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MSI t2d256ez owners, what do you think about this video card?

I don't own that version of the 7600 GT, but I do own the EVGA active cooled version. All 7600 GT's regardless of manufacturer pull all their power from the PCI-Express bus. So by design all comsume little power. Mine runs typically at 42- 50C, so a passively cooled one should be fine. I...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Jun 1, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Best external hard drive enclosure?

I've an Acomdata aluminum enclosure that came with a 80 GB WD. It has worked perfectly for nearly 4 years. I also have a Seagate plastic enclosure with a 120 GB Seagate drive. It is about a year old and works perfectly, too. The Acomdata makes some minor noise which I attribute to resonance of...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #3
- May 7, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Is there any app which measures power draw of components?

-------------------- There is a way to do something similar to what you want, but it isn't instant gratification. Get an energy meter like the UPM Energy 100 from Canadian Tire for about $25. Plug only your monitor and computer into it. Set the meter to show real time wattage consumption...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #4
- May 3, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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DO NOT apply "Goo Gone" to an LCD when you're cleaning it!

------------------- Exactly. Never spray anything directly on to an LCD screen. 9 times out of 10, a soft damp with water cloth or quality paper towel is all that is required, because your screen isn't actually dirty, just dusty. If it is dirty, then follow the initial damp cloth removal...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #6
- Apr 28, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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How do you dim a CCFL? Want to brighten and dim a set of CCFL lights as needed.....

There is no warning on my cf bulbs concerning the use of a timer. They can't be used with a DIMMER, unless the bulb specifically says it can. I think whoever told you a cf can't be used with a timer can't read. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #12
- Apr 20, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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How do you dim a CCFL? Want to brighten and dim a set of CCFL lights as needed.....

Sorry, I made a mistake. The Philips Daylight CF's are 6500K, not 9200K. The light is pure white, there is no color component to it. 9200K would have a bluish tint. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #10
- Apr 19, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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How do you dim a CCFL? Want to brighten and dim a set of CCFL lights as needed.....

Dimmable compact fluorescents have just come on the market in Canada. Google Philips and the other major manufacturers. I don't need dimmables myself. I converted every incandescent in the house to cf's a few years ago. I use Philips Daylight which are whiter than white, about 9200K. No more...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #6
- Apr 17, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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UPS

You need to start by using UPS manufacturer's configurators to get an idea of VA size and wattage: http://www.tripplite.com/ Also try APC (I don't have the exact url, but it is probably www.apc.com) You are probably looking at 1000 VA and 600 watts, perhaps 800 to get 20 minutes run...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Apr 15, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Pretend Contest! Who can tell me my compatibility problem!

question 1: No. You will hear a series of beeps if you try to boot without RAM. 2) both modules go with the same color slots. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Apr 14, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Is there a difference between resetting bios setting to default and removing mobo battery?

If you remove the battery AND the comp is unplugged, the BIOS will revert to factory defaults and the date and time will be years in the past. You will have to reset date and time. If all you want to do is revert to defaults, then do that through the BIOS. You can damage the battery and its...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Apr 14, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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2x512 and 1x1GB ddr

Yep, 2T. It hardly makes any difference, though. If your friend has a good reason for going to 2 gig, then that is far more important than going from 1T to 2T. When I built this rig with 2x512, it ran at 1T. When I installed later nvidea drivers, it went to 2T, even though the ram...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #8
- Apr 13, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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2x512 and 1x1GB ddr

Yep, that's true with my Chaintech VFN4 (nForce 4) motherboard. It says so explicitly in the mb manual. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #6
- Apr 13, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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no read of SMART info from hdd

Cool. Progress! -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #7
- Apr 13, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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no read of SMART info from hdd

Go to the disk manufacturer's web sites and get their diagnostic tools. Seagate calls theirs 'seatools'. These tools will tell you if SMART is supported and give some details. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #3
- Apr 13, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Dumbest thing you've ever done

When I did my first build in November 2005 I dutifully attached an anti-static strap to my wrist and grounded it to the metal case chassis, only to realize after the build was completed that because the PSU wasn't plugged into an AC socket, I wasn't grounded! It was a very good thing it was a...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #49
- Apr 9, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Kill A Watt device - max draw 15A - Can this not work with a PC?

You misunderstand the difference between the maximum amperage available on a PSU 12volt rail, and the amperage available at the wall AC, which is typically 15 amps at 120 volts in North America. This is FAR more than any home computer could use. Get the Kill-a- Watt, though. It is a fun...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #10
- Mar 29, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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problems with NCQ and Windows XP

NCQ can be disabled in device manager, IDE/ATAPI controllers. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #4
- Mar 29, 2007
- Forum: Operating Systems
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AMD 3500+ Temps.

I have that processor. Is the 230x11 the ONLY change you made? -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #6
- Mar 21, 2007
- Forum: CPUs and Overclocking
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Getting rid of all the computer's hot air outtake

pcslookout: What could happen? In a word, mold. Mold can make a home unlivable in a matter of months once it gets a start. Mold can also cause serious health problems. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #20
- Mar 21, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Getting rid of all the computer's hot air outtake

----------------------------- The problem with venting a dryer into a room is humidity build up, and that is why it is not recommended by plumbers and is against code in many municipalities. However, everyone's home is different and in many cases the humidity build up is not serious. If...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #17
- Mar 20, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Am I nuts to think I can build my own PC?

I built my first rig at the age of 59 with less than good eyesight and less than steady hands. I researched every component for weeks and read at least 4 assembly guides and read every part manual. I even wrote out by hand an assembly plan and stuck to it. I never asked a single person for help...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #13
- Mar 13, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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How does your OS know the right time?

Fullmetal Chocobo: Thank you. I might as well take this opportunity to list the three reasons why computers fail to keep proper time inside of the +-1 minute per month design specification: a) a weakened Lithium battery means the RTC cannot interpret the crystal frequency correctly...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #10
- Mar 12, 2007
- Forum: Operating Systems
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UPS Size?

I'd re-think your PSU requirements. I think you will find 650 watts to be plenty. But it is not wattage that you should be concerned about; it is the actual amperage available on the 12V rails which is important. Determine what amperage the two cards will require at the manufacturer's site. And...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Mar 11, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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How does your OS know the right time?

Here's how time is controlled: A Germanium crystal beating at 32,768 Hz passes this frequency to a Real Time Clock (RTC), the RTC being powered by the on- motherboard 3.3 v Lithium battery. The RTC passes its signal to the BIOS, which then passes it to the OS. An in- spec crystal will...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #7
- Mar 11, 2007
- Forum: Operating Systems
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Need answer concerning RAM not running in dual channel.

If you want to use four DIMM's, they should ALL be the same timeings for dual channel. That is what the Gigabyte manual implies. If you can get it working in dual channel with four DIMM's, two of which have different timings in slots 3 and 4 than the DIMM's in slots 1 and 2, I would like to hear...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #9
- Mar 5, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Need answer concerning RAM not running in dual channel.

I downloaded the manual. Here are the dual channel instructions: "Dual Channel Memory Configuration The GA-K8N Ultra-SLI/GA-K8N Pro-SLI/GA-K8N-SLI supports the Dual Channel Technology. When the Dual Channel Technology is activated, the bandwidth of memory bus will be double the...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #4
- Mar 5, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Poll: when talking about RAM how do you say it?

I use the singular meg, or gig as appropriate. However, my computer weighs 37.5 pounds. We are inconsistent aren't we? -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #4
- Mar 5, 2007
- Forum: Motherboards
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Need answer concerning RAM not running in dual channel.

I have no trouble running dual channel 2x512 , Chaintech VFN4, AMD64 3500+. Don't fool with the voltage; that is not the problem. It SHOULD run dual channel if you put the two DIMM's in two slots with the same color code. The two DIMM's should be identical, which I assume they are. All I can...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Mar 5, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Toshiba Laptop w/o internal CD/Floppy problems

You could get a copy of SpinRite 6 from www.grc.com It will load from a USB floppy. It will determine if the MBR (and the rest of the partition) can be read and written to, but if the MBR is corrupted, it can't fix that. Maybe someone else can help with fixing a corrupted MBR, if indeed...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Mar 5, 2007
- Forum: Laptops
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How do you prioritize the boot up for multiple SATA drives?

If you install XP on a drive with no other drive connected, then that drive becomes the default boot drive. That's how XP knows. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #6
- Feb 26, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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After SpinRite, is drive suddenly "OK" and readable in Windows?

If SpinRite takes 8 hours to do 2 MB, then the drive is toast, and no software can help you. Go to 86% and continue, but you can never trust that drive again. Sorry. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #25
- Feb 21, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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safety remove hardware

Another satisfied customer, and no charge :) -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #10
- Feb 21, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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New SEAGATE 320 GB shipped, HD TUNE errors, what does it mean?

Don't RMA yet. Get a copy of Seatools from Seagate and test the drive. You can do a limited test on line, or by downloading a more elaborate tool. If the Seatools come up clean, ignore hd tune and inspector. If Seatools reports problems, then use the Seatools info to ask for an RMA, not the...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Feb 20, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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safety remove hardware

Exactly. If you remove the nVIDIA IDE driver in add remove programs, the SRH list and icon will dissapear. In XP, windows will revert to its native IDE driver. The above is my experience when I removed the nVIDIA IDE driver while troubleshooting a problem last March. I would say to the...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #8
- Feb 20, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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safety remove hardware

------------------------ You probably have two SATA drives. SATA drives are hot swappable, meaning you can 'safely remove hardware', and unplug the drives with the comp turned on. If you are never going to do that, don't worry about it. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Feb 18, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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External hdd question For backing up original hdd

Well, you don't seem to be getting any help. You have a number of options, but here is what I would recommend: Get an external USB hard drive, and get a copy of Acronis True Image. You can make a perfect image of your main drive, and store it on your external drive. You can make as many...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Feb 18, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Firewall Message Question

Some programs require an internal server to work. For example, the nvidia hardware firewall on my machine. I'd allow it permission in ZA and then take a look at task manager. You should see an entry for apache. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #4
- Feb 18, 2007
- Forum: Computer Building
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Turn Second Hard Drive Off?

I would like the same thing, but alas there is no such software. To shut off the second hard drive you would have to shut it off via safely remove hardware, then unplug the power connector to the hard drive. So, that's not practical. In device manager, you could disable the disc drive...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Feb 16, 2007
- Forum: Windows
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Strange USB Front Wiring

You are going to need your specific motherboard's installation guide with a schematic drawing of all the parts and connectors. -Bob
- Bob Anderson
- Post #2
- Feb 13, 2007
- Forum: Cases & Cooling
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How do you guys backup your OS?

nweaver, you said: "I don't consider "cloning" to be an effective backup, because you end up wasting tons of space because there is no way to Diff images (well, there is, but it's not consumer level s/w). Imaging a fresh OS to save time (no need to reinstall from scratch, install drivers, set...
- Bob Anderson
- Post #10
- Feb 13, 2007
- Forum: Operating Systems

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