Search results

  1. S

    New Build - Help Me Choose Between My Existing Power Supplies

    Save for the CX-750, the other supplies are for refurbs and customer repairs. I happened to have them on hand, so I listed them. I will probably keep using the Seasonic (after cleaning and inspection) and add the CX-750 to the new box.
  2. S

    New Build - Help Me Choose Between My Existing Power Supplies

    Hi, gang. Built two new PCs, one big productivity box and one back-up/gaming box. Existing PCs (to be replaced) are 8 years old and have been performing flawlessly. The productivity PC has been powered for 8+ years continuously (4770K on Asus Z87-A). New productivity box: Non-OC Ryzen 7 5800X...
  3. S

    Cheap pci-e dual-SSD adapter for nvme on Asus Z87-A MB?

    Hi, gang, My main productivity PC has been running flawlessly for 5+ years. It's a 4770k clocked at 3.8 GHz on a Z87-A MB with 32 GB DDR3, an old Samsung SSD that boots Win 8.1 (presently) and a bunch of SATA hard drives. The base PC really only hosts a bunch of VMWare virtual PCs that have...
  4. S

    Drive Maintenance Software for Spindle Drives?

    Back in the day I seem to remember a software package -- maybe Disk Keeper or something similar -- that purported to maintain data and drive integrity on conventional storage drives. As I recall, it would periodically move a chunk of data, clean the data blocks, refresh the formatting tracks on...
  5. S

    Drive Reluctant to Spin Up. Help?

    I will try to check these out. Thanks, --sohosources
  6. S

    Drive Reluctant to Spin Up. Help?

    Hi, gang, One of my 3-TB Seagate Constellation drives seems to work fine, doesn't throw errors, etc, but it's reluctant to spin up when first inserted into its Icy Dock. I have to eject and insert it several times, and after doing so, it powers up, works fine, tests fine, etc. If I eject it and...
  7. S

    Format two hard drives at same time?

    Hi, gang, Couldn't find answer to this anywhere... Can I format (slow, full GPT format in Win 7) two 4-TB SATA-3 hard drives at the same time? I need to test and format a pair of hard drives (no RAID, just separate drives), but full-formatting takes a long time and I wanna speed that up...
  8. S

    Are my FX-6300 GA-78LMT-USB3 OC Temps OK?

    Wow. Too bad about the Hyper 212 and the H50. I know what it's like to work on a "cursed build." :) Thankfully, this one seems rather "golden," and I suspect that the chip, as one poster suggested, probably has a lot of OC-ability if it were installed in a more manly motherboard. I do...
  9. S

    Are my FX-6300 GA-78LMT-USB3 OC Temps OK?

    Hi, guys, Rebuilding my spare PC / gaming PC, and I want to make sure my temps and settings are okay before I put it into service. Bought the CPU/MB combo for $90 at Microcenter. Couldn't resist. Stuff: GA-78LMT-USB3 v5.0. Has VRM heatsinks (unlike earlier versions) and solid caps...
  10. S

    Build New or Just Keep What I Have?

    Hi, gang: Looking for some advice. Wondering whether I should keep my present productivity box or build something a bit newer. This system runs multiple VMs and does NO gaming. (Gaming box is an older X4-965BE / AMD 7950 / Samsing SSDs / 8 GB RAM. More than adequate for my present gaming...
  11. S

    Need Wireless Router / AP With Pgysical Wireless On/Off Switch

    I'm in Rochester. I did a little digging and discovered that Netgear WNDR3400 and WNDR4300 routers have a pushbutton wireless on/off switch...and it looks like both models can run DD-WRT without too much hassle. The 4300 has gigabit ports, which makes the 3400 look pretty ridiculous for NOT...
  12. S

    Need Wireless Router / AP With Pgysical Wireless On/Off Switch

    Hi, gang: I have been driving myself crazy trying to find a wireless router/AP that is immune to WPS exploits AND has a physical on/off switch for its wireless function. Most units have an on/off power switch, but I need the ethernet ports and the rest of the device to stay working at all...
  13. S

    CLP-300 2006 firmware needed!

    Hi, gang: I have a 2006 Samsung CLP-300 color laser printer that had its firmware inappropriately updated sometime in the past. The original 2006 model should never have been updated, and its black text printing is too dark as a result. Samsung says it can't provide the original 2006...
  14. S

    Upgrade i7-930 and X4-965BE or wait?

    I only have Win 7 64 Home Premium for the moment. Getting above 16 GB of RAM requires Win 7 Pro, which is 3-4 times more expensive than Win 8 Pro (of which I already own several copies :) I'm not a fan of Win 8, as it violates the two Prime Directives concerning MS OSes: (1) Skip every other...
  15. S

    Upgrade i7-930 and X4-965BE or wait?

    Hi, gang: Trying to decide whether to upgrade my two main PCs. I like to stay in the price/performance sweet spot...not the $$$ bleeding edge. :) Box 1: Productivity: i7-930 on an ASUS Rampage II Gene OCd to a moderate 3.8 GHz with a Hyper 212. Win 7 64-bit HP (soon Win 8 Pro so I can...
  16. S

    Conflicting HD Test Results - HELP!

    Hi, gang: I'm trying to refurbish three PCs for family members, and in the process of testing the HDs, I'm getting confusing and contradictory results. I'm hoping y'all can help :) I have three 500-GB drives, one Seagate 7200.12 and two WD5000AAKs units. Test results follow: Seagate...
  17. S

    XIGMATEK PS shows no -5 V output. Problem?

    It's amazing how a manufacturer's products seem to ebb and flow in quality. I don't remember the details, but I do remember reading about how high-quality and conservatively rated the Sparkle supplies were back in the day. But when I look at the feedback scores today, Sparkle seems to have taken...
  18. S

    XIGMATEK PS shows no -5 V output. Problem?

    Thanks for the info... I'm a bit embarrassed that I missed the "dropping of the spec," but I'm glad that the PS is probably fine... The "junker" PS in question is a Sparkle FSP-350-60BT which, as I recall, wasn't really a junker after all. I think it's from 2002-2004, and ya gotta feel...
  19. S

    XIGMATEK PS shows no -5 V output. Problem?

    Hi, gang: I recently ordered a XIGMATEK 400-W PS (Model PC402) from newegg so I'd have something halfway decent (yet inexpensive) laying around for emergencies, troubleshooting, powering refurb PCs, etc. I used it to test a PC the other day, and when I connected the PS to my el-cheapo...
  20. S

    Verizon and Android -- Help Me Choose a Phone!

    TimG: I will be exchanging the D2 for a Fascinate or an Incredible. I get 30 days to decide, and the exchange costs me a "$35 restocking fee." I'm not thrilled about that, but it could be worse!(Worse would be paying hundreds of dollars for a phone that I ultimately don't like!)...
  21. S

    Verizon and Android -- Help Me Choose a Phone!

    Hi, gang: My SO and I just renewed our service w/Verizon and I'm having a hell of a time figuring out which phone(s) to keep. I will try to be brief (and somewhat articulate), as the issues are confusing! Right now, SO has the Fascinate and I have a Droid 2. Droid X is too big, so it's out...
  22. S

    Help w/Archival Blu-Ray Storage Issues...

    Hi, gang, I'm wrestling with the typical long-term data storage/backup issues, and I'd like some opinions on my options. I presently have several hundred burned DVDs/CDs with movies, music, books and software. After 10 years or so, I've never encountered a corrupted data disk, but I...
  23. S

    Leaked Phenom II X6 1090T BE Benchmarks

    As a long-time AMD builder, I have to question the ultimate value at this point... I just built a new system around an i7-930 and a cheap-ass Hyper 212+ cooler. The 212+ cost less than $30 and the i7-930 was $199 at Microcenter (the only thing of cultural value in the Twin Cities :) This...
  24. S

    Small HDs in RAID 0 vs Cheap SSD in XP-X64 Help!

    Thanks for the info. When you say "short-stroke," do you mean partitioning them to a lower capacity If so, what capacity is recommended for an F3 Samsung 500? Is a pair of F3 500s sufficient to get a taste of the kind of performance that will be available, or are more drives required...
  25. S

    Small HDs in RAID 0 vs Cheap SSD in XP-X64 Help!

    Can you explain why? XP Pro X64 runs the server 2k3 core, which is completely bulletproof and handles tons of RAM. Some have suggested that Win 7 would be better, but I don't know exactly why. I don't need DirectX 11 (or 10)...and I have three XP Pro X64 COAs on hand... --KK in MN
  26. S

    Small HDs in RAID 0 vs Cheap SSD in XP-X64 Help!

    I see what you mean... I guess I could say, then, that for my setup, costs being mostly equal, I need only the speed and not the size. If I have to use a pair (or several) 500-GB drives in RAID 0 to get the speed, I'll do that, even though most of the array will be empty :) --KK in MN
  27. S

    Small HDs in RAID 0 vs Cheap SSD in XP-X64 Help!

    I had considered the 250 because it has a single platter and should (theoretically) be more reliable in the long run. If the 500s are faster and similarly reliable I will use them (although I really don't need / want a 1 TB local array). Heck -- a pair of 80s -- if they're running at F3...
  28. S

    Small HDs in RAID 0 vs Cheap SSD in XP-X64 Help!

    Hi, Gang, Just built an i7-930 system with 12 GB of RAM on an ASUS Rampage II Gene MB. Easy and stable OC to 3.8 GHz with Hyper 212+ cooler. This is my main productivity box (no REAL gaming), which presently runs XP Pro X64 as the host OS and a bunch of VMWare 7 VMs for various dedicated...
  29. S

    Temp Variation Between 4 Cores on i7-930 Help!

    After carefully reseating and "re-TIMing" my cooler three times...my temps are exactly the same... I have three cores that all stay with 1 C of each other...and one "cool core" that runs 7-8 C less than the others. I have decided to run this box at 3.8GHz. In Prime95 and LinX, my idle...
  30. S

    Moderate OC w/Speedstep ON Possible?

    I've settled on running my PC at 3.8 GHz, where I was able to run Prime95 for 6 hours and complete a 10-pass LinX run with no issues. Voltage at 3.8 is nice = 1.2 V, with my RAM at 1.6 V (6 GB of Patriot Viper 1333 running at 1450 MHz, 9-9-9-24 1T. I expect to add an additional 6 GB of RAM...
  31. S

    Moderate OC w/Speedstep ON Possible?

    Hi, gang: I'm testing my new i7-930 build. It's a 24/7 productivity box that won't run games...just a bunch of VMs... I have the chip running at 3.6 GHz / 1.21 v, with Speedstep, etc, disabled. It's presently 10-pass stable running LinX on a Hyper 212 Plus cooler. I'm still testing to...
  32. S

    Temp Variation Between 4 Cores on i7-930 Help!

    My 212 Plus doesn't have the goofy pushpin mounts. Personally, I really dislike those! From what I've been reading / hearing, the variation isn't a big deal. Glad for that! --KK in MN
  33. S

    Temp Variation Between 4 Cores on i7-930 Help!

    Hi, Gang, I'm starting to play around with my i7-930 / ASUS Rampage II Gene build...and I'm noticing quite a temp difference on core 0 -- it's about 8 C cooler than cores 1, 2 and 3 under load (and about 4-5 C cooler at idle). I'm not going for a killer overclock, as this is my main...
  34. S

    Advice on XP Pro X64

    Yes, the apps and driver issues are what concern me the most. But remember, on this "productivity box" the base OS mostly just runs VMWare. All of my present software runs in XP or Linux virtual machines. It's the base (host) OSs job to be stable, stable, stable...and to NOT access the...
  35. S

    Advice on XP Pro X64

    Hey Plumber: You been eating your lead solder again? There's always at least one ass-wipe in every group. I guess you're it... In case you didn't bother to read the thread, I was merely asking the advice of my fellow enthusiasts -- not looking for some douchebag to comment from the...
  36. S

    Advice on XP Pro X64

    Hehehe... One friend works as an i-Series developer at IBM...the other is a network tech at Charter (he's also a long-time HOCPer :) And he's not squeamish... He has a 24-TB server at home with a RAID card that costs as much as my car! I think he hates M$ in general, but he HATES Win...
  37. S

    Advice on XP Pro X64

    Hi, Gang: I'm finally building a set of manly PCs to replace my now-long-in-the-tooth desktops. My productivity PC, which runs multiple VMs and handles TV and video playback, printing and video editing, scanning, etc -- but no serious gaming, only casual -- will run an i7-930 with 6-12 GB...
  38. S

    7950GT: SCreen Blacks Out, GPU Fan Maxes Out - HELP!

    When the PC continues on despite the fact that the screen has blanked out, there is no stuttering, etc. The sounds are normal. I tried the other DVI connector -- same result. No desktop artifacts otherwise. It just craps out when the card starts to get stressed in 3D games, etc. BFG has RMAd...
  39. S

    7950GT: SCreen Blacks Out, GPU Fan Maxes Out - HELP!

    Hi, gang: I've been having issues with my "foolin' around" PC... When running UBUNTU 9.1 64-bit, no probs whatsoever... In XP, SP3, after trying to run Modern Warfare 2 the other day, the game starts, but freezes or blacks out, forcing a hard "with the switch" reboot... After...
Back
Top