RockmanPM Forums

Base => General => Topic started by: Jericho on August 25, 2009, 11:49:58 PM

Title: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 25, 2009, 11:49:58 PM
OK, after an interesting thought hit me in Nodoka's current gen console thread, I decided to make a bit of an unusual thread that will hopefully help the RPM populace. The purpose of this thread is simple, it's to be used to help anyone looking for a recommendation, facts or hands on impressions for electronics, laptops, desktops, and their parts. It's also going to be used to help educate our fellow members on a few topics I'm sure you'll all have questions on. So whether it's simple things like graphics cards, getting the best bang for your buck when shopping for your gadgetry, the ins and outs of drawing tablets, or getting your iPod up and running smoothly, this topic is for you!

Please note though, this topic is not meant for PC related problems. While I'm sure there might be some things along the way that will get brought up here at first, if your questions pertain to a specific problem you are having with your device and computer, see the Computer Problem Thread (http://forum.rockmanpm.com/index.php?topic=127.0) or our resident Meltyhead DominicanZero (http://forum.rockmanpm.com/index.php?action=profile;u=135) aka Shiki Tonho for more info to help you out.

Now with all of this covered, I'd like to leave you all to post and help one another out with information as the thread goes on. I'll be back to post in the thread soon enough to cover some interesting topics, mostly on the computing side of the spectrum.

Some things of note to post in here whenever you discuss your issues or want to share information would be:

Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 25, 2009, 11:53:27 PM
Woo! So will this be the thread everyone posts their specs in?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 25, 2009, 11:54:40 PM
Actually, that's a pretty good idea. Bear with me though, the thread is mainly a work in progress, so I'll make a note of things that would be good to post in the OP.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 26, 2009, 12:05:45 AM
Desktop Specs
HDD: 2x250GB
Memory: 4GB 667MHz DDR2 (Upgraded from 2GB)
Monitor: 22" 1680x1050
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GT, 1GB VRAM (Upgraded from NVIDIA GeForce 7600 GS, 256MB)
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo, 2.0GHz
OS: Windows XP Media Center Edition (Currently has Windows 7 installed)

Level of Proficiency
Above Average
I've only began down the road that'll take me down the path of the techie. I've done a lot of homework in researching computer parts and such for when I build my own computer in about a month and a half. I was also able to give my computer a huge upgrade for about $100.

Are you a light or heavy electronics consumer?
Considering that I'll be spending roughly $3000 on my new computer, I consider myself a heavy consumer. I'm willing to shell out a lot of money for computers.

Experience
Since I'm still pretty new, I really don't have any. I'll get back to you after I purchased the parts for my new beast of a computer.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Rad Lionheart on August 26, 2009, 12:14:22 AM
Desktop Specs:
Original Specs (http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/prodinfoCategory?lc=en&cc=ca&dlc=en&product=1122477&lang=en)
+2GB of Samsung DDR 333 RAM
+ATI Technologies, Radeon X1600 PRO 512MB 128-bit Graphics card. (PCI-e)
+RetailPlus+ 465W PSU
+17" LCD Optiquest Q7 Monitor
+NexXtech 800-1600 DPI Laser Gaming Mouse
+Microsoft Pro Media Keyboard.
+Logitech 2.1 Stereo Speakers & Subwoofer.
Currently running Mandriva One Spring 2009.1

Level of Proficiency:
Not very proficient at all.

Are you a light or heavy electronics consumer:
I'm cheap as cheap can be.

Experience:
Not a whole lot.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 26, 2009, 01:16:17 AM
Previous Laptop Specs (Currently Dead)
HP Pavilion DV8000

AMD Turion 64 ML-32 Single Core Processor @ 1.8GHz
1GB DDR 333MHz Memory
100GB 5400RPM HDD
128MB ATi Radeon Mobility Xpress Video Card
17" 1440x900 Widescreen
Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (<3)

Story: Was my first laptop and my first step into computing on my own. Was fairly reliable until a few choice issues cropped up (DVD drive stopped spinning whenever I inserted discs, laser was misaligned from the start, heat issues, motherboard fried, monitor and monitor backlights fried). Sent in numerous times for checkup during the warranty but no progress was made. Used the laptop through it's TV output after that, then the motherboard gave out completely.

Current Desktop Specs - Circa 2002

Dell Inspiron

3.4Ghz Pentium 4 Single Core Processor
60GB HDD
512MB DDR RAM
15" 1280x1024 Monitor
Integrated Intel Graphics Processor (DO NOT WANT)
Windows XP Home Edition

Story: The house PC that's way over the hill really. I just recently had to start a .NET Framework upgrade on it to get Paint.NET working on it. It's not too old, but it feels friggin ancient at times. Gets my posting and porn research done though. XD

Level of Proficency - Above Average to Moderate Enthusiast


Officially, I've only had one computer to my name, the laptop, but I've been working with and been interested in computer tech oddly enough since I first played video games. It's been a weird relationship ever since, with me actually piecing together and fixing software issues on older PCs in a few summers in the past, but it's only been recently where I got interested enough in the higher end to actively follow it all. That's done mostly so that I can avoid the mistakes and not be a victim of circumstance when it came to my laptop's issues and it's more rapid aging when compared to what tech was coming out seemingly a week later. It also helps that it's one aspect of the main three things that make up the route I'm going down for developing games.

Protips: Never buy laptops for Christmas as they're just cleaning out stock in most retailer places/OEMs. They almost always launch a new model as soon as the season is over (or in my case, a week later). XD

Are you a light or heavy electronics consumer?
I consider myself a heavy electronics consumer since almost 80% of my purchases of some sort involve electronic goods, however since my bottleneck is money, I don't spend nearly as much or as often as most other enthusiasts. I do follow up and ask a lot of questions though to show what I know and learn as I go about it all.

Experience

- Years of Microsoft Windows, Office, and system tools tinkering on the side (yay spending an entire summer trying to figure out how system32 got deleted on our first install of Win98 8D)

- A few years of putting together PC parts and installing them with the parents

- Almost my lifetime's worth of video game purchases and playing

- Lots of time with portable music players

- A bit of shopping savvy gained from the parents and furthered by the net. XD

"Futureproofing" or "For The Here and Now"?

I believe in future proof purchases since money is almost always something that I have to plan out well before using. I can't upgrade as often as the next guy, so I always try to choose the best for how much I currently have and plan around that for the future. I always consider adaptability to future products and accessories to be the biggest point that needs checking before a buy.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 26, 2009, 04:31:29 AM
Here's my current wishlist for my new computer:

Tower: XCLIO A380BK Fully Black SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower
Motherboard: ASUS Crosshair III Formula AM3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core
Memory: 2x OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz
GPU: 2x SAPPHIRE 100251SR Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit (256-bit x 2) GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"
Optical Drives: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black
Pioneer Black 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software
Power Supply: COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-C50-EMBA-D2 1250W
Input Devices: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black w/ Mouse
Monitor: LG W2753V-PF Black 27" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P, 1920x1080
Extra Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Speakers: Creative Inspire T10 10 Watts RMS 2.0

Price: $2616.01
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 26, 2009, 04:41:22 AM
post

[tornado fang]ing awesome. Personally though, I'm waiting for the DirectX 11 cards from ATi just because they're right around the corner (September 10th apparently) and they sound like they have quite a bit of awesome benefits right out the gate.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 26, 2009, 04:45:14 AM
[tornado fang]ing awesome. Personally though, I'm waiting for the DirectX 11 cards from ATi just because they're right around the corner (September 10th apparently) and they sound like they have quite a bit of awesome benefits right out the gate.
That's a tentative wish list. It's already gone through a lot of changes. I'm not going to buy the parts until after Windows 7 gets released [October 22], and there's supposed to be a lot of new hardware coming out before then.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Solar on August 26, 2009, 04:48:35 AM
Current laptop's specs
2.2 GHz AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-75
3072 MB RAM
320 GB HDD
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics
14.1” WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Windows Vista Home Premium


So, how good is my laptop and what would it have trouble running?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 26, 2009, 04:53:22 AM
That's a tentative wish list. It's already gone through a lot of changes. I'm not going to buy the parts until after Windows 7 gets released [October 22], and there's supposed to be a lot of new hardware coming out before then.

Hmm I see. I guess I should also note that I'm actually much more interested in the mobile DX11 stuff ATi is putting forth. If it offers even 10% more efficiency than the current desktop cards plus the DX11 support, I think it could be a real killer performance wise and may make me consider getting a laptop over a desktop for now.

Current laptop's specs
2.2 GHz AMD Turion X2 Dual-Core Mobile Processor RM-75
3072 MB RAM
320 GB HDD
ATI Radeon HD 3200 Graphics
14.1” WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
Windows Vista Home Premium


So, how good is my laptop and what would it have trouble running?

Really, it's just the graphics card here that's holding you back. That model is quite old and when it was new, it was somewhere around entry level IIRC.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Solar on August 26, 2009, 04:56:22 AM
Heh, really sucks how you can't customize laptops doesn't it?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 26, 2009, 04:59:51 AM
Heh, really sucks how you can't customize laptops doesn't it?
Yes, it does. I'm considering getting a laptop at the beginning of the next year. If I could, I would custom build a laptop too.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 26, 2009, 05:00:25 AM
Heh, really sucks how you can't customize laptops doesn't it?

Most laptops. And even the ones that you can customize after the fact, which are anomalies themselves, still require above average knowledge of things and a good source of income. XD

Yes, it does. I'm considering getting a laptop at the beginning of the next year. If I could, I would custom build a laptop too.

Are you getting both a desktop and laptop? If so, how much money do you have to use at any given time? XD
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 26, 2009, 05:20:39 AM
Are you getting both a desktop and laptop? If so, how much money do you have to use at any given time? XD
$2800 now and in January. Since I'm planning on buying Adobe CS4, I'll probably get a rather cheap laptop.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Align on August 26, 2009, 11:18:26 AM
I have 2 sticks of 1 GB of RAM. How much would I get out of replacing this with 2x2 GB?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 26, 2009, 01:38:33 PM
I have 2 sticks of 1 GB of RAM. How much would I get out of replacing this with 2x2 GB?
Depends on your OS. If you have a 32-bit OS, there's really no point in getting 2GB sticks. The only reason you would do that is if you're planning on upgrading to 8GB of RAM in the future and a 32-bit OS can only detect up to 4GB. Most motherboards have four slots, so you could get 4GB of RAM by just buying two more 1GB sticks. If you do this, remember that you have to buy two sticks. Keeping Side A and Side B of your memory the same is key to system performance and stability.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Solar on August 28, 2009, 05:54:47 AM
Ok...this is quite weird. When I try the SFIV benchmark it needs to have the settings at the absolute lowest to even be able to get 60FPS, but with the actual game I can use higher settings than that. I have no idea what the hell is happening, I was wondering if someone had an explanation...I'm not complaining though XD
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 28, 2009, 09:01:00 PM
Well, I'm glad to hear that you got a bit ore out of your system Tai! XD

Now then, new bits of info regarding the ATi cards:

Quote
The name of the Evergreen family remained a well kept secret as long as it stayed within AMD. When AMD decided to tell partners what the new name would be it didn't take long before the information leaked. VR-Zone was quick to snap up the information supplied to partners and it clearly states that Cypress will become Radeon HD 5800, where Cypress XT becomes HD 5870 and Cypress Pro becomes HD 5850. No performance specifications were mentioned in the first post.

However, in a related discussion it was revealed by CJ that the series will sport performance equal to 2FTLOPS. If the individual shader performance remains about the same we would expect the specifications to be around 1600 shaders and 80TMUs (speculation). The bus is back to 256-bit, and not the odd numbers we heard rumors of before, and the memory amount is 1GB, 2GB with pimped up versions coming later.

The new Eyefinity technology deserves to be mentioned too. It will enable users to use up to three displays with a single card.

Sources to Donanimhaber have informed them of the prices of the Radeon HD 5800 series. The faster Radeon HD 5870 is said to be priced at $299, while the slightly slower HD 5850 will be priced at $249. This is pretty much the same as the launch of the Radeon HD 4800 series. Once again AMD is aiming for the sweetspot in terms of Price/performance with a single GPU rather than raw performance.

Link (http://www.nordichardware.com/news,9840.html)

Honestly, I'm quite surprised at this development. Those prices are extremely affordable. Looks like I did the right thing in waiting a bit before building a new PC for the house or getting one for myself. 8)
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 29, 2009, 12:11:59 AM

Now then, new bits of info regarding the ATi cards:

Link (http://www.nordichardware.com/news,9840.html)

Honestly, I'm quite surprised at this development. Those prices are extremely affordable. Looks like I did the right thing in waiting a bit before building a new PC for the house or getting one for myself. 8)
So those are the names of the new ATI GPU? When are they coming out?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 29, 2009, 12:18:59 AM
There's word of a September 10th release going around that's tied into a event they're hosting in California on the same day (launch party perhaps?), chances are the full details will be had around then.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 29, 2009, 12:27:02 AM
I'm going to get two 5870 X2's if they're released before I buy my new system. For anyone who doesn't know, the X2 versions of the 4870 and 5870 mean they're dual cores. Anyway, according to the specs released, the 5870 X2's core clock is going to be higher than the ordinary 5870. The first dual core GPU to be higher than a single core.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 29, 2009, 12:31:25 AM
Let's not scare the technically intermediate away now Nobo, though I do understand what you're saying. Also, 2 of them? What are you doing programming Crysis 4 or something? XD
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 29, 2009, 12:33:04 AM
Let's not scare the technically intermediate away now Nobo, though I do understand what you're saying. Also, 2 of them? What are you doing programming Crysis 4 or something? XD
Because two is better than one. Why two? Silly question.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 29, 2009, 12:33:56 AM
Point taken.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 29, 2009, 12:35:37 AM
Okay, I'll honestly answer the question: Because I don't want my computer to be able to max out games for six months and then putter out over new games. I want my computer to be able to max out games for years to come. If you want to pull this off, you buy the best and you maximize the power. It may seem excessive now, but it won't be in four years.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on August 29, 2009, 12:42:04 AM
Don't get me wrong, I'm much like yourself in that regard. I just can't see myself doing that in one go. Maybe two separate times (once for the first card, a bit later to max it all out) as time goes on.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on August 29, 2009, 12:44:42 AM
Don't get me wrong, I'm much like yourself in that regard. I just can't see myself doing that in one go. Maybe two separate times (once for the first card, a bit later to max it all out) as time goes on.
I'm a bit too impatient to do that. I definitely see myself upgrading parts as time goes on, but GPU are expensive; I kinda want to have those set from the start, so I don't have to worry about it later. Other things like RAM and HDD are cheap in contrast.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on September 03, 2009, 10:52:03 PM
Time to talk iPods folks. For the few of us who might be interested, Apple is having a music-focused media event this coming Wednesday. While everything about the conference has been kinda hush lately, there have been some pretty interesting rumors flying about, most notably in regards to the discontinuation of all current SKUs (http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/08/sources-current-ipods-discontinued-hinting-at-refresh.ars) in favor of brand new models.

Other speculation on these new iPods mentions that all models short of the Shuffle will come with a 3.2 megapixel digital camera for both snapshots and recording video (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/08/27/ipod-touch-nano-and-classic-to-receive-3-2-megapixel-cameras-at-september-media-event/), larger disk drives, a large iPod Touch/Apple Tablet (http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2008/12/rumor-suggests-larger-ipod-touch-possible-for-fall-2009.ars), and an aspect ratio change in the case of the Nano (http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/05/rumor-ipod-nano-to-get-wider-aspect-ratio-and-a-camera.ars).

I, for one, am very excited about this upcoming event. Putting off on all of my tech buys really looks like it's gonna pay off this September. :D
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Protoman Blues on September 04, 2009, 05:35:41 AM
I'm looking forward to this, yes!
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on September 07, 2009, 08:52:25 PM
Tower: XCLIO A380BK Fully Black SECC 1.0mm thickness ATX Full Tower

Motherboard: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core

Memory: 2x OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz (8GB RAM total)

GPU: 2x EVGA 02G-P3-1186-AR GeForce GTX 285 Superclocked Edition 2GB 512-bit DDR3

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

Optical Drives: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black
Pioneer Black 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-C50-EMBA-D2 1250W

Input Devices: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black w/ Mouse

Monitor: LG W2753V-PF Black 27" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P, 1920x1080

Extra Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

Speakers: Creative Inspire T10 10 Watts RMS 2.0

Price: $2,715.97

Here's my new wishlist. I've become a little iffy about the dual-core GPUs (4850X2, 4870X2, and 295 GTX) and decided to go with a single-core. Now, the reason why I picked the 285 GTX is because when they're in triple-SLI, they're the best GPU system on the market. I'm starting off with two because I can't afford to buy three at once. I'll buy another one some other time.

Posted on: September 03, 2009, 10:55:23 PM
I changed my mind back to the 4870 X2, except I'll just go with one--to avoid the mess with the crappy CrossFireX drivers.

Tower: ZALMAN PROFESSIONAL GS-1000-TT Titanium Computer Case Aluminum / 1.0mm SECC Steel Full Tower

Motherboard: ASUS M4A79T Deluxe AM3 DDR3 AMD 790FX ATX AMD

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 140W Quad-Core

Memory: 2x OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600MHz

GPU: XFX HD-487A-CDF9 Radeon HD 4870 X2 2GB 512-bit GDDR5

HDD: 2x Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST31500341AS 1.5TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5"

Optical Drives: Sony Optiarc 24X DVD/CD Rewritable Drive Black
Pioneer Black 8X Blu-Ray DVD Burner w/ Software

Power Supply: COOLER MASTER Real Power Pro RS-C50-EMBA-D2 1250W

Input Devices: Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000 B2L-00047 Black w/ Mouse

Monitor: LG W2753V-PF Black 27" 2ms(GTG) HDMI Full HD 1080P, 1920x1080

Extra Cooling: ZALMAN CNPS9900LED 120mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler

Speakers: Creative Inspire T10 10 Watts RMS 2.0

Price: $2,475.97

Posted on: September 04, 2009, 04:08:15 AM
After thinking about it, I decided that it might be better for me to wait a few more months before building my new desktop. Mainly because there's going to be a lot of new releases in hardware soon and it's better to wait a while before buying them. At release, hardware typically has poor drivers, which means slow performance on something that should be fast. Plus, it'll give Windows 7 a little time to mature before I buy it. Not only that, but Office 2010 will be out by then.

Instead, I've been thinking of buying a lappy-chan. So far, the Asus G Series G71Gx-A1 NoteBook (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220550) has given me the best deal. Plus, it's from Asus, which is a company known for its quality. It's just under $2,400 after two-year and extended warranty and shipping.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: VixyNyan on September 07, 2009, 08:54:30 PM
Quote
lappy-chan

Everyone likes to use this name ever since I coined it~ <3
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on September 07, 2009, 08:56:28 PM
I usually just call mine lappy. Its an easier abbreviation XD
plus, it sounds cute.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Psycho Yuffie on September 07, 2009, 08:57:13 PM
Everyone likes to use this name ever since I coined it~ <3
I can't help but use it. It's so cute~
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on September 16, 2009, 05:47:26 AM
Laptop specs.
Acer Aspire 6930

Intel Centrino

Windows Vista Home Premium

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T6400
(2.0 GHz, 800 MHz FSB, 2 MB L2 Cache)

16" HD Acer CineCrystal LCD

Up to 1695 MB Mobile Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 45500 MHD

4 GB DDR2

320 GB HDD

DVD Super Multi DL

802.11a/b/g/Draft-N WLAN

Subwoofer


Tuba Cinebass booster

TRUE 5.1
(5.1 output)

HDMI out

8Ms HD response

WCG (33% more color range)

I love my Lappy-kun.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Protoman Blues on September 23, 2009, 04:28:43 AM
I really love technology. (http://gizmodo.com/5365299/courier-first-details-of-microsofts-secret-tablet)
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on September 23, 2009, 04:56:13 AM
wow. That looks kinda awesome.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Solar on September 29, 2009, 05:23:25 AM
Ok...this is quite weird. When I try the SFIV benchmark it needs to have the settings at the absolute lowest to even be able to get 60FPS, but with the actual game I can use higher settings than that. I have no idea what the hell is happening, I was wondering if someone had an explanation...I'm not complaining though XD

An update

WTF, seriously WTF, someone freaking explain why SF4 is now running better in my PC at higher settings than it was a few hours ago in the lowest settings?! WTF?! XD

This is just seriously so weird and awesome XD
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Jericho on September 29, 2009, 06:29:06 AM
It might be that your laptop downloaded a newer set of drivers and thus enhanced your performance.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: NayusDante on January 07, 2010, 02:55:34 AM
My Rig:
AMD Phenom II X3 710 (OCed to 3.17Ghz, stock cooler)
4gb (2x 2gb) DDR2 800
Asus M3N72-D mobo (wish I had held out for an AMD chipset)
ATI Radeon HD 4850 512mb (will be going nVidia next time, since I got an SLI board)
500gb SATA primary, 1.5tb SATA secondary (NEVER run an OS on a "green" drive, they're only good for storage)
Hauppauge HVR-2250 (dual-tuner HD DVR card)
Windows 7 Professional
NZXT Tempest case


I upgrade maybe two things a year, but I keep everything around high-midrange. I'd rather pay less more often to be current than use the same system for 5+ years. It runs everything I can throw at it, the most recent challenge being The Last Remnant maxed out at 1920x1080.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Rock Miyabi on January 19, 2010, 01:14:40 AM
Hrmmm, I suppose this is the best place to ask:

Router suggestions - especially in terms of being the best for current gen consoles? Discuss amongst yourselves.

I've actually never had any kind of wifi for my Wii or anything else. My brother had a router in college, and I tried it one week when he came back home, but it didn't work. After a while, I looked it up on Nintendo's website and found out it was one of those that had a history of not being compatible with Wii. 'Course, that's what you get with older routers.

Before MM9 came out, I bought one of those LAN adaptors so I could just connect it to one of my cable modems. That worked for a while (albeit a tad slow), but now that thing hasn't been able to get any connection for months. I forget the error code at the moment. Kinda pisses me off, since I have points to use and whatnot. So I figure it's probably time to actually purchase a decent router, especially before MM10 comes out. Sounds like Wireless N's are the best choice, and I know you can find some for dirt cheap on eBay, but have to be wary of refurbished ones. Just curious if anybody has tips on brands or models that you've had good experiences with. I'd love to hear 'em.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on January 22, 2010, 02:31:57 AM
My Wii connects to my home's wifi without attachments.

Posted on: January 19, 2010, 01:23:08
Can anyone  recommend me a good tablet for under 100 bucks?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: VixyNyan on January 22, 2010, 02:40:02 AM
Small, cheap, durable and precise, works like a charm~ (http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Small-Tablet-Graphics-Software/dp/B000V9NU2A)
You can pick black or white. ^^
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Rad Lionheart on January 22, 2010, 03:36:28 AM
I got my Bamboo for $88 CAD. ($75 USD)
Don't like the new series of Bamboo though, they look more like the Intuos and aren't as small from the looks of it.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Sakura Leic on June 25, 2011, 06:10:26 AM
I'm sorry for the bump but I really need some help here.

In a couple of months I'm going to be going to college and I need a laptop the problem is that I don't know too much about computers myself.  So what I want is an example of what kind of specs I should look for a decent laptop that can be used for school work and maybe some let's plays of a few games in the future.  I also want to know what brand of laptops that are decent becuase my brother had a HP Laptop that he customized online but the thing is crap and he wasted a ton of money on the the thing.  I'm thinking my budget would be around $800 give or take plus I want to buy an extenal hard drive to make things easier.

Any suggestions?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Kieran on June 30, 2011, 05:30:13 PM
Toshiba laptops are usually pretty solid.  As far as specs go, I'd recommend at least a 2 GHz dual-core CPU and two gigabytes of RAM; four or higher would be preferable.

This site (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100006740%2050001259&IsNodeId=1&name=Toshiba) has some decent Toshiba laptops around $400 that you might be interested in.

If you want to shop other brands... Asus, Lenovo, Sony and maybe Dell might be worth looking into, but be sure to read the user reviews on that site to get a feel for what you're buying before you spend any money.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Sakura Leic on July 01, 2011, 06:25:56 AM
Thanks this helps out a lot.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Karai on July 01, 2011, 06:57:37 PM
I'd say get something like my MSI Wind U270 (some call it a sub-notebook). Dual core 1,6 GHz cpu, radeon hd 6310, 4GB of ram, and a 320 GB hdd. It has a 12,1" screen, so it's small, and light (1,3 kg). When you're going to carry it everyday, you really want something as small as possible.
VERY important is battery life - I can get almost 7 hours. Just imagine 100 people trying to plug their laptops into 5 sockets at the back of the room, and you can just sit anywhere you want and laugh at them.
Win7 64bit runs flawlessly, 1080p blue ray rips movies play without any hiccups. As for games, emulators run full speed with filters and everything. I don't really play PC games, but not-so-super-new-or-demanding games should be ok.
Ports - 3xUSB (one is 3.0), HDMI out, and all the other common ports.
I got my version (extra 2 GB of RAM, and without OS) for ~500$, but as you're not in Poland you should find it for half that price.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Lunar Knight Zeke on July 04, 2011, 05:29:16 AM
Okay I'm having some trouble with youtube. Whenever I click on a link to a video, the page loads up fine, I can see the comments and links to other pages, but the video does not. Does anyone know whats going on?

EDIT: Nevermind.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: MereBytes on December 06, 2011, 05:16:43 PM
So anyone got any hands-on experience with Samsung XE700T (series 7 tablet)? I'm planning on getting it for my birthday on january.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 12, 2012, 06:10:58 AM
Ok RPM. I want some consultation here. I'm gonna custom a computer.

what do you think of this:

[spoiler]

ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
$149.99 + 2 Year warranty $24.99 (+ Mail in rebate -$20.00)

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K  
$229.99 + 2 Year warranty 29.99 (+ Mail in rebate -$20.00)

Seagate Barracuda Green ST2000DL003 2TB 5900 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
$119.99

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM
$89.99

LITE-ON Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model iHDS118-04 - OEM
$19.99

LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM
$15.99

CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
$109.99

other stuff-

Dell E2011H 20" 1600 x 900 5ms LED BackLight Widescreen LCD Monitor 250 cd/m2 1000:1
$99.99

Logitech X-140 5 watts 2.0 Speakers
$27.99

Aerocool Syclone II Black Edition Mid Tower Case (Tiger Direct.com)
$109.99

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium GFC-02050 Operating System Software - 64bit, DVD (Tigerdirect.com)
 99.99
[/spoiler]

I'm looking to try and cut down the price a bit. First things first, i'm seeing if I can find a good quality 1TB Hard Drive for under 100 bucks, as opposed to a 2TB drive. Ive seen a few, but all the ones i've seen seem to have, despite good ratings overall, mixed reviews as far as reliability.

Any suggestions? Im open to suggestions on the rest too. (like the monitor)

BTW- all that is from Newegg.com, minus the tower and OS, which are Tigerdirect.com.

Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Ladd Spencer on October 12, 2012, 06:26:57 AM
Can anyone tell me the best TV card? I want a coax port on the back of a tower. It's been my lifelong dream.

You should make room for the TV card we'll be getting. Trust me, Fire Man, it'll be awesome.

Posted on: October 12, 2012, 04:20:21 AM
Maaaan what the [tornado fang] this is some bullshit (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&N=100006550&isNodeId=1&Description=tv+card&x=0&y=0)

Posted on: October 12, 2012, 04:25:14 AM
Whoa Tiger Direct is the [parasitic bomb] (http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/search.asp?keywords=tv+card#)
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 13, 2012, 04:30:22 AM
Okay, new build. This one more economically feasible for me.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20544825

(list doesnt take into account the $109.99 case or a monitor)

I'm now open to suggestions on a cheaper graphics card which can still offer me good performance with my games. Consider possibly the highest graphically intense game I'll be playing (as of right now anyway) is League of Legends, with Dragon Nest at a close second.

which look, respectively- like this

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CDDsMSssm8Q/T7HMfCismFI/AAAAAAAABpw/DdjOvFCF8CE/s1600/Screen01.png

and this


https://icesabel.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/dn-2012-06-04-22-51-33-mon.jpg
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Ladd Spencer on October 14, 2012, 05:43:32 PM
Why not just use your old case? You should put the most money into your motherboard. You don't wanna have to replace that for a long long time.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 15, 2012, 08:38:34 AM
I don't have another case. I've had a laptop for about 3 or so years since my last PC died. (R.I.P Hard Drive. I knew ye well)

And that PC was kinda old.

Either way, I've remade the list, and got something im satisfied with.

http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/PublicWishDetail.aspx?WishListNumber=20544825

I really should probably ditch that fan and get a cheaper one, but I dunno. I just wanted to get the same kind of fan as the other two in the case... (from the same company. Im rethinking it now though. their fans are kinda overpriced.)

Unfortunately, the final FINAL cost, with the shipping for some of the Newegg items, and for the TigerDirect items, (the case, a headset) brings it up a sum. But i've skimped as much as im willing to go on the major hardware. I kinda want to try that "30 day free trial" of whatever free shipping service that is it says im eligible to try. I would have to cut it immediately after it ships my [parasitic bomb] or something as to not let it expire naturally, since once the 30 day trial ends, they charge you the monthly fee of like, 79 bucks. Im wondering if they might not just try and double cross me though, and use vague wording to charge me even if I cancel, which they say im also able to do at any time...
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Ladd Spencer on October 15, 2012, 05:07:05 PM
I don't think other people can view your wishlist.

You can always skip or downgrade a part and replace it later. Just make sure the motherboard is top of the line.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 15, 2012, 05:26:17 PM
Fixed the link.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Ladd Spencer on October 16, 2012, 12:20:00 AM
If you get a TV card you don't need a monitor. If you're trying to shave dollars off, it's not a half bad idea.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 16, 2012, 09:27:00 PM
Umm, no.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Ladd Spencer on October 17, 2012, 05:05:03 AM
But you can tape browsing RPM onto DVR or VHS and watch it later
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Sakura Leic on October 17, 2012, 05:19:47 AM
But you can tape browsing RPM onto DVR or VHS and watch it later
...Why would you want to watch a cursor point and click at the links you did in the past?  Anyway I looked up this TV card thing and that's not how it works, it makes a computer able to catch a signal from TVs so that you can view TV programs and possibly record them, it doesn't allow a TV to work as a computer.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 17, 2012, 05:59:11 AM
Either way, I bought the parts today. I also got a nice surprise when I saw that starting today apparently, the motherboard I'm buying comes with 2 free sticks of 4Gig ram. (8 total) SO how about that. I probably still wont install more than the 8, (or maybe 12, I'm thinkin' bout it) but I also found the shipping was cheaper than it previously told me. Which was weird, but I'm not complaining.

Either way, for now it's a waiting game till it all gets here.

Speaking of Games, I found Blazblue CS Extend for like, 16 bucks and got that too.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Ladd Spencer on October 17, 2012, 06:19:51 PM
...Why would you want to watch a cursor point and click at the links you did in the past?  Anyway I looked up this TV card thing and that's not how it works, it makes a computer able to catch a signal from TVs so that you can view TV programs and possibly record them, it doesn't allow a TV to work as a computer.
I dunno, why do people print topics? I'm pretty sure the ones with 2 coax ports are not both input.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 25, 2012, 05:05:12 PM
Consultation time.

So I got a free 8 gigs of ram with my motherboard. (2x4)

Now. On one hand, [tornado fang] yeah, more ram.

On the other, 8 gigs is more than enough and ill never need 16 gigsn

Opinions?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Align on October 25, 2012, 06:15:53 PM
On what? Yeah, 8 GB should be plenty, at least until the next (useful) Windows version.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 25, 2012, 06:22:59 PM
To clarify, I already have 8 installed
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Karai on October 25, 2012, 06:48:26 PM
Unless you use some very pro software, and run, like, 5 at once, that amount of RAM won't even be allocated.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on October 25, 2012, 07:17:47 PM
Yeah, I thought so.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: OBJECTION MAN on October 31, 2012, 01:43:54 PM
The more RAM the better. It'll help future proof things. Also turn off/minimize your page file if you have that much RAM. I have 18GB of RAM currently, though I do use things that would actually make a dent in it. You could also allocate some of that to a RAM drive if you feel like doing some advanced stuff. Not that it has much practical use for a basic home user. It's an interesting alternative to SSDs for Minecraft servers though.

RAM these days is pretty cheap, and even more so if you watch the deals like on Newegg. I saw 24GB for 120$.
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Align on October 31, 2012, 10:15:21 PM
I suppose you might want to get a balance between size and other things like speed though?
Title: Re: Official RPM Computer & Electronics Discussion Thread
Post by: Flame on June 12, 2013, 07:06:35 AM
So I'm planning on buying a new GPU soon, since mine is messed up. I already sent it in once, got it back 'repaired" sent it in AGAIN, got a new one, and the new one has issues too. So [tornado fang] this one.

I have an AMD Radeon HD 7870OC from Gigabyte, though I haven't touched the OC stuff.

What's a good reliable card I can get that's on the same page more or less? I'd prefer to keep the price under $400, $500 as a stretch.