Recent content by professorturtle

RAM from other countries - it doesn't make a difference. RAM is RAM; you only really need to be aware of the 'type' of RAM which in your case; is DDR2. Note that any RAM over 1066 rated speed will be downclocked in order to work. Realistically - any DDR2 stick will work in your system.

The ST3320620AS is a SATA drive - you do not need a IDE master/slave; SATA drives have nothing to do with the IDE interface. Most likely - the computer is trying to boot up from the 'wrong' HDD - the one without the OS. Inside the BIOS - there should be a section for 'HDD boot order/priority'...

Try to get hold of an ASUS M5A97 - they were some of the best AM3 boards around on a budget and were extremely reliable. IIRC - they retail for around $70-100

As you stated the first time in your original post - you need to get a AM2+ motherboard as according to the spec sheet - the 940 is a AM2+ CPU. Whilst there are indeed cases where CPUs which are not on the 'compatible list' still work flawlessly; your CPU is NOT compatible with the AsRock board...

Is anything at all listed under the 'other devices' section of Device Manager? What exact model type is the laptop (e.g. AO522, AO571h, etc)?

What version of Windows is your Acer running? Regardless - open up Device Manager, expand the 'Network Adapters' tab and list all of the devices under that category.

What did you do before it stopped recognizing it? I'd take a guess and say that there's a hardware network switch somewhere on the laptop - and it's in the off position.

I'm looking for some cheap yet (sort-of) effective case fans that don't exceed around 30dba in terms of noise. I need six fans and as a result - I'm not going to be able to use PWM to control the rotation speed as my motherboard only has four fan ports (I don't intend to buy a fan controller...

Yep. That's what you're looking for. Only the front bay fans listed use 3 pins and because you only have two of them - you'll only need one adapter.

^LOL

The fans have 3-pin connectors built to be plugged into a fan controller or the motherboard. If you need an adapter because your motherboard doesn't have enough connectors - you'll be looking at a '3-pin to molex' adapter. (fan -> 3-pin -> molex -> psu) Cooling should be sufficient.

The most important thing is that you're okay; isn't it? ;) Run memtest86 overnight. If nothing shows up - you're good to go. If problems occur; have you tried reseating the RAM? The impact might've unlatched a stick or two.

The ST500 should be able to power the HD7850 (due to the 500w rating) however I wouldn't trust a Cougar ST series inside my machine. They're made by HEC; they get mixed reviews all the time. Regardless, it should be fine.