Random Question Thread: Tech

**Aja** · 2012-10-30 18:52

So I have a NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT graphics card. I updated the driver for it a few weeks ago and now when I try to watch things on YouTube or movies on certain sites the driver crashes and I have to power down my pc. I tried rolling back the driver and it still happened. Any way to make this stop?

**Buffy** · 2012-10-30 20:58

Originally Posted by Aja

So I have a NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT graphics card. I updated the driver for it a few weeks ago and now when I try to watch things on YouTube or movies on certain sites the driver crashes and I have to power down my pc. I tried rolling back the driver and it still happened. Any way to make this stop?

Are you using firefox? If yes, check your version of Flash. There was a firefox/flash combination that was bsod me using that exact same card.

**Aja** · 2012-10-30 21:13

Originally Posted by Buffy

Are you using firefox? If yes, check your version of Flash. There was a firefox/flash combination that was bsod me using that exact same card.

Yes I am using Firefox. Quick Time Plug-In 7.7.2? Switched it back to 7.6 now, still same thing...

**Callisto** · 2012-10-30 23:13

I wasn't able to sustain my goal of 200mhz bclock x 19 multi for 3.8ghz and keeping my memory at DDR1600 with 2:8 ratio, but I was able to accomplish the same numbers with 160 x 24 and 2:10...is there easily any drawback to getting to it this way as opposed to with the bclock of 200?

**Jojimbo** · 2012-10-31 08:23

I don't think so, whatever is stable for you works. Just stress test and check for WHEA errors (or BSOD), Prime95 (Small FFT for CPU, Blend for RAM+CPU) and Intel Burn Test (creates higher temps, run on high or above for more consistent results) both work. What vCore are you using atm?

**Callisto** · 2012-10-31 11:42

Edit: herped the derp and missed a step in the guide, going to fix it when I get home

**ArchDizzle** · 2012-10-31 15:02

I was playing XIV last night for about 40min everything doing fine then teleported to a different area, when I appeared there and starting walking one side of the screen looked like a paintbrush had smeared the mountain on the screen and there was a big black hole in the ground, i looked at my msi afterburner display and it showed my GPU load at 94% (for ref. my GPU load hovers between 40-60% while playing XIV for hours on end normally) i kept running and the only graphical glitch was that one spot, everywhere else was normal and according to my display my temp/gpu memory usage/fan all stayed in the range they normally do 72c/890mb/18%. No noise coming from the tower or heat or burning smell.

I got away from that spot and never had another graphical glitch over the course of the next hour of playing but my gpu load kept constantly jumping back and forth from 60-65% to 90-97% every few seconds but all other gauges seemed to stay stable and normal. Not sure if this was a msi glitch for the on screen display (but seeing the graphical glitches in game when it started I dont think this is it) an issue with the card or just the shitty encoding in XIV causing it to do it in that one area. Any ideas? I also stayed the next hour in that same area while it was fluctuating but when I warped back to Uldah for 5-10min before logging off it stayed normal for that entire time. Is there a way I can check to make sure the card is working properly? This pc is about 2mnths old and literally is only used to play XIV.

Card info:
ATI HD 7870 2GB

Thanks!

**Callisto** · 2012-10-31 18:05

@Jojimbo, thanks a ton, you helped me realize I had left vCore set to auto which was giving it about 1.37V, I put it down to 1.2, everything is stable and running 20° cooler under full load now

edit: okay after a bit of tweaking I think I'm done, got it to where I'm satisfied, 166 x 23 for 3.818ghz and a 4%~ swing up on the memory, 1.225 vCore, idles at 43~, hits 80 tops at full load which is a bit higher than I'd like, but nothing upgrading to the H80 shouldn't fix. Thanks a lot for the help!

**Callisto** · 2012-10-31 21:18

aaand now that that's out of the way, I know I need all three sticks of memory in one channel to be the same make/model, but can I use something different for the second channel? I currently have the old TR3X6G1600C8D Dominator model, 3x2GB, I'd like to grab another 3x2 kit but it's near impossible to find the same one, I see that the CMP6GX3M3A1600C8 is the newer version and it looks like a decent price, should that mix fine with what I have already?

**Jojimbo** · 2012-11-01 07:36

So long as the voltages are the same it should just be that the faster RAM will slow itself down to the slowest RAM when mixing sets. They look like they have the same everything, so should work fine together without either slowing down.

**Adajer** · 2012-11-01 10:43

I ordered a Samsung 830 128gb today. I currently have a 500gb HD with my OS on it. I am skeptical about putting my OS on the SSD since I am content with my current boot speed. I plan to put BF3, FFXIV ARR, and maybe WoW on the SSD depending on how much space will be left. I have a few questions.

1.) I already know to unplug the HD and set the SSD to AHCI if I do choose to put my OS on it. My question is, after I put the OS on the drive, will I need to register my copy of Windows 7 again? I have an OEM and I already registered it a few weeks ago when I built my PC.

2.) Should I put my video card drivers or any drivers in general on my SSD? Should I put firefox on my SSD?

3.) If i choose to put my OS on the SSD should I/can I delete it off my HD?

4.) How much space does Windows 7 take? I read someone say they had 119gb actual space left on their 830 128gb.

Thanks

**Jojimbo** · 2012-11-01 12:45

1.) Yes, you'll need the registry key you used to register your current copy, it'll be fine so long as you aren't using both copies at the same time.

2.) Browsers yes, they don't take up much space (although I do have 256GB, so plenty of room to spare). Drivers are up to you, I put mine on the SSD but I doubt there's a lot in it.

3.) There's no reason to keep it, however deleting windows is a pita because of security/ownership issues so formatting is often the easiest way (depending on how much data you want to keep you can create a partition, move all the backup data onto it, format the original partition with the OS on it and then delete it + extend new partition with back ups).
You can delete the stuff manually but you have to mess around with ownership of the folders so you can get permission to actually delete the files.

4.) Windows takes up <15GB with a few tweaks, so there's no reason not to put OS/Browsers and commonly used programs into an SSD. 119GB usable sounds right (my 256GB has 238GB usable), this is because OS and drive manufacturers measure capacity differently (for storage 1000 bytes = 1 kb, for OS 1024 bytes = 1 kb)

**Adajer** · 2012-11-01 13:33

Thanks. One more question. For programs I currently have on my HDD that I will put on SSD(BF3 WoW etc.). Can I copy and paste those to the SSD? or do they have to be installed directly into the SSD?

**Isiolia** · 2012-11-01 14:12

Originally Posted by Adajer

Thanks. One more question. For programs I currently have on my HDD that I will put on SSD(BF3 WoW etc.). Can I copy and paste those to the SSD? or do they have to be installed directly into the SSD?

Probably need to reinstall them unless you use disk cloning software to move your Windows install over. In that case just makes sure the drive letter is the same. For some stuff, what you can do is just install from the disc so that the proper registry info is written, dlls registered, and so on, and then copy/paste the more patched previous installation to save on update time.

Addressing your previous questions - you absolutely should install Windows and day to day apps like web browsers to an SSD. While the transfer speeds are excellent too, a big part of what makes SSDs really stand out is their access times. Your OS and small apps are frequently bouncing around to check settings, write logs, and so on. It's not just a boot time thing. Games, on the other hand, tend to only see a benefit in reducing initial load times for maps/etc.

**Adajer** · 2012-11-01 18:11

I have been hearing about Norton Ghost. I think it comes with my SSD. Does it work reliably or should I just fresh install?

**Isiolia** · 2012-11-01 22:16

You may have issues unless you have less than 128GB on your boot drive already. When I went from a 120GB OCZ Vertex II to a 256GB Samsung 830, I used Clonezilla, which is a free utility that does much the same thing as Ghost. Worked fine, but I had no issue with the contents of the old drive not fitting on the new.

If you bought the "upgrade" package of the 830 then you should have gotten Ghost with it (and 3.5" adapter bracket, SATA cable, etc). If you bought the barebones "laptop" package like I did, then you get the Samsung utility disc and not much else. IMO, if you have the space to move stuff over, then you might as well try it. Worst case it doesn't image right and you have to format anyway, but if it works you save a lot of time.

**RKenshin** · 2012-11-02 14:19

Originally Posted by Adajer

Thanks. One more question. For programs I currently have on my HDD that I will put on SSD(BF3 WoW etc.). Can I copy and paste those to the SSD? or do they have to be installed directly into the SSD?

If I recall correctly, because WoW has no registry settings, you can actually just copy and paste the entire folder and be OK (so long as the drive letter is the same?).

**Adajer** · 2012-11-02 19:12

Edit: All seems to have been remedied. I am still curious to why my ffxiv benchmark scores were so low and why they got lower than my original score.

**Mojo** · 2012-11-03 00:22

You guys mind helping me select a new phone? I'd like to invest in my first smartphone. After looking over a few plans, http://www.virginmobileusa.com/cell-...lans/overview/ this one looks like a good match for me. It's about what I'm paying now for my dinosaur phone. I lose unlimited minutes, but gain unlimited data. I do use my phone often but I don't think I exceed 300 minutes per month. There are a variety of phones complaint with this package, but I'm like a child walking into a movie halfway through when it comes to this.

**Johnblaze** · 2012-11-04 11:50

My wife's laptop is on the way out. Blue screening and what not it's been running really slow. She really does need to get a new one. She spend about $1k last time. Not looking to spend that amount. I'm tryin to update it from Vista to 7 (Which i've tried to do for her before but she complained enough so I didn't do it) and it's not even reading the DVD right. All she really needs to be able to do is play The Sims 3 or SimCity5 (When it comes out) outside of that she really just needs it for school work and surfing the internet. Any suggestions? Not really in the know about what's good laptop wise these days.

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