The General PC Questions Thread

TikTikTikTikTik said:
but to do a partition you need to reinstall windows and create a partition right at the beginning of the install after formating your hdd.
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If you have XP, before formatting to create a new partition, you can try using something like Disk Director..
I think it lets you resize even the XP partition without creating trouble (and if it doesn't work f!*k it, you were going to format anyway) but as far as I remember it used to create some trouble with a partition where there was installed Vista..

Anyway, Bobby, having different partitions for OS and data ('My Documents' folder included) is highly recommended..
 
Tim7 said:
Cheers Tik and Coopz. I have opened it up and listened already and think it's the PSU. My PC is 5+ years old :LOL:, so I will take the connectors into account. Any recommended websites to get a new PSU from?
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the antec earthwatts are hard to beat. you can buy them from ebuyer. super-efficient and oh, so, quiet!!
 
Tim7 said:
Well, with the MUCH appreciated help of Placebo, (and Jumbo's girlfriend!), I am going to order this new CPU cooler: http://www.ebuyer.com/product/141550.

Many thanks guys hopefully I will have a much quieter PC by Wednesday afternoon!
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the scythe mini ninja is a quality heatsink/fan - i've bought loads of different ones over the years, but that is the best i've ever had. if you're not overclocking your cpu, you can do without the fan and it's almost as effective, but obviously completely silent...

edit to add: HOWEVER, it's a good bit more expensive than the one you plumped for!

also Tim7, check to see if you have a fan on your northbridge - it will be a tiny little thing, only 40mmx40mm. factory fitted northbridge fans tend to be bloody LOUD!!

again, if you have, scythe do uber-silent NB fans too...
 
How do I check I I have a fan on my northridge? What is overclocking?

As long as the arctic cooler is quiet then it will solve my problems as the 6 year old one on it is VERY loud!
 
Your northbridge is usually located just below the processor placement on the motherboard.(For Intel most of the time) Nowadays they don't put fans on northbridge as regular heatsinks(the square metal thingy) are enough to cool down todays Intel chipsets.

Overclocking is increasing your Processor's speed through tweaking of voltage, FSB, etc. Wiki is your best friend on this one. People usually buy an affordable processor and overclock it to give it a near performance as an expensive processor.

Nowadays everyone can just click and overclock easily thru software bundled with the motherboard. :D
 
Just seen that my CPU has been overclocked up to 3.7ghz from a 2.2ghz and its stable with no extra stuff to buy :)

I might just have to give it a go, when i can find out what to do :LOL:

However, the Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 Processor provides more than just a noticeable improvement in multitasking. With 1MB of L2 cache, you can run applications that require a lot of memory. The 800MHz front side bus is enough to run highly-threaded applications quickly and efficiently. Intel Pentium DC E2200 2.20GHz RetailFor people who overclock their PCs, 2.2GHz is far from the potential limit: the E2200 runs a clock multiplier of 11x! And you can Rely on Intel cooling technology to when overclocking this dual core CPU.

These Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 Processor features obviously make this the choice for the closet overclocker. Productivity is the essential factor here, and this dual core has enough power to multitask your little heart out. If you want a 65nm dual core that’s capable of cranking up the volume a little bit, the affordable Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 Processor is for you. Two pairs of hands make the work go faster, and having a pair of processing cores is virtually the same thing!
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I'm confused, if something is overclocked then surely it will be better than before. What you said up there reads that you are currently on 3.7ghz and overclocking will take it to 2.2ghz?
 
I just meant my model of CPU can get up to 3.7ghz, i should of put can instead of has

Unfortunately my mobo is shit for overclocking though so i wont be doing it anyway :(
 
Is there a maximum RAM that a computer can have? For example, I've got 4 slots to put RAM in, so potentially my computer could have 4GB of RAM, right?
 
It depends on your motherboard. Each slot might support up to 2gb for example. You can take an educated guess from how much you have now and how many slots are taken up but there's always the chance it can support more.

If it's a pre-built system there should be something among the technical specs telling you what the limit is otherwise you'll need to know which motherboard you have and check the manual for that.
 
Ahh I see thanks. I have googled my motherboard and maximum RAM and it seems the most is 4GB. I'm currently on 2GB which is plenty really :TU:.
 
TikTikTikTikTik said:
Overclocking isnt always the best way to go, it increases heat meaning you could "melt" you processor.
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Well, most of the latest CPUs can be overclocked easily enough, without being harmed.. But like everything, it has to be made wisely..

Also cars have become safer and safer, but speeding still might lead to death..
 
Any advice on where you can get cheap graphics cards?

I'm going to have to upgrade to play the new ArmA, and I'm looking to get either the GeForce 8800GT or the Radeon 4850 as cheap as possible. (And before anyone says, "this card is a lot better and does a thousand million teraflops per fifth of a millisecond", these are the only cards within my price range - £80 or less - that seem to perform...)
 
You may need to change your power supply unit (PSU) aswell though to run the beast. Don't be tempted to get a cheap PSU either as they are just as important as the card itself.
 
Oh poo I forgot about that. Is there any way to find out what it is without pulling the PC to bits?
 
I'd say 400W to 450W would be needed for a 8800GT or Radeon 4850. If you can stretch to it get the 450W.

What's your PC model number? e.g. is it a Dell 380 Precision etc or did you build it yourself?
 
The PC was bought from a manufacturer called Arbico, I think I would have to get a new PSU but I don't mind that, as long as it's straight-forward to fit it (and I don't get one that doesn't work with the board or something, what do I look out for? In-fact where do you get PSUs from?).

I have a new question though, can a graphics card expert please give me a hand here?

I've just found a 1gb Radeon 4850 for £84 HERE, which seems to be an absolute steal - but now I'm thinking for an extra £15 I could get a 512mb Radeon 4870 HERE.

I've read that double the memory doesn't really help on the lower spec cards and that I'd be better going for a more advanced card with less memory. Does that apply here?

I've been told the 4870 is excellent so I'm not going to argue with an extra £15 if it makes a big difference in frame-rate (I'm only getting it for ArmA II ;)))...
 
Chris Davies said:
The PC was bought from a manufacturer called Arbico, I think I would have to get a new PSU but I don't mind that, as long as it's straight-forward to fit it (and I don't get one that doesn't work with the board or something, what do I look out for? In-fact where do you get PSUs from?).

I have a new question though, can a graphics card expert please give me a hand here?

I've just found a 1gb Radeon 4850 for £84 HERE, which seems to be an absolute steal - but now I'm thinking for an extra £15 I could get a 512mb Radeon 4870 HERE.

I've read that double the memory doesn't really help on the lower spec cards and that I'd be better going for a more advanced card with less memory. Does that apply here?

I've been told the 4870 is excellent so I'm not going to argue with an extra £15 if it makes a big difference in frame-rate (I'm only getting it for ArmA II ;)))...
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check out the benchmarks between the two but i believe that the 4870 is alot better then the 4850, not £15 better, more like £60-£70 better imo.

what cpu do you have? get at least a 500w cpu to power up those 4870 or 4850 and as someone suggested, don't go for a cheap one. your looking to spend at least £60 for a decent PSU.

Also, check that the PSU has the connections for the GPU. my one needs two PCI-E 8pin connectors from the psu, a 4870 might require something similar. as far as mobo compatibility goes, if you have a intel core 2 or a recent AMD mobo then most if not all of the latest PSU's will work. you just need a 20+4pin connector and the CPU 4pin connector(not sure if its 4 or 6 for an intel machine).

buy your stuff from scan.co.uk. quality service, great range of gear and most importantly very cheap as well.

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/512M...R5-GPU-750MHz-800-Cores-2x-DL-DVI-I-HDTV-HDCP
 
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