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How to Overclock GeForce MSI GTX 970 Safely

12/04/2015 By TLN

I recently overclocked my MSI GeForce GTX 970 and the performance increase has amazed me. I believe I’ve found the perfect settings and it should work the same for you as long as your power supply is fairly decent.  I’m going to give you my speeds before and after, and some tools to monitor the overclock and temperatures once you’ve set it up to make sure it’s stable.  We will only be increasing the Power Limit, Core Clock, and Memory Clock.  I prefer not to touch the Core Voltage as we are limited by a 10% power limit, and I don’t think the gain from the increased voltage is worth it.  I will list the tools I used to overclock, monitor and benchmark at end of the guide.

The stock speeds from MSI’s website are below. Not bad, but we can do better, with a few simple slider bars.

MSI GeForce GTX 970 GPU Default

Base: 1114MHz / Boost: 1253MHz / Actual: 1366MHz. Default voltage 1.206v

After Overclocking GTX 970

As you can see, it went up to a max of 1469 MHz from the stock cards max boost of 1366. It may not seem too crazy, but for the games I play it has made a very notable difference.  One game improved more than others, and that was Ark Survival Evolved. It went from lagging every few steps to rarely giving me a hiccup, and I play on an Unofficial Server that has to render in HUGE base right next to mine every few minutes. I went from playing on medium/high settings to mostly epic settings while running better fps and stability than it did on the medium settings. This card is a pure beast.

Let’s Get to the Overclocking Settings – Step by Step

  1. Download MSI Afterburner
  2. Set Power Limit to 110%
  3. Set Core Clock to +140
  4. Set Memory Clock to +500

Apply the settings and save the profile.

That’s it!

The only thing we need to do now is benchmark and monitor the card while playing your most GPU intensive game.

You can benchmark with a game, or use Heaven Benchmark.

Monitor the temperatures and speeds with Open Hardware Monitor or GPU-Z.

I have no reason currently to try to push it up anymore as I don’t want to degrade the life of my card or begin to get artifacts, but if you want to go a little higher, it can.

Maximum GPU Temperature (in C) per Nvidia website is 98 degrees Celsius.

Filed Under: Information Technology Tagged With: gtx 970, overclocking

Cisco VPN Fix – Window Won’t Display but is Open

02/19/2015 By TLN

There is a common issue with VPN when you click to open the VPN exectuable and it opens, but you do not see it anywhere on the screen. This is caused by the X and Y coordinates being corrupted.

Have no fear though, the fix is very easy and straight forward.

Browse to –

C:\Program Files (x86)\Cisco Systems\VPN Client

Open vpnclient.ini

Change the X and Y numbers down to only the first 6.

For Example, if it looks like this…

WindowX=150234234234
WindowY=150234234234

take it down to this…

WindowX=150234
WindowY=150234

That’s it, now save the file, reopen VPN and the window should appear.

Filed Under: Information Technology Tagged With: cisco vpn, cisco vpn wont open, Vpn, vpn fix, vpn window fix, vpn wont display

How to Get Windows Movie Maker for Windows 7

06/13/2013 By TLN

Since you are already on this post, I am guessing you are looking for Movie Maker for Windows 7, or possibly Windows 8. It to me is very stupid that they did not include it in the Win7 OS, but have no fear, it is just a download away.

Here is the link to download it from Microsofts site.

It is a simple install and after you are done you will have Windows Movie Maker for Win 7 Installed.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Downloads, Information Technology Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Best Cloud Storage Options for 2013

06/13/2013 By TLN

In the past few year, cloud storage has really taken hold of the Information Technology field.  It is extremely useful in some situations and makes transferring data around a breeze.

What are the Pros to cloud storage?

1. Mobility

2. Free (someplaces)

3. Secure

4. Safe

The main thing I enjoy cloud storage for is managing websites. I do a lot of work, at work, and then when I get home, I still have everything I did on my work computer because I just save everything to the cloud and it syncs all of my machines.  This saves me a tremendous amount of time.

What are the best cloud Storage Options for 2013?

1. DropBox – Why? I love Dropbox because I’ve never had a problem with it. With a free account, you get 2 Gigs, which actually isn’t a whole lot,  but if you refer people you can get 500 MB more per referral.  The paid pricing option for 100 Gigabytes starts at 9.99 a month.  I also feel that they are a big name and less likely to go away anytime soon.

2. ZipCloud – Reliable, Fast, Cheap, Etc, a good choice.

3. LiveDrive – I’ve heard their support is great, and their pricing and free options seem to be not bad either.

4. SugarSync

5. CrashPlan

 

Any of the above options for Cloud Storage in 2013 will be a great choice.  Examine them for yourself and pick the one that suites what you need it for the best.  Also make sure they have phone Apps so they integrate with your current smart phone so you can get your data wherever you are.

Filed Under: Information Technology, Internet Marketing, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , ,

Windows 8 to Windows 7 Conversion – The Classic Shell

05/13/2013 By TLN

If you, like me, hate the default look of Windows 8 and want to use the old Windows 7 style of toolbar.. well you are in luck!

There is a great application that is called the “Classic Shell”.  It basically puts a shell over the Win8 tile interfaces and make it so you have a normal functioning start menu again.

You can still use the tiles features and every other part of windows 8, but by default you will see the shell with the windows 7 style of toolbar once you install it.

The download link is @ http://www.classicshell.net

 

Windows 7, Xp and Classic are the three download options available.  Enjoy!

Filed Under: Downloads, Information Technology, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , ,

Host Winds Web Hosting Review : My Experience

01/27/2013 By TLN

I have been using Host Winds since the beginning of this site.  I read a few reviews of them on a few different forums and figured they sounded like a solid choice.  Well I was right and I am very happy with their service so far.  I’ve had a few issues, but they were quickly resolved on their live chat within an hour or so.

When I first started this website, it was a hobby, but within the first few months it blew up and really had me questioning what to do about hosting with it.  After my traffic was too much for standard hosting, I invested in a VPS server.  Usually this transition and upgrade costs 30-50 dollars, but the nice people at host winds upgraded it and did everything for me for free.  One of their people even gave me his Skype name so I can call him directly when I needed something or had a stupid question.  My up time is great, speed is great, and the only issues I’ve had have been because of me and not their service.  I was new to running a VPS, accessing my webmail with certain port numbers, and every time I asked a question, too many to count, they were always nice and helped me get the answer I was looking for.

If you are in the market for web hosting, please give Host Winds a try!  Their prices are amazing, I can’t find cheaper honestly, and their service is top notch.  If you don’t believe me, go check them out at hostwinds.com, or use my Host Winds banner on the right side of the website.

Filed Under: Information Technology, Where Does This Go? Tagged With: , , , ,

Windows 8 Review | Best Parts of Windows 8

01/24/2013 By TLN

Welcome to The Little Nerd’s Official Windows 8 Review

Windows 8 in the latest Windows operating from Microsoft that replaces the older Windows 7 on laptops, as well as PCs. The new operating system is also found on some tablet devices. If you are planning to buy a new PC here are some things you need to know about Windows 8 and if it’s worth it for you to upgrade to this new version or not.
Windows 8 Review
The new version of Windows is perhaps the biggest upgrade since Windows 95 was. You’ll find this new version on new PCs and laptops you buy in the store. Older versions of Windows were essentially the same and easy to use once you got used to the system. Windows 7 for example was about the same as Windows XP it just had some upgrades. In Windows 8 the system is now a more modern interface that you can use with newer touchscreens as well as your keyboard or mouse.
Start Screen
The Start Screen is different in Windows 8 and there’s no traditional desktop as we have been familiar with before. Many people will find this confusing and it takes a lot of time to get used to the new system. The start button itself isn’t even visible; you’ll have to click in the lower left corner to access it. The start screen has a lot of extra information such as the weather, news, and your email box so it is helpful, it just looks a lot different than before.
Apps
With Windows 8 the programs are now called “apps” much like they are on smartphones. An app such as the maps feature for example will open full screen and there’s not the traditional buttons to close the app down. This is done in the middle of the screen and then dropping the app back down to the bottom of the screen to close it completely. This is different from previous Windows versions and takes time to get used to. You can also open two apps at the same time and have them appear on the screen. Windows 8 makes more use out of shortcuts and you’ll be using these a lot when working with this new operating system.
Charms Bar
Another new feature of Windows 8 is the Charms bar. You can access this in the right hand edge of your screen. You can access search, share, start, devices, and settings. The search feature is a better search function and with sharer you can share your content on the Internet depending upon the app you’re using. Stat takes you to the start screen. Devices show you information about your installed devices such as a printer. The setting shows you your volume, screen brightness and so on.

Getting Used to Windows 8
The way you do things in Windows 8 is so vastly different that many people will be turned off of the system initially. Things do get better the more that you use it but for many are going to want to stay with Windows 7. This system tries too hard to be like a mobile operating system and doesn’t really act like the regular Windows operating system. Some people will like this new version while others are not going to like it at all.

Filed Under: Information Technology, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

New Security Options in Window 8 Review

11/16/2012 By TLN

The security in Windows 8 has old functions, and new functions.  Some are awesome and intuitive, and some are a little lack luster.  You can now use a picture password with gestures, a 4 digit pin number, and your standard password options and also you can use your finger print if your laptop or tablet has the fingerprint reader included in the hardware.

Let’s start the detailed windows 8 security features review with the picture password.  Basically you can choose a picture, and then make different swipes or functions with your mouse, which acts as the password.  This features works good when you mouse movements and clicks aren’t too complicated, but when going from corner to corner diagonally, I was unable to repeat the password twice.  When I created a new one, and clicked each corner once, I was able to duplicate the password and it seemed to work great.  Cool feature and defiantly new, but could use some tweaking.

The other features like the 4 digit pin number is pretty straight forward and simple.  You choose 4 numbers, enter it and waa-laa, you are in. This is the same as using your debit card or the last 4 of your social security number! EZ PZ.

The finger printer reader in windows 8 is also much of the same.  You can swipe multiple fingers,  so depending on what finger is most convenient at the time, is which finger you can use.  The reader is however you set it and I personally like it a lot.

That is about it for the Security and login functions inside of Windows 8, but stay tuned for more articles about Windows 8 and it’s other awesome features.  Keep on nerd’n on!

Filed Under: Information Technology, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Pros and Cons of Windows 8

10/30/2012 By TLN

Wondering What The Pros and Cons of Windows 8 Are?

The Windows 8 release slated for 26th October, 2012 is one of the most anticipated releases of the year. It’s been three years since the last Windows iteration (Windows 7) hit the market, and Windows aficionados are eagerly waiting for the upcoming new release. Microsoft has offered a couple of sneak-peak previews of its much talked-about operating system through a Consumer Preview and official release preview. A few notable pros and cons of the Windows 8 system can be pieced together from the sneak-peak previews.

Pros of the Windows 8 System

From what can be gathered so far, Windows 8 is presumably going to be the first desktop operating system to support mobile computing. The question of how desktop can be integrated with mobile has been buzzing in the technology world since the emergence of mobile computing. With Windows 8, Microsoft seems to have provided a fitting answer, and whereas it remains to be seen whether it will really succeed, there’s no denying that it is a bold step forward and a very welcome move at that.

For developers, Windows 8 is going to make it easier to build Metro apps for the system. In essence, a developer will only have to know web scripting and formatting languages, such as CSS, JavaScript, and HTML5. It will make for a quick, simple, and more efficient development process.

Microsoft will also be releasing its own App Store with Windows 8, which will basically provide developers a central hub where to distribute their apps from. Again, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft’s effort will be a success this time around as it has attempted a similar thing in the past and it failed dismally.

Another major advantage is that the Task Manager has been revamped to best cater to the needs of the regular user while still providing enough sophistication for the power user. When launched, the window will only display a list of running applications and those that are unresponsive. There is a ‘More Details’ option for power users that displays the Services, Processes, Performance, and Networking tabs.

Cons of the Windows 8 System

While there are a number of new features that are undeniably intuitive in Windows 8, there are some downsides too. Notable among them is the new user interface that is not only hard to navigate to the desktop, but also very confusing to find a way back to the Start menu. While it’s quite intuitive and ambitious, average users will likely find it hard navigating.

In the same regard, the new interface design feels like it was created for tablet computing rather than for the desktop. It is primarily a touch-based interface and although it supports keyboard and mouse use, people that are so used to the keyboard style will find that it doesn’t flow well on Windows 8.

In all, Windows 8 promises to be an ambitious step into the future, but it will take some time for average users to get used to the confusing interface design. It makes it easier that Windows 7 apps will be supported.

 

Filed Under: Information Technology, Windows 8 Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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