[Building A Pc For Poser 7]

Well, this build will hopefully be a worthy rendering machine for years...

They want to be able to do multiple renders simultaneously... so I just figured if I double the ram it could do it.

They also want to 'future-proof' the machine as much as possible...

Does anyone know what kinds of issues 64bit XP has? I understand Vista is what it *should* have, but that is one aspect the client will not budge on...

Unless VMs can run all the software beautifully... which I doubt...

Put another way-

These people despise Vista and believe it will go the way of ME within a year. Nothing can change their view.

Can you please post a pros and cons of using Vista 64bit over XP 64bit ?

Thanks!

[Pc Keeps A Rebootin]

if you re-read, you'll see I said a 750 for something *not* basic.

I am greatly enjoying this discussion! I've been under the impression that most 'standard' computers would require a 500watt psu just to have some 'cushion'...

Could it be I have no experience with "quality"? Could be....

Then again... I'm here to be helped as much as to help!

What is a 'quality' power supply? Can you link me with technical info on how large a power supply should be if running certain hardware?

I figured it like this:

100watts- CPU (I realize some cpus are 65watts)

100watts- 4 drives (I figured if I ever used everything at once....)

100watts- motherboard (motherboard has ram, fan?, and components that bleed heat... heat=wattage)

100watts- fans (overkill, but you never know...)

100watts- other components/'cushion'

500watts total for a basic system. 400watts min, but I like 'cushion' so I increase to 500watts.

750watts for SLI... have seen advertisements stating certain 500watts are SLI-ready, but most start at 750watts.

1500Watts for QUAD SLI and DUAL DUAL CORE 64Bit AMDs. Not a typo- 2 dual core cpus.

I understand I am overguessing a bit in some areas... but I believe a psu shouldn't be run near max...

Suggestions on sizes of psu please.

[Graphic Requests]

If my handle was DeadDude... what would u make for an avatar and sig image?

If my business is computer repair... what would the avatar and sig look like then?

If I needed a logo for said business... what would you suggest?

always happy for free help!

[Over Lapping Start Menu]

So... that 'error' is caused by too much stuff on the base of the Start menu?

And moving stuff off the base start menu fixes it?

Please clarify.

thanks

[Know Anything About Computer Crt Monitors?]

How many monitors have you 'burned through'?

Perhaps your video card is overheating and over-driving the video?? Or maybe your monitor isn't on a protected circuit?

**Brand new** monitors shouldn't hiss at all.

Could your power to the monitor be 'dirty'?

Have another video card to test your replacement monitor on before using with your normal video card? Your card could be killing the screens....?

Is your video card overclocked??? If it is... then that is most likely killing these poor monitors...

[Know Anything About Computer Crt Monitors?]

Short answer-

it needs a major part replaced... factory did a quick fix on it.

the hiss is an arc... turn off the lights and look down the ventilation slits... see *anything at all*?

I could be wrong... but I've seen this many times...

Could also be more minor... but will ultimately lead to the same result- arcs.

Longer Answer-

The hiss is caused by the monitor trying to synchronise at a particular frequency.

If it is worse case scenario-

the monitor may already be arcing internally. The corners reacting differently from each other led me to think this is your problem already.

If it is NOT worse case-

If it isn't 'just right', you may hear a hiss. The hiss will disappear when the hardware finally 'catches' and is in sync. This will only ever get worse as it ages.

Biggest problem-

Both scenarios share too many characteristics in the real world... And both scenarios mean the manufacturer didn't repair it properly.

[Pc Keeps A Rebootin]

and a live linux cd is faster than getting 85% through installing windows to have it freeze with no descriptive errors.

seriously, I love live OS distros... *very* useful.

[Pc Keeps A Rebootin]

The point to pulling *everything else* out of the case is to lower the load on the power supply.

A generic power supply tester simply checks for voltage on the pins- not the limitations of load on before mentioned pins.

I suggest a live linux cd to simply test the hardware in a controlled environment- most live linux distros run without hitches out of the box, and a major problem trying to use one would point to more specific hardware issues as Linux is more low-level than Windows.

You can use a live cd to push your hardware... without putting it at risk. You can also remove your hard drive(s) entirely with this method, thereby lowering the power requirements overall... making it that much more of a valuable troubleshooting route to take (you can remove more hardware from the equation before you begin.) After booting off the cd, just play one of the included games... if it works, somehow your Windows itself is getting messed up during initial install. I would keep using the live cd day by day until the pc froze and gave a more descriptive error... it isn't pretty, but it works and is free...

***ALERT***

If your hard drive(s) **EVER** have soft errors from power issues (soft errors are issues scandisk can fix usually), it can PERMANENTLY DAMAGE the drive(s) from continued use! You are playing with fire if you keep trying to use this machine- you may trash the drive(s) beyond software repair!

BEGIN POWER SUPPLY RANT--->

(All views expressed in this rant are mine, and you are entitled to share or refuse my views. To the best of my knowledge, my views are correct in the technical sense. If wrong information is given, it is totally an accident. Read the rant, maybe I made an ass out of myself and proved I had no idea.)

Honestly, no matter what *anyone* ever tells/told you:

Just short of a specific custom low-power build, most PCs will require 500watts or more- KEEPING IN MIND you *never* want to run a power supply at anywhere near maximum capacity!

And if you have case fans... you better add at least 25 watts for every fan to be safe.

And if you are running dual video cards, you better have *AT LEAST* a 750watt to be safe.

Personally, I won't use less than 500watts on *anything*; if the machine isn't a 'basic' build, I'll put a 750watt in it or a 1500watt depending on build.

END POWER SUPPLY RANT--->

It is *very* likely all of your issues are caused by too little current on your power supply. Removing as much hardware as possible before beginning your troubleshooting is just good sense.

Intermittent hardware issues almost always points to power supplies.

Almost always.

Almost.

Always.

So, we are all sorry to be driving this point home so hard... it is just that important and usually the issue. Combined with the brand of power supply, all obvious evidence points to power supply.

If you could list the hardware in this machine, we can definately tell you if that power supply could technically even run that board. An under-powered psu can struggle along for months before the user asks too much finally and trips it. Once it is tripped the first time, every trip afterwards is easier at that load- hence the reason for removing as much hardware as possible BEFORE troubleshooting any farther.

Good luck, and

*remove any 2nd or 3rd harddrives/cd/dvd devices, usb devices, and added internal devices not included* before even plugging it in!*

[Building A Pc For Poser 7]

Would you recommend 32bit Windows???

Why not 64bit? I thought it would be easier to just bite the bullet and upgrade to 64bit now, since this type of machine would *definitely* eventually need a 64bit OS... perhaps sooner than later, if the ram is raised to 4 gigs total or more.

Has anyone ever run Poser in a virtual machine? What are the issues with doing it that way? (I have used VMs before, and I know there is no 3d acceleration.. can't Poser do a straight CPU render? My research into this leads me to believe it is *all* CPU renders, except the preview render mode which uses OpenGL- NOT D3D)

The budget for this machine just got inflated by the client... so I guess the new limit is $2400 for hardware... the funds will be made available during the first week of October- gives time to nail down the best machine possible.

Does anyone out there use Poser 7 right now??? If so, please tell me so I can ask you a few questions...

NOTE: Poser 7 Commercial can be installed a TOTAL of 4 times!!! In the course of helping me, do NOT waste one of your 4 installs!

heh... that note above is what is limiting me getting help... can't play guinea pig if you only get 4 shots per purchase...

The client is currently using Poser 5. Currently, it looks like I will upgrade their current machine first, then purchase the new one. Any ideas what AGP card/brand/model to buy?

Thanks for all the help people, I felt like I was in over my head!

[Pc Keeps A Rebootin]

Let's put this in perspective folks...

He had reboots whenever he remote accessed another pc.

So he tried testing his RAM, and one stick tested bad once. (If I'm wrong, PLEASE correct me immediately!)

He tested his drives, they tested fine but had file structure issues...

He low lvl'd 'em, and try to reinstall.

Blue screen.

Okay... this sounds to me like at least one of the following:

Motherboard is failing

If the network card is onboard, and the IDE/SATA is onboard (wich one u using?), then perhaps the motherboard is failing.

Power Supply is failing

It was mentioned it was cheap. It could cause all of these issues, and potentially cause PERMANENT damage.

Ram is failing

It *did* fail a test at least once.

My suggestion to you:

Try a live linux cd. I suggest this for a few reasons.

1. linux should very well use the hardware at its fullest potential, much like Windows.

2. it won't damage your hard drives (bad power could kill 'em)

ALSO DON'T FORGET TO UNPLUG ANY EXTRANEOUS DRIVES!!!

If it could be the power supply failing, lessening the over all load could buy you more time.

Good luck!

[Building A Pc For Poser 7]

Well, I appreciate the comments!

I have done a little deeper research into Poser 7, and discovered a few things that might help narrow down what hardware to use.

1. Poser 7 will use no more than 2 gigs of ram.

2. Poser 7 will use no more than 2 cores (it can use 4, but that is 'experimental').

That being said, I also have been told by someone 'in the know' that Poser 7 isn't available in a 64bit version.

Now, here's some contradictory comments I got from the same sources:

Poser 7 is 32 bit, and will not use more than 2 gigs ram. A system with more ram will render faster though.

Poser won't work right on Vista (cannot confirm or deny this, btw)

4 gigs of ram or more require 64 bit OS.

So, I guess the best thing to do would be to weed out the fact from fiction... does anyone have a 64bit cpu and 64bit Windows? Maybe there is a demo of Poser 7 and someone could demo it for me...???

Jeff, I will cut you a check for something if you can 'hold my hand' on this. I say something cuz I don't know the full budget yet...

[Building A Pc For Poser 7]

Oh yeah, and please list links to the hardware if possible!!

And what version of Windows would you recommend? I was thinking XP64 would be needed to read 4gigs or more of ram...

[Building A Pc For Poser 7]

Howdy y'all.

I have been hired to build a pc for one specific purpose- to render Poser 7 as fast as possible.

I was looking at possibly an AMD 4x4... but I think that may be overkill.

So, my request of you all is to build a machine using parts from any online retailer you choose.

The budget is $1200ish for hardware alone. I realize the 4x4 is no where near that price, $1200 is just what the client's first budget proposal was.

I ****greatly**** appreciate any help with this project!

keyboard, mouse, optical drives, floppy/card readers need not be included!

[How Do I Get A Folder To Rename As The Current Date....]

Howdy, newb to the forums here...

I got a stumper for ya...

How could I get a batch file to copy a list of files into a new folder, and rename that new folder to the current date?

I need this batch file to operate correctly on actual DOS6.22, Win95/98DOS, 2k/XP_DOS.

And that is what has killed me... I can get it to work only on standard DOS6.22 (I got a cheater book on 6.22 for 25cents last week!).

If I have to resort to some VB stuff, could you please very plainly spell it all out? I have VB.NET... but dunno if it can write an app for Win95/98 (I can live with my existing DOS6.22 version of code for that instance) with it.

Oh yeah, I also got VB6 kicking around somewhere... unopened, and never used... should I pursue using VB6 instead?? How? never used it... broke my teeth on vb.net... lol

Thanks for any and all help!!

BenR