The Computer Megathread

[Legodude77]

Windows needs to stop being a memory whore.

[Ad Bot]

[KoopaScooper]

Windows needs to stop being a memory whore.

If you're running Vista or 7 you can find out what your RAM is going to.

[SPooK]

Ethan, can you give us some pointers on what cases to buy? Like what is the best mid-tower case for the money, full-tower too. I am in a struggle right now to know whats good and whats not :/

[Ethan]

Ethan, can you give us some pointers on what cases to buy? Like what is the best mid-tower case for the money, full-tower too. I am in a struggle right now to know whats good and whats not :/

There's really no need for a full tower unless you want to SLI/CF multiple cards, want a full watercooling radiator, an XL-ATX mobo or something like that. Really high end systems. Do you want that?
Also, any idea for budget?
There's many things to take in to consideration. Good quality brands can usually be a good gesture in the right directions, for example all Cooler Master cases are really good for their price. Some great brands to look out for are Cooler Master, Antec, Corsair, Silverstone, NZXT and Thermaltake. This isn't to say that other brands don't make good cases as well, but these are typically the best.
Adequate cooling is a big factor. The case must be roomy enough to house all your parts, as well as provide good airflow between parts, from the intake fan to the exhaust fan. Also, build quality is a must. You don't want it to be made out of tinfoil. It must be solid, and some cheaper brands also overlook sharp edges and cut the sheetmetal roughly.
Features, like side panel window, numerous fan slots, big front panel IO selection, lots of front bays etc.
Aesthetics are also important to most people.

Here's a good way to list them on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583%20600006302&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=20
(Mid)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007583%20600006304&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&Order=RATING&PageSize=20
(Full)

[HerpaDerp]

Guys, a great video on SSD caching (SRT, Momentus etc):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKUYVVPWN8I

WTF.

I saw the 500GB Momentus XT on sale on Black Friday for $90. I THOUGHT IT WAS A NOTEBOOK DRIVE>

Damnit, could've gotten a hybrid for a very low price :C

[Ethan]

WTF.

I saw the 500GB Momentus XT on sale on Black Friday for $90. I THOUGHT IT WAS A NOTEBOOK DRIVE>

Damnit, could've gotten a hybrid for a very low price :C

richardbrain

[Becquerel]

Will these HA-FX22-W JVC White headphones live longer than my skullcandy ones?

[DontCare4Free]

So what's the max res a HD6870 should be able to handle adequately when running my current 1280x1024 as a secondary monitor?

[Muzzles56]

I have a problem here. Basically whenever i started my laptop yesterday, it ran fine but a few seconds later, I was unable to open any programs. It was as if it froze but i could still move my mouse and stuff. I think the explorer process stopped working. So, i did a few system restores last night and it worked. So today the same problem happened and i did more system restores. Now, I get a black screen with my mouse visible. There were only like, 4 processes running, one of which was explorer. How can I fix this? It's pissing me off extremely. I can only use safe mode.

[Ethan]

Will these HA-FX22-W JVC White headphones live longer than my skullcandy ones?

Depends on how you treat them. I'm not there 24/7 to stop bad things happening.

So what's the max res a HD6870 should be able to handle adequately when running my current 1280x1024 as a secondary monitor?

Adequately as in max settings or adequately as in running it at all?
Although I must say that if you keep your current monitor as just a 2d interface monitor it won't affect FPS much at all on games. I'd say you'd be able to get a 1920x1080 or similar in there, not maxed on all games though.

It would be completely ideal to get a monitor that had the same vertical resolution and height, however x1024 is a bit odd for a height.

I have a problem here. Basically whenever i started my laptop yesterday, it ran fine but a few seconds later, I was unable to open any programs. It was as if it froze but i could still move my mouse and stuff. I think the explorer process stopped working. So, i did a few system restores last night and it worked. So today the same problem happened and i did more system restores. Now, I get a black screen with my mouse visible. There were only like, 4 processes running, one of which was explorer. How can I fix this? It's pissing me off extremely. I can only use safe mode.

How long has it been since you last reformatted your computer?
It could be numerous things, a driver problem, some software is interfering with the OS or explorer.exe, or it could even be a virus.
To be safe, I'd download Malwarebytes' and put a scan through on safe mode.

Have you installed anything recently?  You may have to remove things one by one if push comes to shove.
If you have a backup media to transfer data to, it might be a good idea to reformat and install Windows again, if you kept your Windows disk.

Do the virus scan first and report back.

[SPooK]

So what would be your opinion on this case.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156254

[DontCare4Free]

Adequately as in max settings or adequately as in running it at all?
Although I must say that if you keep your current monitor as just a 2d interface monitor it won't affect FPS much at all on games. I'd say you'd be able to get a 1920x1080 or similar in there, not maxed on all games though.

It would be completely ideal to get a monitor that had the same vertical resolution and height, however x1024 is a bit odd for a height.

Adequately as in runs most games on at least mid. And yes, I'm mostly planning to use the secondary one as a 2d interface monitor.

[Muzzles56]

Have you installed anything recently? I dont think so, no. Not the day before this happened anyway
You may have to remove things one by one if push comes to shove. I'll try that if scans dont work
If you have a backup media to transfer data to, it might be a good idea to reformat and install Windows again, if you kept your Windows disk. Last resort, but its probably the best thing to do

Do the virus scan first and report back. Quick scan found 14 adware things. Im doing a full scan now

Thanks, Ethan
Ok the complete scan didnt find any new malicious files. Ill see if this works tomorrow

[Messes]

Guys I'm looking to get a graphics card for christmas, with a price range at about $200 to $250 max.

Any ideas?




also if you recommend me one, telling me what i'd be able to run with it would be great. Thanks. Also since i'm not that smart when it comes to computer hardcare, a PCI Express card can fit in a PCI slot (not saying express) right?

[KoopaScooper]

No, it cannot.
If your card is PCIe x16 (most AM3 sockets have a PCIe x16 slot, your CPU is an Athlon II, so it's likely an AM3/AM3+,) you can upgrade depending on your power supply and making sure your CPU doesn't bottleneck anything.
Your CPU probably (unsure) could support a 6750 without it bottlenecking much.

EDIT
Upon looking further into your specific model type, your motherboard does have PCIe x16 and a card matching the bus type will fit.
However, you may have a really low power supply, it may be  300 - 400 watts, but I have no clue.