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Are aluminum cases really worth it?

I have a small chilli professional aluminum case that I absolutly love. It's hard to work with, but it fits great in my (very) small room and looks absolutly sweet. If I had room for a bigger case, I would have gotten a coolermaster. Most of the hooey about them being better cooling cases is...
- MisterDuck
- Post #14
- Jun 23, 2002
- Forum: Cases & Cooling
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What am I gonna need for a good DV editing machine?

Mostly just more of everything - I know I do a lot of sound editing with sound forge, usually involving files that are about 380 to 650 megs, and having a fast HD is a lifesaver. I'd go with either a WD1200BB (you can get the JB, but for video editing you would use sequential transfer rates and...
- MisterDuck
- Post #5
- Jun 16, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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My New MEGA Rig :)

:D You have much to learn, grasshopper.
- MisterDuck
- Post #19
- Jun 6, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Where to get Isopropyl alcohol (hardware related)

I've used regular old 70% isopropal alcohol to clean off my cpus for years now. You shouldn't have any problem with it at all. I suppose you could go the extra mile to get 99%, but I don't think there's any point. Let everything dry, and you'll be AOK.
- MisterDuck
- Post #19
- Jun 6, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Is 512mb pc2100ddr ram enough for today's PC?

I doubt you'd see any difference whatsoever in gaming or 3dmark scores by upgrading to 1.2 gigs of memory. As it is, I don't ever use all 256 megs of my memory gaming, even with other apps running, so I don't see any reason to have 512 unless you're using your PC as a server, running a server...
- MisterDuck
- Post #4
- Jun 6, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Computer Tech Guy switched my chip, part 2... (Please read, need advice)

I would give it back, even if the law did somehow let you keep the chip. Taking something that's not yours is theft; that makes you a thief, irregardless of the "circumstances" before and whether or not they made a mistake. I'm sure if you bring it in, they'll gladly put the right chip in for...
- MisterDuck
- Post #21
- Jun 3, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Anyone have a WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM

I know that my JB is dead silent for the most part, and the ONLY fans in my system are on my Enermax PS (which is pretty quiet) and an 80mm low speed fan on the CPU. I can only hear it during seeks, and even then it's very quiet. There is no way I could hear it from my hallway - I'd have a...
- MisterDuck
- Post #15
- Jun 3, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Ok, ordering this lot VERY SOON. Last minute feedback needed!

Looks fine to me. Rounded cables rock your dome - I'll never go back to the ribbons. You might consider saving some cash and going with the G4-4200 if you can, since I think the performance is pretty close and you can OC the 4200 easily to 4400 levels. I dunno. Your call.
- MisterDuck
- Post #2
- Jun 3, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Anyone have a WESTERN DIGITAL "SPECIAL EDITION" 80GB 7200RPM

My WD1200JB is pretty much silent, feels just as fast as my dad's Maxtor Atlas 10k-III (a 10,000 RPM SCSI drive), and has 120 gigs of storage. It also runs very cool - MUCH cooler than my old SCSI drive (a WD 10,000 rpm SCSI drive...) which sounded like someone was blending frozen strawberries...
- MisterDuck
- Post #9
- Jun 3, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Thoughts on system to buy in 1 week

Oh yeah - I agree with others - ditch the sound card. That thing belongs in a museum. =) I'd go with a Turtle Beach or a Philips Accoustic Edge. The Audigy is good, but I'm not too keen on the software it comes with and the menus are confusing and largly worthless. Everything else looks...
- MisterDuck
- Post #42
- Jun 2, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Thoughts on system to buy in 1 week

Eh....I'm not interested in the via bashing. I'm very happy with the stability of my Soltek (kt266a) and my brother's computer uses a kt133a - and it's a very stable machine. My dad just built a system with the kt333 and it's rock solid, so I don't see what all the fuss is about. I do know...
- MisterDuck
- Post #41
- Jun 2, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Performance Degredation (ATA33 & ATA 100 device on same cable)

As a general rule of thumb, it's always best to put the HD on one channel and the CD or DVD on the other...it shouldn't cause any degradation unless (like someone else said) you're using both at the same time.
- MisterDuck
- Post #7
- Jun 2, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Help with second hard drive

I'd be wary of buying IBM drives....their last few models (75 and 60GXP) were not the most reliable beasts....if I were you, I'd go with a maxtor, seagate, or western digital. You're going to have to get an additional IDE controller (a PCI one) to add any more IDE devices to your system. RAID...
- MisterDuck
- Post #3
- May 26, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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How loud are video cards nowadays?

DrVos, WHAT VIDEO CARD DO YOU HAVE??? Brand and model? Damn, I've been looking for nvidia geforce cards with no fans......I'm a "silence" junkie, and I just can't tolerate the fans they're slapping on those things these days....
- MisterDuck
- Post #9
- May 26, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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A novel cause for HD malfunction

That's one of the strangest things I think I've ever read here. =) Oh well. At least everything still works (sort of)
- MisterDuck
- Post #7
- May 26, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Critique my Config (v.0.98b)

1. Yes, those speakers rock. You can't get a better deal for the money right now. 2. To be honest, I don't like the ASUS motherboard. It's too complicated and gimicky, and the features in the BIOS suck. I just built a machine with that MB, and I wasn't impressed with it at all (especially...
- MisterDuck
- Post #13
- May 26, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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How loud are video cards nowadays?

One of the reasons I'm still using an old Voodoo 3 3000 is because it has NO FAN. ARGH. I can't stand the noise from video cards. My brother has a good gaming rig with a Geforce 4 4400, and it sounds like a friggin' vaccum cleaner - the video card isn't the loudest part, but it's certainly...
- MisterDuck
- Post #7
- May 26, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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For those of you considering the new Matrox card .....

<sarcasm>The card probably won't make me breakfast, or do my laundry either. Sheesh. What a POS.</sarcasm> I would have to ask the question, what card WOULD do this (the overlay issue)? Certainly nothing made by Nvidia/ATI or any solution I know of....
- MisterDuck
- Post #47
- May 16, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Building first computer

1. Well, avoid doing installs on carpet or where you can see a static buildup, and before touching components or picking up computer parts, ground yourself by touching a large metal surface (IE: case, powersupply, both, etc.). Honestly I've never fried anything with static, but if you're really...
- MisterDuck
- Post #9
- May 11, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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optical output on a sound card?

I know the turtle beach has a digital out (spdif) and an OEM is about 55 bucks. Great card, excellent support and sound....the audigy, philips, and herculese card should have a digital out too.
- MisterDuck
- Post #11
- May 11, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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It's that time of year: upgrade time (suggestions welcome)

I'd probably go with an nvidia card, but that's my only reccomendation. Other than that, a 1ghz machine should do just about anything without too much trouble at all, so I don't think you need to upgrade that stuff right now - I'd wait for something really revolutionary. :D What about...
- MisterDuck
- Post #2
- May 11, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Hard Drives - Hard to go wrong?

I wouldn't waste your time with SCSI. It's hardly worth the average desktop user's time and money. As for IDE drives, anything from WD, Seagate, or Maxtor will do the trick - I'd avoid IBM for the time being until there's a better consensus on the reliability of their 120gxp drives. Anything...
- MisterDuck
- Post #11
- May 11, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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building new system, random freezing, hints?

Oy. I hate problems like this, because they're a complete and total pain to trouble shoot since it seems like you're getting really erratic results... personally, I had problems like this one time with an EPOX motherboard, and it was the motherboard...after I got a new one, everything worked...
- MisterDuck
- Post #4
- Apr 13, 2002
- Forum: Motherboards
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Will a P4 fit a MicroATX Chilli Pro 1/4" Case?

I have a chilli pro ATX, and I didn't have any problem with an Athlon system, but I don't know about an intel system. I do know that I fit an old P2-400 (the big cartridge kind) on an Intel 440BX MB in my chilli case. I had about half a centimeter to spare till I was touching the PS, but it...
- MisterDuck
- Post #6
- Mar 30, 2002
- Forum: Cases & Cooling
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Help me find HDs *solved*

I know there's software that would let you pick which drive you want to boot off of, but I don't run any dual boot systems so I can't really answer that question....anybody know about this? In the bios too I bet you can specifiy which drive it boots off of first - try looking in the SCSI bios...
- MisterDuck
- Post #12
- Mar 27, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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How long does it take to format a 120GB Hard Drive ?

Yeah....45 min to do mine, maybe a bit longer. It took some time.
- MisterDuck
- Post #9
- Mar 27, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Help me find HDs *solved*

You should always reformat a disk before putting it into a new system - simply deleting the winnt folder won't really help you. I bet if you format the sucker, everything will work fine...
- MisterDuck
- Post #10
- Mar 27, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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who makes a better power supply?

I have a 350 watt Enermax that I love so far - my system runs solid as a rock and the 5v rails are right on, for the most part. Anybody use the icute power supplies? I hear they're very, very good (although $$$)
- MisterDuck
- Post #38
- Mar 27, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Help me find HDs *solved*

Does the IDE HD have an install of an OS on it? You have two bootable hard drives in your system... When you take the IDE HD out of your system, does it go back to working like normal?
- MisterDuck
- Post #8
- Mar 27, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Help on a hard drive decision 2x 40gb maxtors on raid or 120 gb W.D. S.E.

Well, personally my choice would hinge on what sort of RAID you were thinking of setting up. If you were going for RAID 0 (where the data is split between the two drives, increasing transfer rate while also increasing the odds of failure) I'd say go for the WD1200JB. I strongly advise against...
- MisterDuck
- Post #5
- Mar 27, 2002
- Forum: Peripherals & Components
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Is this an Epox Problem?

I doubt it's a problem with the Epox. If I were you, I'd download the latest drivers for the motorola card and also if you're still concerned, flash the bios on the Epox with the latest release.
- MisterDuck
- Post #3
- Mar 17, 2002
- Forum: Motherboards
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Best HSF's that will fit Soltek SL-75DRV4?

I use the SK-6 with my soltek. It fits fine, but you're definetly not squeezing any large HSF's on the board. *shrugs* The cooling with my sk-6 is fine if you ask me, but that's just my opinion.
- MisterDuck
- Post #7
- Mar 17, 2002
- Forum: Cases & Cooling
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Lite On - Is it simply junk?

No problems here with my lite-on 16x dvd drive, or my plextor scsi drive....=) All I know is if you get a third drive and the same thing happens, you might consider looking at other issues with your rig. It's pretty strange for two different drives to crap out on you...
- MisterDuck
- Post #10
- Mar 16, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Please help - Need to format hard drive???

You could just run the setup again for W2K, although formatting the hard drive at all is going to trash the current install of the OS assuming you're formatting the same partition on which it resides. ...also I think you have to boot up with the win98 disk to use the tools, but I could be...
- MisterDuck
- Post #4
- Mar 16, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Dual Shootout at Tomshardware

Eh. Six to one, half-dozen to the next...I think the performance of the two is pretty close (barring several obviously biased benchmarks) and I seriously doubt the price premium of the Intel system justifies the extra performance in those select applications. I think the best way to look at...
- MisterDuck
- Post #51
- Mar 14, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
M
POLL BEST KT266A BOARD!

After a horrible experience with a defective Epox 8KHA+, I went with the Soltek. I can honestly say that I love the board - rock stable, overclocks like a champ (although I'm currently at stock), and the features/layout really went well with my case and setup. My brother has the Abit, but I...
- MisterDuck
- Post #44
- Mar 14, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
M
Soltek SL-75DRV4 vs. SL-75DRV5

I have a SL-75DRV4 which overclockes to 150. I haven't tried to go any higher, but it doesn't flinch there at all - seems to be rock solid. Generally, I think it's the most stable MB I've ever had the pleasure of owning... Make sure you look at the layout of the board prior to purchasing (I...
- MisterDuck
- Post #6
- Mar 12, 2002
- Forum: Motherboards
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Best Value Digital Speakers?

first off - www.3dsoundsurge.com is a great resource. Second: 1. Going digital doesn't make any difference in the sound quality if you're not passing it on to a high end reciever - with multimedia speakers, they're just going to do a d/a conversion in the speaker rather than on the soundcard...
- MisterDuck
- Post #5
- Mar 9, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Do I need to upgrade?

If that's what you want, then I would drop some money on that RAM and a new video card...and wait until you can't game with it effectivly anymore - then buy the northy (or whatever is out at the time)
- MisterDuck
- Post #8
- Mar 9, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building
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Do I need to upgrade?

If you're not having any performance problems, why upgrade? personally, that system should be able to fly through counter-strike, and you probably wouldn't see any wonderful benefits of going with a new northwood. With another 128 megs of ram and maybe a Geforce 3 ti 200, that computer would...
- MisterDuck
- Post #4
- Mar 9, 2002
- Forum: Computer Building

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