Top Computers

by Travis S.

Question by Mr. Thursday: Can I mix 2 different memory cards on my computer? Eg one is 256 & the other 512?
my friend told me computer can only read the large one size, and the other small one won’t be read. then the computer just have 512Mb memory in totally. I just read any answers in this yahoo about the different memory cards, but i’m still curious. can anyone help me give the answer please. thx

Best answer:

Answer by Scott J
memory?
you mean ram?
if so, then yes.
i currently have 2 512′s and 2 1 gig’s = 3 gigs in total.

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by lungstruck

Question by Robert: What is the best way & equipment to speed up a network to share devices?
I need to share Maxtor 1TB & 2TB external hard drives between 2-4 desktop pcs. I found the only way to do this was to put the hard drives on the network.

I’ve tried using Network Magic and a Buffalo Tech 1 TB NAS hard drive, but they are both too slow. The Buffalo tech transferred a 4.4 GB dvd file in 12-13 minutes (same as reading/writing from a DVD disc), Network Magic about 45 minutes. USB takes 6 minutes, but obviously can only use one hard drive per pc and I need any or all pcs to be able to access all drives at any one time. I also found USB and Firewire switches, but as expected can only use one pc at a time.

All pcs are Windows Vista Ultimate, 4 GB RAM (Maxxed) with AMD 64 X2 Dual Core Processors 4200+. The network cards vary,,,one is a D-link and the other is onboard. Router is a Linksys WRT54GS with Speedboost.

So I’m wondering how I can speed transfer rates up or is that possible? Getting a better router and network cards are options I would use if I knew it would help. That and any adjustments. All will be hard wired into the router. nothing wireless.

Thanks for the help and enjoy your Sunday.
Update:

I upgraded to a Linksys WRT350N (with storage link) router, 2 Linksys 10/100/1000 network adapter and Cat 5 cables.

Much to my disappointment the Storage Link is way too slow. It takes 45 minutes to transfer a 4.4 GB movie file (stored on a USB Maxtor 1TB drive plugged usb into the router, however I can hook the drive up usb in my 2nd computer and transfer it thru it, the router, to my first computer in 9-10 minutes. Go figure. Makes no sense to me.

I originally couldn’t do that but I used Network Magic and replaced my network adapters with Linksys 10/100/1000 and that alone made it faster going through 2 computers. I was hoping adding a Linksys 10/100/1000 router and Cat 6 cables would help with the storage link, but it didn’t. Looks like I will add hubs to each pc and just transfer back and forth that way for now. My next experiment would be to add a NAS Hard drive to see if it’s faster.

Thanks for the info.

Best answer:

Answer by SonicD
You need to replace your router and all of your network cards. You’re running a 100MB network, and you can upgrade to a 1GB network. Make sure you buy a router and network cards that support the 1GB transfer rate. For routers, the LinkSys WRT350N would work. Also, upgrade your network cables from Cat5e to Cat6 (Cat6 supports faster data transfer rates and better shielding from noise).

If you really need blazing fast speed and have the money to spend, consider setting up a file server with multiple network cards connected to a professional grade router (Cisco or equivalent).

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by oliver.leitzgen

Question by powhound: When it comes to installing two optical drives, is there a preferred slave/master choice?
DVD multi and CD-RW/DVD-ROM.

Does it matter if one is slave, the other master? My thinking is that it makes no difference which is which.

Thanks for your input.

Best answer:

Answer by mortisink
nope master/slave does not matter

What do you think? Answer below!

by Ed Yourdon

Question by tristanrulez@ymail.com: What free software is good for repairing computers?
By this, I mean that I am a 14 year old, who is trying to make some extra money this summer repairing other peoples computers. I would like software like Hijackthis, herins boot cd, etc., but I don’t know which software is allowed for this purpose (out of the box, not payed for). Can somebody make me a list?

Best answer:

Answer by Arie
Hiren’s Boot CD is a very handy tool, but it is illegal to use if you do not own licenses for each individual application. HijackThis, CCleaner, Defraggler, SmitfraudFix are examples of free of charge applications which can help you solve issues.

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by ^Sandra^

Question by Negro P: How much of a difference will I see from these two computer mice?
I have some $ 15 blue and silver logitech mouse, I think it’s 800dpi.

I want too compare the difference too a Razer CopperHead 200dpi laser gaming mouse.

Will there be a huge difference?

Best answer:

Answer by Rocket
For average user use you will not notice a difference. A copperhead is very nice if you use it for gaming and will utilize the extra buttons. The higher dpi will pick up smaller movements.

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by Charles Siritho

Question by kodar: How can I find out if my computer can handle PCI express video cards?
I have a Pentium 4 HT Lenovo A52 3.2 Ghz computer that I got a few months ago.
Basically I want to play Medieval Total War II and I don’t thInk this crappy Intel GMA 950 is gonna cut it. Any thoughts on what I can do…
machine model: 8288c8u
Wow thanks a lot. One more thing…is my computer gonna be able to give out that 250 watts of recommended power?

Best answer:

Answer by Mortimer
Open your case. There should be small words underneath each slot, labeling them. Look for a slot labeled PCI-E xsomething.

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by . SantiMB .

Question by themightyquinn: help with cables for my optical drive and hard drive?
I am having a lot of trouble getting answers to this question. The first time I asked it no one answered with a halfway decent answer and the second time I posted it, people told me I wasn’t specific enough. So here I will post it AGAIN in hopes someone can help by posting a reasonable question, instead of me just wasting my points.
I am building a computer. I don’t know exactly what cables I need to connect the hard drive and optical drive to the motherboard. Because I thought they would come with the products. My optical drive is a LITE-ON Black 22X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 22X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 12X DVD-RAM 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM 2MB Cache IDE 22X DVD±R DVD Burner – OEM. My hard drive is a Western Digital Caviar Black WD5001AALS 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5″ Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive. What cables do I need to connect them to the motherboard. Please give a detailed response and links if possible.

Best answer:

Answer by USER1
IDE cable for the DVD, SATA cable for the HD.
Provided the mainboard accepts both.

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by warrenski

Question by C 73: The optical drive of my desktop retired.?
I intend to buy an external optical drive.

Which is better the one with its own power supply or the one gets power from the usb.

Are all the external optical driver currently available in market able to read and write cd and dvd.

Samsung drives are not too expensive, are they good?

Best answer:

Answer by YU
I don’t if only one single USB hub 5V/500mA is sufficient enough to power a CD/DVD writer. I would say no, but you may prove me wrong, because electronic devices are becoming more efficient these days.
Samsung drives are budget drives with amazingly good quality, no need to worry here.

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by tychay

Question by Jo Man: Dedicated NAS (Network Attached Storage) Unit or just setup RAID-1 in my PC?
I’m looking at NAS units and think the D-Link DNS-323 is perfect for my needs – RAID-1, UPnP streaming to my XBox, BitTorrent client for overnight downloads, print server, etc…

But, is there any benefit to that vs. just getting a RAID card and leaving my PC on 24/7? Obviously the NAS will use less electricity and probably be quieter, but from a functionality standpoint will it make a difference?

Best answer:

Answer by Dont Ask
These little NAS box appliances are SLOW. Nothing is going to beat local storage on your PC, especially given how fast PCs are these days.

What do you think? Answer below!

by ீ ๑ Adam

Question by Majestic Computing: What is the performance loss of using a pci-e x16 2.0 video card on a pci-e x16 slot?
I was planning on getting this video card

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161276

and i wanted to know how much of a performance loss would be noticeable on a pci-e x16 video card, because that is all I have on my mobo.

Best answer:

Answer by Smooper
2.0 just means it will run faster (faster transfer)it shouldn’t show a noticeable difference in graphics accept for it has the possibility to lag a little more

Give your answer to this question below!