Computers CHAT - 2021

Started by NT2C, November 15, 2021, 04:38:49 PM

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NapalmMan67

So any generic brand battery?  I ask because I never had luck with generic types in my cell phones.

I saw a generic one at NewEgg for $23.00, I'm sure just a knockoff brand.  Then there are the HP ones, but I didn't see those at much under $90.00/per.


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Sic Gorgiamus Allos Subjectatos Nunc-  Not just pretty words.

MacWa77ace

I have an older laptop so it doesn't really make sense for me to buy brand name batteries for it. HP wants over $100 for theirs. So I just buy the aftermarked ones for $18, and they last about 3 years. The only thing I can see that doesn't work well is they are not totally compatible with the HP battery monitoring software. It will display the charge and the battery life correctly, but the battery health is blanked out. But you can tell its health pretty much by how long a charge lasts anyhow.
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Moab

Its been many years since I built my PC. And I honestly don't use it alot. Maybe half a dozen times a week. It works fine. But I've been thinking about replacing it for awhile. Its really just an internet portal, place to store and manage photos, occassionally watch a movie, that sort of thing. I spend most of my time on my android phone.


But when I saw rednex post above about the renewed dell he bought. And the specs. Which coming from someone that hasn't built a PC in several years. I was impressed with what you could get for $400. I thought why not look? And I found the one below for $340.


The reviews are 64% 5 star. Out of 1000 reviews. Not that I trust Amazon reviews. But the reviews tend to be units that are great out of the box. And ones that immediately needed to be returned. So it sounds like their automated renew process isnt that great. But I dont expect much for $340. And don't mind swapping out the first one if it comes to me bad.


The only things I would like to connect to it are my old dx(?) sound card and logitech speakers. And a small external drive i have. I'm fine with windows 10 pro. Running windows 10 now. I have a good gaming keyboard and mouse. But I dont game. If i ever did or wanted to edit some video I would probably add a cheap video card. I'm using a 32" tv as a monitor. Which will be my next upgrade. I used to run three monitors off of this. Which reminds me - I wonder if I could salvage my old video card and put it into this?


Anything better I should be looking at?




(Renewed) Dell Optiplex 9020 Mini Tower Desktop PC, Intel Core i7-4770-3.4 GHz, 32GB Ram, 1TB (1000GB) SSD Drive, WiFi, DVD-RW, Windows 10 Pro https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082QMTGW8/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_E6T8XZK6WMMQB3F97KTR
"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We don't let our people have guns. Why would we let them have ideas?" Josef Stalin

NT2C

You shouldn't need the soundcard, just the speakers.  That MB has pretty good sound built-in.  Ditto for graphics.  I'm not saying they're bleeding edge, more like blunt trauma edge, but good enough for what you want.

When it comes to Internet portals though you might want to consider a Chromebook.  My wife replaced her Dell laptop with one and has been thrilled with it.  Her computer needs are similar to your's and the Chromebook meets them with plenty to spare.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YKBYP62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1
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Moab

Quote from: NT2C on April 14, 2022, 02:04:44 PM
You shouldn't need the soundcard, just the speakers.  That MB has pretty good sound built-in.  Ditto for graphics.  I'm not saying they're bleeding edge, more like blunt trauma edge, but good enough for what you want.

When it comes to Internet portals though you might want to consider a Chromebook.  My wife replaced her Dell laptop with one and has been thrilled with it.  Her computer needs are similar to your's and the Chromebook meets them with plenty to spare.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YKBYP62/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1


The only reason i wanted to use the older sound card is it has outs for all 7(?) Speakers. I think the integrated one on this computer only has two. But i could be mistaken. And yes, I'm sure the integrated graphics are fine. Even when i rarely edit video its some small family thing using the microsft editor.

I have highly considered a chromebook. But i do have a tablet. So it sort of meets those needs 

Really the only reason I orefer the desktop in is I use it in my office. Which gives me an excuse to get away some. Lol. And I can tyoe alot faster on a fullsize keyboard. But honestly in the last dew years I've soed up my texting skills pretty fast. So i can write at a pretty acceptable level.

Thanks for the advice. I had olanned to build another PC. But at these prices that seem ridiculous for what i need
.

"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We don't let our people have guns. Why would we let them have ideas?" Josef Stalin

NT2C

I just rebuilt mine back to at least cutting edge and it only ran about $2k, and that's with reusing a lot of stuff, like the case and PSU.
Nonsolis Radios Sediouis Fulmina Mitto. - USN Gunner's Mate motto

Current Weather in My AO
Current Tracking Info for My Jeep

Moab

Quote from: NT2C on April 14, 2022, 07:38:59 PM
I just rebuilt mine back to at least cutting edge and it only ran about $2k, and that's with reusing a lot of stuff, like the case and PSU.

Mine was not cutting edge even when i built it. I used to build a new every few years. Using last years "best homebuilt pc under $500" parts list. I used https://pcpartpicker.com/ for the list. And then built my system out on there. Upgrading where i could afford to.

But if your not gaming or editing video it seems like the industry has built past pcs necessary speed and abilities. I don't recall being able to buy a pc anywhere near these specs without spending a couple grand.  I mean if your just going online, watching movies, video messaging with family and listening to music. The normal stuff. Not that gaming isnt normal. Lol

I used to game alot on pc. I remember the first call of dutys on pc. While i was recently cleaning my garage i came upon the cd with call of duty on it. And an old ps3. I also found a few games i played with my son. When he was young. It brought back somany memories. We used to play this racing game called Jax iirc. Wr loved that game. Funny how it used to be an old baseball mitt. But now its an old game disc. :)
"Ideas are more dangerous than guns. We don't let our people have guns. Why would we let them have ideas?" Josef Stalin

NT2C

Our Xerox laser printer has been showing signs of needing some repairs in the near future, which may just mean replacing it.  To take some of the load off it I decided to buy a dedicated shipping label printer, a well-regarded thermal model.  We do a lot of shipping here and I felt this would put less wear on the laser printer and actually speed up the process.

The day after I ordered it I was making room for it in my office and suddenly remembered all my network ports on the router and the 8 port switch were in use already.  Without hesitation, I hopped on Amazon and purchased a 16 port gigabit-speed unmanaged switch.  It wasn't until I actually unpacked the printer and went to hook it up that I realized it was a USB printer... oopsie.  Well, I now have 8 open ports on the 16 port switch, and a spare 8 port.

(And then I remembered that a friend in IT had gifted me a 24 port rackmount switch that was sitting behind my office door, under my battery chargers.  Double oopsie.)



I really need to clean up that rat's nest, but I'm lazy.



(It's attached with industrial Velcro)
Nonsolis Radios Sediouis Fulmina Mitto. - USN Gunner's Mate motto

Current Weather in My AO
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NT2C

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Yay me...  :headbang: 
Nonsolis Radios Sediouis Fulmina Mitto. - USN Gunner's Mate motto

Current Weather in My AO
Current Tracking Info for My Jeep

EBuff75

I have Win11 on my work laptop and I'm not particularly a fan, just because of a variety of minor annoyances that I have with it.  About 98% of it is just like Win10.  It's that 2% that gets me:  auto-combining taskbar buttons with no way to change the setting; no option for large taskbar icons for active programs; shrinking down the right-click context menus which forces me to expand the list every time for the things that I actually need; not being able to drag a file onto one of the taskbar icons and have Windows switch to that program - this is mainly when I need to email files in Outlook; and I know there are others that aren't coming to mind right now.

The forced auto-combining of icons in the taskbar (and the lack of making the icons larger/wider for active programs) is an ongoing annoyance for me, as I frequently have multiple versions of the same program open and this forces me to hover, then pick the one I want out of the pop-up list, rather than just clicking on the damn icon (I know it's the 3rd of seven that I need, just let me click on it!!). 

A few of those issues have workarounds which I could implement on my personal computer, but can't on my work computer.  The auto-combining taskbar icons one is supposed to be "fixed" by MS at some point, as they got a lot of complaints when that functionality was taken away.  For now, I'm steering clear, despite both my personal desktop and laptop being eligible.
Information - it's all a battle for information. You have to know what's happening if you're going to do anything about it. - Tom Clancy, Patriot Games

NT2C

Two of my 5 laptops have Win 11 (a newer HP Pavillion and an ancient Toughbook) while the rest have other somethings (pretty sure one is still Vista, one might be Win 10, and one an old distro of Linux).  I've been liking it well enough on the laptops to go ahead and get my PC updated.
Nonsolis Radios Sediouis Fulmina Mitto. - USN Gunner's Mate motto

Current Weather in My AO
Current Tracking Info for My Jeep

NT2C

Note to self: Next time, disable your damn AV before trying to upgrade Windows unless you don't mind the upgrade failing after three fucking hours.
Nonsolis Radios Sediouis Fulmina Mitto. - USN Gunner's Mate motto

Current Weather in My AO
Current Tracking Info for My Jeep

MacWa77ace

Quote from: EBuff75 on July 21, 2022, 04:34:08 PM[...] not being able to drag a file onto one of the taskbar icons and have Windows switch to that program - this is mainly when I need to email files in Outlook; and I know there are others that aren't coming to mind right now.
[..]

Great, I do that all day long at work when I have to take and attachment from one open email and drag it to another email of the 10-15 I already have open. It's difficult enough to find the right one in the icons that pop up. And impossible if I have to many open and it turns into a list.  :headbang:

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mzmc

Question for the Elder Geeks, @NT2C in particular:

Do any of you still use IRC for anything?

Maybe it's just me missing the glory days of the internet (pre walled garden) and my growing disdain for Discord...
May contain traces of derp.

NT2C

Quote from: mzmc on September 29, 2022, 09:05:46 AMQuestion for the Elder Geeks, @NT2C in particular:

Do any of you still use IRC for anything?

Maybe it's just me missing the glory days of the internet (pre walled garden) and my growing disdain for Discord...
If I could still remember my password I could have sold my 5-digit member number for big bucks years ago.
Nonsolis Radios Sediouis Fulmina Mitto. - USN Gunner's Mate motto

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Current Tracking Info for My Jeep

mzmc

That does, strictly speaking, not answer the question.  :greenguy:
May contain traces of derp.

Rednex

Ok y'all smarter then me I need direction on buying the miss a new to her desk top computer ( refurbished is fine ).

So we paly games Valheim, 7 Days to Die, WoW with no problems. However 2 new games for us , her computer crash's on launch , games are Small World and Grounded. I need something low cost-ish but useable. I don't know computer stuff , so any recommendation's on a new to her computer  would be appreciated.

Her current computer specs are:

Processor    ‎3.4 GHz core_i7
RAM    ‎32 GB
Hard Drive    ‎1 TB SSD
Graphics Coprocessor    ‎Intel HD Graphics 4600
Chipset Brand    ‎Intel
Card Description    ‎Integrated
Wireless Type    ‎802.11g
Number of USB 2.0 Ports    ‎4
Number of USB 3.0 Ports    ‎6


Ground system requirements below:

Minimum system requirements:
CPU:
Intel Core i3-3225
RAM:
4 GB RAM
GPU:
Nvidia GTX 650 Ti
OS:
Windows 7 (SP1) 64bit
STO:
8 GB available space

Small Land Requirements
  SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
MINIMUM:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 7 SP1
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-9400 CPU @ 2.90GHz or equivalent
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 or equivalent
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: Connecting to Epic EOS is required for online multiplayer
RECOMMENDED:
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 (64-bit versions)
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-9700 CPU @ 3.00GHz or equivalent
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 or equivalent
DirectX: Version 12
Network: Broadband Internet connection
Storage: 20 GB available space
Additional Notes: 1080p 60 fps on Ultra settings

majorhavoc

There are some good deals to be had on systems based on AMD's Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. But clearly the lack of a discreet graphics card is the biggest roadblock to playing modern games on your wife's current system.

What's your price range?
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Rednex

Quote from: majorhavoc on November 17, 2023, 01:02:50 PMThere are some good deals to be had on systems based on AMD's Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. But clearly the lack of a discreet graphics card is the biggest roadblock to playing modern games on your wife's current system.

What's your price range?

Meh $500.00 USD is about the top which is low for a gaming computer I know. We don't need top of the line ,her current computer was like less $200 on amazon refurbished Dell OptiPlex 9020 and has worked for most things.

majorhavoc

Quote from: Rednex on November 17, 2023, 02:31:21 PM
Quote from: majorhavoc on November 17, 2023, 01:02:50 PMThere are some good deals to be had on systems based on AMD's Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 processors. But clearly the lack of a discreet graphics card is the biggest roadblock to playing modern games on your wife's current system.

What's your price range?

Meh $500.00 USD is about the top which is low for a gaming computer I know. We don't need top of the line ,her current computer was like less $200 on amazon refurbished Dell OptiPlex 9020 and has worked for most things.
The problem with refurbs in that price range is that they tend to come with integrated graphics or really outdated discrete GPUs.  My info might be out of date, but my understanding has been that AMD Ryzen systems have better integrated graphics than systems built around an Intel CPU.  But you'd have to do some research to see where the various integrated GPUs currently found in sub $500 systems stack up against an RTX 650 Ti, the minimum your wife needs to play Grounded.  But the RTX 650 Ti is a really old card, so for all I know more modern integrated graphics might blow it away. 

The CPU on your wife's OptiPlex seems more than up to the task. Have you investigated installing a discrete graphics card?  You'll need an open PCI-e slot, an adequate power supply (probably 550 watts and up), and room in the case to accommodate it.   

FYI:


https://www.reddit.com/r/PcBuildHelp/comments/11tcqf4/what_gpu_should_i_add_to_this_dell_optiplex_9020/
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