Buying a New PC

[Barrister]

All my shit is here.

Try flushing.

[Faeelin]

Stats:
Processor Intel Core i7 Extreme 965(3.2GHz)
Memory 12GB DDR3
Hard Drive 1TB SATA 7200RPM
Optical Drive 1 SuperMulti, Double Layer DVD±RW, DVD-RAM
Graphics NVIDIA GeForce GTX 280 1GB Installed Video Memory
Audio High-definition audio with 7.1-channel audio support
Ethernet Gigabit Ethernet LAN
Power Supply 750W

I paid $2100 for it.

[Cecil]

Your HD is holding you back. Get a quicker one.

[Josquius]

*sigh*
Maybe next year...

[Ideologue]

All my shit is here.

Try flushing.

My motherboard cut my hand.

[Ideologue]

Also, I hope I never have to remove that Caviar Green HDD, because a screw just tore itself part, leaving a bar inside the HDD cage and a top on my screwdriver.  That's not normal, is it?

Seriously, I cannot immediately think of anyway to ever get that out short of sawing open the cage.

[DGuller]

Also, I hope I never have to remove that Caviar Green HDD, because a screw just tore itself part, leaving a bar inside the HDD cage and a top on my screwdriver.  That's not normal, is it?

Seriously, I cannot immediately think of anyway to ever get that out short of sawing open the cage.

You mean the headless part of the screw is inside both the hard drive and the hole in the cage?

[Berkut]

You mean the headless part of the screw is inside both the hard drive and the hole in the cage?

Not everything is a metaphor for a penis DG.

[Ideologue]

Also, I hope I never have to remove that Caviar Green HDD, because a screw just tore itself part, leaving a bar inside the HDD cage and a top on my screwdriver.  That's not normal, is it?

Seriously, I cannot immediately think of anyway to ever get that out short of sawing open the cage.

You mean the headless part of the screw is inside both the hard drive and the hole in the cage?

Da.  It's just a bar with threads.  Can I at least presume it'll hold it in there?  At the end of the day, I have space for seven more HDDS--as long as it won't rattle, I can just use the other seven bays in the eventuality that it blows up.

How the fuck did I tear a piece of metal apart, anyway?  It was still moving when I was turning the screwdriver, right before it surprised me by getting immediately much looser.   I thought HD screws were supposed to go in real tight--I guess I took that too far?

On the plus side, I haven't dropped anything yet, despite a great opportunity earlier to destroy the motherboard, the CPU, fan, and memory all in one go.  SATA cables get really stuck in there.

[Ideologue]

I will add that it is very gratifying, if puzzling, that my cats have shown absolutely no interest whatsoever in the bonanza of dangly things hanging out of the case.  I thought I'd have to lock them up, but they really do not give a shit.  Of course, these are the same creatures that try to jump at light cords about three feet two tall for them to reach and have little to no nutritional value, and think it's the highest form of entertainment to watch a human being urinate, so maybe I shouldn't presume to know what interests them.

[Ideologue]

Okay, I cannot figure out how to put this video card in.  I know it's supposed to be simple, but the card (Sapphire Radeon 4890 Vapor-X) will either not:

1)go all the way into the PCIe slot; OR
2)goes all the way into the PCIe slot, but the metal hook on the back will not go flush with the case, and hence cannot be screwed in, and hence any attempt to leave it stationary depends entirely on the strength of a plastic PCIe slot that I might have already broken.

To figure this out, I need to know if the PCIe connection on the card is supposed to be entirely flush with the PCIe slot, i.e. no golden connectors peeking out.

Also, they are supposed to go in upside (heatsink/fan) down, right?

Any help's appreciated--the GPU is the last thing I need to do, other than tidying up cables and plugging fans in and so forth.

[DGuller]

If I recall correctly, and I may not be, PCIe cards have a "hook" at the end of the connector strip.  Before you can seat the card, you need to hook the card.  I'm not sure if you've done that or not.  They definitely need to be all the way in.

[Ideologue]

Thanks DG, that's probably it.

They have some sort of a plastic thing, the purpose of which eluded me--I thought maybe it was like the white things on the end of memory slots.

It would help a lot if the manual had pictures, or at least a description of the installation process more detailed than "plug it in."

Seriously, quote:

1 Locate the slot; insert the card firmly into the PCI-Express/AGP/PCI slot

The "PCIe/AGP/PCI slot" bit gives you an idea how vague every single manual I've gotten is (except the MB manual, which is detailed in many areas but only goes so far as to tell me where my PCIe slots are).  The worst is the case manual, which uses some kind of foreign grammar and the phrase "please open both side panels before intally."  Shit, I always do things intally, you don't have to tell me.

[DGuller]

You have nothing to complain about, at least your manual seems to have at least one sentence without a spelling mistake.

[Caliga]

If I recall correctly, and I may not be, PCIe cards have a "hook" at the end of the connector strip.  Before you can seat the card, you need to hook the card.  I'm not sure if you've done that or not.  They definitely need to be all the way in.