Batwing~SPARTA~

Good luck with the P6T SE. I am at the second RMA (third one installed now) and I hope will work. Of course it may be my personal unfortunate purchase, and I think it is, because I bought tons of Asus stuff and never had this issue ever, but anyway, be adviced. First MB was dead out of the box, second one died after 3 months... Also, keep in mind this MB has a quite poor design. If you are ever thinking to use a dual videocard set, the 2 cards will be too close each other, resulting the first one suck air right from the quite hot buttom of the second one compromising cooling performances, i was able to solve this issue, but only because the 2 cards I am using are not the same model, so fortunatly the fan is not located at the same spot on both. I had to play around and I was able to have it working decently. This is because the layout of the 2 master PCIx 16, too close one to each other. I would suggest you to look for a different model with a better layout. However, when it works, is a good MB

Hi all, I ve been using so far WMC on Win 7 connected to my TV tuner straight with the Cable, so I am able to watch cahnnels 1 to 100, but I was wondering about HD stuff. My tv tuner is an Happauge 1600 http://www.hauppauge.com/site/products/data_hvr1600.html I was wondering what kind of antenna could i use to try to tune in the Digital HD channel. I do not have experience with that so I was wondering if you know about a decent antenna not too expensive but good for this job. Of course on the side also to know if Win 7 Media center is able to work with Clear QAM (HD channels) or not. Thank you very much

It looks promising, but the concept of an "expantion" being a stand alone... is quite weird. However, from the graphic almost photo-realistic this is a sort of Arma 2.5 - probably same style of game and User Interface with a way improved engine. That has to be the reason why is a stand alone, the engine is so improved it would not be able to run on the original one.

This is a great job ! Too bad Fri afternoon is tough for me to be on, but this are the kind of "reports" I love to read! GJ guys !

Lol, checked right now, but there is no trace of i7 920 either was so good is already gone or was a mistake and they killed the page

hehehahhe this was amazing !! 10+ Fatal !! hehehahhe

ahem, that was the one I chose in my post

Always read the fine prints. I had no time to dig into the configs, but: Alienware and Dell: They show the starting price and they say i7 OPTIONAL and GTX 260 OPTIONAL Asus: for 100 bucks difference is a no brainer preferring an i5 or i7 instead the old core2 duo of this model - It is possible it will not be 100 bucks difference thos, once again the above models are showing you the STARTING price. Toshiba: is the winner on the paper right now. U get what you pay for, no hidden crap. It has an i5 and the GTS 360 (which I don t know how performs) but the reviews are quite brilliant. It also has a solid audio, very important for a multimedia laptop.

Thx J well, the only question i may ask you is how the surround sound works with movies. If is pretty good, I would assume it would work good with games too. Thank you very much.

Making some search, I found this one: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002SQ2P2/ref=as...ag=cnet-4107-20 Anyone has experience with it to tell me how it sounds? Thanks

Hi all, suggestions welcome I am on the market for a decent 2.1 speaker set, giving a decent surround effect and solid bass. It doesn t have to bee too powerful but once again decent. I am Logitech big fan. I would keep it on a price range 100 - 150 bucks, somewhat flexible. Let me know what you think Thanks

Well, this is quite interesting. There have been a lot of talking about this Apple release, the iPad. Either you are an Apple-maniac or not, it may be worthy to take a look at. But before jumping up and down as may Apple fans do, there are thisng you need to know before you buy a larger iPod Which is what the iPad sostantially is). Check this video here: http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/27/apple-i...first-hands-on/ and also read thsi few points from CNET: In the world of Apple, being a Netbook is a bad, bad thing. During Apple's keynote for the newly announced iPad, the Netbook was called out by Steve Jobs, who said "they're not better at laptops than anything, they're just cheaper." The affordable, tiny, and yes, often bare-bones Atom processor-running device we've come to know and love, or hate, as the Netbook is often clunky and frequently disappointing, true enough. On the other hand, the Apple iPad was promised to be a better solution for those in the market for a Netbook--for some functions, at least. While the iPad might win out on some particular functions--video playback quality, in particular--the truth is there are a great many things Netbooks can do that an iPad just can't. Right now, at least. And while that may not make a Netbook better than a laptop, in some instances a Netbook certainly seems better than an iPad. Check out the rundown (and, yes, multitasking would certainly be an excellent No. 11). 10 things Netbooks do better than iPads (photos) Video chat. Most Netbooks, even low-end ones, now have Webcams enabling basic video chat over Skype or any other program. The iPad, however, does not. We wish the iPad had a camera and iChat, especially since it would make the tablet a unique communications device to rival the iPhone. Perhaps cost was a factor, even though most Netbooks manage the feat in a package under $500. Run Flash. While Steve Jobs called the iPad "the best Web experience you've ever had," there is a big missing piece right now, and that's the whole Web. Browser-based apps and Flash-driven content are huge elements of cloud computing and of many Web sites, and right now it's not even clear whether the iPad can even run Hulu or Netflix. Atom Netbooks can be slow and stuttery when playing Web video, but at least they can. Programming. Most people aren't programmers, or anything close to it, but most Netbooks do run on a full Windows 7 OS that can be used for programming or modification. For the friendly hackers out there, that's a deal-breaker on the iPad. Upload photos from a camera. No USB ports on the iPad mean no connecting cameras or other peripherals, which can be a drag if the iPad is meant as a portable computing replacement for bloggers. Netbooks have at least 2 USB ports standard. The iPad does have a dongle to allow photo and video uploads, but when we're on the go we prefer a direct connection. Store more than 64GB of data. We expected a little more memory on the iPad. Even the most basic Netbook has a 160GB hard drive. Cloud storage can assist with data, but it's still no replacement for onboard capacity. Play Facebook games. Without the aforementioned Flash, browser games aren't really possible on the iPad. Those looking to play Farmville will have to wait for the App or just flock to a Netbook. Swapping batteries. Sure, the iPad is slim, attractive and very showy. But its battery is fixed, while a Netbook can not only swap its battery, but upgrade from a three- to a six-cell or more. Install CD media (or any media other than from an App Store) With the addition of a simple USB DVD/CD-ROM drive, disc-based software can be installed on a Netbook even without an optical drive built in. Netbooks can also install files off USB drives, or via any other input method. The iPad wasn't designed with this flexibility in mind, but it's still nice to be able to do. Type on your lap. Yes, the iPad has a virtual keyboard, and even a cool keyboard dock that turns the tablet into a quasi-desktop device. But the dock can't be used for lap typing, and the Apple demos didn't make iPad typing seem as comfortable as pounding away on an old-fashioned hinged Netbook. For long-term writing on the go, a physical Netbook keyboard with an attached angled screen still wins. Upgrade. Netbooks can upgrade their RAM--albeit slightly--and with a little effort, that hard drive can be swapped, too. The iPad is a fixed entity, so there's no going back once you've picked 16, 32, or 64GB. On the other hand, the iPad does do a lot of things nicely, including being more portable. We just felt like Netbooks needed to be stood up for a little. Your thoughts? Any features we left out?

I have 2 sets, but honestly I give the crown to the Logitech 3d extreme Pro. You cannot beat it for 20 bucks. Many reviews reported issue with losing precision on the axes but I have a feeling was an issue with early devices, because mine never had that problem. And anyway, if you get a great joystick (and the 3d is pretty damn good) for 20 bucks, if it fails, u just buy another one... Then I have a Saitek X45 set. Very nice and simulative but bulky. For that reason I don t use it anymore because is a pain to install it on medium size desk. You need room, you have to install it permanently on your desk to really enjoy it. Maybe I ll be back on that when I will upgrade my desk. It is an old model, now the most recent is the X52, but I don t see a reason to really upgrade to the newr version. X45 does everything the X52 does, with some LED and light less. Being long time I don t us it, I am not sure about the programming software compatibility. I hope it will work on Win7. So my point is: If you are not looking for a total simulative experience, throttle and joy separate with tons of bottons and commands, go straight Logitech, brand new. If you want more, you can find a used X45 at very good prices, just be sure is working Buying a used joy is a thricky experience, but if u get a good device, the X45 is very good, but you need ROOM on your desk The X52 is good as well, but I think the retail price is a bit above 100 bucks.

what s the bkup password? please PM me

I heard some ppl complaining for slow FPS in game. I honestly never had this problem and I was wondering what was my FPS. I tested this on our US Sparta server Although this one is from camera vie, my experience in cockpit had also higher FPS sometimes, with peak at max 125, avg 90 something I am running at 1680*1050, all HIGH, 2x AA, Win7 DX10 64 bit How is your performance ?

Unfortunately you are getting to a dead end here. is not your fault, but you don t have hardware available to test and get to the final solution. What you have is; 1 MB 1 Set of RAM you don t know which one is failing, but: Continuing testing on a failing MB will continue to report errors also if your RAM is good Continuing testing on failing RAM "should" give you at least one stick good and the other bad IF the MB is ok and IF your 2 sticks of RAM are not failing simultaneously (very unusual) However, to really get to the final of this difficult situation, you need another known-working MB and another known-working set of RAM, to switch back and forth to see which is which creating issues. There are no other solutions unfortunately and that s why sometimes the only way to achieve the solution is to take the machine to a local PC repair store which has that hardware to test all of this, and having them providing the final virdict.

@ Fatal Thx a lot for the screen man, solved and reconfigured it. Is working great now @ ranger Yep ! it s exactly the same Bat from TAW nice to see u around man ! Oh I really noticed Sparta has the best server around, but also I have to say these guys are just a blast to be around with however I am playing also MWLL right now, Hope to see u around sometimes. My MSN messenger is mario.sessa@hotmail.com, add me to the list See ya

I think the answer is a lot in ure wallet. When 4850 and 4870 came out, 4850 showed to be the best bang for ure bucks, because the difference with the 4870 was not justifying the price that much. Google some review from both cards and go with the one u feel more comfy with. Both are excellent choice and very powerful. If you are planning for a crossfire config "on budget" u may prefer the option for a 5850 now, to get a second one later on at a better price. If you r planning to expand your monitor set up to 3 using Eyefinity, 5850 does it, 5870 probably does it a bit better.

Ok, we still have a situation here I do believe is a bit misunderstood. First of all, I guess you had this PC working for a while, then suddenly it started to fail. Is it correct u have been able to play Arma with this config for while? I am not sure if I got it right, but if this config have been working for a while, this defeat any conceptb of incompatibility. Other important point: doesn t really matter if the MB is 7 compatible, because when u fail testing BIOS starting from an external boot, you are not even touching 7 at all. Then, "incompatible memory" is quite a myth. Especially when u r talking about consumer chips, they are all made in Taiwan in the same chain. Then they put a brand on it. So, when u read the compatible list, is a matter LtestedL which doesn t mean another brand is not gonna work. If I was u however, I would try to get rid of that MB ASAP. Rma It and then if u have to just sell it. When u will rebuild ure system, do not overclock with the case u have, or open the side and stick a 20 cm fan onvthe side. You may risk to fry also new components if u dont pay attention.

Arma 2 as u know is a very intensive application. it will push your PC to the limit and if your harware is not resoponding correctly you can be sure Arma is going to spoil that problem. With that said, the fact that is freezing at 100% CPU usage is not an indication because who knows where your CPU is hanging up. It could be stuck in any of the billions different computation has to do to keep together your machine. The fact important here is that when your PC goes under massive stress, either through the game or using a stress test, your PC fails. This is the buttom line. You need to understand your PC has an hardware failure ongoing, so unfortunately it will fail anytime you will test Arma, due to the massive charge the application push on the components. once again, during test you can try to figure out what is failing only through experiments, and once again, forget about Arma at this moment. Focus on a steady system at stock Bios settings. That means, stress test at stock Bios. If it is failing at stock, there is no way it will work under Arma stress. Doesn t matter if your RAM is 800 or 1066. If your system works at 800 flawlessy you might have a chance that Arma will work. this is not for sure because these stress tess we are using are pushing an overload on specific components at once, while Arma as full application will stretch your PC all components together. The only thing you can do with the tests is being sure (under reasonable doubt) that ure RAM is working fine, at least at stock. Then if the game is still failing, once again, go back to your MB main issue.

Not really many ways to test th NB. It is responsible for many things on your MB. However, reading ure specs, there is no reson why ure MB with stock Bios config should not be able to run ure components. Sometimes MB are not recognizing RAM 1066 right away and they configure it as 800. if u see that at stock settings, don t worry about. Keep it at 800 for testing porpouse. In ure situation is mandatory u have ure system working great at stock setting, if it doesnt u have an hardware failure and there s nothing u can do. Re-test the mem sticks one at the time, at stock, also if they go on 800. After that, u shold have a clear idea about what is working and what is not.

I am still in doubt about the RAM failure. As you said before, you were able to test the RAM sticks one at the time at nominal values with no errors. Errors are appearing when they are tested in couple on the dual channel config. Clocking down the RAM helps the ram stick, but also helps the North bridge to be stable, which once again lead me to think your problem is not the RAM itself but the NorthBridge on ure MB. Do you have any chance to call a close friend and ask to swap their DDR2 memory to test on your machine? Their RAM is not gonna be compromised, but at least you'll see if they work or not. You should test your friend RAM at nominal avlues on the dual channel config. Either it works or not. If not, close the deal on the MB.

Good job Rooster, very good insight and analisis. Actually, what jump to my eyes right away is that you are pushing an overclock on CPU and RAM (RAM just changing voltage, but just that generate way more heat in fact) using a Case not qualified for. You do not have enough airflow to overclock and having a dedicated third party CPU cooler does not mean it can make a miracle. Juste there is not enough airflow inside to keep your stuff in a safe temp under stress. However, observing this fact is not leading to a solution per se. If working for long time overheating has already compromized your MB North bridge (responsible for the Memory RAM exchange with your CPU) and / or your CPU itself, there is nothing you can do now. Recapping all the symptoms really I would not think is a PSU issue. Although is probably on a wattage limit, your system is not too demanding and PSU failure brings to several random shut downs, you don t suffer by this at all. From your previous tests your RAM souned working fine as sticks, problem raised regarding some MB slots. You reported issues to have your system running at stock config, which is Very Bad. Yiou shoudl be able to run at stock flawlessy, CPU and RAM stock, no voltage or other modificators. You ask how to check if your CPU could be compromized, unfortunately in your situation is not a simple task. If you continue to test your CPU on a compromized MB you will continue to have misleading error messages. Theoretically you should get a brand new MB, install your CPU, keep it stock and run tests on it. If prime95 doesn t fail or any other CPU stresser you want to use, it means the CPU is fine (and I do belive so..) Your CPU will not stay fine forever if you continue to use it improperly on a damaged MB because all of this is connected. This kind of stress and improper shut down procedures for sure are not going to help any guest of your case, naming CPU, RAM, HardDrive. Also, every time you have an improper shut down you are playing "russian roulette" with your hard drive, risking to compromize sectors, FAT etc, till one day you might have a failure from your HD simply because of that. It is like driving a car going with one cylinder less... do not expect that is good for the rest of your mechanical components.

Well, after all of this , with several error messages in your history saying thhat most probably is a hardware failure (plus all the symptoms u got so far showing an hardware failure) you are still thinking is about drivers ???? I have to tell you, u r stubborn like a mule I don t know what is wrong to send that MB for RMA, but iif u did it 2 weeks ago when we started this thread, today you would have a new MB already However, if u happily wanna mess with drivers, Ii would suggest you a BIG FORMAT and a clean installl of Windows. 7 would be the best choice because installl ready to work in 20 minutes and is able to set the best drivers for your machine out of the box. If you don t have it, good luck with XP or Vista. Fresh install is the best optiion in case of drivers. It also guarrantee you r not missiing anything. Then, if iis not working, i hope u get to the point either u write a letter to the Pope to have a miracle or u RMA that MB EDIT: I made a quick search about the new error you are getting, because at first sight iit was reminding me something about "hard drive". In fact i found that usually that error message is related to the hard drive. This now open a quite new window to your problem: Either your MB controoller is so screwed up now is throwiing random error messages ( and I saw that on othher PC I fixed, at certan point, error message are just not relevant anymore, the machine crash for any possible reason...) OR Really your hardrive is hhaving an hhard time, which happens sometimes. Files can get corrupted for various reasons and HDD are subject to failures in time, they are the most stressed componennt on your PC and mechanical components under stress are subject to failure with time. So, U have really nothing to lose at this point, giive a nice FORMAT to ure drive and reistall nice and clean, U could end up with a fortunate solution

Ebden, glad you r getting somewhere after many hours of hard work and settings. Just continue to keep an eye on temps, just to be safe. I have Arma2 on a different partition but is retail, not Steam. don t know about limits with the steam version, but it would sound weird to me any incompatibility related to different partitioning. Good Luck.