Recent content by tranadra

I would agree with you. Is the motherboard still under warranty? You may try contacting the manufacturer and see if they will still replace / repair it.

This would be a good replacement for what you currently have. The brand is G. Skill: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) 204-Pin DDR3 SO-DIMM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Laptop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBSQ

Memory Options: DDR3 SDRAM (1600MHz ) 2 slots supporting 2G, 4GB, 8GB DIMMs It most likely has 2 x 2 GB units, meaning you'll want to replace both to get 8GB of Memory.

I would try putting in the old PSU and see if the problem persists. If the problem stops when you put in the old PSU, then you know it's the power supply, and you can look at replacing it, or having the manufacturer replace it. HTH

The external sound card already has an amplifier built in. You may see a difference since the monoprice is a DAC (digital to analog converter) and the external sound card is not. My guess is that you will not see much of a difference. HTH

Maybe at low settings. The problem with GTA games is that they're notorious for being poorly optimized. steampowered.com will show the hardware requirements. HTH

Go into BIOS, and modify your Boot Priority. It sounds like it's trying to boot from USB or CD drive first. You'll want your hard drive to be the first thing on the boot priority. If you need to boot from a CD or USB (usually to install an OS) you'll need to go back and change this so it...

Yes, an SSD functions just like any other hard disk. Keep in mind that by default, all your programs want to install to your OS Install drive, so you'll have to be mindful when installing new programs. From the Microsoft website: Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 require a minimum of 16 gigabytes...

Yes. Do you have the key of the XP install that was originally on the laptop? If not you'll need a key. I would recommend against installing XP though, as the security updates have stopped, and vulnerabilities that are discovered will no longer be patched.

I've been a customer with Verizon for ten years, so your mileage may vary as a new customer, but they actually work with me to lower prices on bills. It seems like every time I visit the brick store, they modify account so that it's a little bit cheaper, more data/minutes, etc. In my part of...

Have you ran a utility like SpeedFan or CPUZ to verify that your CPU or GPU aren't overheating? The fact that the hard drive makes noise after the system powers down might indicate that it is not a power supply issue. Heat is the only thing I can think of that would make the PC shut off without...