Recent content by Alan_G

Yes it runs with not problem. I got a free game when I got my NVIDIA GPU (Metro Last Light). I put it on my WD 2TB HDD and it ran with out any problems at all.

This can also be a problem if you are using a wireless keyboard. Sometimes those drivers don't load in time to get into the BIOS. Try a hard wired USB or PS2 keyboard if you have one (or can borrow one; I always keep one on hand for just this reason).

Ok, thanks for the clarification. Regarding entering the BIOS, are you using a wireless keyboard? If so see if you can find an old wired PS2 or USB 2 keyboard and try that. Sometimes the wireless keyboard drivers don't load in time and you cannot enter the BIOS by F8/del. I suspect that the...

Some things are not clear here. How old is the computer? It sounds like it's 7-8 years old and if so a hard drive failure would not be unusual. You could also be having a RAM issue as well and should check for that. You state that you have a 300GB primary and 2TB secondary internal HDs. You...

If you are planning to overclock the system it does make a difference as you need to buy one that allows you to do this (I'm not sure that an OC capable board is within our price point). Other than that there is little difference between MoBos other than their appearance. I've done builds with...

I have that exact MoBo and i5 CPU in my photography workstation and have not had one single problem in 7 months of use. Most of work is image processing and I've played exactly one game, 'Metro Last Light' that I got for free with my NVIDIA GPU (just in case that is of interest).

Video cards usually disable MoBo video ports.

^+1 and also make sure the fan is spinning. It could be the fan motor is dead.

The 24 pin connector goes in only one way and should not have to be forced. There is a clip on one side that should allow it to click into place. Look carefully at the socket to make sure that there is not anything in it to prevent it from fitting in and also look at the connector as well...

This is my workstation case and I've not tinkered with the case fans and have not seen the need to run them above the medium (7V) setting. In fact, when the weather is cool, I turn it down to the low (5V) setting. For photo editing and routine work, I've not seen CPU temperatures rise more...

This is my workstation case and I've not tinkered with the case fans and have not seen the need to run them above the medium (7V) setting. In fact, when the weather is cool, I turn it down to the low (5V) setting. For photo editing and routine work, I've not seen CPU temperatures rise more...

No, you will need a CPU cooler. I saw this review from the Streacom website: http://www.eteknix.com/streacom-m-itx-htpc-chassis-review/5/ He uses the Akasa cooler and it looks like it's a nice fit. If you are just running general applications it should be fine. Of course he also only has a...

Wow, and I thought building in a Lian Li PC-Q27 case was tough! It's a really nice looking case but I can see the difficulty you are facing here. It looks like you also need to get a slimline optical drive as well. I take it this is for an HTPC application? If so, cooling isn't that much of...

I'm curious, what case are you using? I've not seen a case where the drive mounting is directly over the CPU cooler.

What programs are you intending to run. If you are just going to do routine stuff the stock Intel cooler is fine (I've built four PCs in the past several months for such applications and didn't bother with an after market cooler). In addition, some MoBos restrict the types of coolers you can...