Batwing~SPARTA~
-
Posts
2,055 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Calendar
News
Posts posted by Batwing~SPARTA~
-
-
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.
-
Thx Skele. I m going crazy to find it. If by any chance u can post a screenshot, that would be nice, because those settings are very well hidden!
@ Tolozor:
the track ir toggle is F12, but that doesn t help. It deactivate temporarely the IR cam but does not allow me to use the botton in Arma
-
Thx Halli for the heads-up. Downloaded and installed
-
Hi all, need some suggestions...
I am enjoying TrackIR 5 with Arma 2 and is way a new way to play the game. Still getting used to the different feeling, however I have a question.
I ammplaying the SP campaign also, and I found I cannot really enjoy the IR there when it comes to missions involving the Strategic Command.
The F7, F9 and F12 are binded to the IR software in background and they make a mess in game, so I cannot select my Units and/or switch from the first 10 unitis to the other 10 (F11 and F12).
I tried to see any way to reconfigure those keys on the IR software but I can t find it...
Any suggestion?
Thx
-
Ok Ebden, I really understand your frustration !
However, don t let your brain get frozen trying to solve issues are beyond your possibilities. Analize the situation.
Actually you said when you did set on Stock on your BIOS you had also serious issues. That should let you think for a moment. At the state of your situation I do not advice to play around with ANY OC setting. You need to have your machine running flawlessy at Stock. If that is not happening you need to get to the understanding something hardware is failing and there are no works around. You are just contribuing to get a huge headache to yourself.
You had this PC working fine in OC for a while I do understand. Remember while OC give us better performances, it also stress components way more than what is supposed to be. An hardware failure after OC stress is very possible to happen. It may happen any moment with no advice. It is possible you are suffering just that, unfortunate but real.
It is not clear if when you where using your OC PC you ever monitored your temps. It has no sense to try working on temps now, that is something you had to monitor earlier. If a damage is done, is done.
There are few tools you HAVE to use when you decide OC a system, they are:
1) CORE TEMP - Monitoring core temps (duh !)
2) CPU -Z - monitoring Speed and other important info about CPU and MB and RAM
3) GPU-Z - Monitoring info about your videocard (if you need)
4) Prime95 - Stress test for CPU and RAM. It put your CPU and RAM under maximum stress and test for errors.
While overclocking you have to use all of these tools together and monitor all of the system reaction. You open the temps monitors and then run Prime95 for 1 hour. Everytime it reports erros you get back on your BIOS and scale down your overclock. Your final objective is having a steady rock system in Prime95 at VERY acceptable temps.
More and more to discuss about overclocking, but this is a basic. Now going back to your problem.
Your PC has to work at stock. If it doesnt you are seriously compromised. Culprit will be between MB, RAM sticks and CPU itself (it could be power supply also, but these symptoms are not leading to that).
Again, if your MB is in warranty, do not waste other time and go immediately for an RMA. When you get the new one, do not even try to OC, check EVERYTHING is working fine at stock first. I really think you RAM is ok, but that could be the next step. However do not underestimate the possibility your CPU is damaged. Although I guess if CPU was damaged it was probably unable to work at all, you cant say for sure.
Try to save yourself some headache and follow my suggestions, you should be able to be up and running as soon as u get a new MB.
Good luck.
-
Ouch Athlon, I really hope they don't because at this moment I have 3 ddr3 sticks from OCZ... I hope they will not get crazy anytime soon !
-
I just completed my Mb swapping and after 1 hour and a half, i have to say it went pretty smooth.. finally the network is working again.
Honestly i would suggest you to RMA you MBB if you can. it is way better having a new one, at least you know for a while it will be safe... lol.. the famous last words !
-
well, not of my knowledge about any software specific to test single slots.
troubleshooting in these cases is very time expensive and is common resolution if you can reproduce an error focusing on a specific slot, that slot is the culprit.
Here i see that for "some reason" the error is no more focused on slot 3. What did u do? any software modification? installed / unistalled something?
Is there a reason why you were having errors on slot 3 while testing and now you dont?
If there is no apparent reason, problem can still be on the MB controller, failing for some unknown reason. RAM sounds OK anyway.
Then, if you find yourself on a condition where it looks like everything is fine and is working (dual channel ok, sterady and no memory errors) use the common rule: "if it ain t broken, don t touch it!" but observe behaviours and see if anything else goes wrong.
Of course test with ARMA and see if you can duplicate the original issue. If it doesn t.. well wait and look..
MB controllers may have weird behaviours, so keep in mind that is not "fixed by itself" but is just "working" which means you might have a major failure right 5 minutes after your warranty expires and then you ll have to buy a new one.
it s difficult to decide what to do at the moment, but if you don t get errors anymore, go ahead till next time it will happen.
-
Lolol !!! ok ok, Don t Panic !!
Reading those tech threads it sounds like a good news. If for any reason IS NOT hardware with Slot 3, that is a good news, because it means is a sort of software conflict somewhere.
If what the techh guy thinks about some driver or other crap conflict, your solution is pretty simple:
MEGA FORMAT AND FRESH INSTALL.
After fresh install, be sure you have all drivers up to date, do NOT install anything else and make your mmemory tests again.
If your slot 3 fails again, that means those error codes are just crap (as usually happens to be) and the slot is so screwed that is not even able to report errors correctly.
-- Solution #1 RMA
-- Solution #2: Keep it and run RAM on not dual channel... honestly i don t see whhy. If is in warranty, your money still has soome value annd you can have a MB working 100%, otherwise you stick with a failing MB, which also may mean something else can fail anytime, and then you 'll hhave to BUY a new one.
-- Solution #3: IT WORKS FINE, which means was a software issue, some hidden driver, some incompatibility somewhere.. slowly reinstalll everything but stay away from unnecessary crap, try to keep your system light and clean using only minimal protection software and ALOT of Common Sense to avoid dangerous sites and chance of Viruses
I know how painful an RMA is, because on this MB I m working right now, I m going toward the SECOND RMA!! and just thinking to unplug all the crap and plug it back makes me sick... but it is what it is... I spent 250 buckks on this piece of crap and it HAS to work ;)
Good luck, I will probably swap my MB myself right today.. I feel your pain !
-
My best guess at the moment is a bad memory slot.
From a TSP tech post, I've run a couple datarecording progs from TSF, chkdsk at boot, and now a full cycle of memtest86+ (v4.0) on each of my RAM sticks (both tested independently, both tested while installed in slot A0, both passed.)
When I first ran memtest, I forgot to isolate the memory. Within 20s I had errors. When seperated and tested independently, no errors. When tested FLIPPED between the slots (original slot A0 in A2, vice versa), voluminous errors as at first.
When tested not in pair, in slots A0 and A1 (unpaired slots), then no errors right away. I let that last test run for only a couple minutes. It makes me think, since I didn't see the errors, that the slot A2 is hosed. Is that possible? Also, what sort of performance dig will I take now that I have a matched pair of ram running in unmatched slots?
Hi,
I need some more info about your system to think about the issue.
What MB is? WHat Processor? What RAM (ddr2 or 3 and speed), did you ever flushed the BIOS on that MB to the most updated one?
About your question about running 2 RAM sticks on "unmatched channels" that should not activate the "Dual Channel" ability to speed up performances. When you start your system, on the few seconds you have the BIOS black screen, when you use "matched channels" you should read your memory amount followed by "in dual channel". If you use not matched channels you should not read "in dual channel" part.
From the test u ran, it sounds like you had memory error from a a specific slot on your MB. Go back on that and test more. Check one stick at the time using the possible failing slot and see if you get errors from both sticks.
BE SURE FROM YOUR MB MANUAL THAT SLOT IS ALLOWED FOR SINGLE USAGE. Each MB has a specific mapping of memory slots and you have to be sure you are testing correctly. If the MB manual doen t show that slot as a slot hosting a mem stick alone, you cannot test it in that way.
Refer to your MB manual to see the way you can host memory sticks and don t try different configurations.
Also, from single check of your RAM sticks, it loooks like they work fine. You get errors when you pair with the A2 slot... It let thinking the RAM sticks are OK while the slot is failing. This become solid possibility because on "unpaired" slots you have no errors.
If you check again and the A2 config produce errors, your MB needs to go 99% ..
-
What makes the difference on demanding games as Arma2 is not the processor "only".
Where possible you have to think about a mix of decent processor, beefy videocard ( a must) and good RAM.
In general in games you see improvements first of all improving your videocard. It make poor sense trying to improve CPU while standing on old class videocards, especially now that videocard wars beetween ATI and Nvidia put us, consumers in a very good position to choose what you like better at very affordable prices.
So, invest the best you can on Videocard first, because that is the component making the massive graphic job.
About CPU, dual core have always been very very good at games, almost not justifying moving to a quad-core just for gaming. But you have to consider "speed". Your dual-core at only 1.8 Ghz is suffering slow performances.
I don t remember on top of my head what s the Q9550 speed, but i m quite positive it will be somewhere close to 2.5 or 3 Ghz, which makes a huge leap ahead from the performance you had before. If it was only about speed, you already will see a noticeble improvement.
Abouot going from dual-core to quad-core, that also make sense when you are playing games optimized for that kind of technology. I heard Arma2 is able to use multicores in a decent way and I monitored the core usage on my i7 and I see the game use the cores, so you should see improvement.
However, the game is running smooth also on the e6750 I have on this other machine, so I have e6750 overclocked at 3.3 Ghz and a Nvidia GTS 250 (Win 7)
The other Machine has an i7 920 overclocked at 3.5 Ghz and 2 hd4850 in crossfire (Win 7) and honestly, I don t see that much of a difference, although I should...
Let me know what videocard will u use with your new Q9550, so I will be able to have an idea of your performance
See ya
Looking for a decent 2.1 speaker set
in Computer Discussions
Posted
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