The computer and electronics super geek thread

[azrael]

Hey where was Roy?

He was waiting for his computer to be fixed by Toshiba. He had an older computer and a smart phone but those are somewhat limited.

Well did they repair my computer? Why don't you read this email I sent them after getting my computer back...

...

I'm all for the principal that you want them to a)admit they have a defective product and b)repair the thing or send you a replacement. But seriously, I would have gotten a new laptop by now. And if you still want want good customer support, Consumer Reports still rates Apple as the best.

FWIW, I'm not convinced the GTX 670 is worth it. Yeah, it puts up some awesome numbers, but the 660ti doesn't sacrifice too much performance and it costs a lot less.

I did pick up a 670 a while back thanks to gift cards and while I have seen some instances where my 570 would choke and the 670 carry on, I would agree that for the price, a 660 would be a good investment that doesn't break the bank.

[Chewie]

I've got the same CPU and same amount of RAM, but I used an Asus P8Z77-V mobo, a 128GB Kingston 200V SSD to boot, a GeForce GTX 660ti, a 1TB Western Digital for installing games, and a 3TB Seagate Barracuda for storage.

What case an PSU did you use? I used a white NZXT Phantom and a 750w Antec HCG PSU. I've traditionally used Antec cases and have been pretty pleased, but I'm actually really happy with the Phantom.

FWIW, I'm not convinced the GTX 670 is worth it. Yeah, it puts up some awesome numbers, but the 660ti doesn't sacrifice too much performance and it costs a lot less.

In-Win Dragon Rider case and a left over 500W Rocketfish PSU. It works for now and it's modular too so it let me clean up the inside of the case a lot too. I get them for dirt cheap at work though so I think I'll be picking up an 750/850w Thermaltake soon enough.

I've been doing a lot of reading on the cards and the 670 just calls out to me. This is the first time I have the money to buy the things I want in a new system so I'm just going to do it.

[Roy Focker]

Toshiba's Final Solution

Well I got an email answer back from the repair center. Basically they run a couple of diagnostics software programs on computers to look for problem if it comes clean they send it back. They don't tear open your computer to check for a hardware issues unless the hardware issues happens while they're in possession of the computer. They admitted in email that since it is a random issue it could something like a pinched cable but that isn't something they don't look for. I don't understand why people just don't physical look for a problem instead of running a program.

Today I called the Support line asking what happens when this problems happens again. Basically even though my warranty has expired they guaranty the "repair" for 30 days after service. Person on the phone said I should revert my computer back to factory day one settings. Something that they had me do already. After reverting it back I shouldn't install any new software and if the computer acts up again with in 30 days I should send it back. If it acts up on day 31 I'm out of luck.

Here's a problem about reverting to factory settings and not adding stuff to it. I already did that. We already exhausted all the possible software issues. What is the point of having a computer if you can't add stuff to it? My computer is 3 years old. As soon I try to do something like go to youtube with it or read a PDF I'm gonna get a message that some program is out of date. If I can't add stuff to my computer I won't be using it that much during the next 30 days. If I'm rarely using it the chances that this random will occur again during this time is very slim. Plus if I send it back to factory day one setting it will not have any virus protection. I can install what I'm using now but that would be adding something to it. I'm not gonna be paying bills online without any virus protection.

I asked what happens if the problem returns at full force on day 31. I take to a local repair shop and they find it something they failed to find? In that case I get move to a case worker.

Here's what I'm gonna do:

I will reinstall all my favorite programs and start using my computer like normal. I will likely save very little files on my machine. I will only keep files on it that I use monthly. I will pretty much save every files after done using it to both the computer and external harddrive after every use. I think that is excessive but I don't know when the screen is just going to die or a minute or for good.

When the screen dies for good. I will take it to a locally owned repair shop that is also an authorized Toshiba repair shop. I will pay them to find the actual problem. After getting an estimate I will confront Toshiba with the evidence that it was this problem all along and ask if they want to do the right thing. If they are a-holes about it. I will see if the repair itself are within my budget. I will then see about reporting them to every cusomer fraud reporting agency possible or what not.

In conclusion if your friends or family tell about how they are thinking about buying a new computer please tell them about my experience with Toshiba. Tell them that Toshiba makes good computer about have the absolute horrible customer service and repair service. They will give you nothing but headaches.

[Uxi]

On day 29, you should have problems whether you have them or not, dig?

[the white drew carey]

Quick question for you guys:

Recently we bought a WD 3tb MyBook. It is physically attached to our iMac via firewire, and has two partitions: one to back up the iMac, and one that will be used to back up my wife's work laptop before we move.

Anyhow, I have noticed that the hard drive on this thing tends to run A LOT. Like, at times we there is not data going up or down. It is just sitting there, and then the hard drive spins up for a while. I can feel the slight vibration of it through my computer desk (cheap wood), and if I put my hand on it, I can definitely feel the hum of it spinning.

Is this something normal and expected, like the drive is doing something on its own?

[mikeszekely]

Quick question for you guys:

Recently we bought a WD 3tb MyBook. It is physically attached to our iMac via firewire, and has two partitions: one to back up the iMac, and one that will be used to back up my wife's work laptop before we move.

Anyhow, I have noticed that the hard drive on this thing tends to run A LOT. Like, at times we there is not data going up or down. It is just sitting there, and then the hard drive spins up for a while. I can feel the slight vibration of it through my computer desk (cheap wood), and if I put my hand on it, I can definitely feel the hum of it spinning.

Is this something normal and expected, like the drive is doing something on its own?

I can't definitively say that it's normal, since I don't have a MyBook (I have five externals, and four of them are the portable kind that are only plugged in when I want to use them). I'm also 98% a Windows guy, and don't bother to back up either of the Macs I own.

What I will say is that there's a good chance that it's normal. Windows, since Vista, performs disk operations from time to time to prevent the drive from becoming fragmented. I assume Mac OS does something similar, since I've never heard of fragmentation being an issue for a Mac.

Another thing to consider is that the drive could be doing SMART testing or other diagnostics.

Edited February 16, 2013 by mikeszekely

[VF-19]

I've noticed an oddity while shopping for TVs. There are no 32 inch 1080p televisions for sale in Canada, or at least from what I can see. If I go a little smaller, I find 1080p models in the 24 and 27 inch class, and if I go a little bigger, I find them too. Hmm.

I'm suspecting it's an effort by the manufacturers to cut costs, as some of the 24 and 27 inch 1080p TVs cost exactly the same as a 32 inch 720p TV.

Edit: Spoke a little too soon. It's more like there are a few (and very hard to find) 1080p TVs in Canada... There's one at Futureshop, and couple of models at Best Buy.

Edited January 13, 2013 by VF-19

[azrael]

I've noticed an oddity while shopping for TVs. There are no 32 inch 1080p televisions for sale in Canada, or at least from what I can see. If I go a little smaller, I find 1080p models in the 24 and 27 inch class, and if I go a little bigger, I find them too. Hmm.

I'm suspecting it's an effort by the manufacturers to cut costs, as some of the 24 and 27 inch 1080p TVs cost exactly the same as a 32 inch 720p TV.

Little of column A, little of column B. Companies need to recoup their costs for those screens. So they put out large-but-low-resolution displays to offset. But at the same time, does one actually benefit from having a 1080p 32" display at a viewing distance greater than 4-ft?

Consider this guide: http://carltonbale.com/1080p-does-matter/

[mondamoto]

I am wondering if someone here could help me with this dilemma.

I just upgraded my old Tube TV to a new HD TV and switched over to HDMI.

The problem is my older Sony receiver while having 2 HDMI ports on it they only support sound through the TV and not the speakers (go figure) for that I need to use the digital optical ports. Not a big deal with my Blu Ray Player as it has an optical out but my XBOX 360 does not

My question is since I am running the HDMI cable from the receivers monitor out port to the TV and the TV has its own digital out port can I run a digital audio cable from that back to the receivers optical in port for that video port which is in this case video 2 (video one is for the Blue ray and the optical cable runs from the player to that)

I hope this question makes sense.

Thanks in advance

Mond

[mikeszekely]

I am wondering if someone here could help me with this dilemma.

I just upgraded my old Tube TV to a new HD TV and switched over to HDMI.

The problem is my older Sony receiver while having 2 HDMI ports on it they only support sound through the TV and not the speakers (go figure) for that I need to use the digital optical ports. Not a big deal with my Blu Ray Player as it has an optical out but my XBOX 360 does not

My question is since I am running the HDMI cable from the receivers monitor out port to the TV and the TV has its own digital out port can I run a digital audio cable from that back to the receivers optical in port for that video port which is in this case video 2 (video one is for the Blue ray and the optical cable runs from the player to that)

I hope this question makes sense.

Thanks in advance

Mond

Sounds like you ran into the same problem I did (and the reason why I plan to upgrade my receiver this year, after buying a Wii U).

I never tried running audio from the TV back into the receiver, but this Xbox support document might help you set up Toslink audio from the Xbox 360 right into the receiver.

Edited January 16, 2013 by mikeszekely

[mondamoto]

Thanks that did the trick I totally forgot I had that adapter

[Uxi]

About a hundred dollar difference between a 660Ti or a 670... think I'd see any benefit on my aging X58 rig?

[mikeszekely]

About a hundred dollar difference between a 660Ti or a 670... think I'd see any benefit on my aging X58 rig?

I'm not saying that the 670 isn't a good card (because it totally is), but from what I've read the increase in performance over the 660ti isn't proportional to the increase in price. Hence, why I bought the 660ti for my computer. And I can't complain, it's played basically everything I've tried on High or Ultra.

[PetarB]

Anyhow, I have noticed that the hard drive on this thing tends to run A LOT. Like, at times we there is not data going up or down. It is just sitting there, and then the hard drive spins up for a while. I can feel the slight vibration of it through my computer desk (cheap wood), and if I put my hand on it, I can definitely feel the hum of it spinning.

Is this something normal and expected, like the drive is doing something on its own?

If your iMac is running Time Machine, remember it backs up all the time - it's constantly talking to that external drive.

[miles316]

Is the free video website yidio legitimate?

Is the free video website yidio legitimate?

[www.yidio.com[/link]

Edited January 22, 2013 by miles316

[David Hingtgen]

Suggestions wanted----Blu-Ray player with built-in WiFi for streaming netflix. Now, that's most of them nowadays, but the criteria is:

For old people. Needs to have best/simplest remote, and the menu/interface has to be super-simple. They need to be able to turn it on, and get to netflix and pick a movie to watch that night in as few button-presses as possible.

[BeyondTheGrave]

KInda in that market my self want to upgrade folks up convert dvd to blu-ray with netflicks. Last time i was at best buy sale guy said it was between samsung and sony.

[azrael]

I went with a LG BP620C from Costco. The interface can be simple cuz you can move apps to the dock that shows up when you start up the player. I've found the remotes/remote sensor to be spotty (there are days where I could point the remote almost directly at it and it would still not register the input). But your mileage may vary.

[myk]

Quick question guys: is there a series of tests or are there tell-tale signs that an optical drive is on its way out? I bought Skyfall on blu-ray and found out it wouldn't load past the 20th century Fox fanfare. I then tried the DVD copy and the machine didn't like that one either, although it eventually played it. This is all on my Toshiba Qosmio x505-898 laptop, and every other blu-ray or DVD has been fine until now; the last blu-ray I bought was End of Watch which was just a coupla' months ago and it works fine. Driver's are all updated and all of that other stuff.

I tried playing it in my 60G PS3 and with SOME difficulty the blu-ray played. With the possibility of a bad disc in mind I swapped it out with another copy from Wal*Mart, but same results. A replacement drive for this machine is relatively cheap, but I was hoping there was something I could look into before I start taking things apart. I take my laptop EVERYWHERE so could it be dirty? I was under the impression you couldn't clean blu-ray drive lens. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[azrael]

... I was under the impression you couldn't clean blu-ray drive lens. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

You can try to clean the lens with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol (gently in a circular motion).

You can try to copy a large amount of data from a disc or burn a disc or both. If it has problems doing those operations, and subsequently thereafter, then you have a bad drive.

See if there is a firmware update for your drive (not driver, firmware). The manufacturer may have released a firmware update to address reading issues of discs.

One other probability is that this particular pressing of Skyfall was a bad batch. The solution would be to buy a copy from some where nowhere near you. Or buy from Amazon. Or wait a couple months for a fresh stock to come in.

[myk]

Thanks 'Az, I'll give it a shot.

Edit: Actually that brings up another question: if I decide that the drive is bad do I just buy a new OEM replacement, or can I stick in a newer drive? Aren't these things proprietary?

Edited February 16, 2013 by myk

[azrael]

Edit: Actually that brings up another question: if I decide that the drive is bad do I just buy a new OEM replacement, or can I stick in a newer drive? Aren't these things proprietary?

The drive itself is not proprietary (or at least it shouldn't be). The front plate may be proprietary since it needs to match the laptop's enclosure.

[areaseven]

Earlier this month, I treated myself to an advanced birthday gift:

Asus K55VD-SX405
Intel Core i7 3630QM 2.4 GHz
8GB DDR3 RAM
1TB SATA 5400rpm HDD
Nvidia Geforce 610M 2GB DDR3 graphics processor
15.6" 16:9 HD (1366x768) LED backlight monitor
DVD Super-Multi burner
802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth 3.0 wireless connection

USB 3.0 port x2; USB 2.0 port x1

HDMI port
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

[myk]

Right on man! Are you going to try any games on it?

[jenius]

I need help

I just replaced an older JVC receiver in my entertainment center with a Yamaha RX-V773. Everything is looking great with one exception, my old computer connected to the receiver via a DVI to HDMI cable no longer is passing video through. When my TV is turned off the NVIDIA control panel shows the receiver as a viable 1080P monitor and says everything is working with DHCP. When I turn the TV on though the monitor name in the NVIDIA control switches to SHARP HDMI and my receiver doesn't pass the video to the monitor.

Update, I switched my monitor resolution for the television to 1080I with a 29hz refresh rate and I got a flickering video to pass through. Tried numerous other resolutions and setting and this seems to be the only one that almost works. Still, if I try to pull up the receiver's menus everything gets very jumpy and very bad.

Edited February 28, 2013 by jenius

[azrael]

Update, I switched my monitor resolution for the television to 1080I with a 29hz refresh rate and I got a flickering video to pass through. Tried numerous other resolutions and setting and this seems to be the only one that almost works. Still, if I try to pull up the receiver's menus everything gets very jumpy and very bad.

What about at lower resolutions? 720p? 480?

[areaseven]

Right on man! Are you going to try any games on it?

I put in some older games like Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars and Command & Conquer Red Alert 3, and they work pretty well. Will pick up one of the latest Need for Speed games as soon as I acquire a new game pad.

[jenius]

What about at lower resolutions? 720p? 480?

I was able to get 1024x768 at 60hz to produce a picture but it looks horrid with lots of flicker and odd colors (much worse than 1080I at 30hz). This is kind of a mind boggling issue. I figured I'd look up my TV model but I can't even find it on the TV itself. This sucks. I eliminated one of the variables by connecting my computer directly to my television (skipping the receiver). The computer shows Sharp HDMI as the second monitor and reads that 1080P at 60HZ (Native) as the resolution I should choose but choosing that gets the "Incompatible video" error. How did having my old JVC receiver in this mix make things go better? Bizarre.

[azrael]

... How did having my old JVC receiver in this mix make things go better?

This might be work looking at:

http://www.avforums.com/forums/av-amplifiers-receivers/1686445-yamaha-rx-v773-3d-pass-through-problem.html

[jenius]

Hmm, I'm kinda dense when it comes to this stuff but I had removed the receiver from the equation so I was left with less that could be going wrong. At this point, I think I'm ready to give up and just buy a smart Blu-ray player and trash the old computer in the living room. I hooked my laptop up (which has an HDMI out) to the receiver to the TV and everything worked fine.

As I recall, when my computer was hooked up to the old receiver it showed the receiver as the second monitor. I think this is why that old receiver worked. Once I turn on the TV with my new receiver it pipes everything straight through leaving my computer showing the TV as the second monitor and it's pretty clear they don't get along. The set-up goes through a DVI to HDMI wire and I think there's something just ghetto enough about all this where my TV wants nothing to do with it. I suppose another option would be to find a video card (I'm using a 9400GT) with an HDMI out and see if getting rid of that conversion makes things jive.

[myk]

Pbbbb....I need your guy's opinion on something.

I run two laptops when I'm home. My bigger Toshiba runs movies, games, etc, and I use an old Dell Inspiron 6400 for perusing the 'net and other "menial" computer tasks. Well the other night I got a BSOD on the Dell. I determined that one of the memory sticks died, and I'm pretty sure one of the DIMM slots is dead, too. I bought this thing with 3G's of RAM, so I'm left with 2G's of RAM in one DIMM slot; the drop in performance is obvious, but it isn't BAD. My question is this: assuming the other DIMM slot is gone, is it possible to buy 4G's of RAM and put that in the remaining DIMM slot to bring the performance back up a bit?

Now, I'm running XP on the Dell so I know it will never see more than 3G's of RAM, but I'd like to have 3 over 2G's. But....since this is a dual channel system, using DDR2 PC2 5300 RAM, will it even matter that there's 3G's of RAM on one slot? I imagine running off of only one DIMM slot of RAM will handicap the system anyway?

As much as I love my Toshiba and its vastly superior specs, I love the Dell for its simplicity, mobility, durability and relative ease of use-it'd be a shame to have to give up on this thing. Thanks in advance!

[frothymug]

Hey, guys. I'm shopping out some parts to upgrade my system and I need your opinions.

I currently have an i7 920 Intel processor, ASUS P6T Deluxe V2 motherboard, and 6 GB of Corsair Dominator memory at 1600 MHz. I also recently upgraded my video card from a GTX 295 to a GTX 660Ti SC+.

I need to alleviate the bottleneck that is my processor, which means I will also need to get a new motherboard and memory (and a PCIe 3.0 compliant board for my GPU). I was looking at the Intel Core i5-3550P, along with an ASUS P8H77-V motherboard, and either 8 or 16 gigs of Corsair Dominator memory.

Some friends are telling me that I'm a fool for not going for an overclocking setup and I am just trying to gather up enough information to assure me that OC'ing is not as dangerous as it used to be. I know that the K-series processors and Z77 chipset motherboards are the best bet for overclocking setups. I could use some suggestions on what to do. Thanks!

Oh, and I'm on a budget trying to stay under 400 bucks.

Edited March 10, 2013 by frothymug

[jenius]

Hmm, I'm kinda dense when it comes to this stuff but I had removed the receiver from the equation so I was left with less that could be going wrong. At this point, I think I'm ready to give up and just buy a smart Blu-ray player and trash the old computer in the living room. I hooked my laptop up (which has an HDMI out) to the receiver to the TV and everything worked fine.

As I recall, when my computer was hooked up to the old receiver it showed the receiver as the second monitor. I think this is why that old receiver worked. Once I turn on the TV with my new receiver it pipes everything straight through leaving my computer showing the TV as the second monitor and it's pretty clear they don't get along. The set-up goes through a DVI to HDMI wire and I think there's something just ghetto enough about all this where my TV wants nothing to do with it. I suppose another option would be to find a video card (I'm using a 9400GT) with an HDMI out and see if getting rid of that conversion makes things jive.

A little update to this, I threw in the towel and purchased an ATI card with HDMI 1.4 (eliminating the DVI to HDMI cable) and everything worked like a charm. I think this might have been a situation where some of the technology in the set-up was a little more capable then some of the older technology and for whatever reason this just made everything unable to get along.

Some friends are telling me that I'm a fool for not going for an overclocking setup and I am just trying to gather up enough information to assure me that OC'ing is not as dangerous as it used to be. I know that the K-series processors and Z77 chipset motherboards are the best bet for overclocking setups. I could use some suggestions on what to do. Thanks!

I built my computer a little over 2 years ago now and it has been overclocked since day 2. My overclock is pretty mild, from 3.07ish to 3.7ish. Over that whole time I've had a handful of instances where the computer failed to boot but a simple restart resolved that. I've had more luck overclocking my CPU than my GPU (lots of crashed games when I got too aggressive).

[mikeszekely]

Pbbbb....I need your guy's opinion on something.

I run two laptops when I'm home. My bigger Toshiba runs movies, games, etc, and I use an old Dell Inspiron 6400 for perusing the 'net and other "menial" computer tasks. Well the other night I got a BSOD on the Dell. I determined that one of the memory sticks died, and I'm pretty sure one of the DIMM slots is dead, too. I bought this thing with 3G's of RAM, so I'm left with 2G's of RAM in one DIMM slot; the drop in performance is obvious, but it isn't BAD. My question is this: assuming the other DIMM slot is gone, is it possible to buy 4G's of RAM and put that in the remaining DIMM slot to bring the performance back up a bit?

Now, I'm running XP on the Dell so I know it will never see more than 3G's of RAM, but I'd like to have 3 over 2G's. But....since this is a dual channel system, using DDR2 PC2 5300 RAM, will it even matter that there's 3G's of RAM on one slot? I imagine running off of only one DIMM slot of RAM will handicap the system anyway?

As much as I love my Toshiba and its vastly superior specs, I love the Dell for its simplicity, mobility, durability and relative ease of use-it'd be a shame to have to give up on this thing. Thanks in advance!

According to Crucial, you're only supposed to be able to run 1GB per slot.

[myk]

According to Crucial, you're only supposed to be able to run 1GB per slot.

That's what I thought too! Dell's website even says the most this system will run is 2G's 'max, with 1G per DIMM slot. But here this thing sits, with a 2G stick from Corsair sitting in DIMM slot B, system properties also verifies the 2G's of RAM. What do you guys make of this?