Personal computing discussed

Search found 171 matches

by cobalt
Tue Jan 10, 2017 3:27 pm
Forum: Graphics
Topic: Is this a GPU Artifact?
Replies: 10
Views: 10526

Re: Is this a GPU Artifact?

FWIW, that's pretty clearly a regular dithering pattern.  Back in the 16-bit-depth framebuffer days, the whole screen could look like that.  Do a google image search for "regular dithering pattern" if you want to see some examples.   I admit I don't know why it might happen these days, but...
by cobalt
Wed May 25, 2016 3:03 pm
Forum: Storage
Topic: NAS sizing question
Replies: 10
Views: 3389

Re: NAS sizing question

Perhaps a dumb question, but if you need it to be regular, why not just use automatic offsite backups? I was thinking of doing the same thing as you (for my personal backups), but the difficulty in making it be reliably fire-proof and thief-proof while also being automated meant that once I had Cras...
by cobalt
Fri Apr 29, 2016 11:59 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: The usual laser printer question
Replies: 29
Views: 6037

Re: The usual laser printer question

Are laser prints good for sporadic printing in terms of ink cost? Any expected print quality or hardware reliability issues? I don't print often. It could be months between prints. It's usually just a handful of pages, but sometimes a few tens. I've been pretty disappointed with the print quality o...
by cobalt
Fri Apr 08, 2016 8:18 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Homemade Baby Monitor
Replies: 9
Views: 3438

Re: Homemade Baby Monitor

Thanks for the advice! I'd actually put a reference to TinyCam in my OP, but removed it because I didn't want to bias responses. Nice to see someone recommend it. Also thanks for the camera recommendations. They look like good units at the right price point. To be fair, I haven't actually tried any...
by cobalt
Thu Apr 07, 2016 1:39 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Homemade Baby Monitor
Replies: 9
Views: 3438

Re: Homemade Baby Monitor

<Bump> Still looking for suggestions. Foscam FI8918W + "tinycam monitor pro". $50 for the camera, $4 for the app. Done! Got IR LEDS, pan/tilt, audio + video. They have HD cameras as well (but cost more). Plus, it expands to as many cameras + monitors as you want. I'd recommend wired ether...
by cobalt
Tue Feb 09, 2016 12:48 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

I'd spend $100 and avoid the ER-X unless absolute lowest cost was needed. I'm not sure I understand this reasoning. Gbps internet and lots of connections maxing that bandwidth? The ER-X is almost half the price, and it's got more ports. Half the price could likely purchase a replacement down-the-ro...
by cobalt
Mon Feb 08, 2016 9:58 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

The Camry of home routers is an Asus RT-N16 with EasyTomato or DD-WRT. Is there something about the N16 that makes it better than the others (e.g. N66 or whatever)? Reliability, performance? (Should I be looking for an Accord instead of a Camry?) Certainly you trust it because of your experience wi...
by cobalt
Sat Feb 06, 2016 11:24 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

Hi, all, busy day so haven't been able to respond yet, but still watching the discussion with high interest! So I double-checked the model number of my Linksys and it's an EA3500, not an EA3200. It's on the list of officially incompatible devices with DD-WRT. Marvell chipset, not Broadcom. Boo. http...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 9:26 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

So my next dumb question: how does the throughout of the EdgeRouter X or the Lite compare to your typical Linksys/Netgear/Asus?

(And continuing thanks to all!)
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 4:15 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: shameless pfsense plug, esp since no wifi

PS, suck it up and try to get a little more comfortable with CLI ;) after a certain point in computers all the important and interesting stuff always goes there. Oh my, my head's already full from other CLIs, I dunno if I've got room for another one, especially for a domain (networking) I'm not wel...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 3:51 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

How about the Ubiquity EdgeRouter Lite? It is extremely cheap and fast (can route up to 1Gbps). https://www.ubnt.com/edgemax/edgerouter-lite/ This would be my recommendation as well, especially since the OP is already running Ubiquiti hardware. See, now this is why I come here, I didn't know these ...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 2:55 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

If you go out of consumer space then you are less likely to find GUIs. I think the progression goes: Asus router, Asus router with 3rd party firmware, Mikrotik, monowall / pfsense, DIY, Cisco or Juniper hardware forwarding router. So you might want to look at a Mikrotik, I've never run one but I've...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 2:32 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

I know what you mean. I have a WRT1900AC, and I'm ready to flash it with something else. I've got a refurb unit for testing/backup on it's way right now. If it's an EA3200, DD-WRT will work. The Linksys EA line uses Broadcom chips which are well supported in the third-party community. http://www.dd...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 2:09 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Re: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

If you go out of consumer space then you are less likely to find GUIs. I think the progression goes: Asus router, Asus router with 3rd party firmware, Mikrotik, monowall / pfsense, DIY, Cisco or Juniper hardware forwarding router. So you might want to look at a Mikrotik, I've never run one but I've...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 11:29 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?
Replies: 44
Views: 9728

Which non-consumer-grade router (no wifi needed)?

So I'm still livid about the Cisco/Linksys home router (don't remember the model, EA3200 or something like that) bait-and-switch where a firmware update after purchase switched it to use the **cking cloud for configuration. It's slow, horrible, and just a terrible, terrible idea. It's actually gotte...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 10:20 am
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Wireless IP cameras, home wifi network changes
Replies: 7
Views: 2611

Re: Wireless IP cameras, home wifi network changes

Update: I went ahead and hooked up the linksys behind the actiontec. WOW what a difference, I did not even turn off the actiontec's 2.4 ghz network off yet. All 4 cameras are streaming at 20 frames in "High" quality (notice the quotes, the vendors advertise 1080p, but I would say it it mo...
by cobalt
Fri Feb 05, 2016 10:19 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: Motherboards Should Come with WiFi as Standard Gear
Replies: 89
Views: 8270

Re: Motherboards Should Come with WiFi as Standard Gear

I'm definitely in the "no, I want wired" camp. Maybe mini-ITX because it's more likely to be either portable or placed somewhere inconvenient. But even then, with the mini-ITX Asus Maximums VIII Impact review ( http://techreport.com/review/29637/asus-rog-maximus-viii-impact-motherboard-rev...
by cobalt
Thu Feb 04, 2016 2:51 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: Wireless IP cameras, home wifi network changes
Replies: 7
Views: 2611

Re: Wireless IP cameras, home wifi network changes

Why not turn OFF the wireless portion of your modem/router and ONLY use an access point for the wireless? (Maybe that's what you're suggesting in #1, but from your phrasing it sounded like you were worried e.g. about interference from the other.) If your Linksys 1200 is free and good quality, then I...
by cobalt
Mon Jan 18, 2016 4:48 pm
Forum: Visual Haven
Topic: Any experience with ebay used monitors?
Replies: 13
Views: 5498

Re: Any experience with ebay used monitors?

I've used PCLiquidations in the past when looking for a 20" 1600x1200. They grade their monitors so you can tell what quality you're paying for. You could get an older grade-A monitor or a less-old grade-B for a pretty good price. I seem to remember they have occasional sales as well to lower t...
by cobalt
Wed Jan 13, 2016 8:44 am
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: Do I upgrade my 2500k?
Replies: 21
Views: 4407

Re: Do I upgrade my 2500k?

My desktop is still on an i5-2500K. Granted, I haven't been pounding it the way I used to, but after looking at the cost of maybe upgrading it to an i7-2600 non-K for VM reasons, I decided to leave it be. The eBay prices on faster Sandy Bridge chips reflect the fact that they're still very competit...
by cobalt
Tue Jan 12, 2016 11:20 pm
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: Do I upgrade my 2500k?
Replies: 21
Views: 4407

Re: Do I upgrade my 2500k?

cobalt wrote: But gosh, this is by far the longest I've ever gone without a CPU upgrade. Yep, CPUs haven't increased in performance as much as they used to for awhile now. Of course! -- and part of my reason for thinking along the Haswell-E line as one option, gotta get more cores (+HT) when you've...
by cobalt
Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:24 pm
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: Do I upgrade my 2500k?
Replies: 21
Views: 4407

Re: Do I upgrade my 2500k?

Thanks, you guys rock! Yeah, not so much I've got money burning a hole in my pocket, it's more that I don't have a lot of free time these days, and so if I have to dedicate some time to refreshing my computer anyway, I wanted some opinions on if a hardware upgrade would buy me anything (including ju...
by cobalt
Tue Jan 12, 2016 5:23 pm
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: Do I upgrade my 2500k?
Replies: 21
Views: 4407

Do I upgrade my 2500k?

I've got an OC'd 2500k @ 4GHz, which is obviously fast enough for just about everything. That said, I'd love a speed boost for a few intensive things like video encoding and compiling programs. I assume I won't actually need to upgrade for the Oculus Rift (despite their compatibility tester telling ...
by cobalt
Wed Jan 06, 2016 2:41 pm
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Oculus Rift
Replies: 35
Views: 6767

Re: Oculus Rift

Not gonna edit my post a third time, but apparently Luckey tweeted that the wireless adapter for the controller IS included. That's good, seemed weird without it.
by cobalt
Wed Jan 06, 2016 12:49 pm
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Oculus Rift
Replies: 35
Views: 6767

Re: Oculus Rift

Ouch, it's $600 US! No wonder they were confident they wouldn't sell out of pre-orders, LOL. Well, they still got me. Mine ships before April. Yeah, I saw the price, was shocked and horrified, then clicked "Buy" anyway. Dammit. Spent so little time debating after seeing the price, I made ...
by cobalt
Wed Jan 06, 2016 11:11 am
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Oculus Rift
Replies: 35
Views: 6767

Re: Oculus Rift

Ouch, it's $600 US! No wonder they were confident they wouldn't sell out of pre-orders, LOL.
by cobalt
Tue Jan 05, 2016 4:17 pm
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Oculus Rift
Replies: 35
Views: 6767

Re: Oculus Rift

I got to try one of the DK2 and I think "meh" about sums it up. It seems like there is a long, long way to go before this thing is anything more than a novelty. Visually it's just irritating... and it's more than just the screen door effect. It's just so close that (at least for me) it fe...
by cobalt
Tue Jan 05, 2016 2:06 pm
Forum: Gaming
Topic: Oculus Rift
Replies: 35
Views: 6767

Re: Oculus Rift

1. I'll be pre-ordering. Almost got a DK2, but small things like screen-door effect bugged me, and plus, it was later in the year, so I decided I could wait for CV1 and catch a few improvements and ensure longer compatibility. 2. I'm actually more excited for smaller experiences. I mean, I'd love to...
by cobalt
Wed Dec 02, 2015 11:22 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: Best Off-Site Backup Solution
Replies: 22
Views: 2291

Re: Best Off-Site Backup Solution

The article comments did not add any further insight on Crashplan vs. SOS, however. I never could figure out what problems they had either. Crashplan has been alright for me so far, seems to work as advertised though its UI is slow. Anyone care to fill us in on the problems TR had? I've been wonder...
by cobalt
Fri Nov 06, 2015 10:31 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: Samsung 840 & 840 EVO Bug
Replies: 323
Views: 101011

Re: Samsung 840 & 840 EVO Bug

If you read back through the thread you'll see that the built-in benchmark is worthless, people posting the Samsung results giving the all-clear, whilst actual full-drive scans from HDTune or HDTach showing horrific, slower-than-5400rpm-drives transfer rates with huge access times. I have almost no...
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