Personal computing discussed

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by just brew it!
Tue Oct 13, 2020 9:37 pm
Forum: Processors
Topic: So, what do you guys think of the new Ryzen 5000 series?
Replies: 28
Views: 10180

Re: So, what do you guys think of the new Ryzen 5000 series?

If I could figure out and source parts for an ECC build of either, I'd bite your hand off pay a pay a pretty penny for it tomorrow. For ECC RAM, your best bet is probably to look at the "Server Memory" section at Newegg; Amazon's search engine is pretty useless in this case. Make sure you...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:43 pm
Forum: Processors
Topic: So, what do you guys think of the new Ryzen 5000 series?
Replies: 28
Views: 10180

Re: So, what do you guys think of the new Ryzen 5000 series?

I like it as well. When they release the am5 chipsets maybe the will use larger bios chips as a standard so the mainboard lasts over more generations. Size of the BIOS chip is a mobo vendor decision. Going to ddr5 is not going to be as big of a jump in bandwidth as i was hoping for. ...and latencie...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:39 pm
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x
Replies: 17
Views: 5199

Re: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x

Ahh, OK. TBH I wouldn't pay $55 for a Wraith Prism. I don't think the noise levels under load are consistent with that price. But for a bundled stock HSF it's pretty decent.
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 11, 2020 10:19 am
Forum: Processors
Topic: So, what do you guys think of the new Ryzen 5000 series?
Replies: 28
Views: 10180

Re: So, what do you guys think of the new Ryzen 5000 series?

I like the fact that they're sticking with AM4 a bit longer. Means I can potentially swap one of the 5000 series into my existing system at some point.
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 11, 2020 10:16 am
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x
Replies: 17
Views: 5199

Re: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x

The bundled Wraith coolers seem to be about on par with a mid-range aftermarket HSF. I'd guesstimate the Wraith Prism is worth around $30 (retail). What exactly are the differences between the Spire and the Prism variants? I only have hands-on experience with the Prism.
by just brew it!
Fri Oct 09, 2020 2:05 pm
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC
Replies: 26
Views: 10217

Re: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC

We're hitting limits on how fast you can make silicon transistors switch. This is why the emphasis is shifting to core count and larger caches. Need to find ways to boost performance without requiring higher clock speeds.
by just brew it!
Fri Oct 09, 2020 12:20 pm
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC
Replies: 26
Views: 10217

Re: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC

I would argue that it hasn't in fact died; it's just that TSMC and Samsung are carrying the torch now instead of Intel.
by just brew it!
Fri Oct 09, 2020 4:57 am
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC
Replies: 26
Views: 10217

Re: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC

stfan wrote:
I can talk for hours how things have gone backwards here for system builders. I really feel like a 'get off my lawn' rant :)

I feel like that a lot these days too. On the plus side, the technology continues to improve. Moore's law has slowed down, but it isn't dead yet.
by just brew it!
Tue Oct 06, 2020 5:56 am
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x
Replies: 17
Views: 5199

Re: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x

Since you already ordered the Wraith, you could wait and see if you're happy with that before ordering something else. One caveat though: The larger tower style coolers require access to the back side of the motherboard to install the support plate for the bolts. If your case does not have a cutout ...
by just brew it!
Mon Oct 05, 2020 3:09 pm
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC
Replies: 26
Views: 10217

Re: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC

Asus still does some reasonable no-gaming-frills motherboards, and at least you can disable the RGB bling via BIOS settings.
by just brew it!
Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:59 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: How to use an outlet adapter
Replies: 21
Views: 6708

Re: How to use an outlet adapter

Quantity over quality. There are a lot of appliances that don't use an AC/DC brick at all. Yeah. But I'm pretty sure buyers of passive adapters (mostly) know what to use them on. :) I wouldn't be so sure. And what about all the co-workers and family members of those buyers? "Oh, this looks lik...
by just brew it!
Mon Oct 05, 2020 10:06 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: How to use an outlet adapter
Replies: 21
Views: 6708

Re: How to use an outlet adapter

Speaking of Chinese listings, I don't get why they have this annoying tendency to include an endless amount of meaningless PR photos, instead of 2-3 useful ones + text with real specs. They must have heard of that saying that Western people sometimes use, "A picture is worth a thousand words&q...
by just brew it!
Mon Oct 05, 2020 5:11 am
Forum: Cases and Power Supplies
Topic: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC
Replies: 26
Views: 10217

Re: Case needed for business (non-gaming) PC

I don't mind the black internals; after all, a PROPER case doesn't have a window so you can't see the insides anyway!

I agree the flimsy "tool-free" drive bays/trays are often problematic. Aside from (lack of) heat dissipation, they also are prone to breakage.
by just brew it!
Mon Oct 05, 2020 5:06 am
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x
Replies: 17
Views: 5199

Re: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x

FWIW the stock fan will tend to be a bit noisier than the tower style coolers when the system is under high load. But at least now you have a list of other options if that turns out to be objectionable. The larger/heavier heatpipe coolers mount with bolts going through the motherboard, so they are v...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:57 pm
Forum: General Hardware
Topic: ASUS PN50 problem
Replies: 4
Views: 7519

Re: ASUS PN50 problem

Yeah, sometimes if the disk has pre-existing partitions on it stuff can go awry during OS install. This applies to both Windows and Linux. Unless you are trying to set up dual-boot or upgrade an existing installation while preserving user data files, it is always best to do a full wipe on the drive ...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:20 pm
Forum: Storage
Topic: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?
Replies: 38
Views: 12224

Re: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?

A single model that caters to more markets could be an advantage. But nowadays they indeed seem to favor more segmentation, at least in 3.5". Yes, if they wanted to reduce the number of different models we wouldn't have the ridiculous degree of segmentation we have now. Plus, having a user-con...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 04, 2020 1:16 pm
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: How to use an outlet adapter
Replies: 21
Views: 6708

Re: How to use an outlet adapter

Unless the device you use it with has a universal 120/240 switching supply there will be some interesting fireworks. But that's a given. AC/DC bricks are pretty much all switched-mode by now, so little reason to avoid making them universal voltage. There are a lot of appliances that don't use an AC...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 04, 2020 9:35 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?
Replies: 38
Views: 12224

Re: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?

Even if supported, changing the percentage of CMR tracks would almost certainly require a complete reformat of the drive Wouldn't be a real problem. Get a new SMR drive, switch to CMR for -20% capacity, initial format, and Bob's your uncle. Given the intended target market I doubt such a feature wo...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 04, 2020 7:34 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?
Replies: 38
Views: 12224

Re: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?

what IS the compelling use case for 2.5" HDDs anyway? Known retention characteristics and price. I'd be really curious to see hard data on real-life long-term SSD retention. Retention characteristics are more important for archival media. Relying on your laptop for archival storage seems like ...
by just brew it!
Sun Oct 04, 2020 5:16 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?
Replies: 38
Views: 12224

Re: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?

@meerkt - I did say "most" (not all). I mean, what IS the compelling use case for 2.5" HDDs anyway? For me, the far better performance and resistance to mechanical shock makes SSDs a clear win for the vast majority of mobile applications. Unless you have an unusual use case where you ...
by just brew it!
Sat Oct 03, 2020 12:49 pm
Forum: Storage
Topic: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?
Replies: 38
Views: 12224

Re: 2.5" 9.5mm non-SMR >1TB HDDs?

Most use cases that historically called for 2.5" drives would be better served by SSDs these days, so people aren't willing to pay much for 2.5" HDDs any more. Vendors are trying to eke out profits on what has become a low-margin item, and SMR is one way to help with that. I expect 2.5&quo...
by just brew it!
Fri Oct 02, 2020 8:50 am
Forum: The Back Porch
Topic: How to use an outlet adapter
Replies: 21
Views: 6708

Re: How to use an outlet adapter

It also appears to be a passive adapter with European style (240V) prongs and a US style (120V) socket. Unless the device you use it with has a universal 120/240 switching supply there will be some interesting fireworks.
by just brew it!
Fri Oct 02, 2020 8:46 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: SSD speed varies wildly
Replies: 20
Views: 6331

Re: SSD speed varies wildly

Still sounds like the drive is starting to fail. If blocks are "fading" to the point where the error correction logic is frequently taking 500 ms to recover the data, the flash is not retaining data reliably.
by just brew it!
Thu Oct 01, 2020 6:21 am
Forum: System Builders Anonymous
Topic: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x
Replies: 17
Views: 5199

Re: sensible third-party cooling for Ryzen 5 2600x

Just make sure you buy new from a reputable vendor; used or "new old stock" may not include the AM4 mounting hardware.

If you're willing to spend a bit more the Noctua product line may be worth looking at too, but Cooler Master makes solid budget-friendly HSFs.
by just brew it!
Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:43 pm
Forum: Storage
Topic: SSD speed varies wildly
Replies: 20
Views: 6331

Re: SSD speed varies wildly

The negative numbers look more like a problem with HD Tune. From the changelog on their site it looks like you need v4.00 or later to support drives 2TB and up, and you're running 2.55 (which was released all the way back in 2008)?
by just brew it!
Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:46 am
Forum: Storage
Topic: SSD speed varies wildly
Replies: 20
Views: 6331

Re: SSD speed varies wildly

Is the SSD your boot drive or a data drive? If it is your boot drive it can cause all sorts of strange system behavior.
by just brew it!
Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:45 am
Forum: Linux, Unix, and Assorted Madness
Topic: WOW! Computer for Seniors
Replies: 41
Views: 39655

Re: WOW! Computer for Seniors

Printer setup on Linux can be... interesting. Maybe someone who has a Brother device hooked up to a Linux system will chime in.
by just brew it!
Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:44 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: Netflix throttling bandwidth?
Replies: 4
Views: 4227

Re: Netflix throttling bandwidth?

My money's on AT&T messing with you.
by just brew it!
Tue Sep 22, 2020 4:37 pm
Forum: Storage
Topic: SSD speed varies wildly
Replies: 20
Views: 6331

Re: SSD speed varies wildly

Any chance it is thermally throttling?

Are you seeing performance anomalies in normal use, or just in HD Tune?
by just brew it!
Tue Sep 22, 2020 11:22 am
Forum: Networking
Topic: iperf full-duplex slower than each half-duplex
Replies: 14
Views: 5980

Re: iperf full-duplex slower than each half-duplex

Ahh, down the proverbial rabbit hole...
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