HARDWARE Short Questions That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread - Reloaded

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > HARDWARE Short Questions That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread - Reloaded

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Factory Factory posted:

Massasoit posted:
Is there a general trend/focus in components to reduce energy use? In newer CPUs and GPUs I'm seeing that they use less energy while delivering more performance. Is this an effect of a concentrated effort to reduce power consumption or is it just a side effect of changing technology?

Concentrated effort, definitely. As laptops, tablets, and phones have increased in popularity, the priority has shifted towards doing more within a fixed budget for heat and power.

Which in turn results in a longer battery life for those types of devices. :science:

There's also the big push for enterprise to virtualize as much as possible onto the most power-efficient setups possible to save money.

# ¿ Oct 12, 2014 00:27

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# ¿ Apr 20, 2024 02:03

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

kirbysuperstar posted:

Anyone know the name for this type of connector? It's for the front panel LEDs on a friend's Raidmax Smilodon case, but every variation of the manual I've found shows that connection as having a standard MOLEX plug on it, so I gotta try and scrounge up an adapter for it.

You'd want a two pin to four pin molex adapter. Something like this: http://www.moddiy.com/products/4%252dPin-Molex-Connector-%28Male%29-to-2%252dPin-GPU-Mini-Fan-Connector-%28Male-2.5mm%29.html

If you've got an extra molex cable/adapter laying around you can just splice the LED connector onto it with some electrical tape. The top and bottom pins are 12v and 5v, while the two middle connectors are the ground.

# ¿ Oct 20, 2014 02:40

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Jan posted:

This question doesn't really fit either in SH/SC or IYG, so, uh, here.

I'm wondering if there's much of a difference in quality between different chargers for plain old AA/AAA batteries? I basically would rather have something that charges reliably than something that charges fast. The last NiMH charger I had (Energizer or something) touted rapid charging and the overcharge safeguard started kicking in after only 4-5 charge cycles.

Buy an eneloop kit and use nothing else.

# ¿ Oct 30, 2014 10:16

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

You'd want to look for fans that have PWM (4-pin connectors vs the standard 3-pin) then set the fan curve via your motherboard BIOS or fan controller software. You'll also need the appropriate fan splitter for PWM, for three fans something like this, or this for two.

# ¿ Nov 11, 2014 04:47

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Lowen SoDium posted:

Looks like only one of the fan's speeds is reported to the mobo, but the PWM signal is sent to both fans.

Yup, that's pretty much it. Just use two of the same fans to avoid any issues with the fans running at different speeds.

# ¿ Nov 14, 2014 03:49

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

If you're running any games/programs off of one the spinning drives then use the 7200rpm for sure. If not, then a 5200rpm drive is fine for storage of files and the like.

Personally, I'd do this:

code:

SSD: OS/Programs/smaller games
7200rpm: larger games
500GB 5200rpm: file storage
1TB 5200rpm: backup drive for SSD and 500GB (no need to backup your larger games since you can just download them again).

# ¿ Nov 25, 2014 07:17

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Lee Harvey Oswald posted:

I'm gonna get 1 gig Internet at my new apartment. What are the best wireless routers in the ~$100 range to get the most out of it?

This is more of a networking megathread question, but here we go:

Since you'll have a 1Gb connection the biggest thing you'll want to look for is WAN to LAN throughput on the router (how quickly it can move traffic from the internet to a computer). Generally, the ones that can route close to gigabit wire-speed are going to cost more, or have marketable features like dd-wrt/tomato support, or better 802.11AC wireless chips. SmallNetBuilder has a fairly-accurate chart that compares all the routers they've reviewed. The only caveat is that their testing methodology doesn't accurately show how a router's NAT will affect the speeds, so it can be difficult to determine the true speed with routing. (For example, the Netgear R7000 actually routes at 450Mb/s due to NAT overhead.)

For around $100 you could check out the TP-LINK Archer C7 AC1750 which doesn't currently have any third-party firmware support, but it may in the future.

To get closer to actual gigabit wire-speed routing it will cost a bit more. Your best choice is a wired-only router, an inexpensive access point or repurposed router in AP mode, and a switch (essentially all the parts of a consumer router). The go-to for this is an Edgerouter Lite, one of Ubiquiti's access points, and a Netgear 8-port switch. This would set you back about $200 but with much faster speeds than your typical $160-$200 router with the benefit of being able to swap out the AP or switch to other models that would suit your needs later on.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2014 02:38

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Furcifer posted:

Hey all,

My mom in Canada just switched internet providers from Rogers to Hitron, but was not permitted to use her old, purchased, Rogers modem. I find it a little suspect, since the new Hitron modem is also Rogers branded.

Here are the specs:

Old Rogers Modem:
SMC brand. Model # SMCD3GN-RRR
H/W Rev: 1B
S/W Rev: 1.4.0.42-RRR

New Hitron modem
Hitron brand. Model # CGN3
http://www.hitron-americas.com/products/cgn3/
H/W Rev: 1A
S/W Rev: 4.2.4.3

Would it be possible to change some setting in the old Rogers modem to work with the new Hitron service? Modem rental is $10/month!

Thanks in advance!

Gothmog has pretty much answered it for you:

Gothmog1065 posted:

What are your Internet speeds? Your old modem is a Docsis3 4x4 channel modem, while the one they're trying to force on you is a 28x8 channel modem.

Being completely separate devices there is no way to flash the firmware on the 4x4 modem to make it a 28x8.

Gothmog1065 posted:

Unless you're running some 100+ mbps internet, you're not going to need the old modem. I think your 4x4 will work with up to 160mbps max download speeds and be consistent about 100mbps. If you're pushing something above 100 you'll definitely need a newer modem.

While a 4x4 modem would work, it's not allowed by the incumbent (Rogers). Rogers has laid down some new rules for third-party ISPs (Hitron) that use their network, one of which being that any new sign-ups have to use 28x8 modems over certain speeds (I think it's 60Mbps), regardless of the actual rated specs for older modems. This is mostly to keep their network in better shape, as the additional channels from these new modems help with congestion and the like. It really sucks right now because the only approved modems are the router/modem gateways that can be a pain in the rear end to bridge correctly.

# ¿ Nov 30, 2014 00:56

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

The stuff on eBay is fine, I get replacements from there all the time (including laptop fans and the like). Short of ordering from Lenovo, your best bet is $10 to $30 and some patience for shipping times.

Rukus fucked around with this message at 12:20 on Dec 16, 2014

# ¿ Dec 16, 2014 12:17

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

I'm not familiar with how Seagate has made that a "cloud" external HDD, but from a quick google search it seems to be running some version of Linux to give it NAS capabilities. This could make it not ideal if it won't let both Windows and OS X use the drive at the same time. I'd also be wary of it since it touts remote access features that could be exploitable. If your router has a USB port designed for storage, then a USB external plugged into that might be a better option.

If you were to go the USB route, then you can use any USB HDD and configure it in two different ways. Either partition the drive with separate file systems for each operating system (ie. NTFS for Windows, HFS+ for OS X), or a common file system that both can use (exFAT). If you don't mind two separate, smaller partitions, then make two 2TB paritions on the drive, one being NTFS, the other being HFS+. In both cases you'd then just plug the drive in, create your shares via your router's admin web page, and map the drive as a network location on your computers.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 03:08

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

johnny sack posted:

Thanks for the reply. I like the idea of plugging in the hard drive directly to a router although I am almost positive my router doesn't have a USB port. Would this same thing work using a CAT 5?

If your router doesn't have a USB port then you would need some kind of device to act as the controller software for the HDD to host the shares and communicate with the network. This makes it a bit less plug-and-play than a router with a USB would due to various devices supporting only certain HDD sizes or formats.

johnny sack posted:

I haven't formatted a hard drive in many years. Is it as simple as plugging it into my Windows PC and saying "I want (this portion) NTFS" and then doing the same thing on the Mac saying "I want (this other portion) HFS+"?

Yup, you would open up Disk Management in Windows, initialize the drive, create the 2TB NTFS partition while leaving the other 2TB initialized. Then plug it into a Mac and open up Disk Utility format the other partition.

Factory Factory posted:

Assuming your Windows is later than XP and your Mac is similarly modern, format the whole thing as ExFAT and both operating systems can read and write to it with no problem. If you access it over the network, the format may well actually be totally unimportant - network access generally obscures the underlying disc from the system accessing it.

Is there still the possibility of data corruption when both OS's are using the same volume? I believe it was more of an issue with USB sticks and physically moving the devices from one computer to another, but that was a few years ago.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 04:27

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

DNova posted:

To me, these are pretty much exactly the same thing, security-wise.

Perusing that Seagate's manual suggested that it allowed for remote network access, which I understand it would be listening for remote connections outside the network. I think that's a bit different than a properly secured router that doesn't allow for remote connections (from the WAN port) to its admin page or shares. Though it's probably just as easy to disable it (hopefully).

kode54 posted:

Technically, a competent networked drive interface should allow accessing operating systems to utilize file locks so they don't fight each other for access to the drive. Reading a file would lock it from being written to by another user, writing to it would lock it from being accessed at all by other users. Samba/SMBFS is supposed to handle this in a sane manner, but then you'll likely be dealing with three different implementations: likely Samba on the Linux powered drive, Windows with its own official implementation, and OS X with its stank rear end implementation that likes to randomly break the whole OS after a while and force hard reboots or kernel panics. It's little wonder why networked shares that need to be accessed frequently, namely Time Capsule, still require AFP support.

Assuming that your device also somehow supports AFP, then it's a matter of contention between the servers for both SMB and AFP, and down to whether they lock the files locally on the device, so the two protocols don't fight each other in bad ways.

Gotcha, thanks for the clarification. If johnny sack doesn't plan on using the drive outside of it being a network share (like plugging it directly into these machines) then there shouldn't be too much worrying about the filesystems, right? Sounds more like a (on sale) Synology might be worth checking out then.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 14:37

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Prorat posted:

I'm sorry I should of mentioned it was a system builder version. Isn't that one time use per mobo?

I recently replaced an AM3 board from MSI to Asus (keeping the CPU, memory, gpu) and changed out the HDD for an SSD and Windows activated just fine with the OEM/system builder key. You should be good.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2015 03:56

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Mr. Funny Pants posted:

I just had a Fantom 4TB external drive that I was using with my DirecTV receiver die (bye bye over 1000 hours of recordings!). It only lasted a year and a half so I'm wanting to switch to something else. Problem is, the receiver only uses eSata, which cuts down on potential choices. Do eSata to USB 3.0 cables work?

A friend of mine's PVR eSata bit the dust recently, too. I just opened it up and replaced the drive with another I had and it worked fine (it was a Seagate and it took a WD drive all the same). See if you can't open it up and replace the drive with a desktop model for cheap. Just make sure that your RPMs match, as a higher RPM drive would pull more power than the wall-wart could provide.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 00:32

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

They're just glorified enclosures with an included drive, so more than likely the HDD is what's dead and not the enclosure's connector.

# ¿ Feb 26, 2016 00:36

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Hi Jinx posted:

Something like this could be a good fit but their only reseller is in the UK, the product is out of stock, and they don't ship to the US anyway.

http://www.logic-case.com/products/rackmount-chassis/4u/4u-short-depth-chassis-aluminium-lockable-door-4-x-35-+-1-x-525-sc-43902/

I ordered from them last year, and they do ship to North America, but you have to contact them in advance to set up the order. It cost close to $100 CAD for the shipping, then another $25 for brokerage from UPS in my case.

I believe you can find some of their cases on Alibaba, but then you run into the trouble of minimum quantity and dealing with resellers who may not speak the best English.

# ¿ Mar 13, 2016 02:52

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

GruntyThrst posted:

I'm putting together my PC and I just realized I forgot to pick up some thermal paste. I've got a tube of AS5 but I've no idea how old it is so I'm just gonna buy some new paste. Is there a go to favorite nowadays?

I like Noctua's NT-H1. The recommended "storage time" is 2 years but the tube I picked up in ~2012 still works fine.

# ¿ Apr 9, 2016 22:48

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

LingcodKilla posted:

So my monitors image started cutting out. Cable wiggling doesn't do anything but turning the computer on and off brings the image on for a few seconds and turning the monitor off then back on does also brings the image back for a bit. The computer itself seems ok.

Any guesses? I'm about to move the computer to another monitor to see if it's just the old monitor.

Sounds like bad capacitors. If you're feeling adventurous you could open it up and see if any of them are leaking or bulging. Replacing them only costs a couple of bucks and a few minutes with a soldering iron.

# ¿ May 1, 2016 02:20

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Hed posted:

I used to use a SideWinder Game Voice:

This thing let me keep my speakers and headphones plugged in and switch between them by switching the back, as well as having an easy way to mute the microphone. I guess the switch died because it doesn't really work any more. Is there something more modern that fulfills the functions of quickly switching audio outputs and muting?

My quick searcing only reveals this. Similar 2000-era design to your old Sidewinder. Something more modern could be getting a usb soundcard/stick and plugging your headset into that and just switching between your speakers/headset using macros. I do something similar to switch between my Desktop speakers, Headphones, or HT Receiver:

e: Startech has this though it looks like its headphone port is auto-sensing, so you'll see wear on that over time from plugging/unplugging your headphones into it.

Rukus fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Jun 5, 2016

# ¿ Jun 5, 2016 20:05

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# ¿ Apr 20, 2024 02:03

Rukus: Mar 13, 2007; Hmph.

Hed posted:

Thanks! I think I'll end up just getting some USB headphones and a Snoball or dedicated microphone instead of using headphones with a boom mic. I'm curious now, what's behind your macros...powershell or autohotkey script?

Calling .bat files with NirCmd. Really simple script, one for each sound device:

code:

HEADPHONES.BAT
@ECHO OFF
D:\nircmd-x64\nircmdc.exe setdefaultsounddevice "Headphones" 1

# ¿ Jun 6, 2016 02:30

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Serious Hardware/Software Crap > HARDWARE Short Questions That Don't Deserve Their Own Thread - Reloaded