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Assassin's Simple/Beginner HTPC Buying Guide - Page 400

post #11971 of 15479
3/18/12 at 9:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Has anyone else ever received what appear to be open box items sold as new items from newegg? I swear I have received a few motherboards over the past year or so that looked like they had been opened and even used.

I thought the same thing exactly with my motherboard. There was a sticker that seals the box shut, that I just peeled back instead of cutting, but directly under it there was another of the exact stickers, only the second one was cut open at the seam of the box with a knife or razor blade. So I'm guessing my motherboards box was at least opened, I'm not sure though if the motherboard itself was used. It was still in the antistatic bag, I just can't remember how the bag was sealed or not.
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post #11972 of 15479
3/18/12 at 10:42pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Not for a while.

The i3 and Pentium versions supposedly aren't coming out until around December. Since I don't have a need for anything above an i3 for HTPC I probably won't personally be using Ivy for a while.

I am sure that we will build plenty of Ivy HTPCs before that time for other people so I may try to build one of those personally just to take it out for a test drive.

Hopefully Intel will fix the frame rate on the GPU with the Ivy.
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post #11973 of 15479
3/19/12 at 4:53am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalt45 View Post

If I take the cpu out do I need to put new thermal paste on? I was just using what came with it and do not have any, so I hope not.

Thanks for all the advice guys, I will be trying this soon.

As a temporary set up ... yes . As a permanent set up .... no . Buy some Arctic silver 5 and when you get running , re tim the cpu.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalt45 View Post

Okay I assumed I could reuse the thermal paste and reset the CPU (I saw no issues with the chip). I unplugged all I could and sat the MB on the table. tried the individual rams everywhere. I don't have another non-HDMI monitor to use, or another PSU (or any other parts for that matter)

I didn't ask you to look at the chip , I asked you to look at the socket pins to see if they are bent .

When I have the MB out on the table and only plugged to the necessary items, the only way I can get the fans blowing (my only indication of power) is if I plug the on/off power cable from the case. I would have assumed that without that I would control power from the PS...? I doubt that indicates my problem, but I'm at least curious about it.

So do I assume my MB or PS are faulty? Which do I tell newegg is rma?

You have to have some sort of way to switch on the power to the board . So you will need a switch connected to the board . Make sure it is in the pins on the board marked "switch" . Look at the manual . This can be real confusing cause the boards are labeled abbreviated and VERY TINY. Get this hooked up wrong and you will not power on . Your case fans appear to be plugged into the molex source directly to the power supply. That only indicates that the psu is working , not the sockets on the board. Since you have power to the cpu fan , I would say the psu is fine


Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Probably a silly suggestion but did you flip the power switch on the PSU to the on position?

Even if it was wrong, I would keep that to myself

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalt45 View Post

yes, I had the fans spinning so i had power. Having them spinning at least told me I wasn't completely screwing up

It must be the MB right? I get power and those Antec PSs seem to be very reliable from all I have read. On the other hand the ASRock seems to have more rma in the newegg comments

Yes, especially if the cpu socket pins are bent . TIME TO RMA the board.


Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

Do you have a regular VGA monitor? I have had a few boards that I have had to have connected to VGA to setup bios before switching over to HDMI.

Do you get anything at all when you hit the power switch? It could also be a RAM incompatibility I guess. What exact RAM are you using?

There is no harm in trying another type of monitor cord but I would find that ludicrous even with on cpu graphics to have to use a certain cord just to p.o.s.t. . Ram means nothing just to p.o.s.t. Take the damn ram out if you want too ! You should not need to change anything in the bios just to p.o.s.t.

Guy's , remember .... we are trying to get him to post not boot . He will never boot with this minimal configuration.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalt45 View Post

With the MB sitting our now I think I can say for sure that the 24 and 2x4 are fully connected. It is flush with the connector and I get the click.

Great , but I sure wish you would look at those pins in the cpu socket ! Either way though , I think i can say with 99% accuracy that it is time to RMA the board . You are following the notches in the cpu and socket to be sure the cpu lines up correctly ... Right ? Cause if not ... "OH BOY"

BTW O.P. ... sorry to post the first time and then leave you hanging ! Had some personal issues to tend to and turned into an all day nightmare . Just let's say that elderly parents can consume ones weekend time real quick

This is one area that AMD excels in . There sockets are female and the pins are on the cpu. Drop it in , clamp down = DONE. Real easy . Intel = not so easy . This give me the "Willy's" every time I do it ! That crunching sound when you close the locking arm on an intel chip "ouch" !

That is why I wanted you to look at the pins in the socket . As a one time rookie builder , I have committed this crime and had to do the time !!! I have also see boards come with bent pins but try proving to the manufacture that you did not do it is imposable. If the pins are bent you will most likely eat the board !

Please post back when you get new board .
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post #11974 of 15479
3/19/12 at 7:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tomandbeth View Post

And if you pay for Prime, not only do you get great VOD but shipping on many items is free. I still check both Amazon and Bewegg for 'puter stuff though. Waiting for prices on 2-3 TB drives to come back to pre-flood prices. I won't hold my breath

I too am waiting for hdd prices to come down. Yesterday I went back to the build pages (140) and saw a post where a WD Green 2TB was $75. A few weeks ago there were some coupon deals for externals at roughly $90 for 2TB and I was hopeful that we'd soon see more of those deals and a dip in overall prices, but, they appear to have come and gone.

If anyone sees a good deal on 2TB+ please post.
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post #11975 of 15479
3/19/12 at 7:33am
See the update on DealNews:
Today's Hard Drive Deals Feature 2010 Prices, So When Might They Stabilize?
It's been roughly six months since the devastating floods in Thailand, and the storage industry is still struggling in the wake of the destruction. Analysts predicted hard drive prices would increase in the months following, and unfortunately, that's precisely what we've seen. But where do we stand now, and how long will it take for prices to stabilize? We looked at price trends in the dealnews archives to get a better picture.
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post #11976 of 15479
3/19/12 at 8:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mattiedread View Post

I too am waiting for hdd prices to come down. Yesterday I went back to the build pages (140) and saw a post where a WD Green 2TB was $75. A few weeks ago there were some coupon deals for externals at roughly $90 for 2TB and I was hopeful that we'd soon see more of those deals and a dip in overall prices, but, they appear to have come and gone.

If anyone sees a good deal on 2TB+ please post.

Internal 2TB HDD's at $110 from newegg is about as good as I've found right now:

I have no experience with this Seagate HDD (limit 1), although I have a reliable 7200RPM 1TB as a boot drive in my PC. Here's the same drive from amazon (no limit).

I have had four of these Hitachi HDD's (limit 1) for nearly a year without any problems. I just got a couple Samsung 2TB 5400RPM's installed yesterday and the Hitachi runs a few degrees cooler and is a 5940RPM drive. Either Hitachi is mis-reporting temps or it just runs cooler, IDK.
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post #11977 of 15479
3/19/12 at 8:51am
Attachment 240945



Attachment 240946

So how do I know if these need f/w update. I'm assuming they don't because I just got them last week.
LL
LL
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post #11978 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:01am
Bought this drive on Newegg, however, no software came with it. I thought it was supposed to come with a bundled copy of Cyberlink BD solutions 3D software, but nothing in the box with the drive. Followup phonecall to Newegg I found that because this is OEM, no software is provided. Funny, reading the NewEgg reviews for this drive, some said they did get software, and some didn't. Wierd.

Anyway, trying to figure my next step. What reliable software should I use so that I can watch/burn DVDs and watch BDs. Looking for freeware if it's possible.
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post #11979 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:05am
Quote:
Originally Posted by plannerrob View Post

Bought this drive on Newegg, however, no software came with it. I thought it was supposed to come with a bundled copy of Cyberlink BD solutions 3D software, but nothing in the box with the drive. Followup phonecall to Newegg I found that because this is OEM, no software is provided. Funny, reading the NewEgg reviews for this drive, some said they did get software, and some didn't. Wierd.

Anyway, trying to figure my next step. What reliable software should I use so that I can watch/burn DVDs and watch BDs. Looking for freeware if it's possible.

This one?

That's an OEM Drive which means no software. I suggest ripping to mkv with makeMKV and storing on your HDD for instantaneous playback using WMC with LAV filters/audio installed to decode the HD Audio if your AVR supports it.
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post #11980 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by flocko View Post

As a temporary set up ... yes . As a permanent set up .... no . Buy some Arctic silver 5 and when you get running , re tim the cpu.





Even if it was wrong, I would keep that to myself



Yes, especially if the cpu socket pins are bent . TIME TO RMA the board.




There is no harm in trying another type of monitor cord but I would find that ludicrous even with on cpu graphics to have to use a certain cord just to p.o.s.t. . Ram means nothing just to p.o.s.t. Take the damn ram out if you want too ! You should not need to change anything in the bios just to p.o.s.t.

Guy's , remember .... we are trying to get him to post not boot . He will never boot with this minimal configuration.




Great , but I sure wish you would look at those pins in the cpu socket ! Either way though , I think i can say with 99% accuracy that it is time to RMA the board . You are following the notches in the cpu and socket to be sure the cpu lines up correctly ... Right ? Cause if not ... "OH BOY"

BTW O.P. ... sorry to post the first time and then leave you hanging ! Had some personal issues to tend to and turned into an all day nightmare . Just let's say that elderly parents can consume ones weekend time real quick

This is one area that AMD excels in . There sockets are female and the pins are on the cpu. Drop it in , clamp down = DONE. Real easy . Intel = not so easy . This give me the "Willy's" every time I do it ! That crunching sound when you close the locking arm on an intel chip "ouch" !

That is why I wanted you to look at the pins in the socket . As a one time rookie builder , I have committed this crime and had to do the time !!! I have also see boards come with bent pins but try proving to the manufacture that you did not do it is imposable. If the pins are bent you will most likely eat the board !

Please post back when you get new board .

Thanks. I did look closely at both the chip set and cpu with my bare eyes and didn't see anything wrong.

I packed up the MB and was planning to RMA but now I've read more comments at Newegg and wonder if it is something I can fix. I'm at work waiting to hear back from ASRock support. Comments mention two things: 1.there is no beep for this board out of the box, but that it can be enabled somehow. 2.This board is set to overclock out of the box and might need to be brought back to default.

I'd hate to RMA this thing and then have the same issue again. I've really been looking forward to building my HTPC and so its disappointing to run into this. Then again I'm sure I will learn more this way. And I'm sure my wife will approve of the RMA delay, since I'm supposed to be painting the house, not building computers

Thanks for all your help so far everyone, I really appreciate it.
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post #11981 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:22am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

This one?

That's an OEM Drive which means no software. I suggest ripping to mkv with makeMKV and storing on your HDD for instantaneous playback using WMC with LAV filters/audio installed to decode the HD Audio if your AVR supports it.

Hi Sammy:

Yep, that's the one.

Thanks for the help. If I might ask, what did you mean by "LAV filters/audio installed..."

Is that MakeMKV free as a trial or is it a full version you get?

ETA: I found it...
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post #11982 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:25am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

Attachment 240945



Attachment 240946

So how do I know if these need f/w update. I'm assuming they don't because I just got them last week.

No, you don't need to update anything. Any of the drives made in 01/2011 or later don't need to be updated. Both of your drives were made in October 2011.
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post #11983 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:33am
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

No, you don't need to update anything. Any of the drives made in 01/2011 or later don't need to be updated. Both of your drives were made in October 2011.

That's what I thought, but why didn't I see the drive manufacture date on there. BTW, I posted a picture of the same drive twice (one flash, one no flash) and not the other drive which has a sequential serial number.

EDIT: OOPS.. DUH, 2011.10 would be October 2011!!
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post #11984 of 15479
3/19/12 at 9:39am
Here's the other one:

Attachment 240953
LL
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post #11985 of 15479
3/19/12 at 11:04am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalt45 View Post

I packed up the MB and was planning to RMA but now I've read more comments at Newegg and wonder if it is something I can fix. I'm at work waiting to hear back from ASRock support. Comments mention two things: 1.there is no beep for this board out of the box, but that it can be enabled somehow. 2.This board is set to overclock out of the box and might need to be brought back to default.

You do have a speaker, right?
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post #11986 of 15479
3/19/12 at 11:06am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sammy2 View Post

Here's the other one:

Attachment 240953

The drive tells you what website to go to to download Seagate's tool for firmware checks/updates.
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post #11987 of 15479
3/19/12 at 11:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by plannerrob View Post

Anyway, trying to figure my next step. What reliable software should I use so that I can watch/burn DVDs and watch BDs. Looking for freeware if it's possible.

If you want to play BDs with the drive, you'll need something like Total Media Theatre (TMT5). Demo available, retails for $100. That would also take care of decoding everything else (including mkvs), so you wouldn't have to start with codecs and assorted other aggravations.
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post #11988 of 15479
3/19/12 at 11:18am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

If you want to play BDs with the drive, you'll need something like Total Media Theatre (TMT5). Demo available, retails for $100. That would also take care of decoding everything else (including mkvs), so you wouldn't have to start with codecs and assorted other aggravations.

I don't get the point of TMT5 for playing back bluray discs. Why not just get a standard bluray player (non-HTPC based) for the same or less money?

The whole reason I built my first HTPC was to get away from discs. Now I rip just the movie and play it back on demand.

Much better.
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post #11989 of 15479
3/19/12 at 11:34am
I actually paid much more for my BDP than for the software and burner, and I use the HTPC all the time anyway.
I believe registering MakeMKV is $50, though, for now, not necessary.
I'm with you on the ripping (about 2/3 of my 2TB filled already), but he wanted to know about software for using the drive. He may not have a lot of available storage and just wants to play the discs he has (or rents, or borrows).
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post #11990 of 15479
3/19/12 at 11:38am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

I actually paid much more for my BDP than for the software and burner, and I use the HTPC all the time anyway.
I believe registering MakeMKV is $50, though, for now, not necessary.
I'm with you on the ripping (about 2/3 of my 2TB filled already), but he wanted to know about software for using the drive. He may not have a lot of available storage and just wants to play the discs he has (or rents, or borrows).

I understand what you are saying. But even then if what you want is a free way to play bluray (which is what I think he said he wants --- free) just rip it to your hard drive (20 minutes or so) and then delete it when you are done.

Otherwise you are talking $50-$100 for software that doesn't work that well (in my experience).
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post #11991 of 15479
3/19/12 at 12:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

You do have a speaker, right?

Actually it appears that it does not have a speaker . I assumed it was either part of the MB or one of the many case wires I installed in the beginning (before I removed them all to test).

There was no obvious little wire leading to a small speaker in what I received from either the case of MB. Here is what I have:

ASRock Z68 PRO3-M
nMediaPC 5000b

some snips of Newegg comments about this board faking RMA:
"It doesn't beep to post, which if you get a blank screen at startup, can be scary. When I selected the DRAM profile that it detected for my RAM 7-8-7, the screen went blank and couldn't get signal. Fortunately F9 will reload the MB defaults, so I rebooted and kept pressing this. Then I manually set the RAM to 7-8-7 and all was good."
"As with other reviews here, the first board was DOA, at least seems to be...but it was not. After emailing ASRock tech support, they sent back test procedure with beep sound sequence (btw, not found in the manual). I was able to boot to EFI BIOS and it showed my i5 2500K 3.3Ghz CPU was overclock to 4.8Ghz. After loading BIOS defaults, everything booted up fine. FYI: If you order this board, you need to clear the CMOS first"

edit: what is CMOS?
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post #11992 of 15479
3/19/12 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Kalt45 View Post

There was no obvious little wire leading to a small speaker in what I received from either the case of MB. Here is what I have:

To the left of the middle SATA 3 connectors is a row labeled "SPEAKER1." You need to add your own little speaker (if you so desire).
Clearing CMOS is just another way of saying reset BIOS. Right now, not your biggest problem.
Good luck.
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post #11993 of 15479
3/19/12 at 3:39pm
Logitech offers the factory-refurbished Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote, model no. 915-000099, for $129.99. Coupon code "logi_h1_31912" cuts it to $99.99. With free shipping, that's tied with our mention from a month ago and $60 below the lowest total price we could find for a new unit. Sales tax is added where applicable. Configurable on a Mac or PC, the Harmony One includes a customizable color touch-screen LCD display, ergonomic design, rechargeable Li-Ion battery, charging station, USB connectivity, and more. A 90-day Logitech warranty applies.
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post #11994 of 15479
3/19/12 at 4:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

I understand what you are saying. But even then if what you want is a free way to play bluray (which is what I think he said he wants --- free) just rip it to your hard drive (20 minutes or so) and then delete it when you are done.

Otherwise you are talking $50-$100 for software that doesn't work that well (in my experience).

But the wife and kids just want to put a disc in and play it. They don't want to wait 20 minutes for it to rip. Is there a free or low cost way to achive this?
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post #11995 of 15479
3/19/12 at 4:38pm
An SD disc will probably play fine with Windows Media Player (I think). You'll only need software for BDs.
The new version of VLC can play BDs, but I haven't tried it so I don't know how straight-forward it would be (or how computer-savvy your wife and kids are):
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html
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post #11996 of 15479
3/19/12 at 4:59pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

An SD disc will probably play fine with Windows Media Player (I think). You'll only need software for BDs.
The new version of VLC can play BDs, but I haven't tried it so I don't know how straight-forward it would be (or how computer-savvy your wife and kids are):
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html

I wonder if like TMT or PDVD You can't add VLC to autoplay feature of windows (the registry edit would need modifying if it's not in the list)to be one of The automatic action/players which launch when a bluray is inserted. I do this with TMT for exact reasons the op stated..WAF/KID Acceptance..

Here is a cool guide to make it function.
http://www.techtalkz.com/windows-7/5...ndows-7-a.html
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post #11997 of 15479
3/19/12 at 5:08pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by kesawi View Post

But the wife and kids just want to put a disc in and play it. They don't want to wait 20 minutes for it to rip. Is there a free or low cost way to achive this?

For the most part, no.

You could use free software that comes with some drives but even that is stripped of most options --- often like surround sound.

My point is if you want ease of use with playing a disc there really is no substitute for the stand alone bluray player.With TMT5 being $100 it makes it an even easier option to choose.
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post #11998 of 15479
3/19/12 at 5:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LastButNotLeast View Post

An SD disc will probably play fine with Windows Media Player (I think). You'll only need software for BDs.
The new version of VLC can play BDs, but I haven't tried it so I don't know how straight-forward it would be (or how computer-savvy your wife and kids are):
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/download-windows.html

Unfortunately not as savy as I'd like. My spouse tends to get frustrated (with me rather than the technology) if it isn't intuitive and doesn't work first time. She is ok with how WMC runs at the moment with DVDs, a prompt comes up asking to either play the DVD or rip it with AutoRip n Compress. She just selects play and it works. The remote has the same functionality in WMC and when playing the DVD. The change from Live TV to DVD and back to Live TV is seemless. It would need tobe the same with VLC.

At the moment I'm still setting up the HTPC so it runs consistently without problems. She still watches TV using our old PVR. I don't have permission to go live until all the bugs are sorted
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post #11999 of 15479
3/19/12 at 5:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by assassin View Post

For the most part, no.

You could use free software that comes with some drives but even that is stripped of most options --- often like surround sound.

My point is if you want ease of use with playing a disc there really is no substitute for the stand alone bluray player.With TMT5 being $100 it makes it an even easier option to choose.

One of my justifications for the HTPC was that we could buy all of these standalone devices, or get a single item that did the lot and much more for only a little bit extra. Looks like I'll have to bite the bullet and get TMT or PDVD when the time comes to watch Blu-Ray.
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post #12000 of 15479
3/19/12 at 5:37pm
Thread Starter 
Try the new VLC out and use it just for bluray disc. I have no idea if it works or works well so I would be interested to know as well. And its free so there is little downside.
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