The Official Graphics Card and PC gaming Thread

Nero Showtime is a handy backup when all else fails, but mainstream I use Media Player Classic the most, and sometimes VLC when that doesn't work.

 

I use VLC almost exclusively for movies. Windows Media Player for random mpegs. GOM Player for music. Media Player Classic for any stubborn files that VLC won't play.

 

I use VLC for videos and just convert anything it won't play with SUPER and MediaMonkey Gold for music (I only started using it for my iPod (which is now broken) but since I paid for it I may as well keep using it.

 

Haha I've found the Far Cry movie on my favorite media DLing site. Despite being a campy fan-service B movie, it's actually pretty awesome

Also, I've applied some arctic Silver Ceramique to my video cards. Dropped my temps 2*C

 

ARGH! HELP! My idle temps for core i7 920 are 50c with a coolermaster v10. Anyone else think thats wayyyy too high? Is it probably just not seated properly?

Edit: wooaah okay, just took the side off my case to let it breathe and now its down to 38/40 ish. Better? Anyone know of a way I can get more air into a 3d aurora 570 without having to put the mesh panel on instead of the window? There's only 1 fan on intake and its 1000rpm so theres not enough air flow

 

I don't know about the thermal properties of the i7, but that still doesn't seem right. The Cooler Master v10 is a fairly hefty high end cooler. Try removing it, clean up the thermal paste with alcohol, and re apply. Make sure you check the Arctic Silver site for instructions on an i7 or an Intel Quad.

Also, is it a backplate cooler or not?(I assume it is) Check your mounting brackets and make sure you're securing it correctly. Just taking the side of the case off shouldn't make such a huge difference in temps if your case is properly ventilated.

Rule of thumb, try to match your intake to your exhaust. And don't depend on your PSU to move air. I put the minimum at 2 120mm fans. 1 intake in the front and 1 exhaust in the rear. Though for such a powerful build you're realistically looking at 4 fans at least. Suffice to say, 1 low noise fan in front is not enough.

 

Yeah, its backplate. I'm pretty sure it's quite secure. As we speak it's down to 35 idle, side of the case has been off for an hour. Did you mean to say taking the side off the case SHOULDN'T make that much of a difference?

 

He did, but conditionally, in a well vetilated case. Ultimately, 125W CPUs really need a side fan to run their best, or a top intake via the use of something like a Kama Bay.

 

Lol looks like he edited before I posted damn, well looks like I'm cutting a hole in my window for a side fan then...

 

Sorry about any confusion. Yes, I meant that if your case is well ventilated, your temps shouldn't drop so much when you remove the side panel.

This is the fun part. I've modded all of my cases to some degree. Some more than others. Agreed with Sammorris about the fans. Heavy wattage CPUs like i7 really need extra fans. My Phenom II is also a 125W CPU and I'm only getting by because I have luckily stumbled onto a very balanced airflow for the Thermaltake Armor(though only with a 120mm tower cooler). Still wishing I had the 250mm fan on the side though

 

modding cases is fun. if onyl i got to mod mine when i got mine. i got a pro to do it and payed him

 

I am puting togeather a pc for my grandson, he wants it to play Oblivion. So far i have used old parts. pent 4 3gighz, gigabyte moboard ga 8s661 fxm socket 775,radeon 9200 video, and 1 gig ram ddr. but the video card does not want to play Oblivion. Is there an AGP card that will work without spending alot. The hole pc is not worth much as you can see, just want something to play that game.
Thanks

 

how much would you be willing to spend?

 

That motherboard supports AGP 8x so you can use any modern AGP graphics card, but for power reasons I'd avoid using one that requires extra power as your PSU may not cope with it.
Something like an HD3650 will do the job.

 

Thanks for the come back!They have this at new egg will it work on My set up?
SAPPHIRE 100258L Radeon HD 3650 512MB 128-bit GDDR2 AGP 4X/8X HDCP Ready Video Card 76.99

 

I see no reason for it not to, and it should play oblivion alright. The only thing is you need to have a standard PC tower for it to fit, not one of those slimline ones.

 

Thanks again, and yes i have a full large size tower. the moboard is 3 inches short of touching the bottom LOL. I will order this card and pray!!

 

I think the card would work alright. A system that supports a 3GHz P4 has got to have a recent enough revision of AGP to run that card. AFAIK it hasn't changed much since the 9800 Pro.

 

I think it's definitely time to go 8GB. I just have to hope it doesn't have too much of an impact on overclocking, I like my 3.9Ghz Quad core

Running Crysis Warhead, I pick up the following stats:
RAM Usage: 4.0GB/4.1GB
Page File Usage: 7.1GB/8.5GB

About 1 minute into the game, it freezes so it can shuffle the data around. This takes 84 seconds.

 

Good luck!