Octopus Overlords

It makes more of a difference if you overclock and tweak your build, but short of that I don't think most users really benefit much from the top tier PSUs.

Back when I built my system in 2010 or so I get the best PSIU at the best price I could afford. Its a Corsair HX850w modular one. Its been amazing and Im still using it through various upgrades. In fact I could probably move it to my next build in years to come np but Ill most likely move to a 1000w or 1200w one since that may be my last pc ever at my age.

Thats a sad thought when it hit me.

really don't know why it took so long, but i finally found a Linux audio player with audio CD support that has _almost_ all the features i want (namely, mass editing of tracks when the tag download has incorrect info) - DeaDBeeF ... if it has Musicbrainz db tagging, then it will have everything.

https://deadbeef.sourceforge.io/

VLC and Audacious were _almost_ good enough

Picked up a new tablet, Lenovo Tab M10 Plus (3rd Gen) - 4GB Memory - 128GB Storage - Android 12 to replace my five year old Lenovo that was running Android 8. And the biggest change is that as usual the folks at Lenovo move UI items around, change how they work and just generally make it a nuisance to relearn. I'm sure in a few days I won't even notice the differences, unless I go back and fire up the old unit

Ugh, new computer started making a slight rattling sound intermittently. I suspect it’s the psu. I opened a ticket with Dell on it, but I then found some others with the exact same issue.. Some are saying it went away on its own, but I’m still concerned about a bad bearing in the psu or something.

Thankfully I have premium support for two years.

I had an HD dock that keeps corrupting the HD. It's a "Wavlink" brand. I kinda kept it because it's a dual HD, and I was too lazy to install the replacement dock.

Well, I finally did it... I put in the replacement dock. And ran Macrium Reflect so I know have a full backup again. The new dock is working so far. I have 2 x 4TB drives and I'm using one as a backup device plus general storage. The other one... can sit idle for a while.

I even put labels on the cables to make sure I don't lose the adapter and such. That label printer I bought off Temu works quite well. Even bought a roll of "cable labels".

I also used one of those USB3 hubs I got off Temu to rewire my desk a bit. Not elegant, but seems okay so far.

(But I've ran out of things I want off of Temu, but that's another topic)

Well, this is something of a computer story, but it's the computer on my car. Monday we were driving home from lunch and I had to suddenly jam on my brakes and my check engine light went on. Well, crap. We used to have a mechanic we could just stop by and he's check it out and I knew he'd be honest about the result, but he closed his business and now I'd have to go to some place I don't know with people I don't know. So I decided to do something different.

I know enough about cars to know that places use an OBD-II scanner to determine the error that triggered the check engine light. So a quick check of Amazon finds me a variety of scanners starting at $25 and going into the hundreds. So some more searching and I find a Car and Driver article that says which are the best scanners for different purposes and budget. I decided on a MOTOPOWER MP69035 OBD2 Scanner and it arrived today.

It's pretty easy to use, have a nice color manual with step by step instructions. What's nice about the scanner is it will show all errors that have occurred and how many times each has happened. So I check and it turns out that I had only one instance of one error code and it seems to be an isolated issue. So I clear the code which resets the check engine light and everything seems fine. I'm leaving the unit in the car so if we're away from home, like on a trip, I can diagnose my own issues.

I think Autozone will check it with one for free. Not sure.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 18, 2023 11:24 pm I think Autozone will check it with one for free. Not sure.

Yup. At least they did a couple of years ago, the last time I needed to interpret a check engine light.

The Car Wizard prefers the Autel brand, and their cheapest model M309, is under $20 on Amazon.

Heres one way to mount your optical drive.

Optical... drive? Drive?

Uh, slot drives do that naturally. We just don't usually mount them sideways, or in this case, facing upwards. And they're more complicated than caddy-drives.

I am replacing my AIO 120 with a proven air cooler this weekend. I've basically been overheating my CPU all along since AIO 120 is not good enough for a i7-9700K, even if its' not overclocked. I was lazy and replaced the original AIO 120 with another AIO 120 a few years back, and I'm not sure it was even installed correctly as it's a bit DIY. Maybe I should take it to Central Computers to have it installed professionally.

Ive turned off every setting I can find that has to do with notifications from TEMU. Damn bastard place wont shut up. I still get 4 - 5 spam from them a day ..."Hello friend" ...."Friend you're a winner..of savings!"..." We picked you friend"....SHUT UP already. Damn always having to clear their shit off the phone so many times daily. Sometimes even get a little 'PING' when I get one and go to see what it is.

Its so bad that Ive starting ignoring ALL my notifications. I may miss some important thing simply because Im sick and burnt out on TEMU ones. May be forced to remove it. 5 a day is just ridiculous. I dont get that many from the weather when theres a tornado blowing through.

Im not their friend buddy . Im not their buddy pal. Im not their pal friend. Stop it lol.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 2:52 pm Ive turned off every setting I can find that has to do with notifications from TEMU. Damn bastard place wont shut up. I still get 4 - 5 spam from them a day ..."Hello friend" ...."Friend you're a winner..of savings!"..." We picked you friend"....SHUT UP already. Damn always having to clear their shit off the phone so many times daily. Sometimes even get a little 'PING' when I get one and go to see what it is.

Its so bad that Ive starting ignoring ALL my notifications. I may miss some important thing simply because Im sick and burnt out on TEMU ones. May be forced to remove it. 5 a day is just ridiculous. I dont get that many from the weather when theres a tornado blowing through.

Im not their friend buddy . Im not their buddy pal. Im not their pal friend. Stop it lol.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Mon Apr 24, 2023 2:52 pm Ive turned off every setting I can find that has to do with notifications from TEMU. Damn bastard place wont shut up. I still get 4 - 5 spam from them a day ..."Hello friend" ...."Friend you're a winner..of savings!"..." We picked you friend"....SHUT UP already. Damn always having to clear their shit off the phone so many times daily. Sometimes even get a little 'PING' when I get one and go to see what it is.

Its so bad that Ive starting ignoring ALL my notifications. I may miss some important thing simply because Im sick and burnt out on TEMU ones. May be forced to remove it. 5 a day is just ridiculous. I dont get that many from the weather when theres a tornado blowing through.

Im not their friend buddy . Im not their buddy pal. Im not their pal friend. Stop it lol.

Notifications don't come from nowhere. What app is the notification coming from? Did you actually install a Temu app?

Ya have the Temu app. Thats why I said I may need to just uninstall it. Cant find a way to stop getting notifications..they are all turned off I can find.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 6:50 pm Ya have the Temu app. Thats why I said I may need to just uninstall it. Cant find a way to stop getting notifications..they are all turned off I can find.

Shady companies like Temu are always going to have shady apps that go out of their to track you, manipulate you, and make it hard to get rid of them.

Think Ill delete it. I can just order off them on my desktop.

I had to google Temu. Never heard of it until this thread, which is kind of odd since it's based in Boston (although owned by a Chinese company). It's apparently very popular for buying all manner of things of dubious quality at rock-bottom prices, shipped directly from China. Makes me wonder if it's potentially spyware, like TikTok.

I am now posting from my phone as my PC is in the shop. I hopefully I'll get it back later this week. It's not supposed to thermal throttle with even just a 120 AIO. But I am already missing the PC now, LOL

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 pm I had to google Temu. Never heard of it until this thread, which is kind of odd since it's based in Boston (although owned by a Chinese company). It's apparently very popular for buying all manner of things of dubious quality at rock-bottom prices, shipped directly from China. Makes me wonder if it's potentially spyware, like TikTok.

There has been a thread about it in the bargains forum. My conclusion as I've followed it: Never buy from Temu. You get incredibly cheap stuff that may not work and will probably break, possibly with a freak exception here and there. They seem to take, "you get what you pay for" to extremes.

I certainly wouldn't have their app anywhere near my phone.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:40 pm

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 8:50 pm I had to google Temu. Never heard of it until this thread, which is kind of odd since it's based in Boston (although owned by a Chinese company). It's apparently very popular for buying all manner of things of dubious quality at rock-bottom prices, shipped directly from China. Makes me wonder if it's potentially spyware, like TikTok.

There has been a thread about it in the bargains forum. My conclusion as I've followed it: Never buy from Temu. You get incredibly cheap stuff that may not work and will probably break, possibly with a freak exception here and there. They seem to take, "you get what you pay for" to extremes.

I certainly wouldn't have their app anywhere near my phone.

Amen.

Temu is the epitome of…

I got what I paid for, basically items less than 20.,usually less than 10. Basically what I can get on Amazon but with out the markup.

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Wed Apr 26, 2023 4:29 am I got what I paid for, basically items less than 20.,usually less than 10. Basically what I can get on Amazon but with out the markup.

Yes, but you went into it with your eyes open (and turned it into a fun project, too.) I was talking more to the idea of using it as a general money saving measure - you'll end up wasting time and money on defective stuff so often that you're really not going to end up saving much (possibly quite the opposite, since it seems to thrive on the impulse buy.) The company's business model still feels pretty sketchy, designed mostly around roping suckers in for cloned junk because they think they're getting a bargain. There may be something great hidden in there for $4 that's $15 everywhere else, but you'll end up spending $20 on junk to find it.

Like Kasey i got fun stuff or needed stuff..all knowing how cheap it would be. I think my favorite item is my Galaxy Light. Wonderful and love it and it was at least $10 cheaper than the name branded one just like it. I wanted one really bad but couldn't afford it until Temu.

I'd say warnings about Temu applies to any online retailer.

I only look for stuff that I know I am saving money on, not items of unknown values. I don't do those Temu bucks affiliate codes and I agree they are getting skeezzy.

Kasey Chang wrote: ↑Tue Apr 25, 2023 9:36 pm I am now posting from my phone as my PC is in the shop. I hopefully I'll get it back later this week. It's not supposed to thermal throttle with even just a 120 AIO. But I am already missing the PC now, LOL

Computer's back, and it's 30C cooler. Only when CPU's pushed 100% in a bendchmark will the CPU even hit 70C, which is easily much cooler than before. And that's with just casefans and AIO reinstalled properly. I need to finish my editing projects.

Thermal paste dries out. fans and heat sinks get covered in dust.

I hadn't realized until yesterday, while pondering modem manufacturers that will not die, that I still have all of the dial-up modems I ever owned:

• V.22bis: SupraModem 2400 Plus
• V.32bis: Zyxel U-1496E Plus
• V.34: Zyxel Elite 2864 (which I selected specifically because it had an ISDN upgrade option, but consumer broadband went in a different direction)
• V.90: USR Model 0525 56K Voice Faxmodem (which I continued to use as an answering machine/speaker-phone for a few years after I stopped using it as a modem)

Im not sure I still own my first one...not sure the brand even...was a 2400 baud. I do still have my other 2 in box...

USRobotics 28.8 upgraded to a 33.6 with a chip replacement I did myself
and a ADATA 28.8 I got at Radio Shack for backup while I had to send my USR out for repair.

I recall the USR 28.8 costing like $250 Christmas 1994.

This steampunk PC is like a brain in a jar!

Im not seeing it but to each their own. Its a cool case mod.

This steampunk custom PC takes the idea of a brain in a jar and runs with it, using copper piping, CNC-machined metal and 3D-printed parts.

That looks fairly ugly to be honest.

I was afraid I would have to start a "help me" thread when my PC started locking up and spontaneously rebooting. My cursor would get more and more sluggish until it froze completely, and the reboot came moments later. Oddly, I only ever noticed this when using my browser. I was also having some trouble loading Stellaris, which often crashed on the first attempt. I vaguely suspected a memory leak, if those are still a thing.

Then lo and behold, it cleared up after i installed NVIDIA's latest driver update a few days ago. In retrospect, it all started after I installed the previous one, but I didn't make that connection.

Dear websites that send me a login confirmation email: Kindly give me a hint as to which email it is. I have five.

Kraken wrote: ↑Sun Jun 04, 2023 12:26 pm I was afraid I would have to start a "help me" thread when my PC started locking up and spontaneously rebooting. My cursor would get more and more sluggish until it froze completely, and the reboot came moments later. Oddly, I only ever noticed this when using my browser. I was also having some trouble loading Stellaris, which often crashed on the first attempt. I vaguely suspected a memory leak, if those are still a thing.

Then lo and behold, it cleared up after i installed NVIDIA's latest driver update a few days ago. In retrospect, it all started after I installed the previous one, but I didn't make that connection.

The browser stuff comes from a setting to use the graphics card to speed some things up, FWIW.

Daehawk wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 10:27 am Im not sure I still own my first one...not sure the brand even...was a 2400 baud. I do still have my other 2 in box...

USRobotics 28.8 upgraded to a 33.6 with a chip replacement I did myself
and a ADATA 28.8 I got at Radio Shack for backup while I had to send my USR out for repair.

I recall the USR 28.8 costing like $250 Christmas 1994.

I remember I had friends who claimed they don't upgrade their modems back then. They just buy the same but slightly newer model from Fry's, swap the inner stuff, then return it. The minimum-wage-slaves at Fry's wouldn't know any better.

reuters

Taiwan-based computer manufacturer Acer (2353.TW) supplied at least $70.4 million worth of computer hardware to Russia between April 8, 2022 and March 31, 2023, according to customs data seen by Reuters, after saying it would suspend its business there.

While not illegal, Acer's actions contrast with those of key Western rivals such as Dell (DELL.N) and HP (HPE.N) which ceased shipments in February and April 2022, respectively, following Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, customs records drawn from a commercial trade data provider show.

The records show equipment produced by Acer was supplied to Russia both through Acer's wholly-owned subsidiary registered in Switzerland and a number of delivery services by order of that subsidiary.

Where do you think monitors and video cards will be next year or so when it comes to 1440p vs 4k? It looks like its the in between times coming up fast like back in the old days of 3D with 3dfx and such. Should a person be ok for year to come with 1440p gaming or should they go up to 4k next year and be set?