Random Question Thread: Tech

[orinthia]

Read this for a decent guide to computer parts:
http://tinyurl.com/falconguide

It's updated every so often as well. It's on a free image host though, so it can sometimes be out of bandwidth.

[remdynex]

Looking to buy a router for gaming and torrents mostly. My buddy suggest the WRT120N but from the reviews i have seen it's like the black plague of routers.

My comp and consoles are the in the area so i won't have a problem connecting anything. Any suggestion would be helpful thanks.

[Caiyuo]

Looking to buy a router for gaming and torrents mostly. My buddy suggest the WRT120N but from the reviews i have seen it's like the black plague of routers.

My comp and consoles are the in the area so i won't have a problem connecting anything. Any suggestion would be helpful thanks.

meaning wireless isn't so much a concern as something with functional QoS? I don't have specifics but I can get you started with checking out routers compatible with Tomato custom firmware, I've heard nothing but good things in regards to Tomato's QoS functionality.

[remdynex]

Was thinking of just wired router but wireless is probably better if i need it in the future. Any info is helpful, thanks.

[Caiyuo]

Well I was thinking anything you'd get would likely be a wireless router at this point, but with less focus on wireless features like N and all the multi-band, multi-antenna shit that's being pushed now. With gaming and torrents in mind, the only thing I can really think that would be effective is QoS where you can prioritize certain types of traffic. I checked the Tomato compatibility page and it looks like the all-star WRT54GL is fully compatible with Tomato (also compatible with DD-WRT, another custom firmware option) and while it's an older wireless B+G model, it's quite good for custom firmware purposes. Maybe someone here can give a testimonial for Tomato because I've only ever used DD-WRT and haven't seen any word of dependable QoS in current builds.


Someone else might have a specific router in mind without the need for flashing custom firmware, but you get a lot of added value for the process--a process that's well-documented--so I almost always recommend it.

Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_%28firmware%29
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Tomato_..._and_revisions (has compatibility listing)

[Arximiro]

Does anyone know of a good utility to monitor how many watts your power supply is currently using? I'm curious how close I am to hitting the 600 max on mine at different times. I'm not sure if a utility like this even exists but I just wanted to ask.

[sruon]

This isn't doable with a software, you can use a watt meter if you want on the power plug though.

[remdynex]

Well I was thinking anything you'd get would likely be a wireless router at this point, but with less focus on wireless features like N and all the multi-band, multi-antenna shit that's being pushed now. With gaming and torrents in mind, the only thing I can really think that would be effective is QoS where you can prioritize certain types of traffic. I checked the Tomato compatibility page and it looks like the all-star WRT54GL is fully compatible with Tomato (also compatible with DD-WRT, another custom firmware option) and while it's an older wireless B+G model, it's quite good for custom firmware purposes. Maybe someone here can give a testimonial for Tomato because I've only ever used DD-WRT and haven't seen any word of dependable QoS in current builds.


Someone else might have a specific router in mind without the need for flashing custom firmware, but you get a lot of added value for the process--a process that's well-documented--so I almost always recommend it.

Info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_%28firmware%29
http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Tomato_..._and_revisions (has compatibility listing)

Thanks for the info.

Think my old router was a wireless B, last i remember it crapped out on me a lot, maybe i can get it to work with tomato.

[bungiefan]

^ For HDDs it's usually the same connector, the one big cable is just both of 'em fused together.

Laptop optical drives often have a connector on the back that's somewhat specific to the machine it goes into, particularly if it can just pop out. Sometimes it's just an adapter that you can take off the back of it though.

It's an optical drive, not an HDD, and the power connector is smaller. It looks like it's called micro-SATA for the plugin. I haven't been able to get a picture yet.

It's a standard plugin I've seen on a lot of laptops I've taken apart at the shop I work at. The brackets that attach so you can secure the drive are what tend to be different in different machines, but the mini-IDE, and the SATA drives are standardized. Occasionally there's a removable adapter to shift the plug to the side, but drives themselves are interchangable.

[sruon]

What's a good personal budget software?

[Isiolia]

It's an optical drive, not an HDD, and the power connector is smaller. It looks like it's called micro-SATA for the plugin. I haven't been able to get a picture yet.

It's a standard plugin I've seen on a lot of laptops I've taken apart at the shop I work at. The brackets that attach so you can secure the drive are what tend to be different in different machines, but the mini-IDE, and the SATA drives are standardized. Occasionally there's a removable adapter to shift the plug to the side, but drives themselves are interchangable.

I dunno, looking around at the machines I have in my office, only one series has a standard connector (micro SATA) on the drive. One had an easily removable adapter (I know this because the adapter falls off or becomes loose, creating SATA bus problems, yay HP), but even the connector on the drive itself is non-standard. Yet another had a completely different plug that was integrated into the drive casing, and so on.

Either way, shouldn't something like this work then?

[Ratatapa]

What's a good personal budget software?

I just use Excel to put my total money I get per month, then I add all what I pay

Exemple I get 2500 per month So I write Electricity 49$ and it goes auto 2500-49 and I check what I have left

[Caiyuo]

What's a good personal budget software?

looking for software in particular or are websites valid too? I've heard endless praise for mint.com, but moneydance seems to be well recommended for personal finance software

[sruon]

mint looks good, anything is better than relying on my own brain.

[Ratatapa]

Is mint.com really good, not sure about entering my bank info

[Purrrfect]

What is the status on AMD's Bulldozer?

[Isiolia]

What is the status on AMD's Bulldozer?

In terms of release schedule? Official word is Q2, though apparently some comments have indicated "Summer", so the current assumption is June.

[Callisto]

I currently have 4 things accessing my wireless network, 2 laptops with g receivers, a Wii(b I think), and a netbook with an n adapter. I have it set to a b/g/n mix, but I was curious if setting it to n so that the netbook could actually get full speeds would make the b and g devices unable to receive the signal/have shittier speeds than the b/g/n mix?

[Caiyuo]

Yeah, setting it to N means b/g won't receive the signal at all, unless it's a dual/multi-band router that operates them separately in which I don't think you'd even have that problem. It's handy as a security feature when the other modes aren't needed.

[Ratatapa]

So no one using mint.com that can give good info about it?