XFX GeForce GT 240 512MB Video Card

[URL=;http://www.dealstudio.com/searchdeals.php?type=id&q=d170466&ru=27701012;]The XFX GT240XYHFC GeForce GT 240 512MB video card[/URL] features a 2.0 x 16 PCI express interface, 128-bit memory interface, core clock of 550MHz and 2560 x 1600max resolution.
After rebate,for $50bucks!

My System:

This morning when I turn on my laptop (which is Acer, WinXP SP3, no CD-ROM), I've got this message:

;Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: WINDOWSSYSTEM32CONFIGSYSTEM


Last night my laptop is being used by my nephew, so I don't know exactly what the hell is he doing with my laptop (i mean, install games, application or doing hardware changes, etc).
I already surf for any information about this problem and I guess the article I found here:


http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307...


is useful and of course helpful.
But, the problem is I don't have the original XP CD.
I also don't have a CD-ROM (cd driver) since I am using laptop as I mentioned before.
By any chances, can I repair it without using original cd nor CD-ROM? Or can I repair it using alternative method such as booting from USB (I already have a bootable USB winXP sp3, but not the original one) .If it possible, can some one give the instruction on how to repair it.


Thanks a lot.

Tom Tom has renamed my street

today ive noticed that my tomtom has decided to rename the street i live on...

no honest its not a joke, for the last 2 yeatrs ive had it its shown the correct street name but this morning,,, well take a look at the pictures and see what it thinks the street name is now...

this isnt a photoshop by the way its real

any ideas why or how this can happen.?

(ps ive scrubbed the lats and longs etc)..

Quick question about something in game not sure

Hey gotta quick question i gotta 4890 and im seeing something weird in game smoke cloud in call of duty 4 not sure what it is so if you know let me know thanks.

another thing cant be of heat

attached image below
gpu temp
idle:38
Load:59

specs:
x4 965 3.8
xfx 4890
3.5gb ram
320gb hdd

App to make my own KDE based Theme?

i am using Mint 9 KDE version

Is there an app to create my own KDE based theme? I'm looking for something that gives me full control on colors, menu styles, toolbars the works - possibly even including all system windows, system sounds ect - a total Mint makeover.
This would be an app that would let me package the theme and distribute it.

There are apps like this all over the Windows world..
I assume there would be some for Linux too but I don't know where to look for such - I haven't seen any in the repos.

nVidia Optimus - Any way to manually switch between GPUs?

Apologies if this is an intensely stupid question and I've missed something blatantly simple, but so far I haven't been able to figure it out.
I just got the Asus N43 (i5 460M, nVidia 435M), and while I see an option in the context menu to launch an application directly on the discrete graphics unit, and I suspect it would also automatically switch to it under load (haven't yet hat the time to try a game out on it), I haven't found any option to switch between integrated and discrete manually and independently of applications.
Like, if I'd just like to have it running on the 435M all the time for whatever reasons.
Power4Gear lists some power plans for the Intel integrated graphics, and there's also a dedicated control panel for it running in my taskbar, but neither seem to have any options to switch to the dedicated nVidia GPU.

So where should I be looking?

Lenovo Refurbished x100e Quality

Hello

I'm in shop for a new netbook and my eyes just fall on thinkpad x100e for everyday uses...

After doing many researches on eBay, I've found a refurbished x100e for about $300 and UPS free shipping ...
Is this really a good price? or just add another $100 and getting the new one from amazon? (I consider it too much since I've another laptop)

http://www.amazon.com/Lenovo-Thinkpa...1&sr=8-1-spell

should I worry about the quality of the laptop since this is my 1st time to buy a refurbished laptop?


Thank You

Second hard drive not detected

Actually i have a SATA 1.5gbps , 40gb installed on my pc.
I recently ordered a ;seagate 7200.12 500gb sata 3gbps.

I connected the hard drive but the neither the bios nor xp is detecting it.
My motherboard supports SATA 2, and also i have gx550 watt cooler master psu.

I tried everything but still nothing detected.
I changed the sata ports but the older one is detected everytime, but the new one doesnt get detected.


I even updates my bios to latest version, please tell me wat is the problem.

My cables are not damaged, can the hard drive be faulty, or i m missing something...

Did anyone here get invited to Battlefield Play4Free beta??

If not, you can sign up right here
Battlefield Play4Free

I just signed up and if anyone did get invited and have played it, is it any good?

Lets make an old school VIDOCK

Its awesome that we've got everything figured out on the mPCI-E and expresscard to full PCI-E, but I want to pursue something for older laptops.
Basically I think for some people it would be very useful to build some things with PCI cards that have less standard video outputs, such as TTL or LVDS native to LCD panels.

Can we connect a desktop PCI card directly to PCMCIA cardbus?

I know it should probably work.
The only thing I want to figure out is what I can get that will be easy enough to solder this to PCI Riser Ribbon Card 32bit Extender Adapter Flex Cable - eBay (item 280530000049 end time Dec-31-10 10:57:21 PST)
And what kind of power it needs...

Thoughts, comments, etc?

Graphics Cards Comparison Question

Can someone please tell me which is better?
If possible list in order from best to worst?
ATI 5850 Mobility vs 8800m GTX/9800m GT vs 260m GTX vs 280m GTX

Bad Company 2 Friends

Nothing is funner than playing BC2 with a buddy, so why not start a thread where we can all share our in-game names and add eachother to our friends lists.

Add Yourself to the NBR BF:BC2 Friends List Here

NBR BF:BC2 Friends List

***Teamspeak NBR BC2 Server Thanks to htwingnut***


Quote:





Originally Posted by htwingnut


Ok, I went ahead and created a server for one month.
We'll see how it goes.

I will be admin for this month since I paid for it.
Plus I want to figure out how all this works.
I will make all users Server Group Normal users.
I chose server location of St.
Louis, MO since it's somewhat central to the USA.
Voice comms aren't super critical for ping, but it would be nice if we don't have super lag.

It seems TeamSpeak 3 uses one-time tokens to establish permissions and allow connections.
So far I don't see a server password except unless you're a server admin.
Keep in mind that these are "ONE TIME USE" tokens.
Once you connect with it, it's gone, but it will basically key in your PC (or instance of TS3) to your user permissions every time you start TS3 from there on out.

*** Please read everything below CAREFULLY! ***

Joining NBR Teamspeak 3 Server:

If you want to join the NBR TeamSpeak 3 Server you will have to meet three simple criteria in order for me to create a key for you:

(1) PM me here @ NBR (HTWingNut) with subject something related to Bad Company 2 and Teamspeak 3 (or BC2 TS3 @ NBR, whatever - just no "hey you" subjects so I know what it is!).
If you will be playing on more than one PC, then let me know how many, so I can issue you unique keys for each PC.

(2) Join ViciousXUSMC's NBR Bad Company 2 Friend's List:
http://spreadsheets.google.com/a/vic...VE9tcmZCR3c6MA

(3) You must be an active NBR member, and have at least contributed positively in some fashion.

Downloading, Installing, and Connecting to Teamspeak 3 NBR:

You can get TeamSpeak 3 for free at http://www.teamspeak.com.
Please click on the "Downloads" link at the top of their page (upper right).
Download the proper 32 or 64-bit client depending on your OS.

When I return your PM, I will include the TS3 server address along with your "one-time token".
You will use this token which will establish your permissions.

Once you start TS3, click "connect", you will type in
- the server address
- port number (9114)
- your chosen user name (please use either NBR or BC2 username just to help us out thanks.
)
- no server password required
- click the "more" button
- in the "one-time token" field copy and paste the token I PM to you in that field.
- click "connect"

The way I see this working is anyone can text or voice chat in the "Bad Company 2" channel.
But once you establish who is playing where, join the appropriate "Game 1", "Game 2" , etc channel.
I just don't want players playing different maps and getting confused with the cross chatter.

I'm sure there will be better ways, and enabling permissions for everyone to create their own channel, etc.
But I will work that out over time.

Users I have added (NBR Username / BF BC2 Username):
HTWingNut / LordHelmet

Inspiron 1545 Mouse Cursor

Having installed the Dell Bluetooth 365 module, I am able to use a Bluetooth mouse.
An issue arises when I'm on the go and want to use the touchpad.
After turning off the mouse, the touchpad is unresponsive for up to two minutes before I can move the cursor.
Then because I opened Word 2010 (or for no apparent reason at all), the touchpad goes dead and have no cursor until I get out the Bluetooth mouse or plug in a USB one.
The Dell touchpad driver is set to disable the touchpad if a mouse is connected.
OS is Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit.

Envy 15 i5 vs i7? What gaming performance difference will I see?

What the topic says.
Going to buy an Envy 15 and was wondering what kind of performance increase I will see from an

Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-460M Dual Core Processor (2.53 GHz, 3MB L3 Cache)

vs an

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache)

Thanks.

Mid-Range Gaming

I'd like to spend $1,500 or less
Looking for 15.6" or less

I am looking for it to be usable in a business setting and also to play World of Warcraft on medium/medium high.

I'm not too concerned with screen resolution and/or battery life.

I have this computer in consideration:
Envy 14, i5-560, 4gb ram, ATI 5650

Will this work, should I look at anything esle?

Thanks!

Need a little help deciding: TimelineX vs XPS15

Hey fellas, need some help deciding here.
I have around $800 to spend on a laptop, and I've narrowed it down to 2 I believe unless someone can throw something else in the mix.


Situation, I have ordered a Dell XPS 15 (L501X) on CyberMonday, so I got a pretty good deal on it.
Since ordering (Limited amount of research prior to), I've found the Acer TimelineX AS4820TG-7805 that I really like.
Here are the Specs:

TimelineX AS4820TG-7805
Intel Core i5 460M(2.53GHz)
14" HD Screen
4GB Memory DDR3 1066
320GB HDD 5400rpm
DVD Super Multi
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5650 + Intel HD
$749

Dell XPS15 L501X
Intel Core i5 460M(2.53GHz)
15.6" 720p screen
4GB Memory DDR3 1066
500GB 7200RPM
DVD Super Multi
nVidia GeForce GT420M 1GB w/ Optimus
$686

The Dell is scheduled to be here this week.
I know that the 5650 is a better card for gaming, etc, and I know that the styling of the TimelineX better suits my personal style.


I guess my question is, which is the better system for Gaming and Video Editing? We have a HD Video Camera which I'll be doing some video editing/encoding (entry level stuff), Photoshop work, and just daily tasks with some gaming on the side.


I have a 12.7mm Slimline Panasonic Blu-Ray Burner here waiting to install as well.

Thoughts?

Pictures of X200AFFS-X200 equipped with Flexview screen

Several people asked me to take photo of my X200 equipped with Flexview screen, and today I finally have the time to take some pictures.
For those wondering, the model number of the screen is HV121WX4-100, and the manufacturer is BOE-Hydis.
I was lucky to buy the screen from a guy who sold it separately.
This screen is only available for tablets.
However, the seller of the screen I'm using said that he got the screen directly from BOE-Hydis themselves, before the tablet manufacturers put a digitizer on it.
I just did a search on ebay, and several of these screens come up.
My advice is to AVOID THE SCREENS WITH DIGITIZER.
The digitizer, based on what I know, is securely attached to the back of the LCD, and you will risk damaging the screen by trying to take it off.
Believe me, I've been there before.
Just keep looking on ebay for a while, and you may see a barebone screen like the one I bought.
With that said, here are the pictures, enjoy

IdeaPad U260 -anyone interested?

Is anyone else interested in the U260? Has anyone ordered one or even better, had a chance to use one first hand?

I'm close to pulling the trigger but I've yet to see any reviews and there's two things that I'm a little hesitant about:
1.
Keyboard - I l like the chicklet keyboard but I have zero tolerance for any keyboard flex.

2.
During a chat session, a Lenovo rep told me the U260 did not have a user replaceable battery.
Since it's only rated at 4 hours, this seems like a deal killer - especially since I would use this much of the time as a portable media device.

Thoughts?

X7200 nvidia 3d vision problem

i got acer gd245hq and stereoscopic glasses
but both clevo stock 257.30 and 259.51 no 3d driver
have tried those 3d driver from other version but get black screen...even BSOD
will the 260.99 work?is there any beginner tutorial for modding inf so i can get it installed?

Kinda strange

This never happened before but today when I turn my Sony notebook I noticed the fan was on full power right away even the room was around 68F.
But when I when to standby mode then of cource the fan turned off then when I wake the computer the fan is working as normal.
I just wondered why did the fan use full power for more than 30 min after I turn on my computer this morning even the room was not hot at all or the computer.

Steam Games Deals

Steam Games Deals
last updated: 11/24/10

This thread is dedicated to Steam's deals.
I'll update it as necessary.

British prices are reflected in the parentheses.

The Holiday season is upon us, so expect some good sales.
Take a look at Steam's homepage and/or the last couple of pages in this thread for updates on sales/deals.


From 11/24 thru 11/29: Thankgiving Sale Deals!
The Give and Get Sale! LINKY


Quote:




The "Give & Get" Sale starts today and ends Tuesday, November 30.
Each day during the sale there will be huge savings on featured games and large game packs that are perfect for gift-giving throughout the holidays.
In the spirit of giving, each day of the sale, Valve will be awarding 30 users with the top five games on their wishlists.
To become eligible to win, simply load up your own wishlist with ten or more items now.






Sam & Max The Devil's Playhouse - Reg.
34.99, Sale $10.50
R.U.S.E - Reg.
$49.99, Sale $33.49
Counterstrike: Source - Reg.
$19.99, Sale $5.00
The Deus Ex Collection - Reg.
$19.98, Sale $4.99
Indie Energy Pack - Reg.
$49.95, Sale $4.99
Alpha Protocol - Reg.
$29.99, Sale $7.50
Prototype - Reg.
$29.99, Sale $14.99
Borderlands - Reg.
$19.99, Sale $9.99
Shank - Reg.
$14.99, Sale $10.04

10/24 Gift Pack Deals: LINKY
Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition - Game of the Year Edition - 8-Pack - $11.99
Borderlands - $39.99 for 6 Games
Half-Life 2 - $19.99 for 10 Games
R.U.S.E.
- $149.99 for 6 Games

Credit: Cin'


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Ongoing

ATI Owners: Get Half-Life 2: Lost Coast and Half-Life 2: Deathmatch for free by signing up with Steam.
Source: ATi Steam Offer

NVIDIA Owners: Get Portal: First Slice, Half-Life 2: Lost Coast, Half-Life 2: Deathmatch, and Peggle Extreme for free by signing up with Steam.
Source: Portal: First Slice is free for all NVIDIA Gamers

Free games on Steam: Some require Source SDK(Source engine) which you can only get if you buy a Source game
Source:Free Steam games list - Steam Users' Forums

Lenovo 3000N100 Power Problem

Does anyone know regarding power problem of Lenovo 3000N100? When I start my laptop connected with power cord connected, it just dies in couple of seconds before booting.

About few weeks ago, I just upgraded memory from 1GB to 2GB, not sure if that is related as it did work for few weeks with new memory upgrade.
Thanks.

College Laptop

So, getting ready for college.
I know for sure there will be the epic battle between "Macbook Pro vs the World"

I've already narrowed down my list to the following laptops:
1.
Alienware M15x
2.
Macbook Pro 15"
3.
Lenovo T410

The only other manufacturer I am willing to consider is Toshiba or Asus.
Will not touch anything else.
No HP, no MSI, nothing like that.


The Alienware
I REALLY like the power of the alienware, and for the same price as a mac, it carries triple the power.
However, I know the battery life will be miserable, which will not do for college.

The MBP
The ONLY reason I can ever think of owning a Macbook Pro is battery life.
Supposedly, it gets the best battery life in its class.
But its too weak to use IMO.


The T410
I've grown up on thinkpads, and I think this is the best compromise between the two.
It's also the cheapest.
I'm fairly confident that these are tough rigs that are capable of college life.
However, there just not powerful enough


My main question: can I mod the M15x enough to get battery life close enough to the MBP? I mean like undervolting the CPU, lowering brightness, etc.
Also between the 3, which one should I get? I plan on doing CPU intensive tasks, as well as some gaming.

Open to Suggestions

This is the second time I've started a thread.
First time ended up with me happy(ish) with an Asus.
After it was broken (long story, computer repair shop gone bad) I got a netbook to tide me over.
I've been tided (this thing is killing me) and I'm currently looking at the XPS14 and the M11x.
As I see it both of these are overkill for what I'd be doing >80% of the time, but I don't see that as an issue.
Before I pull the trigger, I wanted to consult the gurus.
Please, oh great ones, feel free to point out how wrong I am...

General Questions

1) What is your budget?
1k +/- 200 dollars.
Cheaper is always better.

2) What size notebook would you prefer?

b.
Ultraportable; 11" - 12

SZ seems dead, can't get to bios, screen blank... help?

Hopefully this is in the right bit of the forum.
I've looked but can't find the diagnosis of my faults...
Which are these:

Led's flash and starts up, checks dvd, then goes nowhere.

Screen stays black.
No bios, and no vaio bleepy noise thing.

When it died it had fuzzy lines across the screen in two bands and froze.
Rebooting got half way into windows when the same happened.
Since then it is dead basically.

In the past the screen went dark and I replaced the daughterboard, since then no problems until this.


As far as I can tell it's the motherboard that is broken, or the graphics card on the motherboard.
Is 'reflowing' the graphics card worth a try?
I suspect I'd just ruin it all more but seemingly out of options.
Any advice most welcome!

Daniel

It's a sz-2xp/c

Boot up issues

Im facing an issue and dont know where to begin.
My computer Blue Lighted the other day and now it wont even turn on.
After it Blue Lighted I ran a Virus (AVG Free Edition) check and came up with nothing.
I also ran Spybot S&D and that came up with nothing, as well.
Well along with the Blue Light came notification that wouldnt stay up long enough to read, split second flash really, and a prompt that windows needed to install something and reboot.

I installed whatever it was that windows wanted to install and it tried to reboot but kept booting up but wouldnt get passed Vaio screen.
Well managed to get passed it by turning the computer off then back on again.
Well after that i ran an Error Checking and it did everything and attempted to restart my computer and now I cant do anything.


My laptop appears to be booting up or acting as such but OS isnt booting up with it.
All my lights are coming on and the fans are running but no screen or noise from laptop at all.
I am not allowed to place it in safe mode to restore from earlier date or anything.
Is there anyone that can offer any assistance?

DIY ViDock Experiences

This page (http://tiny.cc/DIYViDock) is a running summary of this 200+ page thread..DIY ViDockExperiences....NEWS..(12-04-10) T5750-2.0+HD5870 implemented(11-28-10) i7-820M 1.73+HD5570 result^3(11-24-10) RM74-2.2+HD5770 implemented(11-21-10) DIY ViDock Setup v1.0e5 released(11-21-10) PE4H 2.4 available on 11-22(11-18-10) i7-620M 2.66+GTX470@x1.Opt impl.(11-07-10) DA-2 220W AC adapter mod(11-03-10) i7-620M 2.66+HD5770 result^3(10-27-10) i5-520M 2.4+HD6850 implemented.
Introduction - The Let's figure out how to make a DIY ViDock thread has produced a PE4L and a x2-link capable PE4H product, either of which can host a pci-e RAID, soundcard or a desktop video card.
This thread is dedicated to the practical application of these products to host a desktop video card in a notebook.
Ideally a place for users to share installation and performance details for others to duplicate or reference.

* Graw/TWE/MafiaII12" X201t+HD5770
* StarcraftII13"_Dell_M1330+GTX460
* Star Trek Online15"_Macbook Pro+GT240Gaming videos running DIY or Villagetronic ViDock implementationsUS$55 PE4L-EC2C (expresscard) or PE4L-PM3N (mPCIe) products HP Pavilion DV2000: internal LCD driven by GMA950, external LCD by HD4670 on PE4L via expresscard slotHP 2510P: [mPCIe] Swapping wifi card with PM3N via underside coversSony VPC-Z119 running 3 displays: 1 via onboard graphics, 2 via DIY ViDock
A compact US$215 12V/80W HD5750 kit was tested on a 14" T6600-2.2 Inspiron 1440/4500MHD and a 12.1" U7600-1.2@1.6 HP 2510P/X3100.
Even at x1 1.0 link speed, the performance difference b/w X3100/4500MHD and HD5750 is staggering.
T6600-2.2 using a x1E link saw 3dmark06 go from 866 to 9551.
RE5 went from an unplayable 4.1FPS to a very playabe 60.9FPS.
U7600-1.2@1.6 using a x1 link saw 3dmark06 go from 586 to 7341, RE5 went from an unplayable 3.4fps to a very playable 44.8fps in Win7/DX9.
Even a low end CPU provides gaming ability.

If you run Win7 exclusively it is very easy to enable HD5750 graphics without a reboot.
Just standby the system, plug in the PE4L, resume, Win7 detects the HD5750 and reverts back to how you have your desktop setup (eg: HD5750 as primary or extended display).
Easy.

ProsInexpensive: US$65-shipped PE4L with HD5670+72W=US$140, GT430-1GB+72W=US$135,
HD5750+80W=US$215, GTX460-768MB+400W=US$250.
Add US$78 for a x2 capable kit using a PE4H.See 10 times or more increase in video performanceCan have Internal LCD-only setup: NVidia Optimus or Ultramon/Chung-Gun method.Desktop video card can provide additional HDMI video+audio, s-video and VGA outprovide dual-link DVI connection for 2560x1600 LCDsprovide ATI Eyefinity to provide up to 3 LCDs attached to the single card.
ATI 5870 Eyefinity edition providing up to 6 LCDs off a single card(!!)provide NVidia Surround to connect up to 2 LCDs.
Note: NVidia 3D surround requires a SLI setup.Easy, on-demand attachment without a reboot if running Win7Can be reused after a system upgrade, or shared amongst multiple systemsSee an extra 30-60% in performance when attached to an expresscard 2.0 system, or do a x2 1.0 setupProvides an additional USB port when connected to expresscard slotTime-share your desktop video card b/w your desktop and notebook system.Perform CUDA processing for applications that support it like Adobe CS5/Premier [NVidia-gfx only]Ability to use physX/hybrid physX & game detailComponents can become a stepping stone to a full deskop system if want higher performanceConsRequires 12V PSU to drive the desktop video cardrequires an external LCD/CRT/TV to connect to display at highest FPSolder systems may require booting DIY ViDock Setup 1.x from a USB stick or disk imageFAQ

1.
How does a DIY ViDock differ from the commercial Villagetronic ViDock3/4?
Spoiler :



The Villagetronic ViDock 3/4 is in essence a PE4L packaged together in nice chassis with a PSU.
DIY ViDock's flexibility makes it imho an overall better solution over ViDock 3/4.
Consider DIY solution's advantages:significantly cheaper: US$77-delivered PE4L versus US$230 for the ViDock3.
A GTX460-768MB DIY ViDock setup works out to be US$230 cheaper, just over half the cost of an equivalent Vidock4+ GTX460 setup.
Costs can be reduced further by recycling or salvaging power supplies with savings put towards better gpus OR towards a system upgrade that's a better DIY ViDock candidate.less losses to try: can try and if unsatisfied, can resell on ebay with minimal losses.
Villagetronic's strict return policy means higher ebay reselling losses.has DIY ViDock Setup 1.x software to overcome error 12: cannot allocate resources issues.developed the x1E tweak and custom NVidia Optimus drivers to deliver highest possible performance.mPCIe AND expresscard systems are supported.
Villagetronic only caters to expresscard systems.
PCI reset delay circuit to boot past problematic bios with unit switched on (PE4L 1.5+/PE4H 2.4+).x2 capable on some systems: x2 1.0 provides ~60% better performance than x1 1.0.can add PSU to match your video card.has inexpensive DIY ViDock enclosure examples if you want an enclosure.unrestricted video card sizes or cooling space: Not limited by chassis package dimensions.PE4H allows desktop video card to be hosted externally and shared b/w notebook and desktop (@x4 2.0 speed via P4HA).extensive user submitted experiences to replicate and set realistic performance expectations.uses a replacable US$6-delivered mini HDMI interconnect cablea NBR creation: came from a global community to serve a global community


2.
Can I make this work using just my notebook's LCD display?
Spoiler :



The desktop video card outputs to it's HDMI/VGA/DVI connector.
The notebook's LCD display uses a LVDS input on your systemboard with no external jack to connect to it.
Meaning then they cannot be physically connected together unless adapt a US$30 ebay kits allowing external input to the internal LCD as discussed, which only quite an advanced user would ever attempt.

There are however these less drastic ways of getting your accelerated graphics card to render to the internal LCD, all of which will have lower performance than when running using an external LCD:NVidia Optimus driver provide a transparent internal LCD cloning mode for systems with 4500MHD/HD primary video when using a NVidia GTS4xx/GTX4xx card.Ultramon/Chung Gun method can clone from the desktop graphics window to the internal LCD for windowed games/apps.
USB 3.0 framegrabbers have sufficient bandwidth to capture the image from the desktop video card and pipe it back to your notebook's display.It is not feasible to use USB 2.0 framegrabbers.
The desktop video card outputs HDMI/S-Video.
To try to clone the output from the desktop video card via a USB frame grabber can be done, but consider say 1280x800x32-bit = 4MB per image.
If gaming at 30FPS that's 120MB/s bandwidth required.
USB 2.0 is 480Mbps (60MB/s in *best case* scenario..
more like 30MB/s in real-life).


3.
I don't have an expresscard slot.
Can I still do a DIY ViDock?
Spoiler :



Yes, if have an accessible mini pci-e (mPCIe) slot via the underside covers that works with your wifi card then could use a PE4L-PM3N or PE4H-PM3N mPCIe setup.
The example HP 2510P and Lenovo X61T both do a PM3N mPCIe-based DIY ViDock.


NOTE: WWAN mPCIe slots with only USB pins cannot do a DIY VIDock.
USB-to-expresscard adapters cannot be used since it just uses the 480Mbps USB pins.
mini pci slots can't be used.
Can see the difference bw mini pci and mini pci-e here.


4.
(Performance) What affects the performance of a DIY ViDock/ViDock?
Spoiler :



The x1 1.0 pci-e link restricts performance from normal desktop levels.
PCI-E Scaling Analysis shows x16, x2 and x1 performance.
Compared to x16 2.0 we can summarize that there is 50% performance loss at x1 1.0 and 20% performance loss at x2 1.0 link speeds.
Or x2 1.0 is 60% faster than x1 1.0.ViDock and hwtools PE4L are using the same x1 expresscard/mPCIe pins so we will get exactly the same performance using either solution.
Only ways either solution will see improved performance is by:RE5 ConfigResolutionFPSU7600-1.2@1.6HD4670-1GB x1 1.0 W7/DX91280x80034.71280x102432.51680x105027.61920x108025.3Performance Scaling with resolutionpetition ATI to get full duplex performance on Intel chipsets without needing the x1E tweak.
petition NVidia to roll the Optimus performance tweak into their standard desktop driver as shown hereTry 3rd party tweaked drivers.
Realistically only giving < 10% better performance.wait for expresscard 2.0, with it's x1 2.0 providing ~60% faster performance than x1 1.0.Link two x1 expresscard and/or mPCIe ports to get a x2 link, like hwtools' PE4H does.If system supports it, overclock the pci-e bus using setfsb.
Eg: 100->105 yields a 3.3% RE5 FPS increase.minimise pci-e traffic by disabling hypermemory/turbomemory and video card's HDMI soundcard.


5.
(Performance) Can my system do a PE4H x2 or x4 link as shown in PCI-E Scaling Analysis?
Spoiler :



hwtools' PE4H has made provision to allow compatible 2xmPCIe ports, or mPCIe+expresscard ports to be combined to form a x2 port.
To identify what is possible, find your Intel I/O chipset below to identify what ports can be combined to create a x2 or x4 width link.

Intel Chipsetmax#pci-eportsx2 linkx4 linkICH7M4p1+2, p3+4*p1+2+3+4ICH8M/ICH9M/HM556p1+2, p3+4*, p5+6PM55/HM57/QM57/QS578p1+2, p3+4*, p5+6,p7+p8^p1+2+3+4, p5+6+7+82510P's port DV2000's port
*=switches port1+2 into x2 mode.
^switches port5+6 into x2 as well.
An Intel limitation.

Other combinations to get x2/x4 ports such as p1+3, p2+4 do not work! In example above, the 2510P can't do a x2 link since it has only the 1 physical mPCIe slot.
You'll notice on the 2510P port1 is enabled - it's a root port that

Hp ze2308 black screen

Hi guys, hope you can help me.
I have a HP ze2000wm that I was using to set up an access point.
After setting up the access point I got a message that my laptop needed to be restarted.....I selected ;restart now;, then another message appeared on the screen, which I didn't pay attention what it said.
The computer went through the restart function, LED's lit up, hard drive started up, got a beep, but never got anything displayed on the screen.
Plugged in external monitor and it displayed like it should have.
Did some research on what the problems could be..ordered new CCFL and a new inverter board.
Installed them today but still have a black screen (CCFL was hooked up to inverter board, not in it's permanent place for simplicity).
Is there anything else I should check? The display switch that makes the video go blank when lid closes looks ok.
Any tips would be greatly appreciated.
Mrroosky
New Mexico

Gtx 580m?

As some of you may know the GTX 580 ( desktop ) has just been released recently.
OcUK GeForce GTX 580 1536MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card []

however all of the others are currently on pre-order.

how long till we can expect a mobile version?

9800m GS/GT VERY hot

Hi guys,
I use an Asus g50VT-X1 laptop that has either a 9800m GS (as shown when I just updated the driver, as well as the sticker) OR a 9800m GT (as shown by all my gpu programs like GPUZ before the driver update).
Anyhow it runs..
quite hot.


For instance, when I'm playing a game the graphics card can hit up to 105 Celsius.
This seems to throttle the graphics card and drop my fps to around 3.

Even idling yesterday/ Just using AIM and the internet (without videos, generally reading) my GPU stayed in the mid to low 70s.


At this moment, with 1 Internet window open (Chrome) + GPU-Z, I'm getting a temperature of 67 degrees.

I tried to use a few programs, but RivaTuner and SpeedFan don't seem to work (Rivatuner lacks the fan adjustment tab and SpeedFan does not detect any fans).
Expertool gives me some sort of error, due to an incorrect display.

I do not know what company made my graphics card (other than nVidia), otherwise if it is EVGA I may try their program.

This is getting frustrating, getting throttled on a game is NOT fun, especially when it is online.


Anything you guys can offer? Oh, since I did not have any canned air, I used a hair dryer on the cool settings to see if I could dislodge any dust.

Need Suggestions

It is always 'What should I buy?'

So here is what I am looking for:

screen size: 11"-14"
os: linux (only and only linux)
mobility: yes
ram: 4+G (necessity, need to be running database)
hdd: 250/320 G, but looking at price wars - 500 G
life: 4-5 yrs even an expectancy of 3 would do
processor: need advice on AMD and INTEL
brand: not much of like or dislike, its upto availability

That's the minimum, and that would be all I would be needing of it.
With the above being said, I'm not hoping to shoot through a budget.
I'm really confused.
Can't even pick 5-10 of them and choose out of it.
I need some real good input here.

cannot burn any cd plz help

hi
i have VGN-Z46GD,i bought from hong kong
before i could burn cds on my laptop
but now i cannot burn any cd at all
my laptop reads all the cds and dvds
but when i try to burn my cd,it doesn't
i have vista
plz help me to solve this problem

Are laptops meant to be user upgradeable?

My old Dell Studio XPS 1640/45 have had 1 base plate, after removing gives you access to every component (heatsink/fan, CPU, GPU, HDD, ODD, Bluetooth, RAM, WWAN, WIFI, etc.).
I'm really disappointed that more laptops aren't designed like this.
For example, the Samsung QX410 and HP dm4 require you to remove 1 and 2 plates respectively to access just the RAM and HDD.
To access the CPU on the HP you have to literally rip the laptop apart (and remove the motherboard).

Is your laptop easily user upgradeable like the Dell?

PLL Pinmod Overclocking Methods and Examples

WARNING: The information on this thread is for educational purposes and following any instructions may void your warranty and also cause major damage to your notebook.
If you don't know how to monitor system temperature and what the tjmax of your CPU is then please skip this.

How overclock a notebook with a TME-locked PLL or some other blockade

Successful PLL pinmods using ideas from this post is summarized below

OC details linkPLLPinmod type^1Normal SpeedOC SpeedCalpellaMSI GX740ICS9LPRS113AKLFFSLxi5-430M-2.26@1333.40@200MontevinaGateway p7805uICS9LPRS365BGLFTME-unlockP8400-2.4@2663.61@400Quanta TW8 SLG8SP513VFSLxT4500-2.3@2003.06@266HP 6730PICS9LPRS397DKLFTME-unlockP8600-2.4@2663.06@333HP 8530W^3SLG8SP533VTME-unlockP8600-2.4@2663.06@333HP CQ45 & SLG8SP553VFSLxP8400-2.26@2662.82@333Acer 1810TSLG8SP513VFSLx+BSEL & TME-unlockSU4100-1.3@2001.73@266Acer 1810T & & &ICS9LPRS365FSLx+BSEL & TME-unlockSU3500-1.4@2001.70@242Santa RosaClevo M570RU^5 &ICS9LPR365DGLFFSLxX9000-2.8@2003.74@266Dell XPS M1330 &SLG8LP550VFSLxT9300-2.5@2003.59@266HP 8710/6910/6710/6510^3ICS9LPRS355BGLFFSLx & TME-unlock200Mhz PLL266Mhz PLLDell XPS M1730^3CY28547 FSLx200Mhz PLL266Mhz PLLHP Pavilion dv9700t RTM875T-606TME-unlockT9300-2.5@2003.13@250Quanta TW7 ICS9LPRS365BGLFFSLxT8100-2.1@2002.80@266Fujitsu U9200 ICS9LPRS365BGLFFSLxT8100-2.1@2002.80@266Toshiba Tecra A9ICS9LPR501SGLTME-unlockT7300-2.0@2002.72@272Dell XPS M1330SLG8LP550VFSLxT7300-2.0@2002.66@266Acer Aspire 8920g RTM875T-606TME-unlockT8300-2.4@2002.60@217Dell Inspiron 1525 &ICS9LPRS365BKLTME-unlockT7250-2.0@2002.50@250Dell D630 SLG8LP550FSLxT7100-1.8@2002.40@266HP Pavilion DV6871us &RTM875T-606TME-unlockT5600-1.83@1662.20@200HP Pavilion DV2000^3ICS954305EKLFFSLxT2050-1.6@1332.00@166Acer Aspire 5920g ICS9LPRS365BGLFTME-unlockT5250-1.5@1661.61@179HP 2510P &^2^4ICS9LPRS355BGLFFSLxU7600-1.33@1331.60@160HP 2710P^3 ICS9LPRS355BKLFSLx & TME-unlockU7600-1.2@1331.50@166
^1 FSLx or FSLx+BSEL mod means a large overclocking jump eg: 166/200/266/333/400 FSB.
TME-unlocked PLLs means can use 0.3Mhz increments up to the point of instability via setfsb software overclocking.
^2 not necessary other than for convenience.
Could have just used setfsb overclocking.

^3 theory requires implementation.
^4 running DualIDA capable bios and cpu gaining an extra half or full multiplier.
Appears all recent Dell systems can do dualIDA.
^5 Throttlestop can unlock multipliers in the Core 2 Extreme CPUs making PLL overclock unnecessary.

This thread will help people extract peak performance from their notebook by showing:

- how to check if your PLL is TME-locked, indicating setfsb OC won't work
- method 1: TME-unlock a PLL via a pinmod so setfsb/grub2-setfsb can program the PLL
- method 2 and 3: FSLx or FSLx+BSEL overclocking via PLL pinmod for a faster FSB.Before attempting any of these PLL overclock methods it might be worthwhile seeing if you can BSEL pinmod the CPU.
Naton explains [click pic on right for visual understanding] The 200 -> 266 consists on connecting the two holes A23 and B23 on the CPU socket with a copper wire, or B23 and B24 with a copper wire.
I haven't tried this myself.
If it works likely to lock your multiplier at lowest setting for all CPUs on Intel chipsets, except ULV and Celerons.
AMD/NVidia chipsets allowing overclocking without multiplier lockout.
1.
Where can I get a schematic of my systemboard to identify my PLL and help if I need to pinmod? Try laptopdesktopschematic, lqv77, GSM-extreme, notebookschematic and a general google search.

2.
How do I check TME_READBACK to see if I can overclock my PLL with software? using setfsb (Windows)
Spoiler :



Right: the status of TME_READBACK tells us if TME is enabled.
Screenshot shows it's status on register 9 bit 6, shown as 65h=1100101(binary) bit 6=1, meaning no overclocking.
In the next screenshot it is shown how to write a 0 to the PCI2 Output Enable register.
If your system freezes after doing this then it uses the PCI2 signal for it's operation and it's not possible to pinmod the TME/PCI2 pin to remove the hardwired TME_Enabled mode, so continue to method 2.
If the system works after the write, then refer to method 1 below.


Both the ICS9LPRS355 and ICS9LPR501SGLF PLLs read TME_READBACK in this way, so it's highly likely other ICS PLLs do too.



using R-W Everything (Windows)
Spoiler :



1.
Run r-w everything
2.
Select Access-Clock Generator
3.
Change byte 0C from 0D(13) to 16(22), click write close Clock Generator window
4.
Select Access->Clock Geneator.
It will open same window as before but present 22bytes of data rather than 13.


using lmsensors (Linux)
Spoiler :



Setfsb's Diagnosis window requires a PLL to use for it's operation.
Since newer PLLs aren't being added, we need an alternative way of checking the TME_READBACK flag using Linux.

1.
Install lmsensors package.
Available for various Linux flavors on the repositories.

2.
Some distributions blacklist the i2c-dev or i2c-i801 module.
Check your /etc/modules and uncomment if blacklisted

3.
Check that your bios has enabled the SMBUS device:

Code:
$ lspci | grep -i smbus
00:1f.3 SMBus: Intel Corporation 82801H (ICH8 Family) SMBus Controller (rev 03)
If not, need to switch on the bits to enable it as explained here.

4.
Load i2c modules

Code:
$ modprobe i2c-dev
$ modprobe i2c-i801
$ ls /dev/i2c*
/dev/i2c-0
5.
Scan to identify devices on i2c bus.
ICS PLL appears as device 0x69


Code:
$ i2cdetect -y 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f
00: -- -- -- -- -- 08 -- -- -- 0c -- -- --
10: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1d -- --
20: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
30: 30 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
40: -- -- -- -- 44 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4c -- -- --
50: 50 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
60: -- 61 -- -- 64 -- -- -- -- 69 -- -- -- -- -- --
70: -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
6.
Dump the PLL data


Code:
$ i2cdump -y 0 0x69 s 0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f 0123456789abcdef
00: 31 85 fc 33 ff f0 90 11 d0 65 7d 00 0d 1??3.????e}.?

$ i2cdump -y 0 0x69 s 0xd
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 a b c d e f 0123456789abcdef
00: cf 44 ef 2f a0 8f f2 23 00 ce 61 53 d8 ?D?/???#.?aS?
7.
Check the TME_Readback flag to see if TME is enabled (no software overclocking)

For ICS PLLs:
- look at first dump, register 9, bit 6
- if bit6=1 then it's TME-locked (no overclocking)

For CYxxx PLLS
- look at first dump, register 15, bit 7
- If bit7=1 then it's TME-locked (no overclocking)


3.
Is there any software method to bypass TME mode without using a pinmod?
Spoiler :



setfsb's author Abo has successfully overcome the 2510P's ics9LPRS355 PLL TME mode via software configuration only.
As far as I know this is the only PLL he has done this for.
I was able to visually compare PLL registers before and after the overclock, referring to the ics9lprs355 datasheet to see what was done.


We see that he swaps the main clock from PLL1 to PLL3, and the sata clock to PLL2 below.
Can perform these steps or some variation of them to see if can overcome TME mode on the other PLLs are well.

Right: 2510P PLL registers before/after setfsb applies TME workaround (OD, OE sets FSB)
Step 1: set TME workaround0h(0): 31->37
Sets source for SRC Main from PLL1 -> PLL3
Sets sata clock from SRC_Main to PLL211h(17): A0->A4
VCO Frequency Control Register PLL3.
M Div (5:0)12h(18): 8F->F6
VCO Frequency Control Register PLL3 N Div (9:0)15h(21): 00->01
M/N EnableStep 2: Set byte 0D and OE manually for your desired FSB
Spoiler :



{ FSB, Byte 0D, Byte OE}
{ 112, 0x88, 0x71},
{ 117, 0x88, 0x87}
{ 125, 0x88, 0xA3}
{ 133, 0x88, 0xBF}
{ 142, 0x88, 0xDB}
{ 150, 0x88, 0xF7}
{ 158, 0x48, 0x13}
{ 167, 0x48, 0x2F}
{ 175, 0x48, 0x4B}
{ 183, 0x48, 0x67}
{ 190, 0x48, 0x7D}
{ 195, 0x48, 0x8E}
{ 200, 0x48, 0x9E}


NOTE: one undersirable behaviour that the ics9lprs355 PLL shows is that when the system is put into standby/hibernate, it resumes in a state where the PLL won't respond to setfsb requests.
It requires another quick standby to unfreeze it upon which it can respond to software overclocking requests.


4.
What methods can I use to overclock my PLL?Intro
Spoiler :



The PLL's FSLx and the CPU's BSELx pins are tied.
Method 2 is in effect a BSEL mod via the PLL's FSLx pins.
Method 3 separates the PLL's FSLx signals and the CPU's BSEL signals to provide faster operation, a necessary workaround to prevent the CPU going into lowest multipler lockout when it's in an invalid (faster) BSEL setting.

Software used for overclocking a PLL: setfsb for Windows.
grub2 bootloader overclocking for OS-independent overclocking.
Only provision is would need Linux, prefereably Ubuntu 9.10 or newer, installed to be able to compile and use it.

PLL pins of interest: blue: method 1 | red: method 2/3.
From ICS9LPR501SGLF PLL datasheet


RAM timing: how it affects overclocking potential
Spoiler :



Overclocking methods 1 and 3 below boot your system and set your northbridge, chipset and CPU internally to *believe* they will be receiving 200Mhz timings.
They just are being sent faster signals from the PLL instead (266Mhz in method 3's case!!).
This could present a problem with your RAM.
DDR2-667 RAM will now be receiving timing signals for 266Mhz/887Mhz operation, yet still be using the SPD table for 667Mhz operation.
In which case, I hope you've got good ram to test, or can use Thaiphoon Burner or SPDTool to slow down *at least* the CAS timing in your RAM's eeprom SPD table by increasing it's value.
I believe it's CA

Bois upgrade for UBS Boot option

I want to be able to run a USB operating system on this Presario CQ61 notebook.
The Bios has no option for this.
Is it possible to get a bios upgrade with this function?

Edit: Of course UBS in the title is supposed to be USB.

**Recommend Me a Game** Ask About Game Recommendations Here

Recommend Me a Game
Thread made by: xTank Jones16x
Forum Layout made by: crash


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Frequently Asked Questions

What is this Thread? This thread will be used to ask the users of NBR to recommend you some games to play depending on the kind of games you like.


What if I don't see a game on the list? If a game you are looking for is not on the list, don't be alarmed.
Simply reply to this thread asking about any game you wish, or simply discuss other games with other users.

What if there is a game on the list and I want to ask more questions about it? Please do! Just because the game is on the list of games I recommend, doesn't mean you can't ask more people how they liked the game.


Disclaimers

*Please keep in mind this list is just my personal recommendation.
To see discussions about other games, simply go to the last page of this thread.*

*This list does not include every single game.
Please keep that in mind.*

*Each game will have a link to the WIKI of that particular game, if you want to read up more on it.*



FPS/Action/Puzzle

Half Life: Half-Life is a science fiction first-person shooter video game developed by Valve Software and the company's debut product.
In Half-Life, players assume the role of Dr.
Gordon Freeman, a recent graduate theoretical physicist who must fight his way out of a secret underground research facility, whose research and experiments into teleportation technology have gone wrong.

My Feedback: Half Life was ground breaking for its time.
The game is greatly made, and challenges the player to think.
The graphics are what you expect from the late 1990’s, but if you are more interested in a good story line, and fun game play, it’s a must play.


Half Life 2: Half-Life 2 is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game and the sequel to the highly acclaimed Half-Life.
Half-Life 2 takes place in a dystopian world in which the events of Half-Life have fully come to bear on human society, which has been enslaved by a multidimensional empire known as the Combine.
The game takes place in and around the fictional City 17 and follows the adventures of scientist Gordon Freeman who must fight against increasingly unfavorable odds in order to survive.

My Feedback: Half Life 2 is an incredible game, and a major step forward from the first one.
With major graphical improvement, more puzzles and challenges, and more to the story line, this game is a legend in its own.
This game also has numerous mod’s available on Steam, some of which are very entertaining.


Portal: Portal is a single-player first-person action/puzzle video game developed by Valve Corporation.
In Portal, the player controls the protagonist, Chell, from a first person perspective as she is challenged to navigate through a series of rooms using the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device ("portal gun" or "ASHPD").
The portal gun can create two distinct portal ends, orange and blue.
The portals create a visual and physical connection between two different locations in three-dimensional space.


My Feedback: Portal really set the bar high in this FPS/Puzzle game.
The name of the game is to get to the exit in the room using the portals.
But beware, some rooms are more challenging than others...


Counter-Strke: Source: Counter-Strike: Source (abbreviated CS:S) is a first-person shooter video game developed by the Valve Corporation.
Counter-Strike: Source is a remake of Counter-Strike, and consequently retains its team-based objective-oriented first-person shooter style gameplay.
The aim of playing a map is to accomplish a map's objective.
There are many types of objectives that a map can have, but the ultimate goal of the game is to win more rounds than the opposing team, which is accomplished by fulfilling the map's winning conditions.

My Feedback: If you have never played CS:S, where have you been?? This game is legendary, and is still one of the most popular FPS’s on the market.
There is a lot to like in a game like this.


F.E.A.R.: F.E.A.R.
First Encounter Assault Recon is a horror-themed first-person shooter developed by Monolith Productions and published by Vivendi.
The game's story revolves around a supernatural phenomenon, which F.E.A.R.—a fictional special forces team—is called to contain.
The player assumes the role of F.E.A.R.'s Point Man, who possesses superhuman reflexes, and must uncover the secrets of a paranormal menace in the form of a little girl.

My Feedback: This game is a lot of fun, and a lot of scary all packed into one.
It’s has a great story line, good graphics, and people do still play the multiplayer.


Far Cry and Far Cry 2: Ubisoft has marketed Far Cry 2 as the true sequel to Far Cry, though the sequel has very few noticeable similarities to the original game.
Instead, it features completely new characters and setting, as well as a new style of gameplay that allows the player greater freedom to explore different African landscapes such as deserts, jungles, and savannas.
The game takes place in a modern-day East African nation in a state of anarchy and civil war.
The player takes control of a mercenary on a lengthy journey to locate and assassinate "The Jackal," a notorious arms dealer.

My Feedback: Farcry and Farcry 2 are both very good games.
Far Cry 2 added more gameplay and features that the first one lacked, but to get the full effect, I recommend playing the first before the second.
Both are good games.


Unreal Tournament 3: Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) is a first-person shooter and online multiplayer video game by Epic Games and is the latest installment of the Unreal series after Unreal Tournament 2004.
Similar to the previous entries of the series, the game is primarily an online multiplayer title offering several game modes, including large-scale Warfare, Capture-the-Flag, and Deathmatch.
It also includes an extensive offline single-player game with an in-depth story, advancing from the simple tournament ladder to such concepts as team members with their own individual personalities.

My Feedback: You want a fast pace FPS? You want crazy weapons and vehicles? Then this is the game for you.
UT3 is the latest of the Unreal games, and is fast paced action, and a whole lot of awesomeness rolled into one.


Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Gameplay in Bad Company 2 resembles that of the original and is set in various environments from South America and the mountainous regions along the borders of Russia.
Bad Company 2 features 15 vehicles, including new additions, such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, a quad bike, a two-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, a ZU-23 mounted on a BTR-D armored personnel carrier, and a UAV helicopter controlled via remote computer terminals.

My Feedback: BFBC2 is a great game to play is you like FPS’s with a slower pace, tactical game play, and being team oriented.
It has a wide array of vehicles and weapons, so there is something for everybody.


Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare: Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare is a first-person shooter video game, developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.
The story takes place in a fictional near-future, where a radical leader has staged a execution order in the Middle East, and an "Ultranationalist" movement has instigated a civil war in Russia.
The events of the conflicts are seen from the perspectives of an American Marine and a British SAS commando, and are set in multiple locations, including the Middle East, Azerbaijan, Russia, and Prypiat, Ukraine.
The multiplayer portion of the game features various game modes, and contains a leveling system that allows the player to unlock additional weapons, weapon attachments, and camouflage schemes as they advance.

My Feedback: Call of Duty is an amazing game.
With a score of 94% from GameRankings, this game is hard to not like.
The campaign was amazing, with good dialog, and the multiplayer is one of the best.
It has an upgrade system in which unlocks more weapons/perks when you level up.


Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2[9] (also referred to as simply Modern Warfare 2[10] or Call of Duty 6) is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision.
Similar to previous installments within the Call of Duty series, the player assumes the role of various characters during the single-player campaign, changing perspectives throughout the progression of the story, playing as "Soap", Roach, etc.
Each mission features a series of objectives that are displayed on the HUD, which marks the direction and distance towards and from such objectives.
Tasks vary in their requirements, having the player arrive at a particular checkpoint, eliminate enemies in a specified location, stand his/her ground to defend an objective, or plant explosive charges on an enemy installation.

My Feedback: Ok, this game has a lot of controversy, and in my opinion, it’s a game you love to hate.
With 4.7 Millions copies sold within 24 hours, it’s hard to say this game isn’t great.
It has major improvement from the first, with more unlockable weapons/perks/kill streaks, and custom titles/emblems.
This game has a lot to offer, and has the staying power to last a very long time.


Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2: Left 4 Dead is a cooperative first-person shooter video game.
It was developed by Turtle Rock Studios, which was purchased by Valve Corporation during development.
In campaign mo

HTWingNut's Great December Steam Game Giveaway!

Hello NBR Members! Out of the goodness of my tiny, shriveled heart, in the tradition of Christmas and gift giving spirit, I bring forth to you this year...

THE GREAT HTWINGNUT CHRISTMAS 2010 STEAM GAME GIVEAWAY!
(or TGHC2010SGG! for short )

Yep that's right.
Free games.
Call me nice, call me stupid, call me what you want, I'm giving these games away.

You can also thank Steam for offering up the gift packs this year too over the Thanksgiving weekend.
So the games I'll be giving away will be from those gift packs.
No, I did not purchase all of them, only select ones.
Some Indie games, some big name titles.
Sorry if you can't get the FREE game you want.
Suck it up and play the game you win and stop whining!

I am giving away multiple copies of 8 different games.

I am not affiliated with NBR or Steam in any way shape or form.
I just feel like being a nice guy.

Why am I doing this you may ask? Or not, but I'll tell you anyways.
I have been a gamer since I can remember (which as a goldfish is like 3 seconds), back to when I was like 6 years old, some 32 years ago (yes I'm that old) with the ATARI 2600 and home PONG console.
I am an advocate for PC games and despite the "consolitis" phase we're in now, I still believe PC games will endure and continue to offer top notch entertainment for decades.
I have also had some good discussions with people here at NBR.
Even though we're all glued to our chairs, drooling on our keyboards, we still have some semblence of a community here.
I'd like to give back to it.

So put your hankies away, and without further adieu, I bring you the rules:

(1) You must be human
(2) You must address me, HTWingNut, as "My Lord"
(3) You must laugh at my jokes, but not at me
(4) You must shower and change your underwear at least once a week

oh wait, here's the real rules (seriously, please read, and yes ability to follow rules is a requirement):

(1) THERE WILL BE MULTIPLE COPIES (that means more than one if you're bad at math) OF ONE GAME TITLE available every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday starting this Friday December 3.
The giveaway game for the next round will be announced after the previous round winners are announced.

(2) YOU PICK A NUMBER BETWEEN 1 and 1000 (yes one thousand, no you don't have enough fingers and toes) and post it in the Google Form linked to in the post below.

All games will be given randomly based on the number you choose.
A random number sequence (one number for each game copy to be given away) will be pulled from Random.org or from my butt, whichever I feel is appropriate at the time.
The current round ends once I announce the winners.


(3) Since this is in the spirit of giving, please share a comment about something awesome you or someone else did that was unconditionally kind, or what you'd like to see done.
Kind of corny, but why not.

(4) THE WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN BY WHOMEVER IS CLOSEST TO THE RANDOM NUMBERS DRAWN.

If you choose the same number as someone else, then I will PM you and you will have to pick a number at least 99 away from theirs, or I will choose a random number for you.

In the case of a same difference tie, the winners will be chosen 'Price is Right' style, with 1970's clothes, music, stage set, and everything.
No, what I mean is it will default to the person that bid without going over the number.
For example, Johnny picked number 101.
Sarah (who is hot btw) picked 1.
Nobody picked a number in between.
The winning number was 51.
Sarah wins (and kisses me).
In other words, it will always round down, or to the hottest chic.

(5) YOU CAN WIN MULTIPLE TIMES! Yes, you! Enter with a new number (or same) each round.

(6) PLEASE DO NOT ENTER FOR GAMES THAT YOU ALREADY OWN OR HAVE NO INTEREST IN!

I don't want to find out you already own the game and can't gift it to you.
That would make Santa very angry and put you on his naughty list.
I guess I'm ok if you ask me to gift it to someone else, but I'd prefer it stay with NBR members.
And I don't want to hear you say "I didn't even want this stupid game".
I'll have Santa stuff your underwear with hot pepper.

(7) YOU MUST HAVE BEEN AN NBR MEMBER SINCE NOVEMBER 2010 OR EARLIER.

I really want this to be for NBR members only as a thank you for joining the community and contributing.
I just don't want users to join and hop on, spam the forums, take their game and leave.
I WILL ENFORCE THIS RULE.

(8) WHEN YOU ARE ANNOUNCED AS A WINNER, IN ORDER TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE, YOU ***MUST PM ME HERE AT NBR AND INCLUDE YOUR STEAM EMAIL ADDRESS AND GAME WON*** (especially important if you don't claim it right away).
I don't want to have to make Steam friends with everyone, I'm not that nice, nor do I have time to wait online waiting for everyone.

So to simplify:

Guess a number between 1 and 1000 every time a new game giveaway is announced on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
First giveaway is December 3, last is December 20.

Oh yeah.
Last, but not least, there will be a contest ending December 22.

***** MANY MANY THANKS TO OUR RESIDENT HARMLESS TIGER AT NBR, REIZO, WHO MADE A GRACIOUS CONTRIBUTION, AND A FEW ANONYMOUS MEMBERS, WE NOW HAVE A POOL OF $300 FOR GAME GIVEAWAYS FOR THE DECEMBER 22 CONTEST.
THIS WILL ALLOW FOR A MORE FUN PRIZE POOL.
DETAILS COMING SOON!

Since so many people are in the spirit of giving, I've toyed this idea with a few people and decided to take donations so we can give away more games.
Donate $1 or whatever you want if you wish.
Donations will be completely anonymous (unless you want it public, why not, it's a nice thing), and doesn't affect anyone's chance of winning.
All drawings are completely random.
So Donate if you wish, or not.
It's entirely up to you.






Donators (give credit where credit is due):
Anonymous x 2
Reizo
Blake
ViciousXUSMC

Good Luck, Game ON, and MERRY CHRISTMAS, or whatever tradition you celebrate.

BEST laptop video card?

Hello, I'm looking for the best laptop video card for gaming and everyday tasks.
I'm looking for a laptop that is $899 and under.
I was thinking about the ATI 5470, 5650 1gb, Nvidia 310m-330m 1gb, Does the size of the video card matter? 512mb vs 1gb? Any suggestions would be helpful.
thanks in advance.

Links to Bag Makers, Dealers and Reviews 8/19/08

*** Edited 05.26.09 ***

Ahh, been a long time since I was last here.
So much to update.
I'll be working on updating the list over the next few weeks.
If you have new bags you can also PM me.
Thanks for all.

Evan at Chrome sent me a pic.
I posted it in the thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/show...64#post1404764.
He informed me more pics of their bags will be available in a few weeks, so I requested those also

Ok so got really busy 2 years ago and never posted comments on my Tom Bihn bag.
Well the short is holds up well, the new messenger strap is preferred if you are carrying that way.

I'm still light in Dealer and Review sections.
If you have additional links pass them on and I'll update the list.
I expect over the next several days to continue making updates.

So without further ado here ya go

Backpack / Messenger Bag / Sleeve Manufacturers

http://www.mobileedge.com (NBR Visitors get 10% off using coupon code "NBREVIEW")

http://www.roadwired.com/index.cfm

http://www.ogio.com

http://www.booqbags.com

http://www.sfbags.com (AKA Waterfield)

http://www.crumplerbags.com

http://chromebags.com

http://www.tombihn.com

http://www.stmbags.com.au (yes these are available in the US)

http://www.timbuk2.com

http://www.targus.com/

http://pinderbags.com

http://www.mac-case.com/ (Mac oriented but will probably work with most 15" widescreens)

http://us.kensington.com/html/1415.html

http://www.tragerusa.com

http://www.axio-usa.com/

http://www.pakuma.com/

http://www.rainebrooke.com/collection-laptop-bags.htm

http://www.reloadbags.com (hand-made , highly customizable messenger bags, with laptop option

http://foofshop.com/#bag (wild sleeves, just look!!!)

http://www.maxupgrades.com (Mac oriented)

http://www.zerohalliburton.com/computers.jsp (Metal, Leather, Nylon)

http://www.brooklynindustries.com/Vertigo-P541C18.aspx (sleeve/messenger hybrid)

www.flickabags.com

www.Portacovers.com Covers for laptops

http://www.manhattanportage.com/

http://www.matias.ca/laptoparmor/index.php

http://www.slappa.com

http://www.arcteryx.com/

http://www.fabrixcases.com

http://www.zaumlab.com/

http://www.becase.com

http://www.knomobags.com

http://www.kolobags.com

http://www.heys.ca/

http://www.zattache.com

http://www.builtny.com

http://www.pelican.com

http://www.shaggymac.com

http://www.fjallraven.com links to DePendler big

http://www.armorgear.com

www.hlaska.com


Dealers

http://www.radtech.us
http://eBags.com
http://www.genpi.com (mostly Sumdex and Decode bags and sleeves)

Links to other Lists ( there may be some duplicates)

Laptop Case Descriptions


LINK DEAD:http://www.chaosmint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=79073


Reviews

O'neill Drifter

http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/category/laptop_gear

http://www.bagreview.com

http://www.sfbags.com/reviews/nbr-cozmo/index.htm

http://www.popwuping.com/

Tom Bihn Super Ego Messenger Notebook Bag


NotebookReview.com Reviews

RadTech Tekmod Notebook Case

Ogio Manipulator Laptop Bag

Targus Global Executive Backpack

Timbuk2 Commute XL messenger-style

Noreve Universal Laptop Briefcase

SFBags WaterField Designs Laptop Cozmo

Mobile Edge Select Backpack

Roadwired Skooba Sleeve Laptop Case

Review of the Mobile Edge Premium Backpack

Sumdex Women's Laptop Bag

Tom Bihn Super Ego Messenger Notebook Bag

Kensington Contour Notebook Backpack

SFBags WaterField Designs Laptop Cargo Bag Review (pics)

Targus Rogue Backpack

Osprey Focus Laptop Bag

Targus Gerney Backpack

(informal comments on pinder bag) review of pinder's sleeve

Chrome Metropolis Messenger Bag

Targus Contour Traveler Notebook Case Review

Chrome Messenger

Osprey Focus Laptop Bag

Kensington Contour Balance:

Kensington Contour Traveler

Kensington Contour Traveler

http://www.notebookreview.com/defaul...le+edge+monaco

The North Face &quot;On Sight&quot; Backpack: Quick Review (Fits up to 17-18&quot; Notebooks)

Hey Everyone,

Seems some people wanted a review of this backpack, so here goes.

It is a quick review, not totally detailed.

If you have additional requests for photos I can take them for you.
It is one big image, wait for it to load!

Enjoy! Comments welcome!
(***Click on it to expand the image!)

Can Logitech Anywhere MX use Eneloop AA Batteries?

I am just going to buy Anywhere MX for my Asus 1015PN netbook and noticed that it does not support NIMH at Cnet site.
As it has very short battery life compared to VX Nano, one of my favorites, I was planning to run it with eneloops.
Can I do it? Anyone using eneloops on this mouse?

***CAN MY NOTEBOOK RUN IT?*** Read before posting ***All X vs Y Graphics Card comparisons here ***Read before posting***

Can My Notebook Run It? How does X Graphics Card Compare?
last updated: 27 AUG 2010

If you'd like to know if your notebook can run a game, this is the right place!

Some things to note before you post:Integrated video cards are NOT meant for gaming.
Don't expect much from them.This thread is also meant to ask for laptops that you don't own yet, but would like to know how they will perform
In order to determine if you computer can run a certain game we need your specs.
Please provide the following in either your post or signature:

--Start Example--

CPU:
GPU:
RAM:
Display (resolution):

--End Example--

Under "Display", please make sure to indicate your native resolution.

Also, make sure to let us know specifically what games you would like to play.
You can ask a more direct question such as "Can I run this game at high settings?", or a more general question like "At what settings can I run this game?".
We'll do our best to help.

And that's it! Your final post should look something like this:

Quote:





Originally Posted by A Random Person


Hey, I was wondering at what settings I would be able to play Left 4 Dead.
Thanks in advance!

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz, 1066 MHz FSB, 6 MB L2 Cache)
GPU: 256MB ATI Mobility RADEON HD 3650
RAM: 4096MB 800MHz Dual Channel DDR2 SDRAM [2x2048]
Display (resolution): WSXGA+ native




For more information, see the following:The Mobile Graphics Card Info Page: Find out which mobile GPUs are better than others and other basic mobile GPU information.To get better performance out of your GPU, try updating your drivers.To overclock your GPU (*proceed at own risk!!*), see this guide.Gaming Sticky: Links to many other useful threads.

***Updating Mobile Graphics Cards Drivers (Windows 7 and Vista)***

Updating Mobile Graphics Cards Drivers (Windows 7 and Vista)
by crash
last updated: 25 August 2010

Why update your drivers? Newer drivers can improve 3D performance, fix bugs and other graphical glitches in certain games, support new features, and use your hardware more efficiently.

Disclaimer: ***I take zero responsibility for any possible damage caused by following this guide.
Proceed at your own risk***

Quick Jump to
NVIDIA Drivers »
ATI Drivers »
Switchable Graphics Drivers »
FAQ »


NVIDIA Drivers

There are three recommended places to find drivers for your mobile NVIDIA card: your manufacturer, NVIDIA, and LaptopVideo2Go.

Your Manufacturer
Often these are referred to as "stock" drivers for your card.
Depending on your manufacturer, some companies update frequently and others infrequently.
These drivers contain support for only a limited number of cards, so make sure you're downloading the correct one for your model! Although they are recommended as a baseline driver to use for stability, updating to a newer driver usually results in some sort of performance boost.

NVIDIA
NVIDIA now supports official updates for mobile cards.
They can be found here.

LaptopVideo2Go
These drivers are desktop and/or notebook graphics drivers from NVIDIA that are modded by the LaptopVideo2Go team to be compatible with almost all currently existing mobile cards.
They offer a performance increase, but sometimes at the cost of stability.
You can find their drivers here.

Procedure
Note: If updating to a LV2Go driver, follow instructions in orange as wellDownload the new driver from one of the three sources above (manufacturer, NVIDIA, or LaptopVideo2Go)If from LV2Go, be sure to download the modded .inf as wellUninstall the current driver by going to device manager, expanding Display Adapters, opening up the current driver info and clicking "Uninstall"Restart your computer once the driver has been uninstalledInstall the new driver by running the executable you downloaded earlierIf from LV2Go, you may need to install it manually using the "Have Disk" method as explained hereRestart your computerOpen the device manager to verify that the new driver installed correctly!
NVIDIA Drivers », Top »

ATI Drivers
Note: If you have switchable ATI/Intel graphics solution, please see the next section

There are three recommended places to find drivers for your mobile ATI card: your manufacturer, ATI, and Mobility Modder.

Your Manufacturer
Often these are referred to as "stock" drivers for your card.
Depending on your manufacturer, some companies update frequently and others infrequently.
These drivers contain support for only a limited number of cards, so make sure you're downloading the correct one for your model! Although they are recommended as a baseline driver to use for stability, updating to a newer driver usually results in some sort of performance boost.

ATI
ATI now supports official updates for mobile cards.
ATI updates their mobile (as well as desktop) drivers once a month.
They can be found here.

Mobility Modder
This program modifies any ATI desktop driver to be compatible with your mobile card.
Manufacturers and ATI themselves do not update their mobile drivers very often, so this program allows you to use the latest enhancements on your notebook.
If you experience system instability after using one of the modded desktop drivers, it is recommended to switch back to an official driver from either ATI or your manufacturer.
You can find the program here (scroll down about half way for the download link).

Procedure
For manufacturer driver or official ATI driver...
Note: If you have switchable ATI/Intel graphics solution, please see the next sectionDownload the new driver from either your manufacturer's site or from ATI directlyNote: If you are upgrading from a 10.x driver to a newer 10.x driver, it is not necessary to uninstall the previous driver before upgradingUninstall the current driver by going to device manager, expanding Display Adapters, opening up the current driver info and clicking "Uninstall"Restart your computer once the driver has been uninstalledInstall the new driver by running the executable you downloaded earlierRestart your computerOpen the device manager to verify that the new driver installed correctly!
For Mobility Modder drivers...
Note: If you have switchable ATI/Intel graphics solution, please see the next sectionDownload and install MSXML 6.0 SP1 from MicrosoftIf you're using Vista, you must turn UAC off! It must remain off while updating your driver but can be turned back on once the driver has been updated.
If using Windows 7, proceed to step 2Type in "User Accounts" in the Start menu and open "User Accounts and Family Safety"Click on "Add or remove user accountsClick on your account nameClick on "Go to main User Account page"Click on "Change security settings"Unselect the box and click "Ok"Restart your computerDownload the latest desktop Catalyst driver you wish to use from ATIUninstall the current driver by going to device manager, expanding Display Adapters, opening up the current driver info and clicking "Uninstall"Restart your computer once the driver has been uninstalledRun the driver you downloaded earlier, but stop the installation once all the files have been extractedRemember where the driver was extracted to!Run Mobility Modder and direct it to the folder where you extracted the driver and press "Modify"Default directory is c:ATISUPPORTIn Vista, if nothing happens, navigate to the directory and run the SETUP.exe fileOnce the driver has been modified, restart your computerIf you're using Vista and you want to turn UAC back on, navigate to the same place where you turned UAC off and check the box to turn it back on.
Restart your computerOpen the device manager to verify that the new driver installed correctly!These instructions were taken in part from Mobility Modder's official site.

ATI Drivers », Top »

Switchable Graphics Drivers

Notebooks with switchable ATI/Intel graphics appear to require that any new drivers be installed over the factory installed driver since only the factory driver supports the Intel integrated GPU on core-i chips and the ATI discrete GPU.
You can upgrade to a new ATI driver version (and I would recommend not using Mobility Modder in this case), but the procedure changes slightly:

ProcedureDownload the new driverInstall the new driver by running the executable you downloaded earlierRestart your computerOpen the device manager to verify that the new driver installed correctly! Also, check to make sure your laptop is switching between cards (ATI and Intel) properly
Switchable Graphics Drivers », Top »

Frequently Asked Questions
How can I tell if I have switchable graphics?How can I roll back my driver in case something went wrong?What is the difference between WHQL, unsigned, and beta drivers?How do I boot in safe mode?
1.
How can I tell if I have switchable graphics?
Open up the Device Manager and expand "Display Adapters".
If you see two items here - an ATI card and an Intel card - then you have switchable graphics.
If there is only one, then you do not have switchable graphics.
FAQ », Top »

2.
How can I roll back my driver in case something went wrong?
Open up the device manager, expand "Display Adapters" and double click on your graphics card.
Under the "Driver" tab, click on the "Roll Back Driver" button.
FAQ », Top »

3.
What is the difference between WHQL, unsigned, and beta drivers?
Companies can submit their drivers to Microsoft's Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) for compatibility testing.
They test the drivers for stability and compatibility with a wide range of hardware configurations, and when they pass the tests, they become WHQL certified drivers.
Unsigned drivers are those that either were not submitted to Microsoft's WHQL for testing or they did not pass the tests.
Beta drivers are working versions of drivers that work in most cases, but sometimes have stability issues as they are not the finalized version of a driver.
Often times NVIDIA classifies any driver that they do not fully support as beta.
FAQ », Top »

4.
How do I boot in safe mode?
Restart your computer and repeatedly press F8 until the "Advanced Boot Options" screen comes up.
Select "Safe Mode" and you're good to go.
FAQ », Top »

5.

FAQ », Top »



FAQ », Top »



FAQ », Top »



FAQ », Top »



FAQ », Top »

PunkBuster BC2-Multiple Direct3D Restriction...HELP!

I just bought and installed Battlefield Bad Company 2 and now I can't stay on a server for 5 minutes without getting kicked for some PunkBuster issue..at first it was kicking me because I needed to update it and I did that and now its kicking me for this.
I've searched the internet far and wide but I couldn't seem to find a solution.

See system specs below
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Geforce 9800M GT - Bypass 2 Display Limit? Hack to Allow 3?

Well, as the title suggests, I am looking for a hack/modded driver which will allow me to output to 3 displays instead of the 2 which I am currently limited to.
Is there any such thing? I have an LCD monitor hooked up to the DVI and an LED TV hooked up to the HDMI but would like them to all run at the same time, even if two are mirrored.
The primary reason is because I hate switching back and for, which I do VERY frequently.
Hope I can find some help!

Regards.

**READ BEFORE POSTING** **The Ultimate ACER Resource Thread**

Last Updated:05/07/2009

This is an index of all major upgrade guides, driver comparisons, recovery partition, BIOS recovery, Owner lounges and more.

***Please read before posting!***
Quick jump to:
Upgrades Drivers Benchmarks Miscellaneous Owner Lounges Service Manuals User Manuals & Phone Numbers


Acer Build Quality - how good is it?
Do you like or hate your Acer laptop? Tell us about it and vote in the poll.
Latest Acer Notebooks Reviews
If you're considering to get an Acer laptop - check the reviews of the most popular models
Aspire 5735Z, Aspire 8930G, Aspire 6935, Aspire 6920, Aspire One(1), Aspire One(2)
Upgrades

Aspire 3680 - From Celeron to Core2Duo /socket M/
Extremely helpful guide + a lot of useful links.
Apply to 940GML/943GML/945GML chipset based models.
Thanks to krazyphire
Aspire 5315 - Step-by-Step Upgrade Guide /socket P/
Upgrade you Celeron/DualCore in your GL960/GM965 chipset based laptop to C2D.
Thanks to bigozone
Aspire 6920G - CPU Upgrade
You want to upgrade your 6920G and don't know where to start? Check this guide for detailed instructions + pictures!
Thanks to TehSuigi
Core Solo T1350 to Core 2 Duo T7200 /Aspire 5570/
Detailed CPU upgrading guide for yet another ACER model.
Check it out.
Thanks to keigo
Acer Aspire 5920G Upgraded to T9300
T9300 confirmed to be working on Aspire5920.
Check this thread for some instructions and pictures.
Thanks to nklive
TravelMate 4730G/Extensa 4630G - CPU Upgrade
Upgrade guide and experience, for either of these two models
Thanks to kisetsu17
Acer MXM Models and Cards
If you want to check if there is a chance to upgrade the graphic card of your Acer laptop this thread should be your first stop.

Thanks to TehSuigi
Drivers

All Acer drivers /General Link/
The most updated official ACER website with drivers for all Acer models.
More Acer drivers..
New official repository for drivers, check it out.
List of Acer WHQL Drivers /Nvidia/
You need a specific driver version?
Thanks to TehSuigi
Latest Synaptics driver modded for Acer MediaTouch
Thanks to Discrucio Anima
Acer Empowering Technology Software for XP
If you need Acer eMpowering Software for WindowsXP check this thread.

Caution: The software is originally meant for Aspire 5050 and might not work on some newer models!
Thank to NoCashBob
All Aspire 5515 drivers for XP
All the drivers(for XP) for this very popular, cheap laptop.
Thanks to freeheart4sale
Benchmarks

TehSuigi's Latest Graphic Comparison for VISTA and XP /6920G/
The newest benchmarks for 9500GS, find out what is the best driver for Vista and XP.
Thanks to TehSuigi
Nvidia drivers comparison /Aspire 6920G/
If you wonder which driver version is the best check this thread.
Thanks to TehSuigi
Aspire 6935G - Performance and more
Overview of the 6935G + useful links.
Thanks to darika
Miscellaneous

Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue Throttling
Got a 6920G/6930G/6935G/8920G/8930G with miserable performance? Look here first.
Acer Hidden Recovery Partition
Ask for how to recover it, create Recovery Disks or how to recover the Alt+F10 function.
CPU Overclock guide & info
You want to overclock your laptop CPU? Check this guide to see how and if it's possible for your model.
Thanks to Andy
Aspire 5315 BIOS Recovery /INSYDE BIOS/
Your BIOS upgrade has failed and your laptop seems to be dead.
Can it be revived? Check this thread.
Thanks to bigozone
BIOS Recovery /Phoenix BIOS/
There is a hope for the Phoenix BIOS based model, check post #6 and below of this thread.
Thanks to raelman
Drive Clone to Larger Drive/Aspire 5315/
You want to upgrade the hard drive and you want to have your Recovery Partition on your
new drive? Check this thread to find out how to do it.
Thanks to wotsthestory
Boot Multiple Operating System Guide
If you want to dual/triple/quad boot to another OS(s) check this guide.
Thanks to johngreavery

Owner Lounges

Aspire 6920(G) Owners Lounge
Aspire 5930(G) Owners Lounge
Aspire 8930(G) Owners Lounge
Aspire Timeline Owners Lounge


Service Manuals

Unfortunately, posting links of ACER Service Manuals is not allowed because it's a copyrighted material so it cannot be shared, copied etc.
without the written permission from ACER Inc.
Please do NOT ask for Service Manuals!

The following text is part from ACER Service Guide Disclaimer:
No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Acer Incorporated.

***Feel free to post any third-party instructions and guides which DO NOT come from Acer nor have a copyright disclaimer!***

New Toshiba A505 - Seems slower than old A105?

I'm hoping some of you can give me some guidance to speed up my new laptop.


My old (but upgraded) Toshiba A105 (1.6 dual core, 4gb ram, 320gb hd 7200rpm, win xp sp3) still seems snappier, faster, and more responsive than my new computer.

The new computer is a Toshiba A505-S6035 - i7 quad core 1.6ghz, 4gb ram ddr3 1066, nvidia 330m 1gb ram, 500gb hd 5400rpm running win7 home premium.

I have Win 7 adjusted for "best performance" with all the fancy aero features and animations turned off.

Is there anything else I can do to make the computer faster?

Do you think Win 7 is to blame? My little Acer netbook did score higher on the benchmark software after I downgraded it from Win 7 to XP SP3.

Could the 500GB 5400 RPM hard drive be the bottleneck causing my slight dissatisfaction with the laptop?

The A105 did seem a lot faster after the upgrade from a 80gb 5400rpm drive to the 320gb 7400 rpm drive.

I'd eventually like to buy a nice 128-160 GB SSD drive for the system HD and then move the original 500gb to a drive caddy into the DVD/CD slot.
I'd imagine that would give me the "wow, this is fast" feeling that I expected with this new laptop.

Thanks for any input you may have.

Logitech Laptop Speaker Z305 Review Discussion

Logitech released two new laptop speaker options recently; the first is the Logitech Wireless Z515 speaker and the second is the Logitech Z305 portable speaker bar.
The portable speaker bar has two main selling points according to Logitech: it’s designed to offer high-quality 360-degree audio and it's supposed to make the most out of portability and ease of use.
Does the speaker bar live up to these selling points? Read on to find out.Read the full content of this Article: Logitech Laptop Speaker Z305 Review

Toshiba Satellite A665 Review Discussion

The Toshiba Satellite A660 and A665 are 16-inch laptops with a reasonably attractive design and solid performance.
If you're shopping for a desktop-replacement notebook the Satellite A665 might be a worthy choice.
Keep reading to see what we think of this Core i5-equipped model with Nvidia discrete graphics.Read the full content of this Article: Toshiba Satellite A665 ReviewRelated Articles:Toshiba Satellite T235 ReviewToshiba Satellite M645 ReviewToshiba Qosmio X505 Review

Mobile Wireless Connectivity Becomes a Productivity Asset Discussion

What initially started out as consumer mobile devices have become game changers for the way employees do their work.
As a result, it behooves businesses to ignore in-office wireless connectivity as an indispensible option to keep office workers in touch and collaborative throughout a building or campus.Whether referring to Wi-Fi, 3G/4G, or even Bluetooth, in-office wireless connectivity has rocketed from a nice to have technology to a strategic must-have technology for businesses that want to unleash serious employee productivity benefits.Read the full content of this Article: Mobile Wireless Connectivity Becomes a Productivity Asset

Dell Inspiron 15R Review Discussion

The newly designed Inspiron 15R is the latest 15.6-inch desktop-replacement notebook from Dell.
Equipped with the Intel Core i3 or i5 processors and Intel GMA HD graphics, this budget-friendly system is aimed at the masses.
In this review we take an in-depth look at this new system and see how it performs.Read the full content of this Article: Dell Inspiron 15R ReviewRelated Articles:Dell Inspiron 17R Review

Acer Aspire 5020 Series AMD Turion 64 Notebook Review (pics, specs) - FOLLOW-UP

by Joseph Roost, The Netherlands Model under review: Acer Aspire 5024WLMi (LX.A4605.038).
Note: Since this review was posted last year on 1/10/2006 Jos added a Follow Up Section to this popular article.IntroductionFor some months I have been considering replacing my 'very' old Pentium 200 desktop system with a notebook.
Although a DTR (DeskTop Replacement) notebook in principle, it should definitely be a mobile notebook with at least 2 hours battery time and not 'too' big or heavy.Performance wise, it should be able to handle any office-, DTP- or image processing application, and of course also the occasional game.
A further personal requirement was that this new notebook should at least be equivalent to my other desktop system: an Athlon XP 2800+ with GF4-Ti4200 graphics.After some studying and reading about the current notebook offerings and visiting some computer shops, I came to the conclusion that I wanted a notebook with a 15.4" screen and at least a Pentium M 745 or an Athlon 64 (mobile) 2800+ or better.
I was more or less ready to buy an Acer Aspire 1690 series Pentium M notebook, when AMD announced the competing Turion 64 CPU and Acer announced the Aspire 5020 series using it.
This Aspire 5020 series looked quite similar to the Aspire 1690 series and the Turion promised to be cheaper than a similarly-performing Pentium-M.
Being slightly AMD-minded, I decided to wait for the Aspire 5024WLMi.
When it appeared "in stock" at the end of May 2005, I ordered one for Euro 1150,= at HardwareDiscount in The Netherlands.
Main Characteristics For the complete specification see e.g.
the Acer.co.uk Aspire 5020 series product page.Here I list only the main characteristics of the Aspire 5024WLMi.
AMD Turion 64 processor ML34 1.8 GHz with 1 MB L2 cache, AMD PowerNow! and HyperTransport ATI Mobility RADEON XPRESS 200 series chipset 512 MB DDR 333 memory (2x256) 80 GB 4200rpm ATA/100 hard disk drive DVD-Dual Double Layer drive (Pioneer DVR-K04RA in my notebook) 15.4" WXGA Acer CrystalBrite TFT LCD with 1280 x 800 pixel resolution ATI MOBILITY RADEON X700, with 128 MB VRAM 56K V.92 modem, 10/100/1000Mbps Gigabit Ethernet, dual-mode 802.11b/g 60Wh Li-Ion battery with 'Up to 3 hours battery life' 363 (W) x 278 (D) x 24/32.9 (H) mm, 3.07 kg (6.77 lbs.) Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition First ImpressionsI used this notebook for several days now.
Below are my first impressions and some benchmark results of this machine 'right out of the box'.
Box contentsThe notebook came well packaged and sealed in a white-green Acer box inside a brown shipping box, containing: the notebook itself the battery pack the AC power adapter a modem cable to connect to a telephone socket a 'Just for Starters...' poster a thin, three-language Aspire 3020/5020 Series User's Guide a modem User's Guide warranty card and International Travelers Warranty passport an MS Windows XP booklet, but no CD a CD package containing Acer Recovery cd's, Norton AV 2005, NTI CD&DVD maker How it looksHere are some pictures of the 5024WLMi.
I found these pictures on the web (see also the German Acer ftp site):Click the images to enlarge! The notebook feels solid and well made.
The silver with black design definitely looks good, although maybe more business-like than stylish.
I'm not completely sure if the silver parts are from aluminum or plastic.The size of this notebook is typical for a notebook with a 15.4" screen, but it really is thin, even thinner than the 1690 series.With the battery installed, the notebook weighs just over 3 kg, which feels quite heavy and is probably too heavy to carry around for a long time.
But as I will use it mostly as a desktop replacement, this is no problem.InstallationInstallation is very simple.  The first time you switch the system ON, it automatically starts Acer's SelfConfiguration Pre-load utility.
I could select to install either English, French or Dutch Windows XP.
After some time it enters Windows XP setup, asking you language, time-zone and keyboard settings.
Eventually, you end up with the normal Windows XP desktop, ready to work.  The whole process took less than 20 minutes.  The Windows version is Windows XP Home with ServicePack 2.  The hard disk is (default, no questions asked) formatted in two equal FAT32 partitions of each appr.
38 GB.
The C-drive contains Windows and all Acer software, the D-drive is empty.
I think there is also a hidden system recovery partition, but I didn't investigate this.
Included software Acer eManager - for connecting to a beamer, system recovery and some basic system settings Acer Arcade - for playing video and audio NTI CD & DVD maker and Backup Now - for burning CD's and DVD's Cyberlink PowerProducer - for making video / dvd's Norton AntiVirus Note: the Acer ePowermanagement software (which is present on e.g.
the Aspire 1690) was not installed on this machine.
You can only set power management features via Windows.
DocumentationThe included documentation on paper is minimal: the User's Guide 'covers everything' in 26 pages.
There is a slightly more extensive .PDF version installed on the hard disk.
Layout of ports and indicators Front: Left and right speakers Bluetooth communication button/indicatorNote: on the 5024WLMi model the button/indicator is there, but there is NO Bluetooth installed! WLAN button/indicator Line-in/mic-in jack Speaker-out/line-out/headphone jack Battery indicator Power-on indicator Left: Ventilation slots S-video/TV-out port IEEE 1394 port 3 USB 2.0 ports Infrared port PC Card slot: Accepts one Type II PC Card.
6-in-1 card reader: Accepts an MS, MS PRO, MMC, SD, SM, or xD-Picture card Right: only the Optical drive on this side Rear: Security keylock Power jack Modem jack (RJ-11) Network jack USB 2.0 port External display port Ventilation slots Underside: Wireless LAN bay Battery bay with lock and release latch Cooling fan - Note: Do not cover or obstruct the opening of the fan.
Memory and hard disk bay (secured by a screw).
ScreenThe screen is a 15.4" WXGA (1280x800) TFT LCD screen with Acer's CrystalBrite technology.
This means that it has a kind of a glossy finish (like Sony X-Black) which should provide a brighter display.
Disadvantage is that you may/will have more reflections.Indeed, I found the display sharp and bright with lively colours.
But I also noticed reflections, especially when displaying dark-coloured images on the screen.
However, when displaying light-coloured images (e.g.
when wordprocessing with a white or light-gray background) these reflections are much less noticable or disturbing.
But you should definitely take this into account when positioning your notebook.The viewing angle of the screen is good, especially in the horizontal direction; the vertical direction is a bit more sensitive and you quickly see the intensity of colours change when you rotate the screen.I used the "Dead Pixel Buddy" from LaptopShowcase to investigate my screen for dead pixels: I found not a single dead (sub)pixel.
SpeakersThe speakers are, I think, notebook - standard.
They are small and do their job but sound a bit tinny.
If you are critical about sound, I would recommend using headphones or connecting external speakers.
DVD driveThe CD/DVD drive appears to be a Pioneer DVR-K04RA.
The drive was hardly noticable when playing an audio CD or a DVD.
However, when copying files from a data CD it was rather noisy.
Until now, the drive had no problem reading any CD or DVD that I tried.
Burning a CD was no problem.
I have not yet tried burning a DVD.
NoiseYou almost never hear the harddisk.  When doing light work or on battery, the fan is usually OFF.
Sometimes the fan switches on with low speed and is then noticable, but not disturbing.
When the system is being worked hard and the CPU and/or GPU get warm, the fan noise at full speed is quite intrusive.  You can also feel that the system becomes warm, especially at the left side, but it never becomes very hot.
Keyboard and TouchpadThe keyboard generally works and feels O.K.
It does 'give way' a bit in the upper left corner but for the rest feels solid.
Until now, I mostly worked on a full-size keyboard with separate arrow-keys and numeric keypad.
And therefore, finding the correct arrow-, Home-, End- or Del-key still causes me some problems.
Also some of these keys are rather small.
Probably, someone used to working with a notebook would feel more and/or quicker at home, but for me it will take some time to get used to and to reach the same typing speed as on normal keyboard.I quickly got used to using the touchpad.
It works well and allows precise and rather quick cursor positioning.
Personally, I'm still quicker with a normal mouse though.  Furthermore, there are several buttons and keys for special / Acer / notebook functions, e.g.
Fn-key plus arrow-keys allows you to control volume or brightness, etc.
BatteryThe battery of the Aspire 5020 series is a 60Wh Li-Ion unit with, according to Acer, 'up to 3 hours battery life'.  Using Battery Eater '05 Pro I measured batery life under several conditions, trying to get an indication of minimum and maximum battery life: 'Minimum' battery life: I measured this by using BatteryEater in 'Classic' mode and disabling all powersaving options by selecting the "Home/Office" power management scheme in Windows and setting all 'switch-off' times to 5 hours.
BatteryEater then keeps both CPU and GPU busy with an OpenGl animation.
I checked several times with CPU-Z and saw that the CPU continuously ran at 1800 MHz.
Also the fan was almost continuously operating at full speed.
Under these