faster-eddy

Cool I learned a lot on that one . Does that mean that if I had an AMD card on Borderlands 2 I would see no effects on the acid ooz? I noticed that my Nvidia card does not do Phys-X when I play the Linux version of Borderlands 2 . I kinda missed the effects. Also it seems criminal for Nvidia to lock up cool tech like phys-X from general use in the gaming industry and possibly will be its demise as a result.

Its a good rule of thumb - nothing is free. you have to work and be willing to work. It is also true that the more you start with in life the more you get easier. Most rich people were born rich- its nice to believe that you can go from rags to riches ( and that does happen) but in reality the more you start with the better off you'll be. In short a computer is a real boost - a good investment. I wish you luck in your quest don't give up!

Hi me again - more 2 say; Parents are the best source of cash as I said before. If computing is your passion or any post secondary aspirations - you must have a decent computer .The only way to learn enough to begin a career that uses computers (almost every job) is to own and familiarize yourself with a computer- they don't teach the basics in school and expect you to be very familiar in college. Being tech savvy on the computer is an advantage in almost any career path and the basics are not really covered in high school. So you need to explain to your parents that they must invest in your future by helping you get a good computer.

You need to convince your parents that they need a kickass computer - then take it over. If they already have one - convince them that they need a better one and you can relieve them of that old junker that they are currently using. I am a parent and I think that helping the Kids get an awesome computer is a good thing - so you need to convince them that it is crucial to your education and knowledge of Information Technologies - no matter what career path you choose- a worthy investment. Explain that this is a worthy hobby - get them to help you. Use Craig's list to get your componenets - learn about good cheap hardware and shop smart (thats the educational part). You can build a good gaming PC for under $500 new. You could start with an old core 2 duo look for the E8400 cpu - often they are free - get a good GPU from craig's list (gtx 570 for $80 - I see regularily) . I've seen great starter computers for $250 on Craig's list- ready to game. You can always post - Wanted good free used computer - you never know. Good luck!

Most of my biggest adventures in PC hell involved alcahol. So no wine and no beer or gin and doing ANYTHING but operate the machine is my rule - been clear sailing for a while.

So ya a new key (= new Windows ) + a new HDD will work the disk is like all the other disks - you need your key. So you must extract it or get the key from the seller or buy windows. Your data will be lost without somehow copying it off that drive.Drives are cheap - get a new one! The key should be on a sticker on your box - I think its illegal to sell it without the sticker applied to the box,

Sorry to hear your problem- sounds like drive is Fuct- I think remounting the drive and getting info off is the best line . If you have a bootable Linux thumbdrive - you could boot the same machine and save your files. I keep one around for that reason. I now use Belarc while Windows still works to get my Key then store it in my password wallet for safe keeping. Here is a site with a technique for extracting from an unbootable drive:< http://www.howtogeek.com/64600/how-to-recover-windows-and-software-keys-from-a-broken-computer/>

My Son's did the same i7 4770K with the stock cooler 60deg just surfing the net (we hit 100 deg on stress test) - got a Zalman or coolermaster fan CPU cooler - 26 degrees surfing and 36 degrees when running 2 GTX 770's the thermal paste had been correctly installed on the origional cooler. the i5 of the same generation was not anywhere near as hot - stock cooler is fine. But that 4770k was hot! I think there may be a range of hotness within the same chip . so maybe it runs a bit hotter than others - but its absolutely fine with a good fan cooler.

Well you could use itunes (yuck) and consolidate your library - I think it copies everything into its own folder and organizes it. But it probably doesn't do Flac or Ogg files. but its a start. Then copy the rremaining Flacs and Oggs into their directories that itunes set up then kill iTunes. Total commander will search - click "feed to listbox" after search then copy or move to the desired directory on the other panel - you can select various files in the list by shift clicking , and sort by date filename etc. you can add new columns too(if sorting needs to be tweaked) and sort using them

Are you using a new HDD ? If so I'd disconnect the windows drive altogether during the install . the installer should format the new drive for you - if it complains use gparted and format the drive then install. Afer installing shut down add the windows drive boot into Linux and run Grub2 I use "Grub customizer" this will find windows and set up your boot menu (you can set up which OS starts automatically on time out) - make sure that linux is your primary drive (ie boots first- This can be changed in your BIOS ) do not install grub on all drives (if it asks) this may damage Windows. This method is very safe you can always start again if things go sideways on you.

I love linux - Don't let us Linux nuts scare you about which flavour is best - Just jump in the water is warm.

Total commander is my Favorite. 2 panels ,can compress /decompress, FTP and more.use Krusader on Linux

I'm partial to the G3258 because you can upgrade in a couple of years to a much better multi core CPU adding longevity to your system . On the other hand the FX6300 series is all you need for quite some time . Check out;<http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html> On the chart (page 5 ) the FX 6300 is 3rd tier while the G3258 is 5th. Their rule of thumb is don't bother upgrading unless you move 3 tiers or more. So the FX6300 is about as good as the best I7 at $350 . But the G3258 is really good and can be swapped out later to be excellent. AMD has stopped making CPUs I heard. Most games are single core and dual core - the biggest improvement for most of us is a good GPU if you have at least 2 cores. I'm not sure that the mid priced GTX760 GPU would benefit much from a multi threaded or multi-core CPU (I5 or I3) Check out :<http://www.techbuyersguru.com/haswellgaming2.php> The G3258 does as well as any CPU except Crysis 3 - very cutting edge and represents <1% of games. Tough call on that one. If you like to keep older hardware and re-purpose them I 'd go intel - keep upgrading parts save $40 now . If you prefer to throw out old and get new - and have no use for old parts and computers the AMD option is better,you get pretty top tier performance for now and will need to replace board and cpu together to upgrade.

Yes Linux is great. In most ways you will not notice any difference from windows. Bonus - pop ups and malware have a great difficulty accidentally getting installed on your machine. Anti virus not necessary. A lot of great free software and applications. Software doesn't piggyback into your machine so easily (ask toolbar , Bing etc.) Most windows apps will work under wine including Vegas Pro <<http://www.heroinewarrior.com/cinelerra.php>.You may not need Vegas. My experience has been that Linux apps are often equal or better than windows apps.WINE has a bit of a learning curve for us NEWBS but there is a lot of help. Gaming has come a long way in the past year big games like Borderlands 2 and the Pre-Sequel are Linux now. Civilization 5, Metro 2033 - last light, . Over 700 games and more coming. I would save the $100 on windows - maybe buy it later as a nice to have feature . Good luck!

Be Careful! - I consider myself a Newb and have installed Linux many times . I have had trouble recently with dual boot. Up until I got a newer Motherboard with UEFI BIOS I had no trouble.Please correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the problem I had is related to the new UEFI Bios. Linux install program partitions and installs GRUB in the master boot record but Windows will not boot from the GRUB. I believe that the UEFI bios does not like the changed boot partition. Anyway I now use a separate drive where Linux and its GRUB is installed , windows is on the a HDD that boots 2nd to the Primary HDD with Linux with no GRUB in its boot record. I have wrecked Windows a couple of times dual booting and afraid to try again - anyone else have any suggestions or explanations about what is happening? On my Laptop I just swap drives. As for Linux distro - don't be afraid of UBUNTU - its not as bad as its made out to be - its stable and simple - a great start. I am currently using Mint cinnamon and it is simple and great too ( I like it better than Ubuntu) . There is a lot of help for Mint and Ubuntu for us NEWBS . TIP -Back up your Home folder and you can easily restore it to a fresh install or new Distro. Good luck! Cheers Ed