The computer and electronics super geek thread

[VF-19]

You could always try out a something-to-HDMI converter box. They're going for about $20-30 on ebay, so it's not too big of a deal if it doesn't pan out. I got a TV recently that has no component input, but it does have a HDMI port, so I'll be trying one out when it gets here.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Thanks for clearing the up-conversion matter; I guess it isn't as important as I had originally thought. One thing does bother me about newer receivers though: they're all geared towards HDMI hookups. Very few of them have component inputs, more than one digital-audio input, and 99% of them have no composite hookups, which would leave my older video game consoles and other obsolete equipment out in the cold. Will my only recourse be to look at older receivers? For example the JVC RX-412B of 2006, features two HDMI ins and one out (new 'tech at the time), six composite with s-video, and two component ports. This sort of a setup would be great for my intended use of older equipment.

i think 2006 is going back too far. you can prob look for an older receiver from 08 and on and still find plenty of component/ rca inputs as well as 5-6 hdmi inputs with an hdmi output.

just make sure you find a receiver that has hdmi passthrough (choice to have the signal untouched, it'll save you a lot of headaches for the future)

[myk]

i think 2006 is going back too far. you can prob look for an older receiver from 08 and on and still find plenty of component/ rca inputs as well as 5-6 hdmi inputs with an hdmi output.

just make sure you find a receiver that has hdmi passthrough (choice to have the signal untouched, it'll save you a lot of headaches for the future)

But...wouldn't HDMI pass-through mean that the receiver wouldn't process audio, because it's sending both audio and video signals to the t.v.?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

But...wouldn't HDMI pass-through mean that the receiver wouldn't process audio, because it's sending both audio and video signals to the t.v.?

no, receiver will always be capable of processing the audio to the speakers by the receiver, as that is it's main function. pass through means you have an option of turning that on/off for the receiver to process the audio before it hits the speakers.

the option to send it to the tv speakers or home theater speakers is a minor matter. you should be able to switch from one to another easily on most receivers.

i'm not sure what your budget is but if you're planning to get the jvc i would not pay more than 50 bucks for it.

here's a decent model onkyo from 2012 with plenty of jacks and hdmi's that may suit you needs, it's 200 which is pretty low price, entry level. but again i don't know your budget but it's decent

http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-SR313-Channel-Theater-Receiver/dp/B0077V8930

but i've seen even cheaper deals for better onkyo's which have all the jacks you need plus more stuff.

here a sample of a deal that expired a few days ago:

http://slickdeals.net/f/6601060-onkyo-ht-r2295-910w-7-1-ch-3d-pass-through-a-v-home-theater-receiver-best-buy-150-free-shipping

for 150 bucks that's a steal!

another deal

http://slickdeals.net/f/6603982-onkyo-receiver-refurbs-woot-for-199-299-on-the-tx-nr525-626

so you can do much better than the one i linked for 200 or less.

Edited January 10, 2014 by davidwhangchoi

[myk]

Thanks for the links If I could find deals like you I'd have twice the amount of money in my bank accounts. I was figuring on spending about $400-500 so I was actually looking at this Pioneer:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/1155w-7-2-ch-network-ready-4k-ultra-hd-and-3d-pass-through-a-v-home-theater-receiver/7608043.p?id=1218854266269&skuId=7608043&st=pioneer%201155&cp=1&lp=1

or this Sony:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/1050w-7-2-ch-a-v-home-theater-receiver/8027044.p?id=1218863566900&skuId=8027044&st=sony%20dn840&cp=1&lp=1

Edited January 10, 2014 by myk

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

yeah the Sony DN840 is good but for that money i would try and find a good Denon in a higher class and get a deal.

but if i were to choose of the two i would go with the Sony. (personally i'd wait for a deal unless you really need it.) i paid about 360 for my marantz 5007 last year but it's was going for about 600-700.

for the money you're spending you should be able to get a decent receiver. are you in a hurry?

[myk]

yeah the Sony DN840 is good but for that money i would try and find a good Denon in a higher class and get a deal.

but if i were to choose of the two i would go with the Sony. (personally i'd wait for a deal unless you really need it.) i paid about 360 for my marantz 5007 last year but it's was going for about 600-700.

for the money you're spending you should be able to get a decent receiver. are you in a hurry?

No hurry at all. I'm juggling quite a few projects at once but it's nice to think about options and plan ahead. Of course, it doesn't help when a retailer puts their stuff on sale, like that Pioneer at Best Buy for $150 off. I will definitely look into Denon...

Edited January 11, 2014 by myk

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

yeah, i think the den

No hurry at all. I'm juggling quite a few projects at once but it's nice to think about options and plan ahead. Of course, it doesn't help when a retailer puts their stuff on sale, like that Pioneer at Best Buy for $150 off. I will definitely look into Denon...

if you want to browse, this is a place that sells factory refurbs with manufacturers warranty. Which is good because it's covered as a new reciever.

they have a selection of Denon, Marantz and Onkyo's

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/category/AVReceiver/Home-Audio/Home-Theater-Receivers/1.html

i got my marantz here for about 360.00 free shipping about a year ago but the price rose to 450 currently hmm. also the going price for mine was about 700 for it brand new so i thought i got a good deal.

The denon's i would look for should have at least Audyssey MultEQ XT

the AVR-2313CI is a decent price, normally 600 on amazon

it's 450.00 here but OOS, but check back or call as they get stock frequently

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENAVR2313CI/DENON-AVR-2313CI-7.2-4K-3D-Pass-Through-Networking-Receiver/1.html

that was last years model to this receiver the X3000

http://www.accessories4less.com/make-a-store/item/DENAVRX3000/DENON-AVR-X3000-7.2-4K-Ultra-HD-Networking-Receiver-w/AirPlay/1.html

which is 899 on amazon so it's a decent price:

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-X3000-7-2-Channel-Networking-Receiver/dp/B00CALM12W/ref=dp_ob_title_ce

personally, these receivers have plenty of jacks you need and is in a class that's above the Sony you're looking at. but the Sony is a good one if you can find it for under 300.

[anime52k8]

This is a totally random thought, but I really wish more laptops had pointing sticks. years ago we had a Sony something-or-other with one and it was greatest thing ever. those things work so much better than touch-pads. I wish you could just add one to laptops that don't have one.

[mikeszekely]

This is a totally random thought, but I really wish more laptops had pointing sticks. years ago we had a Sony something-or-other with one and it was greatest thing ever. those things work so much better than touch-pads. I wish you could just add one to laptops that don't have one.

Pointing sticks? You mean those little nubbins in the middle of some Lenovo keyboards?

[anime52k8]

Pointing sticks? You mean those little nubbins in the middle of some Lenovo keyboards?

yeah, those things. apparently they're called pointing sticks.

[mikeszekely]

yeah, those things. apparently they're called pointing sticks.

Huh. You learn something new every day.

Well, I think ergonomics studies showed that most participants were faster with a touch pad, so they're not popular enough to warrant the extra hardware on a lot of computers. Like I said, though, they're still standard on Lenovo ThinkPad laptops, including the Twist.

Personally? I have a mouse for three out of the four laptops we have laying around. Only the 17" Dell I rescued being recycled didn't warrant its own mouse.

[myk]

Yup, I use mice with my laptops as well...

[VF-19]

The converter box arrived in the mail today. Works exactly as advertised. For $20 it's a nifty little box!

[myk]

The converter box arrived in the mail today. Works exactly as advertised. For $20 it's a nifty little box!

Great news. How many outputs does it have? May I see the link?

[mikeszekely]

Do you guys think that the Harmony Ultimate is a worth the money if I already have the Harmony One? I mean, I got my One working so that it turns on everything except the game consoles, which I then turn on with a controller (or the PS3's separate Blu-ray remote). But it seems like I'd have had an easier time setting up an Ultimate without having to plug it into the computer (or if I did, with one of the millions of micro USB cables I have laying around instead of borrowing the mini USB cable I charge my Dualshock 3s with), plus I could use the Bluetooth settings one the Ultimate to actually control the PS3, which I use as a media device more than a game console. Seems a little hard to justify the price, though, when the One still works.

[VF-19]

Great news. How many outputs does it have? May I see the link?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/261364593306?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

Just one HDMI output, and it requires an external power source (it does come with its own brick). For it's price, I can't complain. What it does NOT do is convert HDMI to component.

[azrael]

Do you guys think that the Harmony Ultimate is a worth the money if I already have the Harmony One?

I would say it depends. Do you have a lot of devices that are not IR-based? If you have lots of devices that can make use of Bluetooth or plan to hide your devices in cabinets, then yeah, it might be worth it. But if you don't, then it's probably not worth the upgrade.

[mikeszekely]

I would say it depends. Do you have a lot of devices that are not IR-based? If you have lots of devices that can make use of Bluetooth or plan to hide your devices in cabinets, then yeah, it might be worth it. But if you don't, then it's probably not worth the upgrade.

My entertainment center consists of a Sharp TV, a Sony receiver, a PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, and a Mac mini. The game consoles all run directly into the receiver, and the Mac runs into the Xbox One's HDMI in. And no, I don't hide anything. You can actually see a picture of the bulk of my setup in the PS4 thread. The only things not pictured are the receiver, the Mac, and the Wii U, which are on a shelving unit to the right of the TV.

My current usage is basically one of three scenarios.

1.) I want to play a videogame. I push the "X" (where X is the console) activity. It turns the TV on, sets it to HDMI 1, and sets the receiver to the correct input. I turn the console on with the controller, and it becomes my primary method of interaction. The Harmony is just for changing the volume on the receiver or muting it if I need to.

2.) I want to watch a hockey game stream, or play a video file that the PS3 can't handle: I use a Logitech keyboard with a built-in trackpad to wake the Mac mini, use the Harmony activity "Xbox One" to turn on the TV and set the receiver, and use the Kinect to wake the Xbox and start the TV app. From there, I use the Logitech keyboard to operate the Mac. Again, the Harmony at that point is really just for volume control.

3.) I want to watch Netflix/a DVD/a Blu-ray/a DIVX file/an mp4 file/listen to a CD/listen to mp3s: I use "PlayStation 3" activity to turn on the TV and the receiver. I use the PS3 Bluetooth remote to turn on the PS3. The Harmony handles volume control, but the rest of the navigation is done with the Bluetooth remote.

Switching Harmonies wouldn't really have any bearing on the first two activities, but I do spend the bulk of my living room time on the third one. I know that upgrading to the Harmony Ultimate would allow me to ditch the PlayStation Bluetooth remote, which is a plus... but it's an expensive plus. If 95% of my viewing habits are Blu-ray and Netflix, I could buy six years of Xbox Live Gold and use the Xbox One for Netflix and Blu-rays, since the Kinect has a built-in IR blaster (not to mention that I'd also get the other benefits of Xbox Live) and keep using the Harmony One. So it is kind of hard to justify the upgrade just for Bluetooth.

I guess I'm pretty familiar with the specs and what I'd be practically getting by upgrading. I was hoping maybe someone who upgraded from a previous Harmony to the Ultimate might have some insights, like how the new browser-based Harmony software stacks up to the older Harmony software, if they liked the feel of the Ultimate any better, how good they thought the screen was. I mean, if I can display user-defined icons instead of the generic ones, or display more than three activities per page, those are selling points I'd care about.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

After 7 years, my olde Presario laptop is dying a slow death. First the sound card died, then the wi-fi, just yesterday the dvd drive went kaput, a USB port went dead, and the battery can no longer hold a decent charge. I'm using USB adapters to accommodate these functions, but I'm down to two USB ports, and I'm starting to miss my mouse. This crusty companion is on life support and it's long overdue for an upgrade. After weighing my needs and doing some research, I'm leaning towards a new one like this:

ASUS G750JW-DB71 17.3-Inch Laptop

Could anyone share their opinion on my choice or perhaps recommend an alternative?

[myk]

Laptops are limited in what you can do for upgrades and repair. Depending on what your needs are it would probably be easier to buy new than to try and 'refurb your old unit. I see you picked that ASUS and at first glance it looks like a nice machine. I have something similar, a 2011 Toshiba Qosmio X505-898; I love these desktop replacement laptops but keep in mind they are big, bulky, and not very mobile-friendly. With that being said, I will never go back to a desktop again. Check out the latest Toshiba Qosmio's while you're at it-they're close to the price point of that ASUS...

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

After 7 years, my olde Presario laptop is dying a slow death. First the sound card died, then the wi-fi, just yesterday the dvd drive went kaput, a USB port went dead, and the battery can no longer hold a decent charge. I'm using USB adapters to accommodate these functions, but I'm down to two USB ports, and I'm starting to miss my mouse. This crusty companion is on life support and it's long overdue for an upgrade. After weighing my needs and doing some research, I'm leaning towards a new one like this:

ASUS G750JW-DB71 17.3-Inch Laptop

Could anyone share their opinion on my choice or perhaps recommend an alternative?

i owned an asus g73 of the same series. very powerful but one of the main issues why i sold it off was the touchpad issues that are well documented with the g series. (major design flaw. it doesn't work half the time, trust me, you'll go nuts... there is a fix which involves tearing down half your computer... and sticking a piece of foam under the touchpad... really stupid) second, asus customer support is down the tubes. i would look elsewhere for that pricerange.

msi are cool notebooks with very competitive pricing. i think mike has one. he may be able to chime in.

[mikeszekely]

After 7 years, my olde Presario laptop is dying a slow death. First the sound card died, then the wi-fi, just yesterday the dvd drive went kaput, a USB port went dead, and the battery can no longer hold a decent charge. I'm using USB adapters to accommodate these functions, but I'm down to two USB ports, and I'm starting to miss my mouse. This crusty companion is on life support and it's long overdue for an upgrade. After weighing my needs and doing some research, I'm leaning towards a new one like this:

ASUS G750JW-DB71 17.3-Inch Laptop

Could anyone share their opinion on my choice or perhaps recommend an alternative?

Buy a new one. Preferably a year or two ago. Seriously, 4-5 years is a pretty good run for a laptop, especially since (as has been mentioned) they're not as easily repaired or upgraded as a desktop.

Without knowing your needs, it's really hard to recommend a particular computer. What do you expect to use it for? If you mostly just surf the net and you expect to travel with it, I'd suggest something far lighter. On the other hand, if you're gaming, that's not a bad computer, for the price.

msi are cool notebooks with very competitive pricing. i think mike has one. he may be able to chime in.

I do indeed! I wanted a relatively affordable, relatively thin/light laptop. I wound up getting an MSI (exact model escapes me at the moment). MSI has or had a line of gaming laptops that, rather than being the huge tanks that higher-end models are, were about the same size as your average laptop at the time (which is to say, not as thin and light as most current laptops). To be honest, I kind of regret it. I had some extra money at the time, and when spring/summer rolls around I get in this mood where I want to do my PC gaming in the living room or at the dining room table, where I've got massive windows, instead of in my basement man-cave where I have almost zero natural lighting. I spent a little more than I'd budgeted, and because I was set on something more portable than the Asus I was replacing, I could have bought something with a better GPU if I'd waited just a few more months and didn't mind the think and chunky laptops. Extra kick in the pants because I wound up picking up a very portable HP Envy X2 on clearance that I wound up using when I actually went out to Starbucks or whatever, so the MSI really only got used when I packed it for a weekend trip. But I digress.

The think with MSI is that they tend to load their laptops with more bloatware than Asus. I wouldn't mind that too much, especially since they're usually cheaper than Asus, but (at least one mine) some software called S-bar is necessary to use the row of dedicated buttons, including the wi-fi toggle switch. That wouldn't be so bad if it didn't leave a persistent S-icon at the top of the screen. As I said, too, gaming performance seemed a little lacking. Mine came with a GTX 660M, and while it plays pretty much everything, I was surprised at how many games like BioShock Infinite that I had to reduce the settings on. Not really MSI's fault, though. Oh, one thing I do really like is that, while the computer came with a traditional hard drive, I was able to install a 128GB mSATA SSD in it, and after setting the UEFI to "Legacy", I eventually got Windows 7 installed on it (I was having serious issues with the factory-installed Windows . Between the i7 CPU and the SSD, the computer is blazing fast.

EDIT: Spec-wise, basically the same as the Asus, but thinner, lighter, and with a backlit keyboard to boot, for about $75 less: MSI GE70.

Edited January 19, 2014 by mikeszekely

[azrael]

Could anyone share their opinion on my choice or perhaps recommend an alternative?

What do you plan on doing with it? How long do you expect it to last you? Do you have a budget?

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Many thanks for your input gents! It never even crossed my mind to check what Toshiba has to offer myk, and I was real close to pulling the trigger on that ASUS before your complaint, DWC.

Buy a new one. Preferably a year or two ago. Seriously, 4-5 years is a pretty good run for a laptop, especially since (as has been mentioned) they're not as easily repaired or upgraded as a desktop.

Without knowing your needs, it's really hard to recommend a particular computer. What do you expect to use it for? If you mostly just surf the net and you expect to travel with it, I'd suggest something far lighter. On the other hand, if you're gaming, that's not a bad computer, for the price.

Good run? Most definitely! This thing has been through a lot and has saved me several times on the road.

As far as what I'm looking for, I want a big screen multimedia machine that would cope well with new gaming requirements, and I don't mind how heavy it gets. Features like 3D and a touch screen are not important, and I reckon a good gaming laptop can handle any office tasks I throw at it. Reading a few review articles led me to the ASUS, but thanks to you guys, I have more options to consider.

What do you plan on doing with it? How long do you expect it to last you? Do you have a budget?

I'm expecting a new laptop to last at least 5 years, and I'm willing to spend less than $1500.

[myk]

$1500? You'll be able to buy anything you could realistically want asides from an Alienware; those of which are laughably over-priced anyway...

[anime52k8]

$1500? You'll be able to buy anything you could realistically want asides from an Alienware; those of which are laughably over-priced anyway...

it wont get you a 15 inch macbook pro or a razer blade/blade pro

[Chewie]

With $1,500 you could buy a "low end" Asus RoG G750, a decent sized SSD to throw in it and still have a nice dinner.

Then just go to http://www.stardock.com/products/start8/ and "fix" Windows 8. Pretty much the best $5 I've ever spent. =)

EDIT: I see you were already looking at the 750. You can't go wrong with it.

Edited January 19, 2014 by Chewie

[myk]

it wont get you a 15 inch macbook pro or a razer blade/blade pro

True, but I don't think Mac's are part of the equation here. Unless you're interested in one 'OP? Say it ain't so...

[Smiley424]

I purchased a customized Sager laptop from xoticpc.com last year around September and I am very happy with my purchase and service from them. They offer Sager, MSI, ASUS, and Alienware. For your price range I would look at the Sager NP8275, just because they offer the Nvidia 770m card on that one, a slightly better GPU than the Nvidia 765m.

Mikeszekely's suggestion of a MSI GE70 model is also good choice. The Toshiba Qosimo line is also a good choice, I hope they have toned down their design, when they first came out they were a red/pink with flames, very garish!

There are a lot of choices out there at your price point, in my opinion, I feel you can a same spec MSI/Sager laptop cheaper than an Asus laptop.

Check out the notebookreview.com forum for all things laptop related. They have a section where you can state your budget and what you want out of the laptop and folks will give you suggestions on laptop models that will fit your needs.

Oh also, if you can fit it in your budget, I highly suggest getting a sad, you won't regret it.

[mikeszekely]

The Toshiba Qosimo line is also a good choice, I hope they have toned down their design, when they first came out they were a red/pink with flames, very garish!

There are a lot of choices out there at your price point, in my opinion, I feel you can a same spec MSI/Sager laptop cheaper than an Asus

Don't know if this is still the case, but when I was shopping for a laptop, I noticed Toshiba always seemed to have really good prices. However, these too-good-too-be-true prices were usually on laptops with 1600x900 screens instead of 1920x1080.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

True, but I don't think Mac's are part of the equation here. Unless you're interested in one 'OP? Say it ain't so...

Nah, no Macs for me. I've always felt I could find a far cheaper machine compared to any equally spec'ed Mac these days. Though I still have fond memories of my Mac Classic and its bigass dot matrix printer that would shake the walls of my dorm room everytime I printed something.

Thanks again, and I'll be sure to check out that site, Smiley.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Many thanks for your input gents! It never even crossed my mind to check what Toshiba has to offer myk, and I was real close to pulling the trigger on that ASUS before your complaint, DWC.

I'm expecting a new laptop to last at least 5 years, and I'm willing to spend less than $1500.

TBH the lappy you're thinking of doesn't come close to what you can get for the money if you wait for the right deal. (trying to prevent you from overspending)

i linked a post from a deal last april of an alienware i got for about 1530 plus taxes coming to about 1662.

http://slickdeals.net/f/5891410-30-off-any-dell-outlet-alienware-laptop-or-desktop-phone-only-ymmv?p=58177730#post58177730

i ended up exchanging and it getting even a better config for 1300 shipped.

the new confiq was an alienware m18x w/ 512gb samsung 830 pro ssd , i7 3840qm, 32gb ram, 1080p screen, dual 7970m cards, blu ray drive. killer wireless n card.

i couldn't believe some of these deals dell just gives stuff away. though it was supposedly refurb, it was brand new. some of these refurbs are new lappy's that were returned by customers who change their mind and dell can't re-list them as new so they mark them as refurbs.

just take a look at the thread to get an idea for what you can really get for under 1500.

i don't think a gtx765m is worth 1300 imo, i think you can do better... though that deal i posted was last april, dell has deals like that all the time... unless you are absolutely in a hurry, i would wait for a deal on a gaming lappy...

you can do much better for 1500 than the g75 w/ the 765m

Edited January 20, 2014 by davidwhangchoi

[myk]

i ended up exchanging and it getting even a better config for 1300 shipped.

the new confiq was an alienware m18x w/ 512gb samsung 830 pro ssd , i7 3840qm, 32gb ram, 1080p screen, dual 7970m cards, blu ray drive. killer wireless n card.

NICE...

[Smiley424]

Davidwhangchoi is correct, you can find some killer deals on the dell/alienware outlet site. The inventory is always turning over so sometimes is takes some luck and patience. Notebookreview.com has different forum sections for different brands and they have sales reps from alienware and other companies you can contact directly and work out some deals too.