Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Thanks for the advice. We have a car club member with a computer store so I'll give him a shot at finding something simple. :crazy:

I kinda forgot about fixing it myself. :headbang:

I built the desktop I'm working on now, it couldn't be that much harder. :eyebrows:

All our new computers at work seem to be vista OS, I don't think it would cause me any issues. :CHEERS:

Thank God I'm not in the middle of tuning something, :PIMP:

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Actually, Windows tends to redirect you to the company you purchased the OEM software from. I doubt newegg can give you useful Windows help. Buy OEM if you would never need to call MS for anything other than cdkeys.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

So Walmart is supposed to provide support on all the software that they sell?

Microsoft provides the same support no matter where you purchased the software, as long as you have a legal copy. You have to read the fine print on how to get support and how much it may cost you, but the support is there and is the same. Microsoft may suggest that you call Dell or Gateway since you paid for support through them, but Microsoft will be more than happy to take your money for a support call.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

I need a new video card... I'm looking at cards, and I have no idea what one to get...

My computer: P4 3.0ghz HT, 512mb. The video card now is 128mb DDR NVidia GeForce FX 5200. I don't really play games so I don't need anything crazy, I'm having problems with this card so I'm replacing it. I think any new card is going to be a good upgrade, I just don't know what to get.

I can go up to AGP 8X

Also something available at bestbuy would be great, I need it ASAP.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

You can always get another FX 5200....another good one is a X1600...i have one of these

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

didnt get to read all post but tigerdirect.com or newegg have great selection and price

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

The FX 5200 is a huge POS. I had one in my old Dell Dimension 4600 and it sucked. I eventually replaced it with an ATI X700 Pro and have had zero issues since. My wife uses it to play games and it handles most of her stuff (Sims, Desperate Housewives, etc...). Point is you can get way better cards for about the same money. I wouldn't waste it on another 5200.


My current rig has 2 overclocked Nvidia 7900 GS cards in SLI. It's ok I guess :31:

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

i know ths 5200 is a piece of crap, but his was working fine, the card hardware was just failing....why not get another? i actually wont use nvidia cards, personally

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

It's all like a foreign langauge to me, lol I'm still not sure what I should get

I'm finding most cards I can't use because they need a bigger power supply, mine is only 250w.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

That may be the problem with your current card. Try upgrading the power supply first...you can get a good 400W power supply for about $50.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

get a $80 300-350w supply...it'll output more power than a cheaper 400w...you have to look at the voltage rails...ocz, pp&c are great brands

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

My five year old HP 742c recently had a power surge during a bad storm. My ethernet connection, all three cd/dvd drives and other misc things have been damaged. Any opinions on a replacement? I have been looking at Dell.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

:loser: Nvidia cards rock!

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Build it, don't buy from Dell/gateway or whatever. I priced a couple of rigs a couple of months ago. A tad over $1K for a so-so with real nice parts and very upgradable. Around $2K for a conservative kick-azz machine with 2 19" LCDs.

I had some help from 2K and Rick last year when I built my first one. It's so easy.....even a caveman can do it. I spent about $1500 on mine, but it would've cost almost twice what I paid for it if I went the Dell route. Plus I know I've got good boards (not the generic crap you get in a cheap dell/hp/gateway) and the machine is very upgradable.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

How does a 350W ps put out more power than a 400W ps? And if he is having problems with a 250W ps, then a 300W only going to help for a while (if at all)...until he decides to upgrade something else.

You can get a 400W Antec ps for ~$70 (I don't recommend a house brand ps)...plenty for this guy's needs. Now if he was spending $500 on a graphics card and $1500 on a processor then I would say spend the money on the more expensive power supplies, but in this case it is not necessary.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Depends on what his usage is. For just browsing the internet, checking email, and a few small tasks then the cheap Dells are hard to beat. They are a lot of bang for the buck. If you want something that can handle gaming, photo/video editing then you will be better off building it yourself.

Personally, I'm not sold on Vista yet so I wouldn't buy a brand new PC right now. I would look for something that comes with XP on it. If you do decide to go with Vista, keep in mind that there are several different versions. Most lower end PCs are being sold with the Home version which doesn't have the hardware requirements of the Ultimate version...and I wouldn't even think about the Ultimate version unless the PC had at least 2GB of RAM.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

I haven't looked at the rest of this thread, but how the heck do I get the stuff that I record on my Windows media machine to show up on the TV I've hooked it to?

I can view the screen on the TV, but getting the recordings to fill the screen just isn't happening.

Any help?

Thanks!

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

upgrade the PSU and go with ati 9800 pro about 3 -4 years old I have it in another system and it still kicks ***.Pricegrabber.com has it for $164...more then likely your MOBO is agp not pci express...and is your ram 3200 or 2700 you want the 3200 or ddr400 is the same always cheaper to upgrade then to buy all out new.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

THE TV IMAGE DOES NOT FILL THE SCREEEN: if you notice margins around the tv image when watching tv in full-screen mode, it is caused by an aspect-ratio mismatch between the tv signal and the display resolution. For example, if you have a widescreen display resolution of 1280x720 (good for 16:9 aspect ratio) and the standard tv signal it displays is broadcast in a 4:3 aspect ratio, you will notice margins around the tv image. If this only occurs on a few channels, you can zoom to expand the image for those channels. Or if this occurs for all channels, you might change the display resolution used in Media Center from one for widescreen display (16:9) to one for standard display (4:3).

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Thanks for that, but what I am after is getting the video to go to the TV. As it is now, I get whatever is on my computer screen to play on the TV, but I want just the video content.

Is that possible?

It's a Windows Media PC.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

[QUOTE=FieroMan;771302]Thanks for that, but what I am after is getting the video to go to the TV. As it is now, I get whatever is on my computer screen to play on the TV, but I want just the video content.

Is that possible?

It's a Windows Media PC.[/QUOTE get a video card that has tv-out on it. Your media PC, like mine, only has a tv tuner card that comes with it. A tuner card brings in the tv signal so you can watch tv on your PC. A video card with tv-out will send the videos back to your tv. If your media center PC already has tv-out installed on it, which I doubt it does, then you'd be able to go to your catalyst control center and make your tv as a second monitor to watch. But with no tv-out on your media PC, you cannot do that. My gaming PC currently has a card with video-out, which is currently hooked up to my 60-inch tv through an s-video cable, which allows me to surf the internet or play any pc game on my big-screen.

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Here is my question. How can I make my screen show up maximized size when I open an attachment. Right now when I open an attachment, it is just a little square about 6" wide and 4" tall. I always have to hit the "maximize" button in the top right corner. Is there a setting somewhere where it will do this automatically?

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

i dont think windows has a setting...you can use this freeware though

http://www.snapfiles.com/get/iemax.html

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

Anybody seen a hot deal on a good notebook recently. I don't want to build, no time for that.

I want to spend $800 ish and it needs to handle office work, tuning software, and travel well. :D

Re: Official Computer Questions Thread
 

What about something like the one below???? Anything I need to stay away from? My last notebook was a Toshiba and it only lasted about 14 months.


http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/HP-Pa...oductDetail.do