Warning - Never say that you are selling your laptop while its in the vicinity.

[Loman]

I've made this blunder for the second time now.

A couple of years ago i bought a laptop from TINY while in the UK.
6 months later when i'm back home i decided to sell it and it overheard me because the next day the backlight of the screen failed.

Now, right when i'm about to sell my Fujitsu Siemens M3438G the processor is giving me a headache.

Its a 1.73Ghz CPU and normally after disconnecting from the mains it is cut back to 797Mhz.

But its stuck at 797Mhz and i can't get it back up to the full speed.
I've disabled the Power Saving feature in the bios that slows it down when its on battery power. - Didn't help.

Its been formatted and restored to factory default so this is not Windows throwing a fit.

I've been offered R 6000 for it so i'd rather sell it than dump it.

Any ideas anyone??

[Dave A]

So I'm not the only one with a theory that negative vibes are harmful to the correct function of some computers.

Have you checked for driver updates or contacted support on the Fujitsi Siemens website. I know I've solved a few glitches that way before.

[Loman]

Have you checked for driver updates or contacted support on the Fujitsi Siemens website. I know I've solved a few glitches that way before.

I've contacted them the 20th December. Still haven't heard anything. It might be a bad time, over Christmas and all, I'll wait for another week & see what happens.

It just pisses me off when these major companies sell their "great" products but when something goes wrong their support is non existent.

I'm not talking about the laptop, as its been great the past four years and probably nears the end of its useful life, but rather the HP L7680.

The first month after i bought it, it seemed like the best there is. BUT ONLY FOR THE FIRST MONTH.
Now little over a year later I'm using my fourth REPLACEMENT printer as well as my tenth printhead.
According to HP this printer has a lower cost per page than laser printers.
But after every 1200 pages you need to change the printheads, and they cost R 450. That alone costs you about R 0.75 per page. But whats worse is I've been though nine printheads and i've only printed 4900 pages. Thats 540 pages per printhead.yeah theres some fine print for you.

I'm considering suing them but i know that doing so would be just as big a waste of time as trying to get any support from them.( it took them three months in replacing a brand new printhead that couldn't even print one page)

I've vowed to never buy a HP product ever again. Understandably.

[Dave A]

I find the biggest problem with HP in South Africa is they outsource their support, and their support "partners" have really not being up to standard. Parts cost much the same as the entire printer, at least when it comes to laser. And let's not even get into the cost of consumables of late.

HP seems to have refined the art of the disposable printer.

[Loman]

In my quest for finding a great laser printer i stumbled upon this site

http://store.apple.com/dk/product/TN619H/A?fnode=MTY1NDA1MQ&mco=MjMyODMyNA

The HP L7680 has a monthly duty cycle of 7500. HIGHLY IMPROBABLE

Speed/monthly volume
# Print speed, black (draft quality mode): Up to 35 ppm
# Print speed, color (draft color mode): Up to 34 ppm
# Monthly duty cycle: Up to 7500 pages
# Processor speed: 192 MHz

[Loman]

I'm busy with a couple of reveiws but it looks like this one will be my next printer.
Brother MFC-7840W

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2324632,00.asp

I only hope that its available in SA.

[Loman]

Is it possible that a virus or some other type of thingamajig could mess around with your multiplier of your CPU?
I DL CPU-Z to try to find out what the problem is with my laptop, just for a test i tried it on my desktop and some strange things happened.
It shows that my multiplier is 6 with a speed of 1197mhz but every 5 - 20 seconds is jumps to a multiplier of 11 and a speed of 2194 (where it supposed to be) for a second before falling back.

The weird thing is that windows still register a 2194mhz even though cpu-z doesn't.
This is the first time i used cpu-z so i'm not sure whether that is normal but since overclockers use the prog to have a look at their true speed i doubt that it is.

I haven't tested it on the laptop yet, will do in a while.

[Loman]

Got it.
Its got to do with the CPU's Enhanced Intel Speedstep Technology
Meaning that activities that isn't CPU intensive cause the processor to use a lower multiplier causing a lower power consumption.

I did a bench test and it went up to X11 and stayed there until i terminated the program.

Going to test my laptop now.

[Loman]

Enhanced Intel SpeedStep technology allows the system to dynamically adjust processor voltage and core frequency, which can result in decreased average power consumption and decreased average heat production.

Got it from their website.

[Loman]

Does anyone own the E8400 or E8500 CPU?
I'm going to build myself a new PC that has to last 3 - 5 years and at first i wanted the Q6600 but since its over 3 years old and not many apps and games make use of all four cores (the only software that does make use of all four at the moment is photo shop software) I'd rather opt for the E8 series.

[Dave A]

# Monthly duty cycle: Up to 7500 pages

I think when it comes to HP that duty cycle applies more to what would invalidate the warranty than what is a truly sustainable duty load. I've always considered the longest print run as the real measure of durability anyway - not a number that tends to be quoted in the stats.

not many apps and games make use of all four cores

My feeling is that software is still catching up with the progress of the hardware. But even a year is a long time in digital technology. I wouldn't be surprised if in 3-5 years you'll be struggling to run main stream apps without quad core machines.

[Loman]

I wouldn't be surprised if in 3-5 years you'll be struggling to run main stream apps without quad core machines.

So is there a Quad core CPU that you would recommend? I really liked the Q6600 but i'm not sure that its the one to buy since its already over three years old.

[Dave A]

Got a crystal ball?

Consider the Vista compatability fiasco for a moment. What works today is tomorrow's paperweight.

[Loman]

It seems that Vista is Microsoft's biggest blunder. (Except the Xbox 360 - They are getting sued soon) I hope Windows 7 isn't following the same route.

I can remember that when Microsoft released Vista Beta all the reviews were very positive and everyone couldn't wait for it to be released.
Now we can't wait to get it off our PC's. What went wrong?

Another problem is DRM - Digital rights management.
Because of that its not only cheaper and easier getting a pirated copy of whatever you want but its also stress free.
For example, Microsoft Flight Simulator X. The person who buys it have to go through a whole process confirming that the software they bought isn't copied.
Whereas the pirated one is as easy as install & play.

As far as I'm concerned DRM isn't stopping piracy, its encouraging it.

[Frankincense]

I am an extreme Gamer and Respect Good software...runnin watercooled Rig with Q66 and Vista Ultimate 64 bit overclocked ...37" full hdtv Nvidia Graphics 8800 series shit, 8Gb ram...7.1 surround 'n other stuff all over..

Never had an issue with Vista Ultimate, coolest thing since XP...can't wait for XP to be outlawed!!!

Love it when XP'ers cant run stuff for Vista. Serves them right for resisting the 6Chan6ge6.

"As far as I'm concerned DRM isn't stopping piracy, its encouraging it" - DRM is compliance to those who have their 6int6ernet6 connection(any Gamer should have that, if not, they dont deserve the title) and an original software disk with a shiney plastic box with pictures on it to be unwrapped like a bride on the first night...


If you building a new rig....dont install XP. It will crack your registries' virginity...lay Vista/Win7 upon her from inception of her first post and your crystal ball will give you what you want...and only use purchased orginal software...(Yes you may need to register it online first - it's for your own Good)
To quote: "Whereas the pirated one is as easy as install & play."...thank your God you don't ride a superbike....pirated parts Kill...logic will tell you even pirated software kills your Crystal Ball...ever tried to re-use a condom?

Oh well, leave out the E Duo's, and start a Quad or even i7 on an X58 Mobo.

Only run original stuff on your RIG....always use protection....viruses kill...

She'll run like a Crystal Ball!!!

Disable your Speedstep in Bios, Crank up the FSB and push up your fire(Voltages) to all your componenents, even RAM & Bridges with a serious effort on the cooling and watch your System Rock.

If you see smoke come out your chassis, start again, but replace hardware first.(seriously - do some research before tweaking BIOS specs)

"Overclock.net" is the site....

Happy overclocking