Recent Posts

3701

Post New Requests Here / Re: IDEA: "Stop Me From Closing It" - prevent easy closing of a program

« Last post by nudone on December 19, 2005, 05:55 AM »

i sometimes get into a close everything frenzy and then realise i've closed too much so i have to agree it's a good idea.

3702

General Software Discussion / Re: Free DVD Menu authoring software, is there such a thing?

« Last post by nudone on December 18, 2005, 03:21 AM »

you've convinced me Renegade, going to give DVD-Lab a spin today.

3703

Older Newsletters / Re: Columnist Central

« Last post by nudone on December 17, 2005, 09:29 AM »

would it be going too far to have the 'column/blog' section back as it was and also duplicate the articles so that they are displayed somewhere in the forum at the same time.

or, at least, have the 'intro' paragraph posted somewhere in the forum with a link to the full article in the 'columns/blog' section.

i'm just trying to think of a way to get more attention for the blogs - dedicated readers would check the blogs regularly, i know, but as they weren't strictly regular i think a lot of casual readers gave up.

having a short post in the forum, announcing that a new article was up, would hopefully entice a few more readers. and for those not interested they could quickly pass it by after reading the intro.

???????????

3704

Living Room / Re: Samorost - beautiful puzzles

« Last post by nudone on December 15, 2005, 05:56 PM »

brilliant find.

3705

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Possible Large Directory Opus Discount

« Last post by nudone on December 15, 2005, 10:37 AM »

this should be handy for new (and old) opus users:

Leo Davidson's Directory Opus Tutorial http://www.pretentiousname.com/opus/

(oh yes, i've just downloaded my discounted copy of directory opus - got my license for the bargain price of £20 - christmas has come early.)

3706

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Possible Large Directory Opus Discount

« Last post by nudone on December 15, 2005, 09:54 AM »

ha ha, true.

off i now go to find out. 

oh yeah, forgot to say, thanks for that mrainey!

3707

General Software Discussion / Re: Free DVD Menu authoring software, is there such a thing?

« Last post by nudone on December 15, 2005, 09:52 AM »

how about downloading a trial verion of adobe encore or something similar (the ones Carol mentions above) - i don't honestly know if there are any restrictions with encore but i would guess that there isn't - it isn't the most intuitive of programs to use though. a 30 day trial may be enough for you to do what you need to do.

3708

Found Deals and Discounts / Re: Possible Large Directory Opus Discount

« Last post by nudone on December 15, 2005, 09:45 AM »

er, does this mean we can all use that discount code?

if so, i'm off to buy it right away.

3709

Living Room / Re: Anyone use Netflix or Blockbuster or any other online rental service?

« Last post by nudone on December 15, 2005, 04:44 AM »

i've used both, here in the UK, and i've now given up on them.

the first couple of months everything seems fine - you pretty much get what you asked for in your list - after that the speed of delivery and number of 'lost in the post' emails starts to be annoying.

maybe it's just like that in the UK.

(i'm not the only one who has cancelled their subscription - one or two friends of mine have done the same.)

3710

General Software Discussion / Re: Are vector graphics universally accepted in web design ?

« Last post by nudone on December 14, 2005, 04:13 PM »

the only way you're going to get vector type files into web pages with any success is using .swf, flash based files. otherwise you'll just be saving the vector images out to pixel based files so they are compatible with the browsers everyone is using.

(sorry if that was just stating the obvious - i wasn't entirely sure what you meant.)

3711

Official Announcements / Re: DonationCoder.com Logo Contest is Over - We Have a New Official Mascot/Logo!

« Last post by nudone on December 14, 2005, 01:17 PM »

thanks, mouser, glad to be of service.

3712

Living Room / Re: How much ram do you really need?

« Last post by nudone on December 14, 2005, 12:23 PM »

ah, right, thanks for the clarification.

i'll be using 2 gig of ram but your tip for 'locking' the drivers and kernal sounds like a handy one to use - i'll give it a go when the new build ready and working.

3713

Living Room / Re: How much ram do you really need?

« Last post by nudone on December 14, 2005, 12:08 PM »

I do this on all boxes with 512meg or more of memory

f0dder, have you not experienced any problems from these machines? i've just read elsewhere that some programs start complaining if there isn't a pagefile at all - i can't honestly remember the details but it might have even been photoshop that didsn't like it.

i've never tried disabling the pagefile so i can't talk from experience - i like the sound of it but most recommendations i've seen have always been to leave it on auto.

maybe i'll try doing away with the pagefile when i get the new system together - or maybe the pagefile access will be more efficient on a raid 0 stripe setup.

i'm totally ignorant of what this may be like so replies would be appreciated.

3714

Finished Programs / Re: MP3 Player

« Last post by nudone on December 14, 2005, 11:00 AM »

sorry, not trying to hijack this thread, but does anyone know of a winamp plugin that will allow me to set 'markers' for particular tracks, i.e. when a pre-marked song starts it will beging playing NOT at the start but instead will 'jump' into the track and begin playing from whatever time i had set the marker to be.

again, sorry, i know i should be asking in a wimamp forum.

3715

Post New Requests Here / Re: auto website loginer

« Last post by nudone on December 13, 2005, 08:47 AM »

i was sceptical about using roboform for quite some time, preferring a free alternative. but i'm glad to say i finally saw the light and i've been using roboform for a few months now - it changes the way your browse the web - fantastic really.

worth the money, you'll always be adding new sites to it so it's never going to become redundant. wish i'd taken mouser's advice on using it sooner.

3716

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 06:10 PM »

brotherS, sorry, i've just noticed you've got a Zalman Resorvator (the image was off my screen so i didn't see it before).

what are your thoughts on the Resorvator - it looks like you've got an extra pump or did that come with it?

if/when i go water cooled then i'll be looking into getting the Zalman kit but i've read bad things about the pump making a noise after a short time.

3717

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 06:03 PM »

the dual SLI card system isn't really aimed at providing a means of using dual monitors. it's quite the opposite you may be surprised to hear.

with SLI you use two cards to combine into one. so both cards link together and provide output to one monitor - this is for games and nothing more (maybe 3d applications can use it - i don't know).

the idea is to provide greater frame rates with games running at very high resolutions.

3718

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 05:30 PM »

i see your point Black Mamba about the sound card and money saving ideas. but saving money isn't the main thing this time around. the asus a8n motherboard is something i arrived at because of the good reviews i read, i won't be using the sli dual graphics card option - not for a long while anyway.

if i was a big overclocker then i'd consider the DFI board - maybe it's something i can play with if i buy one in a few months after becoming bored with the asus a8n.

soundcard choice is kind of artificial for me: i do play games when i get chance, but the X-Fi card choice was mainly because of the front audio connectors panel that comes with it. i want to be able to plug various audi leads in and out on the front of the case.

i've also read that the new creative labs cards make mp3s sound amazing. i do listen to a lot of music on the pc but i'm actually sceptical that this creative labs hardware method (the crystalizer) will sound any better than the winamp plugin 'izotope ozone' which is what i currently use. so, again, maybe the X-Fi card is the wrong choice.

i'm intending to use this new pc for music creation, using cubase sx and various other programs and plugins. so really i want a sound card with low latency and good audio cable connections. i ought to be getting a more dedicated audio recording sound card i guess but maybe this would be limiting in other ways.

the X-Fi seemed like a happy medium or simply it just seemed like an easy choice for me. it offers all i need to a degree. if the latency on it wasn't any good then i'd get another dedicated music production card when the time came (i don't think i'll be making any music for a few months yet). M-Audio will certainly be on the list to look at.

3719

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 04:44 PM »

i missunderstood how raid 0 worked - the four disk array made out of 250 gig sized disks would be overkill.

still thinking...

(nice photo, by the way brotherS.)

3720

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 03:32 PM »

well, i've never used raid at all, so i could be in for a hard time i admit. but "in for a penny, in for a pound" is what i always say. (i don't really.)

hmm, well yes, raid 5 with four disks in the usual approach but i'm thinking have super speed on the 4 disk raid 0 stiped array and then have a couple more of non raid hard drives for backup/storage purposes.

i'm used to backing things up so i'm not too bothered about raid helping me out in that respect - and if have ghost images stored on the non raid drives of the operating system(s) that are on the raid 0 drives then i'll feel safe enough.

this project is really about 'speed' and 'silence' without going into totally over the top hardware using Vapochill cases (which i would get if they were quiet - maybe they are).

i think i'm getting carried away with the speed element.

3721

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 03:17 PM »

they will be metal cases if i get them but i've had another big think - prompted by what Carol mentioned earlier.

i was talking of getting two Western Digital Raptor 74GB 10,000RPM SATA hard drives and putting them in a RAID 0 array. but because of thei noise i would have to also buy two cases to put them in.

the total cost of the above would be about £310.

BUT, i could get THREE Samsung SpinPoint P SP2504C 250GB SATA-II 8MB hard drives for £250 and then put these in a RAID 0 arrangement - this is assuming i can do this with the Asus a8n deluxe/premium board (i have no idea).

OR, i could get FOUR Samsung SpinPoint P SP2504C 250GB SATA-II 8MB hard drives for £335 and put all of this into a RAID 0 array.

so, i'm asking - is the FOUR (or THREE) disk array going to blow the socks off of a TWO disk Raptor 10,000rpm array.

the Samsungs would be quieter and hopefully a great deal quicker - plus i also get 250 gig to play with instead of the 74 gig on the raptors.

someone please say 'yes' as i really want to believe in the four disk setup. but i can understand due to other issues with RAID 0 that the speed increase would not be as much as i hope.

thoughts please.

3722

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 02:11 PM »

i'd say SCSI is dying (but i'm no expert).

the Antec p180 case has plenty of fans and is designed with compartments to help air flow so it should be okay - which defeats the point of water cooling a bit.

3723

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 01:26 PM »

thanks mouser and fodder for those replies.

mouser, i can't fault what you say about the dual monitor setup - i've got two 19" crt monitors at the moment but i feel guilty or just too lazy to turn both on at the same time - i need to get into the habit of using both of them.

i also have a further dilema with this new pc build i'm going to do - my main 19" crt monitor is several years old but it was a high quality one when i got it and it remains that way today (good dot pitch and all that), it's better than any LCD monitor (no great achievement there really) but i'm tempted to go for one of these beasts...

Eizo Flexscan s2110w http://www.eizo.com/products/lcd/S2110W/index.asp it's a 21" widescreen monitor that is getting fantastic reviews - but the price is high, about £700. again i'm prepared to go for this but i really can't fault the 19" crt monitor i've got now. the flexscan is bigger of course but perhaps limited in other ways. i would even go so far as to buy a 15" or 17" or  even 19" LCD monitor to compliment the 21" Flexscan. Pure insanity to have dual monitors of this size maybe, but i'm sure i can find a use for such things even if i can't be bothered to use the two 19" crt monitors at the moment.

f0dder, you've certainly given me a few more things to consider. what you say about the Asus board and the way it handles raid is reasuring. the raptor drives are sata even though they are 10,000rpm - they aren't SCSI or have i missunderstood what SCSI can be, i thought you needed a SCSI card for SCSI drives(?).

the iRam thing would be nice (i've read about it elsewhere) but it's not available where i'll be shopping - 4 gigs isn't going to change the world, though, maybe when it gets into double figures.

i certainly agree with you with what you are saying about raid 0 and start up times for programs and the operating system. whilst sat in front of the computer i tend to drift from one program to another to another and then another, so i'd certainly appreciate quick loading times. loading in game levels quickly would be nice also. video i don't really know - editing videos of several layers would be easier(?).

regarding the hardware i've picked out - it's all chosen on the basis of a couple of UK computer magazines. the quality, performance and noise level all being factors i've looked into - their reviews stating how quiet things are. so, i'm confident things will be quiet - the raptor drives are noisy for sure but if i get them they'll be put inside hard cases that will dampen the noise.

i think the antec p180 case will allow me to put a couple of fans in (at least) to cool the hard drives down.

i've included a spreadsheet if anyone would like to see the specific items i'm looking at ordering.

3724

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 10:48 AM »

point taken, Carol, for water cooling not reducing PSU and drive noise. this is why i've chosen the Seasonic S12 600W Silent ATX 2.0 power supply - should be quiet. as for drive noise the Samsung SpinPoint P SP2504C 250GB SATA-II is meant to be the quietest on the market but unfortunately the raptor drives are the complete opposite.

the amount of money going into this project makes me want it to be perfect - probably i should just calm down a bit and accept i'm going to have to change things over the next few months as i learn from experience.

the initial idea was to build a system that i could adapt of the next 12 months. starting with the quietest air cooled system i could build (hence the antec p180 case), then in a few months swap things over to water cooled (Zalman Resorvator based) and then if i'm still in the same frame of mind i'd get that totally passive cooled case (also by Zalman). a very expensive journey, i agree, but it's not something i'll be doing every year.

3725

Living Room / Re: nudone's new pc

« Last post by nudone on December 12, 2005, 10:25 AM »

i know what you mean, brotherS, but it's the geek in me telling me to do it.

i really hate noise - computers have driven my mad for years. it seems to me i can either put the computer in the next room to where i'm sitting and feed cables through the wall or less drastically try to get 'silent' hardware components.

the choice of hardware i've made so far has been low noise based - but with water cooling it could potentially be quieter, so i've very tempted. there is even a totally silent case on the market that uses heat-pipes (no moving parts like fans or anything)  but it costs nearly £1000. it's something i'd eventually buy if i can't find satisfaction with other hardware.

having water inside your pc can be avoided even with water-cooling. there is a substitute liquid that doesn't conduct electricity that you can buy - can't remember the name but it's something like £50 a bottle. how big is a bottle - probably not very.