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<p>The RAM is probably the main change I would make to your proposed specs.</p> <h3>Narrowing Down the Options</h3> <p>If you're going to want an iMac, especially for video editing, you're going to need a fast hard-disk, enough RAM, and definitely a good GPU. This immediately narrows down the selection to a 27-in 5K iMac. Why? The 5K iMacs are the only ones offering discrete graphics. The 21" iMac offers only a 5400RPM hard disk which is <em>much</em> too slow for video-editing.</p> <h3>The Optimal Specs</h3> <p>I'm going to assume you're editing 1080p video. 1080p video directly out of a camera can is around 300MP, for 10 minutes. OS X tend to use around ~4GB for the system, running Final Cut, live streaming video, and handling audio, 8GB might run out quickly. At the least 16GB what I'd say is the <em>minimum</em> RAM for your case. 32GB would be best.</p> <h3>What I'd Recommend</h3> <p>I'm going to recommend the 27" 5K iMac with:</p> <ul> <li>3.2GHz quad-core i5 (base CPU)</li> <li>16GB RAM</li> <li>1TB Fusion Drive</li> <li>AMD Radeon R9 M380 with 2GB video memory (base GPU)</li> </ul> <p>With 16GB of RAM, this comes out to $1,969.00, and with 32GB $2,329.00</p> <h3>Alternative RAM Option</h3> <p>If you're comfortable with manually upgrading the RAM (yes, 27" 5K iMac has user-upgradable RAM). You can purchase an 8GB model and use a <a href="http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Other%20World%20Computing/1600DDR3S32S/" rel="nofollow">OWC</a> RAM upgrade kit (only $129-$249).</p> <p>This brings your total price for a 16GB to $1,918 and for 32GB to $2,038</p>
1487
2015-12-09T16:28:57.140
|video|osx|video-editing|
<p>I need to purchase a new Mac to run Final Cut Pro X.</p> <ul> <li>We plan to use FCPX to edit video of our weekly church service shot by 3 cameras.</li> <li>Sound will come directly from the sound board.</li> <li>I don't expect we'll use much in the way of filters/effects, etc. (This is new territory for me so I don't know for sure if that's accurate.)</li> <li>The final videos will be high definition.</li> <li>The video will be posted online and in the future we intend to stream the video live to a remote campus and are considering the possibility of using a QuickTime server.</li> </ul> <p>Based on my research, I understand the importance of hardware components for this workflow to be in this order:</p> <ol> <li>Video card/Amount of VRAM</li> <li>Storage speed</li> <li>Processor speed</li> <li>Amount of system memory</li> </ol> <p>It seems obvious the "best" setup would be a Mac Pro (currently $2999+ without a display). But with a not-for-profit budget, if I don't have to spend $4000 for a complete setup I'd rather not.</p> <p>Assume an an iMac with these specs:</p> <ul> <li>3.2GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor (Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz)</li> <li>8GB (two 4GB) memory, configurable up to 32GB</li> <li>1TB Fusion Drive</li> <li>AMD Radeon R9 M390 with 2GB video memory</li> </ul> <p>Would FCPX used as I describe above on these specs of an iMac make for a lot of waiting on the system while editing? Should I be looking at something different in hardware?</p>
Final Cut Pro X: iMac or Mac Pro for House of Worship?
<p>I'm looking for something similar to this myself; currently I'm using a <a href="https://getchip.com/pages/chip" rel="noreferrer">CHIP</a> from NextThingCo; you'd have to write the software yourself for what you want, but it runs standard linux.</p> <ul> <li>Wi-Fi connection <ul> <li>CHIP can connect to two wifi networks (or provide one). There's no ethernet, however.</li> </ul></li> <li>Audio output <ul> <li>CHIP has a TRRS jack</li> </ul></li> <li>Push button to config wireless network through WPS <ul> <li>CHIP can program two of the gpio pins for this</li> </ul></li> <li>An LED to show current network status <ul> <li>There's a shell script for that at thom-nic/chip-network-status-led</li> </ul></li> <li>Optionally, an RJ45 connection for development through SSH <ul> <li>run an ssh server</li> <li>install a serial driver and connect it to your computer with a USB cable</li> <li>usb keyboard/mouse and video output via TRRS/hdmi/vga</li> </ul></li> </ul> <p>Items: </p> <ul> <li>CHIP: $9 + ~$5-7 s/h</li> <li>Power adapter: 2amp usb charger</li> <li>Recommended: small power bank or lithium battery</li> <li>Optional: <a href="https://nextthing.co/pages/store#mc-embedded-subscribe-form" rel="noreferrer">case</a> $2</li> </ul> <p>This works fine for me with gmrender-resurrect, though I compiled it myself rather than installing from the repo. Currently I'm looking for something slightly more powerful that I can run BubbleUPnP server on as well, for transcoding (it doesn't seem able to start up).</p>
1497
2015-12-09T23:41:37.837
|raspberry-pi|arduino|micro-pc|
<p>I want to build a home-made multi-room home sound system.</p> <p>I'm looking for a single board computer device with a minimal hardware configuration. In my thoughts, my only requirements are:</p> <ul> <li>Wi-Fi connection;</li> <li>Audio output;</li> <li>Push button to config wireless network through WPS;</li> <li>An LED to show current network status;</li> <li>Optionally, an RJ45 connection for development through SSH.</li> </ul> <p>Actually no video output is required, nor additional USB ports.</p> <p>What could be the cheapest solution for my needs?</p>
Cheapest single computer board with Wi-Fi and audio
<p>The 840 EVO and 850 EVO are both consumer TLC SSDs by Samsung. The EVO series doesn't exactly have any differentiation, and the 850 EVO is not the higher end model, rather, it is the newer generation. The reason that the 840 EVO has risen in price is most likely because it's an retired series and therefore no longer manufactured in volume.</p> <p>The chief differences between the two SSDs are in the NAND and controller. The inclusion of 3D V-NAND improves performance and write endurance, while the downgrade of the controller to two cores would decrease it. The <a href="http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-840-Evo-500GB-vs-Samsung-850-Evo-500GB/m1519vs3477" rel="nofollow">overall effect in the wild</a> would appear to be a moderate increase in write and mixed IO speed, with a more minor increase in read speed and a minor decrease in deep queue read speed. Overall, read and random mixed IO would probably play the major role in normal desktop operation, You should get no advantages with the older 840 EVO.</p>
1503
2015-12-10T07:59:54.713
|laptop|ssd|
<p>I need to upgrade my Dell Inspiron 7352 laptop from its HDD to an SSD. I'm deliberating between two similar models of SSD:</p> <ol> <li><a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/MZ-7TE500BW" rel="nofollow">Samsung EVO 840</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/MZ-75E500B/AM" rel="nofollow">Samsung EVO 850</a></li> </ol> <p>Having looked at the specs for both products. They seem nearly identical in both interface, IOPS performance and sequential read and write performance.</p> <p>However, at the time of writing, the EVO 840 retails at around $325 while the EVO 850 costs much less: around $150.</p> <p>Which of the two models would you recommend considering the price differences? Does the costlier model have advantages that I'm missing?</p>
Which 2.5" SSD would you recommend for a Dell Inspiron laptop? Samsung's EVO 840 mode or EVO 850 model?
<p>The yoga tab 3's 480p screen would be a pain to watch on. A 480p screen at 10" size is already terrible (80 ppi). The 480p screen would be ok for stuff like video conferencing or a presentation but would be very terrible for movies. The ZTE SPro 2 has a much better quality projector (720p). This will have the same pixel density as the yoga tab 3 when at 20" (78 ppi). These projectors are pretty dim so you will need a darker environment.</p>
1514
2015-12-10T22:17:38.113
|android|tablet|projector|
<p>I don't have a TV because I think they are ugly and require too much space. I like the idea of packing away the screen so it's not always there, in plain sight. However I still like to watch films, so I often just watch films on my laptop. I have an old projector, which I bought to watch films with. However I found the fan too loud, and I found it annoying to set up, Requiring many cables to power the projector, my laptop and the HiFi system. It takes a long time to turn on and then to turn off which was also annoying.</p> <p>Recently I have come across two devices, that have the potential to solve some of these problems and are not too expensive.</p> <ol> <li>The <a href="http://www.androidauthority.com/zte-spro-2-review-602653/" rel="nofollow">ZTE SPro2</a> is primarily a projector but has a battery and android built in. It has 200 lumens and a high res screen, but when on battery it will only run at 100 lumens. It is difficult to source in the UK and I would have to buy it on ebay as an import. If it does not work as I expect, it will be hassle to return.</li> <li>The <a href="http://www.androidauthority.com/lenovo-yoga-tab-3-pro-review-658663/" rel="nofollow">Yoga tab 3 Pro</a> this is primarily a tablet but has a built in projector. The projector is only 50 lumens and 480p resolution projector, but the battery life is much better. I could probably watch 2 films on one charge. The main advantage is, that it's an ok tablet as well, which I might end up using a fair bit, although it's not something I really need or want (I wouldn't just buy an ipad for example). I can source this easily through amazon uk.</li> </ol> <p>So to sum up I am looking for a device for occasional film watching that is nice and clean and which can be packed away when not in use.</p> <p>My living room is quite bright, so I think for both devices it would work better in the winter. Has anyone had any experience comparing the brightness of the devices in real life? What do people think?</p>
Tablet for movie watching: ZTE SPro2 or Yoga tab 3?
<p>Another option, for even longer distances, is a <strong>KVM over CAT5 extender</strong>. <a href="http://www.startech.com/Server-Management/KVM-Extenders/?page=all" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Startech has many options</a>, among other vendors. I'd search on Amazon as the prices are generally better than buying directly from Startech.</p> <p>For example, the <a href="http://www.startech.com/Server-Management/KVM-Extenders/PS2-USB-KVM-Console-Extender-UTP-500-ft-150m~SV565UTP" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SV565UTP</a> (they are sold in pairs):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Rkrg.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4Rkrg.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>You take one and put it next to the computer and connect it to the machine's keyboard, mouse, and monitor outputs. You take the other one and plug a keyboard, mouse, and monitor into it. Then you run a CAT5 cable between them and you get up to 500 feet.</p> <p>They make longer distance ones; there's a 650 ft VGA/USB extender, there's a whopping 1500 ft DVI/USB extender, and so on.</p> <p>These are overkill for your 55 ft in terms of cost, but if you need even longer runs, or you have the budget, they're a good option. It's a lot easier to run CAT5 through walls and such than VGA / DVI, too, and cheaper to replace failed cables (or re-terminated failed connectors). If the building already has CAT5 wiring for ethernet you may be able to repurpose one of the existing runs. If you already have a network closet with a patch bay for wall jacks around the building, it also makes moving your console around in the future pretty trivial.</p>
1539
2015-12-14T05:33:50.387
|dvi|vga|
<p>I’ve been asked to install a new monitor in an EMS (Ambulance) station. The monitor is by the garage doors, and needs to mirror another monitor connected to a computer on the other side of the garage. This is a volunteer EMS group, so the budget is limited. I’d rather not buy a new graphics card, but it’s not out of the question.</p> <p>We’ve measured the cable run at roughly 55ft (17m).</p> <p>The monitor we need to mirror is connected by DVI.</p> <p>There’s a second monitor also connected via VGA.</p> <p>The computer has no third monitor port; it has just 1 VGA port and 1 DVI-D port. It’s a cheapish old Dell. The sole use for the computer is showing currently active calls, and the people who’ve paged in to take them.</p> <p>What’s the best solution to setup display mirroring on the new monitor? No kb/mouse is required at that distance. This is view only. To be clear, the monitor is already mounted. Just need to know the best way to get the signal to it, given the constraints I have.</p> <p>I’ve taken a look at kits: I can get either DVI or VGA splitters, and 20M cables for both.</p> <p>Are these options decent, or would I need a powered splitter? Bear in mind, that’s $10 vs $150 it seems.</p> <p>Which is preferable over longer lengths? VGA or DVI?</p>
Long distance monitor connection options?
<p>Anything with DisplayPort 1.2 or better, eg Intel NUC NUC6i5SYH or NUC6i3SYK.</p> <p><a href="http://www.displayport.org/cables/driving-multiple-displays-from-a-single-displayport-output/" rel="noreferrer">DisplayPort daisy-chaining</a> allows for up to 5 monitors connected to a single DP socket.</p>
1544
2015-12-14T09:51:03.683
|linux|multiple-monitors|mini-pc|
<p>I'm using a Gigabyte BRIX Mini PC running Linux as a viewer for a NoMachine setup with 2 monitors presently, one connected via VGA and one via HDMI. </p> <p>I am planning on adding a third monitor, which is why I am looking for a small PC, similar to the BRIX, but with three (ideally 4, as a spare) VGA/HDMI ports. </p> <p>Connecting a USB-VGA adapter like the <a href="http://plugable.com/2014/03/06/displaylink-usb-2-0-graphics-adapters-on-linux-2014-edition">products from Plugable</a> doesn't seem feasible to me with the lack of true support of these devices under Linux.</p> <p>Has anybody come across a Mini-PC with more than 2 video ports onboard?</p>
Mini PC (like Gigabyte BRIX) with more than 2 graphic ports
<p>The RAM you've selected is incompatible with the rest of your parts. It is <em>ECC</em> (stores extra data in order to detect memory errors) <em>registered</em> (uses a special circuit to reduce the amount of power needed to drive signals) memory, while the CPU and mainboard you've selected only support regular (non-ECC, non-registered) memory.</p>
1568
2015-12-15T21:15:26.043
|memory|compatibility|
<p>A few weeks ago, I asked a question for a graphics card recommendation, <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/1212/graphics-card-for-heavy-gaming-game-development-graphics-design-and-video-edit/1257#1257">here</a></p> <hr> <p>What I'm planning to buy is:</p> <ul> <li>Processor: Intel i7 6700k,</li> <li>GPU: 2x (SLI) 980TI,</li> <li>Motherboard: ASUS Z170-A ATX</li> </ul> <p>Now I need to choose the RAM, and I'm kinda confused. I know this motherboard supports up to 64GB RAM (4 slots). So I want to max it now to not have problems to deal in the future.</p> <p>I know 64GB ram is a lot, and I'll probably not use it all, but its just for convenience.</p> <p>I'm thinking about <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00NLZANJO" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this RAM</a></p> <p>Is this a good option? Is there any way to improve it? Will this "Temperature Sensor" cause problems?</p>
RAM compatibility and recommendation
<p>It depends on a couple of factors:</p> <ul> <li>Does your MacBook already have an SSD?</li> <li>Are you using your VMs for disk and memory-intensive operations?</li> </ul> <p>In general, yes, an SSD and more memory will speed up VMs. For me, switching to SSD provided a greater performance benefit than any other single upgrade I've ever done.</p> <p>If your MacBook already has SSD, a newer/bigger/faster SSD isn't going to make much difference.</p> <p>RAM will only make a difference if it gets used, which depends entirely on how much you have, how much is allocated to the VMs, what operating systems they will have, and what programs you run in the VMs. 4 GB sounds like not much RAM to be using VMs, especially if you're trying to run more than one at a time.</p>
1573
2015-12-16T13:41:16.347
|memory|ssd|
<p>I have a macbook since December 2011.</p> <p>This is my configuration:</p> <ul> <li>MacBook Pro (13-inch, Late 2011)</li> <li>Processor 2.4 GHz Intel Core i5</li> <li>Memory 4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3</li> <li>Graphics Intel HD Graphics 3000 384 MB</li> </ul> <p>I going to buy this <a href="http://www.rue-montgallet.com/prix/acheter,crucial-250go-mx200,805797" rel="nofollow">SSD</a> and this <a href="http://www.rue-montgallet.com/prix/acheter,crucial-so-dimm-mac-ddr3-1600-cl11-8go,771153" rel="nofollow">RAM</a></p> <p>I have 2 question:</p> <ul> <li>I'm pretty sure, that the SSD and the RAM are compatible with my computer, but does anyone can confirm me I made the right choice please.</li> <li>I need to install many OS on a virtual machine, but sometime, it could be impossible to install or used it because it was too slow. Does anyone can confirm me if the SSD + more RAM will increase my VM performance ?</li> </ul>
Will an SSD and more RAM increase VM performance?
<p>For a 80-Plus Platinum power supply, efficiencies are between around 5% of one another between the 20 to 100% range of load(88-92, give or take a percent). It tops at around 70% load. Having more than required is certainly not a bad thing. PSU's like the HCP are rated to deliver their full wattage at fairly high temperatures, and 300W is enough for any card.</p> <p>So go ahead, you're good to make the purchase. Hardware reviewers use oversized power supplies all the time, and nothing happens to them.</p>
1577
2015-12-17T01:05:29.453
|gaming|pc|power-supply|
<p>I am going to upgrade my PC over Christmas, and right now I'm trying to pick out a PSU. I would like it to be fully modular, 80+ gold or better efficiency and preferably cheap. I found the <a href="https://pcpartpicker.com/part/antec-power-supply-hcp750platinum" rel="nofollow">Antec HCP750 Platinum</a> and it looks awesome. It's very cheap (as far as platinum rated fully modular PSUs go), and has plenty of wattage. </p> <p>However, now I'm wondering if it has too many watts. My maximum estimated wattage is 457, and the Antec PSU goes up to 750. That seems like a good thing in case I ever wanted to, say add additional video cards or more powerful video cards. Are there any downsides that I'm unaware of to having significantly more power in your PSU than your pc will actually draw? (Electricity bill, longevity of parts... etc.) Should I go for something more reasonable, like a 500-600W?</p>
How far above my power draw should a PSU be?
<p>Sony Vega Pro's hardware acceleration uses OpenCL compute. Generally, the consumer cards have similar performance for quite a bit cheaper, as seen in the benchmark below. <a href="http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/amd-firepro-w9100_6.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/GiPLT.png" alt="Sony Vegas 13 Benchmark, rendering time in seconds, lower is better"></a></p> <p>OpenCL has also typically performed better on AMD cards, compared to NVidia cards</p> <p><a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/9390/the-amd-radeon-r9-fury-x-review/24" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xqlfx.png" alt="Anandtech Sony Vegas Pro 13 render benchmark"></a></p> <p>I recommend the XFX R7 370 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card (R7-370P-2255), currently priced <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150735" rel="nofollow noreferrer">$124.99 + $3.99 shipping at newegg.com</a>, due to the fact that it has more than 3 times the stream processors running at a higher clockspeed, and that it uses GDDR5 rather than DDR3, which makes it quite a bit faster for Sony Vegas Pro, and for other applications, than the similarly priced W2100 and K420 workstation GPUs.</p>
1583
2015-12-17T18:45:12.280
|graphics-cards|desktop|
<p>My current system is:</p> <ul> <li><strong><em>CPU:</em></strong> Intel Core i7 5820K.</li> <li><strong><em>Motherboard:</em></strong> Asus X99-A with USB3.1.</li> <li><strong><em>Cooler:</em></strong> Noctua NH-U14S.</li> <li><strong><em>RAM:</em></strong> 16GB (4x4GB) Vengeance LPX.</li> <li><strong><em>Power supply:</em></strong> 650W Corsair RMx.</li> <li><strong><em>Storage:</em></strong> 250GB Samsung 850 EVO.</li> <li><strong><em>Case:</em></strong> NZXT Noctis 450 Mid Tower.</li> </ul> <p>I am looking for a graphics card for my system. I will use my PC mainly for programming, but I also do some video editing using Sony Vegas Pro. I need a GPU that is:</p> <ul> <li>Relatively quiet.</li> <li>Under <strong>£150.</strong> </li> <li>Supports 2+ monitors (1920 x 1080p Full HD).</li> </ul> <p>Has anybody got any good recommendations for a GPU that is suitable for my usage?</p>
Graphics card choice?
<p>SSDs should never be slower than a HDD, especially in small files. The reason is because of how they work. A HDD uses a spinning platter and a read/write head for information access where a SSD uses a controller with flash chips. When reading/writing files, the HDD has to wait for the head to align with the platter before it can be accessed, but a SSD doesn't have to wait. </p> <p>In my experience I would only recommend a Sandisk SSD for their reliability, and nothing else. Write speeds are usually less important than read speeds, because if you think about it, you are mostly doing reading of files rather than writing of files. The Samsung SSD will provide significant improvement over the Sandisk ones so I would recommend the Samsung one. You can also look into SSDs from other manufacturers that can be cheaper without sacrificing much performance, such as A-Data, Kingston or Crucial. </p>
1596
2015-12-19T14:42:35.517
|gaming|hard-disk|ssd|
<ul> <li><p>SanDisk Internal SSD 120GB 2.5-Inch SDSSDA-120G-G25 costs Rs. 3600 (~$53)</p></li> <li><p>Sandisk SSD 128gb SATA 2.5, Z400s costs Rs. 3800 (~$56)</p></li> <li><p>SanDisk 128GB SDSSDP-128G-G25 cost Rs. 3900 (~$58)</p></li> <li><p>Samsung 850 EVO 120GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal SSD (MZ-75E120B/AM) - Costs Rs. 4800 (~$71)</p></li> </ul> <p>As of now I have a old 500GB seagate HDD.</p> <p>The new games are pretty big and system is taking a lot of time to load them (also going for a nwe graphic card since my 4670 got fried few days back).</p> <p>My doubt in judging them is samsung is costly and has 520mbps write speed, and others have around 180mbps odd.</p> <p>Some SSDs are slower than HDD when writting small files -do any of the above fall under such categories?</p> <p>If I have to go with one of them - which is worthy? I will not upgrade my pc for another 4 -5 years (atleast not my HDD) -I have plenty of room in my external HDD so place is of no issue - Just 128GB is sufficient.</p> <p>Please advice - SSD (flash and DRAM terms are confusing</p> <p>My mother board is old and will not change it yet since it is working great. MB model Asus MT7019015303817.</p> <p>Another choice: Transcend Ultra 120GB 2.5-inch Solid State Drive with DRAM 64 MB onboard cache/RAID support Read Speed: Up to 230 Mbps and write speed: Up to 180Mbps MTBF 1.5 million hours Costs Rs. 5000 (~$74)</p> <p>My budget is around Rs. 4500 - Rs. 5000 ($67 - $75)</p>
SSD / HDD choice when write speed is slow - developer workstation and for games
<p>They're not all that different. </p> <p>A rough estimate of relative CPU computational power: <a href="http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2542&amp;cmp%5B%5D=2470" rel="nofollow">http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp%5B%5D=2542&amp;cmp%5B%5D=2470</a></p> <p>(note the 35W AMD TDP vs the 15W Intel TDP; this is what Mr. Zhu was referring to when he estimated the Intel would have better battery life given identical batteries, HDDs, etc.)</p> <p>The AMD chip will enjoy somewhat better GPU performance: <a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-R6-Carrizo-Benchmarks.144290.0.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.notebookcheck.net/AMD-Radeon-R6-Carrizo-Benchmarks.144290.0.html</a></p> <p>Especially if you upgrade the system RAM from 1600mhz to something more like 2133mhz sodimms (example product: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231751&amp;nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&amp;cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-_-na-_-na-_-na&amp;cm_sp=&amp;AID=10446076&amp;PID=3938566&amp;SID=" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231751&amp;nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&amp;cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-PCPartPicker,%20LLC-<em>-na-</em>-na-_-na&amp;cm_sp=&amp;AID=10446076&amp;PID=3938566&amp;SID=</a>)</p> <p>I would say that if mobility is a big concern, then ask for an Intel model. Also ask for Intel if you absolutely, positively MUST have the best single-thread performance.</p> <p>Otherwise, if you're usually going to be plugged in wherever you work, and you are looking for a more well-rounded processor in your laptop, get the A10-8700P and upgrade its RAM.</p>
1598
2015-12-19T18:26:05.067
|laptop|processor|development|
<p>I didn't use any AMD processor before, so things getting confusing for me. Someone is going to gift me a laptop. It has an AMD A10 processor <a href="http://www.91mobiles.com/dell-15-5555-x560583in9-amd-quad-core-a10-8-gb-1-tb-windows-8-1-laptop-price-in-india-81917" rel="nofollow">here is the full specification</a> </p> <p>I am a developer, I have to use software like NetBeans and Android Studio simultaneously. So my question is will this laptop fulfill my requirements? Or should I ask a different one which has Intel Core i7 processor inside, something like <a href="http://www.ryanscomputers.com/Dell-Inspiro-7952" rel="nofollow">this laptop</a>?</p> <p>If the first laptop (AMD processor inside) is enough for my workload, then I won't tell him to change otherwise I have to tell him to change the laptop. What should I do?</p>
AMD Quad-Core A10-8700P vs Intel Core i7 5500U
<p>There are many chipsets with the LGA 1151 socket, including the Z170, B150, H170 etc. The only chipset that allows overclocking would be the Z170 chipset, which you should get since you are getting a overclockable CPU. The other chipsets I mentioned are cheaper (sub $100 range) but lack some of the features the Z170 has. Even with the same chipset, there are higher quality motherboards (more expensive) and lower quality motherboard (cheaper). The higher quality motherboards have more features such as better power delivery to allow more overclocking, better NICs, better sound cards, more PCIe slots, etc. The motherboard you would need would depend on what you are using it for.</p> <p>A $60 motherboard would be "good enough" for you. You would not be able to overclock if it's not a Z170 chipset (so the overclockability of your CPU is wasted), it probably doesn't have SLI and/or CrossFireX support, so you would be limited to only having one GPU. The PCIe lanes could also be slower, so higher bandwidth PCIe cards would take a performance hit.</p> <p>The speed of the RAM doesn't have to correspond to the motherboard's rated max speed. The RAM would run at the lower speed of the two (e.g. if your RAM was 3000MHz and your board only supports max of 2400MHz, it would run at the lower of the two, which would be 2400MHz). This also means you are wasting some of the power of the RAM if you buy a lower end board. You would also want to check with your motherboard manufacturer's manual to check if the RAM is compatible with your board.</p>
1604
2015-12-20T07:07:19.160
|motherboard|
<p>I'm seeking z170/LGA 1151 MBs for my i7 6700k CPU, and I am planning to buy 2X8GB DDR4 SDRAM. When I search it on newegg, the prices range from $50 to $200+. My questions are</p> <p>1) what makes the differences?</p> <p>2) Besides the compatibility with my CPU and RAM, I only care about the performance. So would a $60 motherboard be good enough for me?</p> <p>3) I notice there is a "memory standard" spec, which includes 2133-3400MHZ, does this has to be correspondent to my RAM's speed? For example, if my RAM is DDR4 SDRAM 3000, then I need to buy a MB that supports 3000MHZ memory standard, right?</p>
Motherboard: Which configurations really matter?
<p>Nvidia <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2016/07/gtx-titan-x-pascal-specs-price-release-date/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">announced on 2016-07-21</a> the new GTX Titan X:</p> <ul> <li>Under 1200 USD</li> <li>"Potentially 24% faster than GTX 1080; 60% faster than the old Titan X."</li> <li>11 teraflops of FP32 performance</li> <li>12GB of GDDR5X memory running at an effective 10GHz and attached to a wide 382-bit bus, resulting in a 480GB/s of memory bandwidth</li> </ul> <p>A first <a href="http://videocardz.com/62723/first-synthetic-benchmarks-of-geforce-gtx-titan-x-pascal-hit-the-web" rel="nofollow noreferrer">benchmark</a> (unfortunately they didn't keep the same CuDNN…):</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XhMo0.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/XhMo0.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
1606
2015-12-20T23:23:14.753
|graphics-cards|
<p>I have a budget of ~10 kUSD to buy GPUs for neural network applications, mostly using Theano, Torch, TensorFlow and Caffe. Most programs I plan to run are for natural language processing. Computations are in float 32 and in CUDA. I live in the USA, and I don't pay for the electricity bills. The GPUs will be mounted to some computers running Ubuntu 14.04.3 LTS x64.</p> <p>What are the graphic cards with the highest computational power / price ratio, given the above-mentioned conditions?</p>
GPU for deep learning
<p>To use SATA Express, you would need to use a SSD that supports SATA Express. I'm currently not aware of a SSD that supports SATA Express. It does have a much higher theoretical speed than SATA and would be good for SSDs. I would still recommend a SSD through PCIe or M.2 (which uses PCIe internally). </p>
1611
2015-12-22T00:42:51.480
|sata|
<p>The motherboard I am looking at is <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130892" rel="noreferrer">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130892</a>, which supports SATAe. This is a new term to me. I've done some research and am only able to understand that SATAe can make the R/W of my SSD faster. In the video that I watched about SATAe, a PCI card is introduced, I am not sure what it has to do with SATAe, and wonder whethere I need to buy additional gears to make the best of SATAe. Or, does the MB has a SATAe port where I can simply connect my SSD to it?(Assume my SSD support SATAe)</p>
Do I need to buy additional devices to make the best of SATA express?
<p>See the following articles from Phoronix:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&amp;item=ubuntu_trusty_30way&amp;num=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">30-Way Graphics Card Comparison On Ubuntu Linux 14.04 LTS</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&amp;item=1080p-b-value&amp;num=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">15-Way AMD/NVIDIA Graphics Card Comparison For 4K Linux Gaming</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&amp;item=amdnv-4k-15gpu&amp;num=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">The Best, Most Efficient Graphics Cards For 1080p Linux Gamers</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRied.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/eRied.png" alt="Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 1920 x 1080 - Phoronix Test Suite 5.2.0"></a></p> <p>In fact there are a dozen more articles comparing video cards on <a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=category&amp;item=Graphics%20Cards" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Phoronix</a>, and you can use that to decide how much you want to spend for how much performance.</p> <p>Also visit <a href="http://openbenchmarking.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">OpenBenchmarking.org</a>.</p> <p>In conclusion I recommend the <a href="http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-970" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Geforce GTX 970</a> because it offers the best price for the performance levels. The faster cards are $100+ more and in the best case you get 10 fps more. You wanted the 970 anyway for the Oculus Rift. Currently the 970 is about $320-$350 on newegg.</p>
1637
2015-12-24T09:58:27.210
|graphics-cards|linux|
<p>I'm looking for a graphics card for Linux gaming. I don't need flagship performance, but still high end. I want to play, for example, some of the top titles on Steam, and perhaps use the same card in Windows with an Oculus Rift kit (which requires nVidia GTX 970 or AMD 290). I want to strike a balance between price, performance, and the following must-have requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Good performance and stability using proprietary Linux drivers.</li> <li>Works well with GNOME 3.</li> <li>Works well with Debian (i.e. installing proprietary drivers and keeping them up to date is straightforward and doesn't mess up the package system).</li> </ul> <p>Nice to have: at least decent performance and good stability with Open Source drivers.</p> <p>(Related, but not the same: <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/1273/graphics-card-that-works-well-with-linux-open-source-drivers">this question</a> asks for graphics card recommendations for non-gaming purposes, using Open Source drivers.)</p> <p>My budget is around 400€ or less, but I'm definitely willing to explore something a bit more expensive if there's a good reason. At the same time, I obviously don't want to spend all of that if I can get nearly the same performance for a proportionately smaller sum.</p>
Graphics card that works well for Linux gaming
<p>The Asus Xonar D2X appears to fulfil your requirements.</p> <p>Here are two links regarding Linux support:</p> <p><a href="http://www.linux-hardware-guide.com/2014-08-02-asus-xonar-d2x-sound-card-pcie-7-1-digital-inout-dolby-dts-eax-192khz-24bit-asio" rel="nofollow">http://www.linux-hardware-guide.com/2014-08-02-asus-xonar-d2x-sound-card-pcie-7-1-digital-inout-dolby-dts-eax-192khz-24bit-asio</a></p> <p>and</p> <p><a href="http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Asus" rel="nofollow">http://www.alsa-project.org/main/index.php/Matrix:Vendor-Asus</a></p> <p>Amazon.de appears to list it for under 150€. E.g.</p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.de/Asus-D2X-interne-Soundkarte-Digital/dp/B0011BC1FO/" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.de/Asus-D2X-interne-Soundkarte-Digital/dp/B0011BC1FO/</a></p> <p>It is also an ASIO sound card.</p>
1640
2015-12-25T10:52:46.010
|linux|audio|sound-cards|asio|
<p>I'm looking for an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_Stream_Input/Output" rel="noreferrer">ASIO sound card</a> which I would be using in both Windows and Linux (dual-boot). It has to work flawlessly in Windows, and I would prefer it to work fully in Linux as well. However, I can live with a card that has some features disabled in Linux, as long as basic playback and recording works, I don't have to install any proprietary drivers, it works reliably, and is hassle-free (i.e. no configuration to get regular sound working, and none of that "has to boot in Windows first before it works in Linux").</p> <p>I would prefer a PCIe card, and although I would be using this mostly for playback, I also want recording to work. I'm using Debian. Price range: less than 150€.</p>
ASIO sound card that works in Linux
<p>Just about any front panel audio will work for you. I merely searched for "audio 5.25" and found <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/19Pin-2-Port-USB-3-0-HUB-HD-Audio-Microphone-Port-5-25-PC-Floppy-Front-Panel-/172026144613?hash=item280d8ea765:g:2cQAAOSw7FRWapVW" rel="nofollow">this</a> product for $14 (customs and VAT may apply). It fulfills exactly your requirements and nothing more. It's also worth noting it's "HD audio" - that's the most recent spec of connecting audio jacks to mainboard (the part that makes your computer detect plugging of jacks and let you decide in software what function will it perform).</p> <p>However if you're really after simply replicating AUX jack from the back of your computer, then products like <a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Black-Front-USB-Audio-Ports-3-5-to-5-25-converter-bracket-/201171501883?hash=item2ed6c1833b:g:KIsAAOSwRLZUFt6b" rel="nofollow">this archaeological artifact</a> are surprisingly still available. The point is visible on the last pic: those cables doesn't even connect to internal mainboard ports at all! They're just "dumb" male jack to female jack extension cords. If you have such special needs, they will trick your computer into thinking that something is always plugged in, even if there is nothing attached to the front panel. Fun fact: it will even work just as well on the desk, outside of your computer.</p> <p>Side note: as your case has bay door that will block access to front panels, maybe regular extension cords: a pair for <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/1M-3ft-Stereo-Headphone-Extension-Cord-Male-3-5mm-Jack-to-female-3-5mm-socket-/400741943566?hash=item5d4e14c90e:g:WVoAAOSw7I5Tw5VL" rel="nofollow">headphones/mic</a> and another for <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-3-0-A-Male-Plug-To-Female-Jack-Socket-3Ft-1m-Super-Fast-Extension-Cable-Cord-/281359643324?hash=item41825772bc:g:3RwAAOSwq5lTmVXk" rel="nofollow">USB</a>, plugged into back will serve your purposes better?</p> <p>Yet another thought: many monitors have USB hubs and audio out (from HDMI) jack. There is a slight possibility you already have everything you need : )</p>
1643
2015-12-25T16:31:50.893
|usb|pc|desktop|audio|
<p>I just got the Phantom NZXT case (<a href="https://www.nzxt.com/products/phantom-black-green" rel="noreferrer">specs</a>) for my PC. It works great for me, but this thing is so huge it barely fits in my desk! Now, it <em>does</em> fit, but since the 1/8 in audio output and USB ports are on the top, I can't plug in any of the USB ports or my headphones. Since this thing has 5 drive bays on the front, I'd like to get a USB drive bay with a 1/8 in output for my headphones. I can find plenty USB bays on google, but none of them include an headphone port. If I search for &quot;USB bay with aux&quot; I get a bunch of links to amplifiers, which are clearly not what I'm looking for. Does this even exist?</p> <h1>Requirements</h1> <ul> <li><p>5.25&quot;</p> </li> <li><p>At least two USB inputs (but preferably more) and one headphone output.</p> </li> <li><p>The cheaper the better. 20 USD would be ideal, but I could go up to 35.</p> </li> </ul> <h1>Preferences</h1> <ul> <li>USB 3.0 would be nice, but 2.0 would work fine also.</li> </ul>
Cheap USB drive bay with headphone output
<p>Vertical mouse is OK only if you <strong>never</strong> take your dominant hand off the mouse. Regular users tend to keep moving their hand between mouse and keyboard. Vertical mouse is very bad for this as it takes extra time and effort to both let it go and grab back again. Trackballs are bit better, but if you do follow the common click-click-type-type-click-clik pattern then regular mouse is the best.</p> <p>The exercise of moving your hand back and forth between mouse and keyboard already is the best thing for your health. Super-ergonomic mice solve a problem that you don't have.</p> <p>I recommend that you buy regular mouse (eg Logitech RX250, around $15). To be blunt: for regular users regular stuff usually works best : ) Consider better mouse when you have the money to burn. </p> <p>If you insist on buying one of the mentioned products then check out customer rights in your (and store) jurisdiction. In many places you are entitled to return a product bought online after a short time simply because you don't like it. This is exactly the situation lawmakers had in mind. Yet, I think you really should buy a decent, entry-level mouse first. At least as a backup plan.</p>
1648
2015-12-26T08:23:34.823
|mice|trackball|
<p>My mouse was broken a few days ago, so I need to buy a new mouse.</p> <p>I am interested in a trackball or vertical mouse because professional writers say that is better for my hands and that it's a good alternative to a normal mouse.</p> <p>I don't want to spend too much money, so I am planning to buy one of the following two products:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-roeu/product/wireless-trackball-m570" rel="nofollow">Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.anker.com/product/98ANWVM-UBA" rel="nofollow">Anker 2.4G Wireless Vertical Ergonomic Optical Mouse</a></li> </ul> <p>I usually do web surfing, and I sometimes work on office suite programs. Sometimes I do a little coding and rarely play games like Minecraft.</p> <p>I would like to have recommendations about the above two products, and if you have any alternative products that you think are better than those two, please let me know.</p>
Can I have recommendations about the trackball / mouse?
<blockquote> <p>I just want to be able to play all my expansions I have about 5 expansions and on my current set up I can only play 2 expansions without horrible lag times.</p> </blockquote> <p>The recommendation could be better if you include the specifications of the computer that has the lags in your question, so we can analyze where the bottleneck in your current setup is and if the newer hardware would be a substantial improvement.</p> <p>That being said, <em>The Sims 3</em> was released in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sims_3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">2009</a>, <a href="https://www.thesims3.com/game/systemreq" rel="nofollow noreferrer">is based on DirectX 9 and has moderate hardware requirements</a>. A fairly obvious case one might say?</p> <h1>Core i3-4170 vs. Core i5-6400 GPU</h1> <p>For comparison of Intel GPUs there is a separate <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intel_HD_and_Iris_Graphics" rel="nofollow noreferrer">article in Wikipedia</a> that gives a really useful overview, combined with the data in the lists for all the Intel processors (list-type Wikipedia links are/were banned on some SE sites, but they are not hard to find) we get this:</p> <ul> <li><p>Core i3-4170 GPU runs at 350–1150 MHz, TDP 54 W</p> <blockquote> <p>HD Graphics 4200, <em>4400</em>, 4600, P4600, P4700 – GT2, 20 execution units, up to 432 GFLOPS at 1350 MHz</p> </blockquote> </li> <li><p>Core i5-6400 GPU runs at 350–950 MHz, TDP 65 W</p> <blockquote> <p>HD Graphics 530, GT2 – 24 execution units, up to 441.6 GFLOPS at 1.15 GHz</p> </blockquote> </li> <li><p>For comparison, the GPU of the Ivy Brigde CPU I have in my T530:</p> <blockquote> <p>HD Graphics 4000 – 16 execution units and additional features, up to 332.8 GFLOPS at 1300 MHz</p> </blockquote> </li> </ul> <p>So just by looking at the GFLOPS, there isn't really any difference between both models but about 30% increase over the older generation.</p> <h1>DirectX 9 in 2015 how hard could it be?</h1> <p>Just for a test I ran Tomb Raider (2013, DirectX 11) on the laptops GPU. By lowering the graphics settings I was able to play, but I am much less finicky about lags. With that in mind I thought DOA5:LR based on DirectX 9 in 2015 released on PC would run smooth, but I was wrong. I wouldn't wave off GPU demands so easily anymore. Chances that Sims 3 will run fine however are pretty good, especially when looking at this section from the recommendations:</p> <blockquote> <p>For computers using built-in graphics chipsets under Windows, the game requires at least:</p> <pre><code>Intel Integrated Chipset, GMA 3-Series or above 2.6 GHz Pentium D CPU, or 1.8 GHz Core 2 Duo, or equivalent 0.5 GB additional RAM </code></pre> </blockquote> <p>Both of your options outperform these requirements, but it's hard to tell which level of detail can be achieved and it doesn't look like there is enough headroom for newer games like <a href="https://www.thesims.com/faq#what-are-the-PC-minimum-system-requirements" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Sims 4</a>. If I was a Sims fan and had to buy a new computer today to play Sims 3, I'd make sure that it would also run Sims 4 from 2014, which is still based on DirectX 9, has moderate requirements for 2014, but is much more demanding in terms of GPU power. DOA5:LR is still a different game, but let's say I have doubts when I read the following in the minimal requirements:</p> <blockquote> <p>GeForce 6600 or better, ATI Radeon X1300 or better, Intel GMA X4500 or better</p> </blockquote> <p>If you still want to go APU only for Sims 3, then it's fine, for Sims 4 I would consider looking at AMD's APU offerings in similar price ranges. They are not very competitive compared to Intel's high performance offerings and their latest desktop CPUs are from 2014, but their iGPUs are said to have significantly more power (<a href="http://www.3dcenter.org/artikel/amd-llano-radeon-hd-6550d-vs-intel-hd-graphics-3000-oc/performance-index" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="Sorry this is in German.">1</a>, <a href="http://www.phoronix.com/scan.php?page=article&amp;item=amd_kaveri_7850k&amp;num=6" rel="nofollow noreferrer" title="This is Linux where Intel should have better drivers.">2</a>) and the CPU part still manages to run games too.</p> <h1>Upgrading CPUs</h1> <p>I think Piotr is wrong when he says:</p> <blockquote> <p>That way, in years to come, the i7-6700 processor can be much cheaper, not to mention other processors that will come for this chipset (Cannonlake and Kaby Lake).</p> </blockquote> <p>I would like to see more facts, preferably in the market where you are/the OP is. My experience here in Europe/Germany is that prices for Intel processors are very stable after the spike at launch and opportunities for a bargain offer are minimal if you want to avoid buying used hardware (from users where you don't know how they treat their hardware).</p> <p>Also buying <em>any</em> board with a Skylake compatible chipset appears more like a bad idea when you look at how many products a chipset family has today and how quickly Intel changed sockets in the last years or which features were missing and were only added to the next generation (no native USB 3.0 for example, and it looks like Skylake and Kaby Lake will have the same thing for 3.1). By now it should be very clear to everyone that Intel is releasing features successively and moving from a tick-tock to a tick-tick-tock model or something different. At any point you will not get the full feature set to be <em>future-proof</em> until the next better thing appears on a roadmap. This is pretty disappointing for long time upgrade strategies, but Intel can relax when it comes to selling single processors currently, they have to focus on marketing entire <em>platforms</em> (all devices where you don't usually upgrade the CPU) and to be fair platforms have increased in complexity so it's not only ill will that we can't go back to the good old Socket 478 or earlier days.</p>
1651
2015-12-27T19:23:54.240
|gaming|processor|desktop|
<p>So I'm looking to buy a new desktop computer and I'm getting a little confused, my main concern is that it will be able to play the sim3 with multiple expansions. I found a computer that seems like it will work and can have the i5 processor vs the i3. I'm just very confused about which processor will be best.</p> <p>these are the specifications of the computer:</p> <ul> <li>Intel Core i3-4170 Dual-Core 3.7GHz processor</li> <li>or 6th Generation Intel Core i5-6400 Quad-Core 2.7 GHz processor (turbo to 3.3GHz)</li> <li>8GB DDR3 </li> <li>1TB HDD</li> <li>Intel Integrated 4400 HD Graphics</li> </ul> <p>I'm getting confused because most comparisons I do say the i5 is better for gaming. However the i3 is much faster 3.7 GHz vs 2.7GHz(3.3 turbo) and most things I read about sims recommendations is that the the faster the processor the better. The i3 build is about 100 dollars cheaper as well, so I don't want to waste money on the i5 if the i3 is actually better for my needs.</p> <p>I'm just looking for a good base computer that I can play some sims on that I can upgrade as I go. I don't really mind playing it on low settings, I just want to be able to play all my expansions I have about 5 expansions and on my current set up I can only play 2 expansions without horrible lag times.</p> <p>So would the i3 or the i5 be better? I really don't understand the differences.</p>
i5-6400 vs i3-4170 for playing sims 3
<p>If all these 4 coolers are the same price, I would recommend the H100i. It is a very powerful closed loop CPU cooler (I have done some serious overclock with this cooler). Since you got a overclockable CPU, if you want to overclock in the future you can do that with this cooler no problem. The new Skylake CPUs have a thinner PCB, so heavy CPU coolers can actually bend the chip (not a good thing). Since all the other choices are really heavy tower coolers, the H100i can prevent the CPU from bending.</p>
1655
2015-12-28T02:06:01.147
|cooling|
<p>I found these 4 coolers for the same price, but I don't know which should I buy.</p> <p>I favor performance and temperature. the size/looks doesn't really matter, if it fits in the chassis I'm happy (780T Full Tower PC Case). </p> <p>I don't plan to overclock anything. </p> <p>CPU cooler for Intel I7 6700k + Z170 deluxe + single GTX 980ti build.</p> <p>Would be nice to have a silent build, but it's not that big deal. A cooler that doesn't need maintenance is a huge plus (I guess closed water cooler and vapor chamber don't need maintenance...)</p> <ul> <li>Cooler Master V8 GTS</li> <li>Thermalright Silver Arrow IB-E Extreme</li> <li>Corsair Hydro Series H100i</li> <li>Phanteks PH-TC14PE 140mm UFB</li> </ul> <p>If there is a better cooler suited for me under 100$ I will be interested to know...</p> <p>I know this question is somewhat subjective, but I can't find the answer online, I only see different opinions everywhere...</p>
Which CPU cooler should I buy?
<p>You cannot install any worthwhile computing GPU in a HP Compaq Pro 6300. Although the mainboard supports PCIe x16, the power supply is only 320 watts, far below what even lower-end computing cards require, and it uses custom connectors, making it impossible to upgrade.</p>
1670
2015-12-30T07:51:01.050
|graphics-cards|
<p>I bought GTX 960 GPUs but noticed that the are not supported by all my PCs, most notably business PCs. I would like to find some well supported GPUs because I am only interested in computation by GPU, not gaming. However, I am not sure if I lose some performance if I choose such GPUs. Options are only Nvidia's GPUs with CUDA support because the computation is required in Matlab. </p> <p>Examples of Business PCs</p> <ul> <li>HP Compaq Pro 6300 Business PC (Intel Chipset Q75) and many other HP PCs with Intel Chipset Q75, Q85, ... Thread <a href="https://superuser.com/questions/869600/what-is-the-6-pin-power-connector-on-an-hp-prodesk">here</a> about Q85 and <a href="https://superuser.com/q/1019536/2005">here</a> about Q75.</li> </ul> <p>How can you find GPU for computation with wide support?</p>
How to find Nvidia GPU for CUDA computation with wide support?
<p>I really can't think of a reason to get cold cathodes, except maybe they produce more light than some LEDs. LEDs will always use less power as long as you are comparing it against a cold cathode with the same amount of light emitted. LEDs will also last longer than cold cathodes and are less fragile since they aren't in glass tubes. LEDs usually come in strips, so it is bendable which means that you can bend it around your case to get adequate lighting. Cold cathodes also require a inverter that converts your DC power to AC power, which is another source of inefficiency and point of failure. For looks, LEDs will look better because they are flexible but cold cathodes will give you a much more retro look. </p>
1672
2015-12-30T11:09:05.770
|case|
<p>I ordered a new case for my ITX build it's <a href="http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-ITX.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX (white)</a>.<br/></p> <p>I want to light it with cold white light but I have to choose a source of light. I have two favourites (both powered by PSU):</p> <ul> <li>Cold Cathode (Revoltec) - one 300 mm at the top and one at the bottom of the case (if they will fit) or two 100 mm at the top and two at the bottom (if 300 mm won't fit). </li> <li>LED Strip (5050, 12V, Color: Cold White) - around the whole case or only at the top and bottom</li> </ul> <p>And now questions:</p> <ol> <li>Which configuration will consume less power (Watts)?</li> <li>Which configuration provides more light? </li> <li>Any pros/cons for this configurations?</li> <li>Any other possible solutions?</li> <li>Which will look better (I know it is subjective opinion, but what do you think)?</li> </ol> <hr> <p>After using "Peter Zhu's" answer, I lit it with LED strips (3528, 12V, Color: Cold White) and below you can find a photo of it:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaaxB.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/IaaxB.jpg" alt="Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX (white) with cold white LED stripes"></a></p>
Choosing source of light in case. LED stripes or cold cathodes?
<p>I am using the Nokia Play 360° wireless speaker. It allows stereo channels (on each speaker) and it connects via bluettoth. No longer in production though. I cant find any equivilent in the market so far.</p>
1688
2016-01-02T09:51:47.217
|audio|bluetooth|speakers|
<p>I know that the JBL range of products can do this (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXSL4VPMenk">"JBL Connect" demonstration on YouTube</a>), but what other companies support using two wireless speakers as a stereo pair? </p> <p>I would like portable speakers that contain batteries so not Sonos type speakers. </p>
What bluetooth speakers can make a stereo pair wirelessly?
<p>Actually I found other solution which was much cheaper:</p> <ul> <li>I resigned from using LED lighted fan because my case is lighted enough with LED stripes mounted inside it (<a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/1672/choosing-source-of-light-in-case-led-stripes-or-cold-cathodes">thread</a> about light in case).</li> <li>I found used (half year on 6V) fans from <a href="https://www.nzxt.com/products/switch-810-white#product-reviews" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NZXT Switch 810</a> which I bought for $5 each.</li> <li>I connected it to motherboard via <a href="https://store.nzxt.com/products/grid-v2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NZXT Grid+ V2</a> and set them to work only when GPU/CPU will reach temperature above 50 °C.</li> </ul> <p>I'm really happy with this solution when computer is idle it's really quiet and when I start to stress my PC fans are working on RPM dependent to temperatures.</p> <hr> <p>If anyone is intrested in this setup I can post some photos on the weekend.</p>
1705
2016-01-04T10:01:11.727
|cooling|quiet-computing|
<p>I'm looking for two kind of fans which I will mount in <a href="http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-ITX.html" rel="nofollow">Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX (white)</a>. I'm looking for quitest fans meeting following requirements:</p> <ol> <li><p>First one (back out fan): <br/> - 140mm <br/> - black case <br/> - white proppeler <br/> - cold white led light <br/> - <a href="http://phanteks.com/PH-F140SP-LED.html" rel="nofollow">example fan: Phanteks PH-F140SP LED</a></p></li> <li><p>Second one (2 x top out fans): <br/> - 140mm <br/> - black case <br/> - white proppeler <br/> - <a href="http://phanteks.com/PH-F140XP.html" rel="nofollow">example fan: Phanteks PH-F140XP</a></p></li> </ol>
Quiet 140 mm (black case + white propeller) case fans
<p>You're going to need something custom-built. A back-of-the-envelope calculation says that to read an iPhone screen at 8 meters, you need a lens with a 50mm-equivalent focal length of 1000mm. Lenses that long are available for DSLRs and a few point-and-shoot cameras, but not for anything smaller. Expect to spend between tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the quality of image you want.</p> <p>Alternatively, if you've got contacts with one of the major intelligence agencies (CIA, MI6, FIS, etc.), you might see about borrowing some of their hardware.</p>
1713
2016-01-04T19:12:51.720
|video-camera|
<p>What would be a good pinhole camera to record an iphone screen at a distance of 5-8 m and be able to read the information on the screen? We have tried some pinhole cameras already but without any success. The iphone screen can barely be seen at that distance let alone read its contents.</p>
pinhole hidden camera to read phone screen
<p>I have used Devolo dLAN 200AVs extensively in my UK home for about five years now, and they are great. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5ADNA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/5ADNA.jpg" alt="Devolo dLAN 200 AV"></a></p> <p>I have about six of them, all single Ethernet port (multiport versions, which three Ethernet ports, are available). I have not found this to be a problem, because I have switches/hubs in most rooms, anyway. </p> <p>They have UK plugs, not US plugs, but none of my dLAN 200 AV devices are pass though (i.e. you can plug a mains device into them), so I needed either use an extension cable with a 4 or 6 way plug board attached, or where I had dual sockets in the wall, I just sacrificed an outlet.</p> <p>The benefit of pass through devices, is that they contain noise suppression circuitry inside them, to help counter any noisy devices, or power on spikes that may be generated by adjacent devices that may also be plugged in to the plug boards. Devolo actually recommend that the dLANs are not plugged in to plug boards, and that they should only be plugged in at the wall, due to signal degradation. However, I personally, have not experienced many problems, mine all work fine.</p> <p>I recently added two 500 dLAN AV Plus devices, which do have pass through.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/jB3vO.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/jB3vO.jpg" alt="Devolo 500 dLAN AV Plus"></a></p> <p>I use these for a higher speed connection from my media server, in my garage, to my lounge, where the XBMC is, and I can stream videos just fine. They also are compatible with the existing 200AVs, so now every room is connected.</p> <p>They even come with a remote admin tool, the <em>dLAN Cockpit</em>, that works on OS X (as well as WinTel machines). Also available are Wi-Fi extenders, which act in the same way as the Ethernet variants, but pump out Wi-Fi instead.</p> <p>Also, the wiring in my house is about 50 years old, and no problems have arisen because of that. They can get quite warm, but even after having them plugged in for 4 years solidly, that has not been an issue.</p> <p>I can not recommend these highly enough.</p> <p>Also, I purchased <em>all</em> of them, secondhand, on eBay for around £10 each for the 200AVs and £20 for the 500s. Just wait for someone selling a bulk lot because they are upgrading (i.e. from 200 to 500, so they are selling off the 200s cheaply).</p>
1721
2016-01-05T08:46:20.770
|networking|ethernet|network-adapter|
<p>I am considering Ethernet over power.</p> <p>I presume that there are trade-offs between price and quality versus standard wireless. </p> <p>I would be considering this for an average size UK living room, with one router and three PCs.</p> <p>It would be used 80 to 90% for internet access, so only needs to match or beat Wi-Fi speeds. </p> <p>However, the rest of the time, two laptops would be using it to back up to a file server PC, so that more bandwidth would be welcome. Although, once the first backup of everything is done, backups would be mirror backup, monitoring the file system and updating individual files as they change. So that might not be such a major consideration.</p> <p>What do you recommend for UK home use, and where should I buy it?</p>
Ethernet over power (UK)
<p>From a pure numbers standpoint, the Hiro's 5dBi antenna beats the Panda's 2dBi antenna, and both beat the Netgear's tiny on-board antenna, so it's likely the Hiro will give you the best reception of the three.</p> <p>You don't specify your budget, but it looks like about $20-ish. If you're willing to go up to $30, the <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0035APGP6" rel="nofollow">Alfa AWUS036NH</a> has a powerful transmitter paired with a 5dBi antenna. I've connected to access points with one from as much as half a mile away. Assuming you're correct that your connection problems are due to low signal levels (and not high noise levels), it's a good choice.</p>
1740
2016-01-08T09:26:47.640
|usb|networking|wifi|network-adapter|
<p>My laptop's internal Wi-Fi antenna is horrible. At my school especially, it can only connect half the time, and when it does, rarely actually assigns me an IP address. I'm looking for a USB adapter that can help me actually get Wi-Fi at school (and anywhere else I might need it too). I'm wary of doing this, because I already have a USB Wi-Fi dongle (<a href="http://firmware.netgear-forum.com/ntgfirm/img/produit/WG111v2h1_back_lowres.jpg" rel="nofollow">Netgear wg111v3</a>), but it's pretty much as bad as my internal one.</p> <p>I have done some research, and narrowed it down to these two being best for my budget:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003516BJU" rel="nofollow">Hiro Adapter</a></li> <li><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00JDVRCI0" rel="nofollow">Panda Adapter</a></li> </ul> <p>So my question is: Which one will give me better reception and reliability?</p>
Which product will give a better Wi-Fi reception?
<p>Depends on your working/gaming style I suppose. </p> <p>Maybe its cause I'm older but I tend to treasure <em>vertical</em> space over horizontal space, so ultrawide displays have never appealed to me. As a replacement for <em>two</em> monitors, or as part of a <em>expansive</em> stretched workspace 21:9 might work awesome. You can dock 2-4 windows and have plenty of space without the annoying bezel. Its a bit of a niche product and prices are adjusted upwards accordingly. That said, I'm not a fan of wide screens and this is a bit of a biased opinion</p> <p>On the other hand 1440p is pretty well regarded - Until recently Jeff Atwood swore by <a href="http://blog.codinghorror.com/the-ips-lcd-revolution/" rel="nofollow">1440p/27 inch displays that were pretty reasonably priced</a>, and your dell is smaller - which means better pixel pitch. Text is likely going to be sharper, backlight bleed is not that bad on quality displays (and seems to be more of a thing on IPS displays, and for gaming, its a more common aspect ratio. I've driven games at 1440p- with a gforce 660, so it would also be easy to run for gaming</p> <p>Pixel pitch is a big deal. Basically the more pixels per square inch you have, the sharper a monitor is, and the easier it is to read text. I'm not <em>too</em> sure how much of an improvement it is between 1080p and 1440p, since I jumped straight to 2160p but it would likely be better to have higher resolutions</p> <p>As for aspect ratio 16:9 is the standard for TVs. Its standard for most games, and <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/219-gaming-guide-shooting-in-cinemascope/" rel="nofollow">PC gamer seems to think you need additional software</a> to get things running. </p> <p>So, between them? The Dell makes more sense. I'd probably also consider a few less traditional options before making my choice tho </p>
1743
2016-01-08T12:56:29.583
|monitors|
<p>I'm in need for a new screen. I've started looking for some screens but then I came the question: 21:9 or 1440p? After some digging around if found 2 screens i really like. </p> <p>One from Lg that is 21:9 1080P and Freesync support(not that i can use it but more on that). The other screen I found was Dell ultrasharp 1440P screen. Which of the 2 is better for gaming and light programming. I will also be running a second 1080p screen of an 21" size format.</p> <p>The LG 29UM67 is a 1080P 21:9 screen this means it gets a resolution of about 2560x1080. it has a 75Hz refresh rate in freesync mode which can be activated no matter what videocard you have on it. The format of the screen it 29" so its not big nor small. Without freesync the screen may get screen tearing. </p> <p>The Dell Ultrasharp U2515H is a 1440P screen with an aspect ratio in about 16:9. It has a 60Hz refresh rate and a 6ms response time. the size of this screen is 25". It has problems with back light bleed.</p> <p>I'm running a Gtx 970 G1 gaming, so type doesn't matter. </p>
Aspect ratio and resolution
<p>In 2024, I would recommend Synology NAS. I have had a 4 drive one at my home office and a 2 drive one at a friends place to backup the NAs onto another NAS.</p> <ul> <li>I backup all my drives.</li> <li>I mirror all my documents and photos. We can then access these from anywhere.</li> <li>I also have GIT repositories on it for my source (being a developer)</li> <li>You can do everything on a browser</li> <li>The Apps on the NAS as well as the Apps on the mobile are crisp, clean and very functional.</li> </ul> <p>These are the two I have. I am about to install an SSD on it, to speed up the access.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3m2Cp.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/3m2Cp.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Mj5T.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/7Mj5T.jpg" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
1745
2016-01-08T17:11:06.170
|linux|nas|
<p>I'm looking for a NAS device for the purpose of running backups of several other machines. My current setup for this is a consumer PC with extra drives plugged in, but this is non-optimal for several reasons.</p> <p>I want NAS hardware because consumer PC hardware with enough disk slots usually comes in an enormous case and requires expensive motherboards and so forth. This system does not need high hardware performance, and ideally would cost less than $500. However, I intend to install a standard Linux distribution on it (probably Arch) and handle all software requirements myself. Thus, I need a system on which it is easy to boot from a CD or USB and install a new OS. (My prior research suggests that many NASs require fiddling with the hardware to achieve this; I'd prefer to avoid that.)</p> <p>I would like at least four disk slots, and would prefer that it came diskless. I will connect it via Ethernet, and do not require any other network hardware. As mentioned above, it will be used only for periodic backups of other machines, which have live data; thus, the hardware performance other than network and disk bandwidth is mostly immaterial. And of course, because I will handle the software myself, I do not care about what software package it comes with, only that I can get rid of it.</p> <p>Any recommendations?</p> <p>Edit: The usual OS install process requires a video output, which is apparently rare on NAS hardware; however, it should also be possible to install over the network (particularly a distribution such as Arch whose install procedure is from the command line itself). Thus, while it would be more difficult, a device without video whose bootloader can be edited or replaced would also suffice, so long as an unrestricted network shell is available from the original OS.</p>
Low-cost NAS with easy OS installation
<p>For your computer, besides the extra RAM you need, I recommend an upgrade to your CPU cooler (something like the <a href="http://www.pcstore.com.uy/cooler-master-v6.html" rel="nofollow">CoolerMaster V6</a> would be very nice) so you can overclock your current CPU. While the FX 4350 is only a two module CPU, it should handle most tasks well, and applications requiring more than 4 threads are rare. Only when you feel that your CPU is performing inadequately even with an overclock should you upgrade. If more cores will help, a <a href="http://www.pcstore.com.uy/catalog/product/view/id/514/s/amd-fx-8320-3-5ghz-socket-am3-125w-eight-core-desktop-processor/category/10/" rel="nofollow">AMD FX 8320</a> will perform just as well as an 8350 when lightly overclocked. If you need single threaded performance, you will need to go with Intel.</p> <p>For Intel, since you can't find a K series CPU, there isn't much point getting a Z series chipset. A H97 or B85 would do just as well. Skylake doesn't really offer much in terms of increased performance. Unless you need the features of the newer platform, my advice would be to stick with Haswell.</p>
1756
2016-01-09T21:52:03.180
|processor|memory|
<p>I will understand if this is off-topic, I couldn't really understand the rules, but I saw some similar questions. I'll delete this if you consider it to be off-topic.</p> <p>This is my current PC:</p> <ul> <li>Motherboard: Asrock 970 Extreme3 R2.0</li> <li>CPU: AMD FX 4350 </li> <li>Video: AMD R9 270 2GB</li> <li>RAM: (1x) Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB 1600Mhz DDR3</li> <li>SSD: Kingston 128GB</li> <li>HDD: WD 500GB 7200RPM</li> </ul> <p>My idea is to upgrade my computer so that it allows for further modification but in such a way that I don't get bottlenecks. The GPU is pretty new so I won't be changing it for now. I use my computer mostly for gaming and work (Visual Studio + Hyper-V with a Windows Server 2012 instance), and because of this an upgrade to 16GB RAM is needed (8GB runs short sometimes). </p> <p>These are the upgrade paths I've been able to identify which could provide me a nice performance gain for at least some time.</p> <p><strong>Upgrade1 (current CPU is given as part of the price)</strong><br> This path has two downsides: RAM keeps being DDR3, so upgrade to DDR4 will be required in some time; and the FX8350 is basically the top of what AM3+ will get. </p> <ul> <li>New CPU: FX8350 = USD270 </li> <li>New RAM DDR3 8GB stick = USD110 </li> <li>Total: USD380</li> </ul> <p><strong>Upgrade2 (current CPU and motherboard are given as part of the price)</strong><br> This path has the same RAM downside as Upgrade1.</p> <ul> <li>New Motherboard: Asus Z97-C = USD200</li> <li>New CPU: i5 4590 = USD300</li> <li>New RAM DDR3 8GB stick = USD110 </li> <li>Total: USD610</li> </ul> <p><strong>Upgrade3 (current CPU, RAM and motherboard are given as part of the price)</strong><br> This path allows for DDR4 RAM, many CPU upgrades if/when required and the motherboard has 2 PCI-E 3.0 slots for many different GPU setups, when an upgrade is required.</p> <ul> <li>Motherboard: MSI Z170a = USD220 </li> <li>DDR4 16GB = USD200 </li> <li>CPU: i5 6400 = USD280 </li> <li>Total: USD700</li> </ul> <p>What I'm wondering is if the Upgrade3 path is really worth the USD700 (without taking into account that the final price will be around USD450 upon giving my components). Also, I'm not from the USA, that's why prices will probably seem much higher than they should be (and importing is not an option).</p>
Deciding on PC upgrade path
<p>It has been a while since I asked this question and requested whether I could answer it myself but <a href="http://pcpartpicker.com/user/thomw2o0o/saved/YvNKHx" rel="nofollow">here's</a> a link to what I've come up with which matches the specs, budget and power consumption I was looking for. It's a pcpartpicker part list (please notify me if you can't access it for some reason). While I crossed the original budget marginally ($80), I believe this would be a good choice for anyone looking for a 256W machine capable of running the latest games. It's a Skylake build featuring a GTX 950, 1 TB of HDD memory and 16 GB of DDR4 RAM. I will be using this for (graphics) programming, gaming and probably quite a bit more of the latter.</p> <p>Any feedback would be appreciated since I'm planning on building it and I'm not really confident about my motherboard and case.</p>
1767
2016-01-11T19:27:29.537
|gaming|desktop|
<p>I'm looking for a desktop which runs recent games at medium to high settings and costs about 600$. The specs should be like something along the lines of the following:</p> <p>CPU: 3GHz Quad Core<br> GPU: 1GHz<br> VRAM: 2GB<br> RAM: 8GB<br> DISK: 500GB+ </p> <p>Furthermore, since I don't want to spend too much money on power, I would like it to be quite efficient, preferably with a wattage lower than 250/300W if this is possible, given my other requirements. I found this excellent 600$ build online but the wattage was far too high (400W-ish). Any suggestions?</p>
Efficient (<250W) capable gaming desktop
<p>For development it is a good idea to get a high-end phone. The nexus 5x is a high-end phone for a great price. It has a front facing speaker, 5.2 inch display with a 1920x1080 resolution. The CPU is a Snapdragon 808 and has 2GB of RAM. The phone is running android 6.0 and will continue to get updates for the next 2 years. A good reason to get a nexus for development is because of a "skinless (stock android UI)" android meaning less power is used to just have the phone turned on. Originally the nexus line was created for developers. The phone is also in your price range at 349 USD on Amazon.</p>
1779
2016-01-14T04:23:32.373
|wifi|android|smartphones|development|
<p>I've never had a smartphone before, but since I started Android development I thought it would be beneficial to have a physical device -- the emulator has some limitations.</p> <p>I do plan to make this phone my daily driver, but I am not really a heavy phone user. </p> <p>What I am looking for:</p> <ol> <li>Is developer friendly</li> <li>A nice camera</li> <li>A mid-sized display - I don't want anything so big that it's tough to carry</li> <li>Front-facing stereo speakers would be nice but it's not a requirement - I know many HTC phones have these but I have heard that the more recent models tend to get hot</li> <li>Screen does not get very hot - a phone that runs warm bothers me</li> <li>Relatively low SAR rating - It can't hurt to have a lower rating phone</li> <li>Can easily turn off the data plan and use wifi</li> <li>Fits in my $300-$400 budget</li> </ol> <p>I don't have a ton of knowledge about phone models and I would really appreciate some recommendations.</p>
First time smartphone buyer: Looking for a good phone for occasional use and testing Android Apps
<p>One of my earlier experiments used a set of <a href="http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50192073/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">LEDBURG</a> lights from ikea. Its somewhat easier to mount, since it comes in rigid, interconnectable strips, but I didn't like the warm white for this application. It was instrumental in setting up what I use now though.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/oABqw.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/oABqw.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaUqB.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/PaUqB.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
1781
2016-01-14T12:21:22.077
|monitors|
<p>I've heard many good things about bias lighting, and am looking at options for it. I'm handy with a soldering iron so some assembly required is cool but I suspect other people may prefer something with minimal assembly requirements.</p> <h2>My criteria?</h2> <p>Well, its bias lighting.</p> <h2>Nice to have features?</h2> <p>Turns on and off when my PC does or has a switch</p> <p>The ability to vary overall brightness, though it dosen't have to be dimmable. </p> <p>I require <em>reasonably</em> even backlighting.</p> <p>Would be super cool if it worked well with larger monitors.</p> <p>Removable options would be shiny - I may regret what I chose, or need to dial in its position. Not essential though. </p> <p>Since I work with dual monitors, options that scale to that would be super cool. </p>
What are my options for bias lighting for a PC monitor?
<p>Hmm so what you are looking for is something I had in mind as well. keep in mind mine was supposed to serve as a NAS and a Plex server so might be not exactly what you want. So here is my list:</p> <p>MB: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157390" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157390</a> CPU: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374</a> Case(any mini ITX rated case will do): <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117374</a></p> <p>PS: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256097" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256097</a> Memory (8GB is more than enough): <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545&amp;cm_re=DDR3-_-20-148-545-_-Product" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148545&amp;cm_re=DDR3-<em>-20-148-545-</em>-Product</a> </p> <p>any drive you think is good for you.</p> <p>So u don't actually need a lot of processing power. The trick is to understand what you will be using most. Mysql usually only runs on 1 thread, same as SSH. I seriously doubt u will stress the Pentium CPU. if you need more power then you should consider some other alternative. (But seriously, unless you are going to serve content to 20 users at the same time, you should be fine)</p> <p>Thats just my 2 cents.</p> <p>The mother board does not have IPMI!</p> <p>if you want to be able to control the board without a monitor or keyboard you will need IPMI (when SSH is offline. Ex: when you are in BIOS or something like that).</p> <p>So this MB looks ok: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157466</a></p>
1784
2016-01-14T14:04:33.493
|motherboard|
<p>I'm trying to assemble my private home server. I'm searching about a new motherboard and CPU, but I'm stuck because I don't know what, specifically, to check and which components are important. For motherboard, I know I have to check socket type. For CPU, it's important to check about cores and frequency, but also size of first and second level cache storage. I know also it's wrong to do an arithmetic sum of cores and freq, because it is not the real value. Can someone explain the most important feature of motherboard and CPU?</p> <p>I prefer a better motherboard without graphic included, which is always expensive.</p>
Motherboard and CPU: what and how to choose
<p>I'd say it's not worth spending more money to get more performance out of this or any other 7.1 headset. Just use it in stereo mode if you have no 7.1 source.</p> <p>Operating systems and applications like games or media players are responsible for handling sound: selecting the appropriate output path and channel profiles, applying dynamic range compression where necessary and so forth. This is particularly true for games where <strong>the soundscape is rendered by the game engine and it doesn't get more accurate</strong> with 2 speakers or headphones than the game engine knowing that it should render a stereo signal. A multichannel downmix by an unknown element in the chain doesn't improve the result it's just a dishonest, technophobe marketing myth and number game that is still around.</p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UJHGd.png" alt="enter image description here"></p> <p><sup>Stereo (1), generated Downmix (2) and 5.1 Mix (3-8) of <em>Paschendale</em> from Iron Maiden (Sources: 24-Bit FLAC, DVD-A)</sup></p> <p>If you need a visual example, download <a href="http://audacityteam.org/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Audacity</a> or any other audio editor, load a <em>multitrack</em> audio track from a movie or audio recording and mix it down to stereo. Many people pretend to care much about clean audio. Does the downmix with information from all channels look cleaner or more detailed to you? No, it doesn't! Good games are able to mix all the information into a high quality stereo signal. With the rise of VR <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binaural_beats#Binaural_beats_and_music" rel="nofollow noreferrer">binaural audio</a> will get more important and virtual 7.1 mixes will hamper your immersion. Please let game engines do their work without interference, the game designers who put them together should know better how to treat audio that they or their customers create.</p> <p>I could suggest to you to get a cheap 7.1 USB soundcard from China, but that's worse than your built-in sound solution. A multichannel audio production interface can actually deliver good quality but is at least three times out of your budget, not very portable and the Windows drivers don't support running the channels as a 7.1 configuration for gaming while the hardware is capable of doing so. I'd rather recommend an O2+ODAC or a similar product and reference headphones if you're already willing to spend +150 USD.</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkTlzJgrhY8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here is a review</a> from a Razer fan who isn't very impressed with this headset either. I found this video while looking for a picture of the connectors.</p>
1813
2016-01-18T09:01:20.480
|usb|hdmi|sound-cards|
<p>I bought a Razer Tiamat 7.1 headset. I was a bit silly though and thought the USB that connect the headset to the computer was not just to power the headset. I'm using a laptop and it obviously doesn't have a 7.1 sound card. It does come with female 3.5mm jacks to micro USB, but those are meant for connecting other speakers through the control unit of the headphones. Maybe there is a way to hack it so it uses it to connect the headphones to the laptop's USB instead, but I doubt so...</p> <p>So are their any decent solutions for going from 7.1 3.5mm jacks to USB or HDMI? Also I don't want to spend more than $50 on a solution for this. Otherwise I guess I'll be destined to use it in 2.1 mode until I upgrade to a desktop.</p>
USB 7.1 sound card, or converter
<p>This fan will do the job perfectly, as I installed it 2 weeks ago.</p> <p><a href="http://noctua.at/en/nf-a9-pwm.html" rel="nofollow">http://noctua.at/en/nf-a9-pwm.html</a></p> <p>The CPU will not go over 48 Degrees C, no matter the load. </p>
1818
2016-01-18T19:49:03.760
|processor|data-storage|cooling|
<p>I bought this bad boy today, but it runs kinda hot. If it gets hotter, is slows down its frequency.</p> <p><a href="http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=C2750D4I#Specifications" rel="nofollow">http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=C2750D4I#Specifications</a></p> <p>Can you guys recommend me a fan that can keep it cool.</p> <p>So far I found the Noctua A8 ( With 6 years of warranty ) that also fits perfectly on the fan slot I have in the case, blowing right on top.</p> <p><a href="http://noctua.at/en/nf-a8-pwm.html" rel="nofollow">http://noctua.at/en/nf-a8-pwm.html</a></p> <p>Do you guys have a better option in mind. Price does not matter, as long as it's a good fan.</p>
What is the best cooling solution for ASRock C2750D4I Rack home NAS storage
<p>I don't think you need a better motherboard. It doesn't affect performance when not overclocked. Even if the best PCIe slot is only 8x it's good enough for the GTX 970.</p> <p>As of RAM I would personally add another 8 GB. I would go with the same DIMMs, but if you need new ones I recommend the Crucial Ballistics series. The DIMMs are cheap and have good performance and I never had mine fail before. With the extra RAM it can help get a smoother timeline for 1080P editing and photoshopping. As for gaming power 8GB should be enough.</p> <p>Definitely go for an SSD as it's a cheap way to almost always get a performance gain. I would personally go with an Samsung or Intel SSD. As for Samsung I can recommend the 850 EVO and Pro, and as for Intel, a 730 series SSD should be good. I would get 2 SSDs in my opinion though, or one large one as I would store my unedited video and primary games on it.</p> <p>By the way, just a handy tip. If you are serious about the video and photo editing it's handy to get a 10 bit screen with high color accuracy. </p>
1826
2016-01-19T11:19:04.153
|graphics-cards|processor|motherboard|memory|
<p>Looking to upgrade my Computer which is used for Gaming, Image editing, Audio capture, Video editing &amp; Recording.</p> <p>Current hardware:</p> <blockquote> <p>Processor: Intel Core i7-4771 Quad Core Socket LGA 1150 Processor</p> <p>Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H87N-WIFI, Intel H87 MiniITX, Socket 1150</p> <p>Ram: 8GB DDR3 1600mhz </p> <p>Hard Drive: Seagate 2 TB Desktop 3.5 Internal SSHD </p> <p>Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 GPU, MSI ARMOR 2X Overclocked Edition </p> <p>Case: Zalman Z7 </p> <p>Power Supply: 550W Modular Powercool Black PSU 80 Plus 12cm Fan SATA Power</p> <p>Microphone: Blue Microphones Nessie USB Microphone</p> <p>Capture Card: Hauppauge HD PVR 2 gaming edition</p> </blockquote> <p>I am thinking of upgrading the Motherboard, Memory or adding a small SSD as a boot drive.</p> <p>Would a different motherboard better the performance of the CPU or GPU?</p> <p>Would faster, larger memory make a difference?</p> <p>Is there anything else I should consider?</p> <p>Budget: I upgrade part-by-part over time so budget isn't so much an issue but for each purchase I'd be looking at £100-£150. </p> <p>Thank you for your time.</p>
Recommended hardware upgrade for Editing/Gaming PC
<p>If you upgrade to the R9 Nano, Fury X, or 980, you will see a definite increase in performance over your GTX 970. However, because you do not play games at 4k and the difference sits between 12-25%, I would wait on either the new NVidia or AMD cards to come out later this ear, and buy those.</p> <p>After the recent price drop, the r9 nano sits at the same price as the GTX 980 ($500 U.S.) and is more powerful, so if you really do want to upgrade, buy the Nano <em>at that price point</em>.</p> <p>Upgrading further, and you'll see that the 980ti is a better deal than the Fury X at it's price point of $650 U.S, and performs about 10-15% better in most games as well.</p> <p>Your upgrade also should depend on the kind of work or games you play. If, for example, you do video editing on your computer, I think the upgrade might be a good idea. But if you're just upset with having to tune your settings to high instead of ultra to play at 60fps... I would wait.</p> <p>Keep in mind that in some games, especially games that use NVidia Gameworks like the Witcher 3, the 970 and 980 will perform better than the r9 nano, but in others, such at Grand Theft Auto 5, the opposite is true.</p> <p>All in all, I would just choose to wait until the new cards come out before upgrading, unless your job requires something more powerful or you have tons of cash lying around.</p> <p>Just a side note, two 970's in SLI perform very similar to a 980ti, and you will probably save money going this route as well, but doing this will reduce your computer's upgrade ability, and some games and programs do not support SLI, leaving you with the power of only a single 970.</p>
1838
2016-01-20T17:45:39.813
|gaming|graphics-cards|desktop|pc|
<p>I'm a serious gamer and I'm looking at high end graphics cards.</p> <p>I know that the new R9 Fury (and Fury X) feature HBM which is supposedly good for 4K gaming. I currently use 4 1080p monitors connected to my desktop.</p> <p>Is there an advantage to picking the Fury cards over, say, a GTX 980? Especially given that I do not game at 4K, but I do use several monitors.</p> <p>Furthermore, I currently have a Gigabyte GTX 970, will I see any significant performance boost?</p>
Breakdown of new AMD Fury Cards vs Top NVidia Cards
<p>The reason for $30 extra for ITX is because it is smaller physically. You are paying for higher precision engineering (same stuff needs to fit into a smaller square) also explains less PCI and RAM ports. The ITX board will also in theory use a bit less power.</p> <p>The ITX board also has a TPM header the other one doesnt.</p> <p>More info here: <a href="https://superuser.com/questions/810276/why-very-few-modern-motherboards-are-equipped-with-tpm">https://superuser.com/questions/810276/why-very-few-modern-motherboards-are-equipped-with-tpm</a></p> <p>Yes the G3460 is going to be better for you if you use the Saphire card. </p>
1839
2016-01-20T18:32:44.330
|motherboard|
<p>I'm comparing those two models of ASRock B85M, trying to find which one is the best.</p> <p>Let's take a tour: <a href="http://www.asrock.com/mb/compare.it.asp?SelectedModel=B85M+Pro4&amp;SelectedModel=B85M-ITX" rel="nofollow">http://www.asrock.com/mb/compare.it.asp?SelectedModel=B85M+Pro4&amp;SelectedModel=B85M-ITX</a></p> <p>I'm stucked because I found that Pro4 has more RAM slot (4), with max 32GB; ITX only 2 max 16GB. Pro4 has also more PCI slot. The real different is that ITX got also 1xeSata port. I thought that Pro4 was really better than ITX, but still find ITX $30 more.</p> <p>What am I missing?</p> <p>I need to make a simple home server, using Intel Pentium G3258 and Saphire HD5750. Another question: is better g3460 with lower GPU feature than g3258? I'll use the saphire for graphic.</p> <p>Thanks</p>
B85M Pro4 vs B85M-ITX
<p>I'd rather build than buy. It really depends on your needs though. </p> <p>If you're worried about noise, a home system actually makes a decent VM box.</p> <p>There's a few things I go for.</p> <ol> <li><p>More cores. Get at least a quad core. For <em>serious</em> work a 'mainstream' core. I like a minimum of a quad core box - a core i7 is a decent workhorse machine, but both my recommendations are xeons. I typically run single core VMs </p></li> <li><p>At <em>least</em> 16 gigs of ram - the 'right' amount is enough ram for the host + enough ram for each VM. 8gb is a bit of a minimum I guess</p></li> <li><p>Enough storage. I favour SSDs for booting and speed reliant things - the samsung 850 pro 256gb is my preferred mainline SSD but the evo would work if you have the budget and want a 1tb SSD.</p></li> </ol> <p>For reliable storage, I prefer HGST - they have a nas line of deskstars I'd suggest taking a look at, though I have a pile of older, very trusty desktar models</p> <ol start="4"> <li>No OS. Most of the good VM servers are free,</li> </ol> <p>If you're going to use this as a development box and want to run linux, fedora is a good bet. <em>Excellent</em> support for KVM and virt manager.</p> <p>If you're <em>buying</em> as opposed to building, a dell precison might be a good option. Old workplace had them and they were tanky, reliable beasts, and they fall within your price range.</p> <p>The 5000 series might be a good starting point - possibly the <a href="http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/precision-t5810-workstation/pd?oc=cup5810w7p&amp;model_id=precision-t5810-workstation" rel="nofollow">base model</a>. I'd take a look at parts prices before adding any options since it may make sense to buy parts elsewhere to upgrade the ram and HDD. These things can go up to <em>8</em> cores if I remember correctly and are basically server grade parts set up as a desktop. I'm more familiar with the 7000 series, but those are for when you need <em>two</em> processors and is somewhat out of budget. Nonetheless, very solid machines, you're covered by the warranty, and if you're willing to spend a little extra, trivial to order what you need and know that it works</p> <p>Upgrades from the base model? Up the ram to 16gb, drop the OS (most of the good VM hosts are free anyway). Get a 3TB HGST deskstar drive. I'd be tempted to slot in an SSD for the OS (I would suggest a 256gb Samsung 850 <em>pro</em>) , but these things take a while to boot due to the raid controller. </p> <p>If you're building</p> <p>Might take a bit of tweaking to get it in your budget but a <a href="http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/D/X10SDV-6C_-TLN4F.cfm" rel="nofollow">X10SDV-8C+-LN2F</a> might be a good start Its ~1000usd <em>but</em> that gets you <em>8</em> cores. Load it up with 32gb (4x8, or 2x16) of ram at least of the cheapest standard DDR4 ram you can find. In theory, you can go up to <em>128</em> gb with Rdimms. Don't bother with ECC in this case, not really worth it. </p> <p>Its mini itx (so you can use a smaller case).</p> <p>Its somewhat limited in terms of video (VGA...) but also has IPMI (for out of band management, which is cool) and is <em>designed</em> for being a VM host, but at reasonable power consumption. Most of the xeon-d models are interesting, but this is the 'cheapest' one I could find with a fan. </p> <p>USB ports are somewhat limited as well, and you have <em>one</em> pciex16, but that's more than you would on a laptop. </p>
1846
2016-01-21T21:29:59.587
|development|virtual-machines|web-development|
<p>I am an experienced programmer with very little hardware experience, and completely overwhelmed with the unlimited number of choices available. Since technology changes so rapidly, it's very difficult to Google up a guide that is both timely and relevant for what I'd like to do.</p> <p>The best blog I've seen so far is <a href="http://thehomeserverblog.com/esxi-lab-specs/">this one</a>, but it's already a few years old now.</p> <p>I currently have several KVM/VirtualBox VMs on my Debian laptop. It is extremely slow, and I can't run more than 1 VM at a time (or 2 with the second having a very small memory/processor footprint).</p> <p>I'd like to replace my laptop with a tower-based server for running these VM images, so I can remote in from any device on my LAN. My line of thinking is that I can get a <strong>lot</strong> more power into a larger enclosure for less money than an equivalent laptop would cost, with the possibility of upgrading down the line.</p> <p>Here's the basic idea of what I'd like:</p> <ul> <li>Spend less than or equal to $1,500 US, tax included</li> <li>Install a hypervisor as the "main" OS (suggestions welcome as to which; was thinking of vSphere or KVM)</li> <li>Be able to run at least 2-3 Windows/Linux VMs simultaneously for development and testing</li> <li>Upgrade-able processor/memory would be nice, if possible</li> <li>Good performance for compiling large applications (noting that parallel computing is used in GCC/msbuild compilation) - developing both Web and desktop software</li> <li>Lots of RAM, which is used by compilation processes and VMs</li> </ul> <p>So it should be kind of like a "home lab", but mainly used for professional development work.</p> <p>I found some <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/1BBXP3NAJKOPD/ref=cm_wl_list_o_3?">pre-built Lenovo servers on Amazon</a>, and almost bought one, but I am second guessing myself in terms of what exactly to get.</p> <p>Where to start? Build or buy? How to get started picking the right components (e.g. motherboard, drive, processor)? I know my way around the inside of a computer... I can replace parts, etc., so building a server is not out of the question-- but unfortunately I don't know how to pick "the best" parts. My last few laptop picks have been flops.</p> <p><strong>EDIT</strong>:</p> <p>Here's an example of a sample workload that I might want to have. As a personal interest, I might want to compile AOSP (android) in a Linux image. That eats up a lot of RAM and a lot of CPU. While that's happening, I'm working on professional windows development in a 2nd VM w/Visual Studio. It's not graphic intensive, but I'd be compiling regularly, which, employs parallelism. There would also a web server running in a third VM that would be serving REST requests for testing purposes, related to the development work.</p> <p><strong>EDIT 2:</strong></p> <p>I'm overwhemed with the massive amount of choice when it comes to hardware. I'd like some advice from experts on (a) whether it's better to build or buy pre-built, and (b) how to get started picking something that is a good quality build, and upgradeable in terms of RAM (and possibly CPU). What are good sources for getting this type of information? There is so much information out there, it's hard to tell what's reliable and what's misleading. I don't care if it's a pre-built server, or if it's DIY, so long as it is good quality. </p>
Picking VM server hardware for development
<p>Consider using the <a href="http://www.frys.com/product/7363704?source=google&amp;gclid=CjwKEAiAluG1BRDrvsqCtYWk81gSJACZ2BCeaRAUnwCiRX7om1JQGVzz4pRwBM6XmqjedXMTl4AXpBoCzi3w_wcB" rel="nofollow">Enermax Ostrog</a>. Although it does not meet the USB Type-C requirement (Which I honestly doubt that any case under $60 would have at this point), it does fufil your other requirements. I have personally used this case in the past, and I can say that it does indeed work well. On a side note, the side panel is essentially one huge window; which means weekly cleaning (At least I did). Great case that can be had at Frys for $44</p>
1856
2016-01-22T22:26:01.503
|case|enclosure|
<p>When I built my PC a year ago, I bought a really cheap case. It did not have USB 3.0 or audio on the front panel, and I regret it now. I already have new case fans for the thing, and it runs quietly, but I really do want a new case.</p> <p>The case I want:</p> <ul> <li>Black and/or red, to match the rest of the build</li> <li>Has a case window on the side</li> <li>Has support for 2 or more 5 and 1/2 inch drives</li> <li>Has front facing USB 3.0 and Audio</li> <li>Costs less than $60</li> <li>Supports full ATX motherboard and Power Supply</li> <li>Is large enough 12.5 inch graphics card</li> <li>Has cable management at least somewhat in mind</li> <li>Is wide enough to support the Hyper 212 Evo CPU cooler</li> <li>If a cover goes over the front of the case, the hinge must be on the right side</li> <li><p>I do not need decent fans, as I have 4 red and very quiet corsair fans</p></li> <li><p><strong>Optional</strong> If possible, I would love support for USB type C, although my motherboard only has 3.0 headers, so an adapter would be needed</p></li> </ul>
A new case for an old build
<p>Edit: After understanding that the mSATA port will block the HDD drive bay I would suggest a <strong>Dual mSATA</strong> HDD adapter. Feedback is appreciated from anyone who is actively using such a setup as a boot drive on any OS.</p> <p>Edit 2016-04-17: I hoped that Skylake equipped business laptops (HP, Lenovo, Dell…) would offer plenty of M.2 slots for SATA or NVMe storage, but the mobile chipsets don't offer as many PCIe lanes as the main or performance class desktop versions, which made some manufacturers come up with unexpected designs and decisions against a 2nd storage port or slot. Another example: Lenovo removed the small M.2 slot from the previous generation (T550) in favor of a combined 2.5 inch port where you can either install a SATA drive or a U.2 NVMe drive. </p> <hr> <p>This is explained just a few pages below (p. 39) in the manual, it's an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_ATA#Mini-SATA_.28mSATA.29" rel="nofollow noreferrer">mSATA</a> port. mSATA to SATA adapters exist, but are not suited for use in laptops. mSATA is replaced by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NVM_Express" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NVMe</a> in newer product generations, which achieves higher speeds by avoiding the SATA layer.</p> <p>Here is list of recent mSATA SSDs for <a href="http://skinflint.co.uk/?cat=hdssd&amp;v=e&amp;hloc=uk&amp;bl1_id=30&amp;sort=p&amp;xf=252_120~4832_10~3313_2014#xf_top" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Europe/UK</a> with capacities starting from 120 GB. I currently have a Samsung 840 EVO 120 GB which works fine so far, but there may be options that suit your needs better. Once you nailed down the features you want, look if the products are available in your country and for which price.</p> <p>Guessing by your name you probably want to use the <a href="http://geizhals.de/?cat=hdssd&amp;v=e&amp;bl1_id=30&amp;sort=p&amp;xf=252_120~4832_10~3313_2014" rel="nofollow noreferrer">German version of the site</a> for Austria and Germany.</p> <p>Edit: the following video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF9gqAtM2U4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF9gqAtM2U4</a> shows the installation of a second SSD in this model showing that it is possible.</p>
1864
2016-01-23T20:48:43.963
|laptop|ssd|sata|
<p>The <a href="http://h20566.www2.hp.com/portal/site/hpsc/template.PAGE/public/psi/manualsResults/?sp4ts.oid=7815289&amp;spf_p.tpst=psiContentResults&amp;spf_p.prp_psiContentResults=wsrp-navigationalState=action%3Dmanualslist%7Ccontentid%3DService-and-maintenance%7Clang%3Den&amp;javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&amp;javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken" rel="noreferrer">HP EliteBook 820 G3 manual</a> states that either a hard drive or a SSD might be installed (page 36). And not both at the same time. Thus, as-is, one can't install two SSD modules in that machine.</p> <p>The reason: apparently, the SSD connector is right there where the (SSD) SATA disk drive would be placed.</p> <p>I guess, if one really wants to install a 2nd SSD (in addition to the SSD that occupies the mSATA slot, cf. page 39) one could try following options:</p> <ul> <li>install a very slim SSD with SATA connector</li> <li>install a SSD into the WWAN slot (possibly also needs to be slim)</li> </ul> <p>For both options, I need hardware recommendations.</p> <p>And perhaps some details, e.g. how the WWAN slot is actually called (mini PCIe?), what modules are compatible (mSata?) and how slim a module would have to be.</p> <p>Preferably, the SSD module should come from Intel or be of comparable quality.</p> <hr> <p>Here is a combination of the drawings from page 36 and 39 of the manual showing the same drive bay for better visualization of the problem:</p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/folZk.png" alt="image showing overlapping msata port and HDD drive bay"></p>
2nd SSD in HP EliteBook 820 G3
<p>You want a GPU, not a CPU for gaming. Is there a reason you need to buy a new CPU? If not, spend that $200-$250 on a GPU instead.</p> <p>You want something like this: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150761" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150761</a></p> <p>Instead of dealing with piss-poor low graphics, you'll be able to turn up most settings to maximum for many games.</p> <p>Intel Integrated Graphics are suitable for desktop environments (very low graphics processing requirements) or video rendering (for software like OpenBroadcaster.)</p>
1871
2016-01-25T14:55:52.213
|gaming|graphics-cards|
<blockquote> <p><strong>CPU info</strong></p> <blockquote> <p>Name: <em>Intel Pentium G2030</em><br> Code Name: <em>Ivy Bridge</em><br> Generation: <em>3rd</em><br> Core frequency: <em>~3GHz</em><br> Cores, Threads: <em>2, 2</em><br> Max TDP: <em>55W</em><br> Graphics: <em>Intel HD Graphics</em></p> </blockquote> </blockquote> <p>I know very well it's a low-end CPU. I can't play high graphics games. Actually I can, but I need to minimize the graphics settings. These are the settings I usually set:</p> <blockquote> <p>Resolution: <em>960x720(4:3) or 1024x576(16:9), [Native Resolution: 1920x1080]</em><br> FPS: <em>30</em><br> Refresh Rate: <em>60</em><br> Fullscreen: <em>ON</em><br> VSync: <em>OFF</em><br> Texture Quality: <em>MEDIUM</em><br> HDR Filter: <em>OFF</em><br> Shadow Quality: <em>LOW (if "OFF" isn't in the option)</em><br> Motion Blur: <em>OFF</em><br> Glare Level: <em>OFF</em><br> Depth of Field: <em>OFF</em><br> FXAA: <em>ON</em></p> </blockquote> <p>As you can see, I will turn it off or select "low" if there are more options. My motherboard is made for Intel 3rd generation core i7/i5/i3/pentium/celeron processors. I would like to have suggestions about which processors I should buy without over the budget. I'm a completely idiot to hardwares btw.</p> <p><strong><em>Budget: $200</strong> (max. $250)</em></p> <p>I want to stick with my current <a href="http://www.ecs.com.tw/website2008/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=1366&amp;CategoryID=1&amp;DetailName=Feature&amp;MenuID=103&amp;LanID=0" rel="nofollow">motherboard</a>, and I want the best processor for gaming that I can effort.</p>
Graphics Processor for gaming under $250
<p>The answer to my own question is Silverstone RVZ01 with only 10.5 cm height. <a href="http://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/index.php?model=RVZ01" rel="nofollow">http://www.silverstonetek.com/raven/products/index.php?model=RVZ01</a></p> <p>They include a custom 90 degree riser inside the case, which should fit most GPUs.</p>
1875
2016-01-26T07:34:25.460
|graphics-cards|mini-pc|
<p>I'm building a <strong>slim</strong> PC around a mini ITX motherboard, which should pack enough CUDA power with a low price. I came into the conclusion that GTX 750 Ti is a good choice (OK performance, low price, low heat generation).</p> <p>The slimness I plan to achieve using a 90 degree PCI-e riser card (similar to <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-Express-16x-Riser-Card-90-degree-Right-angle-4cm-Adapter-Card-2U-/170914230015" rel="nofollow">http://www.ebay.com/itm/PCI-Express-16x-Riser-Card-90-degree-Right-angle-4cm-Adapter-Card-2U-/170914230015</a>)</p> <p>However, the problem is that I don't know if the GPU will fit a specific motherboard with a specific CPU cooler and if the RAM modules will interfere. Is the 750 Ti a reasonable choice and is there a difference between different manufacturers? Or should I look into some slimmer options? I am building a custom case, so PSU and SSD can be placed anywhere, even outside the motherboard's area.</p>
Slimmest possible mini-ITX setup with a decent GPU
<p>In my opinion <strong>Xiami RedMi 2 Pro</strong> is much better choice than <strong>SGS4</strong>. Below I present pros for both phones:</p> <p><strong>Xiami RedMi 2 Pro</strong></p> <ul> <li>it's new</li> <li>it has LTE</li> <li>it has DualSIM</li> <li>it uses MIUI OS which has regular updates</li> </ul> <p><strong>SGS4</strong></p> <ul> <li>better screen (AMOLED 1920x1080)</li> <li>better camera</li> <li>it's cheaper</li> </ul> <hr> <p>CPU and GPU are similar in this models maybe a little better in <strong>SGS4</strong>. The biggest advantage of Samsung phone is AMOLED Full HD screen but my choice would be <strong>Xiami RedMi 2 Pro</strong> because it has regularly updated OS (MIUI), LTE, DualSIM and it is <strong>brand new phone</strong>.</p>
1896
2016-01-27T14:31:20.070
|smartphones|mobile-phone|
<p>I have a Samsung Galaxy Y, which is an older smartphone with Android 2,3 gingerbread. Due to some battery issues, I need to buy a new phone.</p> <p>At this moment I have two options:</p> <p>Buy a <strong>NEW Xiami RedMi 2 Pro</strong> phone which has a warranty and all other benefits (case, earphones, promotional price, property card). Price: 149 USD.</p> <p>Buy a <strong>USED Galaxy S4</strong> which has a better price and better specs than the Xiaomi. Price: 115 USD.</p> <p>Even though the specs on the S4 are better than Xiaomi, I still have some doubts. The S4 was released in 2013 and has been used since September 2015.</p> <p>This question isn't intended to create a debate, is more to help me to make a decision. Any help would be appreciated.</p>
Comparison between Xiaomi RedMi 2 and Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500
<p>When given the choice between onboard, Xonar U5¹ and Prodigy Cube² under $100 one would probably go for the highest quality product available. A few years ago I would have chosen the Prodigy Cube, because it has designer components and an impressive professional looking <a href="http://audiotrack.net/en/usb/4009" rel="nofollow noreferrer">product page</a>. I bit later I would have gone with professional recording interfaces, but unless you can actually evaluate the objective audio performance of a device, a discussion will be more subjective based on taste and preference.</p> <ul> <li>Try onboard first. You are already willing to pay for it and it can be your fallback if the external soundcard drops out.</li> <li>I recommended to read a review about the Behringer UCA202 (~$30) in: <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/q/1663/1329">External USB audiocard with 3.5 or 6.35 jack output</a>. I feel a bit ashamed for dropping the name in every second answer of mine, but that is as much as I know or have experience with.</li> </ul> <hr> <ol> <li><p>Asus support staff was unable to answer a question about demanding low impedance headphones regarding their high-end soundcards. I have little to no confidence recommending their products if <em>"supports 600Ω"</em> is what they can say about it.</p></li> <li><p>I was interested in buying a Dr.DAC from Audiotrak until I read that the Alps potentiometer usually crackles and that this can be avoided in high quality designs.</p></li> </ol>
1909
2016-01-29T07:24:11.933
|audio|sound-cards|
<p>I'm looking for <strong>external sound card</strong> up to <strong>$100</strong> because I'm using build on <a href="https://www.msi.com/product/motherboard/Z87I-GAMING-AC.html#hero-specification" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MSI Z87i Gaming AC</a> (or can I use internal sound card on this motherboard ?) </p> <p>I will be using it to gaming and music with 2.0 speakers for about $100 but I don't know which I will buy, yet (<a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/1910/2-0-speakers-for-about-100">separate question</a>).</p> <p>I was thinking about:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00MI8IDRE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ASUS Xonar U5</a> - $70</li> <li><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00X8RCPJQ" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Prodigy Cube Black Edition</a> - $90</li> </ul> <p>Which product should I choose or maybe you have other more intresting propositions ?</p>
External SoundCard under $100 (2.0 speakers)
<p>I'd go for Audioengine's A2+. They are extremely versatile desktop speakers with a 2.0 powered system that produces excellent quality audio, even without a subwoofer. You’ll pay between $200 and $300 for the A2+, which is definitely a bargain for top-end speakers. Full review - <a href="http://soundgenetics.com/best-computer-speakers/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://soundgenetics.com/best-computer-speakers/</a></p> <p>Full disclosure: I am the author of the linked blog post.</p>
1910
2016-01-29T07:34:03.973
|audio|speakers|
<p>I'm looking for new 2.0 speakers (actually I'm using Creative T40 Series I).</p> <p>Why change ? - My actual speakers are 7-8 years old and I think that they are not playing so good like at the begining, so I want to change them for new one.</p> <p>Criteria:</p> <ul> <li>active speakers</li> <li>stereo, two speaker system</li> <li>price: ~100$ (maximum $150 but it has to be explained why it is better choice than ~$100 speakers)</li> <li>usage: gaming, listening pop/rock music</li> <li>important features: clear sound, hearable bass, volume control on speaker</li> </ul> <p>What am I looking for ? - I'm looking for speakers with the best sound quality in this price range.</p> <p><strong>My ideas and other recommendations:</strong></p> <p>Around $100:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.edifier.com/int/en/speakers/r1600-t3-2.0-powered-bookshelf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Edifier R1600TIII</a> - $105</li> <li><a href="http://www.microlab.com/?r=Stereosystemen&amp;st=full&amp;id=658" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Microlab Solo 6C New</a> - $115</li> <li><a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/a/2660/1366">Logitech Z150</a> - $23 - recommended by Journeyman Geek (but I think it's not what I'm looking for)</li> </ul> <p>Up to $150:</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.edifier.com/int/en/speakers/r1700bt-bluetooth-bookshelf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Edifier R1700BT</a> - $125</li> <li><a href="http://www.microlab.com/?r=Stereosystemen&amp;st=full&amp;id=659" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Microlab Solo 7C New</a> - $152</li> <li><a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/a/2659/1366">M-Audio AV42</a> - $148 - recommended by Journeyman Geek (AV-40 not available in my country)</li> </ul> <p>Looking for advice if I can find anything better in this price range.</p>
Stereo speakers ~$100 (max $150)
<p>You're going to want a raspberry pi or arduino to do this. I found this website <a href="https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/projects/raspberrypi/tutorials/temperature/" rel="nofollow">https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/projects/raspberrypi/tutorials/temperature/</a></p> <p>they take a 35$ raspberry pi, wire in a 5$ sensor and they were able to record temp readings. </p> <p>Raspberry pi can connect to your network using wifi or ethernet. There are simple scripts that would tell your pi to text you every hour the current temp. </p> <p>I hope this suggestion fits the bill, or at least leads in the right direction.</p>
1925
2016-02-02T05:26:08.630
|wireless|ethernet|scientific-instruments|
<p>I am looking for an interior temperature and humidity logger that meets the following requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Log access via WiFi or wired ethernet. USB not acceptable.</li> <li>Ability to store at least 48 hours of data if no connection available.</li> <li>Sampling rate every 1 hour or faster.</li> <li>Multiple devices can be used on same network / with same PC.</li> <li>Temperature accuracy at least +/- 0.5C.</li> <li>Relative humidity accuracy at least +/- 1%.</li> <li>Temperature range at least -10C to +40C.</li> <li>Windows or Linux compatibility.</li> <li>Under $50.</li> </ul> <p>Some sacrifice in accuracy may be OK if necessary to keep the cost down. Barometric pressure would be a nice-to-have but not required.</p> <p>The following things do not matter:</p> <ul> <li>Battery vs. wall power.</li> <li>Battery life.</li> <li>Wall-mount vs. anything else.</li> <li>Log viewing can be with proprietary software, no standard protocols or storage formats needed.</li> </ul> <p>I am also open to suggestions for reliable components for a DIY solution.</p> <p>I found <a href="http://www.weathershop.com/wifith.htm">this device</a>, which has almost all of the features I am looking for aside from humidity accuracy (+/- 2.5%), except it is currently $159.50 USD ($140.80 minimum cost from random small vendors on Google) and has <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B008LVQBI0">terrible Amazon reviews</a> (that appears to be the TH+ higher temperature accuracy model but I have a hunch the hardware quality is similar).</p> <p>I am finding that the network access requirement is severely limiting options.</p>
Low cost temperature and humidity logger
<p>I suggest the <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005O65JXI" rel="nofollow">Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO</a>. For one the cooler you have is huge for a cooler and actually has a bunch of people worrying about the same problem you have. Because the EVO is not meant to do anything more than keep your CPU cool it is much smaller and pack almost the same punch as the Macho. In addition, the Macho is double the weight of the EVO. As far as I could tell you only need a CPU cooler and nothing more, and that's what the EVO will do for you.</p>
1940
2016-02-05T14:21:14.957
|processor|memory|cooling|
<p>I am sitting here with the following specs:</p> <ul> <li>Case: <a href="https://www.sharkoon.com/product/1678/Rex8Val#desc" rel="noreferrer">Sharkoon REX8 Value Edition Black</a></li> <li>Motherboard: <a href="http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3907#ov" rel="noreferrer">Gigabyte GA-970-UD3</a></li> <li>CPU: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285" rel="noreferrer">AMD FX-8320</a></li> <li>CPU cooler: <a href="http://www.thermalright.com/html/products/cpu_cooler/macho120.html" rel="noreferrer">Thermalright Macho 120</a></li> </ul> <p>When I first ordered my computer, I didn't think too much of upgrading but now I do. I wanted to install additional RAM, however, I noticed that the CPU cooler is too big and is effectively blocking my RAM slots.</p> <p>(More specifically, the cooler blocks the first slot. Slot number two, three and four are free so I can place three RAM sticks at a maximum. Nevertheless I want to take advantage of the Dual Channel ability of my motherboard so I want to get 4x4 running and not 2x4 and 1x8.)</p> <p>It would be nice if the new cooler is small enough to free up my RAM slot and also is suitable to overclock my AMD to 4.0 GHz.</p> <p>Money doesn't pose a problem here.</p> <p>If you need pictures or additional information, I am more than happy to share some.</p>
I need a different CPU cooler
<p>a) If you feel like spending then something like <a href="http://tangible.media.mit.edu/project/inform/" rel="nofollow">MIT's inFORM</a> would be suitable for you (basically what you've asked for).</p> <p>b) Look at braille "monitors", but that's far from what you've asked.</p> <p>c) You could build one yourself if you have time but no money. </p> <p>About choice c: </p> <p>You can use standard (not LED) light bulbs (there are really small ones available too, like 3mm diameter ones), set them up in a 10x10 array. Light up the ones that need to form the display using a display controller, meaning a blind person can sense the heat generated by the bulbs. To control the bulbs you can use a microcontroller like Arduino Mega and send the characters to it with a PC program via USB. It would in overall cost you about ~50$ (plus 20$ for a uber cheap soldering iron) but hours of time, soldering together the array, programming the arduino and creating the desktop program will take respectively about 10h, 20h and 30h (about 60 work hours in total) if you have <strong>never</strong> done something like that ever and need to learn it all.</p>
1943
2016-02-05T18:14:10.983
|displays|touchscreen|
<p>Is there a tactile tabletop flat square ridge-forming display that would, upon receiving input from a computer, display the shape of a character or ideogram from an alphabet thus allowing a blind person to quickly understand the shape of such a character or ideogram? (Think about the 8,000 or so Chinese ideograms whose shape one could want to quickly learn.)</p>
Tactile "ridge-forming" tabletop displays?
<p><em>Short Answer:</em> Yes there are power banks that can do that. However, the power bank must support the feature and your phone.A famous brand of power banks can support this feature is <strong>Anker</strong> one type can be found on <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00X5RV14Y" rel="nofollow">Amazon</a>. There are cheaper ones. </p> <p><em>Output:</em> However, this is strongly advised! First, being that you power bank will <strong>exponentially</strong> increase in heat depending on your phone. Second, the power bank will from now on take a double amount of time to charge up than not charging your phone at the same time. Third, depending on your phone it will take even longer to charge your phone even once you go back to an adapter and a outlet in the wall. Choose wisely. </p>
1944
2016-02-06T01:10:01.453
|usb|power-supply|raspberry-pi|
<p>I have an external battery pack, for my phone. But I just bought a Raspberry Pi, and would like to create a UPS - fairly cheaply.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tnStp.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tnStp.jpg" alt=""></a></p> <p>I tried charging my phone and charging the pack with this one but it stops charging the device when it's receiving power.</p> <p>Are there any that can do this?</p>
Are there any USB battery packs that can provide power while charging?
<h2><a href="https://www.msi.com/product/notebook/GE62-6QF-Apache-Pro.html#hero-overview" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GE62 6QF Apache Pro</a></h2> <p>You have multiple options in my opinion. </p> <ol> <li>See if your shop offers this Laptop with a SSD.<br> This would be the easiest option for you probably </li> </ol> <hr> <ol start="2"> <li>Get a <strong>M.2 SSD</strong> - your laptop supports the new M.2 SSD's which are even faster than the regular SSD's. If a normal user really needs this is questionable but having the option is nice. It is more expensive though.<br> If you want to get a M.2 SSD <a href="http://www.skytech.lt/vidiniai-duomenu-kaupikliai-hdd-ssd-priedai-ssd-tipo-kaupikliai-solidstate-drive-c-86_85_1407_1408.html?f=s%28%29,g%28%29,p%282463%29,k%282.79,2100.00%29&amp;frag=&amp;fragd=0&amp;pav=undefined&amp;sort=5a&amp;sand=0&amp;grp=1&amp;pagesize=100&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>you can get it here</strong></a>. Any of these should work - pick one which suits your budget and read some reviews when you have doubts.<br> You would have to add this to your laptop yourself but there are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwYBmsjwHhE" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>some How-To's on Youtube</strong></a>.<br> I have made some good experiences with the <strong>Crucial</strong> and <strong>Intel SSD's</strong> - they were reliable and deliver a great performance.<br> <strong>EDIT:</strong><br> Your Laptop supports M.2 SSD's with a formfactor of 22x80mm. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mp3as.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mp3as.png" alt="M.2 Support from your Laptop"></a><br> Source: Manual for this Laptop </li> </ol> <p>But your manual does not say which M.2 Key Port it features - there are 2 different ones. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tskg.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/9tskg.jpg" alt="Different Key Ports of M.2 SSD&#39;s"></a><br> Source: <a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/kingston-sm2280s3-120gb-m-2-ssd-review_148015" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kingston SM2280S3 120GB M.2 SATA SSD Review on legitreview.com</a></p> <p>Your best bet when buying a M.2 SSD is to buy one with a B&amp;M Connector. These will fit the M.2 Port always. So your best bet would be <a href="http://www.skytech.lt/ssdsckjw240h601-ssd-intel-535-240gb-sata3-mlc-540490mbs-80mm-p-241960.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>this Intel 535 M.2 SSD 240 GB from Intel</strong></a> for example: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/PRy23.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/PRy23.jpg" alt="Intel 535 M.2 240 GB"></a><br> This will fit your laptops M.2 SSD port :) <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LhB9R.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LhB9R.png" alt="Measurements from Intel SSD"></a> </p> <p>Source: <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/86728/Intel-SSD-535-Series-240GB-M_2-80mm-SATA-6Gbs-16nm-MLC" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Intel ARK Page of this article</a> </p> <p>If you want to buy a SSD from another company then make sure to get one with B&amp;M key connector and with a formfactor of 22x80mm.</p> <hr> <ol start="3"> <li>Get a <a href="http://www.skytech.lt/vidiniai-duomenu-kaupikliai-hdd-ssd-priedai-ssd-tipo-kaupikliai-solidstate-drive-c-86_85_1407_1408.html?f=s%28%29,g%28%29,p%282461%29,k%282.79,2100.00%29&amp;frag=&amp;fragd=0&amp;pav=undefined&amp;sort=5a&amp;sand=0&amp;grp=1&amp;pagesize=100&amp;page=1" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>regular SSD</strong></a>. Your Laptop has a built-in DVD-drive - if you are not intending to use it that much you could swap it out and replace it with a SSD. If you plan on doing that you would have to get yourself a SSD and a <a href="http://hddcaddy.com/en/msi-hdd-caddy/1177-msi-ge62-ssd-hdd-caddy.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>SSD/HDD Cage</strong></a>. Then you would have to replace your HDD-drive with this cage which houses your SSD. </li> </ol> <hr> <p>So it depends on which road you want to take. You can't go really wrong with many of these. My Suggestion would be a <strong>Intel 535 M.2 SSD.</strong> But if you want to replace your DVD-Drive with a SSD then I'd probably go for the <strong>Crucial MX200 or BX100</strong></p> <hr> <p>I hope that this helps you a bit - if you still can't decide which one to buy or which path to take then feel free to leave a comment. I'll try to update the answer accordingly :)</p>
1952
2016-02-07T14:22:05.657
|memory|ssd|
<p>I am planning to get the MSI GE62 Apache Pro 15.6 FHD i7-6700HQ 8GB 1TB GTX970M 3GB laptop. I also want to get an extra 128GB of SSD (so I'll have a hybrid of 1TB HDD + 128GB SSD).</p> <p>The problem is that I've never done something like this and I have no idea what to buy. I'm afraid of getting something which is not even compatible with the device, so I'm asking for your help. <a href="http://www.skytech.lt/vidiniai-duomenu-kaupikliai-hdd-ssd-priedai-ssd-tipo-kaupikliai-solidstate-drive-c-86_85_1407_1408.html" rel="nofollow">This is where I will buy my SSD.</a></p> <ul> <li>Must be compatible with the laptop specified</li> <li>Available in, or shippable to, Lithuania</li> <li>128 GB or more (preferably without paying any more, obviously). </li> </ul> <p>Please help me on deciding which one to buy. </p>
Additional SSD for MSI GE62 APACHE PRO?
<p>I realise that I'm a little late to the party and you may have already solved this problem yourself but thought I'd chip in with my two cents in case it would be of any use.</p> <p>The router you are absolutely looking for is the Netduma R1, made by a small UK based startup and based upon a Mikrotik router board loaded with Netduma's own firmware.</p> <p>This router uses a completely unique anti-flood algorithm that completely eliminates ping spikes due to other users on your network downloading, streaming etc and it absolutely works.</p> <p>The router also allows bandwidth prioritisation per device, as well as including a unique patented geo-filter that allows you to specify the distance (radius) of servers you wish to play on from your home location when playing on dedicated servers as well as refusing users from other parts of the world if playing a peer-to-peer network game.</p> <p>You can also specify maximum pings and either blacklist players by gamertag/PSN ID or IP address or whitelist friends who maybe outside your geo-filter/ping filters but you still wish to game with.</p> <p>I have used the Netduma and can honestly say that whilst the promise sounds too good to be true this is one device that isn't actually snake oil and does actually work as advertised, In fact I would go as far as to say that this is the single biggest improvement to my online gaming I have ever made it really is transformative when configured correctly.</p> <p>The features on the Netduma are light years ahead of what is currently available on so called "gaming" routers primarily because of the brilliant implementation of the software.</p> <p>The only downside to the router is that it only comes with 2.4 GHz WiFi , however this issue can be circumvented by adding in an addition WiFi access point and turning off the routers WiFi signal, in my case I paired the router with a Ruckus Wireless R710 AP and the results are superb.</p>
1954
2016-02-07T18:33:55.990
|gaming|networking|router|
<p>I am looking for a router whose <strong>built in firmware</strong> can ensure QoS such that if one user is say downloading torrents (completely hogging up the bandwidth) it will slow his speed down to the point that others' ping will stay low. This is to ensure that if someone is playing an online game (where RTT is essential), to them it will be as if nothing has happened as their ping will not shoot up.</p> <p>Do note that I <strong>do not</strong> want any per application/port setup as there are many ways to hog the bandwidth (not just torrents) and there are many games as well and it will get arduous to configure each thing separately.</p> <p>This functionality definitely exists in an <a href="http://www.gargoyle-router.com/wiki/doku.php?id=qos" rel="noreferrer">open source router firmware called Gargoyle</a> (the feature is called MinimizeRTT). I am using this currently and it works like a charm.</p> <p>My real reason for asking this question is that there must be at least one big router company that thought that this would be a good idea, especially when working code is available openly by Gargoyle.</p> <p>This question is for a router that supports this <strong>out of the box</strong> (buying one with pre-installed custom firmware doesn't count!). Can anyone point me to a router that has this functionality without needing to install custom firmware?</p>
Router that supports ping based QoS out of the box
<p>One option is <a href="https://www.particle.io/" rel="nofollow"><strong>Particle</strong> (f.k.a. <strong>Spark</strong>) <strong>Photon</strong></a> - STM32F205 ARM Cortex M3 microcontroller with Broadcom BCM43362 Wi-Fi module, 1MB flash, 128KB RAM for $19.</p> <p>Second option is <a href="http://www.wifimcu.com/" rel="nofollow"><strong>WiFiMCU</strong></a> - STM32F411CE ARM Cortex M4 microcontroller with Broadcom Wi-Fi module, 2MB SPI flash, 512KB on-chip flash, 128KB RAM for $10.</p> <p>Another option is a much cheaper <strong><a href="http://nodemcu.com/index_en.html" rel="nofollow">NodeMCU</a></strong> - ESP8266 microcontroller with 64 KB SRAM, 96KB DRAM, 4MB flash for $4.</p> <p>The last option is <a href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/13231" rel="nofollow"><strong>SparkFun ESP8266 Thing</strong></a> - also based on ESP8266 with On-board LiPo battery charger for $16.</p> <p>All of MCUs support full TCP/IP stack and partial SSL. </p>
1963
2016-02-08T01:33:09.070
|wifi|microcontroller|internet-of-things|
<p>I want to gather data from multiple sensors, make simple operations on them (like store last samples in a buffer, calculate moving average, etc.) and send them to the Internet of Things cloud using WiFi. Which MCU should I use for this purpose?</p> <p><strong>Constraints:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Cost: cheaper than $25</li> <li>Size: smaller than the <a href="https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/ArduinoBoardUno" rel="noreferrer">Arduino Uno</a></li> <li>Storage: more than 1KB non-volatile memory</li> <li>Interfaces: I2C, serial, WiFi</li> <li>Computing power: supports TCP/IP stack, ideally with TLS</li> <li>Security: some kind of encryption</li> </ul>
Which cheap microcontroller with Wi-Fi to choose for IoT endpoint devices?
<p>Since your main concerns are "not a downgrade from a GMA950" and "dual VGA support", I recommend a <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129188&amp;ignorebbr=1" rel="nofollow">VisionTek Radeon 7000</a>, $36 from Newegg. It's an absolutely ancient card (released 15 years ago), but the <a href="http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html" rel="nofollow">Tom's Hardware hierarchy</a> puts it on the same performance tier as the nearly-as-ancient GMA950. It's got one VGA output and one DVI output with a DVI-to-VGA adapter, it uses one of your board's PCI slots rather than a PCIe slot, and it's <a href="http://www.x.org/wiki/RadeonFeature/" rel="nofollow">well-supported by the open-source ATI drivers</a> (R100 column). I haven't found a solid source for maximum resolution, but it appears to be <a href="http://www.anandtech.com/show/536/7" rel="nofollow">at least 1600x1200</a>.</p> <p>Alternatively, if you can find one, I recommend a GeForce 5200, again with a PCI interface. One VGA and one DVI-I is common, it's somewhat more powerful than either the Radeon 7000 or the GMA950, and it's got <a href="https://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix/" rel="nofollow">decent support by the open-source drivers</a>. If you really want to use your PCIe slot, a few 5200 boards used an AGP-to-PCIe adapter chip to give them a PCIe interface.</p>
1968
2016-02-08T19:16:27.927
|graphics-cards|linux|monitors|multiple-monitors|
<p>My motherboard is a <a href="http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?CategoryID=1&amp;DetailID=827&amp;DetailName=Feature&amp;MenuID=1&amp;LanID=0" rel="nofollow">945GCT-M2/1333 (V1.0A)</a>. It only has one PCI-E slot and integrated Intel® Graphics (GMA950) (it's bad, but in no way I want worse). The CPU is Intel® Celeron E1200 and the PC has 2GB RAM.</p> <p>I've got two VGA monitors, one is currently hooked up to the PC, but I also wish to use the second one. But I could get a used DVI monitor, but that would probably cost me a bit too much in addition to the graphics card so I'd seriously rather not.</p> <p>Basically any video card that can handle two monitors at 1280x1024 and won't bottleneck the system overall would do. But it has to work under Ubuntu 15.10 64bit properly.</p> <p><strong>I'll repeat</strong> for clarity that there are two <strong>VGA</strong> displays, the motherboard only supports PCI Express <strong>x16 v1.1</strong>, it can not be a downgrade and it has to be supported well under Ubuntu 15.10. That means only a small range of cards is left.</p>
Video card for dual-monitor setup
<p>The 750W PS is perfectly fine for your config.</p> <p>This is just my opinion: I usually go for more smaller drives than less larger drives. If you get 8 600GB drives you will get the same storage capacity (or very close to it, depends on how they are formatted by the FS) but you will get a large speed bonus, which will generally be a good thing if this server is going to run VMs that are I/O intensive.</p> <p>If this server absolutely needs to be running 24/7 i would also get a secondary PS and run it on a different power circuit. If one goes down than the other one can take over.</p>
1981
2016-02-10T15:56:47.000
|server|virtual-machines|
<p>Our small company needs server capable of running several virtualized machines using both linux and windows guest systems. The chosen host OS is Hyper-V Server 2012 R2 (to be upgraded to Hyper-V Server 2016 as soon after RTM is released). At least 4 drives in raid 10 are required, ideally expandable to 8 drives in the future. We have budget of about 5500€.</p> <p>We've compared some options and currently we are thinking about following configuration from Lenovo:</p> <p>Server specification:</p> <pre><code>Processor: Intel® Xeon® E5-2620 v3 (6C, 85W, 2.4GHz) Hard Drive Bays: 8 Hard Drive Type: 2.5" HS Hard Drive Included: none Memory Included: 8GB DDR4-2133MHz (1Rx4) RDIMM Memory Slots Total / Available: 16 / 15 Pre-Loaded OS: none RAID Supported: 0,1,10 Power: 750W Platinum Management: none Warranty: 1 Year </code></pre> <p>Included parts:</p> <pre><code>1x Intel® Xeon® E5-2620 v3 (6C, 85W, 2.4GHz) 1x 8 GB DDR4-2133MHz (1Rx4) RDIMM 1x ThinkServer RAID 500 Adapter (0,1,10) 1x ThinkServer RD350 x16 PCIe Riser 1 Kit 2x 1GbE ports plus dedicated management port 1x 750W Platinum Power Supply 1x Slide Rail Kit 1x Slim DVD-RW </code></pre> <p>Addons:</p> <pre><code>1x 4XG0F28846 Lenovo ThinkServer RD350 Intel Xeon E5-2620 v3 (6C, 85W, 2.4GHz) Processor 3x 4X70F28589 Lenovo ThinkServer 8GB DDR4-2133MHz (1Rx4) RDIMM 4x 4XB0G88736 Lenovo ThinkServer Gen 5 2.5" 1.2TB 10K Enterprise SAS 12Gbps Hot Swap Hard Drive </code></pre> <p>What is your opinion on this configuration? And more importantly, is there anything missing? For instance - this configuration is running two processors - is the 750W power supply enough?</p>
Server hardware recommendation/validation for hyper-v
<p>After no response I bought <strong>NZXT GRID+V2</strong> and I can easily recommend this hardware to anyone looking for internal fan controller with many features.</p> <h2><strong>Setup:</strong></h2> <p>I installed it in Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ITX with one 200 mm intake fan and three 140 mm exaust fans. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCHef.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iCHef.jpg" alt="setup1"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gDT9g.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gDT9g.jpg" alt="setup2"></a></p> <p>It is connected to motherboard through USB connector and to PSU (12V) with Molex 4-Pin connector.</p> <h2><strong>CAM Software:</strong></h2> <p>This is dedicated software for this fan controller which allows not only controling fans but also gives many options of monitoring hardware.</p> <ul> <li><strong>fan controller</strong> (it allows to customize curve of each fan speed according to GPU or CPU temprature)</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tklck.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tklck.png" alt="fancontroller"></a></p> <ul> <li><strong>system monitor</strong> (CPU,GPU,RAM,HDD,SSD,MOBO,NET)</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/T3CA3.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/T3CA3.png" alt="monitor1"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2H4l9.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/2H4l9.png" alt="monitor2"></a></p> <ul> <li><strong>FPS overlay</strong> (allow to put and customize overlay with FPS, CPU temprature and load, GPU temprature and load and other visible on screen)</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/x21nB.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/x21nB.png" alt="overlay1"></a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vBxPz.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vBxPz.png" alt="overlay2"></a></p> <p><strong>Final conclusion:</strong> </p> <p>I paid for NZXT GRID+ V2 <strong>$40</strong> and I think it's absolutly worth this price. <strong>It is not only fan controller</strong> it is also really good system monitor and fps overlay. I can recommend it to anyone looking for internal fan controller. </p>
1987
2016-02-11T07:25:50.993
|cooling|fan-controller|
<p>I'm looking for internal fan controller which will meet my requirements:</p> <ul> <li>internal (I want to put it inside my case)</li> <li>set fan speeds based on GPU &amp; CPU temperature</li> <li>it has to control at least <strong>four 3-pin fans</strong></li> <li>price: <strong>under 50$</strong></li> </ul> <p>My proposition: <a href="https://www.nzxt.com/products/GRID-Plus-v2" rel="nofollow">NZXT GRID+V2</a> </p> <p>Is there any good alternative for NZXT GRID+V2 ? Maybe you can suggest some other cheaper/better solutions ?</p>
Internal fan controller
<p>I finally worked out what 1GB effective memory actually means in the EAX1550. ATI has a feature on some of their cards called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HyperMemory" rel="nofollow">HyperMemory</a> which allows the card to <em>steal</em> some of the the systems main memory (RAM). The reason for doing this is that it allows for ATI to produce cheap video cards with a large amount of processing memory without the need for expensive on board memory. </p> <p>The downside to this is that it requires the system to surrender a portion of its RAM for graphics processing. Also, due to the fact that a large portion of the GPU's memory is not on board, large amounts of data must be moved between the card and the main system causing some latency issues.</p> <p>As for which one plays Skyrim better, i have yet to run some tests but i will probably post my very unofficial results here for anyone who is interested. (My money is on the card without HyperMemory, as it should run slightly faster, albeit with less memory)</p>
1988
2016-02-11T07:58:30.037
|graphics-cards|
<p>I am currently trying to upgrade my rather outdated (but reliable :) ) PC without spending very much money at all. I have these two similar graphics cards in my possession right now.</p> <p><a href="https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/EAH4350_SILENTDI512MD2/specifications/%22EAH4350%20Silent%22" rel="nofollow">EAH4350 Silent</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.asus.com/Graphics-Cards/EAX1550TD256MA/specifications/" rel="nofollow">EAX1550/TD/256</a></p> <p>As you can see both cards are similar, yet the second one has half the video memory and double the effective memory size of the first?</p> <p>My question is, what is effective memory, how does it relate to video memory and/or the performance of the card? (And to be <em>extremely</em> general, which card will run Skyrim better?)</p> <p>** Basic specs on my PC **</p> <ol> <li>CPU: Intel core2 duo @ 2.8GHz</li> <li>RAM: ddr2-1066 4GB (2X2 GB)</li> <li>OS: Windows xp sp3</li> <li>GPU: Currently have the EAH4350 Silent installed</li> </ol>
What is the difference between video memory and effective memory size (GPU's)
<p>I think you should try the <a href="http://toptechreview.tech/best-17-inch-laptop/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Razer Blade Pro 4K gaming laptop</a> it is perfect for development. It uses the 7th generation core i7 CPU. It has 2.9GHz speed, with a 3.9GHz Turbo and 4.3GHz over-clock potential. It has Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU with 8GB of VRAM.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0GPCu.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/0GPCu.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
1990
2016-02-11T10:09:41.833
|laptop|game-development|
<p>So I'm looking for a computer to learn game development on, that should cover the following bases:</p> <ul> <li>Have either a 15.6 or 17.3&quot; screen (not sure which would be better for me, but no less than 15.6&quot;)</li> <li>Have a decent GPU (most likely GTX 960m)</li> <li>Have a decent CPU (prob. 5th/6th gen intel i7, most I looked at had the 6700HQ)</li> <li>Have either 16GB ram or 8GB with the option of upgrading to 16GB</li> <li>Have an IPS panel</li> <li>either good battery life or some way to charge without a wall socket e.g. USB 3.1 with reversible power.</li> <li>not be incredibly expensive (800-1k$)</li> </ul> <p>(I'm willing to compromise on a count or two if it's a better choice overall)</p> <p>after a lot of searching I actually found a few that covered my bases, except the last one (battery life). since by definition powerful laptops require more power, most of the rigs I looked at didn't have amazing battery time. knowing this I looked for ones with USB 3.1-C ports thinking I could charge them via power bank. but after settling on the ASUS GL552VW/GL752VW, I found out that it does NOT support the PD 2.0 standard meaning it's useless for charging and I would be limited to the lackluster ~4hr battery.</p> <p>So, that being said- here are some of the laptops I've considered so far:</p> <ol> <li><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834298771&amp;cm_re=dell_i7559-_-34-298-771-_-Product" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dell Inspiron i7559-2512BLK</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232770&amp;cm_re=Asus_gl752vw-_-34-232-770-_-Product" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ASUS ROG GL752VW-DH71 (17&quot; version)</a></li> </ol> <p>Any recommendations or general input would be more than welcome!</p> <p><strong>P.S. - I know a desktop would be better for my purposes, but that's not a relevant option for me at the moment.</strong></p>
Looking for a laptop to learn game development on the go
<p>Undoubtedly the intel cpu. Benchmarks don't lie and I'm positive even that since 4th gen Haswell i5's intel has been significantly outperforming even the 8350, let alone the 8320. I'd also check out some of nVidias GPUs if you haven't already</p>
1993
2016-02-11T15:04:51.093
|processor|
<p>Is the AMD still viable? </p> <p>I'm looking at a mild upgrade to my existing rig, including video card and memory, not much else. I'm curious if the 8320 is still adequate considering the reasonable cost of the 6500 Skylake (which is considered pretty good for its price but no overclocking). I do some gaming, but don't care about 4k or reaching super ultra high whatever. I plan on a 380x AMD gfx card, so that part should be good to go. </p> <p>If I go the AMD route, I only need to swap CPU, as I currently have an AMD system and compatible MB. Whereas, going Intel would require new MB, new RAM, and the CPU. </p> <p>Aside from normal computer usage (internet, email, etc) and playing WoW or BF4, the AMD should be just fine. Right? Or would it be best to spend the little extra and go Intel, considering the new platform means I can upgrade the CPU later.</p> <p>I am currently using an AMD FX-6100 with a Radeon 6770. Any upgrade is an upgrade. As for budget, I can do the Intel route for about $575 USD or the AMD upgrade for about $400. I really just want to know if the 8320 is still a viable option or just bite the bullet and go all in Intel.</p>
AMD FX-8320 or Intel Skylake i5-6500?
<p>I would get the same fan that is on the cooler. You know that it will fit on the cooler and have the same performance. I would make sure that you have enough room on the other side of the cooler before purchasing the additional fan, as it look like you might have another heat sink in the way (it might not be, its just hard to tell from your picture at that angle). </p> <p>It appears that <a href="https://www.silentiumpc.com/en/sigma-pro-120-pwm/" rel="nofollow">this fan</a> is the same one that comes with the cooler. If you do not decide to get the same fan, I would get a fan that has the same RPM as the one on the cooler, as the fan with the lower RPM will just get in the way of the faster fan, reducing the cooling effectiveness. </p>
2002
2016-02-12T13:37:47.567
|processor|cooling|
<p>So I've bought a SilentiumPC Fera 2 HE1224 CPU cooler for cooling my CPU and I really like it so I want to make my CPU even cooler by adding an another fan to blow the air out - on the other side of the radiator. But i do not know if I should buy the fan with more RPM, lower RPM or the same RPM as the original has. Actual Fan has 1400 rpm. Thanks for the answers.</p> <p>Edit: This is how it approximately looks now. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/jX0hA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/jX0hA.jpg" alt="http://www.bestpcinfo.pl/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SilentiumPC-Fera-2-Monta%C5%BC-na-p%C5%82ycie.jpg"></a></p>
What RPM on 2nd CPU Fan is better? Higher, lower or the same?
<p>While Peter has explained why Nvidia Optimus is a problem and ivaan has proved that even a 980M won't work. If the laptops, MSI GT Series GT72S DomPro4K-059 and MSI GT Series GT72S DomProG-070 are too expensive. I would suggest going with a Razer Blade Stealth with Razer Core or Alienware 13 with a graphics amplifier. They will allow you to keep your price low while being VR compatible in a flexible way. </p>
2036
2016-02-15T10:19:52.617
|laptop|graphics-cards|vr-headset|
<p>I'm in the market for a new gaming laptop. Because you can't easily upgrade the components in laptops, I'd ideally like to buy one that has the potential to run VR. However, my day to day needs do not demand that much GPU power, so I'd like to buy the minimum hardware spec I can get away with.</p> <p>I know I could wait until the headsets come out and a new generation of GPUs is around to support them, but I'd prefer to make the purchase now if possible, as it'll save me a bit of tax.</p> <p>So I've done a bit of research and my understanding is that Oculus are suggesting desktop grade GTX970 is the minimum. That would suggest that a 980M ought, in practice, to be able to support an Oculus Rift. However, I believe I'm right in saying that the 980M is still integrated rather than a separate board, and that it uses Nvidia Optimus. To be frank, I don't entirely understand what this is, nor why it's a problem for VR.</p> <p>I also know that there's a new desktop grade 980 out, suitable for laptops. This is expensive and doesn't have wide distribution. I also don't know whether this is board mounted/uses optimus or not. I also don't know if it's G-Sync enabled, as this seems to be a good idea for VR.</p> <p>I was originally looking at the Asus ROG G752VT as it seems to offer excellent value for money. But it's got a 970M, which I suspect isn't going to be enough and is going to run into the optimus problem.</p> <p>So the baseline question is: what's the mininum specification I need to get a laptop-ready VR.</p> <p>Bonus points if you'd be kind enough to break this down into:</p> <ul> <li><p>What's Nvidia Optimus and why is it a problem for VR?</p></li> <li><p>Is the "desktop" 980 significantly better for VR than the 980M, and is it Optimus/G-Sync/separate card?</p></li> <li><p>Will my preferred option of the Asus ROG be enough, at a push, for a Rift?</p></li> </ul>
What's the minimum hardware spec needed for a VR ready laptop?
<p>After some considerations I have decided for HIKVISION platform. I chose that platform over DASHUA mostly because of better support in my country and better firmware upgrade program.</p> <p>Multiple platform (like DASHUA, HIKVISION, AVTECH etc.) cannot be mixed nowadays mostly because ONVIF G standard is not yet widely implemented. Some attempts like Ozeki SDK exist to unify surveillance devices in terms of universal software library, but downloading historical data is not supported on the DVR/NVR devices yet.</p> <p>So it is better option to buy a new hybrid DVR on every site and use one common software like iVMS 4200.</p> <p>Such a device is either</p> <p><a href="http://www.dahuasecurity.com/products/hcvr510451085116hs-s3-1425.html" rel="nofollow">HCVR5104/5108/5116HS-S3</a> with SmartPSS or</p> <p><a href="http://www.hikvision.com/en/Products_accessries_364_i5791.html" rel="nofollow">DS-7204/7208/16HQHI-F1/N</a> with iVMS 4200 (which I chose).</p> <p>Hope one day the ONVIF G gets implemented and there will be a decent SDK or unversal tools to use it with various devices.</p>
2038
2016-02-15T13:10:24.197
|video|video-camera|video-capture|
<p>I am looking for a DVR like product capable of following: </p> <ul> <li>can connect to various CCTV cameras (with a standard BNC output) mostly PAL CVBS.</li> <li>downloading of historical data can be performed remotely (nightly) over a secured channel (SFTP, SSH, Windows share etc.), eventually less secure FTP etc. from a distant location over IP network, the format should be preferably chunks of some standard video format like mp4 with H.264 codec</li> <li>supports options to embed real-time video output into a custom web page or windows app</li> <li>supports good motion detection and good quality with options (ideally storing both motion detected scenes and the whole time separately)</li> <li>it would be nice to have a good metadata about videos created, so that output recordings time vs. motion detection could be created programatically</li> <li>can be setup to delete old recordings automatically or programatically</li> <li>provides option to connect external monitor to show real-time cameras' pictures on site</li> </ul> <p>I am considering creating an intranet video surveillance server. So I am looking for a DVR with good automation options. Ideally with video surveillance server software option.</p> <hr> <p>Ok, I just need a good universal and not too expensive device even without points 2 - 3 (downloading ..., embedded video output), if there are any ideas?</p>
One DVR device to standardize video surveillance on multiple sites
<p>It seems that the best way to find a compatible Samsung TV is to check the firmware version on the Samsung Support pages. You can check that the downloadable firmware for that TV set is above 1400.</p> <p>As a reasonable answer to this question, we found this device:</p> <p><strong>Samsung UE32J5550 80 cm</strong></p> <p>At a price of <strong>327 Euros</strong> at the time of writing.</p> <p>Small enough to fit on my desk, and cheap enough to please the boss.</p>
2040
2016-02-15T16:17:36.463
|television|development|
<p>I need to locate a Tizen TV running at least version 1400 for work purposes. It needs to be Tizen because I intend to write Apps for Tizen. It needs to be at least version 1400 because that is where developer mode is accessible.</p> <p>It is deceptively difficult to locate an acceptable device. We purchased a device already that was advertised with Tizen to test with. However, it does not update beyond version 1106.</p> <p>The device we tried was UE32J4570SS.</p>
The cheapest Samsung Smart TV running Tizen with at least firmware version 1400
<p><strong>Update:</strong> I found the socketed i5 5675C with Iris Pro 6200 (48 EU GT3e 128 MB L4) at <a href="http://www.ldlc.com/" rel="nofollow">LDLC.com</a></p> <p><strong>CPU:</strong> <a href="http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00188815.html" rel="nofollow">Intel Core i5 5675C with Iris Pro 6200 iGP (€289.95 @ LDLC.com)</a> <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/88095/Intel-Core-i5-5675C-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz" rel="nofollow">(Processor Specs @ Intel ARK)</a></p> <p>A multiplier unlocked quad core Intel CPU, it has 48 Gen 8 EUs, comparable to the Iris 540 and 550, and double the amount of L4 eDRAM. 65W TDP. Compatible with DDR3 RAM only.</p> <p><strong>Motherboard:</strong> <a href="http://www.ldlc.com/fiche/PB00173785.html" rel="nofollow">Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3 (€89.95@ LDLC.com)</a></p> <p>Z97 Express chipset, supports mulitplier overclocking, 2 x PCIe x16 slots, 2 x PCI. 6 X SATA 6 Gb/s with support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10.</p> <p>Second option @ <a href="http://www.sabmegastore.com/commande.php?cat=mont&amp;sm=4&amp;p=1&amp;mu=&amp;comp=ORB000" rel="nofollow">Sabmegastore</a></p> <p><strong>CPU:</strong> <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/88184/Intel-Core-i5-6500-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_60-GHz" rel="nofollow">Intel Core i5 6500 Quad core 3.2 GHz CPU</a> 248.90 €</p> <p>Is a quad core</p> <p><strong>Motherboard:</strong> <a href="http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5495" rel="nofollow">GIGABYTE Z170-HD3P</a> 142.90 €</p> <p>Has 2 x PCIe x16 sots. One only uses x4 lanes though. Also has 2 x PCI and support for RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, and RAID 10.</p> <p><strong>GPU:</strong> GIGABYTE GEFORCE GT 740</p> <p>Much faster than Iris. 64W TDP, plus the 65 W from the CPU makes 129 W. 50% headroom gives 194W total consumption.</p> <p>Assembly + 2 year warrenty is 69.00 €, otherwise buy the parts separately.</p>
2041
2016-02-15T17:08:47.083
|motherboard|
<h1>Reason</h1> <p>I wanted to wait for buying this hardware upgrade. However, the motherboard of my computer stopped to work this morning, so the need become more urgent <em>(I'm writing this with my tablet)</em>.</p> <h1>Rules</h1> <ul> <li>The motherboard need to be atx compatible. It should feature at least 1 pcie x16 slot and at least a mini pci one.</li> <li>I don't care about core or Xeon. The whole price should be below 700€.</li> <li>The cpu should be at least a quad core one.</li> <li>The motherboard need to support hardware or fake raid 1.</li> <li>The delivery should be possible in France. <em>(many intel cpu models are not sold here)</em></li> <li>Should not consume more than 250W.</li> </ul> <h1>Update</h1> <p>I need to say for those gpu models that the available cpu sockets are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_grid_array" rel="nofollow noreferrer">bga only</a> <em>(no lga based models availaible yet)</em>. Except if I'm wrong.</p> <p>So it means while I'm looking for a particular gpu model, the cpu+gpu+motherboard is sold as a single device which can't be ordered into separate parts <em>(the same way you don't buy a northbridge chipset without a motherboard)</em>.<br /> This why I specify the requirements of both the cpu and the motherboard.</p>
motherboard featuring intel iris 540 or 550 or 580
<p>Samsung all day, every day. Their warranty is amazing and the speeds are all at the top of the charts. I've installed several Evos and Pros in systems and have been nothing but thrilled with the results, especially in older systems.</p>
2045
2016-02-16T05:47:54.360
|hard-disk|ssd|
<p>I'm new to SSD, After doing some research i end up with 2 models ADATA SP550 120GB and Samsung EVO 120GB. ADATA seems to be a TLC NAND Flash which is low in endurance but i have no idea about EVO(Could be TLC/MLC). But both are of 3-bit/cell flash memory. Please suggest me a good one.</p>
Which one I should go for, ADATA SP550 120GB vs Samsung EVO 120GB SSD's?
<p>After reviewing my answer your CPU is compatible only with 990FX motherboards. So I deleted second option because it wasn't compatible with your CPU. I also added cheaper alternative which will work in your setup.</p> <hr> <p><strong>MSI 990FXA GAMING - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130859" rel="nofollow">149.99 on newegg</a></strong></p> <p>This motherboard meets all your requirements and is good for OC. Additionally it has really good software. It's really solid construction.</p> <p><strong>ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1N83UD9887" rel="nofollow">134.99 on newegg</a></strong></p> <p>This is cheaper alternative which is also good constuction and meets your requirements.</p>
2049
2016-02-16T21:34:10.367
|gaming|motherboard|video-editing|
<p>I'm looking for a motherboard to replace my old one that's been giving me problems lately (See <a href="https://superuser.com/questions/1027376/custom-built-computer-wont-turn-on-anymore">this thread</a>).</p> <p>The PC is used for heavy gaming (All new games running max settings; GTA V, Fallout 4, etc). It's used for a fair amount of video/photo editing as well.</p> <p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>AM3+ CPU socket</li> <li>Budget is around $150USD</li> <li>USB 3.0 header support</li> <li>At least 4 USB ports on the back (USB2.0 is fine)</li> <li>Built in 5.1 surround sound support (No additional sound card needed)</li> <li>WiFi, bluetooth, integrated video and PS/2 are <em>not</em> required.</li> <li>Needs to work with the rest of my components, obviously (See below)</li> </ul> <p>HDD - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA8UW3GP4298" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Seagate Barracuda 2 TB HDD SATA 6 Gb/s 64MB Cache</a></p> <p>CPU Cooler - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103189" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cooler Master V8 GTS</a></p> <p>PCU - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151102" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SeaSonic X Series X-850 (SS-850KM3 Active PFC F3) 850W ATX12V</a></p> <p>SSD - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA6232GM5508" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Crucial MX100 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal</a></p> <p>RAM - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231473" rel="nofollow noreferrer">G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133</a></p> <p>CPU - <a href="http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA7BB3T72010" rel="nofollow noreferrer">AMD FX-9590 Vishera 8-Core 4.7 GHz Socket AM3+ 220W - Black Edition</a></p> <p>GPU - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487079" rel="nofollow noreferrer">EVGA GeForce GTX 980 4GB SC GAMING ACX 2.0</a></p> <p>Tower - <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133192" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition</a> </p> <p><strong>Update:</strong></p> <p>I raised my budget to 150usd, that would probably be a more logical budget for a decent board. I'm also flexible on the price, if it's more expensive than my budget, but is an overall better choice, then go ahead and suggest it. As long as it's not way out of the budget. </p>
AMD gaming motherboard upgrade
<p>Atomic Pi, ~$35 on Amazon. Runs an Atom X5 Z3850 CPU (quadcore, with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB SSD), very energy efficient. Good for Linux, not Windows.</p>
2052
2016-02-17T02:28:11.063
|embedded-systems|mini-pc|micro-pc|thin-mini-itx|
<p>I was looking for a cheap x86 machine for assembly development and other hackery and I was wondering if such a system exists. The system must meet the following requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Under $100 including price of memory.</li> <li>Must not be a compute stick or <strong>must be able to run headless</strong>.</li> <li>Must be able to run non-custom Linux distributions.</li> </ul>
Cheapest x86 machine?
<p>I'm currently doing 4k gaming - a 980TI is probably the most <em>sensible</em> option - its 90% of the performance of this generation's titan at 75% of the cost <em>stock</em> but I'd wait for the next generation if possible. On one hand they promise massive improvements. On the other hand, last gen hardware is cheaper.</p> <p>What do I base this on?</p> <p>I'm running a ivy bridge core i7 with 16 gb of ram. I'm <em>rarely</em> ram or CPU throttled. I do have a 980ti which performs <em>adequately</em> for my needs. That said I don't seem to think I hit the limits of my video card ram, and I seem to have <em>some</em> headroom with my GPU with most games, and I usually turn it up <em>past</em> the nvidia recommended settings. .</p> <p>My advice would be to do a video card upgrade, but to wait a bit. If you must buy one <em>now</em>, while its pricy, a 980TI is likely your best option for dx11, single card gaming. That said, the next generation should have similar performance or better, and there's a few new interesting technologies - smaller process sizes and Ram varients that might make it worth the wait. Don't get me wrong, my current card is <em>glorious</em> but we should be seeing things like HBM <em>this year</em> on most cards. </p> <p>That said, things may change soon - AMD's cards are doing <em>really</em> well at dx12 (and there's big price cuts on the high end R9s), and vulcan's coming out. And of course new cards promising more performance. </p>
2061
2016-02-18T09:06:45.947
|gaming|graphics-cards|processor|pc|
<p>I want to upgrade my PC and I don't know which path should I choose. I want raise performance in games and be able to OC my PC which is not possible now because I have blocked CPU (without K). All my parts were bought to fit <a href="http://www.raijintek.com/en/products_detail.php?ProductID=17" rel="nofollow">Rajintek Metis</a> case but it was to hot inside and I changed my case to <a href="http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-ITX.html" rel="nofollow">Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Itx</a> which is much larger, has better air flow and can fit bigger GPU. </p> <p>Additional info:</p> <ul> <li>Resolution: 1920 x 1080 but I may buy 4K monitor in near future</li> <li>what do I play: newest titles without first person shooters</li> <li>budget: ~$400 but I want to choose upgrade which will give <strong>best performance per spent dollar</strong></li> </ul> <hr> <p>My actual setup:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: <a href="http://ark.intel.com/pl/products/80810/Intel-Core-i5-4690-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz" rel="nofollow">Intel® Core™ i5-4690</a></li> <li>MOBO: <a href="https://www.msi.com/product/motherboard/Z87I-GAMING-AC.html#hero-overview" rel="nofollow">MSI Z87I GAMING AC</a></li> <li>GPU: <a href="http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5369#ov" rel="nofollow">Gigabyte GTX960 ITX 2GB</a></li> <li>PSU: <a href="http://www.thermaltake.com/This/Smart_Series_/Smart_SE/C_00001964/Smart_SE_530W/design.htm" rel="nofollow">Thermaltake Smart SE 530W</a></li> <li>RAM: <a href="http://eu.crucial.com/eur/en/blt8g3d1608dt1tx0ceu" rel="nofollow">Crucial Ballistix Tactical 8GB</a></li> <li>HDD: <a href="http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=770#Tab3" rel="nofollow">WD 1TB Blue</a></li> <li>SSD: <a href="http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/storage-ssd-mx100?cm_re=top-nav-_-flyout-ssd-_-us-ssd-learn-about-mx100" rel="nofollow">Crucial MX100 128GB</a></li> <li>CPU COOLER: <a href="http://www.phanteks.com/PH-TC14S.html" rel="nofollow">Pkanteks PH-TC14S</a></li> <li>CASE: <a href="http://www.phanteks.com/Enthoo-Evolv-ITX.html" rel="nofollow">Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Itx</a></li> <li>CASE Cooling: 200 mm intake fan provided with case</li> <li>CASE Cooling: 3 x <a href="https://www.nzxt.com/products/fn-v2" rel="nofollow">NZXT FN V2 (140 mm)</a> exaust fans (2 x top, 1 x rear) </li> <li>FAN controller: <a href="https://www.nzxt.com/products/GRID-Plus-v2" rel="nofollow">NZXT GRID+ V2</a> </li> </ul> <hr> <p><strong>Which of paths listed below will be the best choice ?</strong></p> <hr> <p><strong>PATH 1:</strong></p> <p>Cheapest way. Only upgrade GPU &amp; RAM. No OC possibility.</p> <p>Sell:</p> <ul> <li>GPU: ~$200</li> <li>RAM: ~$30</li> </ul> <p>Buy:</p> <ul> <li>GPU: <a href="https://www.msi.com/product/graphics-card/GTX-970-4GD5T-OC.html#hero-overview" rel="nofollow">MSI GTX970</a> ~$380</li> <li>RAM: <a href="http://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/MEMORYMODULES/OVERCLOCKING/DDR3/Vulcan%20DDR3%202400" rel="nofollow">Teamgroup Vulcan 2400 Mhz, CL11, 2 x 8GB</a> ~$100</li> </ul> <p><strong>SUM: ~$250</strong></p> <hr> <p><strong>PATH 2:</strong></p> <p>It's the most probable upgrade for me. It will upgrade my GPU and give me possibility to overclock my CPU with upgrading it to i7.</p> <p>Sell:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: ~$180</li> <li>GPU: ~$200</li> <li>RAM: ~$30</li> </ul> <p>Buy:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: <a href="http://ark.intel.com/pl/products/80807/Intel-Core-i7-4790K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_40-GHz" rel="nofollow">Intel® Core™ i7-4790K</a> ~$390</li> <li>GPU: <a href="https://www.msi.com/product/graphics-card/GTX-970-4GD5T-OC.html#hero-overview" rel="nofollow">MSI GTX970</a> ~$380</li> <li>RAM: <a href="http://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/MEMORYMODULES/OVERCLOCKING/DDR3/Vulcan%20DDR3%202400" rel="nofollow">Teamgroup Vulcan 2400 Mhz, CL11, 2 x 8GB</a> ~$100</li> </ul> <p><strong>SUM: ~$360</strong></p> <hr> <p><strong>PATH 3:</strong></p> <p>Upgrade only GPU but to GTX 980. Will my not overclocked i5 4690 be a bottleneck for this card ?</p> <p>Sell:</p> <ul> <li>GPU: ~$200</li> </ul> <p>Buy:</p> <ul> <li>GPU: <a href="https://www.asus.com/us/Graphics-Cards/STRIXGTX980DC2OC4GD5/" rel="nofollow">Asus GTX 980 DC2 OC Strix</a> ~$600</li> </ul> <p><strong>SUM: ~$400</strong></p> <hr> <p><strong>PATH 4:</strong></p> <p>Upgrade to Skylake it will be the most expensive, so I'm not sure if this upgrade is worth this price. To fit budget range I have to resign from i7 (to i5) and 16 GB RAM (to 8GB) and it's still $45 more expensive than Haswell upgrade.</p> <p>Sell:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: ~$180</li> <li>MOBO: ~$90</li> <li>GPU: ~$200</li> <li>RAM: ~$30</li> </ul> <p>Buy:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: <a href="http://ark.intel.com/pl/products/88191/Intel-Core-i5-6600K-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz" rel="nofollow">Intel® Core™ i5-6600K</a> ~$280</li> <li>MOBO: <a href="https://www.msi.com/product/motherboard/Z170I-GAMING-PRO-AC.html#hero-overview" rel="nofollow">MSI Z170I GAMING PRO AC</a> ~$175</li> <li>GPU: <a href="https://www.msi.com/product/graphics-card/GTX-970-4GD5T-OC.html#hero-overview" rel="nofollow">MSI GTX970</a> ~$380</li> <li>RAM: <a href="http://www.gskill.com/en/product/f4-3200c16d-8gvkb" rel="nofollow">G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x4GB, 3200MHz, CL16</a> ~$70</li> </ul> <p><strong>SUM: ~$405</strong></p> <hr> <p>It's really hard choice for me which path will be the best for spent dollar? In addition I have to ask if my PSU will be enough for all this configurations or should I add PSU with more power to this four paths ?</p> <hr> <p><strong>Edit:</strong></p> <p><strong>PATH 5</strong></p> <p>So if the best solution is to save more money and wait for new architecture (GPU), I will do it but still my setup won't give me possibility to OC when it will be needed. My last idea is to sell CPU and RAM and upgrade it with better (but used, when they are still on market and people are changing them to Skylake) CPU and better RAM memory which won't be so expensive like other upgrades but will give me possibility to raise performance of my setup when it will be needed.</p> <p>Sell:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: ~$180</li> <li>RAM: ~$30</li> </ul> <p>Buy:</p> <ul> <li>CPU: <strong>used</strong> Intel® Core™ i7-4790K ~$300 or</li> <li><p>CPU: <strong>used</strong> Intel® Core™ i7-4690K ~$220</p></li> <li><p>RAM: <a href="http://www.teamgroupinc.com/en/product/MEMORYMODULES/OVERCLOCKING/DDR3/Vulcan%20DDR3%202400" rel="nofollow">Teamgroup Vulcan 2400 Mhz, CL11, 2 x 8GB</a> ~$100</p></li> </ul> <p><strong>SUM i7: ~$190</strong> </p> <p><strong>SUM i5: ~$110</strong></p> <p>Does this solution have sense ?</p>
Upgrade path to raise performance in games
<p>One alternative would be to use an internal Ethernet add-on card. It's a lot better than the USB solution usually...</p> <p>One (very cheap) example: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5M11TB9358" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA5M11TB9358</a></p> <p>Advantages to other solutions:</p> <ul> <li>works with most motherboards</li> <li>better speed than USB 2.0 options</li> <li>doesn't take up any USB 3.0 ports</li> <li>cheaper than many alternatives</li> </ul> <p>It has better bandwidth and reliability than the USB options suggested earlier, and it can be cheaply added to ANY motherboard someone else suggests as the solution, which allows total overall cost to be much lower (given that 2x ethernet port motherboards are indeed generally expensive). With an adapter like this, almost any motherboard that supports his chosen CPU will work just fine for your purposes. </p>
2065
2016-02-18T17:30:16.520
|motherboard|ethernet|
<p>My work computer is very slow, and so I am looking to upgrade some of the parts. I have the intel i5-4440 that I'm going to put in it, but this CPU is not compatible with my current motherboard.</p> <p>Here's the slightly esoteric requirement: I work with programming <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EtherCAT" rel="noreferrer">EtherCAT</a> boards over an Ethernet port, and I also like to use Ethernet for my internet connection. Unfortunately, my current motherboard only has one Ethernet port, and no wifi card. This means I will frequently switch out my Ethernet cord from the router to the board I'm working on, and it's very annoying to have to pick between an internet connection and talking to the board I'm working on. (I suppose a better solution would be to buy a wifi card, but I'd like to keep the Ethernet connection if I can)</p> <h1>Requirements</h1> <ul> <li><p>Compatible with the i5 4440 CPU, DDR3 RAM and the GTX 610 GPU.</p> </li> <li><p>At least 4 USB ports.</p> </li> <li><p>Micro ATX</p> </li> <li><p>Relatively cheap. I'm thinking around 70 USD.</p> </li> </ul> <h1>Preferences</h1> <ul> <li>USB 3.0 would be awesome, but I could settle for 2.0 if I had to.</li> </ul> <p>I don't have any strong brand or appearance preferences.</p>
Motherboard for work computer with 2-Ethernet ports
<p>Most of the models linked here have fans mounted in a fashion that makes them work like axial fans with a big dead spot¹ in the middle and directly blowing at the mostly closed surface or trying to suck air from it, which probably causes more turbulence in the fan itself than actual cooling of the device. I don't think this is a very efficient design, neither do I think that the mentioned extracting cooler fan helps support the CPU cooler in the laptop doing it's job better. It tries to get the hot air out faster, but doesn't help getting fresh and cool air into the system.</p> <p>We had some older very hot running laptops in the office here in Germany. I bought an <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B002G3FRG6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Arctic NC</a> suitable for 14 and 15 inch sized laptops which made it run significantly cooler and I have used it since then for most of the laptops I worked with in the office. It's rather small and mostly quiet. I would recommend looking for such a device that works more like a radial design and covers the entire surface without any dead spots. The downside of this particular cooler is, that your laptop only stands on two points on this fan which may be bit unstable in some cases compared to the other designs. </p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bKq0s.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p> <p>As I said I live in Germany where it doesn't get very hot and our offices are outside of town, my co-worker in Hungary living in a not well ventilated <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau" rel="nofollow noreferrer">apartment</a> had more severe heat problems with the same laptop model (trying to cool with +40°C fresh air). So it also depends on where you live.</p> <hr> <ol> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tip-magnetic_driving" rel="nofollow noreferrer">TMD fans</a> were proposed as a solution to the dead spot problem more than 10 years ago, but never got as popular as the radial based designs you can find today.</li> </ol>
2073
2016-02-19T15:49:36.250
|laptop|cooling|
<p>I have an ASUS N56VB and have been researching laptop coolers for a while now (or maybe even too much). I checked the areas where the laptop overheats when playing games and noticed that it happens only on the left side. Even the hard drive, which is on the bottom right, is unaffected. Also, I think the vents are not at the bottom of the laptop but on it's left side. There are of course a lot of brands which make the choice even harder.</p> <p>Considering those circumstances, I am not sure whether to buy a cooling pad with 1 fan, 2 or 4 fans. 1 fan lies always in the center, and the heating occurs on the left side only. 2 fans might be sufficient. 4 fans, while at the right areas, seem redundant.</p> <p>Here are some pictures:</p> <p>Some measurements - <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tHEOR.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/tHEOR.jpg" alt="Measurements"></a></p> <p>The side vents - <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vHrS3.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/vHrS3.jpg" alt="Side vents"></a></p> <p>I thought that maybe this will be good: <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B0148IKWYS" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.amazon.com/BlueFinger%C2%AE-Arrival-Notebook-2200-4000%C2%B110%25RPM-Ultra-portable/dp/B0148IKWYS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1455965509&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Bluefinger+2+in+1</a> As it has both a cooling pad and a cooler on the side, but there are not enough reviews for this product.</p> <p>Another good product is this: <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B016CL2F5S" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.amazon.com/Cooling-TeckNet-Notebook-Adjustable-Temperature/dp/B016CL2F5S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1455965555&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=TeckNet%C2%AE+Gaming+Laptop</a> Mainly because of the temperature display and the on/off switch (which hopefully also turns off the fans themselves).</p> <p>Or perhaps this one (or something similar? there could be others that are way better): <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B003ZUXXWO" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-Massive23-Notebook-Oversized-CLN0015/dp/B003ZUXXWO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1455965583&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Thermaltake+Massive23</a> Perhaps one fan is better? I'm not sure.</p> <p>So far I'm thinking about the BlueFinger cooler (mainly because it is pad&amp;side cooler) but the lack of reviews is disturbing. I would really appreciate your assistance as I have never bought a laptop cooler before.</p>
Not sure about which laptop cooler to choose
<p>Based on your picture, and description involving "U" and "Q", it sounds like you are thinking of a product from <a href="https://www.ubnt.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ubiquiti Networks</a>. There was a very detailed article about them on <a href="http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/review-ubiquiti-unifi-made-me-realize-how-terrible-consumer-wi-fi-gear-is/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ars Technica</a> last October.</p> <p>The only issue is, they don't have have a router that looks similar to your image. There are <a href="https://www.ubnt.com/products/#all/wireless" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Access Points</a> though.</p> <p>One of the ones that Ars reviewed was the <a href="https://www.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-ac-pro/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">UniFi AP AC Pro</a>. You can get this <a href="https://store.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ac-pro.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">directly from Ubiquiti</a> (when it isn't sold out) for $150.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/fAtxh.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/fAtxh.jpg" alt="Unifi AP AC Pro - Source: Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/review-ubiquiti-unifi-made-me-realize-how-terrible-consumer-wi-fi-gear-is/"></a></p>
2080
2016-02-21T12:59:30.440
|wifi|router|
<p>Several weeks or months ago I read a discussion, probably on Hacker News, and in it somebody recommended a router that fixed all his router problems. Reception was excellent, and it had an option to configure guest access on a separate network, secure from the rest, without much effort. </p> <p>I don't remember the name of the brand. I believe it had U and Q in it, but I'm not sure. The router itself was round and white, like the Engenius, but as I remember it without the leds. Pricing was about 80 euros for the basic model, and there were pro versions for about 240 euros. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tsxdb.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Tsxdb.jpg" alt="Engenius router"></a></p> <p>Do you have any idea which router I'm referring to? It could even be Engenius, but I don't find anything about the guest network setup in the reviews. </p>
Looking for specific router / access point brand
<p>You can use HP Dl585 G5 or DL385 G5. These servers use AMD based processors</p> <p>both of them take PC2_5300 RAM</p> <p>DL385 G5 Specs Memory : Up to 128 GB (with PC2-5300 8GB DIMMs). PC2-6400 800MHz DDR2 Select models support 2:1 Bank Interleaving. 4:1 Bank Interleaving (Data saved across 2 pairs of DIMMs) and Node interleaving support (data saved across 2 processors memory sets) also available</p> <p><a href="http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c04286576.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c04286576.pdf</a></p> <p>DL 585 G5 PC2-5300 Registered DIMMs at 667 MHz <a href="http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c04286140.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetPDF.aspx/c04286140.pdf</a></p>
2084
2016-02-21T16:50:22.957
|memory|server|
<p>I have the following type of spare 64GB RAM</p> <p>DDR2 ECC</p> <p>4GB 2Rx4 PC2-5300P RAM PC2-5300P-555-13-ZZ</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iQ3WN.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/iQ3WN.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>This came with IBM System X3850 M2 which had issues so didn't work as expected </p> <p><strong><em>What I am looking for</em></strong></p> <ol> <li>Used HP or Dell server</li> <li>Price range $300 or less</li> <li>Two quad core </li> <li>any compatible server which will work this RAM</li> </ol> <p><strong><em>Existing work</em></strong> </p> <ol> <li>tried with my dl580 and dl380 but they were not compatible</li> <li>It also did to work with del power edge r900</li> <li>Searching on google and eBay basically lists RAM only. Not finding any servers that way</li> </ol>
I have DDR2 ECC RAM but want to find a compatible server
<p>This should work perfectly except you should note that you cannot install Windows based drivers on a Mac which means that some of the more advanced functionality on some components cannot be used.</p>
2098
2016-02-23T21:43:34.727
|compatibility|
<p>so I'm in the process of building this Hackintosh workstation and I'm going to dual boot it with Windows 10 and Mac(El Capitan) can someone tell me if these parts are compatible or what I would have to do to make them compatible.</p> <p>Parts:</p> <p>CPU: Intel Xeon E5-2620 V3 2.4GHz 6-Core Processor</p> <p>Motherboard: MSI X99A GAMING 7 ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard</p> <p>Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws 4 series 64GB (8 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory</p> <p>Storage: 2x Samsung SSD 850 PRO 2.5" SATA III 512</p> <p>GPU: NVIDIA Quadro M4000 8GB Video Card</p> <p>Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC68 802.11a/b/g/n/ac PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter</p> <p>Case: NZXT H440 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case</p> <p>Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply</p>
Hackintosh Workstation build suggestions
<p>It looks like the ONVIF standard is the future way of getting recorded videos from devices like IP cameras.</p> <p>By typing <strong>Profile G</strong> into <a href="http://www.onvif.org/ConformantProducts/ProfileProducts.aspx" rel="nofollow">this web page</a> you can get a list of compatible device, mostly IP cameras, and very few client software apps (only 2). </p> <p>Recordings are being accessed via URL like this</p> <p><a href="http://10.8.3.173/onvif/Recording" rel="nofollow">http://10.8.3.173/onvif/Recording</a></p> <p>But we must still wait for a decent SDK, that would enable to create Onvif G profile client in languages like C#, so it is hardly usable yet.</p>
2113
2016-02-25T09:20:27.800
|ip-camera|waterproof|
<p>I am looking for an outdoor IP camera with night vision and good resolution, ability to cover distances about 100 m with good detail (registration plate, face etc.). There are some good recommendations <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/59/weatherproof-ip-camera-for-long-distances">in this question</a>. </p> <p>It is quite common for theese cameras to have an SD card inserted and recordings can be saved there. Is there a chance there is some IP camera with built-in FTP, SFTP server, or with HTTPS download of recorded video files periodically (nightly)? Like it is possible from an IPCorder device. Or to setup FTP send to some given schedule, like every day at 22:00. </p> <p>Seems like <a href="http://www.vivotek.com/fd8372/#overview" rel="nofollow noreferrer">VIVOTEK 8372</a> can be configured to send FTP data only when defined event fires, which could be OK, but it is not well documented how it actually works. From <a href="https://www.cameraftp.com/CameraFTP/Support/SupportedCameras.aspx" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this link</a> it seems that it is rather used for sending pictures from the camera to be shown on a web page which is quite useless for this purpose.</p> <hr> <p>Looking around my last hot candidate are Panasonic cameras WV-SFV6 series - in their <a href="http://ssbu-t.psn-web.net/Products/IP_camera/WV-SFV631L_611L/Manual/PGQP1582WAC1_WV-SPN631_OI_en.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">manual</a> there is on the page 160 an option <code>Allow FTP access to camera</code>. This seems to be promising, even there is a data structure on the last page that looks very well, any experience with this or anything similar? The problem is that theese cameras are relatively expensive and perhaps installing less expensive camera tohether with NVR would be less costly.</p>
Outdoor IP Camera with built in FTP (SFTP, web) server
<p>I used to use one of these to serve as a wireless receiver for a machine that only had an ethernet port.</p> <p><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B007PTCFFW" rel="nofollow">TP-LINK-TL-WR702N-Wireless-Repeater</a></p> <p>In addition to serving as a "wireless card" for my device it also could have been configured to serve as an access point, a repeater and a few other functions. Once I got it configured it worked well and never gave me any problems.</p> <p>Edit:</p> <p>I should add that to configure this I didn't have to do anything fancy, the device came with a small disc that contained some configuration software, I had to install the software and plug it into my computer to do the initial setup which wasn't any different than logging into your router normally would be.</p> <p>Additionally there is more than one model that has this form factor (the nano size), it would behoove you to make sure the one you are looking at will be able to handle the sort of traffic you plan to run through it.</p>
2115
2016-02-25T12:33:47.757
|wifi|
<p>Can someone recommend a cheap (up to $15-$20) device that can receive a wireless signal from my main router and transfer it to a classic network wired switch?</p> <p>I have found bunch of cheap repeaters on eBay, but don't know if any of them can pass a wireless signal to a wired network.</p>
Wi-Fi repeater recommendation
<p>I finally bought an <a href="http://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B0166VYZI4?psc=1&amp;redirect=true&amp;ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00" rel="nofollow">Asus ROG G551JW-DM379T</a> following the advices of my SysAdmin (Quoting : "Asus is GOOD").</p> <ul> <li>It is not too flashy</li> <li>Features an hybrid HDD (1Tb + 24Gb)</li> <li>Windows 10</li> <li>Good processor (Core i7) and graphics card (GeForce GTX960M)</li> <li>Was quite "cheap" (980€, which allowed me to take some accessories with it)</li> </ul>
2153
2016-03-01T10:15:57.857
|laptop|gaming|
<p>I'm going to buy a laptop for both gaming and coding (I already have a bigger, powerful PC for most of the games though, but I also want to play on the laptop).</p> <p>I want something :</p> <ul> <li>nice-looking</li> <li>quick to boot (A SSD for the OS seems mandatory, or a hybrid drive)</li> <li>A good battery life (3+ hours)</li> <li>With an OS (W10)</li> <li>Comfortable for long sessions of coding</li> <li>Reliable in the long term</li> </ul> <p>I don't mind about not having an optical drive.</p> <p>Are there brands I should avoid ?</p>
New laptop for gaming/work, around 1000 €
<ul> <li>Your motherboard is on <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/52806" rel="nofollow">H61 Express Chipset</a>. </li> <li><a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/52806#@compatibility" rel="nofollow">List</a> of compatible CPUs with your motherboard.</li> <li>Highest compatible generation working with your motherboard is <strong>Ivy Bridge</strong> (3rd generation).</li> </ul> <p>I would choose between <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/65719/Intel-Core-i7-3770-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-3_90-GHz" rel="nofollow">i7 3770</a> or <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/65702/Intel-Core-i5-3570-Processor-6M-Cache-up-to-3_80-GHz" rel="nofollow">i5 3570</a> it depends if you need more threads.</p>
2161
2016-03-02T04:36:09.327
|processor|motherboard|desktop|
<p>I have a Dell Optiplex 3010.</p> <p>I want to upgrade my CPU ,The motherboard is the Dell Inc. 042P49 (CPU 1) and currently has a Intel Core i3 2120 Socket 1155 LGA installed.</p> <p><strong>I need the advice to choose the proper CPU compatible with my device to upgrade and also i want to know what is the maximum Generation that working well with my device etc 3th 4th 5th</strong></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6budD.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/6budD.png" alt="CPU-Z Snapshot"></a></p>
Dell Optiplex 3010 - Upgrading CPU
<p>If you are looking for laptop for gaming you should look for machine with best GPU. On newegg in this price range the best solution will be:</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834232849" rel="nofollow">ASUS ROG G751JY-WH71</a></strong> $1600 most important features:</p> <ul> <li>i7 4th generation CPU </li> <li>GeForce GTX 980M</li> <li>SSD 128 GB</li> <li>16 GB DDR3 RAM</li> </ul> <p>In your price range it will be best solution because of GTX 980M GPU. It is the most important part for gaming in laptops. The rest will also meet your requirements. It has no USB 2.0 port but USB 3.0 is backward compatible so you can use one of USB 3.0 slots for USB 2.0 devices.</p> <hr> <p>If you are from Croatia like your profile says, it will be a little harder. I checked that €1500 is around 11500 Kn so I looked for laptop which meets your requirements in Croatian shops (I'm not familiar with Croatian market it would be easier if you provide some "good croatian shops url's") and I found:</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.ekupi.hr/Notebook-Acer-ASPIRE-G9-591-73PJ-Predator-15-NXQ07EX011-801899.aspx" rel="nofollow">Acer ASPIRE G9-591-73PJ Predator 15</a></strong> - 11000 Kn on ekupi.hr:</p> <p>Pros:</p> <ul> <li>6th generation i7 CPU (6700HQ)</li> <li>8 GB RAM DDR4 (it is enough for gaming)</li> <li>GeForce GTX970M (worse than ASUS but should be enough for most of new games)</li> </ul> <p>Cons:</p> <ul> <li>no SSD drive</li> <li>no operating system</li> </ul> <p>It is much worse than ASUS but it's best solution which I could find on Croatian websites. I would look for something with GTX 980M if it's possible in this price range in Croatia. If you provide me with url's of "good" Croatian shops with laptops I will look what you can find there.</p>
2175
2016-03-03T22:53:03.887
|laptop|gaming|memory|
<p>I would like to buy laptop which is good for playing modern games (of 2015, and for 2016 which are coming), multitasking (video editing and internet usage) and excellent for multimedia (HD videos watching and HD audio listening).</p> <p>It should have at least a core i7 processor (at least 3GHz) with 16GB RAM and graphics card with at least of 2GB DDR5 memory.</p> <p>Must have WiFi and Bluetooth and at least one USB 3.0 port and one USB 2.0 (because I have one external USB 3.0 HDD and one USB 2.0 HDD).</p> <p>Which one would you recommend me to buy? I have a budget of around €1500.</p>
Gaming laptop with 16GB RAM for around €1500?
<p>A word of caution: you've got a Dell. Dell is known for using non-standard pinouts on their power supplies, so if possible, check the documentation before plugging anything in.</p> <p>That said, I think the technical name for what you're looking for is an EPS-to-PCIe cable, such as <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812198035&amp;ignorebbr=1&amp;cm_re=pcie_power_cable-_-12-198-035-_-Product" rel="nofollow">this Y-cable from Newegg</a>. Yes, it's a Y-splitter rather than a straight-through cable, but the keying pattern matches what's in your picture.</p>
2178
2016-03-04T13:50:55.923
|power-supply|
<p>I am trying to find a power cable for My NVIDIA Quadro 4000. My Dell server has an 8 pin connection on the Power Distribution Board and the GPU has a 6 pin slot. I can get both of these connections on different leads but can't find them as a combination in order to power my GPU.</p> <p>What power supply provides both of these connections?</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXEJS.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/nXEJS.jpg" alt="Image of connection"></a> </p>
power cable for My NVIDIA Quadro 4000
<p>The original Hi-Fi Wi-Fi speaker company, <a href="https://www.sonos.com" rel="nofollow">Sonos</a>, seems to be your fit. They have three product lines that are <strong>fully inter-operable</strong> with each other; in order of increasing quality (and obviously price): <a href="http://www.sonos.com/products/wireless-speakers" rel="nofollow">the Play 1, 3 and 5</a> at $200, $300 and $500 respectively. </p> <p>Despite the $50 budget breach per speaker, I include the Play 5 because you'll need at least one (or the CONNECT or the CONNECT AMP) <em>for full source computer (Apple) audio</em> (i.e. sources from non-Sonos compatible streaming apps). The Play 5 is also the only one with an AUX, the biggest speaker and as I mentioned the speakers are fully inter-operable, so you can mix and match.</p> <p>As long as you have at least one Play 5/CONNECT/CONNECT AMP connected to an AirPort Express, all models <strong><em>exceed</em></strong> your critical requirements:</p> <blockquote> <p>Critical features:</p> <p>The Wireless speakers I am looking for should be able to source computer audio, and let me select where to play it at any time <em>(yes for Apple devices via AirPlay)</em>:</p> <ul> <li>Play one of the speakers, or...</li> <li>Both speakers at the same time <em>(2 speakers be can linked for great stereo output)</em> <ul> <li><em>additional speakers can all play at the same time</em></li> <li><em>all speakers can be divided and grouped individually into zones playing different music. Note: if using AirPlay, group functions are still available, however AirPlay is treated by Sonas a single source-so same music only in that group</em></li> </ul></li> </ul> <p>Additionally, I would like them to:</p> <p><a href="https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1241#5" rel="nofollow">Support AirPlay streaming from iOS devices</a></p> </blockquote> <p>And satisfy almost all optional features:</p> <blockquote> <ul> <li>Support direct streaming from services like Spotify <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTyWKvwrHs0" rel="nofollow">(<em>with Spotify premium-yes</em>)</a>, Soundcloud <em>(not sure-but if it plays through AirPlay then yes)</em></li> <li>Allow Aux Line-In or equivalent (<em>Play 5 only</em>) </li> <li>Manufacturer also provides <a href="http://www.sonos.com/products/wireless-stereo-components" rel="nofollow"><em>"bridge"</em></a> unit that can connect ordinary line-in speakers to the Wi-Fi system</li> </ul> </blockquote> <p>Now in contrast to previous Sonos speakers, the latest ones connect directly to your Wi-Fi and don't require the old $50 bridge. Assuming a total budget of $900 for any 2 speakers and that you have an AirPort Express (additional $100 if you don't), to stay within it you could get (in order of preference): </p> <ol> <li>(1 x Play 5) + (1 x Play 3) = $800</li> <li>(1 x Connect) + (1 x Play 3) + (1 x Play 1) = $850</li> </ol> <p>I'd go with option 1 myself because it's more than enough my for average (European) place. All the Plays sound amazing, but obviously the Play 5 <strong>really</strong> fills the room, so put plug that in your bigger/more frequented room with the AirPort Express <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8F-6HwuHGs8" rel="nofollow">next to it</a>. If you don't have an AirPort Express you can get one and still be in your $900 budget. </p> <p>If you want to fill a large house, stretch the budget and get 2 Play 5s. Or buy 1 Play 5, test it and decide on another or a Play 3. The main lady will try, but she'll never keep you down. </p>
2194
2016-03-06T11:36:57.697
|audio|wireless|speakers|
<p>At home, I frequently move between two rooms with my OS X laptop. I would like to get two wireless speakers and place one in each room, to avoid the hassle of having to connect them via Aux Line-in.</p> <h2>Critical features:</h2> <p>The Wireless speakers I am looking for <strong>should be able to source computer audio</strong>, and let me select where to play it at any time:</p> <ul> <li><em>Play one of the speakers</em>, or...</li> <li><em>Both speakers at the same time</em></li> </ul> <p>Additionally, I would like them to:</p> <ul> <li>Support <em>AirPlay streaming</em> from iOS devices</li> </ul> <h2>Optional features:</h2> <p>Optional, but not critical:</p> <ul> <li>Support direct streaming from services like Spotify, Soundcloud</li> <li>Allow Aux Line-In or equivalent</li> <li>Manufacturer also provides "bridge" unit that can connect ordinary line-in speakers to the Wi-Fi system</li> </ul> <h2>Pricing:</h2> <p>Up to 450 USD per speaker, but preferably lower. Audio quality should be <strong>good</strong> but doesn't need to be <strong><em>Hi-Fi great</em></strong> (and thus very expensive).</p> <hr> <p>Because of the above criteria, I'm assuming that Bluetooth speakers are not effective, because I need to be able to move around with the laptop and still have connectivity. Also, there is a thick wall between the two rooms so they wouldn't be able to communicate with each other via Bluetooth.</p> <p>So my question is if you could recommend some Wi-Fi speakers that meet these critera – if there are any?</p>
Wireless Speaker Pair that can play simultaneous audio from computer?
<p>English is not my native language so please be patient.</p> <p>Your requeriments doesn't go with your budget, so you'll have to drop some requeriments, especially for non chinese brands. </p> <p>I would recomend the <a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_2_pro-7710.php" rel="nofollow">Xiaomi RedMi 2Pro</a> ($147 US):</p> <ul> <li>Compatible with micro SD card (Yes)</li> <li>Uses android OS (Yes 4.4 upgradable to 5.1)</li> <li>A good camera(Yes, but 8MP) 1080p@30fps (Yes) w/flash and auto-focus (rear Camera only)</li> <li>Camera on both sides. (Yes 8MP and 2MP)</li> <li>Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (No, 720 x 1280 pixels ~312 ppi pixel density)</li> <li>Multi-touch is a must. (Yes)</li> <li>Screen Size: atleast 4.7in. (Yes)</li> <li>Must have atleast 3GB RAM (No, 2GB)</li> <li>Rootable (unlocked bootloader would be a bonus) (Yes, not sure about the bootloader)</li> <li>Compatible with Straight Talk (Not sure, but I think this depends more of the country than the phone)</li> <li>4G LTE (Bonus)</li> <li>Multicolor Notification Led (Bonus)</li> <li>Dual SIM (Bonus)</li> <li>First 30% Quick Charge (Bonus)</li> </ul> <p>But more accurate to your needs is the <a href="http://www.gsmarena.com/xiaomi_redmi_note_3-7863.php" rel="nofollow">Xiaomi RedMi Note 3 Pro</a> ($210 US). This satisfies all your needs and bring you <strong>awesome bonuses</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Compatible with micro SD card (Yes)</li> <li>Uses android OS (Yes, 5.1)</li> <li>A good camera(Yes) 1080p@30fps (Yes) w/flash and auto-focus (Both Sides)</li> <li>Camera on both sides. (Yes 16MP and 5MP)</li> <li>Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (Yes,~403 ppi pixel density)</li> <li>Multi-touch is a must. (Yes)</li> <li>Screen Size: atleast 4.7in. (Yes, 5.5)</li> <li>Must have atleast 3GB RAM (Yes, <strong>Pro Model</strong> come with 3GB)</li> <li>Rootable (unlocked bootloader would be a bonus) (Yes, not sure about the bootloader)</li> <li>Compatible with Straight Talk (Not sure, but I think this depends more of the country than the phone)</li> <li>Fingerprint (Bonus)</li> <li>4G LTE (Bonus)</li> <li>Multicolor Notification Led (Bonus)</li> <li>Dual SIM (Bonus)</li> <li>Quick Charge (Bonus)</li> </ul>
2199
2016-03-06T19:24:56.453
|android|smartphones|
<p>I'm looking for a great android phone with awesome specs, but in a tight budget of under $180(may go a little over).</p> <p>Here is a list of things I want it to include:</p> <ul> <li>compatible with micro SD card</li> <li>uses android OS</li> <li>a good camera(about 13mp camera) 1080p@30fps w/ flash and auto-focus</li> <li>Camera on both sides</li> <li>Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (will go with a lower if price and other specs make up for it)</li> <li>multi-touch is a must</li> <li>Screen Size: atleast 4.7in.</li> <li>Must have atleast 3gb ram</li> <li>Rootable (unlocked bootloader would be a bonus)</li> <li>compatible with Straight Talk</li> </ul> <hr> <p>Minor things that I would like, but aren't necessary:</p> <ul> <li>super-Amoled screen</li> <li>I would like a phone that would last at least 6 non-stop use and quick charge time</li> <li>An led notification bar</li> </ul> <hr> <p>This will be phone for over a year, so I need to last a little while. I will be writing programs on it, so I need a medium-big screen. It also needs to have pretty good speed, and can handle some multi-tasking. I would also be recording on the phone as well, while writing programs and/or playing games. I know this is a lot for the price, but I don't have a big budget. I have done some research and here are a few phones I have found: Blu Life One X (2016) and the Moto G (3rd Gen). I really like the Blu Life One X, but there quite a bit of reviews about the screen touch not working and the battery being terrible and wanted to get some input on that. Also found another 1 that i think I might get lenovo k3 note. But what about the xiaomi redmi note 2.<br/> <br/> Also, I will also consider buying a used phone off ebay or amazon.</p> <p><strong>I have noticed that I can get a used(risking that it doesn't last or work) Galaxy note 3 on ebay for $148-180. I will also give bounty that put's up a good argument on weather I should get one of the new phones mentioned above, the Galaxy Note 3, or another phone used or new of your choice that can compare.</strong></p>
Android phone under $180 with great specs
<p><strong>Roku TV: Steps to Turn Off Screen While Listening to TV</strong></p> <ol> <li>Press the <code>*</code> button, on the Roku remote.</li> <li>Select <code>Picture Off</code> from the menu.</li> </ol> <p><strong>Unsummarized</strong></p> <p>I just discovered that I can accomplish &quot;turning off the screen&quot; (while listening to TV) on <strong>Roku TVs</strong>.</p> <p>This probably won't work on external Roku devices (please comment otherwise), but it definitely does work on some (if not all) TVs that use Roku as their built-in &quot;smart tv&quot; operating system.</p> <p>The steps my vary, but I'll explain what the steps were for me.</p> <p>While watching an Antenna TV Channel (or a YouTube video, for example) if I press the <code>*</code> button on the Roku remote, a menu comes up on the left side of the screen. In that menu, there is an option called <code>Picture Off</code>.</p> <p>If you select <code>Picture Off</code>, you'll continue to hear the TV, but the display is <strong>turned off</strong>. After going into this mode, to turn the screen back on (later), you simply press the <code>OK</code> button (on the Roku remote) and the screen will turn back <code>ON</code> as before.</p> <p>Simple. I love this feature.</p>
2207
2016-03-07T12:28:38.083
|hdtv|energy-efficient|4k|
<p>I'm interested in purchasing a large 4K TV.</p> <p>One feature I promised myself I'd check on, before purchasing another television, is the ability to turn the TV's screen off at any time, while still being able to hear the audio.</p> <p>Sometimes I just want to listen to the TV without watching it, and I'd like to save energy during these times (by turning off the screen).</p> <p>Is this feature offered? Ideally, I'd like it to be a button on the remote control, so I don't have to navigate through a bunch of menus to toggle the screen on and off.</p>
TV that you can turn off the screen while still listening to audio
<p>You might be able to use something these, feedthru RCA adapters with a side connector: </p> <p><a href="http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10PCS-RCA-adapter-RCA-Male-to-female-to-Female-M-F-F-Connector-Adapter-Audio-3/32469466648.html?spm=2114.40010308.4.167.2LWvQi" rel="nofollow">http://www.aliexpress.com/item/10PCS-RCA-adapter-RCA-Male-to-female-to-Female-M-F-F-Connector-Adapter-Audio-3/32469466648.html?spm=2114.40010308.4.167.2LWvQi</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2pcs-Audio-Right-Angle-RCA-Copper-Adapter-Splitter-1-Male-to-2-Female-Gold-Tone-/191495690255" rel="nofollow">http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2pcs-Audio-Right-Angle-RCA-Copper-Adapter-Splitter-1-Male-to-2-Female-Gold-Tone-/191495690255</a></p> <p>Daisy chain the barrels and add extension cables from the side connectors.</p>
2213
2016-03-07T15:22:00.270
|audio|splitters|
<p>I am looking for any consumer-audio (1/4 or 1/8 inch, mono or stereo) 3-way cable that could be described as a 'T' splitter rather than a 'Y' splitter. The intended use is to be able chain multiple 'T' splitters on top of each other without putting extra physical strain on the cable portion (rather than the metal connector).</p> <p>I did not find such a cable in my searches and wonder if anyone else has come across one.</p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/k5QzP.png" alt="T splitter example"></p>
Does this audio connector exist?
<p>addonics has introduced its Network Attached Storage (NAS) adapter, which is a $55 device that lets you plug a USB-powered external drive in one end and then connect an Ethernet cable to the other end that runs to your router.</p> <p><a href="http://www.zdnet.com/article/turn-external-hard-drives-into-network-storage-via-usb-with-addonics-nas-adapter/#" rel="nofollow">http://www.zdnet.com/article/turn-external-hard-drives-into-network-storage-via-usb-with-addonics-nas-adapter/#</a>!</p> <p><a href="http://www.addonics.com/products/nas40esu.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.addonics.com/products/nas40esu.php</a></p>
2216
2016-03-07T22:04:10.613
|data-storage|nas|
<p>I have a bunch of external hard drives, and I'm getting a bit tired of connecting and disconnecting them all the time - not to mention the noise. I'd like to find a way to connect them to my network instead so they can sit in a cabinet and stay out of my way.</p> <p>Is there anything that could do that? Ideally wired, but wifi will do at a pinch. If it can take multiple drives, that'd be a bonus.</p> <p>I'm not looking for a specific number of ports; four would be a good balance, twelve would be great if I find one that doesn't cost too much, but one would be fine too. No particular features or requirements in mind; I just want to be able to have some drives plugged in in another room so I can access them over the network.</p> <p>Budget would be ideally below 1,000 SEK, but there's some leeway.</p>
Is there a NAS adapter for USB drives?
<p>After checking specification of your motherboard (from this <a href="http://www8.hp.com/h20195/v2/GetHTML.aspx?docname=c04111619" rel="nofollow noreferrer">link</a>) I checked that you have one PCI-E connector which will support PCI-E Solid State Drive. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bj7aP.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/bj7aP.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>You have two possible solutions:</p> <p><strong>Buy M2 to PCIe adapter:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.legitreviews.com/addonics-m-2-pcie-ssd-adapter-x110-review_165632" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Addonics M.2 PCIe SSD Adapter X110</a> / <a href="http://www.shopaddonics.com/Itemdesc.asp?ic=AD2M2S-PX4&amp;eq=&amp;Tp=" rel="nofollow noreferrer">$30 in their shop</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Buy new SSD drive:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.hyperxgaming.com/us/ssd/shpm2280p2" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Kingston HyperX Predator 240GB (with HHHL Adapter)</a> -> <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104544" rel="nofollow noreferrer">$180 on newegg.com</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.goplextor.com/Product/Detail/M6e%28A%29_Black_Edition#/Spec" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Plextor Lite on M6e 256GB</a> -> <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00TRVRB0A" rel="nofollow noreferrer">$190 on Amazon.com</a></li> </ul> <p>I would reccommend to buy Addonics adapter it is cheaper and has good reviews.</p> <hr> <p><strong>EDIT:</strong></p> <p>If you will mount only one SSD you won't need additional power and sata cable (screen below): <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZfxn.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/DZfxn.png" alt="enter image description here"></a> Digging deeper I found two other Addonics adapters which have slot for only one SSD drive and no additional connectors (but only one can fit your SSD, because second one can only fit up to 80 mm M2 cards):</p> <ul> <li><a href="http://www.addonics.com/products/adm2nvmpx4.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ADM2NVMPX4</a> $19 on their website</li> </ul>
2221
2016-03-08T22:40:34.397
|ssd|pcie|sata|
<p>I recently got a new (to me) computer. It was <a href="http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=emr_na-c01709707" rel="nofollow">a workhorse computer</a> from a few years ago. I'm trying to rig it up to work with an SSD in its new life with me. </p> <p>Currently the motherboard has SATA II and PCIe x4 slots available. I purchased a <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K3UA7510" rel="nofollow">SAMSUNG 850 EVO M.2 SATA III</a> drive which I was hoping would wrok but because of my confusion on how the M.2 spec works the drive I purchased is not directly compatible with my motherboard. I was assuming I could plug it into a PCIe slot (obviously that was wrong), then I was hoping I could get a PCIe to M.2 adapter but because this particular drive is M.2/SATA which means if I get an adapter I'd have to plug it in to a SATA II port which is what I was hoping to avoid is the first place.</p> <p>Is there something I can buy that can make use of the drive I purchased while not compromising speed?</p>
SSD to work with PCIe
<p>Just to add one possibility that I found after posting this question:</p> <p>an ideal laptop would be:</p> <ul> <li>device called <a href="https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/nexdock-the-world-s-most-affordable-laptop--2#/" rel="nofollow">NexDock</a></li> <li>combined with some <a href="http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1138082-REG/intel_boxstck1a8lfcr_compute_stick_atom_1gb_8gb_ssd_linux.html" rel="nofollow">IntelStick</a> / Raspberry Pi / BeagleBoard</li> </ul> <p>But there have been similar startup projects before, and they did not succeeded. I hope that NexDock will (but it is critical, the current status is 52% with only one month left). </p>
2242
2016-03-09T23:12:06.343
|laptop|linux|
<ul> <li>Fan sound drives me crazy</li> <li>I want Linux, not Windows nor ChromeOS. I do not need games nor 3D, probably console tty only.</li> <li>Displays smaller than 13" are too small</li> <li>Intel has better Linux support than ARM or Tegra</li> <li>If I have no CPU-intense ambitions, why shouldn't it be <strong>cheap</strong> - let's say &lt;= $250 (some Chromebooks, for example, are confirmed to be easily converted to Linux, but most models do not have seabios from the box and requires <a href="https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Chrome_OS_devices/Chromebook">model-specific</a> not-officially-supported hacking)</li> </ul> <p>The criteria I am searching for are, again:</p> <ol> <li>fanless </li> <li>Linux</li> <li>>= 13"</li> <li>Intel</li> <li>cheap</li> </ol> <p>I've searched for the past year and couldn't find anything. The Asus UX305 is ideal, only not cheap (still ~$600).</p> <p>Can someone recommend something?</p>
Cheapest fanless Linux Intel laptop with a display 13 inches or larger
<p>There's a test of the Medion on this site:</p> <p><a href="http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Medion-Erazer-X7843-Notebook.154482.0.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.notebookcheck.com/Test-Medion-Erazer-X7843-Notebook.154482.0.html</a></p> <p>Just use Google Translate or similar and you'll see that it is even tested against the G752VT. Nobody can tell you whether one thing is worth it or not, but the test gives you pretty much all the information you need to make your own decision (screen, noise, temperatures etc. are all in the test)</p> <p>Edit: The site says that the screen is good, the performance is very high, the input devices are "proper" (my German isn't great, so that is the best translation I can give) and the negatives are that the CPU and GPU are soldered on and that the laptop throttles (turns down clocks/performance) on battery power.</p>
2254
2016-03-11T09:44:26.090
|laptop|gaming|
<p>I am considering purchasing a new gaming laptop. After some initial research, I have narrowed the field down to two candidates.</p> <p><strong>The <a href="http://store.asus.com/us/item/201510AM090006012" rel="noreferrer">Asus ROG G752VT</a></strong></p> <ul> <li>i7 6700HQ Processor</li> <li>16 GB DDR4 MHz SDRAM</li> <li>NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970M</li> <li>1TB 7200RPM HDD + 128GB SSD</li> </ul> <p><strong>The <a href="http://www.medion.com/gb/shop/gaming-pcs-laptops-erazer-x7843-md99557-130019705.html" rel="noreferrer">Medion Erazer X7843</a></strong></p> <ul> <li>i7 6700HQ Processor</li> <li>16GB RAM</li> <li>NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M</li> <li>1TB HDD + 128GB SSD</li> </ul> <p>In spite of the fact that, on paper, the Medion is the more powerful of the two, they are roughly equivalent in price. This immediately makes me suspicious. Medion is a German brand which is sometimes sold in discount supermarkets. It's based on MSI "Barebones", about which I know nothing. Being German, it's hard to find reliable reports in English of its reliability.</p> <p>I was originally going to go for the Asus, but looking at the "recommended" specifications for some recent games it seemed that the desktop GTX 770 is a common fixture. Checking benchmark lists, it appears that the GTX 970M rates about 10% less power than the GTX 770, whereas the GTX 980M rates about 10% more. That made me feel it might be a worthwhile upgrade and I went looking for a system I could afford with the 980M, and the Medion is the only one I found.</p> <p>To lay out my concerns in plain language, I'm hoping someone can advise me on:</p> <ul> <li>Whether I need to care about being 10% under the "recommended" specs for games (i.e. does "recommended" mean good-to-average, or does it mean all settings cranked up to max?)</li> <li>Whether Medion is a reliable brand?</li> <li>Whether there are any signs or information available on whether cheaper build components in the Medion might hold back performance (i.e. poor motherboard etc making overall performance more in line with the Asus in spite of the better graphics card. Also, note that the Medion doesn't break down the quality of its RAM or HDD like Asus does)?</li> <li>Similarly, whether there are "soft" components in the Medion like sound, screen and connectivity that might lead to a comparatively poor user experience?</li> </ul> <p>In short, do I really need a 980M, and is the Medion really as good value as it seems to be?</p>
Gaming laptops: Asus ROG G752VT vs Medion Erazer X7843
<blockquote> <p>Does it make sense to store relatively large sample libraries in a remote location?</p> </blockquote> <p>It makes sense, but it's not at all beneficial. If you're going to be pulling samples into your project fairly often, you'll be much better off storing them locally so you only have to depend on drive connection transfer rates.</p> <blockquote> <p>Would it be smarter to get a network switch to enable double LAN ports?</p> </blockquote> <p>Like you said, this wouldn't matter at all if your computer is bottlenecking the network connection with one LAN port.</p> <blockquote> <p>What's most future-proof solution given that I may upgrade my computer to USB-C and/or Thunderbolt 3 within 1-2 years?</p> </blockquote> <p>The two options you're choosing from aren't desirable if you're focusing on future-proofing. Both will become completely outdated in 1-2 years because of the USB 2 and HDD technologies.</p> <hr /> <blockquote> <p>External SSD with USB 2 or external HDD with Thunderbolt 1?</p> </blockquote> <h3>Transfer rate</h3> <p>Taking into account the other questions, an HDD with Thunderbolt will do you well because you could connect several of these to a Thunderbolt hub and have little to no bottlenecking. Thunderbolt is rated at 1250MB/s per channel (but usually hits around 500MB/s) while HDD read speeds average around 120MB/s. This allows for a lot of room to expand your storage options later on. With an SSD-USB 2 setup, you have a connection speed of 60MB/s bottlenecking an average read speed of &gt;400MB/s... Not too great.</p> <h3>Cost</h3> <p>Since you're looking for at least 0.5-1TB of storage space, choosing the SSD route will skyrocket the price very easily. A 1TB SSD will instantly put you over budget while a 1TB HDD won't even put you over half your budget. Also, since you're considering the future, it's better to spend less so you can potentially upgrade to a newer technology later on. You might find a good deal on an SSD with Thunderbolt for example.</p> <h3>Availability</h3> <p>Both options are fairly uncommon because USB 2 is being quickly phased out as a drive connection type and Thunderbolt on a hard drive is a mix of very old and very new technologies. Don't expect a small price tag on anything amazing.</p> <h3>Recommendation</h3> <p><a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822205209" rel="nofollow noreferrer">G-Technology G-DRIVE Mobile 1TB 7200RPM 1xThunderbolt/1xUSB 3.0</a> (USD $190)</p> <ul> <li>Enough space for large sample libraries</li> <li>Easy to move around and manage</li> <li>Comes with Thunderbolt and USB cables</li> <li>Transfer rate: up to 136MB/s</li> </ul> <p>A quality solution overall. But, again, you don't have too many options here given your price constraint. There are better products out there that sit outside your budget.</p>
2269
2016-03-13T19:55:45.813
|ssd|data-storage|nas|thunderbolt|
<p>The last couple of months I have been preparing for a return to hobby music production after a long hiatus. I have realised that my computer will not have enough storage space for my coming sample library, so I need to look at external storage solutions.</p> <p><strong>I basically have two options:</strong></p> <ol> <li>Store the samples on a Gigabit Ethernet-connected Synology DS415+ NAS that's already on my network. I could potentially make use of double LAN ports if I purchase an extra Network switch, since all Ethernet ports on my router are already occupied.</li> <li>Purchase an external drive with either SSD or Thunderbolt (but probably not both – that would be too expensive). I am using an iMac from mid-2011 with Thunderbolt 1 and USB 2, but may upgrade to a new Retina iMac within 1-2 years, and not sure if now is a good time to invest in Thunderbolt 2 technology in an external drive.</li> </ol> <h2>Questions:</h2> <p>Which one of these alternatives would be advisable from both a <strong><em>technologically functional</em></strong> and <strong><em>cost-benefit</em></strong> purchase recommendation standpoint?</p> <ul> <li>Does it make sense to store relatively large sample libraries on a remote location on the network for use in a DAW, or will it become a waiting-game headache?</li> <li>In case network transfer is too slow to work with, would it be smarter to get a network switch to enable double LAN ports instead of getting an external drive? But then again, my computer has only one Ethernet port, so I guess that would be the bottleneck.</li> <li>What's the wisest technology to prioritise from a cost-benefit perspective: External SSD with USB 2 or External HDD with Thunderbolt 1 connection (both due to my computer's limitations).</li> <li>Given the above point, what's most future-proof given that I may upgrade my computer to USB-C and/or Thunderbolt 3 within 1-2 years?</li> </ul> <hr> <h2>Purchasing limitations:</h2> <ul> <li><strong>Storage requirement</strong>: I need at least <em>0.5 – 1 TB</em>.</li> <li><strong>Budget</strong>: Preferably less than <em>$300 USD</em>.</li> </ul>
External Music Production Library: NAS vs. External SSD vs. External HDD Thunderbolt?
<p>Computer UPSs are optimized to provide high power levels for a short period of time, the idea being to bridge a brief flicker in the mains power, or let you shut down cleanly during an extended outage. At low power draws, they are quite inefficient, wasting much of the battery's power as heat.</p> <p>Your best bet is to build your own UPS from an inverter-charger and a marine/RV deep-cycle battery. Something like <a href="http://www.aimscorp.net/600-Watt-Pure-Sine-Inverter-Charger-12V.html" rel="nofollow">this 600-watt inverter-charger</a> ($400) plus a 60AH-80AH battery should work; given your low power draw and assuming you don't switch to battery power very often, you might even be able to get away with using an automotive battery.</p>
2274
2016-03-14T06:00:35.790
|power-supply|ups|
<p>I have a line-powered (standard AC) device that sinks 50W in steady-state and I need to power it for 10 hours in case of service interruption.</p> <p>I'm assuming that I can use, say, a 500W UPS (50W * 10hr = 500Whr = 500W * 1hr) to power it for 10 hours.</p> <p>But where can I find that kind of UPS? Looking at, for example, CyberPower, I see the model I currently own will supply 600W for only 1 minute (if I'm reading the spec correctly <a href="https://www.cyberpowersystems.com/products/ups/desktop/cp1000avrlcd">here</a>, under product features "Runtime (half/full)." (Actually, I don't know how to read that since it says full = 1 minute, half = 6 minutes, so maybe it isn't linear?)</p> <p>Anyway, where can I find a battery backed UPS that will supply 50W for 10 hours?</p> <p>Bonus questions: The UPS specs generally also use VA as units as well as W. Is this due to RMS factors for sine wave power or what? And does it affect my calculations?</p>
UPS that supplies 50W for 10hrs?
<p>Moving from HDD to any new SSD will be noticable, while the differences between particular SSD tend to be slight. I actually did the same (also ssd upgrade for programming) and just went with the cheapest SSD at the time (Kingston), because my laptop only supported SATA II (300 MB/s). If you have SATA III and want something premium, the Samsung 850 250 GB is your best bet imho, and you can get it for 360 zł in poland: <a href="http://allegro.pl/listing/listing.php?order=d&amp;bmatch=base-relevance-ele-1-3-0229&amp;search_scope=&amp;string=Samsung%20850%20evo%20250" rel="nofollow">see allegro</a></p> <p>See benchmarks:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?" rel="nofollow">Samsung 850 Pro VS 840 Evo Benchmark Test</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6ZZWg4BYRY" rel="nofollow">Samsung 850 pro vs 850 evo benchmark test</a> (do not go with pro, it's for other use cases and you'd be overpaying)</li> <li>Also see SSD buyers <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YsNssB0QPo" rel="nofollow">guide from Linus</a></li> </ul>
2287
2016-03-15T09:57:06.437
|desktop|ssd|
<p>I'm looking to upgrade my old HDD to SSD to improve build times while programming. Two primary concerns are random read/write and lingevity of the disk. The budget is under 400 PLN (I'm from Poland, that's around 100 USD)</p> <p>Due to the price I'm currently looking at Intel's 535 240GB or SanDisk Ultra II Plus 240GB. T so Samsung is pretty much out of my budget from what I gathered, but I will welcome any suggestions.</p> <p>Edit: Forgot to include the interface: SATA 3, will most likely go with ASRock's <a href="http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H170M%20Pro4/" rel="nofollow">H170M Pro4</a></p> <p>Edit2: I forgot to add, this will be used to (among others) build OpenEmbedded which takes ~50GB for a full image build. Not that it really matters, with 75TB meaning 1,5k full rebuilds.</p>
A 240 GB SSD for a programmer
<p>High spec Haswells and Broadwells are going for absolute bargains right now and are excellent machines for most people that want very good gaming with normal work/social use cases. </p> <p>But if you primarily want to game on your laptop and <strong>if you don't want to wait and can find the 6700HQ (or something else) with something like a GTX 970M and a Thunderbolt 3 port <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPwSP_5bhc0" rel="nofollow">(preferably more)</a></em>, then go for it. That should last you 2 years by which time there'll be much more external desktop GPUs to upgrade to via Thunderbolt 3</strong>. </p> <blockquote> <p>About a year ago there was a big explosion in interest about Thunderbolt, partly because it offered the possibility of running desktop-grade GPUs as an external plug-in to laptops and all kinds of other cool stuff. Right now, I can't ascertain whether this has lead to any tangible use cases or is likely to.</p> </blockquote> <p>To give an example (for non-hardcore gamers), <a href="https://youtu.be/TeWFT1R-LHA" rel="nofollow">Acer</a> will be releasing a dock which features an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics card, two DisplayPorts, a HDMI port, three Type A USB 3.0 ports, a headphone jack and an Ethernet port. Expected to be about €300, likely to be tied to Acer laptops.</p> <p>For serious desktop graphics cards, a number of enclosures are out now or just around the corner that take a full PCI-E x16 slotted card. Thunderbolt 3.0 doesn't nearly have the same bandwidth as PCI-E x16 and this does lead to a performance hit compared to a <em>desktop</em> (Asus say 1-5% fps hit for theirs); but a bit of perspective: you're running a desktop graphics card on your laptop :-O.</p> <p>There's the Asus ROG XG Station, as in a YouTube link above, tied to Acer laptops. Likely to be GPU manufacturer agnostic.</p> <p><strong><em>Razer have Core</em></strong>, which is a docking station designed to enhance their ultrabook grade Blade Stealth, <strong>but is GPU and PC manufacturer agnostic</strong>. From what I gather, hot swap drivers drivers are built into the Core and load on the fly, unlike the other offerings where you'll have to power of your device to disconnect the external GPU. It has a built-in 500W power supply (supports a 350W GPU), four USB 3.0 ports and Ethernet port. Already shipping in the US for $500 (without a GPU), $400 with a Blade Stealth ($1000 starting). Expected to ship in April for Europe. This is the one I'm really excited about :-D.</p> <p>AMD are working on XConnect (with Razer), intended to be at least PC manufacturer agnostic.</p> <p>So if you get a Skylake gaming machine with Thunderbolt 3 soon, which typically last for 2 years, by then there'll be plenty more GPU and PC manufacturer agnostic enclosures around. If you go Haswell, although much cheaper now, you'll have to replace the whole machine at upgrade time.</p> <blockquote> <p>I'm not even entirely sure, to be honest, whether you can even buy non-Apple laptops with Thunderbolt ports</p> </blockquote> <p>Thunderbolt 3 is no pricey passing technology like Thunderbolt 1 &amp; 2 before it. Nor should it ever be thought of as an Apple feature like Thunderbolt 1 &amp; 2. Major manufactures have already released laptops with Thunderbolt 3 for their higher priced offerings and only more will follow suit. Here are only <a href="https://thunderbolttechnology.net/products?tid=All&amp;field_company_nid=All&amp;field_prod_os_value_many_to_one=All&amp;field_prod_tb_version_value_many_to_one=tbv3" rel="nofollow"><em>some</em></a> examples.</p>
2288
2016-03-15T11:10:58.337
|laptop|gaming|processor|thunderbolt|
<p>Considering hardware for a gaming laptop. Not building my own, but found a great deal on a machine from last season still sporting a 4720HQ processor.</p> <p>Comparing benchmarks between the Haswell 4720HQ and the Skylake 6700HQ seems to suggest they're roughly comparable. The 6700 is, on average, about 5% better but some sites, such as <a href="http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-6700HQ-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4720HQ" rel="nofollow">cpuboss</a>, actually suggest the older chip is marginally faster. There are lots of benchmarks and I'm not sure which to trust as regards a machine intended primarily for gaming, but from speed alone the 6700 doesn't appear to be worthwhile.</p> <p>However, speed isn't the only improvement in Haswell vs Skylake. Most of the others don't interest me. Better integrated graphics aren't much use in a machine with a dedicated GPU. The support for DDR4 isn't a big deal in a laptop where I'm unlikely to be upgrading the default RAM. The effeciency gains aren't helpful since I spend most of my time plugging in to a power socket.</p> <p>The differences in connectivity though, could be a big deal, and that's support for Thunderbolt and USB 3.1.</p> <p>About a year ago there was a big explosion in interest about Thunderbolt, partly because it offered the possibility of running desktop-grade GPUs as an external plug-in to laptops and all kinds of other cool stuff. Right now, I can't ascertain whether this has lead to any tangible use cases or is likely to. I'm not even entirely sure, to be honest, whether you can even buy non-Apple laptops with Thunderbolt ports, or how to find them (it seems to be referred to as USB Type-C in some places).</p> <p>So, is it realistic to go looking for a Skylake laptop with Thunderbolt, with a view to plugging in some monstrous desktop GPU, or some other reason (are the benchmarks lying)? Or should I stick with Haswell for now? </p>
Intel i7 4720HQ vs 6700HQ - worth it for Thunderbolt on gaming laptop?
<p>I'd essentially mirror my answer <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/a/2124/531">here</a> and build something around a <a href="http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon/D/X10SDV-6C_-TLN4F.cfm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">X10SDV-6C+-TLN4F</a> Xeon-D based system. Newegg has it for a hair under the grand <em>including</em> an embedded CPU, and unlike some other models, it has a cooling solution. This dosen't include the ram but it'll take standard DDR4, and up to <em>64 gb</em> of non ECC stuff (or 128gb of Rdimm ram).</p> <p>Lets talk about the nice things about this board.</p> <p>Its an 8 core system, <em>designed</em> to run VMs, with a TDP of 45W. </p> <p>Lan ports? 2x gig-e. 2x 10gig-e (should you need it). </p> <p>Out of band management over IPMI. You can <em>install the OS over lan</em>.</p> <p>One PCI x16, one M.2 slot, <em>6</em> sata 3 ports.</p> <p>All in a <em>mini ITX form factor</em>.</p> <p>You could go cheaper but I doubt you'd get all the same features. I've not actually gotten one, but I was seriously considering it at one point, when weighing my options for a home server. </p>
2292
2016-03-15T21:27:44.937
|desktop|server|virtual-machines|
<p><em>[Edit] restated question trying to emulate a different format found in <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/239/">this request</a> more closely.</em></p> <p>I'm looking to have a mid-level virtualization and media server for an extended home environment, and I am looking to spend in the neighborhood of $1,000 (+/-$100) for the core components (MOBO, CPU, and Memory), as I have a case, a single power supply, and several HDD/SSD options on hand already. It will be running Windows Server with either server or client OSes for 2-6 simultaneous home users. </p> <p>I'm used to AMD architecture, but I'm quite open to Intel if the costs seem to make sense, in terms of power to run it vs initial layout. Since the architecture is closely intertwined with the CPU and MOBO, I'm not sure how it's practical to separate the two, but I would say <strong>let's focus on the motherboard</strong></p> <p><strong>Requirements</strong></p> <ul> <li>At least 32 GB (preferably 64GB) of non-ECC RAM (because I'm not made of money)</li> <li>At least 8 cores/threads</li> <li>Gigbit LAN (preferably 2 ports) or , for NAS access</li> <li>no bigger than Full ATX</li> </ul> <p><strong>Not Important</strong></p> <ul> <li>Lots of USB, SATA or PCI-E (whatever comes with is probably fine)</li> <li>Graphics interface (onboard or not doesn't matter to me)</li> </ul>
Motherboard for mid-level virtualization server
<p>It took me a fair bit of Web searching to find the answer. </p> <p>In the end, I finally hit upon the correct set of terms to enter into Google. I did a Google search for [ <code>plantronics m70 m90 vs | comparison | difference</code> ]. The 21st search result was an Amazon.co.uk product-description page which included the information I sought.</p> <p>On that page, reviewer Andrew Oakley <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1N9Q48SATCHGM" rel="nofollow">writes</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>Note that the only difference between the M90 and the M70 is that the M90 comes with a fancy charger cable that can charge two devices (headset &amp; phone) at a time, wheras the M70 just comes with a standard charger cable. The M70 is mostly black with a thin white stripe along the edge; the M90 is entirely black. The M70 and M90 headsets are otherwise identical in all technical and physical respects, to the best of my research. Talk time, A2DP, BT3.0, spoken features, etc.: all identical.</p> </blockquote> <p>An anonymous commenter adds:</p> <blockquote> <p>Plantronics don't make it very clear about the difference between the two products. I'm certainly going to go for the M70. I even checked the manual on the Plantronics website. It groups the M25 &amp; M55 in the same manual and mentions when there's a difference. The M70 &amp; M90 have the same manual but the only difference seems to be this for the "What's in the box" section: <em>*Contents may vary by product.</em></p> </blockquote>
2307
2016-03-16T22:32:29.603
|bluetooth|headset|
<p>I'd like to buy a Bluetooth headset. I have a long list of criteria, and have done some research. From what I've found, the Plantronics M70 or M90 would be reasonable choices for me.</p> <p>What's the difference between the Plantronics M70 headset and the similar Plantronics M90? Please provide me with a comparison of the two products.</p>
Plantronics M70 vs. M90 — what's the difference between them?
<p><strong>What you need is a firewall that that does packet inspection so that it can prevent IP spoofing.</strong></p> <p>Your Linksys BEFSX41 (assuming v2) "does" packet inspection and can prevent IP Spoofing (<a href="http://downloads.linksys.com/downloads/datasheet/BEFSX41v2_ds.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">see data sheet</a>). That said, this router/firewall is from 2004 (over 12 years old) and as far as I can tell, there have been no updates to this particular model; meaning it isn't current to address current threats. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xk9Ta.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Xk9Ta.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <h2>I recommend <a href="https://pfsense.org/about-pfsense/features.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">pfSense</a>.</h2> <p>The beauty with this platform is that you can purchase a complete hardware appliance for as little as $300 or your can build your own if you have a spare PC laying around. There are <a href="https://youtu.be/Q0JFfpG4BWI" rel="nofollow noreferrer">videos on YouTube</a> that show you how you can do this.</p> <blockquote> <p>Packet normalization - Description from the pf scrub documentation - "'Scrubbing' is the normalization of packets so there are no ambiguities in interpretation by the ultimate destination of the packet. The scrub directive also reassembles fragmented packets, protecting some operating systems from some forms of attack, and drops TCP packets that have invalid flag combinations."</p> </blockquote> <p>Being a small business, I can appreciate trying to maximize your investment and getting the most value for a dollar. I have recommended pfSense to many of my clients and I use it personally at both my office and at home. I think you will find it more than capable to meet your needs.</p>
2325
2016-03-19T17:16:37.953
|router|security|
<p>I run a small business that handles credit card point of sales transactions over my business internet account.</p> <p>Per some updated regulations with the credit processing company, they now have a requirement that the hardware used at my business be protected against certain attacks.</p> <p>Here is the specific requirement:</p> <p>"Implement anti-spoofing measures to detect and block forged source IP addresses from entering the network (1.3.4): In an attempt to bypass your firewall, cyber attackers will try and spoof packets using the internal IP range of your network to make it look like the request originated internally. Enabling the IP spoofing feature on your firewall will help prevent these types of attacks."</p> <p>I am currently using a Linksys BEFSX41 network router, which has a firmware based firewall. However, I am having trouble determining if an "IP spoofing feature" is already part of the Linksys firmware or if I need to purchase a new router for this capability. My research so far shows that there are certain enterprise-level Cisco devices that explicitly mention this feature, but they seem to be outside of my price range.</p> <p>What models exist that have this feature and are more reasonably priced than enterprise-grade equipment?</p> <p>The network at my business is a couple of workstations, some network attached storage, a printer, and some point of sale devices. DHCP is enabled on the router firmware.</p> <p>Please let me know if I can provide any additional information. I'm a bit naive in this area of computing.</p>
Non-WiFi network router that can handle IP spoofing attacks
<p>There are a couple of things you could do....</p> <h2>Option 1: VGA to HDMI Adapter</h2> <p>The cheapest one I found with relatively good ratings was (at the time of this post) $17 available on <a href="http://amzn.to/1UbNJ9M" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Amazon</a>. VGA being an analog signal and HDMI being digital, there's no getting around the fact that you have to convert the signal.</p> <p><em>Note: You will need to supply your own HDMI cable to go from the adapter to your TV</em></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dTysrm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dTysrm.jpg" alt="VGA to HDMI"></a></p> <h2>Option 2: Upgrade Video Card to DVI and use a DVI to HDMI Cable</h2> <p>You said you had a desktop computer, so you could easily add (or replace) your existing video card with one that had a DVI connector. These are selling for as low as $5.95 (at the time of this post) on <a href="http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&amp;_sacat=0&amp;_mPrRngCbx=1&amp;_udlo&amp;_udhi=10&amp;_nkw=dvi%20video%20card&amp;rt=nc&amp;LH_FS=1&amp;_trksid=p2045573.m1684" rel="nofollow noreferrer">eBay</a>. Keep in mind that this is going to be a used video adapter, but given the price constraints, I don't think this will be too much of an issue.</p> <p>You can then use a DVI to HDMI cable to connect that video card to your TV. <a href="http://amzn.to/1UbPhAy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Amazon</a> has it for $6.95 (at the time of this post). Since DVI and HDMI are both digital, no digital to analog conversion is necessary</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xKLM.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/1xKLM.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UXQAm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/9UXQAm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Unfortunately, there are no options that I could readily find for under the $10 limit. The second option I proposed seems to be the cheapest, coming in at about $13 USD. </p>
2329
2016-03-20T01:05:00.080
|pc|hdmi|television|vga|
<p>My desktop PC does not have a HDMI port, but my TV only supports HDMI inputs. Is there any way of connecting the two that is </p> <ul> <li>Cheap</li> <li>Reasonably reliable and</li> <li>Ensures a reasonable image quality</li> </ul> <p>I have 2gb DDR2 RAM.Budget around 10 dollar or 700 to 900 indian rupees.</p>
Cheap solution to connect PC to TV
<p>Yes, virtually all single beam projectors are active. This is because passive polarization relies on pixel perfect alignment of the light to the polarization material (screen medium). Active 3D however does not have that limitation as the glasses do not need polarization. There are costly dual projection setups which can be used passively, but they are also difficult to align and maintain. I prefer passive as well, but owning both types, I can say that active 3D has made advancements in the home. I prefer DLP 3D projector glasses even to those sold for Samsung 3D TVs now.</p>
2345
2016-03-23T11:33:43.827
|projector|
<p>Is it true that passive 3D projectors would require some special screen?</p> <p>If so why?</p> <p>I definitely hate active 3D glasses.</p>
Is most 3D projectors active?
<p>As has been said, Pascal is coming soon, and is expected to have greater performance increases than the Kepler to Maxwell transition (Pascal should be released to public around the end of Q2). However, I wouldn't dismiss multi GPU setups out of hand, though perhaps it makes more sense as a later upgrade.</p> <p>Why multiple GPUs are better with Pascal:</p> <ul> <li>Pascal Introduces NVlink, which can be used to connect GPUs even when the CPU does not support it as in the image below <a href="https://devblogs.nvidia.com/parallelforall/nvlink-pascal-stacked-memory-feeding-appetite-big-data/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">(image source)</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pulya.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Pulya.png" alt="NVlink"></a></p> <ul> <li>Rendering generally scales well with multiple GPUs. SLI is not required.</li> </ul> <p>(sources: <a href="http://www.migenius.com/products/nvidia-iray/iray-benchmarks-2014" rel="nofollow noreferrer">iray benchmarks</a>, <a href="https://devblogs.nvidia.com/parallelforall/vr-sli-accelerating-opengl-virtual-reality-multi-gpu-rendering/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">VRED Nvidia article</a>, <a href="https://www.nvidia.com/object/tigar-hare.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Vray RT Nvidia article</a>)</p> <ul> <li>With the introduction of DirectX 12, Split Frame Rendering is making a comeback. Multiple GPU solutions with good game support can have comparable frametime latencies and also allows the graphics cards to not duplicate all the resources across the two memory pools.</li> </ul> <p>Why you might opt for a single GPU anyway:</p> <ul> <li>Upgradability. You could always drop in a second later. Third GPU scaling is way worse, though that might change with NVlink, a single GPU is still the better option in that respect.</li> <li>Support. It's annoying when sometimes SLI doesn't work for a game, and you're stuck with poor performance. You'd also need a slightly bigger PSU and case, because lower end cards are higher clocked, and two obviously take more space.</li> </ul> <p>What you should also consider:</p> <p>AMD's Polaris is also releasing around the same time, and is supposed to have competitive performance per watt. Of course, you might run into problems with vendor specific software, such as those using CUDA, but it goes both ways (well, slightly more in favor of Nvidia, owing to their market share), and AMD hardware generally have better OpenCL performance. If you're not worried about power consumption and you want your computer now, 2 R9 390s would be decently better performing than 2 GTX 970s at high resolutions.</p>
2357
2016-03-24T13:47:33.303
|graphics-cards|rendering|
<p>What would you recommend for rendering on GPU (iray, V-Ray RT, VRED) and doing some VR; <strong>two</strong> GTX 970 or <strong>one</strong> GTX980 Ti card? I can get these setups for roughly the same price.</p> <ol> <li><p><strong>Cuda cores</strong></p> <ul> <li><p>970: 2x1664 = <strong>3328</strong></p></li> <li><p>980Ti: <strong>2816</strong></p></li> </ul></li> <li><p><strong>VRAM</strong></p> <ul> <li><p>970: <strong>4GB</strong></p></li> <li><p>980Ti: <strong>6GB</strong></p></li> </ul></li> <li><p><strong>Memory Bandwidth</strong> </p> <ul> <li><p>970: <strong>224</strong> GB/sec</p></li> <li><p>980Ti: <strong>336.5</strong> GB/sec</p></li> </ul></li> <li><p><strong>Texture Fill Rate</strong></p> <ul> <li><p>970: <strong>109</strong> GigaTexels/sec</p></li> <li><p>980Ti: <strong>176</strong> GigaTexels/sec</p></li> </ul></li> </ol> <p>I know that the memory in two 970 does not add up to 8gb in total, so two 970 will give me less VRAM. But what about the total number of CUDA cores compared to the lower amount of VRAM and lower memory bandwidth? </p> <p>My motherboard has 3x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slots with support for 3-way SLI. I also have my old GTX 590, that I was thinking of keeping for Windows to work with.</p> <p>Cheers!</p>
Two GTX 970 or one 980 Ti for GPU rendering and VR?
<p>My suggestion is to put that CPU on eBay.</p> <p>By the time you source the motherboard, memory, drives, case, etc. (not to mention the time to find the time required to source and assemble all the parts) you are going to be in for at least $500 or more.</p> <p>Why not look for a workstation class machine like this <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dell-Precision-T3500-Xeon-X5670-2-93GHz-Hex-Core-12gb-1tb-DVD-RW-Win7-Pro-/231881992941?hash=item35fd3e6aed:g:wv8AAOSwDNdV2iKF" rel="nofollow">Dell on eBay</a>?</p> <p>It has a newer Xenon CPU, is fully built and ready to go. You can even further customize it to your hearts content and the asking price is $250.</p> <p>I am not knocking system building by any means, I just found that unless you are building a custom gaming rig, there really is nothing more efficient and economical than getting a used server/workstation rather than trying to source EOL parts.</p>
2360
2016-03-24T22:32:52.940
|motherboard|server|
<p>I am starting a home server build. I am on a tight budget and aiming for the most quiet and low power build. I managed to salvage an Intel Xeon X3440 Processor from an old server. It uses an intel LGA1156 socket. After a brief google search it seems that the only boards that support this processor are server grade boards. I am looking for a recommendation for a low cost server board that will support my processor.</p> <p>Link for CPU: <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/42928/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X3440-8M-Cache-2_53-GHz" rel="nofollow">http://ark.intel.com/products/42928/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X3440-8M-Cache-2_53-GHz</a></p>
Home Server Build around Xeon X3440 CPU