Posts by urbanheron4

There are some solid albums in here. Maybe 24 hours isn't quite enough time to give everything the deep dive it deserves, but let's give it a shot.
I didn't want to clutter the thread with too many different opinions, so a few of these ended up being hits or misses. With Brian Eno, you get the good along with the bad. I really dug the first and last tracks—they lean more into that downtempo vibe—but the rest is mostly ambient, which just isn't my scene. Some of these more experimental records probably need a few more spins before the pieces actually click into place.
Does anyone know which New Wave artist covered Prince's "When You Were Mine"? Was it someone like Jura Stublić or a similar act? It sounds incredibly familiar, but I just can't place it.

Morphine - Good

Year: 1992
Genre: alternative rock, acid jazz

I’m not sure if I’m stating the obvious here or if everyone’s already heard this one. I was actually debating between this record and Cure for Pain. In the end, I went with their debut—Good. It feels a bit rawer, but honestly, it sounds fantastic. Maybe it hasn't been played to death quite as much, so there's an opening here. Their sound is pretty minimalist and leans into the darker side, but they don't fall into being depressive. Give it a spin.

You can still run all those older DirectX versions on Windows 10. You aren't stuck just using DX12.

This could be anything at this point. It might be a driver issue, or maybe the HDMI port on the monitor or the GPU is acting up. Could be a bad cable, too. Honestly, there’s even a chance the graphics card itself is just dead.
You can download it. WhoCrashed Scroll down a bit to WhoCrashed 6.65 and see if that dump file actually tells you anything useful.
You could try using a DisplayPort connection instead. If your monitor doesn't have one, you can always pick up an adapter. It’s worth a shot.
Maybe try reinstalling the driver. Give it a clean slate by wiping out all the old files first, then run CCleaner to scrub the registry.
Try switching over to the integrated graphics for a bit. It’ll help you figure out if the actual GPU is the culprit.
It seems like you might have cut off your message there. I'm ready when you are. Just send over the text you need me to rework. HWInfo You can check how hot your GPU is getting using MSI Afterburner. While you're at it, take a look at the voltages and temperatures for the rest of your components too. You actually remembered to plug in that 6+2 pin connector from the power supply, right?
It might also be worth digging into your monitor settings. Take a look and see if there's anything useful under the input settings specifically regarding the HDMI configuration.
Seriously, just try to talk your friend into moving over to Windows 10. It’s entirely possible that while you're sorting out his other drivers, this whole issue will just resolve itself.

Glad to hear you're happy with the results. Honestly, though, I don't quite get why you aren't just moving over to Windows 10. You’d see a decent bump in FPS and finally get access to DX12. Plus, support for Windows 7 basically died at the start of this year, so you aren't getting any more security patches. If you do decide to jump to Windows 10, do a clean install—don't bother with an upgrade.
I haven't personally played Verdun, but word on the street is the optimization is absolute garbage. The community is constantly complaining about bugs. There’s some weird workaround floating around for when the graphics look pixelated, so maybe give that a shot.

https://www.reddit.com/r/VerdunGame/...t_look_blurry/

Don't bother with that first one at that price point. It isn't even the top-tier version, which means it's stuck with GDDR5 memory. It’s just too slow.
I'm not sure exactly where you're shopping, but that Gainward card from Best Buy that analogtiger19 mentioned is a decent deal. Honestly, your best bets are either that one or the Gigabyte model I suggested. The Gigabyte is a bit pricier, but it comes factory overclocked right out of the box, which isn't a bad thing.

The GTX 1660 Super is the perfect call for your budget and current setup. You shouldn't run into any bottlenecking issues, and at this resolution, you should be able to crank everything to max settings and still pull at least 60 fps.
Honestly, I don't think you'll need anything else beyond this.

https://www.adm.com/product.asp?produ...37;2E100%2E512

The only reason to spend a few extra bucks is if you want a beefier cooler.
Just toss in another 8 GB of RAM, install Windows 10, and you're set with this rig for another 5 or 6 years.

Does anything actually happen when you hit the power button? Any twitch from a CPU fan, the case fans, or the PSU? Does an LED blink at all? If it’s completely dead, check the power supply first. Just because a fan spins doesn't mean the voltages are actually stable. You'll need a multimeter to test it like this:



It wouldn't hurt to plug in a couple of fans while you're measuring just to give it some sort of load—try connecting them directly via SATA or PATA rather than through the motherboard.

The other thing to test is the switch; I already walked you through that process.



If it isn't those two things, there's a 99% chance the motherboard is shot. You can inspect the tops of the capacitors to see if any electrolyte has leaked out—that brown residue—but honestly, you rarely see that anymore. It's unlikely to be the CPU, RAM, or GPU, because if one of those were the culprit, the system would likely trigger some kind of boot sequence or throw beep codes depending on the error.
Try plugging it into a different outlet or using a different power strip, just to rule out something stupid like a bad socket.

As long as the PSU is hooked up to the motherboard, you can trigger a boot by briefly bridging those two pins on the front panel connectors using a screwdriver or a wire—just make sure you're holding it by the insulated part. You could also just swap the power and reset connectors since they’re identical. Hit it with the reset button instead. That way, you'll know if the switch itself is busted. If it isn't, then you're likely looking at a dead motherboard.

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here, but I've got a similar question.
I’m looking to upgrade my RAM. Right now, I'm running 2x4GB Crucial DDR3 1600 MHz Ballistix. My motherboard is an ASUS P8Z77-V LX2. I checked the manual—page 1.2.3 covers the RAM configuration. I'm torn between grabbing another 2x4GB kit or just going with a single 1x8GB stick. Looking at their recommendations for slot placement, they only mention using 1, 2, or 4 sticks; they don't say a word about three. Will three sticks even work? And if I do that, am I messing up the dual or quad-channel performance? Basically, should I stick to a 2x4GB setup or does it not matter.

Also, I'll probably look for used parts. Retail prices these days are just ridiculous. If anyone is selling some or has a solid link for something similar to what I currently have, let me know.
Thanks!