Tech Things You Dont Know But Are Too Afraid To Ask.

[panfriedpuppies]

Why shouldn't you defrag an SSD?

[Izomo]

How do you tell if a motherboard is good or better then another?

[HirgaLTTki]

What is delidding a CPU? and How do you do it and should i do it? and how hard is it?

 

When you take off the metal thingy at the top of a CPU it to replace the thermal paste inside. There are several tutorials on youtube. Dont do it, voids warranty! Get a better aftermarket cooler instead to get better temps

[rashdanml]

Why shouldn't you defrag an SSD?

Defragmenting basically reads all of the data on a disc and re-organizes the readable data into as little space as possible (basically re-writing the data), while erasing any data that's not needed (fragments). SSDs don't like frequent write/erase cycles. SSDs are fine if you write to them occasionally and don't remove/delete files rarely. 

 

How do you tell if a motherboard is good or better then another?

Compare feature to feature: SATA ports, back i/o, chipsets (some are better than others), max allowable memory, memory standard (max memory frequency supported), etc. Brand name is also a good last resort between two identical motherboards. 

[Nicktrance]

When you take off the metal thingy at the top of a CPU it to replace the thermal paste inside. There are several tutorials on youtube. Dont do it, voids warranty! Get a better aftermarket cooler instead to get better temps

With Ivy bridge and Haswell it's a good idea to do it if you know what your doing. It'll void the warranty but it makes a huge difference in temps even with the same cooler. Even with a high end water cooler temperature can be an issue and delidding can offer a great advantage and allow for higher clock speeds. Some of the best temperatures in this case can actually be achieved by completely removing the IHS and using something such as EK precisemount.

 

Why shouldn't you defrag an SSD?

 

Defragmenting basically reads all of the data on a disc and re-organizes the readable data into as little space as possible (basically re-writing the data), while erasing any data that's not needed (fragments). SSDs don't like frequent write/erase cycles. SSDs are fine if you write to them occasionally and don't remove/delete files rarely.

 

HDDs need to be defragmented because files end up being split into fragments which is are found in different physical areas of the platter so there is some seek time as the head moves between these fragments. Defragmentation moves all fragments of a file into one area so as to avoid seek times and organise data better.

 

With SSDs, since there is no movement, this problem does not exist so defragmentation does not offer any advantages. Not only that, but as rashdanml mentions, doing so would cause the SSD's life span to decrease by a considerable amount as it uses up a lot of write cycles.

[_wky]

What was Firewire for? I'm too young to have ever seen it being used

[FireFox]

What was Firewire for? I'm too young to have ever seen it being used

 

I think it is similar to USB but faster, to be honest I never really did anything with it.

[_wky]

I think it is similar to USB but faster, to be honest I never really did anything with it.

Ah, thank you. 

[Guest]

What was Firewire for? I'm too young to have ever seen it being used

Firewire is or rather was heavily used in audio equipment mainly processing and recording instead of USB 2 for a couple of reasons  The first being that generally it supports a higher bandwith than USB 2.0 - this meant more data can be moved quicker meaning more tracks can be utilised.

 

There's also a difference in the way USB and Firewire transfer data. USB 2.0 transfers packets which are a one way thing and require the packet to be sent before a packet can be received whereas Firewire sends streams which can work simultaneously both ways. This gives a bit of a performance boost though not much.

 

Firewire was also a sort of dedicated option in its hayday as most other things used USB meaning that there can be interfearence on the USB controller whereas normally it is just audio on the Firewire controller. And finally, you can daisy chain Firewire whereas USB you can't. 

[_wky]

Firewire is or rather was heavily used in audio equipment mainly processing and recording instead of USB 2 for a couple of reasons  The first being that generally it supports a higher bandwith than USB 2.0 - this meant more data can be moved quicker meaning more tracks can be utilised.

 

There's also a difference in the way USB and Firewire transfer data. USB 2.0 transfers packets which are a one way thing and require the packet to be sent before a packet can be received whereas Firewire sends streams which can work simultaneously both ways. This gives a bit of a performance boost though not much.

 

Firewire was also a sort of dedicated option in its hayday as most other things used USB meaning that there can be interfearence on the USB controller whereas normally it is just audio on the Firewire controller. And finally, you can daisy chain Firewire whereas USB you can't. 

Wow, thanks. So it was what thunder port is now?

[rashdanml]

What effect does processor arcitecture (nm) have, what is it, and what is the TDP watt mean? I don't understand that.

Not really architecture, but "manufacturing process". Basically, a processor is an on/off switch. Or rather, millions of on/off switches arranged in an integrated circuit. The nanometer, or nm, refers to the size of the on/off switch; for a 22nm manufacturing process, the transistor is 22nm wide.

 

This video explains how the transistor or on/off switch physically works.

 

TDP is the maximum power that the cooling system needs to dissipate. In a way, it's similar to the maximum power usage of the CPU/component.

[Guest]

SSD Caching... There was a tech quickie on it, but the details I still don't really get like how it works...

Essentaily the things you use most are chucked onto an SSD for faster loading. Things like core OS files, your internet browser etc. The main form of caching is Intel Smart Response Technology however there are some 3rd party applications and even motherboard features that offer this too. Intel have capped their SRT at 60GB as they see that if you're buying a 120GB SSD, you might as well just use that as a boot disk. Intel SRT is only availble on Z68, H77, Z77, H87 and Z87 chipsets as well as a few others. I've linked Linus' relevant videos as well as the Intel guide. 

 

http://download.intel.com/support/chipsets/sb/intel_smart_response_technology_user_guide.pdf

 

 

[Guest]

Wow, thanks. So it was what thunder port is now?

Sort of. Most audio equipment now has gone to other things such as MADI connectors however most still use Firewire as most recording studios run on Mac Pro's which have Firewire.

[_wky]

Sort of. Most audio equipment now has gone to other things such as MADI connectors however most still use Firewire as most recording studios run on Mac Pro's which have Firewire.

Ah, thanks :) The more we know

[joelthezombie15]

Oh my god this thread is blowing up. I had like 70 notifications almost all from here. :D Happy too see all these people get help. its like Alcoholics Anonymous but for tech :p

 

 

Removing the heat spreader on the chip. If its not soldered on, you can use a razor blade. If you know how far to go when doing it, it's not difficult.

Okay thanks, btw i asked linus for the article thing he wrote about delidding his kentswell and voila http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?126707-Intel-IHS-removal...-Any-reason-boiling-water-couldn-t-be-used  Here it is :D it looks cool to me, is it a good idea?

[joelthezombie15]

With Ivy bridge and Haswell it's a good idea to do it if you know what your doing. It'll void the warranty but it makes a huge difference in temps even with the same cooler. Even with a high end water cooler temperature can be an issue and delidding can offer a great advantage and allow for higher clock speeds. Some of the best temperatures in this case can actually be achieved by completely removing the IHS and using something such as EK precisemount.

So What about for trying to get a super good OC on sandy? and must i use that ek mount? and can i use a different block with that mount?

[Nicktrance]

So What about for trying to get a super good OC on sandy? and must i use that ek mount? and can i use a different block with that mount?

 

Sandy bridge IHS was soldered, so good luck delidding it without destroying it, plus it does not run into the the same heat problems as Ivy and Haswell do so it's really not worth trying.

[joelthezombie15]

Sandy bridge IHS was soldered, so good luck delidding it without destroying it, plus it does not run into the the same heat problems as Ivy and Haswell do so it's really not worth trying.

What about doing what linus had done? http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?126707-Intel-IHS-removal...-Any-reason-boiling-water-couldn-t-be-used

 

And ik it doesnt have the same heat problems but i was thinking that the cooler i keep it the better the OC i can get.

[Nicktrance]

What about doing what linus had done? http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?126707-Intel-IHS-removal...-Any-reason-boiling-water-couldn-t-be-used

 

And ik it doesnt have the same heat problems but i was thinking that the cooler i keep it the better the OC i can get.

 

You can do it it's just much more risky and definitely not worth it like they said in that thread, you could lap it for slightly better temps though.

[joelthezombie15]

You can do it it's just much more risky and definitely not worth it like they said in that thread, you could lap it for slightly better temps though.

What is laping?

[Nicktrance]

What is laping?

 

you sand the surface of the IHS till you completely remove the nickel layer and then you progress to finer and finer grits until you achieve the flattest, smoothest finish possible (some people keep going till they get a mirror finish). That usually helps to make better contact with the cooler unless the cooler contact area happens to be uneven too, so some people actually lap that too.

[joelthezombie15]

you sand the surface of the IHS till you completely remove the nickel layer and then you progress to finer and finer grits until you achieve the flattest, smoothest finish possible (some people keep going till they get a mirror finish). That usually helps to make better contact with the cooler unless the cooler contact area happens to be uneven too, so some people actually lap that too.

Hmm, Idk delidding sounds like it would be easier and a bit faster. but i will look into it. thanks :D

[Cobalt]

LGA

What do you mean? The socket? I like it better than AMd's because there are not pins on the CPU.

 

Exactly, what is it that made Intel change to it, and is it really paying off for them??

[joelthezombie15]

you sand the surface of the IHS till you completely remove the nickel layer and then you progress to finer and finer grits until you achieve the flattest, smoothest finish possible (some people keep going till they get a mirror finish). That usually helps to make better contact with the cooler unless the cooler contact area happens to be uneven too, so some people actually lap that too.

I have a feeling this is a very bad way of doing it, no? http://www.bjorn3d.com/Material/revimages/articles/Lapping_The_IHS/a.jpg

[rashdanml]

LGA

 

Exactly, what is it that made Intel change to it, and is it really paying off for them??

I'm guessing ease/cost of repair. Pin breaks on CPU - have to replace entire CPU. Pin breaks on socket, replace only the socket on the motherboard (un-solder and re-solder new one). Economically, I would imagine it'll pay off.