The "Quick Questions that does not Deserve a Thread"...Thread. V3 - Hardware & Software

Any recommendations for a cheap and cheerful NAS? Probably only going to put a single 3TB in it for starters, followed by a second down the line.

Would it be better to get a more expensive CPU upgrade and a small GPU upgrade or a bigger GPU upgrade and a small CPU upgrade? Budget will be around 200-300. Current specs: Processor: Intel G540 GPU: A failing 512MB 8800GT

I'd focus on the GPU. Get a cheap $100-$150 i3 (or an i5, if you can get one cheap enough) and a 560 or 570 (which should be $150-$200).

The G540 isn't actually that bad honestly, it's based on the 32nm architecture but it lacks in raw specifications (cache and whatnot), a graphics card would benefit you most, or you could go the route of gman003 and get a cheaper i3/i5 and an equally expensive graphics card.

Few questions, on the motherboard I'm getting there are a few things I don't understand. It has 4 USB 3.0 on the back but 2 are the intel chipset and 2 are the asus chipset, whats the difference and are some faster than the other? Also on the SATA ports they have some that are asmedia? not sure how you spell that, and some that are the intel chipset again, can I just plug in my HDD's and DVD drive into any of them or do they have to be specific?

I'm not entirely sure where to post this, but I will try here. If a device is capable of recording both analog and digital broadcast television, how can I tell if it is capable of recording cable television as well? Like, what should I look for in the product description?

I'm about to buy a laptop for uni, and since I wont have room for a desktop in my room it will have to be what I play games on. What I'm wondering is, is 15.6'' too big and unwieldy to carry around several times a day? Anything smaller and it quickly becomes too expensive if I want to be decent enough to run games on.

[QUOTE=kirderf;37697715]I'm about to buy a laptop for uni, and since I wont have room for a desktop in my room it will have to be what I play games on. What I'm wondering is, is 15.6'' too big and unwieldy to carry around several times a day? Anything smaller and it quickly becomes too expensive if I want to be decent enough to run games on.[/QUOTE] 15.6" is not too big for a standard laptop backpack. You just have to be careful about the weight. The difference between a 6 lb laptop and a 10 lb one doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up if you carry books around.

[QUOTE=Ardosos;37695766]I'm not entirely sure where to post this, but I will try here. If a device is capable of recording both analog and digital broadcast television, how can I tell if it is capable of recording cable television as well? Like, what should I look for in the product description?[/QUOTE] Cable is both analog as well as digital.

So I'm thinking about getting a new laptop. Something to have on the go and play games without a hitch. I used one of those "build your computer" sites and selected what I wanted. I'm not too tech savvy, so I wanted to get some opinions on the specs posted below. I'm trying to keep a $1600 budget so anything above that really isn't possible. [quote] Battalion 101 W170ER 17.3" Full HD 1920x1080 LED-Backlit Display Laptop w/HDMI Port, USB 3.0, Li-Ion Battery, Universal AC Power Adapter - Original Metallic Black Intel® Core™ i7-3720QM Mobile Processor (4x 2.6GHz/6MB L3 Cache) 16GB [8GB x 2] 1600MHz DDR3 SDRAM [Laptop Memory] Corsair or Major Brand NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M 1GB GDDR5 Video w/ NVIDIA Optimus [W170ER] 750 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Laptop Hybrid Hard Drive with 8GB SSD 500 GB 7200rpm Serial-ATA Super Slim Laptop Hard Drive **Free Upgrade to 750GB 7200rpm SATA Super Slim Laptop Hard Drive** 6X Blu-Ray-R/8x Dual Format DVD±R/±RW + 16x CD-R/RW Combo Drive [W170ER] Built-in 9-in-1 Media Card Reader/Writer [Laptop] Built-in 10/100/1000 Mbps LAN [Laptop] Intel Ultimate-N 6300 802.11 a/b/g/n 450Mbps Dual-Band Wi-Fi Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium + Office Starter 2010 (Includes basic versions of Word and Excel) - 64-Bit Built-in 1x USB 2.0 + 2x USB 3.0 + 1x USB 3.0 / eSATA Combo Ports [Laptop] Built-in 2.0 Mega Pixels Digital Web Video Camera [/quote]

[QUOTE=l33tkill;37698311]So I'm thinking about getting a new laptop. Something to have on the go and play games without a hitch. I used one of those "build your computer" sites and selected what I wanted. I'm not too tech savvy, so I wanted to get some opinions on the specs posted below. I'm trying to keep a $1600 budget so anything above that really isn't possible.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834230408"]This[/URL] or [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834152347"]this[/URL] or [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834131270"]this[/URL]. Pick your price. I wouldn't buy an iBuyPower laptop. It would be like buying a car from the mechanic down the street. He insists it's better because he built it himself and put racing stripes on it. I'd rather buy from the people who know what they're doing.

Is there any easy way to play sound over skype without using stereo mix/having them hear them talking

[QUOTE=mobrockers2;37689289]Could have been used in the past, don't ask stupid questions.[/QUOTE] But then it's not unused.

[QUOTE=ShaunOfTheLive;37697931]15.6" is not too big for a standard laptop backpack. You just have to be careful about the weight. The difference between a 6 lb laptop and a 10 lb one doesn't seem like a lot, but it adds up if you carry books around.[/QUOTE] Ah right, the one I'm considering now ([url=http://www.amazon.co.uk/MSI-GE60-15-6-inch-i7-3610QM-Graphics/dp/B008ERJST0/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1347741995&sr=1-1]this one[/url]) is only 5.4 lb.

Anybody know of a set of somewhat decent 2.1 or above PC speakers running under $500? Preferably one that bypasses the onboard soundcard via USB?

[QUOTE=EvilSquirrel;37698705]Anybody know of a set of somewhat decent 2.1 or above PC speakers running under $500? Preferably one that bypasses the onboard soundcard via USB?[/QUOTE] Why not get a cheap soundcard?

[QUOTE=EvilSquirrel;37698705]Anybody know of a set of somewhat decent 2.1 or above PC speakers running under $500? Preferably one that bypasses the onboard soundcard via USB?[/QUOTE] If you're spending $500 you'd be better off getting a USB DAC for $100 odd and a nice pair of speakers too.

[QUOTE=Zephyrs;37698778]Why not get a cheap soundcard?[/QUOTE] I already have an Asus Xonar DX on hand but my motherboard is giving issues regarding having more than 1 pci slot being used at a time. Basically the card itself works fine but the motherboard doesn't want to detect it anymore. [editline]17th September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=SataniX;37698810]If you're spending $500 you'd be better off getting a USB DAC for $100 odd and a nice pair of speakers too.[/QUOTE] That does sound like a viable option. Could you recommend any?

[QUOTE=EvilSquirrel;37698844]I already have an Asus Xonar DX on hand but my motherboard is giving issues regarding having more than 1 pci slot being used at a time. Basically the card itself works fine but the motherboard doesn't want to detect it anymore. [editline]17th September 2012[/editline] That does sound like a viable option. Could you recommend any?[/QUOTE] Personally, I love my FiiO E17 - they're fairly popular for easy to use and relatively portable dac/amp combos. Alternatively, since you might not want an amp with speakers - the oDAC is well received in general (although, I have no personal experience with it). [url]http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=46[/url]

[QUOTE=Zerokateo;37694910]Few questions, on the motherboard I'm getting there are a few things I don't understand. It has 4 USB 3.0 on the back but 2 are the intel chipset and 2 are the asus chipset, whats the difference and are some faster than the other? Also on the SATA ports they have some that are asmedia? not sure how you spell that, and some that are the intel chipset again, can I just plug in my HDD's and DVD drive into any of them or do they have to be specific?[/QUOTE]

Which backup utility would you suggest for Windows Server 2008 R2 that could create incremental backups on a second internal hard drive?

Whats the best way to kill pretty old and used drives off which would still be a warranty case? Trying to create some training drives from some old Server TB drives that have been lying around.

Wipe them?

Wiping is sequential how does that kill a HDD

Sorry my bad I didnt know what you meant by kill, um.. Plug it in and shake it real hard and bang it on a table?

Hello are you capable of reading? [editline]17th September 2012[/editline] Like seriously, it seems like you just didn't read the second thing I said.

I'm tired as fuck and I'm not understanding what you mean by Killing a HDD. Could you explain it to me? [editline]17th September 2012[/editline] And I know that writing won't kill the HDD, again I have no idea what you mean by kill them.

[QUOTE=SEKCobra;37699196]Whats the best way to kill pretty old and used drives off which would still be a warranty case? Trying to create some training drives from some old Server TB drives that have been lying around.[/QUOTE] Cause I/O errors by moving shit and pulling the drive mid moving?

I don't get it either. They're under warranty but they're old? Or are you simulating the warranty process or do you actually want to cause some sort of damage so you can get them replaced?

[QUOTE=SEKCobra;37699350]Hello are you capable of reading?[/QUOTE] Hello SEKCobra, are you capable of not being a dick all the time?