Lumpy

Ahhhh yes the 64bit I forgot about, that makes things much more interesting...I have a 64bit machine at home, sitting, Don't want to reload because I do not have a 64bit OS to install. It was given to me. Someday...

ozziesironmanoffroad

just tried the driver, no luck. on the search for another one.

mastacox

I just built myself a couple of new systems about 2 months ago (both running Windows 7, which I love), and have run into a couple of the same problems you have.

My computer specs (Computer Build Thread):

AMD Phenom II X4 940 Black Edition- 3.0 GHz Quad-Core processor of fury! When I water cool it I'll overclock to 3.5 GHz too.
ASUS M4N72-E SLI Motherboard- Supports AMD Socket AM3/AM2+/AM2, built-in SATA RAID and 7.1 audio.
XFX GeForce GTX 260- 896MB on-board memory, 216 core processors of supreme kick-ass.
OCZ Platinum Edition 8GB (4 x 2GB) DDR2 800 SDRAM- To make sure I don't run out using Photoshop, video editing, or playing heavy-duty games.
OCZ 700w Power Supply- SLI Ready for future upgrades

And I used my hard drives from my other computer, which total up to 900GB right now, and I plan to get another pair of terabyte hard drives in the future.

Driver support for Windows 7 64-bit is spotty when it comes to older sound cards and wireless adapters. I had a Soundblaster Live that I have had for a long time, but no driver support for it so I just used the on-board 7.1 sound on my mobo instead. In addition, I have a Netgear WG311v2 that isn't supported by Vista or Windows 7 64-bit (however the WG311v3 is).

Overall I like Windows 7 very much (especially if you have the hardware to run it well) and wouldn't recommend buying Vista Ultimate unless it comes with a free upgrade to Windows 7 coupon for next summer.

ozziesironmanoffroad

okay, so i got the drivers installed.... (i think... the installation of them timed out, but device manager is showing them as ok) but everytime i go to enable the device, it locks up and i have to use task manager to close it. got somethin weird goin on....

mastacox

I did a lot of searching for compatible drivers as well, and eventually decided that I will buy another Vista-64 compatible wireless card instead. It's just not worth the trouble IMO, when wireless cards only cost $40.

Lumpy

$40 isn't bad for an card at all.

ozziesironmanoffroad

thats 40 bucks i dont have right now.... lol.

ozziesironmanoffroad

i think im gonna give up on windows 7.... its gonna expire in 2 days anyway... i think im gonna try vista 64bit... my buddy has a legit copy of it that hes never used that he told me i could have if i wanted.

mastacox

Unfortunately, that's not going to solve you problem. Windows 7 64-bit uses many of the same drivers for Vista 64-bit. So if it didn't work in Windows 7 64, it won't work in Vista 64. It sounds to me like you have to either go back to Windows XP, or pony up for a wireless card. (You could also try the 32-bit version of Windows 7, which will be able to use Vista 32-bit drivers.)

And the Windows 7 RC is good until next April, at which point you will have to buy the real thing or go back to your previous OS.

ozziesironmanoffroad

yeah, i tried downloading windows 7 32bit earlier, but the download is no longer available. ive been readin up on 64 bit (should have done it in the first place) and for the time being, im staying away from it. not enuf support for it.

ozziesironmanoffroad

okay, gave up on windows 7. im currently on vista now. the drivers for the wireless card installed flawlessly and perfectly. im just updating stuff now, then gonna let stuff from the other hard drive copy over while i watch the charger game, then finish everything up. . feels good to be back.

ozziesironmanoffroad

*update* after 3 hours of searching the internet for drivers for my incredibly ancient sound blaster LIVE! value sound card, i FINALLY found one. creative stopped support, it was a 3rd party reverse engineered driver, and so far its working GREAT. i got all my stuff to vista now from XP. will post up about wow when i get it installed.

ozziesironmanoffroad

*update* WoW works perfectly. since i used vista, and actually using my dual core processor, its NIGHT AND DAY compared to before.

Lumpy

Good deal man!!! Too bad 7 would not work right for you though. As long as you have a bunch of RAM you'll like Vista.

ozziesironmanoffroad

2 GB seems to be enough

ozziesironmanoffroad

update: comps running great on vista. i just need a stronger video card now that i got my dual core working . (its great, but i want to max out my games). lol.
though, a question. is it normal to play a graphics hungry game for awhile, then the computer is extremely warm to the touch? like, warm enough to increase the temperature in the room. almost hot enough to burn, but not quite there. normal from a dual core/AMD system?

Corey

iTrader: (1)

PCs will generally get warmer after an intense 3D game as the GPU is working pretty hard.
You should hear a lot more fan noise too during gaming heavily.

Ahhh, winter time is approaching.
I need to start brushing up on my Unreal Tournament 3 moves.

Lumpy

Ya they get hot and fast too. I had to add fans to my case and a fan to keep air flowing through the desk...I have the tower hiding in the cubby hole that's built into the desk.

I have to finish HalfLife E2 real soon...I hear E3 is coming and Fallout 3 needs finished as well. Just don't have the time anymore.

ozziesironmanoffroad

okay, i was a bit worried about it. checked the cpu health settings in cmos, the temps were 20 degrees below warning, and 30 degrees below auto shutdown. a little too warm, or perfect?

mastacox

What was the actual temperature of the processor? "20 degrees below warning" is a useless value because the warning temp is an adjustable number on the mobo.

I think my AMD Phenom II X4 usually runs around 30-40C, depending on how much I'm using the CPU.

EDIT-

On a different note- you computer being hot to the touch is probably a sign that you don't have enough fans in your case. Your computer's case should not be getting significantly warm at any time IMO, because that means your electronics are having a tough time cooling themselves. My computers do not warm up at all no matter what I'm doing; the CPU and GPU temps go up but the case has enough air flowing through it to keep everything else cool.

I tend to conservatively size my cooling based on the amount of power being dissipated in the case, around 25CFM of fans per 100W of power. With my gaming rig which has a 700W power supply, I have 4 120mm fans and 2 90mm fans, summing up to around 200CFM at full power I think (100 CFM in and 100 CFM out).