Recent content by nalc

+1, same boat exactly. Sandy Bridge in my main rig, I do have a $50 old Dell laptop with an Ivy Bridge mobile. My PC isn't holding me back from anything, but it just feels like time for a refresh. Couple SATA ports and hard drives have died over the years so I've got all my cold storage on...

Does the FT03 have the USB 3.0 ports that go to the internal mobo header, or the ones that plug into the back of it? I could only find some old reviews from 2011 where it was the latter, but in newer photos it looks like maybe the former?

It's plausible. I've got a 30" 2560x1600 and it's really too many pixels for most web browsing tasks. You need to move your head to read across the screen. This is what I'm looking at right now I do really like it for spreadsheets, and I haven't done any gaming yet but I'm looking...

I like having variable difficulty. It's not always a question of skill, sometimes it's a question of what you're in the mood for. There are times I enjoy going through the same level many times trying to get it perfect - beating a mission in a FPS game without taking damage or something like...

Not with HDMI to DVI. HDMI is a single link DVI. Maybe with an active DP to dual link DVI adapter.

Small bedroom workstation, single monitor, ikea desk.

What type of monitor is it? If it's a big one that needs dual-link DVI, then likely HDMI to DVI won't give you the full resolution.

In general, are you better off with a USB mic or one with a 3.5mm plug for your soundcard?

MacLeod is maybe taking things a bit too extreme, but I'll agree with him that for the most part, you're getting far more bang for your buck spending money on speakers than you are on a DAC. I'd spring the couple bucks for something better than onboard myself, but I wouldn't spend as much on my...

Face down for me if the PSU is bottom mounted and the case has a vent for it. That way it is getting cooler air and is not fighting my CPU and GPU for air.

I have to admit that another part of me selecting my Gigabyte board over the Asus competitor was that it was much cooler looking - flat black PCB with all black slots and connectors, with occasional blue accents. Brown PCBs are so 2003. Who needed firewire and an Intel NIC (as opposed to...

Displayfusion

I had an OLD DFI board. Before they ever started that "Lanparty" stuff. It was like a SiS 651 chipset cheapo Socket 478 board. Replaced it with a Gigabyte mobo with an Intel 848 chipset and it was chugging along for like 5 more years before I retired it.

I've always had a soft spot for Gigabyte. My first build was a DFI, and I had a bunch of motherboard problems - stability issues, dead IDE ports, etc. Replaced it 6 months in with a Gigabyte socket 478, never had a problem. Later on when I went to 939 I got a MSI board and had some weird issues...

On the other hand, if you buy a 760 now, you can bank the $300 you saved over a 780 and use it towards upgrading the whole rig once you're replacing the 760. IMO you're always better off buying what you need now and upgrading when you need to, instead of going for something totally overkill...