The Official PC building thread -3rd Edition

More Like Jeckell and Hyde, normal by day but punks out at night behind the drums...All the goths dress that way to prove they dont look like everyone else but in doing it they look like everyone else that tries not to look like everyone else...

 

Then there's me, after my umpteenth cup of coffee, and hours of working on computers.............
http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/7697/124628100066.jpg

At least in the mirror!

Happy Holidays,
Russ

 

Exactly. You conform by being a non-conformist. I actually play a lot with one of my friends who drums. I can play six string and bass a bit.

 

Sounds about like me right now Eh...tomorrows another day. I wonder what neweggs gonna think of me now LOL!

Hopefully they'll be open minded about the new technology, that is DDR3!

 

Due to my preferred account at newegg oftentimes I'll get a replacement before they even get the part back. Though I've only ever done a few returns.

Manufacturer is a different story though. DFI was really good to me about my first board and sent me a good tested one within a few days. Whereas Evga, while having decent customer service, took over a month to send me a replacement for my 7600GT.

 

I generally find that if you go with a retailer, and the retailer have decent customer service, you'll get a replacement within a few days. Go with the manufacturer and it's either weeks or months. Fortunately in my cases it's been weeks.

 

I had superman whisk me down there and back LOL! Actually, since I had the funds, and curiosity has this way of pushing me to the edge...I next day aired a replacement board, and they're gonna refund the other board I have an unnatural amount of patience, but when it comes to other peoples stuff...Lets just say I go the distance

 

Wel...in other news, the Palomino (Athlon XP) processor 2100 1.73Ghz gave a noticeable increase to my oldest system. However, running netflix viewer definitely taxes the processor. It averages over 80% cpu useage, and acts some what choppy. Increasing the process priority helps quite a bit, but it is rather tedious having to do that every time for only a marginal increase in video quality playback. I'm now rather disappointed with the netflix viewer. Where once this computer could run Dvds without hiccup, at only 25-50% cpu useage, as well as divx playback, streaming B Grade video quality via their viewer and firefox has become a strenuous CPU process! I guess I could install Linux on the system, and free up some resource. It IS one of the earlier systems to run XP. I'm sure the proper linux OS would free up some serious resources

Does anyone run Linux, and stream netflix via Chrome, Firefox, etc? Keeping in mind that Silverlight is a requirement for the installation of the netflix viewer. Hmmm...might not be possible or legal eh? Silverlight running on a NON MS operating environment.

 

I don't know. For example I know no browser other than ie will allow ActiveX, but that's for security reasons. I suspect that a 'hacked' version of Silverlight for Linux may be possible, but it might have to be done through WINE, and if that's the case, it will tax the CPU even more than Windows does.

 

Or I call up netflix and unleash on them, about this complete BS! LOL! Eh, I'm seeing that this system really is pretty outdated now. It was a fun experiment, but I'm now thinking of making my Secondary into an HTPC for his birthday come march. Athlon 5200 will stream netflix without breaking a sweat! And if im not mistaken, it should be RIGHT in the spec of Blu-Ray capable

 

Yeah, the 5200+ will manage all but the highest bitrate bluray stuff. For extreme-bandwidth locations (screens that imitate analog TV 'no signal' fuzz for example, you see that sometimes) you may experience a bit of lag, but nothing severe during normal usage.

Also, I think Creaky's right, I've never seen netflix in the UK (Not that it makes any difference to me)

 

I feel bad for you guys. I really do. Netflix is wonderful here in the states. Movies at your door, or streaming to your PC/Xbox/PS3. I imagine you probably have something similar in the UK...

I might try Linux for myself on the system. My brother would probably have a hard time adapting to linux environment. I usually handle change fairly swiftly. I've been itching to give linux a shot for quite some time anyway.

You're probably right about running wine and hacks 'N cracks and what not, taxing the cpu the same or more. I guess I can find out one day

Thanks for the read from Wiki, Creaky. Very informative. So I imagine that logging on to netflix, while running Linux, would give the option for installing Novell Moonlight.

Merry X-mas to everyone
Kevin Ω

 

We have direct DVD services here, just not netflix. The most popular one I believe is 'Lovefilm'.
However, my opinion of the movie industry is just to download what I want instead. It takes a matter of hours, and no restrictions, no adverts, no trailers.
If I feel like supporting a new film, I'll go and see it at the cinema. Paying for old films just doesn't seem worth the cost to me, at all.
Merry xmas to everyone too

 

I updated

Indeed, I'll probably be going to see the new Avatar

 

I'm fairly sure a 5200+ can handle HD just fine. With a proper video card it's actually very capable
I could run 2 full 1080p videos side by side on 5000+ BE.

 

Well, all I know is that some 1080p videos were too much for a 4200+, and the 5000+ isn't that much more powerful. Most 1080s run fine, around 40-70%, but a few were 100% and lagging.

 

Oman7,
I think the sluggish DVD playing is more the lack of L2 Cache on the CPU than anything. The 2100+ only has 256KB of L2!

I just did a little experiment since I had a socket A 1900+ computer here for repair. Once I got it fixed, I tried playing DVDs with it and it did stutter some during playback. I pulled the 1900+ that was in it and replaced it with the 2500+ Bartton with it's 512KB L2. The Motherboard doesn't support the 333 fsb of the 2500+, so it runs about the same speed as the 1900+. The video played flawless, with no skips or stutters at all. With everything the same except the CPU and the only appreciable difference being twice as much L2 Cache with the 2500+, I would have believe that the lack L2 Cache was the culprit!

Happy Holidays,
Russ

 

Well...all I know, is that the 5200 acts like its super duper LOL! It runs as smooth or better than my Phenom II deneb. But then, my Phenom may be lacking due to some kind of MOBO issue. I'll know in a few months. Im gonna get a new board, and call this one my secondary, since it's rapidly becoming outdated anyway...

Sam, I know you've complimented the 5200 before. You said it was way better than the 4200. I remember because I almost didn't buy it. Though I almost bought the 6000+ because it was fully supported. The 6400 is not though. I think its TDP is to high for the board. The board won't support anything over 89-94W. Heck, I think the 6000+ 89W version is extremely rare. I had trouble finding it once upon a time. Newegg use to carry it though.

Russ, it plays dvd's fine. Streaming netflix however, is not good...