I’m having a problem with my default resolution when running Far Cry 2 in DirectX 10 mode. When I run Far Cry 2 in DirectX 9 everything seems to be OK, when I select DirectX 10 mode, the display expands to what looks like 860x600. I’m running the Asus PT6 Deluxe Motherboard, Intel Core i7 920, 12GB of DDR3, and Windows Vista x64. I have two ATI Radeon 4870s in CrossFire, running a Dell 24-inch LCD at 1920x1200 resolution. I’m using the latest ATI Catalyst Control and driver in CrossFire mode. What could be causing the problem?

Read the answer to Bob's question after the jump.

Does the orientation of a hard drive correlate to its life expectancy? With a series of lovely grinding sounds, the 750GB Seagate hard drive in my Thecus NAS failed and all data was lost. The hard drive only lasted a little more than two years. The NAS (and thus the hard drive) stands upright, but in most desktops the hard drives lie flat. So, does the orientation effect the hard drive’s life expectancy? Are they manufactured to operate lying flat, upright, or does it matter?

Read the answer to Pete's question after the jump.

My 5-year-old computer—Windows XP, 2.4GHz Pentium 4, Antec server case, 430-watt PSU, Seagate HD, and two 256MB Corsair DIMMs in an Asus P4P 800 Deluxe motherboard—no longer boots. It was fine until the day my son used it without opening the door to the cabinet that it’s stored in. Now when I try to start it, I get an error saying “CPU Test Failed” and the machine won’t boot. I’ve switched the CPU out with a known good 2.8GHz Pentium 4 (tested in a second PC), to no effect. I have no way of checking the RAM as the second machine we have uses different RAM. Is there a way to check the motherboard? Or is there a way to check the power supply with a multimeter? I’m on a very tight budget so I’m going as cheap as possible.

Read the Doctor's advice for Harry after the jump.

I’m planning my next build, and I’m having a hard time deciding between a motherboard with the X58 chipset or one with P55. Is triple-channel RAM worth paying extra for? I plan to keep this PC for three years (until the motherboard warranty expires) and I’m worried that in three years there’ll be 9x-channel RAM or something crazy like that. I’m a heavy gamer but I don’t do anything else that requires a ton of memory—I don’t use AutoDesk or Maya.

Read the Doctor's recommendation after the jump.