Search results

Hey Guys, So, I finally built the HTPC. Now that the build is done and I have a little time, I'll share with you my experience. First, here is a description of the parts and some basic rationale. This was to be my first HTPC build, designed largely to replace a 7-year old Tivo. We wanted a...

Hey Guys, I'm looking to replace my old 19" CRT monitor that I use as a secondary monitor next to my 23" widescreen LCD monitor. I have loved having a second monitor since I first ran this sort of set up back around 2000 or so. I mostly use the secondary monitor when I'm writing. Text on the 19"...

The Hitachi 7k2000 is now down to $110 with a promo code (EMCZNZR58). I have on in my case already and I'm reasonably happy with it. I hear they are relatively hot and noisy (because they're 5 platter?), but I don't notice either in my case.

Hey gang, I've been shooting home video lately, and expect to shoot even more in the coming years. So far, editing the video using the included software and my old hardware has been painful (using the included Canon software). I'm planning on rebuilding my PC in a few months. I don't expect to...

Are all wired (gigaE) Ethernet switches decent/commodity these days? I'm thinking of putting a switch on my network upstairs to give myself added flexibility.

Mine's an A4 running 1.33NA. Again, my USB NAS function never worked, but otherwise has been great.

I have the DIR-655 with the 1.33NA firmware. The USB NAS feature never worked, but otherwise its run fine for me.

Hey Gang, I'm getting ready to build a new PC for myself in January or February. In addition to my main OS, I would like to keep a hard drive as a spare ("lifeboat") with a relatively minimal installation of Windows and my work software, including the bits needed for VPNing into work. I may be...

Well....ignorance, really. I've never seen how to properly wire a house. I'll think it over. Really, any reason to use cat6 vs cat5e? Now if only I could figure out how to run wire inside my walls so I could avoid the outside leg. I'm just now sure how to go down one wall ~10 feet, then over...

I'll take a look at my DIR-655 to see about playing with auto-negotiate vs force GigE to see if that helps. I think I've been lucky in the past, living in small places where I could get by with whatever kind of cables I wanted. Now that my network extends up a level I guess I need to pay more...

Cat5e from home depot. I went outside to inspect it, and found a nasty kink approximately in the center of the cable. I untwisted it, and still connected at 100bT. Maybe I should just splurge and get some decent cable, and make the holes in my house bigger so I can keep on the factory ends...

I'm not sure what solid vs stranded looks like, but the cable had pairs that were twisted together inside the sheath. The cable also runs outside, where it's currently currently about 10 F (-12 C). Inside it's, well, room temperature. The only break in the outer plastic sheath that I know of is...

100 foot cable, and it looks like I've got about 20 extra feet. No severe kinks now, although in one spot I did have to bend it sharply for a moment. I also unwound more of the cable than I really needed to make it easy to insert the wires into the connector, so there's about 2 cm of cable...

I believe I did connect it correctly. The kit had a little diagram and I compared it to a little piece of cat5e that I had as well. And like I said, it connects at 100bT.

I recently built a home theater PC, and very much wanted a wired (vs wireless) connection to the rest of my network. Running the cable was a challenge as it had to go outside the house, and the holes I was using were too small to fit a regular RJ45 connector. So I cut off the connector heads to...

I'm looking for a decent fan control for my next build. I'm thinking about this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811998077&Tpk=Scythe%20Kaze%20Master%20Pro If Sir James likes it, it must be good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQZUuWCEdNg

What next, infected mice and displays? I'm checking my stapler, too.

Wow. What horrible writing. "Embedded in different section of the code is another common computer language reference..." - typo? "Simply put, Stuxnet is an incredibly advanced, undetectable computer worm " - logically false. "IAEA inspectors say the sabotage better explains the slowness of...

Hardly. http://www.anandtech.com/show/3871/the-sandy-bridge-preview-three-wins-in-a-row/8

Sandy Bridge pricing leaked - http://www.semiaccurate.com/2010/11/22/sandy-bridge-pricing-leaks-sweden/ Not bad. Looks like the i5 2400 will be $221, the i5 2500 will be $241, the i5 2500K will be $253, the i7 2600 will be $340, and the i7 2600K will be $363. The K (unlocked) models don't have...

From Marrian Webster's medical dictionary: Main Entry: elec·tro·cute Pronunciation: i-'lek-tr&-"kyüt Function: transitive verb Inflected Form(s): -cut·ed; -cut·ing 1 : to execute (a criminal) by electricity 2 : to kill by a shock of electricity - elec·tro·cu·tion /-"lek-tr&-'kyü-sh&n/ noun...

Hey Gang, I'm planning on building a new PC in early 2011, and I'm confused about sound cards. It seems like we finally have a good alternative to the Creative hoard (http://techreport.com/articles.x/14500/1). Are the current crop of sound cards, in an environment of very powerful CPUs, worth...

I believe the 74 GB Raptor is the loudest, although I think the 300 GB Raptor comes in a close second. I moved my main OS, Windows 7, to an Intel X25-M a few months back and have been very happy, but I still use the Raptor drives to play with Linux from time to time. So, I suppose if I didn't...

Good point. I guess I'm still scared about hard drive seek noise - I do use a Hitachi 7k2000, Raptor 74 GB and Raptor 300 GB drives, all of which aren't exactly silent. I don't mind the constant fan hum but I could see seek noises getting irritating. That and video card fans as they go up and...

I like my P180 well enough, and I'm not looking to replace it (but I could rather cheaply right now with the P183 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129061&Tpk=p183), but for another case I'd prefer a case without a front door, especially one that swings open to the left...

Anyone used the Antec Twelve Hundred? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129043&cm_re=Antec_1200-_-11-129-043-_-Product

with enough effort, everything, including humans, can live forever. /sarcasm

Quick question: for light office work (simple web browsing, maybe using Word or Excel at the same time), do you think an Athlon 64 X2 3800+ (dual core, 2.0 GHz) with 1 GB of RAM would be usable with Windows 7? I have such a computer and am debating puting Windows 7 on it versus a light weight...

Do you guys know anything about the WD AV-GP drives? They appear to be optimized for AV stuff. I'm wondering if there is any real difference between these and the regular Eco green drives from WD. http://www.techarp.com/showarticle.aspx?artno=659 Newegg w/ 64 MB cache...

So much mis-information... If I believe the guide on AVS forums, then i3 does not do proper video, and a 785G chipset does not do all of the audio formats. All I want is a simple, reliable HTPC. Do I really need to get a new Tivo? I'd love to have the flexibility that a PC in the family room...

"ATI and Intel support HD video playback and HD audio bitstreaming. Clarkdale lacks proper 23.576Hz playback, however. NVIDIA's solution is a bit behind AMD and Intel in that it lacks HD audio bitstreaming." From: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=18816470#post18816470

And I suppose it's nice that many of the newer, nicer PSUs don't turn their fans on until the load or temperature hits a certain level.

SPCR loves the X650: http://www.silentpcreview.com/article986-page6.html

Do you guys really think modern systems need >500 W? I'm looking hard at the Seasonic X650 for my upcoming build. Links: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151088

$20 off: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148591&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-22-148-591-_-Product

What about this: http://oemxs.us/shopping/index.php?target=products&product_id=40158 You'd have to find some other way of doing RAID I imagine. But it's got gigabit LAN, onboard video, and SATA 3.0 Gb/s.

Are you guys familiar with Roku? My family does a lot of Netflix, which would be nice. Listening to Pandora and radio stations would be a nice bonus as well. http://www.roku.com

So has antything happened since that article appeared on 8/27/2009?

Does the Gigabyte GA-H55M-USB3 / Intel Core i3 have the same advanced audio codec problem as the ? Would this be a significant reason to go with the Intel i3/H55 route over the AMD version?

How big of an issue is this? Is there some sort of workaround?

Does anybody see anything wrong with this type of set up: Gigabyte GA-880 GMA (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128445), Athlon II X4 640, either 2 or 4 GB or RAM, an LG blue ray burner (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136181), a 2 TB hard drive...

Do you think the low-end Sandy Bridge will be that much better for a HTPC? I suppose the lower thermal power on the Sandy bridge i3's compared to the current ones will be a nice feature (65 vs 73 W). Any idea if the onboard graphics will be enough for a HTPC and light gaming machine to forego a...

Why is that?

Well, 5 months later, and I'm now planning a build sometime before Christmas. Man I'm slow. It also doesn't help that I know jack squat about AV things. My 7 year old Tivo is dying, so I can't sit on this forever. I've ditched the idea of re-using my old PC. I also have yet to buy a new TV to...

Perhaps Q1 2011 will be nice time to build a new system, with both Sandybridge and the new Intel X25-Ms (http://www.anandtech.com/show/3965/intels-3rd-generation-x25m-ssd-specs-revealed). Are there other SSDs slated to be rolled out around Q1 2011 that will offer similar price:performance?

Will a Sandy Bridge but the first CPU in over 10 years that I don't overclock? I have less time to play with my computer than ever, money isn't as tight, processors are getting so fast as to make overclocking less necessary (?), it looks like Sandy Bridge will be harder to OC, and the turbo...

What about the i7 970? 3.2 vs 3.33 GHz, and locked, but $120 less. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115066&cm_re=i7_970-_-19-115-066-_-Product

Why does the Lanboy air and the Corsair 600T both include just a single USB 3 port? Why not make them all USB 3? Cases are on of the longest lives computer parts. Do they really think that in 5 years people would need the USB 2 ports?

Wow, for that kind of money ($500 on Newegg) you think they would include a nice power supply...and a tap for draft beer.

Sure. I'm wondering if that, plus the motherboard location, can create problems with cables that are too short.