The Official PC building thread -3rd Edition

shaff,
You miss the whole point! Windows Live is Micro$oft! Micro$oft is Bill Gates, stepped down or not! Paying $281 for Win 7 Pro, or $291 for Win 7 Ultimate still only allows one computer to use it. With Ultimate you can install it on another computer, after you uninstall it from the first one. You can't re-use it if you sell it and build another computer. You have to pay again! And again! And again!!! It's extortion! BTW! You most certainly can send zip, rar or 7zip files. Maybe you can't with Vista, But I do it all the time with hotmail and XP-Pro! Several times a week, in fact!

Why not use Linux or a Mac? Because I don't have enough time left to learn and effectively use it, that's why!

Russ

 

Yeah MSN is crap too. I use Steam chat because steam is lightweight and I can voice chat with my friends while playing non steam games. Star Wars Empire at War is a blast online when you turn the unit cap off. Pidgin also works good and Xfire.

Windows is actually fairly nonrestrictive. Microsoft's own basic application software is. I'm currently running hacked drivers for my soundcard and not s single complaint.

 

why use it and then complain when there are many alternatives then russ?

Also as PC builders we jsut need to buy the OEM version, and why would anyone need ultimate? Home premium is perfect, and that in OEM flavour is $106. when you want to reinstall jsut reinstall. i have used my OEM key before, (esp for XP) multiple times. if its blocked, a simple automated phonecall does the job aswell.

PS the RETAIL ultimate $300 copy you are talking abotu CAN be reinstalled and uses mulitple times, no questions asked. and it can be sold on aswell, the OEM cannnot.

 

I must admit, I'm cheesed off with MS as the latest patch for Windows Live messenger makes all the other software garbage that used to be optional, now mandatory. Apart from having 9-10 unwanted applications installed, this also meant about 50MB of download before I could use messenger again. Not impressed. I'm no fan of MS conspiracy theories (hence avoiding the last page of discussion) but there are some things that annoy me. Quite frankly though Russ, you're an MS hater, yet you use hotmail. This baffles me, hotmail isn't even good.
Steam chat is pretty stripped down, my main messaging client between friends is Skype. Msn is useful as a generic client to interface with other AIM/YIM/MSN users.

 

Shaff, are you saying that If I buy the OEM edition, and my mainboard quits, I can reinstall on a new machine? I sure would hate to have to buy a new Key just because a dead motherboard...

The reason I ask is, Im gonna buy the Home edition soon, and I am a bit nervous that my Mainboard could quit sooner than later LOL!

If not hotmail, whats better? I think hotmail is adequate.

 

when its due to a fault to mobo, MS will reactivate it. Thats like the main excuse i give on the phone to them, if the automated service wont work (only didnt work once)

PS Gmail>hotmail


edit, sam i have not needed to install all the essentials, only live messenger, when i upgraded.....

 

Thanks buddy.

Gmail eh, never gave that a shot. Probably cause everyone knows me as a Hotmail address.

I installed Messenger recently. It gave me options as to what I wanted to install...

 

For reference, X38-DS4->X48-DS5, X48-DS5->Maximus II Formula, Maximus II Formula->X48-DS4, none of these transitions have caused me to need to reactivate, but then I've never had a legitimate version to start with until the RC of Win7 which has always been on the X48-DS4.

Agreed on Gmail > Hotmail, has been since I signed up in 2004.

 

Yeah I've switched out boards several times with several versions of WIndows. 9/10 times you can use Driver Sweeper to clear out the old drivers after uninstall and seamlessly install the new ones. Not a single performance or compatibility issue. Theoretically you can even do it between Intel and AMD but I'd recommend a reformat.

 

Sam,
I didn't used to hate M$, back when they treated people right. I've had Hotmail for years without difficulty or problems. It's only in the last year or so that they started forcing upgrades on us. They can be very vindictive if you refuse them by not allowing mail to get through either direction. I've been refusing the latest upgrade because I'm going to install 64 bit XP-Pro, some time next week, and don't want to have to do it twice. Now all of a sudden half my sent mail never gets there. I'm not kidding either. Just ask Fred, Rick or Gina, among others.

I have a gmail account, but that's just Spam City. I think my personal record is 147 pieces of Spam in one day! Google sells you out! Just today I had to use it because Will wasn't getting my Hotmail while I was on line with him. I'm just hoping that once I install the new OS, that things will work right again. Like you say I also link to other IM services as well as WLM, and I do like the hands free talking! Much better than things used to be!

I know there is problems with my XP that started with the Southbridge problem I had with one of the motherboards I had before this one. Nothing serious like crashes or anything like that but I lost about 30% of my software due to the drive errors I was encountering, because of that. Most of it was backed up though. There are a number of minor glitches I've been putting up with for a few months now that will go away with a fresh OS install.

Russ

 

My gmail started picking up spam once I started using it in all the websites I sign up to, that's to be expected, it's not google's fault, that's just how email is. 99.8-99.9% of spam is correctly placed in the spam folder anyway, so I don't see what the problem is.

 

Sam,
That's the thing, I don't use it! Maybe twice a month when Hotmail is giving me grief and won't send mail! I don't email to sites or anything like that, yet I go in there and all there is, is BS Spam! I put it in as a backup to Hotmail, and didn't touch it for more than a month. I was stunned when I went there the first time and found all this useless BS garbage in it!

Russ

 

I only check my Gmail via Outlook so anything Google fails to spot (normally about one of the twenty spam emails I get a year) Outlook casts aside anyway.
I've only ever used my Hotmail (well Windows Live these days) account to login to MSN and that gets an unbelievable amount of spam. I'm putting that down to sites that ask ignorant people for their MSN login and passwords then go on to steal all their contacts though.

 

Maybe it has something to do with the ISP! I get almost no Spam at all in Hotmail, and I've had this email address for over 4 years. Before that it was Netscape mail, which I stopped using when AOL was running Netscape.

Best Regards,
Russ

 

Indeed, I get spam in my inbox with msn, which forces me to try and sift through it, with gmail it's tucked away in the spam folder, so I never need even look at it. You have no idea how useful googlesearching through all the emails you've received in 5 years can be.

 

ive been loking at alot of 1156 platform mobo's and alot of them are saying this

"Onboard Video Chipset=None"

just what does that mean??? i know it allows you to run SLI or Crossfire which ever you wish? as you all knwo im not that much of a game at all. would this hinder the board with just a average run of the mill GPU?

doesnt really matter if your buying or putting a GPU on it right?

 

Rob,
It wouldn't hinder the motherboard, just the power of the graphics. I know you don't play much games, so I can't see you getting anything in a super killer video card. Whatever video card you decide, be sure it has 512MB GDDR3 memory on it. Makes a huge difference in DVD Quality. I remember Sophocles talking about that at one time, and Windows usually lies to you about your video card capabilities anyway. He pointed out that you can't get true 16 million colors with 256MB of video memory, and explained how the math worked to prove it. Having a decent video card like my 9500GT with 512MB of GDDR3, makes all the difference in the world in video quality with everything from games on down! 720p & 1080p come alive on the screen! You see exactly what you expect to see, as everything is just so familiar looking, comparing it to real life! It even shows in older movies. I watched "Around the World in 80 Days" the other night and I looked so much better than it ever had before, and this is just a regular DVD! Something like this would be a good choice for your needs.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125260. For $39 after a $20 MIR (which you will get!) It should handle all of your needs quite well. It's almost the same card as my MSI 9500GT 512mb GDDR3. For a good quality solid video card for everyday use, it's tough to beat for the price!

Best Regards,
Russ

 

not saying thats a bad card, but i would use my 7600gt i have now before i got that one..lol not meaning that as a insult Russ.

in feburary when im able to do the I5 build i will be looking at a HD4850 or a GTS250 something along those lines of a card. i know those are still a good card right now but its not the 5770/5870 or the GTX285/295 stuff thats all the rage right now.

heck as far as that goes i have a nice 8800gts still in the box that i havent even tried out yet...(thank you thank you very much
)

 

No, no onboard video chipset means it doesn't have integrated graphics, you have to buy a graphics card.
Rob: Go with the HD5750 over the HD4850, newer technology, more power efficient, etc. etc.