http://www.avforums.com/forums/ en Sat, 21 Nov 2009 06:47:32 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.avforums.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg http://www.avforums.com/forums/ http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1130122-high-efficiency-high-capacity-fileserver-spec-help.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:03:57 GMT Hi, I am currently serving my files from my main desktop PC, which is probably a little overpowered for the job (quad core, SLI etc) and therefore costing me and the planet (gotta be green!!) too much. I have a gigabit network installed in the house, with the switch in the loft, and so I... Hi,

I am currently serving my files from my main desktop PC, which is probably a little overpowered for the job (quad core, SLI etc) and therefore costing me and the planet (gotta be green!!) too much.

I have a gigabit network installed in the house, with the switch in the loft, and so I would like to put a fileserver there if possible.

I would like it to be able to serve (obviously!!) all my machines in the house efficiently, and also if possible have a torrent client running 24/7. I would need to regularly add drives (building a nice BluRay collection) to keep things expanding.

On that note, and I dont know if anything other than Windows home server can do this - I like the idea of only the used drives spinning to save on power!, but if I use WHS, can I run a torrent client too?

I like the idea of something maybe running an Ion, but all I have seen are the whole units, and obviously this wont help with the storage issues.

Any help would be appreciated!

BenTheBookie ]]> BenTheBookie http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1130122-high-efficiency-high-capacity-fileserver-spec-help.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1129491-aldi-computer-599-a.html Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:39:38 GMT ...sold out pretty bloody quickly, didn't it? I was told it wouldn't be available again until May. GUTTED. :suicide: ]]> Maccaloon http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1129491-aldi-computer-599-a.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128977-pc-refuses-charge-mp3-player-without-constant-refreshing.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:49:59 GMT Apologies if I'm in the wrong forum:) I'm very ignorant of my pc.I recently bought a Sansa c250 mp3 player and my pc refused to charge it by usb.I did a bit of googling and was told to "refresh" my usb connections and did so.It worked but every time I wish to charge, I have to go through the same procedure as my pc will initially refuse to recognise the Sansa.It's not a big deal but, out of sheer curiosity, I would like to know why this happens.
The "refresh" procedure is as follows. Double right click on "My Computer"-----manage----device manager-----universal serial bus controllers and I then see my Sansa as a usb mass storage device.But it has a yellow icon on it and this is the sign that it must be refreshed. Right click on the yellow icon -----uninstall -----Action------scan for hardware changes. Yellow icon disappears and Sansa begins charging and pop up message says "Found new h/ware USB mass S.D." Charging of the Sansa commences but after a min., a pop up message always says "A problem occurred during h/ware installation.your new H/ware device may not work properly" But the charging continues successfully for about 2 to 3 hours. When I wish to recharge, after a few days,I have to do everything again.
Any of you technical guys got any ideas?:) ]]> BrianPK http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128977-pc-refuses-charge-mp3-player-without-constant-refreshing.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128861-building-new-pc-advice-please.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:46:37 GMT Friends, About a year ago I posted a thread here asking for advice on what components to choose when building a new PC. It worked out pretty well and I got some good advice, as did a few other people. Well I sold that PC and now I need to buy a new one and I was hoping for a few pointers. I... Friends,

About a year ago I posted a thread here asking for advice on what components to choose when building a new PC. It worked out pretty well and I got some good advice, as did a few other people. Well I sold that PC and now I need to buy a new one and I was hoping for a few pointers.

I will be using it for 1080p gaming and movie playback as well as some encoding. Here's what I have so far (btw went for the 5770 only because of dx11 compatibility plus I think it uses less power than say, a 4870). All prices from ebuyer.com:-

Asus P7P55D LE P55 Socket 1156 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard £102.44

Intel Core i5 750 2.66GHz Socket LGA1156 8MB L3 Cache Retail Boxed £141.61

Corsair 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1600MHz/PC3-12800 XMS3 i5 Memory Kit CL9(9-9-9-24) 1.65V £100.00

PowerColor HD 5770 1GB GDDR5, Dual DVI HDMI DisplayPort Out PCI-E £100.00

Corsair 550W VX Series PSU - 120mm Fan, 5 Year Warranty £62.19inc vat

Antec 300 Three Hundred Black Case - No PSU Now £39.74inc vat

Western Digital WD6400AAKS 640GB Hard Drive SATAII 7200rpm 16MB Cache £45.18inc vat

Sony AD-7240S 24x DVD±RW DL & RAM Internal SATA Black Bare Drive - OEM £16.74inc vat

total £607.90

I also posted this on a few other forums for advice but none so far. Any thoughts? ]]> iamtiredmat http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128861-building-new-pc-advice-please.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128853-advent-computer-circa-2001-a.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:26:12 GMT When first booted up computer takes 10min to finish. When restarted, it only takes 5min. Why? Is this a PSU fault? Please Help, Dave Sanders.:lease: When first booted up computer takes 10min to finish. When restarted, it only takes 5min. Why? Is this a PSU fault? Please Help, Dave Sanders.:lease: ]]> daveccles http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128853-advent-computer-circa-2001-a.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128796-repair-old-pc-buy-new-one.html Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:24:23 GMT Hi,

I have a Sony Vaio desktop VGC RC102. I like it very much, and it does all that I want to do.

In the last few days, I have had a warning message show up " A Drive in a raid 0 Volume is failing - try to bakc up data immediately".

I think the hard drives are 150gb each. 2 drives.

I would not know how to change a hard drive or transfer data. I called a local PC shop and the response I got was not inspiring - it could cost a few hundred £'s, they said.

I could of course take it down to PC world, and buy a couple of 500gb drives, and let them fit it and transfer all my old data ( I have the programme discs) or just buy a new high spec desktop (or even a laptop) that will last me another 5 years. Budget up to £1500

Any suggestions? ]]> PPPPPP http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1128796-repair-old-pc-buy-new-one.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127774-epson-stylus-photo-r285-general-error-cis-system.html Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:05:16 GMT Hello, I've just installed a CIS system for my Epson printer and seem to be getting errors whilst attempting to use it. I am informed that there appears to be a foreign object inside the printer and get two orange error lights.

My first question is where can I get a service manual for this printer from the internet for free, one which details how to dismantle the printer so that I can check everything appears to be okay? I've done rather a lot of searching on google for this information, with no luck.

My second is why am I hearing strange noises? The noises are sort of clicky and occur during the proceedure whereby the printer prepares itself to print and at startup. These noises always occur when the print carriage is over the waste ink pad.

Any ideas?

Thank you for your consideration. ]]> Sheepdisease http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127774-epson-stylus-photo-r285-general-error-cis-system.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127645-replacing-desktop-laptop-help-please.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:31:55 GMT :lease: ok just purchased a shiny new sony vaio laptop VGN-nw20 ef, any good? Also wondering whats gonna be the easiest way of transferring some programmes and files from my old desktop PC - particuarly MS Office (no install disc:facepalm:), itunes library etc not sure about anything else?? ... :lease:

ok just purchased a shiny new sony vaio laptop VGN-nw20 ef, any good?

Also wondering whats gonna be the easiest way of transferring some programmes and files from my old desktop PC - particuarly MS Office (no install disc:facepalm:), itunes library etc not sure about anything else??

I also wanna know how to completley wipe and i mean completly wipe my old desktop pc and re-install XP so i can sell it, unfortunatley i have no install disk for XP although the PC was shipped with it pre-installed.

Thanks for all your help u brainy people ]]> cdsaredead http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127645-replacing-desktop-laptop-help-please.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127622-new-biuld-problems.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:03:21 GMT hi im having some trouble with my new computer , i sent the motherboard back as i thought it was faulty but it has been tested with other components and worked according to the place i purchased from. and when i got it back it did for about 10 min, then it will shut down and restart and do this... hi im having some trouble with my new computer , i sent the motherboard back as i thought it was faulty but it has been tested with other components and worked according to the place i purchased from.

and when i got it back it did for about 10 min, then it will shut down and restart and do this 2-3 times . and now it dont even start up it , i will press the power button and it will turn on but the fans will go to fullspeed on the cpu the graphics card and the case on the motherboard, 3 small lights light up indicating the cpu is working at full load according to the motherboard manual , and nothing will appear on the screen during this , i get 1 beep at start up representing start up is ok, then the fans kick in .

i wanted to know how i should test to see what the problem is, im thinking its the motherboard or psu. please can someone help me out?

also when i first put the computer together it was working fine for about 2 weeks with no problems then it started doing what i have siad above thats why i sent the motherboard back as i had 28 day instulation damage cover , which has now expired.

my componets are
motherboard : gigabyte ex58-ud3r
psu: corsair hx 750w modular uk version
gpu: ati asus hd 5870
cpu: intel core i7 920
ram corsair 6gb ddr3

thanks

ricky ]]> rickyjb http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127622-new-biuld-problems.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127436-dell-dimension-5000-wont-initialise.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:33:00 GMT Yesterday my Dell 5000 worked perfectly, today it wont start up. I have amber A & B lights on and green C & D. Tried disconnecting main power and holding in power on button for 20 secs but still nothing. System is approx 3 years old, assistance please. ]]> Bricodust http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127436-dell-dimension-5000-wont-initialise.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127435-any-opinions-please.html Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:32:38 GMT I am thinking of replacing my desktop with this: Acer Aspire M3802 Desktop PC - Desktops at Ebuyer (http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172711) . I will need it for putting all my movies and music onto my NAS for my media player, general word processing and internet - no games. Will it do? Any obvious... I am thinking of replacing my desktop with this: Acer Aspire M3802 Desktop PC - Desktops at Ebuyer . I will need it for putting all my movies and music onto my NAS for my media player, general word processing and internet - no games. Will it do? Any obvious probs? ]]> PanMan http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1127435-any-opinions-please.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1126877-i5-7-vs-quad-core.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:47:00 GMT I found this site by chance but it looks like a great resource. I'd appreciate some advice on a replacement base unit I'm wanting. It's to replace a 5 yo Pentium 4 which has done reasonable service. What it can't do is edit and render high definition video on Ulead VS 11.

As I know nothing about PCs I'm probably going with Dell as a reasonably well know and well regarded name (that's per Which magazine and to be fair I had less trouble with mine in the past that with my present hp.)

This machine is £747
Dell Studio XPS 8000
Corei5 included!
Intel Core i7-860 (2.80GHz, 8MB, L3 Cache)
Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium 64bit- English
512MB DDR2 ATI® Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics card
6144MB 1066 MHz Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM [2x2048 + 2x1024]
320GB Serial ATA (7200RPM) Hard Drive
16X DVD+/- RW Optical Drive (DVD & CD read and write) (Win 7 Only)


For £529 you can get this (model 545?)

Processor:
Intel® Core™ 2 Quad-Core Q8300 Processor (2.50GHz, 4MB cache, 1333MHz FSB
Memory:
6144MB Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [2x2048 + 2x1024] Memory
Hard Drive:
1TB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive
Video Card:
nVidia GeForce GT220 1024MB graphics card
Optical Devices:
DVD +/- RW Drive (read/write CD & DVD)



I wondered whether the £220 would show any benefit for my particular uses (with the disadvantages of the lower spec hard drive etc.). I've seen some adverse comments about the speed of the DDR3 in the XPS machine but maybe that's not an issue for me.

Can I also ask how important the graphics card is for uses other than games. Is it an issue for my applications?

Thanks in advance for any responses. ]]> David_e http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1126877-i5-7-vs-quad-core.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1126762-300-desktop-pc-base-unit.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:25:50 GMT Hi,
I don't know much about PCs apaprt from the fact that I only want to spend £300 in a new one for surfing/word/excel and a bit of photoshoping (no games).
Is this good value : Dell Inspiron 546

Genuine Windows® 7 Home Premium, 64bit, English

AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual Core 7550 (2.5GHz, 512kx2)

3072MB Dual Channel DDR2 800MHz [1x2048 + 1x1024] Memory

500GB (7200rpm) SATA Hard Drive

Integrated ATI Radeon HD3200 Graphics

Is it worth adding a 4th gig of Ram for £28 or a proper display card for £60 (512 ATI Radeon hd4350). Would either make much difference to my light PC workload ?

Any alternative suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks a lot.

Nick ]]> nickfrog http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1126762-300-desktop-pc-base-unit.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1126589-overclocking.html Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:39:16 GMT Hey guys, I have the MSI p55 motehrboard and I decided to try the OC genie feature. It boosted my PC from 2.2ghz to 3.5ghz. Wow right?

I was wondering if I should then use the + - buttons to lower it a tiny bit, perhaps just to make sure I'm not over-overclocking it. This is primarily because next I want to overclock my HD 4870.

While I'm here, can anybody help me with overclocking my 4870 using CCC. How do I test it's stable etc. Cheers.


edit://
Right now I am getting Low temps on the cores of mid 30*c and Highest it rarely ever read were between 55-58c. Average seems 40+ and this is with almost every application I have open. Is this good or bad? I could lower the overclocking to about 3.2ghz and it might make a difference. When I took all of these off except Itunes/chrome and windows it stayed about 1-5% load and never above 40c.

With Empire: Total War open on High settings, I was getting on core 1 about 60% load and 50c. All the rest stayed at about 40c just. I'd say that looks pretty good tbh?

A laugh out loud edit:
I just opened my window and it's freezing outside. Now it's barely topping 45c. I'm guessing I'm ok with the overclock I have then? Just need help overclocking my GPU now pleaseee ]]> Jonesy012 http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1126589-overclocking.html http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1125665-where-overclocked-speed-figure.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 18:36:37 GMT How can I read my processor speed figures? My new p.c has an Intel i7 920 processor at 2.66 Ghz which the supplier claims was overclocked to 3.8 Ghz prior to sale.
I've used CPUID CPU-Z but the only speed I can find is 2.66.

The pc's performance is not as good as expected and I'm trying to establish a reason if one exists.
Any advice appreciated.

GTX285, Corsair XMS3 3X2GB ,
HDD Samsung F3 1TB, Gigabyte EX58 MBD, Samsung 24" monitor, Windows 7 o/s. ]]> Windjammer http://www.avforums.com/forums/desktops-servers/1125665-where-overclocked-speed-figure.html