On 16 Jan 2002, at 2:13, Daidalos wrote: > > As the current PFC is still going on, and following the experience of > the list, I took my beloved computer to a friend's computer store, in > order to instal a video card, and thus achieve the speed arranged by > great Apollo for a decent P3 at 850. (PFC: Period of Fat Cows). And > despite a warning in the back of my head, I only carried the computer, > leaving everything else home. > > I wasn't there whem the technician was trying various video cards to > find the fastest combination. But he told me he didn't see the > improvenment I told him he should expect in the speed of prime95.
Changing the video card won't change the speed of Prime95 much. Prime95 is really dependent mainly on the speed of the CPU, with memory bandwidth also a primary consideration. [This is why you don't get as much improvement as you'd naively expect from just upgrading the processor - the memory bandwidth remains fixed.] Adding a video card - _any_ video card - to systems with integrated graphics may well speed the system up by approximately 10% by removing the graphics load from the main memory bus to the dedicated AGP bus. Adding an AIMM memory module has the same effect - Kingston do a 4MB AIMM for about $5; if you have a mobo using integrated graphics, this is probably the best value upgrade for your system. > Maybe he didn't understand well what to look for, but the result was > that I brought back the computer without a video card. > > But alas! The stupid box has Win Millenium in it, and if it is > started without all its devices in place, it re-configures itself > automatically. The result is that HE has now the stupid impression > that there is no CDplayer. (one day I may tell you how you can tell a > Microsoft programmer with a flat tire). > > There is no IRQ conflict, but of course there is a change from the > previous IRQ set. When the computer starts, Cdplayer light stays on > continuously. > > Well, if I continue playing around a few days (or, ...weeks? months?), > I may eventually find a way to convince my box that there is still a > CDplayer. But since I got into this trying to speed up prime95, maybe > I am entitled to _some_ technical help? I assume that you have a video subsystem of some sort, else you probably wouldn't be able to boot Windows at all - linux _will_ run on headless systems, but not Windows. In any case, you're going to need a display and console input of some sort (keyboard and/or mouse) to carry out the setup. First of all, switch off & unplug the system & check that the CD- ROM drive is actually connected to the system. It should be connected to both an IDE ribbon cable and the power supply, and the connections (including the mobo end of the ribbon cable) should be firm. Try pushing them in a bit further - if a connection tightens at all, it might not have been making proper contact. Secondly, check that the IDE cable is connected the right way up - sometimes they will fit either way round - keyed connectors _should_ be, but aren't always, used. The correct way round is with the red marked edge of the cable at the pin 1 end of the socket. Check both drive and mobo ends of the cable. CDROM drives usually have the socket orientation stamped onto the metal plate just above the socket; the mobo socket should have a small "1" printed adjacent to one end of the socket. A torch and a magnifier may help to read the writing on the mobo. If the CD-ROM shares its IDE cable with another device, check that one is set as "master" and the other as "slave". (Or, _both_ are set to "cable select" on some systems e.g. Dell). If all appears OK after inspection, check the BIOS to make sure that the IDE devices are all set to "auto detect". If the CD-ROM is connected to a disabled controller port, it won't work! If all that is OK, Windows should see the CD-ROM drive. If it _still_ appears to be missing, try running the "Add/Remove Hardware" Control Panel applet. > > Related to this, I assure you that I will not use the CD to hear > music, and thus slow down prime95. The CPU power required to play audio CDs is very low. Regards Brian Beesley _________________________________________________________________________ Unsubscribe & list info -- http://www.ndatech.com/mersenne/signup.htm Mersenne Prime FAQ -- http://www.tasam.com/~lrwiman/FAQ-mers
