video card

Tech Forum Relaunch

I just got done rebuilding the tech forum.

My hopes is that we will help each other find solutions to their tech issues. so please sign up and check in from time to time. Maybe someone will ask a question you can answer. I know you guys out there have plenty of witts about you in the computer and electronics field. Not everyone is as good as you guys.

So come to http://iworkwithtech.com/forum/

Sign up. Leave a greeting somewhere or start a new thread, or heck make a request.

Will Your Computer Handle GTA IV?

The current estimated specs for optimal running Grand Theft Auto IV Is 2 gigs ddr ram,7200 nvidia with 128 megs ram, 3 gig processor/cpu . Direct x 9, but ten will give you more,so you might want a dx10 video card. All resource hogging junk in vista turned off. Basically you are better off with XP and heading to black viper’s site and use his method of turning off themes and everything else you do not use when you are a gamer. 800mhz fsb . Broadband internet.

Be sure and run the best cooling on your machine. Pretty much all of what is out now, is going to get hot as hell when you are playing the game (GTA IV) on your computer.

The water detail is amazing, with trash floating in the water, not on the water, but really swirls around in the water as you walk or drive in it.

There is no official announcement of grand theft auto IV being out for pc gamers as of yet, but there is no opposing info. So let’s not completely rule this out. So yeah, I have hope.

I have a spot where you can vote for a pc version at iworkwithtech.com/gtaiv It’s better than a stupid petition.

Computer Cooling

Get more fans, reduce occupied space, tie wires back, increase air flow, and update heat paste.

Clean all dust out of all heatsinks and fans and off of any memory or any exposed chips.

Contrary to the past few years of opinions that say using some modified heat paste, and how it reduces temps by a drastic amount. I am currently using original heatsink that came with my CPU, and it has the factory tape on it. I have owned it for about 3 months now and done some pretty stiff gaming, mostly Crysis (demo) and Need For Speed Carbon and most wanted. My temperatures are amazing, but as I know with all things, it wont last. Or maybe it will. My current temperatures are as follows:

<taken from everest>

Temperatures
Motherboard 28 °C (82 °F)
CPU 22 °C (72 °F)
HDT722516DLAT80 31 °C (88 °F)
MAXTOR 6L080L4 23 °C (73 °F)

Cooling Fans
CPU 3013 RPM
Chassis 4116 RPM

Yes I know the Hittatchi is a little warmer than it could be, but in all the time I have messed with computers, I have never seen under 90 degrees for the CPU , other than right at boot. and that was typically around 89 degrees. I will be buying more of the heat tape that came with my Sempron if I can locate it.

Many people suggest that you use some paste/metal mix stuff. I have never been to keen on that junk, after it warms up for a long time and gets used a few times the stuff tends to harden, or become so tacky it’s like jb weld and could damage a few things when removing parts when cold.. Plus temps where always at least 8 degrees warmer than if I used the $3 white packets of paste. the major issue with the white stuff, well, you have to tend to it often and redo it atleast once every three months.

I try and not block any path of airflow. i have double checked airflow with a piece of scotch tape to see how it flaps and where it flaps.

The best cooling for a case involves a dremel, a drill, a metal file, 80 mm fan. and a brave brave soul. you use the dremel and a drill to punch an 80 mm hole at the top of the case facing upward and build yourself a fan there blowing air inward. the reason for inward is so you do not steal the air from the power supply cooling, that would easily increase the temp of ps unless you either make a tunnel or a blockade but would drop overall temp of case, now a tunnel makes great for making sure you blow air directly onto and across the motherboard.

Another suggestion is three 50mm fans across one of the CD-ROM bays but you have to build a frame for them.. which I will put on the site later… oh… and it is frickin’ loud.