It's taken me awhile to start this thread, sorry. I know this may end up in flame wars. Again I am sorry.
So everyone knows my situation. Well those close to me on this site do. My computer is finally showing signs of how old it truly is. Keep in mind my computer has a Pentium 4 processor so I am guessing this setup to be almost ten years old. The problem, even after a few friends helped me here with a new hard drive and more memory, is the rest of the system. The processor can't keep up with the newer operating systems. I'm having a hard time just running XP. Found out the other day my DVD Burner drive is almost dead as it will read disc sometimes and other times it will not. Monitor is on it's last legs as well. Hard to read anything and the brightness is going out. It's an old CRT Dell monitor that is almost as old as the tower.
As Starkers had told you this computer is my main way to communicate with the things that are important in my life. So I was hoping someone out there had a few newer parts I could install to extend the life of the machine a bit. Nothing special. I already have DDR2 memory and a newer hard drive. Just need a few other things.
So carry on. Discuss I guess.
How am I supposed to do anything in Windows 7 without a mouse?
How did you install Win 7 in the first place? Install, shut down, plug mouse in, restart.
You're kidding, right? Try this along with Tab & Enter and you'll do fine.
so, who's going to fly to Oregon and fix kona's new free rig for him?
No worries guys. I turned off the computer, plugged in my USB mouse, and restarted Windows 7 setup from scratch. Everything is working just fine. I have named this build the "Wincustomize" build. Here are some screenshots:
Is that mouse a Lopgitech optical by any chance? That was what I experienced with the one I have. It had to be plugged in before startup or it didn't get recognized. Btw, congrats on the build. Like I thought, the gfx card is the weasest link but it should get you by. Sorry I didn't have something better laying around.
Thanks to all the fine people who pitched in here at WC to make this all happen for Terry. You all are a great bunch!!!
If you are running 64 bit Windows, go to the CPUZ site and on the right side of the page near the top, download the 64 bit portable (zip) version 1.63.0 x64, if using 32 bit, you can get it there also.
Never mind, it has been explained to me in very few words.
It could be that all 4 cores need to be activated in run> msconfig> boot > advanced options> No. of processors> tick box> select No. of cores. I have found in the past that while all cores may appear in CPUZ, Windows is not necessarily seeing them all... enabling them in msconfig should resolve that. If they're already registered, however, then it's probably a question for yrag or somebody more techy than I.
YAY WC and Kona!!!
Starkers I did as you suggested. All four cores are running. I have no idea why they are running around 800 Mhz. Is there a fix? Now I am worried!
Nevermind. I went into BIOS and turned off cool and quiet technology. Is there an easy to use program to control these fans? Very noisy little computer! It now shows 4 cores at 2.4 Ghz.
yrag told me to enable it. I suggest you do the same.
Kona, cool and quiet is designed to run at lower speeds until you need more power. It saves heat and wear on the CPU.
Ok I will next time I restart. Thanks.
Okay, we all learnt something... Cool and Quiet.
Well I didn't really learn it.
I already knew [thanks to yrag] but forgot due to C.R.A.F.T. disease... thanks for the timely reminder, Wiz.
Yeah, I'm swapping out my AMD FX 8170 x8 later today for an AMD FX8350 x8 I recently swapped for a AMD Phenom II x6 1100T with my nephew... and ensuring Cool & Quiet is enabled is something I may have otherwise forgotten.
It dropped my CPU idle temps from 50-52c to 39c. I also had to go into power settings and set it to Power Saver instead of High Performance.
Oh yeah, kona, I'm just so pleased that the build all came together and all is running okay. I'm also happy the CPU wasn't the reason the build with the other mobo didn't fire up. I knew that it worked when I last used it, but it briefly became a concern that something could have happened during shipping when the build wouldn't boot up. Oh well, all's well that ends well.
You should be able to set the core speed in setup also if it is off.Glad I missed all that dumb how to use a keyboard or I may have had to fly to Oregon, to slap you! To funny. Ahhh , life before a mouse!
Smokin setup, except for that video. Still okay though for almost anything normal users need.
Glad your up, I am anticipating that cpu upgrade on mine very soon, then, I will send you that cpu for the other board.
DT1
I guess the only thing I would add besides a newer video card is a sound card. All of that in time I guess. For now this is a sweet machine. It flies. Leaves that old Pentium 4 in the dust. Now I can truly multitask, watch a YouTube video with no lag, play a game with no worries, and get some serious work done.
CPU temp at idle is around 122F. Is this normal?
A very big thank you to everyone that made this happen. I don't now what else to say. I will treasure this machine for years to come. Thank you so much!
No onboard sound?
Should be some realtek or something. Checked your setup for it .? Would need mobo drivers for it, didn't Ace send a disk?
122? I think that is okay if you were playing a game or somehow using alot of cpu, otherwise I feel that is a bit warm. But, I have an A+ case with a 14"sidefan. 12"frontfan and several others all 120mm. Could maybe reposition the case so it gets better air flow around it. You are not in danger either though of overheating. On that note, you probably can set an alarm in bios for cpu temp, if not plenty of third party software .If you need fans , let me know.DT1
That 7.2 cpu rating is giving me w _ _d .I can hardly wait now to get an upgrade. that has been my low score since I put this system together. I could not afford better at the time cpu wise.I would have a 6.9 with that cpu overall. Not that I lag now, much. But it happens.
This is all giving me rebuild fever and I have tried to avoid that , thank you! All this shopping and research is a bad thing. You all know what I mean. Cutting edge technology gets a hold and there goes the mortgage payment! Better go to work, have a feeling I may need some extra cash soon!Catch up with kona and Starkers with their monster pc's.Have fun Kona.
No I have onboard sound. The 3.5 mm jack for sound is so loose I may need to invest in a sound card sooner or later. The system has a 120mm up front, a 80mm in the rear, the PSU has a 120mm, and then there is the CPU and GPU fans. I don't think cooling is an issue.
Ace I went with the newer case, the case you sent is being put to good use as well.
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