Buyer Beware

**beezlebubsbum** · 07-01-2004, 10:09 AM

I have just purchased a new computer that I assembled myself. My last computer broke, but a major reason for getting a new one was so that I could play some games. I wanted to buy cheap components, at the moment, so onboard video seemed a good choice. Here is where the warning comes into place; be very choosy about what onboard graphics you buy! I ended up choosing an S3 UniChrome 3D/2D with motion compensation. It can have up to 64mb of video memory, so I thought that would be enough to run some games, such as BF1942. I was wrong, it seems a lot of the onboard graphics chips don't have hardware T&L, which restricts your gameplaying. Even though my computer is fast enough (AMD 2800+), and I have enough video memory (64mb), I can't even play games such as BF1942. What is even weirder, is that I can play newer games, such Enemy Territory, and Delta Force: Black Hawk Down. So make sure you get an ATI 9100 IGP, or an nVidia MX onboard chip if you intend on gameplaying.

**Mr_Sfstk8d** · 07-02-2004, 01:22 AM

I've got a Rage64 onboard on the last box I 'resurected' from the closet! Here's the fun part, I couldn't use anything newer than X 3.6. This was on a Mand~ 9.1 install, BTW. So far, I've been torturing myself with Linux installs on older equip. But soon, oh yes, so very soon, I'll be doing a full on install on reasonably new stuff. Wish me luck! On another side, last week I fixed up a PC from a rummage sale to sell to my freind's land-lady. Problem was, I couldn't replace the video card, or any card, because it had Torx bit screws!! WTF??!! Anybody else run into those things before? And is that Torx driver a common tool?

**beezlebubsbum** · 07-02-2004, 06:28 AM

Holy crap. I know that you can a torx screw driver from any good hardware store, people buy them to mod consoles. I wonder why it was torx screws though. Maybe it was a company computer, and they placed in torx screws to stop employees from removing the card. Who knows???

**Fatal Error** · 07-02-2004, 02:06 PM

Torx were suppose to keep people out of their computers! Watch out for the "security Torx" they have a pin in the middle. If you don't have a Torx bit with the necessary hole, just remove the pin from the screw (drill or grinder)

**Mr_Sfstk8d** · 07-02-2004, 11:41 PM

Already sold it, and my buddy who's landlady it goes to says he's got the Torx in question. Suddenly, it became not my problem

But thanks anyway! Substandard hardware is one of my LEAST favorite forms of 'security features'.

**Gruntled** · 07-03-2004, 06:54 AM

All compaq hardware used to use torx screws. Some other manufacturers started to, but then went back to regular screws or the now-ever-present "hex-head/philips-head" combo, or even better: thumbscrews.

**Mr_Sfstk8d** · 07-03-2004, 01:03 PM

Had an 'interesting' case one time that all the cards just kind of sat in place, then you push/turn/align a locking bar over the top of all of them (the case tabs that is) then screw down the locking bar. Interesting in theory, but would allow "sway" from the cards. Maybe if there were detents where the screws should have been? Oh well, score one for 6.45 sec/boxen saved on labor for individual screws.

**Gruntled** · 07-04-2004, 06:01 AM

I've seen that kind of setup on some server cases, and 2 or 3 desktop cases. It's a neat idea, and saves a little time.

Much better than some of the new server case designs I've been working with. Machines that require extra screws, both inside from the top and from the bottom of the case in order to swap the hard drive --- not good for server uptime.

**Mr_Sfstk8d** · 07-04-2004, 01:16 PM

Just to swap a drive? That sounds like crap-tastic. The locking bar idea seemed good in concept. However on the case I have, either bad engineering, or poor application made a decent concept, a pain in the real world. Usually comes down to the bar not lining them up right, and then you've got loose boards. Scary! And that is why I'll be studying for my EE starting again this fall. So I can make stuff that doesn't suck!

**kungfuramone9** · 07-04-2004, 09:53 PM

HP used to be a really, really bad offender in terms of computer cases that you couldn't break into (at least very easily.) I had a HP Pavilion 8560C and I wanted to upgrade the RAM. In order to do so I had to pry off the outer casing with a hammer (I'm not making this up), then dismantle the entire chassis that held the drives just to get at the memory slots on the motherboard. It was a nightmare.

Dell does a great job these days making easy-to-modify PCs. I think they realized that it's all commodity hardware anyway so making it difficult to get at the plumbing is just going to piss off potential future consumers.

Mr_Sfstk8d, fight the good fight! Down with stuff that sucks! :mrgreen: