VF-19 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Another possibly stupid question: I had my PC apart last night to check some things before I order my upgrade parts, and while cleaning out the CPU fan and heatsink (4 years of dust) I "discovered" that the heatsink isn't fastened on nearly as tightly as I thought, and it came totally off, and I got a bit of the thermal compound on my finger. Do I need to remove and reapply the thermal compound? As there's now a bit less than there was, and it's "contaminated" by my finger touching it. And there's probably air gaps etc. And it is just cheap OEM white stuff, I could upgrade to Arctic Silver while I'm at it. Yup, wipe it off with some 99% Rubbing alcohol, let the heatsink and CPU dry off, and then put a small rice sized bead onto the surface of the CPU itself. Clamp on the heatsink. Oh, and if you have one of the old Athlons, the CPU core itself is rather exposed, so be VERY careful when you re-install the heatsink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 No problem there, Pentium 4 Northwood---only thing exposed is the big shiny heatspreader. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 No problem there, Pentium 4 Northwood---only thing exposed is the big shiny heatspreader. Oh good. My poor heart always skips beats whenever I have to replace my heatsink/fan on my old Athlon... Sooner or later... CRACK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Yup, wipe it off with some 99% Rubbing alcohol, let the heatsink and CPU dry off, and then put a small rice sized bead onto the surface of the CPU itself. Clamp on the heatsink. Oh, and if you have one of the old Athlons, the CPU core itself is rather exposed, so be VERY careful when you re-install the heatsink. This sounds like the method for applying Artic Silver...You do have AS right David? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 No, I currently have no paste at all on hand. Been reading about AS 5 vs AS Ceramique. Trying to decide which one to add to my graphics card order. Now, from what I can tell, the P4 Northwood runs cooler than the P4 Prescott, and mine is totally stock and I plan to keep it that way, unless I see a great need/advantage to try to overclock it to 3.0 or so in the future. Motherboard and stand-alone CPU temp programs don't agree. Motherboard always says 39C/100F or so idling, everywhere else says 88F idling and agree with each other. Do I trust the motherboard, or stand-alone? CPU heatsink is (I think) Intel's own---very simple design, perfect rectangle of pure aluminum, with even, straight fins. Basically a cube with straight slots cut out, no pattern/design at all. CPU fan is Cooler Master/Delta, like all the fans in my PC. 70mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 AS5 would be better. I would avoid overclocking if you are using a manufacturer-made specific, IIRC that's what you had. Save the overclocking for something custom built, where you have more control over the cooling. Most likely you do have a stock heatsink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kensei Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 Just wanted if you guys knew if Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR is A2DP compliant? I just bought a pair of Logitech Freepulse Wireless headphones, and I was hoping to use the Stack (don't even know what that means) on my Tablet PC rather than the adapter that was supplied with the headphones. I heard that anything after 1.2 was A2Dp compliant by default, but I can't really know for sure. I'm having problems connecting the bluetooth device. The computer detects it, I've entered the right passkey, but it refuses to connect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emajnthis Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 (edited) Just wanted if you guys knew if Bluetooth 2.0 with EDR is A2DP compliant? I just bought a pair of Logitech Freepulse Wireless headphones, and I was hoping to use the Stack (don't even know what that means) on my Tablet PC rather than the adapter that was supplied with the headphones. I heard that anything after 1.2 was A2Dp compliant by default, but I can't really know for sure. I'm having problems connecting the bluetooth device. The computer detects it, I've entered the right passkey, but it refuses to connect. From my experience bluetooth 2.0 is the standard but the device using that standard would have to state that it is A2DP also, otherwise it won't work. Bluetooth 2.0 is native for a one speaker or one ear headset, where as A2DP specifies that bluetooth 2.0 is compliant with 2 speaker headsets. For instance, my phone is bluetooth 2.0 but not A2DP so i can only use one ear headsets on it. Also EDR is a part of the Bluetooth 2.0 standard when it upgraded from 1.2; it's often advertised as something extra for marketing when it is in fact industry standard. Edited March 6, 2007 by emajnthis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryHolmes Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Very basic questions from a mostly-basic PC user. I'm considering upgrading to a brand-new Media Centre PC so I can hook it up to my big-screen HDTV and use that as a monitor. Is there any advantage to getting a graphics card that can output in DVI as well as VGA? My TV has both DVI and VGA inputs, so is there any difference between using them as far as monitors go? How does Windows Vista use Media Centre? I'm trying to get it so I can watch TV or a DVD in one program and surf the net on the other (yes, I'm a neurotic multitasker), which I can't do just by plugging in my PC to my TV's VGA input and the cable input into another (it's always annoying to cycle between inputs on the fly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I'm considering upgrading to a brand-new Media Centre PC so I can hook it up to my big-screen HDTV and use that as a monitor. Is there any advantage to getting a graphics card that can output in DVI as well as VGA? My TV has both DVI and VGA inputs, so is there any difference between using them as far as monitors go? How does Windows Vista use Media Centre? I'm trying to get it so I can watch TV or a DVD in one program and surf the net on the other (yes, I'm a neurotic multitasker), which I can't do just by plugging in my PC to my TV's VGA input and the cable input into another (it's always annoying to cycle between inputs on the fly). DVI is newer (digital) and slowly being found on newer graphics cards. VGA is older (analog), much older, but more commonly found. You can take advantage of DVI assuming your TV is able to take advantage of it. Simply put, DVI is only as good as your TV or monitor. If you're worried, go with VGA. Most current TVs should handle it just fine, but as always, your mileage may vary. You'll want to look at Vista Home Premium edition. This contains the Media Center software. You will probably need a tuner card if you wish to watch TV and use your computer concurrently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoryHolmes Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 You'll want to look at Vista Home Premium edition. This contains the Media Center software. You will probably need a tuner card if you wish to watch TV and use your computer concurrently. Can you give examples of tuner cards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Jenius Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I'm sad. I just bought one of the last great AGP cards. *sigh* It was a good slot... /sniff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akilae Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I'm sad. I just bought one of the last great AGP cards. *sigh* It was a good slot... /sniff Which one might that be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Can you give examples of tuner cards? This is just one of hundreds: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16815116620 They come as PCI cards, USB/Firewire addons, and as a few others. I would stick with the PCI cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Well, I have tracking numbers for my new power supply and RAM, RAM should get here first. Waiting for Newegg to ship everything else. (DVD drive, graphics card, AS 5) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 One warning about AS5. It can carry an electrical charge, so make absolutely sure that it is where it is supposed to be. It's a small risk, but it can have expensive consequences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I plan to be careful---and was one of the reasons I was thinking about going with AS ceramique instead. is AS 5 thin enough I have to worry about it dripping or oozing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I plan to be careful---and was one of the reasons I was thinking about going with AS ceramique instead. is AS 5 thin enough I have to worry about it dripping or oozing? It won't drip or ooze on it's own. The main problem is when people put too much on their CPU, and when you clamp down on the heatsink, it oozes out around the corners of the CPU, which of course, has lots of things that shouldn't get a short... Since the P4 has a heat spreader, your best bet is to put a small rice grain sized amount on the center of the heat spreader, and then clamp down the heatsink. When you boot up for the first time, assuming it's available, go to your bios' temperature monitoring section and watch the CPU temperature for a few minutes. If it's running high, shut down and start all over again (remove heatsink, clean heatsink & CPU, re-apply AS5...) I did this method with my Athlon 64, and it's running nice and cold. With my athlon XP, I put a small amount on the CPU itself, and used a spare buisness card to spread it around the CPU itself. Worked great too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kensei Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 From my experience bluetooth 2.0 is the standard but the device using that standard would have to state that it is A2DP also, otherwise it won't work. Bluetooth 2.0 is native for a one speaker or one ear headset, where as A2DP specifies that bluetooth 2.0 is compliant with 2 speaker headsets. For instance, my phone is bluetooth 2.0 but not A2DP so i can only use one ear headsets on it. Also EDR is a part of the Bluetooth 2.0 standard when it upgraded from 1.2; it's often advertised as something extra for marketing when it is in fact industry standard. Thanks. I fixed it by installing a new driver, v5. Now my headphones are playing without the dongle....but sometimes its finicky. I think it's attributed to the bloody fact that the WiFi and the Bluetooth are both radio? And they are both at the same frequency? Would that cause interference with each other? Eventually I will get both to work at the same time, but sometimes starting and restarting just plain annoys me. Windows Defender is starting to annoy me too. It always thinks that the computer is making major changes when the bluetooth monitor comes on. I'm thinking of uninstalling it. I got Zonealarm and AVG Free lately, and had managed to do fine with that for two years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 It won't drip or ooze on it's own. The main problem is when people put too much on their CPU, and when you clamp down on the heatsink, it oozes out around the corners of the CPU, which of course, has lots of things that shouldn't get a short... *snip* Arctic Silver application instructions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I have read the application instructions several times (I enjoy reading instructions, unlike some people--referring to the manual is always the first thing I do, rather than a last resort) PS--my new RAM just arrived, have to let it warm up first. Have already removed the modem, will disconnect my CD drive (will still have my DVD drive), hopefully that'll be enough until my new power supply arrives, if I don't do anything more than browse the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Got my new powersupply today, so I could put everything else in. BTW, the old PS did NOT like the power drain the new RAM caused. After about 20 mins, it'd start buzzing so I'd have to shutdown. So I was using the PC in 20 minute "spurts" for the past 2 days. They were right when they said my PC's factory supply couldn't handle many add-ons. (but with RAM being notoriously finicky, I wasn't going to change the RAM around again just for 2 days when I got it operating in dual-channel across all 4 slots) So I have my new RAM in, my new power supply, new DVD drive, and my new graphics card---that's going to take a while to tweak. I swear my "smooth scrolling" feature is worse though, can't imagine how/why. PS---my graphics card is now the only card I have on the entire motherboard. I had to use a slot plate from my last PC to cover up where the old modem was. However--with my graphics card now being much more powerful than the old one, and passively cooled---perhaps I should just leave the opening in the back of the case where the modem was open, just for airflow/circulation? Or maybe upgrade the case fan. (I haven't even actually USED the graphics card for 3D yet, won't know how hot it gets for a while) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 PS---my graphics card is now the only card I have on the entire motherboard. I had to use a slot plate from my last PC to cover up where the old modem was. However--with my graphics card now being much more powerful than the old one, and passively cooled---perhaps I should just leave the opening in the back of the case where the modem was open, just for airflow/circulation? Or maybe upgrade the case fan. (I haven't even actually USED the graphics card for 3D yet, won't know how hot it gets for a while) You can leave the slot open but it would be better if you had air blowing on it. Upgrading the case fan probably would not give you much improvement. Unless you are using a 120mm fan, most others will only marginally improve things. If your case uses 80mm fans, any improvement will add to how loud your system is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Case fan is a 92mm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Well, one thing you could do is try to wire the inside of your computer in such a way that it doesn't interfere with the airflow through your case. The other would be to cut a 120 mm hole in the case side panel over the graphics card and install a 120mm fan to blow directly down over the graphics card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 I did the best I could with the wiring when I put in the new power supply today, but every power supply nowadays includes enough cabling to do a half-dozen hard drives and graphics cards, there's more stuff in there now than before. (modular cabling seems rare, none of the powersupplies I really wanted had it) Have most of it tucked to one side/area, shouldn't be too different from before. Makes me wonder why there's no such thing (AFAIK) as a case fan that is mounted on a PCI slot, and exhausts through their slots in the case. I currently have NO cards in my PCI slots, yet the AGP card is right above them. It'd be the perfect spot for a nice little supplemental fan. (of course, if I wanted more fans/noise/cooling, I would have just bought the fan-cooled version of that graphics card) PS--does any case have low-mounted fan options? Every multi-fan case I've seen just have multiple ones all in the "traditional" area, and not "below the graphics card, where it'd be useful". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB0 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Makes me wonder why there's no such thing (AFAIK) as a case fan that is mounted on a PCI slot, and exhausts through their slots in the case. I currently have NO cards in my PCI slots, yet the AGP card is right above them. It'd be the perfect spot for a nice little supplemental fan. I've seen them for sale. I have serious doubts as to their effectiveness, as well as noise level. 'Sides, with a passively cooled VGA card, you'd want the slot cooler bringing air in and blowing it over the video card heatsink. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Most of the PCI slot fans draw air out. There are a few that blow air or circulate air around. I used them when they started appear on mass market, but in the end, I found that it offered me little in terms of cooling since I had good cable management and most of the hot air I was dealing with came from the power supply. But it might work for you. But if you are trying to minimize noise, I agree with JB0. I don't see much effectiveness in reducing noise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF-19 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 One last thing came to mind: You can, in most cases, attach a fan to the heatsink on the videocard. If you're really worried about how hot your videocard gets, why don't you open up your case, and aim an infared thermometer (aka a phaser) at the card while running 3dmark05 for a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight26 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Here's a question I have narrowed down my choices on what I want and where I want to get it, but does anyone know how good, or bad the computers built by Fry's Electronics are? I've heard good and bad about them from various sources. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 Here's a question I have narrowed down my choices on what I want and where I want to get it, but does anyone know how good, or bad the computers built by Fry's Electronics are? I've heard good and bad about them from various sources. Doesn't Fry's sell pre-made systems (ala HP, Toshiba, Gateway, Costco, etc) like most other stores? If that's the case, then it's down to which ever company you get. Of course, Fry's also sells the individual parts so you can make it yourself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight26 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I've seen also that they make in store computers too, they have one on their website and the only problem I have with it is the video card Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I've seen also that they make in store computers too, they have one on their website and the only problem I have with it is the video card Which one are you looking at? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knight26 Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I'm thinking this machine: http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5139636 But would prefer the 7950GT video card Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azrael Posted March 12, 2007 Share Posted March 12, 2007 I'm thinking this machine: http://shop2.outpost.com/product/5139636 But would prefer the 7950GT video card You are welcome to add-in the 7950GT. But.....A 7950GT might be not be the best choice since it is a DirectX 9 card. We are on DirectX 10 but we are still a ways from actually seeing it in use. As for the rest of it, most of the parts are things you can get separately, like the motherboard: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16813127013 I would say that system is probably as good as something someone builds themselves, minus a few little things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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