Just as I suspected (since I’d already ruled out everything else), swapping out the modem did the trick. Everything is running perfectly now without any errors.
The old modem just wouldn't talk to my desktop, or maybe the desktop wouldn't talk to the modem. One of the two.
So, I just took it over to my cousin's place. I hooked it up to his modem using that same cable, and it worked instantly—it recognized the connection, grabbed the signal, and jumped right onto the LAN.
Is it even possible that it won't connect at home because of some stupid little glitch? Like, maybe since my laptop and desktop have the exact same name, the network isn't picking up this one as a new device?
Anyway, I’m probably just going to ask for a new modem. That should fix everything, I guess.
1. I bought a new desktop about 20 days ago. It’s running an ASUS M5A97 R2.
2. The machine arrived with Windows 8.1 already installed along with all the drivers.
3. I plug in the LAN cable—nothing. It is as if nothing is even plugged in; there isn't even a flicker from the LED on the modem or the port on the motherboard.
4. I take that same LAN cable and plug it into my laptop—everything works perfectly fine via Ethernet.
5. Thinking the LAN port on the motherboard was dead, I sent it back to the service center. They tested it with a cable, and it worked fine for them. Then they sent it back to me.
6. I get it home, plug the cable in, and... still nothing.
7. I use the same cable on the laptop, and it works.
8. I tried connecting the desktop through the laptop using a different LAN cable while the laptop stayed on Wi-Fi, and—suddenly—the desktop has LAN access. So, I assumed it was just a bad cable.
9. I move the desktop right next to the modem and connect it directly using that second cable—still nothing. So, it isn't the cable. Again, no LED lights on either the modem or the motherboard.
10. I called Comcast, and they tried resetting everything to factory settings, but it didn't help. They didn't have much else to offer, mostly just throwing out excuses like "you need drivers" or "your motherboard is faulty."
11. I have checked the drivers about ten times now. Everything looks perfect, no errors reported (which makes sense, since they checked them fifty times at the service center before shipping it back today).
The desktop settings are all on default (automatic IP/DNS); I haven't touched anything.
Does anyone have a clue what is going on? For some reason, a signal just won't establish between the desktop and the modem. When I bridge the connection through the laptop, the desktop recognizes the modem and connects to the LAN. I have tested this on both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. I've already disabled any power-saving options that might shut down the LAN, and I tried turning off Green Ethernet and Energy Efficient Ethernet in the network settings, since I read those can cause issues, but no luck.
The modem is a Thompson TG782i (I know it's garbage, but it's what Comcast provided), and the controller is a Realtek PCIe GBE Family controller.
The drivers are the latest versions and everything seems fine; Device Manager shows no errors.
1. My budget is roughly $110 (around $250). 2. It'll be used for both typing and gaming. 3. I'd prefer switches that don't require an excessive amount of force, though I don't want them so light that I end up hitting the wrong keys while typing; I've been doing some research on switch types, and I suspect Cherry MX Red or Brown Brothers Harriman might be my best bet. 4. I would also like some kind of lighting—if not full RGB, then maybe just blue. 5. I don't really care much for extra features like dedicated media keys or macro keys, but I suppose I'd prefer it doesn't look like some ancient Microsoft keyboard from $10. 6. Also, having a standard US layout is pretty important to me.
What would you guys recommend? (It doesn't necessarily have to be a Cherry MX Red or Brown Brothers Harriman model).
When I power it up, I hear these two beeps. I can't tell if it's just the usual startup rattle or some kind of alert sound. I guess my ears are a bit rusty since I haven't owned a desktop in ages. 😁
Here’s a link to a quick video where you can hopefully hear the PC booting up (uploading the whole thing would take five hours at 768kbps, lol):
You might have to listen closely to catch it. 😁 damn.
And here are some shots of that green LED on the motherboard: Sorry about the image size; I forgot to make a thumbnail. 😁
As for the white LED by the power button on the front, it turns on during startup, then shuts off, blinks, and goes dark again. I didn't really check if that's normal, but I figured I should mention it.
I bought a PC with an MSI B450 Motherboard, and it arrived with Windows 8.1 already installed—presumably just for a configuration test. After I installed Windows 7 (twice) on it, the system won't recognize the ethernet cable when I plug it in. There isn't even a link light on the port to show a connection between the connector and the motherboard. During the Windows installation process, it doesn't even prompt me to check for an internet connection; I assume it just skips that part because it can't detect anything at all.
The cable itself is fine. I bought it two months ago, and it works perfectly when I connect my laptop. Even after failing to get it working on this desktop, it connects to the LAN on my laptop without any issues.
I checked the Gateway settings to make sure access to other devices wasn't restricted, though that usually only applies to WiFi, but everything seems allowed.
I tried using the driver from the motherboard's CD, as well as a newer version I downloaded from the internet via my laptop and transferred over using a USB drive. I tested both on both versions of Windows, but nothing works. I even tried disabling EEE and Green Ethernet in the internet settings, since I read online that those can occasionally cause trouble, but that didn't help either.
In the BIOS, I verified that the Intel LAN Controller is "Enabled." It is. I tried toggling it off and back on, but no luck.
Device Manager doesn't show any warnings; it claims the device is working properly.
However, Windows Troubleshooting says the cable is disconnected or faulty.
Everything is plugged in exactly where it should be. Physically, there's nothing suggesting a problem with the LAN port.
Aside from the essential drivers, the only other thing installed is the SetPoint driver for my wireless keyboard and mouse (Pure Military). Both were downloaded from official sites for Windows 7 64.
UPDATE: As of today, it won't even turn on, let alone reach the BIOS. When I try to power it up, a white LED near the chassis power button blinks, and a green LED on the motherboard (near the bios flash update area) stays lit for a few seconds before dying once the power is cut. On the monitor, right after the AOC logo appears during startup, it briefly displays "no signal" and then goes dark. The fans spin, and I can hear the CPU cooler, but I don't hear the SSD (I assume because it never reaches the boot stage). It's almost like it's stuck in sleep mode. Restarting and power cycling don't help.
Any ideas? Aside from the obvious thought that the shop built this and I shouldn't touch any hardware because it's brand new, which would lead me to just return it this Monday... Is it actually possible for a brand-new motherboard to be defective?
Motherboard: MSI B450 Motherboard (I wanted the DS3P, but they were out, so I took this one based on a forum recommendation) CPU: FX 8300 CPU Cooler: LC-CC-120 GPU: EVGA GTX 970 PSU: Coolermaster VS550M RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x4GB 1866MHz (CL10) SSD: Kingston HyperX Fury 120GB HDD: None for now Case: Antec GX505, fitted with 5 Antec TrueQuiet 120mm case fans
Alright, I'm on it. They mentioned they need the serial number, so once I have that in hand, I'll send it over to get everything verified. Apparently, they respond within five minutes. We'll see. Thanks.
I also sent an email to MSANA—I suspect they might be the ones handling this too, but I haven't heard back yet. I guess I'll just wait and see.
Quick question for you all—I’m thinking about calling this guy who’s selling a used graphics card. He claims it still has two years left on the warranty, but he originally bought it over in Germany.
When I brought up the warranty, he suggested that if the card actually fails while it's still covered, I could just take it to a local service center here in the States. I guess that sounds plausible, but does anyone actually know how that works? Is there any way that's legitimate?
electricharbor30 said:Honestly, I have no clue. I stay far away from Craigslist like the plague... A friend once ordered a 16GB USB drive for about fifteen bucks, sent the money via Zelle, and the guy just vanished. That was back before the laws changed around $167, and now the rules regarding reporting are different up to $667... Basically, if you're dealing with anything under $667, someone can easily screw you over without any real consequences. My advice? Buy in person, if possible. Or maybe check out some specialized forums where they maintain lists of vetted sellers—though you usually need a premium membership just to see the listings. If the item costs more than $667, I might consider the risk on an auction site, but if it’s cheap...
I'm definitely going to inspect things in person. I never buy used gear blindly!
Has anyone actually reached out to that guy selling the 780 Ti on Craigslist? I mean, does someone really drop $1,000 on a GPU just to run it on stock settings?
Is a 780 Ti even worth something like $220-$767?
I guess I'm basically dropping $2k on a new R9 380, which is miles ahead of that thing anyway.
Obviously, you'd want to do a deep dive and run some temperature benchmarks before you commit to buying anything.
What kind of wattage would you recommend for a build featuring a GTX 780 ti (which pulls about 250W)? I guess a decent 550W power supply with 42A on the 12V rail might be enough?
Adam Moore3 said:The R9 390 should run fine on a Hypera 600W unit paired with an i5 4460. I suppose you could even stretch a Hyper 500W to handle it, though there’s really no point in cutting corners when the price difference is negligible. Most of what manufacturers claim on their spec sheets is just guesswork, anyway.
It might not be pure guesswork, but they tend to test those GPUs using absolute beastly specs—where the CPU alone pulls about 150-200W—just to squeeze out higher benchmark scores and eliminate any potential bottlenecks or thermal throttling.
Mark Wood26 said:I've got this monitor, so I'm not sure if stepping up to an R9 390 is actually worth it. 😁 To be honest, I'm not really looking to push 4K gaming anyway. https://www.amazon.com/monitors/...d-led__4153171
In that case, you might as well just go with a GTX 970.
Chris Robinson25 said:Speaking as a Radeon user, I’d suggest going with Nvidia. I have an R7 260 and it definitely has its flaws; I only picked it up because the color contrast felt slightly more "alive" than the GTX 750.
Well, comparing the quality of a Radeon R7 260 to an R9 390 doesn't seem particularly fair, does it? 😁
The R9 390 is actually a great card, provided you have at least a high-quality 650W power supply, or maybe something more substantial in the 700-750W range.
That Fortron Hyper S 700W should be fine for this guy.$183.
To reiterate—if you're looking into multi-GPU setups, just grab the GTX 970. If you own a G-Sync/Freesync monitor, pair it with a GPU that actually lets you utilize those features for gaming. If you don't have that setup yet and you're sticking to 1080p, the GTX 970 is probably the way to go. If you're aiming closer to 4K, then maybe look at the R9 390.
The Windforce 3x OC or the MSI models are probably your best bets here.
If you're leaning towards the R9 390, you'll definitely need a 650W unit—but make sure it's a high-quality power supply.
If you're strictly sticking to 1080p, I guess you should just grab the GTX 970.
But if you have plans for 1440p or 4K, then the R9 390 might be the better move.
Maybe think about whether you want to use G-Sync or Freesync. If you already own a decent monitor that supports one of those, you should probably pair it with a GPU that won't let you down.😁
I wouldn't touch that Gigabyte card unless it’s the Vapor 3 x. Gigabyte version (which it isn't on the 380s). I’ve done quite a bit of reading on this specific GPU since I was considering it myself, and from what I can gather, it seems like MSI and XFX handle temperatures better. Gigabyte tends to focus primarily on Nvidia's lineup; if you're going with AMD, sticking to Sapphire, MSI, or XFX is probably the safer bet.
Better yet, maybe they should look for the Nitro 380x (though that only comes in the 4GB version). It might be about $100$50 more expensive, but the temps are excellent—around 71-72 in Heaven benchmark—and the FPS is decent enough, maybe hitting 50-65 in GTA V on Ultra settings.
Also, they should probably grab the 4GB version just to be safe. Even at 1080p, some games easily push past 2GB once you crank everything to Ultra and toss in those extra visual effects.
Does anyone have an answer to my previous unanswered question: when a model specifies (UEFI), does that mean it works in both BIOS modes, or strictly UEFI mode?
