TR Forums

derFunkenstein · Sat Jul 21, 2018 1:20 pm

Waco wrote:
strangerguy wrote:
Hah, wait till you see the flat earthers audiophiles claiming using different filesystems in a PC can somehow affect sound quality.

Now that would make me laugh.

Well, you have to format everything NTFS. FAT32 prevents you from capturing the highest-fidelity possible, since you'll butt up against the 4GB file size limitation on the older file system.

thecoldanddarkone · Sat Jul 21, 2018 1:26 pm

x299 pro carbon ac + monoblock for 200.

jackbomb · Sat Jul 21, 2018 2:13 pm

strangerguy wrote:
Hah, wait till you see the flat earthers audiophiles claiming using different filesystems in a PC can somehow affect sound quality.

Hey, don't knock it. I still have a FAT32 WinXP partition for this very reason. Less filesystem overhead = less jitter, which makes my '60s mono albums sound warmer and more mono. I also turn off WiFi and disable Windows themes before listening. Makes a huge difference.

meerkt · Sat Jul 21, 2018 2:29 pm

jackbomb wrote:
I also turn off WiFi

On Win8 I frequently get audio buffer underruns due to NDIS.SYS taking too long. Even the Windows alert sounds break up sometimes.

strangerguy wrote:
Optical discs are such a lousy tech, that from my own experience back in 2004 college people are willing to buy relatively expensive 64MB flashdrives over CD-R/DVD-Rs just for the convenience factor alone.

I wouldn't say lousy, especially not CD-R for its time. There are a lot of deficiencies but it was the only mainstream large-capacity semi-archival-worthy medium. Arguably it still is the only mainstream semi-archival medium.

Duct Tape Dude · Sat Jul 21, 2018 2:37 pm

Most recent one was an SVS PB-2000 subwoofer during their Memorial Day sale. Have to keep it on <50% volume because the entire house shakes. It's rated for over a horsepower of peak output. No regrets.

And work was getting rid of servers so I took two R430s and an R620. Does that count?

meerkt · Sat Jul 21, 2018 2:39 pm

Subs aren't only about volume, but also flatness and low-end extension. So I don't think it counts?

paulWTAMU · Sat Jul 21, 2018 6:25 pm

I see something, I have the money, so why not?

You sound like my brother, except he's trying to convince his wife they need a Bobcat (the equipment, not the feline). :lol:

I told him I want a ride in the bucket if he gets one.

I impulse bought a blue tooth speaker and a tablet. Eh.

Sat Jul 21, 2018 7:11 pm

meerkt wrote:
just brew it! wrote:
BD-R support in Linux is so half-baked.

Shouldn't it be practically the same as CDs and DVDs?

That's what I assumed when I bought the BD drive and media. I apparently assumed wrong.

strangerguy wrote:
Optical discs are such a lousy tech, that from my own experience back in 2004 college people are willing to buy relatively expensive 64MB flashdrives over CD-R/DVD-Rs just for the convenience factor alone.

Depends on the use case. Flash drives are questionable for archival use. Optical with decent name-brand media should last a couple of decades at least. My past experience with CD-R and DVD-R for archival storage has all been good. About a year ago I reloaded over a half TB of raw audio rips I had backed up to DVD-R ~15 years ago (yes, it was a big stack of DVDs...), and didn't have a single read error.

Unfortunately, DVD-Rs are a little cramped for modern media formats.

Duct Tape Dude · Sat Jul 21, 2018 9:03 pm

meerkt wrote:
Subs aren't only about volume, but also flatness and low-end extension. So I don't think it counts?

I like that you're trying to validate my moment of weakness, thank you.

Waco · Sat Jul 21, 2018 11:16 pm

Duct Tape Dude wrote:
meerkt wrote:
Subs aren't only about volume, but also flatness and low-end extension. So I don't think it counts?

I like that you're trying to validate my moment of weakness, thank you.

Dude, there's no such thing as buying a bad SVS subwoofer.

liquidsquid · Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:44 am

Well,

I did it again, bought a pair of Klipsh bookshelf speakers R-15M for $125 a pair on their "Summer Sale". I simply couldn't pass up that deal! Now the impulse buy Samsung sounds a lot better than the tin-can on a string sound it had.

-Mark

DragonDaddyBear · Mon Jul 23, 2018 12:04 pm

Mine is the TR BBQ. Bought a projector I saw this year (post BBQ, no room on the bike). Last year I bought a tablet and a computer.

DPete27 · Mon Jul 23, 2018 12:09 pm

I think your subconscious was telling you you needed a media center upgrade. Even if you have "crappy DSL" you can still probably stream 1080p Netflix (what's that require? 3Mb/s?). And now you've got a nice set of speakers for it. Why not enjoy some BluRays from Red Box or something? (assuming streaming is out of the question)

What TV did you get? Don't think you ever mentioned that info.

Not sure if that 320x240 projector from your OP is the one you're referring to as your "main screen projector in the house" but I've never been very impressed with projectors personally. You trade off a LOT for simply having a bigger picture. Of course I'm considering dollar-for-dollar TV vs Projector though.

G8torbyte · Mon Jul 23, 2018 12:44 pm

liquidsquid wrote:
Well,

I did it again, bought a pair of Klipsh bookshelf speakers R-15M for $125 a pair on their "Summer Sale". I simply couldn't pass up that deal! Now the impulse buy Samsung sounds a lot better than the tin-can on a string sound it had.

-Mark

That is a good price, I think I paid about $130/pair last year for the R14's I mentioned earlier in this thread. Good speakers and I like the Klipsch history and quality but the 4" drivers just did not have the low end for my room.

liquidsquid · Mon Jul 23, 2018 1:19 pm

DPete27 wrote:
I think your subconscious was telling you you needed a media center upgrade. Even if you have "crappy DSL" you can still probably stream 1080p Netflix (what's that require? 3Mb/s?). And now you've got a nice set of speakers for it. Why not enjoy some BluRays from Red Box or something? (assuming streaming is out of the question)

What TV did you get? Don't think you ever mentioned that info.

Not sure if that 320x240 projector from your OP is the one you're referring to as your "main screen projector in the house" but I've never been very impressed with projectors personally. You trade off a LOT for simply having a bigger picture. Of course I'm considering dollar-for-dollar TV vs Projector though.

The LCD projector is a 1080p ummm, heck, I don't remember now. It is really bright, and a good compromise between cost and performance home theater projector. It was about $1600 for that, and a huge upgrade to the old projector 320x240. There is a thread in the forums a few years back that I am too lazy to dig up that spells out the model. The projector is compelling since it mounts on the ceiling as a small box, and the screen is out of the way most of the time. It is a country home, and a humongous screen would have blocked windows and would be obvious to would-be thieves. Since light splash in the room effected contrast ratio on a white screen, I wasn't motivated by contrast ratio, but by immersion into a movie by sheer size.

The new "TV Room" TV is last year's model from Samsung, a 49" lower-end model we got for $450 as an "open box". Something like: Samsung UN49MU6290FXZA 49-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV. Far and away nicer than the old Sony 720p Bravia which was about 43" or so. This is used far more for XBOX than TV by the kiddo, and the ghosting on the old Sony was terrible. The wife gave the new TV the stamp of approval after we streamed a movie, and it was tack-sharp.

We don't stream on the main projector as that sucker shows compression artifacts pretty well when streaming over DSL.

DeadOfKnight · Mon Jul 23, 2018 1:26 pm

At one point I was really into MMOs and would buy anything that I thought had even the slightest chance of giving me an advantage. I was sold on the Killer NIC, only to find out that the drivers had all kinds of issues and were a a resource hog and functioned as a placebo at best. There was no perceptible difference whatsoever.

More recently, I bought myself a nice mechanical keyboard based on all the rave reviews. What most of these reviews don't tell you is that if you aren't a touch typist and you hunt and peek for each key and bottom it out, then you're really not going to appreciate the feel that much. I mean it is a nice keyboard, but it's a bit overkill for me.

The first one counts as I did get buyer's remorse. I can't say I regret buying the keyboard, but I probably would not have if I had known. At the very least it should last me a long time; I got what I paid for.

Edit: Actually, the biggest buyer's remorse I ever had was when I bought myself an Alienware tower, only to come to sites like this one and learn how to build my own shortly after. Shame on me.

strangerguy · Mon Jul 23, 2018 11:28 pm

I just think consumer tech "innovation" is getting so meh after seeing past the usual marketing antics and weighing prices versus the real-world advantages, let alone make me open my wallet.

Sure there are some great SSD deals popping out in the meantime, but nothing "must-haves" to make me actively salivating over. The worst offenders are flagship phones which seems to get even more expensive every iteration as if they weren't overpriced already while giving zero to negative real utility over the past models. Also, by the time HDR becomes mainstream enough the TVs would have fallen to a fraction of the current price, and I don't watch TV anyway since I would rather doze off than consume passive non-interactive entertainment.

CScottG · Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:22 am

-most of my impulse purchases have been due to significant sales (at least for the product), or some little nick-knack product that gets me free shipping for something else I really wanted on Amazon. (..and that last behavior I find disturbing, it's not something I would ordinarily consider: F**K AMAZON ..and yet I'm glad I can get most items cheaper from them, err.. provided I get free shipping. :oops:

)

Even then though, those impulse purchases are largely only impulsive due to timing related to price - most are well researched and thought-out long before, it was just a matter of "pulling the trigger" based on price.

-last tech impulse purchase was, BECAUSE OF AMAZON, this:

https://www.silverstonetek.com/product. ... 14&area=en

Haven't even taken it out of the box yet, but at some point I will (..hopefully). :oops:

Note: I did NOT provide the Amazon link.. insidious b@s-tards.

tanker27 · Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:15 am

Back in 2000 I purchased a Sony Trinitron Wega 34" 16:9 Superfine pitch that did 1440x1080i natively. It came with HDMI, 3 S-video, 4 RCA, 2 Component connections. I could hook anything to it. It weighed something like 220 lbs. And I paid an arm and leg for it.

Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:30 am

DPete27 wrote:
My spare parts box says I have a weakness for good sales on case fans that I don't need. I usually only bite when they're SUPER on sale, so it's a box full of case fans I've paid peanuts for, but...

Amusingly enough, I was doing a little cleaning/organizing of my office and closet this past weekend, and discovered multiple stashes of case fans, in various sizes. I think I've got a lifetime supply of 80mm ones, given that modern cases and HSFs generally use larger (92mm and up) ones now.

Tue Jul 24, 2018 6:44 am

tanker27 wrote:
Back in 2000 I purchased a Sony Trinitron Wega 34" 16:9... It weighed something like 220 lbs. And I paid an arm and leg for it.

My parents finally quit using my old XBR960 as a second TV last year. Yes, it weighed over 200 lbs and cost over $2000. This was the pinnacle of CRT televisions.

turtlepwr281 · Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:17 pm

Bought an M.2 SSD, TKL Keyboard and RX 460 off /r/hardwareswap. Tough enjoying this hobby while also being frugal!

ludi · Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:29 pm

just brew it! wrote:
Amusingly enough, I was doing a little cleaning/organizing of my office and closet this past weekend, and discovered multiple stashes of case fans, in various sizes. I think I've got a lifetime supply of 80mm ones, given that modern cases and HSFs generally use larger (92mm and up) ones now.

Put two in a dark closet, and they multiply. Within the past six months I turned up another old stash of fans I didn't even know I had, although after turning those workshop shelves upside down for a complete reorg, I think I've mostly got that under control. I do wish I had some of that money back now, particularly the ones I bought at retail price for temporary emergency use, not realizing I had the same size squirreled away elsewhere.

liquidsquid · Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:16 am

So I failed to restrain myself this past week. I had a Garmin Vivo Active 3 fitness watch that I really liked (except for a bug with elevation tracking),but lost it on my first dive off of a cliff in Blue Mountain Lake. The chincy standard quick-change straps are not up to snuff with those kinds of speeds entering water apparently. I got to watch the device sink to the bottom in crystal clear water, just outside of my ability to dive that deep.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.8581911 ... a=!3m1!1e3

If you would like a nice fitness watch, it is in about 25' of water on the south side of the small island above. It is able to take the water pressure, so it is likely still functional.

So, being annoyed by the flimsy strap and fear of losing another one, I went and spent way too much money on a Fenix 5S to replace it. Don't get me wrong, it is an amazing device, but I have been pissed at myself for getting the damned thing. Most of the sports it supports I either don't do, or cannot do any longer so it seems like wasted tech. At least I took advantage of the L.L. Bean card signup to get 15% off since it is impossible to get a lower price (with support/warranty) any other way.

Mr Bill · Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:58 am

just brew it! wrote:
DPete27 wrote:
My spare parts box says I have a weakness for good sales on case fans that I don't need. I usually only bite when they're SUPER on sale, so it's a box full of case fans I've paid peanuts for, but...

I have a weakness for good sales in general, and also tend to hang on to a lot of used but still functional stuff "just in case I need it". It's how I've ended up with an office, closet, and part of a crawlspace full of random parts. Unlike Starfalcon, I've been slowly reducing (instead of increasing) the size of the piles, mostly by selling or giving away parts at the annual BBQ (unsurprisingly, the oldest freebie giveaway stuff tends to go to Starfalcon).

There's still probably enough spare parts to build at least 3 fully functional AMD systems from the AM2 thru AM3+ generations. Pre-AM2 stuff has mostly been disposed of at this point.

I have the same bug. I married a month ago and my wife is pushing me to let go of my older systems and components.
More on topic, I bought an HP laptop with blu-ray drive and one of the AMD A8 generation APU's. I liked it mostly but I came to loath the 1080p form factor of the screen. I hated that screen form factor so much that I was very relieved to be able to hand it off to a family member for college and buy something with a bigger screen. I ended up with one of the MSI 17' gaming laptops. I like it very much... However, the steel series backlit keys are awful the way they are backlit in every way; except adequately through the key symbols.

Aranarth · Tue Aug 07, 2018 10:20 am

Kretschmer wrote:
Last year I decided to "treat myself" with my bonus and build a system with all the bells and whistles - giant gaming monitor, i7, and 1080Ti...about a month before I was hit by a car and out of work for months. Bad timing!

I'd consider that good timing, now you have a gaming machine to use while you are laid up!

Kretschmer · Tue Aug 07, 2018 1:20 pm

Aranarth wrote:
Kretschmer wrote:
Last year I decided to "treat myself" with my bonus and build a system with all the bells and whistles - giant gaming monitor, i7, and 1080Ti...about a month before I was hit by a car and out of work for months. Bad timing!

I'd consider that good timing, now you have a gaming machine to use while you are laid up!

It did distract during the surgical recovery (when you're too drugged up and hurting to focus on books), though a desktop PC in a tiny apartment is not terribly compatible with a fractured leg. I picked up a lapdesk-type platform and streamed games to my (then) XPS 13 in bed, which helped.

DPete27 · Tue Aug 07, 2018 4:22 pm

Kretschmer wrote:
a desktop PC in a tiny apartment is not terribly compatible with a fractured leg. I picked up a lapdesk-type platform and streamed games to my (then) XPS 13 in bed, which helped.

drfish could've helped you with that problem.

the · Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:56 pm

I currently suffer from the exact opposite problem: I go to a store with the intent of spending some money on something I want. I generally walk out empty handed. I've either gotten way too particular with my tastes or just become dull and depressed.

Though in the past I did catch a sale on a Xeon Phi 31sp1 board for the novelty of having a 57 core coprocessor for $200. Didn't realize the challenge of getting it up and running due to some very specific motherboard feature requirements.

strangerguy · Thu Aug 09, 2018 12:53 am

the wrote:
I've either gotten way too particular with my tastes or just become dull and depressed.

I feel for you man. I have a Switch with Zelda BoTW that was halfway played sitting right in front of me, yet I'll just rather fire up Youtube and watch someone else playing because playing it myself feels like a chore.

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