The "Quick Questions That Don't Deserve A Thread"...Thread. v5 - Hardware & Software

Is it normal for older LCD TVs to take a while before it attains full brightness? I have a Philips 32PFL7762D/12 32'' TV which originated from my grandparents, and I think it's about 9 years old, maybe older. I noticed whenever I turn it on, the image is significantly dimmer than my HP W1907V, it does attain full brightness after leaving it on for half an hour and allowing it to heat up. I also noticed that the edges are slightly darker than the rest. [T]http://i.imgur.com/V5Fuotr.jpg[/T] (I had to use a low exposure to be able to catch it on camera) Could it be the capacitors starting to run out, and needing replacement?

Is there an extension that blocks the "Subscribe to our newsletter" crap that often comes with a black overlay? I hate it with a passion. Already using uBlock but that doesn't catch it and it's messy to block it manually.

[QUOTE=Nitro836;47538621]I know almost nothing about PCs, but I assume graphics cards, like Nvidia cards of whatever series require manual updates, meaning the update has to be fetched from their home page and has to be for the correct series. Is this correct? I believe my card is a Geforce GT 320, so would the newest version to update to be named 341.44? What do these updates for the cards do? Make them more efficient?[/QUOTE] Yes that's correct. Graphics card updates can fix performance issues and visual bugs in games and other stability related bugs. It can make them more efficient, but don't expect miracles, unless something really got messed up in a previous update. Basically, read the release notes, they give you a breakdown of what they did in the update. [editline]16th April 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=Merijnwitje;47539039]Is it normal for older LCD TVs to take a while before it attains full brightness? I have a Philips 32PFL7762D/12 32'' TV which originated from my grandparents, and I think it's about 9 years old, maybe older. I noticed whenever I turn it on, the image is significantly dimmer than my HP W1907V, it does attain full brightness after leaving it on for half an hour and allowing it to heat up. I also noticed that the edges are slightly darker than the rest. [T]http://i.imgur.com/V5Fuotr.jpg[/T] (I had to use a low exposure to be able to catch it on camera) Could it be the capacitors starting to run out, and needing replacement?[/QUOTE] Given that its 9 years old, its probably a CCFL display. CCFL displays take a little while to "warm up". Mine usually take only 5 or 10 minutes but they are much smaller. Also CCFL backlights age with use. So it will slowly become dimmer as time goes on (which may affect how long it takes to warm up).

So I'm overclocking my i5 3570k for the first time. I've currently got it at 4.4Ghz and I set the voltage manually to 1.16v (it wasnt stable when I left it as auto). [img]http://i.imgur.com/3JeNGsy.png[/img] It seems to be stable under prime95 but I have a few questions: 1. I put 1.16 as the voltage, but under load it stays at 1.136 (not that I'm complaining, lower is better right?) 2. Before I OC'd the multiplier would change depending on load and at idle it would be at like 16, now it just stays at max (44). Is this normal/ok? Can you do anything about it? 3. I keep reading about voltage offset, what is it and should I do it? Thanks

[QUOTE=tom1029;47540628]So I'm overclocking my i5 3570k for the first time. I've currently got it at 4.4Ghz and I set the voltage manually to 1.16v (it wasnt stable when I left it as auto). It seems to be stable under prime95 but I have a few questions: 1. I put 1.16 as the voltage, but under load it stays at 1.136 (not that I'm complaining, lower is better right?) 2. Before I OC'd the multiplier would change depending on load and at idle it would be at like 16, now it just stays at max (44). Is this normal/ok? Can you do anything about it? 3. I keep reading about voltage offset, what is it and should I do it? Thanks[/QUOTE] That's not much of an issue, voltage varies slightly on every processor. If i set mine to 1.1 volts, it goes up to 1.116. I do have to say that 1.16 is fairly low for a stable 4.4 OC, run P95 on blend for 24 hours and if it has errors or crashes, up the voltage by 0.025 until it stops crashing. If it is truly stable, then you got yourself a top quality processor. When you OC, it disables the automatic clock adjustment, which drops the clocks at lower load levels to reduce power consumption. Changing the multiplier disables that, nothing to worry about. Ignore voltage offset, not necessary to deal with. Definitely get RealTemp and keep a close eye on your temperatures. Above 80c is in the yellow and should be the caution point for overclocking. 95c-100c is the "extreme chance of damage" zone and should never be passed or reached for longer than a few seconds.

[QUOTE=zombini;47540811]That's not much of an issue, voltage varies slightly on every processor. If i set mine to 1.1 volts, it goes up to 1.116. I do have to say that 1.16 is fairly low for a stable 4.4 OC, run P95 on blend for 24 hours and if it has errors or crashes, up the voltage by 0.025 until it stops crashing. If it is truly stable, then you got yourself a top quality processor. When you OC, it disables the automatic clock adjustment, which drops the clocks at lower load levels to reduce power consumption. Changing the multiplier disables that, nothing to worry about. Ignore voltage offset, not necessary to deal with. Definitely get RealTemp and keep a close eye on your temperatures. Above 80c is in the yellow and should be the caution point for overclocking. 95c-100c is the "extreme chance of damage" zone and should never be passed or reached for longer than a few seconds.[/QUOTE] Thanks for all the info. I have a Corsair H80 and after about half an hour of P95 the temps peaked at 70 75 76 69 on the lowest fan settings. I tried it on medium and they peaked at 62 68 69 63 but it's a lot more noisy. I'm just using the default fans that came with it at the moment and they are almost silent on low, but really quite noisy on med/high, so I may actually look into buying some aftermarket "quiet" fans. Does anyone have any suggestions for quiet but decent aftermarket fans? Ideally ones I could run on medium or maybe high and not get my ears destroyed. I found [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NF-F12PWM-Case-Fan-120/dp/B00650P2ZC]these[/url] but I don't really know too much about fans.

[QUOTE=tom1029;47540906]Thanks for all the info. I have a Corsair H80 and after about half an hour of P95 the temps peaked at 70 75 76 69 on the lowest fan settings. I tried it on medium and they peaked at 62 68 69 63 but it's a lot more noisy. I'm just using the default fans that came with it at the moment and they are almost silent on low, but really quite noisy on med/high, so I may actually look into buying some aftermarket "quiet" fans. Does anyone have any suggestions for quiet but decent aftermarket fans? Ideally ones I could run on medium or maybe high and not get my ears destroyed. I found [url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/Noctua-NF-F12PWM-Case-Fan-120/dp/B00650P2ZC]these[/url] but I don't really know too much about fans.[/QUOTE] Get the NF-P12s. The F12s are case fans that move a lot of air but at a fairly low pressure. The P12s have a higher static pressure and work better with radiators. You can tell the difference just by turning your stock fan to high and putting your hand over the radiator or behind the fan, it's like putting your hand over a vacuum cleaner hose.

[QUOTE=Nitro836;47538621]I know almost nothing about PCs, but I assume graphics cards, like Nvidia cards of whatever series require manual updates, meaning the update has to be fetched from their home page and has to be for the correct series. Is this correct? I believe my card is a Geforce GT 320, so would the newest version to update to be named 341.44? What do these updates for the cards do? Make them more efficient?[/QUOTE] Recent versions of nVidia drivers come with a thing called "Geforce Experience", which will ding at you when there are updates to your drivers. You'll still have to initiate the install manually however.

Considering selling my PC, anyone able to assess what it'd roughly cost? AMD FX 4100 Quad Core CPU AsRock 970 Extreme4 Mainboard Sapphire HD7850 2gb GDDR5 Video Card Hitachi 500GB 3.5 SATA HD CoolerMaster K350 Gaming Case Widetech 650W Power Super Silent G Skill 10600 DDR3 4gb 1333 Longdimm x2 Might not be included but also: AOC e2450Swd x2 AOC e2450Swh x1 Razer Anansi keyboard Razer Naga Hex keyboard Also, much like the 970 is pretty much the best GPU for the money, what is its equivalent for CPU?

is there any way when having two Disk drives like an OS drive and a Storage drive which runs games off that when copying files to a separate drive that it doesn't copy files when you move them it just moves them.

What makes HDD being able to identify itself on windows? For example, I have 5 hard drives installed., and in device manager they are listed as: Crucial_[model] SanDisk_[model] ST30000520AS ST3320820AS WDC WD[model] so why do some of them can give specific model and maker while some don't ? Btw those who give me long numbers (ST) are SeaGate, is that common for SeaGate HDD's?

Another question. I hear there are some sort of programs or software that can assist a computer in running games better, something like processing power boosting via shutting off other processes going on in the computer. Is this true?

[QUOTE=TechnoSandwic;47544368][B]Also, much like the 970 is pretty much the best GPU for the money[/B], what is its equivalent for CPU?[/QUOTE] That's not entirely true. It's among the best GPUs for maxing out your games at 1080p or lower. It's not suitable for gaming at 1440p, 4K, or any other resolution higher than 1920x1080, partly because of the VRAM issue and partly because the GTX 980 is meant to fill that role and therefore the 970 has to be slightly weaker than it. That also means it doesn't fare well using DSR or other forms of supersampling (because it's rendering each frame at a higher resolution and then fitting it on your 1080p display to reduce aliasing). In the world of computer hardware, saying something is "the best" is entirely subjective and depends on the needs of the user. That being said, the same can apply to your CPU question. What [B]exactly[/B] are you going to use your computer for? Playing games, making videos, rendering 3D models, etc.?

[QUOTE=Nitro836;47545527]Another question. I hear there are some sort of programs or software that can assist a computer in running games better, something like processing power boosting via shutting off other processes going on in the computer. Is this true?[/QUOTE] It's true that there are programs that can temporarily end unneeded processes, but actual impact won't be noticeable in most cases unless your computer is already infested with lots of crap.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;47545447]What makes HDD being able to identify itself on windows? For example, I have 5 hard drives installed., and in device manager they are listed as: Crucial_[model] SanDisk_[model] ST30000520AS ST3320820AS WDC WD[model] so why do some of them can give specific model and maker while some don't ? Btw those who give me long numbers (ST) are SeaGate, is that common for SeaGate HDD's?[/QUOTE] The firmware of the drive contains the name. Then Windows uses that name in device manager. If you look in your BIOS its probably the same name. Each manufacturer has their own naming scheme. Seagate just lists the literal model number as its name. But yeah, totally normal.

[QUOTE=Demache;47545557]The firmware of the drive contains the name. Then Windows uses that name in device manager. If you look in your BIOS its probably the same name. Each manufacturer has their own naming scheme. Seagate just lists the literal model number as its name. But yeah, totally normal.[/QUOTE] Oh, that's what I thought, I just thought that because my seagate drives are old, they are incompatible with some kind of windows naming thing.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;47545589]Oh, that's what I thought, I just thought that because my seagate drives are old, they are incompatible with some kind of windows naming thing.[/QUOTE] Nah, its a very standard drive feature. You could plug in a drive from the 90s and you should still get some sort of name.

[QUOTE=Demache;47545626]Nah, its a very standard drive feature. You could plug in a drive from the 90s and you should still get some sort of name.[/QUOTE] Also quick question in relation to HDD's which I've been wondering about for ages. Say HDD died, it's controller/microchip got damaged. Could you technically take out the metal platters/disks and put them into another hard drive? Or would controller not recognize another Disks platters/discs?

[QUOTE=arleitiss;47545647]Also quick question in relation to HDD's which I've been wondering about for ages. Say HDD died, it's controller/microchip got damaged. Could you technically take out the metal platters/disks and put them into another hard drive? Or would controller not recognize another Disks platters/discs?[/QUOTE] You can buy the controller board for some brands. I don't know anything about how or where to get them. It should work for the drive but it would not be properly calibrated for it and would be a measure to get whatever data off of it and trash it.

[QUOTE=arleitiss;47545647]Also quick question in relation to HDD's which I've been wondering about for ages. Say HDD died, it's controller/microchip got damaged. Could you technically take out the metal platters/disks and put them into another hard drive? Or would controller not recognize another Disks platters/discs?[/QUOTE] You would replace the controller board. Never expose the platters to open air due to dust. The caveat is you have to buy the exact revision of the board for that hard drive. Its that specific. And it would be purely for retrieving data off it. Lesson is, keep backups.

Is there a way to negate or stop the computer from attempting to boot off a particular drive? I want to put another hard drive in my computer but it already has windows and ubuntu installed on it.

[QUOTE=Lexinator;47544655]is there any way when having two Disk drives like an OS drive and a Storage drive which runs games off that when copying files to a separate drive that it doesn't copy files when you move them it just moves them.[/QUOTE] the only thing that i can find that changes is isn't loading you can also right click drag to get a option

[QUOTE=ashxu;47546946]Is there a way to negate or stop the computer from attempting to boot off a particular drive? I want to put another hard drive in my computer but it already has windows and ubuntu installed on it.[/QUOTE] You can change boot order in the BIOS. It's usually F12.

[QUOTE=zombini;47547074]You can change boot order in the BIOS. It's usually F12.[/QUOTE] Bios is almost never F12. On Dell it's F2, on most motherboards its DEL.

Can someone explain to me why when installing new HDD into PC, Windows doesn't load and say something like no OS installation was found on any drives. Even though I tried booting directly into OS drive? It only gets fixed after I attach new HDD, get that message, remove that HDD, let windows boot normal, then turn off PC, attach new HDD. Then it works.

So I ordered 2 new fans for my H80 that should hopefully be a bit quieter so I can run them faster. My current fan setup is something like this: [img]http://i.imgur.com/M8cJqGA.png[/img] I'll basically have the 2 original fans to stick somewhere and I'm just wondering what the best setup is. It probably doesn't matter too much but I might as well ask. Also, I have my radiator fans as an intake which I assume is best for temps, but it brings quite a lot of warm air into the case, would it make much difference if I instead had the radiator as an exhaust and then added the 2 spare fans as intakes at the front/bottom/side? Thanks.

[QUOTE=brandonsh;47535606]My front USB 3 ports won't work. Well, not properly. They work fine with USB 2.0 devices, but USB 3.0 ones don't even register. Tried installing the drivers and all the standard stuff, nothing. Any ideas? Motherboard is an ASRock Z77 Extreme4.[/QUOTE] Anyone? I pretty much have to give my computer a reach around if I want to access my flash drive right now.

[QUOTE=SEKCobra;47547138]Bios is almost never F12. On Dell it's F2, on most motherboards its DEL.[/QUOTE] On ASUS it's F8. Why the fuck they decided that I don't know.

Steam's throwing a rather useless "3:00065432" error when I try to launch a modified FalloutNV.exe, and I think it has something to do with file checksums. Is there a way to get Steam to not care?

[QUOTE=Levelog;47548194]On ASUS it's F8. Why the fuck they decided that I don't know.[/QUOTE] And on a couple HP/Compaq machines I've had, its F10. I guess the lesson is, RTFM.