For Those Who Told Me Installing a Graphics Card Was Easy....

[Dillon Levenque]

It is pitch black. You could be eaten by a grue.

[Czari Zenovka]

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

It is pitch black. You could be eaten by a grue.

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Was that a riddle?  I'm thinking you're talking about Asteroids but it's late so, wasn't sure.

[Dillon Levenque]

Oh my. No, I was talking about the Great Underground Empire: Zork. It was the first* of what were called 'text adventure games'. I have a version that runs on XP; I'm sure it will run on Win 7 and probably 8. The CLI is still the CLI (at least on 7: I've not played with 8 yet).

 

*Or at least the first widely acknowledged one. I'm sure there were others before Zork, but Zork became the baseline.

 

Edited to add footnote

[Awe Thor]

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

 

*Or at least the first widely acknowledged one. I'm sure there were others before Zork, but Zork became the baseline.

 

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Nah, you're a generation or two of computers out, but then, you probably think that One Direction were the first band to sing "One Way Or Another".

Awe . . . played Colossal Cave on a DEC PDP 10 in 1976.

[Maryanne Solo]

Hello & thx

"Lian Li" are/were almost on par with the Thermaltake Sword M tower.

It cost $900AUD at the time which must be 5 years ago now.

(2008? cant recall and the receipt is stashed away somewhere)

Both are hand made cases but the Sword was a limited edition. Mine was purchased toward the end of the run.

You may find a second hand one which would be in good condition as they are very robust and almost a work of art.

I can't wait until you can get a 600w mid level qaulity PSU. You can then relax regarding powersupply.

With your history in computing you surely deserve total reliability power wise.

That picture doesn't show the rear panel access which is just as cool as the rest of it.

[Sassy Romano]

Another vote for making sure the power supply is appropriate.  I've never been a fan of using accessory connectors via adaptors to power graphics cards which can use a disproprionate amount of power compared to the rest of the system.

Total wattage isn't the only consideration but the available current on the 12V supply at the rated power under load.  PSU's change efficiency under load and some won't deliver their stated output or sometimes the current is split among several 12V rails.

Example here:-

 

So if you were to take your GTX 660 which Nvidia states has a maximum power draw of 140W, that's 140/12 = 11.7 amps.  If you happened to add all your other accessories, hard drives etc. via splitters and such to the same power rail then you could be stressing one of the power rails.

Just make sure that you're PSU is suitable and just for reference, many PSU's now are modular for cabling and here's a pic of one with dedicated sockets for PCI-E connectors for graphics cards:-

If you can post the label on the PSU with the details such as above, it might help.

Oh and I forgot to say CONGRATS ON YOUR UPGRADE, make sure the first thing you do is go to graphics preferences and enable Ultra and then see how long it is before you stop running around giggling

I also am fully aware of your constraints but see if you can get a second monitor too, that becomes very helpful, not so much to spread SL across both (though you can do that) but to have things like web browser, youtube, other apps open while you do stuff in SL, saves a lot of swapping around.  The GTX 660 can run 4 monitors.

[Alicia Sautereau]

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Dillon Levenque wrote:

Thank you for posting the pictures. Every now and then I run across an article or comment online from a rabid gamer (NOT, of course, that I'm suggesting anything of the sort about you) and the one thing I've always considered entirely over the line was liquid cooling. I was pretty sure I'd never be willing to actually run liquid in hoses through a PC.

Having seen your pics, I am in complete agreement with my prior opinion. If THAT is what it takes, I'm not doing it! I'll go back to Asteroids or something! I have to say I admire your commitment, though. That is a whole lot of hard work right there.

You know, the original Volkswagen beetle and microbus were the most popular vehicles for touring the deserts of the American southwest. There are still a few left out there. They had no radiators: air-cooled.:smileyhappy:

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Oh true and personally i don`t recommend watercooling to anyone besides the H50/H80 kit for the cpu

All started with a 280 gtx for fun with a thermaltake, but went full cooling when my next silverstone case started running 4 5870

It`s all overclocked, airflow in the case unable to flow fast enough and the noise from 3 580`s running at full load make it sound you`re on an airplane, now the only noise is when the chiller kicks in every 5 - 10 minutes

Making changes is a nightmare tho, yes there are quick release plugs, but you need to take everything along, call it a hobby gone out of control lol

Only reason why anyone would want to wc their pc is either for overclockers or if your pc makes to much noise, wich for normal people is never

[Czari Zenovka]

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Maryanne Solo wrote:

Hello & thx

"Lian Li" are/were almost on par with the

Thermaltake Sword M

tower.

It cost $900AUD at the time which must be 5 years ago now.

(2008? cant recall and the receipt is stashed away somewhere)

Both are hand made cases but the Sword was a limited edition. Mine was purchased toward the end of the run.

You may find a second hand one which would be in good condition as they are very robust and almost a work of art.

I can't wait until you can get a 600w mid level qaulity PSU. You can then relax regarding powersupply.

With your history in computing you surely deserve total reliability power wise.

That picture doesn't show the rear panel access which is just as cool as the rest of it.

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Whoooooaaaaa!  No onder that case is so snazzy. (Just looked up the conversion from AUD to USD; not sure what the rate was 5 years ago but today the two are fairly close.  That is a great idea to look for a used one.

Also wanted to apologize for jumping on you earlier in the thread.  I thought the post was meant as friendly info and I'm sorry I took it badly.  Thank you for continuing to contribute here as well...I really appreciate your info.

[Alicia Sautereau]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

Whoa, Alicia!!! You look like you could supply power for a city out of all that!  Very impressive.

(And I can see mesh on your sim now - hint*hint*)

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Thanks, more like use the power of  city ^^

Don`t spend much time inworld right now to sort of get a timeout as the little things are starting to annoy me again heh

[Czari Zenovka]

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Sassy Romano wrote:

Another vote for making sure the power supply is appropriate.  I've never been a fan of using accessory connectors via adaptors to power graphics cards which can use a disproprionate amount of power compared to the rest of the system.

Total wattage isn't the only consideration but the available current on the 12V supply at the rated power under load.  PSU's change efficiency under load and some won't deliver their stated output or sometimes the current is split among several 12V rails.

Example here:-

 

So if you were to take your GTX 660 which Nvidia states has a maximum power draw of 140W, that's 140/12 = 11.7 amps.  If you happened to add all your other accessories, hard drives etc. via splitters and such to the same power rail then you could be stressing one of the power rails.

Just make sure that you're PSU is suitable and just for reference, many PSU's now are modular for cabling and here's a pic of one with dedicated sockets for PCI-E connectors for graphics cards:-

If you can post the label on the PSU with the details such as above, it might help.

Oh and I forgot to say CONGRATS ON YOUR UPGRADE, make sure the first thing you do is go to graphics preferences and enable Ultra and then see how long it is before you stop running around giggling

I also am fully aware of your constraints but see if you can get a second monitor too, that becomes very helpful, not so much to spread SL across both (though you can do that) but to have things like web browser, youtube, other apps open while you do stuff in SL, saves a lot of swapping around.  The GTX 660 can run 4 monitors.

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Thank you so much, Sassy.   You're one of the people who have heard me whine about needing to upgrade for the past year.  I truly appreciate your input and offers of help.

The photo I left in the response is what I'm not seeing on my current PSU, I'm assuming because of the info being on the opposite side that I can see.  Do you recommend my checking that out by temporarily removing it?  I'm a bit hesitant to touch anything in the case now....lol.  I do want to get a new PSU as soon as possible. (Anticipates another round of research.)

Update on the HDMI cord - apparently the one my father has won't work for the PC for some reason.  (My mother left a voice mail message for me relaying the info so I didn't get the details, just that it won't work.  Will check out local stores to pick one up.)

[VRprofessor]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

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VRprofessor wrote:

Just wanted to add my sympathies to the list.  I have certainly had my share of issues in recent months. 

I had DVI ports on both card and monitors, but I had the wrong DVI cable--so I had to order new.  

I had a power supply upgrade partially installed to support installation of a better graphics card before I noticed that the computer in question was using obsolete power connections.  I couldn't even find an adapter.  Sigh.

The joys of upgrading never end.

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Thank you, Professor.  How did you resolve your issue with the better graphics card for the PC without the proper connectors?  I'm feeling your pain too. :smileysad:

 

 

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Since I already had the power supply and graphics card as well as some RAM and an old hard drive I did the only sensible <cough, cough> thing--I bought the rest of the things I needed and built another box.  (of course the old hard drive had been designated "old" for a reason--it crapped out a few months later, so now I have a new HD in that box.)

[Sassy Romano]

It's up to you whether you want to remove your PSU to check or not.  The PSU I have has extensive monitoring software and the current drawn when in SL isn't that high so you're probably fine, only when I run a graphics benchmark or decent game does my graphics card draw ~ 16 amps, standing around in SL it's next to nothing most of the time.

On the HDMI cable, just be aware that there are also different connectors.  From looking at pictures of the end plate of the GTX 660, it looks like the Type A which is also what you'd expect to find on most monitors and TV's.  Type C you tend to find on some graphics cards that have limited space on the end plate, video cameras etc and Type D on devices such as tablets, mobile phones.

Just check before you go shopping!

[Awe Thor]

I still use a PC I bought in 1981 to access SL with no problems

Awe . . . of course, I have upgraded almost all the components since then - except the power lead.

[Sassy Romano]

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Czari Zenovka wrote:

I'm assuming I need to plug both of the two 3-pin molex connectors into the corresponding receptors in my PC and then the 6-pin into the card.  When I was trying to install the card on Sunday I just plugged one of the two 3-pins into a connector.  If that was incorrect, that would probably have been a disaster even if I'd had the VGA adapter. :matte-motes-bashful-cute:

Sooooo, when I can afford to, I need to upgrade the PSU.  Would looking for one with a direct connection (ie. no need to use a molex adapter) be better?  I sure hope swapping out a PSU won't be as tricky as the graphics card!

 

 

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You need to plug both in because of the potential current draw and make sure that each is plugged into a different main cable coming from the PSU since you need to split the current equally through both.  That won't be the case if you just piggyback them together.

Very worst case scenario of only using one cable, wire burns and you have a fire.  You'd hope something else burns out before that though but the fuse is always last to go lol.  Unlikely though.

 

[Czari Zenovka]

Thank you again, Sassy, for the info.  As it turns out, there is a TigerDirect store not far from where I live.  I ordered my graphics card from them via their online site and didn't even think to check if they had a brick and mortar store near me, already assuming they likely didn't.  I'm not even sure what made me check.

So I am planning to go there with the specific info of my graphics card, what type of PSU I'd like to get (I saw one on their site that looks promising) and make sure the PSU offers a direct 6-pin connection to the graphics card.  I'll also tell them what monitor I am using and get the correct HDMI cord.

This will be a LOT easier in person...lol.  I could actually drop by my local PC store as well and see what their prices and selection is.

[Maryanne Solo]

Thank you Czari your posts are always interesting and extermely well informed.

Now we know why

extremely< even 

[Couldbe Yue]

I don't know if you've got the power supply yet but here's a calculator that might make it easier to determine just what you need http://www.power-on.com/calculator.html

and on hdmi cables  http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/is-it-worth-splashing-out-on-cables-8685983.html
  the comments are really informative.

have fun (!) with the search

 

[Czari Zenovka]

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Couldbe Yue wrote:

I don't know if you've got the power supply yet but here's a calculator that might make it easier to determine just what you need

http://www.power-on.com/calculator.html

and on hdmi cables 

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/is-it-worth-splashing-out-on-cables-8685983.html

  the comments are really informative.

 

have fun (!) with the search

 

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Thank you, Couldbe. :matte-motes-smile:  I've been grabbed by RL for the past week but plan on going to the brick & mortar TigerDirect in my area soon and getting a PSU WITH a direct connector and the correct HDMI cord.  In the meantime, even the onboard graphics are way better than my old graphics card.

[Couldbe Yue]

once you get that card hooked up we won't see you around here for a while, you'll be too busy hanging out inworld having your mind boggled at how good it looks..

[Sassy Romano]

That she will... if she thinks the onboard graphics are good..."ain't seen nothing yet!"  Especially when finding some nice "materials" stuff.

[Czari Zenovka]

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Couldbe Yue wrote:

once you get that card hooked up we won't see you around here for a while, you'll be too busy hanging out inworld having your mind boggled at how good it looks..

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Good point!  I'm impressed with the onboard graphics so if it's going to get even better, I'll be the dazed redhead with my mouth hanging open babbling something like, "Is this REALLY the SL I've been in for years?"  Either that or I'll be leaving sonic booms in my path.

[Alicia Sautereau]

Wait till you can crank up the settings with the gpu

[Czari Zenovka]

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Sassy Romano wrote:

That she will... if she thinks the onboard graphics are good..."ain't seen nothing yet!"  Especially when finding some nice "materials" stuff.

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Sounds like I have a VERY pleasant experience awaiting!!!  Ok, I even hesitate to ask this but ummm...anything I should know before purchasing a PSU so I don't run into the same "surprises" I did with the graphics card even after doing what I thought was a lot of research?

[Czari Zenovka]

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Alicia Sautereau wrote:

Wait till you can crank up the settings with the gpu

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ZOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!! :matte-motes-big-grin:

[Sassy Romano]

Czari, go back and re-read what I said about adequate power on a single 12V rail.  You just want to make sure that the power supply isn't dividing it's total power between multiple rails.  Although you're not likely to run into a problem, go for quality, not just the cheapest "hi-power" one that you're presented with.

Oh, the good ones are also usually very efficient (cheaper to run!) and have entered into voluntary certification.  Read here for more details http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/80_Plus

In simple terms, if you have an 80% efficient power supply, 20% of the power from the wall socket is just being converted to heat.  Draw 200W and that's 40W doing nothing but warming the room slightly but you're paying for that and getting only heat from it.  My PSU right now is reporting 97% efficient, that's just 8W warming the room from 249W drawn.

A very highly efficient PSU, while not being the only factor, should be a further guide as to the design and quality.