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Old 24th March 2012, 14:40   #2281
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

I suppose it is something that might well take off in the gaming world. How do the prices compare? I'd be inclined to spend more on a higher quality monitor --- but then, I don't game and I don't watch movies, so 3D, even if I did take to it, would be useless to me.

How do spectacle wearers cope with 3D glasses? I can watch TV without them, but I need them for reading and for viewing my monitor.

My experience of Samsung is with ACs and with my PC monitor. Whilst I'd think twice about buying Samsung AC again, my monitor continues to work flawlessly. I think it must be about three years now. Hoping this continues indefinitely
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Old 24th March 2012, 18:37   #2282
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Prices are about 25% more for 3D but it's based on just 2 models, so not a good generalization. The regular ones vary from 8k-11k , the 3D AOC is 13.7k or so, the LG is 15.x k. So far even I haven't seen 3D stuff at home, but the idea was to get a 3D monitor as future-proof purchase, but with the limited choice as of now, I may rethink.

Both require simple 3D glasses ,not the electronic Nvidia 3D tech based ones.
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Old 26th March 2012, 11:12   #2283
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

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Originally Posted by Ricci View Post
My Viewsonic 22" monitor is acting up (again ). Now in summer heat, the monitor seems to get hot, and when it does, it displays vertical grey stripes across the centre of the screen at intermittent duration. The duration decreases if kept powered on and displaying even when hot. No such thing when cold, and subsides if allowed to sleep/time out the display.
It may be Barkhausen oscillation caused by drying electrolytics. In other words, the LCD display driver unit is in its last legs. May cost about Rs.2000 for a 17 inch unit. In your case it will be higher.

Samsung and LG are crappy when it comes to their ACs - but their electronics division is ok - both from our experience. We have a dozen samsung monitors in our office and only one needed the display driver to be changed.

LG AC had poor throw and needed service every 3 months while the Samsung AC was just about adequate. Eventually we dumped them for Voltas ACs.
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Old 26th March 2012, 16:32   #2284
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Just finished a watercooled build using a Phenom II x4 970 and two 6970s in Crossfire. Both the cards and the CPU are on water, using one 3 x 120 radiators and one single 120mm radiator in a loop designed to put a Harry Potter maze to shame.

CPU: Phenom II x4 970
Board: Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5
Memory: Corsair XMS3 1600MHz
Cards: Radeon HD6970, 2 in Crossfire
Monitor: Dell 3008WFP (I bought this in 2008 so it's really old already)
PSU: Seasonic X-850
Case: Xigmatek Elysium
Disks: 60GB OCZ Agility 3, and two 750GB WD Black drives in RAID0, and cheap DVD writer
Blocks: Swiftech Apogee XT (CPU) Swiftech MCW82 (GPU)
Radiators: Swiftech QP360, XSPC 120
Pump/res: Swiftech MCP655B, Swiftech Micro-res - pump is a little more noisy than I like, but very powerful. I think it's a bit of overkill for this setup.
Tubing/coolant: Tygon clear tube, distilled water + 5N silver killcoil
Fans: Side/Front Xigmatek stock, 3x120mm Antec Tricool, 1x120 NZXT (need nicer fans soon)

The whole rig cost close to 110k - the customs on the watercooling items was a little stiffer than I wanted. It would have cost me more if I bought the cards at full retail, but those are used so I got away a little lightly.
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Old 26th March 2012, 17:32   #2285
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Wow, that is a lot of money to invest in a PC!

Pictures please!
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Old 26th March 2012, 17:41   #2286
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Hey Thad, PM'ed you a link to the build worklog and pictures, I'm not allowed to post links to other forums and am too lazy to copy that post here (plus, it would be too long).

The 110k does not include the cost of the monitor (which I paid ~80k for, three years ago). On the plus side, the cost has been deployed over a 6 month period so frankly it is more of bean counting than a one-time investment.

I figure that the bulk of this money has been invested in the case, PSU and watercooling equipment, all of which are kind of long-term buys. The cards should be fine for medium-term use and the basic platform can be junked without thinking too much.

Given that this is an upgrade after three years of patient waiting, I'm prety kicked about it - the spacing of all the hardware buys ensured it was not hitting my retirement fund.

I should be more or less settled for the next two or three years with this and some minor updates.
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Old 26th March 2012, 18:34   #2287
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Good case and good power supply is a good long[er]-term investment. It is said (by Coolermaster, IIRC where I saw it) that power supply's actual output dimishes with time, but mine is so over-specced, I trust that will be a long time.

Thanks for the PM. I enjoyed the pictures and description.
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Old 26th March 2012, 19:26   #2288
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Cranky, its time to get two 7970's now and an ivy bridge
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Old 26th March 2012, 21:46   #2289
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Now *that's* expensive.

I'm actually saving up for the RG7
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Old 26th March 2012, 23:43   #2290
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

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Now *that's* expensive.

I'm actually saving up for the RG7
Now thats something fantastic. What preamp to go with it?

PS: I'm getting a 7970 tomorrow. Chose it over the 680 inspite of gaming benches favoring the latter as the difference in compute power between the two is just massive. Plus nvidia seems to have artificially throttled OpenCL/OpenGL performance in the geforce cards post the 400 series to force people to buy quadros and teslas. Sad strategy I say.
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Old 27th March 2012, 09:24   #2291
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

I admit a single 7970 will be very similar to my two 6970s - maybe a mite less in performance.

Thing is though, I got hooked up to a good deal on the cards so the two of them combined cost around the same as a GTX580. Which was a fantastic deal. One of the cards died in operation, so I have to invest in another - and the cost advantage over the 7970 kind of disappears.

Oh well, them's the breaks.

And I don't use a preamp Direct out from the DAC. I trade off bit resolution for resistor noise.
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Old 29th March 2012, 01:19   #2292
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Assembled a new PC to retire old one-
  • 22" 1680X1050 Display carried over from old PC
  • Intel Motherboard
  • Intel 3.0 GHZ processor
  • 16GB DDR3 RAM
  • Nvidia GEforce Zotac 550Ti Graphics card
  • Windows 7 64 Bit
  • 2.1 Altac Lansing speakers(carried over) + Sennheiser HD210 for gaming
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Old 1st April 2012, 20:19   #2293
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

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It may be Barkhausen oscillation caused by drying electrolytics. In other words, the LCD display driver unit is in its last legs. May cost about Rs.2000 for a 17 inch unit. In your case it will be higher.
I'm going to have too google that, it went a bit over my head.
So are you saying its life is about to end ? The thing is it gets back to normal when allowed to cool off , so it seems definitely heat related , it hasn't gotten any worse as such, just re-appeared in March with the rising ambient temperature ( it last occured in Oct/Nov , then subsided in Dec-Jan-Feb ).

Temporary solution is to keep the fan in my room on more, but if it doesn't help much I'll then get it repaired or replaced with a new monitor.
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Old 1st April 2012, 20:36   #2294
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

Failed disc/Data Recovery

Having tried Micron in Adyar (Chennai), I found Stellar, in T Nagar. We told them Micron's diagnosis of a failed read head, and they said that it is possible that they might be able to source spare parts and would quote after examining the disc and reaching their own conclusions.

They said that their charges start at Rs.5,000 and can be as much as sixty thousand! . Nothing on my disc is worth even half of that!

They also said that it is not the end of the road for a warranty claim even after they have opened the disc up, and that a letter from them would be accepted. That's nice, but ...proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
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Old 1st April 2012, 21:10   #2295
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re: The Computer & Configuration Thread

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I'm going to have too google that, it went a bit over my head.
So are you saying its life is about to end ? The thing is it gets back to normal when allowed to cool off , so it seems definitely heat related , it hasn't gotten any worse as such, just re-appeared in March with the rising ambient temperature ( it last occured in Oct/Nov , then subsided in Dec-Jan-Feb ).

Temporary solution is to keep the fan in my room on more, but if it doesn't help much I'll then get it repaired or replaced with a new monitor.
No need to google that. Electronics equipment and computers use electrolytic capacitors and these electrolytic caps don't take kindly to heat. Over a period of time, they dry up and fail. So the LCD drive unit - which uses dozens of these electrolytic capacitors starts displaying striations/bars across the screen - one symptom. Not that it will display such show always. Some may show signs of distress before a failure while most fail with no warning.

My point is these things are not so expensive to replace.
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