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I worked on a Dell XPS that kept switching to wifi for no reason over its wired connection once. I disabled wifi and it's been solid since. Meanwhile my laptop uses the ethernet when I plug it in and doesn't seem to get confused. Computers do weird poo poo sometimes and disabling the wifi adapter can't hurt as a possible workaround if you're not using it.
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Mar 10, 2021 22:18
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When we first switched over to laptops at work, we had some users with constant network disconnections (since they wouldn't disconnect from the wifi after docking and the two connections would fight for control) and the solution was to discretely set the interface metrics such that the wifi was seen as the slower of the two, so the system would prioritize the wired connection.
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Mar 10, 2021 23:12
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I know some laptop BIOSes have a setting that will automatically disable the wifi when a wired connection is detected, and re-enable it once the wired connection is disconnected.
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Mar 11, 2021 00:04
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Until the goon knows that it's not some other issue I'd just forget the network on the wifi settings and leave it like that.
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Mar 11, 2021 01:51
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Here's a weird (and probably stupid!) question that I can't find an answer to online. Any answer in earnest would be really helpful - its to help feed back on a piece of writing I am editing. If you could theoretically observe a CPU die operating under load, at peak temperatures, would there be any visible change? Does silicon glow or otherwise change visually when subjected to that much heat? If not, would you see any visual change or movement under a microscope?
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Mar 11, 2021 15:16
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I'm back with more hard drive questions. After ordering the right adapter (thank you Helter Skelter!) I was able to access two of my three old hard drives. One HD didn't work, and I discovered one of the pins on the IDE connector is broken. A little nub is poking out but I have zero soldering skills, and I have very shaky hands. In theory, could I pull an old pin out of one of the other drives, and kind of jam it in next to the broken one so it makes contact? Would that be enough to at least access it short term to grab any files I want? 
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Mar 11, 2021 15:37
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me your dad posted:I'm back with more hard drive questions. After ordering the right adapter (thank you Helter Skelter!) I was able to access two of my three old hard drives. Are you sure it's actually broken off? It looks like it's just pushed in from somebody trying to push a keyed cable in way too hard. If there's enough of a nub to get some needle nose pliers on it, you might be able to just pull it back out.
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Mar 11, 2021 16:20
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Space Gopher posted:Are you sure it's actually broken off? It looks like it's just pushed in from somebody trying to push a keyed cable in way too hard. I happened to have some tiny pliers so I just tried. The pin indeed pulled back out but it was sitting crooked. I touched it one more time and it fell right into the pin hole and into the drive 
me your dad fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Mar 11, 2021 |
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Mar 11, 2021 16:50
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The Grumbles posted:Here's a weird (and probably stupid!) question that I can't find an answer to online. Any answer in earnest would be really helpful - its to help feed back on a piece of writing I am editing. It's not really what you were after but this video goes into some of the basics of what goes on inside a simple silicon die: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNzkhZBjo5k Short answer: no, probably not. If you see glowing something's gone very wrong with your chip and it's cooking itself.
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Mar 11, 2021 18:08
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The Grumbles posted:Here's a weird (and probably stupid!) question that I can't find an answer to online. Any answer in earnest would be really helpful - its to help feed back on a piece of writing I am editing. This Tom's hardware video was made to show that AMD athlons at the time (2001) didn't have thermal throttling protection. I'm guessing the TIM is what's turning brown unfortunately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xf0VuRG7MN4&t=55s
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Mar 11, 2021 18:46
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Goons have any recommendations on a KVM? Don't need anything fancy, HDMI with KB/Mouse capability, only need 2 PC's. I would use Synergy but my work PC is on a VPN and I don't think Synergy is going to work correctly in that instance. When I'm done, I'll have 3 monitors, where the middle monitor will be split between home/work, so I'm not constantly unplugging and ruining my HDMI cable, plus I get to use my mechanical keyboard which is so much nicer than a drat laptop keyboard. I've noticed a ton of cheap knockoff styles on Amazon and Newegg with prices ranging from "That'll probably burn down my house" to "uh, no". I just wasn't sure if there was a 'better' one that people prefer. e: I don't know how HDMI KVMs work as I haven't used a KVM in forever and it's always been with VGA. If it's possible to keep the monitor "alive" so I'm not actually disconnecting the second monitor when switching back and forth would be amazing. e2: Also, I *CAN* use Display port. I can adapt them on the back end for the monitors since I'm using a mishmash of connector adapters anyways. Gothmog1065 fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Mar 11, 2021 |
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Mar 11, 2021 18:51
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Rexxed posted:This Tom's hardware video was made to show that AMD athlons at the time (2001) didn't have thermal throttling protection. I'm guessing the TIM is what's turning brown unfortunately: 370 degrees Celsius within seconds, holy cow.
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Mar 11, 2021 20:54
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Does anyone still make cheap, boring midtower cases? I've got the parts to build a PC for my garage, and i'd like something to fit my full ATX motherboard. Windows and fancy vents are not wanted, low price is best. I miss the inwin a500!
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Mar 11, 2021 21:30
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LightRailTycoon posted:Does anyone still make cheap, boring midtower cases? I've got the parts to build a PC for my garage, and i'd like something to fit my full ATX motherboard. Windows and fancy vents are not wanted, low price is best. I miss the inwin a500! Corsair makes what you want, 270R for example.
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Mar 11, 2021 22:08
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I was going to recommend the Fractal Design Define C, but it looks like it's out of stock pretty much everywhere; the Meshify C is essentially the same case with a mesh front though.
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Mar 11, 2021 22:17
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The Define C was replaced by the Define 7 Compact, it's basically the same design just with a few updates like front USB-C
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Mar 11, 2021 23:51
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And the Meshify C is the Meshify 2 Compact. Always get the Meshify.
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Mar 11, 2021 23:53
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My Meshify C is a little more modern looking than a completely plain case but it has the best ventilation of any PC I’ve ever had. It does come in a windowless version at least.
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Mar 11, 2021 23:58
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me your dad posted:I happened to have some tiny pliers so I just tried. The pin indeed pulled back out but it was sitting crooked. I touched it one more time and it fell right into the pin hole and into the drive That's definitely the result of someone (presumably a friend of yours?  ) trying to push a keyed cable in the wrong way around. There should be a few tiny screws attaching the PCB to the hard drive itself, and taking it off will let you get that pin back out. You could solder it back in I suppose if you want to do a quick and dirty fix to get it reading again, but you wouldn't want to rely on it.
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Mar 12, 2021 03:28
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Gromit posted:That's definitely the result of someone (presumably a friend of yours? Thank you. The drive is pretty old and I have no idea how it got damaged. It was no doubt done by me. Maybe I'll try soldering.
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Mar 12, 2021 03:56
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me your dad posted:Thank you. The drive is pretty old and I have no idea how it got damaged. It was no doubt done by me. It's worth keeping in mind that all of those IDE pins are just pieces of metal that bend 90 degrees and are soldered into the control board underneath. I fixed a sata drive this week that stopped working by removing one of the diodes on the board (the idiot that owned it tried to power his external disk with a laptop power supply after losing the original 12V one, killing a voltage protection diode). So you can probably either desolder and replace that pin or possibly just add something onto it that will at least temporarily provide a connection to the pin that you need on the controller so you can get whatever data off of the disk that you want. It doesn't make much sense to keep old disks beyond that point any more. For computers that use IDE there's compact flash or SSD replacements for the original drive. Old drives are more of a curiosity at this point. I mean, I have a half dozen but I don't use them actively since most are 200GB or less to begin with and I have a pile of 2TB disks doing nothing. I didn't mean to get into my personal junk issues. Just pointing out that it's normal electronics with a 40 pin connector that's not special in any way and you should be able to get it going whatever way you choose.
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Mar 12, 2021 04:27
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Just asking to make sure I'm not forgetting something obvious. If I get a simple SATA to USB adapter, I should be able to connect an internal blu ray drive externally via USB 3.0, right? Power should be fine?
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Mar 13, 2021 05:55
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Rinkles posted:Just asking to make sure I'm not forgetting something obvious. If I get a simple SATA to USB adapter, I should be able to connect an internal blu ray drive externally via USB 3.0, right? Power should be fine? You might need one suitable for 3.5" hard drives, with a 12 V power supply. The adapter I have can only do 2.5" drives without the power supply connected. Admittedly I never tried to use it on a disc drive.
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Mar 13, 2021 06:27
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It's not a Slimline drive, so it seems I would need to buy a significantly more expensive adapter/enclosure with a power supply.
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Mar 13, 2021 07:04
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Rinkles posted:It's not a Slimline drive, so it seems I would need to buy a significantly more expensive adapter/enclosure with a power supply. Yeah you'd need one like this. There's a ton of manufacturers but a lot of them look the same and are probably made in the same factories: https://smile.amazon.com/Inateck-Converter-Adapter-Included-UA1001/dp/B00N4JUOI2/ I have an Anker branded one that looks identical to that inateck.
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Mar 13, 2021 07:18
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just out of curiosity: what do sound cards still do that built-in audio chips etc can't do? i noticed that most sound cards seem to be external USB things that you plug your headphones into, what do these add exactly and why do people buy them? do they really make the sound better? i'm not an audiophile guy but my impression was that sound calculation was relatively "simple" and at some point our pc's got so powerful that the traditional job of a sound card could be easily relegated to an onboard chip, so what do these usb things do that can't be done by the onboard chip or just a software program that modifies the output to the jacks on the motherboard? or is it that these still take some load off the cpu or something so that your pc runs slightly faster?
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Mar 14, 2021 12:00
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Shibawanko posted:just out of curiosity: what do sound cards still do that built-in audio chips etc can't do? i noticed that most sound cards seem to be external USB things that you plug your headphones into, what do these add exactly and why do people buy them? do they really make the sound better? i'm not an audiophile guy but my impression was that sound calculation was relatively "simple" and at some point our pc's got so powerful that the traditional job of a sound card could be easily relegated to an onboard chip, so what do these usb things do that can't be done by the onboard chip or just a software program that modifies the output to the jacks on the motherboard? or is it that these still take some load off the cpu or something so that your pc runs slightly faster? Some motherboards, especially notebook ones, don't put much shielding around the traces that carry the audio signal. Which means that you can end up with situations where you can literally hear if your computer is doing stuff or not, by the interference picked up by the audio lines. Sound cards provide a level of isolation from that stuff. But the very moment motherboard designers got clued in that this was a selling point, they started putting increasingly insane isolation on the sound part of the board, sometimes even delineated with a translucent RGB strip. This has made sound cards entirely superfluous for desktops, unless you need an in- or output that isn't on your motherboard. Or, I guess, they put in a lower quality sound chip and your sound card has a high quality chip and you delude yourself into thinking you can hear the difference in signal to noise ratio. As for CPU load, the USB ones have overhead that increases the load, so it's certainly not that.
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Mar 14, 2021 12:25
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About the only thing USB sound cards do that can't be done on a motherboard is somewhat easier isolation from electrical noise in the power planes of the PC from the analog outputs. Otherwise the analog outputs on onboard sound chips tend to pick up faint buzzing/clicking or other noises due to how modern CPUs and GPUs draw power in irregular spikes and valleys. Basically the way CPUs/GPUs burst on and off causes minor voltage instability in the power planes which can amplified by the analog amplifiers on the sound board up to a level that you can hear relatively easily with headphones. USB sound cards have a relatively long cable between them and the PC, and probably a couple more filter capacitors in the power lines to smooth out the bumps so they can avoid most of the noise. Otherwise they work the same and probably use the same or similar chipsets. If you can't hear noise on your motherboards built in sound card, you do not need an external USB sound card.
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Mar 14, 2021 12:39
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Shibawanko posted:just out of curiosity: what do sound cards still do that built-in audio chips etc can't do? There are uses for them in music production. I don't know the specifics but I'm guessing its about the kinds of inputs and outputs music gear uses and maybe better mixing somehow. A lot of games are still designed as if dedicated audio processing hardware was a thing people own. No one actually makes sound cards for this purpose anymore but a game like Path of Exile can bog down badly from using the cpu to handle sounds from dozens to hundreds of on screen sources.
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Mar 14, 2021 13:02
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dis astranagant posted:There are uses for them in music production. I don't know the specifics but I'm guessing its about the kinds of inputs and outputs music gear uses and maybe better mixing somehow. Yeah, sound cards are useful if you need multiple line in/line outs, although these days most audiophiles and folks doing recording use USB interfaces instead. USB DACs and the like are arguably more useful for musicians since they can be plugged into any laptop. This is totally anecdotal, but I've also never had issues with drivers for a USB DAC, while the old sound blaster cards were a constant headache. Internal sound cards are kinda archaic these days, although I'm sure there are some niche cases where they are useful. Shibawanko posted:i'm not an audiophile guy but my impression was that sound calculation was relatively "simple" and at some point our pc's got so powerful that the traditional job of a sound card could be easily relegated to an onboard chip, so what do these usb things do that can't be done by the onboard chip or just a software program that modifies the output to the jacks on the motherboard? If you really want to go full audiophile or do live mixing, then a sound card is a downgrade, ironically. Every step in the chain adds a tiny bit of latency and applying effects like amplification and converting/re-converting from analog to digital distorts the audio imperceptibly. There's whole audiophile forums dedicated to stripping down a windows installation as much as possible  (the real answer is usually to just get a macbook instead)
Fruits of the sea fucked around with this message at 13:56 on Mar 14, 2021 |
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Mar 14, 2021 13:48
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Don't forget general creature comforts, like a knob for volume control, having a headphone output near where you want it and connecting all your audio stuff through a single usb cable if you're using a laptop.
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Mar 14, 2021 13:59
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It’s funny, I’ve owned one of those external Sound Blaster sound cards for years. Every time I do a new build I try leaving it out only to eventually end up plugging it back in because to my apparently-delicate ears there is a significant difference in sound quality between that and the built-in Realtek chip (at least on headphones). Even lossy tracks sound way better. Also I’m one of those weirds with a 5.1 setup on my PC and a lot of mobos don’t support that many outputs just yet.
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Mar 14, 2021 14:40
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Cross-Section posted:It’s funny, I’ve owned one of those external Sound Blaster sound cards for years. Every time I do a new build I try leaving it out only to eventually end up plugging it back in because to my apparently-delicate ears there is a significant difference in sound quality between that and the built-in Realtek chip (at least on headphones). Even lossy tracks sound way better. I also have a 5.1 setup on my PC, but its a Yamaha home theater amplifier on HDMI, so its internal PC noise proof and sounds exactly the same no matter what brand sound chip it is plugged in to (nvidia/amd/realtek).
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Mar 14, 2021 15:05
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Cross-Section posted:It’s funny, I’ve owned one of those external Sound Blaster sound cards for years. Every time I do a new build I try leaving it out only to eventually end up plugging it back in because to my apparently-delicate ears there is a significant difference in sound quality between that and the built-in Realtek chip (at least on headphones). Even lossy tracks sound way better. It's probably got a built-in amp. Just do whatever sounds good to your ears and don't listen too much to the audiophiles.
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Mar 14, 2021 15:47
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thanks for the explanation. i didn't know having a 5.1 set was weird, i still have mine from 2 pc's ago, the wires are annoying to manage and they take up space so i have them all clustered behind my monitor
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Mar 14, 2021 18:29
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How concerned should I be about this fairly old HDD:
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Mar 15, 2021 07:08
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teagone posted:How concerned should I be about this fairly old HDD: It's on its way out but not dead yet.
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Mar 15, 2021 08:03
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Rexxed posted:It's on its way out but not dead yet. I believe I got the drive during a Black Friday sale 11 years ago maybe? I forget. Seems like it had a good run.
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Mar 15, 2021 09:37
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teagone posted:I believe I got the drive during a Black Friday sale 11 years ago maybe? I forget. Seems like it had a good run. Just make sure to migrate anything off of it you want to keep very soon.
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Mar 15, 2021 17:56
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I've got a cooling question for anyone with experience in this sort of thing. I have an i7-9700K CPU with an AIO liquid cooler. Ideal temps for this chip according to Intel are 80 C or below. If I run a stress test on it, it sits in the low to mid 60s, so that cooler is working great. My video card is a 2700 Super, those temps rarely go above the 60s as well, even under load. No problems there. The issue I'm having is when both are taxed simultaneously. Under that load, the GPU stays at its normal good temps, but the CPU can spike above 80 degrees, which I'd prefer to avoid. There are 3 120mm fans intake on the front of the case, and 3 120mm fans exhaust out the back and top. Here's my theory of what is happening: one of the 3 exhaust fans, the one going out the back instead of the two on top, is also the one blowing through the AIO cooler radiator. So the hot air coming up from the GPU is primarily getting vented out the AIO radiator, which means the CPU is not getting the colder air it should across those fins. The radiator at those times is very hot to the touch, even though during a CPU stress test alone it's barely warm. How would I change the fan configuration to get that GPU heat out of the system while giving the AIO radiator a cooler spot?
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Mar 16, 2021 04:02
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