Forum Rules / Useful Links / FAQ

[skootyloops]

FORUM RULES

Eventually all threads need slight changes. Any questions or comments, feel free to send me a PM. I have a large inbox (but don't spam me )

1. All OCAU forum-wide rules apply and are enforced in this forum. It is suggested you familiarise yourself with them, so that your posts don't get deleted and possibly bans get given out.
2. This is not the What/Where Should I Buy? forum. If you want help spending your money, please post a thread there. For those that are new, threads will be moved, older members will most likely get their threads removed.
3. If a thread already exists on the topic you're about to post on, please reply to it rather than starting a new thread. Use the great search function that the forums so greatly provide to all users!
4. If you have an issue with the forum admin skootyloops or another administrator, the correct course of action is to take it up with Agg or Ma Baker.
5. Please report posts which you think go against OCAU rules, are off topic or are personal insults. This helps us clean the forums, instead of people taking insults and starting flame wars. This is now more important since our forums are able to be viewed by guests



USEFUL LINKS
(copied from the previous rules thread with dead links removed/fixed)

Manufacturer sites

ATI
Intel
NVIDIA
PowerVR
S3
XGI

Graphics-related sites and forums

Beyond3D
ExtremeTech
Futuremark
NVNews
Omega Drivers
Rage3D

Guys if you have any other links you'd like up here, feel free to PM me


What should I do when upgrading cards?

Many people recommend a format, but it isn't necessary. In fact, if you're swapping between two cards from the same manufacturer you often don't need to do anything other than making sure the PC is turned off at the time. It's best practice however to uninstall your current drivers and use a tool such as Driver Cleaner to remove all traces of your previous drivers, then drop your resolution and colour depth to the minimum available before switching cards. If you want to go all out to eliminate any nagging doubts, then by all means format your hard drive and re-install your operating system of choice.

What card should I buy?

OCAU has a What/Where Should I Buy? forum specifically for purchasing decision threads. The general rule of thumb is if your question is to do with technology it can stay here, but if it's purely a purchasing question it will be moved, locked or deleted depending on which admin finds it and what sort of mood they're in.

Where did my thread go?

If you asked a simple question easily covered by the above FAQ, odds are it was deleted. Alternately, it may have been moved to a more relevant forum, or merged with a pre-existing thread on the same topic. If you don't think your thread was in breach of any rules contact one of the admins about it, and they can give you either a reason on why they deleted it or tell you who did.

Having Problems With Your Video Card?
Here is how to ask for help.

1.) Make an appropriate title. "OMGZ mY GrpHicz dONt WORk" is not an appropriate title and will only get the thread deleted, whereas "Help, My 7900GT doesn't display anymore" would be a more appropriate title.

2.) While your English doesn't need to be perfect, many members appreciate the use of correct grammar. Using MSN/SMS talk, lack of full stops or capitals, or using all capitals may negatively affect whether other members are willing to help you.

3.) System specs are the most important thing when addressing hardware problems. Just saying "7600GT" won't help us much at all. It could be AGP/PCI-e and use a dozen different CPUs, RAM and motherboards.

CPU, Motherboard, RAM, Graphics Card, HDD, Power Supply and other parts of your PC are all vital to ensuring you get your help fast. Also if your system has been overclocked, we would need to know how much and what is overclocked at the time.

4.) Tell us what operating system you are using and what drivers you have used/tried to solve your problems with. For instance if you own an Nvidia card you could say "I am using Windows XP SP2 and have used the 93.71,91.47 and 86.96 drivers"

5.) Don't bump your threads if you want help. Bump posts and cross-posted threads may be deleted. If you post a problem here, and then post it again in the Troubleshooting forum, one (or both) threads will be deleted/closed.

Follow these tips and you won't have a problem with getting help and advice off these forums.