it boots...
David Hingtgen Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 CPU fully inserted? Each generation seems to take more force IMHO. (which seems to be the WRONG way for a design trend)
light Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 I used to build and its the jumpers its always the jumpers. Damn those jumpers and if you socket them wrong they will burn out, I burned out a few led's and USB jumpers will melt.
David Hingtgen Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 Ack, how could I forget jumpers? I was *so* paranoid about setting them up on this PC.
shiroikaze Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) CPU fully inserted? Each generation seems to take more force IMHO. (which seems to be the WRONG way for a design trend) Should be. From what I've read and seen, AMD CPUs should just "fall into place" into the socket. But I'll double check after running it outside the case. I used to build and its the jumpers its always the jumpers. Damn those jumpers and if you socket them wrong they will burn out, I burned out a few led's and USB jumpers will melt. Only have one jumper and it's only for the clock in bios, set to default from the get go. There was a peculiar stain on the back of the board, don't what to make of it... Last shot before running. It's on my brother's Dell cover, with stand-offs of course (no solder is touching underneath). If it's better I should put it on something else instead, I'll be happy to do so. This time, I'm gonna try to boot it up with just the power connectors, front panel leads, and with one stick of ram. Wish me luck! [edit 1] That reminds me: Does the motherboard autodetect what display connection I'm using? Like VGA or DVI? Or do I have to try them out manually? [edit 2] Nevermind~ Edited February 6, 2010 by shiroikaze
myk Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) YEEEESSSS! IT POST'D! MEEEEEEEE TOOOO!!! Although I'm surprised I pulled it off. I installed everything while talking to the gf on the phone, watching BSG and eating a buffalo burger. So...now that we've got these new setups, how do we rightfully test them? Asides from Crysis, lol... Edited February 6, 2010 by myk
shiroikaze Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) Well, I'm going to run my computer through Prime95 with a temperature monitor like CPU-Z or Speedfan, maybe Memtest... and probably the most taxing game in my library? All I need to do is find the culprit shorting my motherboard.... probably one of the stand-offs... Edited February 6, 2010 by shiroikaze
VF-19 Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 Oh, just a FYI about cpu cooler warranties. Just keep everything together, and as long as you return everything together, with evidence of use (IE, you mate the cooler to the CPU once, then take it off), there's no way for AMD or Intel to tell if you've use the non-stock cooler.
mikeszekely Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 and eating a buffalo burger. Mmm, buffalo. It's like super beef...
shiroikaze Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) Yay, it works inside the case now. Now I just need to figure out why my IDE DVD Drive is not being detected... Jumpers are set to cable-select and it's plugged into the master connector.... Mmm, buffalo. It's like super beef... I oughta try this someday... Edited February 6, 2010 by shiroikaze
eugimon Posted February 6, 2010 Posted February 6, 2010 buffalo is good, but it's SUPER lean so if you over cook it (anything over medium rare) it dries up and is basically shoe leather.
shiroikaze Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) Ahahahahah... The PATA cable wasn't plugged in all the way... Memtest'ing as I post this, then I'll install Windows 7. Also, why am I not surprised? First glance in google and there's hardly a place near me that serves buffalo. Edited February 7, 2010 by shiroikaze
light Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 Good Bufffalo have been putting up with people far to long.
myk Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 (edited) Well, buffalo will never replace good 'ol ground beef, but it's the healthier alternative and...with enough A-1 steaksauce it's close enough. Question: I've got 4 slots for RAM, and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to put the two sticks I have. They're labeled DIMM A1 and A2 for the first pair of slots, and DIMM B1 and B2 for the second pair of slots. Now, normally you'd think that two sticks would go into the A labeled slots, but A1 and B1 are colored one way, and A2 and B2 are colored another way. The Asus manual doesn't say which way it's supposed to go, so which is it? Edited February 7, 2010 by myk
VF-19 Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 Well, buffalo will never replace good 'ol ground beef, but it's the healthier alternative and...with enough A-1 steaksauce it's close enough. Question: I've got 4 slots for RAM, and I'm not sure where I'm supposed to put the two sticks I have. They're labeled DIMM A1 and A2 for the first pair of slots, and DIMM B1 and B2 for the second pair of slots. Now, normally you'd think that two sticks would go into the A labeled slots, but A1 and B1 are colored one way, and A2 and B2 are colored another way. The Asus manual doesn't say which way it's supposed to go, so which is it? Put the pairs of RAM in the matching pairs of coloured slots (ie put both in the blue slots, if your RAM slots are blue and white). If, when you boot up, you don't see the total RAM you're installed, move the sticks around (shutting down the computer of course). The purpose of the different coloured slots is for enabling dual channel memory mode.
myk Posted February 7, 2010 Posted February 7, 2010 Put the pairs of RAM in the matching pairs of coloured slots (ie put both in the blue slots, if your RAM slots are blue and white). If, when you boot up, you don't see the total RAM you're installed, move the sticks around (shutting down the computer of course). The purpose of the different coloured slots is for enabling dual channel memory mode. Alright then, because the two pairs of slots are colored yellow and black, so I'll put the sticks into the yellow ones only...
light Posted February 10, 2010 Posted February 10, 2010 I could not say about the ram because back when I was building a slot was a slot and if the ram fit it did the job. All the slots fit the same type of ram, I dont know if they changed that but I reeeeally doubt it. I bet when you buy some more ram it will be the same type. I have not seen a computer yet that had different types of ram slots, although I am a old builder so don't take my words for it. Just check when you buy another stick of ram if it is the same for all slots. I am just being technical, go with what the last guy said until your sure.
Vince Posted February 11, 2010 Posted February 11, 2010 Alright then, because the two pairs of slots are colored yellow and black, so I'll put the sticks into the yellow ones only... got a manual for that board? the for slots should numbered from 0 - 3 of 1-4, dual channel with 2 sticks usually go into odd numbered pair or the odd numbered pair. the cmos should have a setting for dual or single channel, sometime it tells you which slots it is looking at. i think same color slots works?
shiroikaze Posted February 11, 2010 Posted February 11, 2010 (edited) Asus's manuals--at least the one I got--are pretty vague about the memory slots (and bios settings). The manual gave the impression that one stick goes into A1 and the other in A2; different colored slots of course. Then I looked at the RAM compatibility list in the manual and read that DDR3 1600 and higher should go into the same colored slots... *shrugs* Okay, whatever. My feelings: I don't think it matters what slots the RAM go in... unless explicitly written. Anyway, I put the PC all back together a couple days ago already, I must've overtightened one of the screws on the motherboard since it runs great now . Memtest and Prime95 shows no problems. Took me a couple hours yesterday to figure out how to get the RAM back running at 1600 like it supposed to. Temperatures are at ~36 deg C at idle and ~50 deg C during Prime95. I may try overclocking the CPU a little to see how the temperatures work out, but I'll probably stick with stock since it's plenty fast at the moment. It was a good experience, and I look forward to the next build (a long time in the future) but there are two things I didn't particularly like: The I/O shieldplate suck... unless you paid premium. I hate the 24-pin ATX power connector. An extreme pain to pull out, I wished they designed some sort of release lever to help get it out. Our desks can't compare to Kensei's . Edited February 11, 2010 by shiroikaze
azrael Posted February 11, 2010 Posted February 11, 2010 Most of the time it doesn't. It does matter if you want to use your RAM in a dual or triple channel configuration. But if you don't want to, then put it in which ever slot you wish. Under normal circumstances that is.
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