The computer and electronics super geek thread

[BeyondTheGrave]

What software are you using on your PC for streaming? You may want to try TVersity or something. That's what I use for my PS3 and there's very little I can't watch using that.

Tried TVersity. It doesn't work right at times. I'd want to watch a video file that .mkv that has subs on/in it. Tversity wouldn't display them. Looked into how to make tversity display them. And it still would not work. or I'd have to reboot the server several times so it would work. then I couldn't watch content from another computer in another room on the same network.

I'd consider the Patriot media box too. Better remote, the ability to put a hard drive IN the unit, built in bit-torrent, optional wireless (with a dongle), and I'm sure a few more that I don't remember. I've got it, and I love it. <a href="http://www.patriotmemory.com/products/detailp.jsp?prodline=6&catid=69&prodgroupid=159&id=895&type=20" target="_blank">Patriot Media player page</a>

My brother has the Western Digital box, and he likes his too.

Not really concerned about adding an internal HDD was just going to connect a external one. I'll look into the patriot media box.

[VT 1010]

Well it looks like the fourth gen iPhone got leaked...again: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ytech_gadg/ytech_gadg_tc2014

Tried TVersity. It doesn't work right at times. I'd want to watch a video file that .mkv that has subs on/in it. Tversity wouldn't display them. Looked into how to make tversity display them. And it still would not work. or I'd have to reboot the server several times so it would work. then I couldn't watch content from another computer in another room on the same network.

The latest version officially supports subtitles and I haven't had any problems myself. Are you sure everything was set up properly? I'd at least try as many free options as possible before shelling out a couple hundred dollars.

[BeyondTheGrave]

The latest version officially supports subtitles and I haven't had any problems myself. Are you sure everything was set up properly? I'd at least try as many free options as possible before shelling out a couple hundred dollars.

Even so there were other things I didn't like. I would try to rewind and the video would lock up. Or the picture quality would be screwed up one second then the next it wouldn't.

[Hiriyu]

That's good to know, there is not much info on eyefinity online. i just don't want to buy 2 more 28's only for gaming. got AvP with the 5850, it should be nice. then i might just suck it up when I found a right size desk, these things are getting expensive. do you use a displayport adopter or your monitors have displayport on them?

My monitors are all DVI, and I'm using a Dell active displayport adapter for my main (center) monitor. The main problem with active adapters right now is availability - though there are several models that work, Dell is the only company that has any inventory right now. Running on Catalyst 10.4, I don't experience any of the glitches associated with Eyefinity except for a minor one which involves windows explorer needing to restart when switching back to extended desktop mode. I understand that this was not a problem in 10.3, so this will likely be fixed with 10.5.

[mikeszekely]

Ever since, I dunno, XP SP3, maybe earlier, the saved .htm files on my hard drive like to try to access that web page "live" when opened rather than simply reading what is saved on the drive. That's the whole reason I saved them, to access them offline and load quickly. Is there any way to force Windows to simply READ a saved .htm file, rather than always try to "load" it?

It's especially annoying when there's some active X or java in the page, as it tries forever to load it before it gives up. It kind of defeats the whole purpose of saving a page to the hard drive in the first place.

Do you need just a page, or do you need the page with working links to other pages (and probably those other pages)? If you go to PDFMyURL.com, you can give it a web address and it'll give you a PDF.

[myk]

The local Fry's is selling Windows 7 Home ed., the full version, for $88. Is this something I should jump on? BTW, they list it as a "system builder/OEM," what does that mean? Do I have to be a professional to buy this, lol...

[BeyondTheGrave]

The local Fry's is selling Windows 7 Home ed., the full version, for $88. Is this something I should jump on? BTW, they list it as a "system builder/OEM," what does that mean? Do I have to be a professional to buy this, lol...

It means your on your own in some aspects. Watch the

[myk]

It means your on your own in some aspects. Watch the

Thanks for the link. Well, the only drawback in regards to OS's, as stated by the video, was the amount of upgrading that you do on your system. I don't see that as an issue on my system so I "guess" I'd be ok with this?

[Uxi]

What's a good GPU/vid card setup I should be looking for?

To refresh;

Core i7 930 mild overclock/ air cooled

6GB tri-channel DDR3

X58 3x SLI board

Budget: say $500-600. Doesn't need to be crazy or bleeding edge.

[mikeszekely]

What's a good GPU/vid card setup I should be looking for?

To refresh;

Core i7 930 mild overclock/ air cooled

6GB tri-channel DDR3

X58 3x SLI board

Budget: say $500-600. Doesn't need to be crazy or bleeding edge.

Just so I'm clear, do you mean that the budget for your GPU(s) is $500-$600? Or the budget for your computer is $500-$600, so I need to tally up the cost of the rest of your rig and pick a single card or dual-card solution on the remainder?

[Uxi]

Oops, sorry, that's just for the GPU. The Core i7 etc is what I built in the last thread.

[mikeszekely]

Oops, sorry, that's just for the GPU. The Core i7 etc is what I built in the last thread.

Well, my answer hinges on two things then. You mentioned that your X58 mobo supports 3x SLI... I assume that means 3x Crossfire too (I think that's part of the X58 chipset's spec)? The other thing is that, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should/will, so I'm curious how many slots you wanted to fill?

For now, I'd maybe suggest a pair of Radeon HD 5850 cards. That'll give you plenty of graphics power for just about anything you could think of, plus Direct X 11 support if you're running Windows 7. You should be able to find 5850's for around $300 a piece.

[Vince]

Thanks for the link. Well, the only drawback in regards to OS's, as stated by the video, was the amount of upgrading that you do on your system. I don't see that as an issue on my system so I "guess" I'd be ok with this?

the oem key is tied with the mb, what it mean is if you happen to change out mb you will need to call to have the new installation activated. as long as you're only using that key on one pc, ms won't give you any trouble. even retail keys can only activated online 10 times, it's not that bad. oem also mean you are not entitle to product support from microsoft, but the pc builder (you) should provide product support for windows.

[Vince]

Well, my answer hinges on two things then. You mentioned that your X58 mobo supports 3x SLI... I assume that means 3x Crossfire too (I think that's part of the X58 chipset's spec)? The other thing is that, just because you can do something doesn't mean you should/will, so I'm curious how many slots you wanted to fill?

For now, I'd maybe suggest a pair of Radeon HD 5850 cards. That'll give you plenty of graphics power for just about anything you could think of, plus Direct X 11 support if you're running Windows 7. You should be able to find 5850's for around $300 a piece.

agree with the 5850 pair, together cost less than a single 5970. which mb you using, if the pcie slots can't do 16x16x1, then I think I read somewhere this would become a bottleneck. make sure the psu is big enough, otherwise lack of power might mess up the video cards, did that to mine last year. xfx was nice and replaced the bad card.

[Uxi]

Mobo is EVGA "X58 3x SLI" According to it's manual, with two GPU, it x16/x16; with three GPU, it's x16/x8/x8. I'm only planning 2 really. If I was a hardcore baller, I'd consider 3 but not. The 5850's seem to be the most recommended, so that'll probably be what I do. Thanks all!

[Vince]

Mobo is EVGA "X58 3x SLI" According to it's manual, with two GPU, it x16/x16; with three GPU, it's x16/x8/x8. I'm only planning 2 really. If I was a hardcore baller, I'd consider 3 but not. The 5850's seem to be the most recommended, so that'll probably be what I do. Thanks all!

what psu are you using? I got a corsair tx950w, and no body told me it does not work with asus p6t mb, unless it was made in the last month or so.

don't go cheap on psu.

[Uxi]

BFG 1000W SLI rated. I'd have to look to see the exact model number. I bought it for my Core 2 Duo build, which ended up being really mild instead of the OC I was planning.

[Vince]

BFG 1000W SLI rated. I'd have to look to see the exact model number. I bought it for my Core 2 Duo build, which ended up being really mild instead of the OC I was planning.

that's big enough for 3 cards and some. what's the efficiency? I heard SeaSonic is pretty good, and make psu for other brands.

Asus support is being an a$$, but Corsair is going to rma my 950 even after 6 months of use. if that don't work, I'll have to go to the hx1000.

fyi. newegg has the Antec 900 for $60 if you care.

[Uxi]

Not sure on the efficiency. I know it has 4 x 12v rails, though. Already have the Antec 900. Thanks! Once I get these GPU, I can then do an SSD and then just tinker with various OC settings and fan speeds.

[Vince]

Not sure on the efficiency. I know it has 4 x 12v rails, though. Already have the Antec 900. Thanks! Once I get these GPU, I can then do an SSD and then just tinker with various OC settings and fan speeds.

keep us posted.

[kensei]

Damn I want a pair of ATI 5850s in Crossfire now. True Multimonitor goodness!!! Oh well. I'll have to live with my 295s for a bit longer.

I'm looking for alternative in my room for my router. At the moment I have two in my house, and I hate running them concurrently cause there are all sorts of conflicts that happen. The reason why I have two is that I need to run LANs in my house every Thursday night, and having it over wireless is pretty crappy, and I'd rather not move the phone connected into the router outside into my room cause we only have one phone, and it's all the way on the other side of the house (we only have VOIP, so we don't pay for line rental).

I was thinking ethernet over power. What do you guys think?

[azrael]

I'm looking for alternative in my room for my router. At the moment I have two in my house, and I hate running them concurrently cause there are all sorts of conflicts that happen. The reason why I have two is that I need to run LANs in my house every Thursday night, and having it over wireless is pretty crappy, and I'd rather not move the phone connected into the router outside into my room cause we only have one phone, and it's all the way on the other side of the house (we only have VOIP, so we don't pay for line rental).

I was thinking ethernet over power. What do you guys think?

How about keeping the home router up, and running a ethernet line from that router to a switch in your room?

[kensei]

How about keeping the home router up, and running a ethernet line from that router to a switch in your room?

We're talking at least 20m of cable here. Unless I can drill a hole into the roof and then go directly to my room, then down again, we'd have to go at least 8m to the ceiling then across to the other room, but the end room is only 3 m to ceiling height.

Edited May 27, 2010 by kensei

[Chewie]

Damn I want a pair of ATI 5850s in Crossfire now. True Multimonitor goodness!!! Oh well. I'll have to live with my 295s for a bit longer.

I'm looking for alternative in my room for my router. At the moment I have two in my house, and I hate running them concurrently cause there are all sorts of conflicts that happen. The reason why I have two is that I need to run LANs in my house every Thursday night, and having it over wireless is pretty crappy, and I'd rather not move the phone connected into the router outside into my room cause we only have one phone, and it's all the way on the other side of the house (we only have VOIP, so we don't pay for line rental).

I was thinking ethernet over power. What do you guys think?

What wireless have you attempted to run? G/N/N+? How many computers? Do the computers have N rated cards? If everything is running N, I can't think of a situation you'll run into lag, unless the conflicts you're talking about are because of running wireless.

Ethernet over power is only as good as the power lines in your house. You can get a gigibit set for around $160.

Edited May 27, 2010 by Chewie

[Uxi]

I wanted to wire my house for gigabit ethernet, but never got around it. An alternative solution is to do what I did and get wireless-N bridge. At the same time, I upgraded my old Apple Snowglobe (which was only 802.11b) and bought a Linksys wireless N base station (dual-band but not simultaneous - simuls were prohibitively expensive when I was doing it). The bridge is in my office where my two computers, my print/file server and my wife's computer are. I take my MBP in the office, too, but stays wireless for it.

My ultimate plan is to get FIOS have them terminate the internet connection in my office and move the wireless bridge behind the TV and hook the 360 and PS3 up to that.

Or I'll eventually decide to crawl through my attic and run cat5e.

[kensei]

What wireless have you attempted to run? G/N/N+? How many computers? Do the computers have N rated cards? If everything is running N, I can't think of a situation you'll run into lag, unless the conflicts you're talking about are because of running wireless.

Ethernet over power is only as good as the power lines in your house. You can get a gigibit set for around $160.

We've run both G and N. All the computers have a matching N Adapter, and the Toshiba Satellite A500 Notebook and my ASUS G73J-TZ008X has an N wireless adaptor too. All four PCs in the same room has problems every 5 minutes when playing Supreme Commander, Aliens VS Predator, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 and Call of Duty: World at War.

[Chewie]

We've run both G and N. All the computers have a matching N Adapter, and the Toshiba Satellite A500 Notebook and my ASUS G73J-TZ008X has an N wireless adaptor too. All four PCs in the same room has problems every 5 minutes when playing Supreme Commander, Aliens VS Predator, Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 and Call of Duty: World at War.

We ran into the same problem at my house too. It's even worse with Modern Warfare 2.

Have you assigned each computer with it's own static ip and forwarded/opened all the ports for those games in the router? Took us awhile to find the right settings and hours of making sure each port was doing it's job and a list as long as my arm but we finally got everything working nicely running 4 wireless, 2 wired connections for 6 computers.

[BeyondTheGrave]

Damn I want a pair of ATI 5850s in Crossfire now. True Multimonitor goodness!!! Oh well. I'll have to live with my 295s for a bit longer.

I'm looking for alternative in my room for my router. At the moment I have two in my house, and I hate running them concurrently cause there are all sorts of conflicts that happen. The reason why I have two is that I need to run LANs in my house every Thursday night, and having it over wireless is pretty crappy, and I'd rather not move the phone connected into the router outside into my room cause we only have one phone, and it's all the way on the other side of the house (we only have VOIP, so we don't pay for line rental).

I was thinking ethernet over power. What do you guys think?

What brand of router are you using?

[Ghost Train]

This is a bit off topic but I didn't feel like starting a new thread for this....

I'm considering getting a standing desk for my home office, at first it'll be just for a laptop, but later for a small form factor PC. I just feel like standing a more natural position for me, aside from other benefits like reducing back strain and improving posture.

I saw a few items online, but they were kind of expensive for my current budget. So I was browsing through IKEA's website and found the FREDRIK. Does anyone here have experience with either: a) good standing desks b) this particular piece of furniture?

FYI, I'm 180cm tall.

[David Hingtgen]

Suggestions for a new monitor? Say, 20in or so? BestBuy's the only place in town that sells them, so it'll have to be from their stock. I've noticed that more and more are "PC brands" (Dell, HP, Compaq) as opposed to LG, Samsung, etc.

[mikeszekely]

Suggestions for a new monitor? Say, 20in or so? BestBuy's the only place in town that sells them, so it'll have to be from their stock. I've noticed that more and more are "PC brands" (Dell, HP, Compaq) as opposed to LG, Samsung, etc.

You wouldn't consider ordering one online? I mean, I know it's kind of important to see a monitor with your own eyes before buying it, but I bought my monitor (Samsung T220) from either Amazon or Newegg, and I don't regret it at all. At the time, the only store that actually had it in stock on display was Circuit City, and even their going-out-of-business-open-box-display-clearance price was something like $100 more than I wound up paying for a brand new one.

Also, when you say "20in or so" are you talking "limited space, so 20 inches is about right for me" or "between 20 and 24 inches, please"?

[David Hingtgen]

20in due to space. Maybe 21in. Currently have a 16in (so it says, looks more like 15in) CRT (yes, it's old). Additional consideration I just thought of:

Speakers. My speakers are currently mounted on the sides of my monitor, and the volume knob is on the right one, thus very close to my mouse, and thus super-easy to adjust instantly (I can literally keep my hand on the mouse and just reach up with my index finger). I'll lose that with a new monitor/new speakers. (I could keep the speakers themselves, but really have no way to mount them). If there's some speakers that'll mount on a new monitor, with a volume knob over by the mouse (as opposed to being near the middle), that's a huge plus to me. I keep finding "speaker bars" for new monitors, but they seem low-power and low-quality (I don't need audiophile speakers, far from it---I just don't want crap speakers).

[mikeszekely]

20in due to space. Maybe 21in. Currently have a 16in (so it says, looks more like 15in) CRT (yes, it's old). Additional consideration I just thought of:

Speakers. My speakers are currently mounted on the sides of my monitor, and the volume knob is on the right one, thus very close to my mouse, and thus super-easy to adjust instantly (I can literally keep my hand on the mouse and just reach up with my index finger). I'll lose that with a new monitor/new speakers. (I could keep the speakers themselves, but really have no way to mount them). If there's some speakers that'll mount on a new monitor, with a volume knob over by the mouse (as opposed to being near the middle), that's a huge plus to me. I keep finding "speaker bars" for new monitors, but they seem low-power and low-quality (I don't need audiophile speakers, far from it---I just don't want crap speakers).

One final question... what kind of hookup do you plan on using? A lot of the smaller ones only have VGA, and some Dells only have VGA and HDMI. Is that good, or are you looking for DVI?

Depending on the size of your speakers, could you turn them sideways and lay them flat at the monitor's base?

[azrael]

Speakers. My speakers are currently mounted on the sides of my monitor, and the volume knob is on the right one, thus very close to my mouse, and thus super-easy to adjust instantly (I can literally keep my hand on the mouse and just reach up with my index finger). I'll lose that with a new monitor/new speakers. (I could keep the speakers themselves, but really have no way to mount them). If there's some speakers that'll mount on a new monitor, with a volume knob over by the mouse (as opposed to being near the middle), that's a huge plus to me. I keep finding "speaker bars" for new monitors, but they seem low-power and low-quality (I don't need audiophile speakers, far from it---I just don't want crap speakers).

I'll get back to you on the monitors.

Speakers? Logitech S-120 are small speakers that deliver decent sound. I have a set and they're good and small enough for limited space areas. They're cheap (<$20) but they're not dirt cheap.

[shiroikaze]

Logitech's been having alot of dented box sales, maybe you can score a pair of speakers from them once they put 'em up.

Also, I hear people are generally happy with the Dell AY410 speakers. They occasionally go on sale for about $25.