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The lonely tech post thread.

Can I have a sense check here:

Situation: All local music is on my old ancient PC which I have networked. Music is c1TB. I don't want to have my old PC on all the time. My plan is to buy this: 5 TB My Passport Ultra for Mac (Recertified) | Western Digital

I happy to take a risk with it being recertified and will have it plugged into my Mini PC permanently.

Is this the most cost effective solution? I don't want to pay out for a NAS Solution.
 
MBV said:
Can I have a sense check here:

Situation: All local music is on my old ancient PC which I have networked. Music is c1TB. I don't want to have my old PC on all the time. My plan is to buy this: 5 TB My Passport Ultra for Mac (Recertified) | Western Digital

I happy to take a risk with it being recertified and will have it plugged into my Mini PC permanently.

Is this the most cost effective solution? I don't want to pay out for a NAS Solution.
Click to expand...

Seems a good price and it's likely to be new or almost new. You'll have to format it to work with Windows.
 
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I was worried one of the cats or me was going to get electrocuted with the open power supply for that Fosi amplifier on my desk, so until I come up with a more permanent solution (probably one aluminium case for both), I designed and printed a housing for it.

Housing.png
Thor.jpg


4.jpg

Thor was my cat who didn't come home, in case anyone wonders.
 
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Edited somewhat
Aaaaand almost as if by magic, my crapulous chromebook is literally dying. Would have asked my eldest to look out for summat like my old ex-corporate Dell but as he is one of those who likes nothing better than to fill an entire room with watercooled shite and fancy stuff. he is not proving v.helpful. Can't quite bring myself to spend my garden budget either (especially as the both the garden and the allotment are also a bit decrepit and in dire need of TLC. So am not really looking to replace mine just yet. I will not be tormenting myself ;looking at gardening websites and so on, so silver linings.
 
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campanula said:
Aaaaand almost as if by magic, my crapulous chromebook is literally dying. Would have asked my eldest to look out for summat like my old ex-corporate Dell but as he is one of those who likes nothing better than to fill an entire room with watercooled shite and fancy stuff. he is not proving v.helpful. Suspect I am not even going to have any online access v.soon - can only post in 30 minute blasts before mad flickering and blank screen ensues. If I get a chance, will be v.grateful if anyone has any idea where I can get something I can use for the most basic stuff_ moaning on forums, a bit of photo boasting and email. My only working phone is in an equally parlous state - getting boiling hot after 20 minutes so think all my limited techie life may be coming to a horrible end...just as I have attempted a money-spinning wheeze offering personal horticulture tuition, I really don't need to vanish from the internet just right now...sigh.

Very limited budget - can stretch to £250 but only if I have a flowerless autumn (cos I have to use my garden budget).So, obviously second/third hand (like pretty much everything I own - I am always the very final end user before the tip.
Click to expand...

Let me have a look for you tonight. But I'm hearing value is key. :)
 
So here's a random question. I got myself some noise cancelling headphones to use at work so I can listen to music and use the same device for Teams calls. When it connects to Bluetooth it shows as two devices, a headset and headphones. The microphone works on both, but if I use headset, the sound quality is awful! What's that all about?
 
campanula said:
Edited somewhat
Aaaaand almost as if by magic, my crapulous chromebook is literally dying. Would have asked my eldest to look out for summat like my old ex-corporate Dell but as he is one of those who likes nothing better than to fill an entire room with watercooled shite and fancy stuff. he is not proving v.helpful. Can't quite bring myself to spend my garden budget either (especially as the both the garden and the allotment are also a bit decrepit and in dire need of TLC. So am not really looking to replace mine just yet. I will not be tormenting myself ;looking at gardening websites and so on, so silver linings.
Click to expand...

Hello. So I've been looking for a machine that runs Windows 11 as 10 stops being supported. There's ways to hack it onto older hardware, but it's probably best to have something the runs it properly. Ideally you'd have 16GB RAM, but 8GB machines are cheaper. As luck would have I've a few 8GB sticks in a draw and could send you one. Would you disintrested eldest be willing to help you put one in? It's a very simple job.

Anyway

Thinkpad

www.ebay.co.uk

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop 14" HD Screen ntel Core i5 8th Gen. 8gb RAM 512gb SSD Laptop - Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop 14" HD Screen ntel Core i5 8th Gen. 8gb RAM 512gb SSD Laptop - Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

Thinkpad with a touchscreen

www.ebay.co.uk

Lenovo ThinkPad T480s I5 8th Gen 8GB Ram 256GB SSD Windows 11 Touchscreen Laptop | eBay

CHEAP LENOVO THINKPAD T480S TOUCHSCREEN LAPTOP. Storage: 256GB Solid State Drive. Screen: 1920x1080 FHD 14" Touchscreen. Battery: Battery showing at least 70% health.
www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Lattitude 7300

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Latitude 7300 i5-8265U 8GB Ram 256GB SSD FHD Windows 11 Pro Webcam Laptop | eBay

<p>Quality: Very Good - Refurbished (Click link above) </p><p>Processor: Intel Core i5-8265U 1.60GHz</p><p>Processor Generation: 8th Generation</p><p>Memory: 8GB DDR4</p><p>Hard Drive: 256GB SSD</p><p>Screen Size: 13.3" FHD widescreen. 1920 x 1080</p><p>CD Drive: None</p><p>Operating System...
www.ebay.co.uk

Cheap beaten up Dell

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Latitude 5490 14" Laptop Intel Core i5-8250U 8GB RAM 240GB SSD HD Win11 | eBay

Dell Latitude 5490 14" Laptop. 240GB SSD Hard disk. Laptop is used but in good condition. HD Webcam (1280x720). Ethernet LAN 10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s. Display : 14”. Battery is working OK.
www.ebay.co.uk
 
UnderOpenSky said:
Hello. So I've been looking for a machine that runs Windows 11 as 10 stops being supported. There's ways to hack it onto older hardware, but it's probably best to have something the runs it properly. Ideally you'd have 16GB RAM, but 8GB machines are cheaper. As luck would have I've a few 8GB sticks in a draw and could send you one. Would you disintrested eldest be willing to help you put one in? It's a very simple job.

Anyway

Thinkpad

www.ebay.co.uk

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop 14" HD Screen ntel Core i5 8th Gen. 8gb RAM 512gb SSD Laptop - Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop 14" HD Screen ntel Core i5 8th Gen. 8gb RAM 512gb SSD Laptop - Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

Thinkpad with a touchscreen

www.ebay.co.uk

Lenovo ThinkPad T480s I5 8th Gen 8GB Ram 256GB SSD Windows 11 Touchscreen Laptop | eBay

CHEAP LENOVO THINKPAD T480S TOUCHSCREEN LAPTOP. Storage: 256GB Solid State Drive. Screen: 1920x1080 FHD 14" Touchscreen. Battery: Battery showing at least 70% health.
www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Lattitude 7300

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Latitude 7300 i5-8265U 8GB Ram 256GB SSD FHD Windows 11 Pro Webcam Laptop | eBay

<p>Quality: Very Good - Refurbished (Click link above) </p><p>Processor: Intel Core i5-8265U 1.60GHz</p><p>Processor Generation: 8th Generation</p><p>Memory: 8GB DDR4</p><p>Hard Drive: 256GB SSD</p><p>Screen Size: 13.3" FHD widescreen. 1920 x 1080</p><p>CD Drive: None</p><p>Operating System...
www.ebay.co.uk

Cheap beaten up Dell

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Latitude 5490 14" Laptop Intel Core i5-8250U 8GB RAM 240GB SSD HD Win11 | eBay

Dell Latitude 5490 14" Laptop. 240GB SSD Hard disk. Laptop is used but in good condition. HD Webcam (1280x720). Ethernet LAN 10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s. Display : 14”. Battery is working OK.
www.ebay.co.uk
Click to expand...

What would you go for, Sky? I think Grobag (eldest) will help (he often offers but can't quite grasp how truly dim I am...and worse when in a flap)
 
I counted up my (ahem) budget (£2 coins in a teapot) and have £248 (which is more than I thought)...but would ideally like to hang onto to the £48 (which actually buys 200 tulips and 250 anemones).
 
UnderOpenSky said:
Hello. So I've been looking for a machine that runs Windows 11 as 10 stops being supported. There's ways to hack it onto older hardware, but it's probably best to have something the runs it properly. Ideally you'd have 16GB RAM, but 8GB machines are cheaper. As luck would have I've a few 8GB sticks in a draw and could send you one. Would you disintrested eldest be willing to help you put one in? It's a very simple job.

Anyway

Thinkpad

www.ebay.co.uk

Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop 14" HD Screen ntel Core i5 8th Gen. 8gb RAM 512gb SSD Laptop - Black for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lenovo ThinkPad T480 Laptop 14" HD Screen ntel Core i5 8th Gen. 8gb RAM 512gb SSD Laptop - Black at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!
www.ebay.co.uk

Thinkpad with a touchscreen

www.ebay.co.uk

Lenovo ThinkPad T480s I5 8th Gen 8GB Ram 256GB SSD Windows 11 Touchscreen Laptop | eBay

CHEAP LENOVO THINKPAD T480S TOUCHSCREEN LAPTOP. Storage: 256GB Solid State Drive. Screen: 1920x1080 FHD 14" Touchscreen. Battery: Battery showing at least 70% health.
www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Lattitude 7300

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Latitude 7300 i5-8265U 8GB Ram 256GB SSD FHD Windows 11 Pro Webcam Laptop | eBay

<p>Quality: Very Good - Refurbished (Click link above) </p><p>Processor: Intel Core i5-8265U 1.60GHz</p><p>Processor Generation: 8th Generation</p><p>Memory: 8GB DDR4</p><p>Hard Drive: 256GB SSD</p><p>Screen Size: 13.3" FHD widescreen. 1920 x 1080</p><p>CD Drive: None</p><p>Operating System...
www.ebay.co.uk

Cheap beaten up Dell

www.ebay.co.uk

Dell Latitude 5490 14" Laptop Intel Core i5-8250U 8GB RAM 240GB SSD HD Win11 | eBay

Dell Latitude 5490 14" Laptop. 240GB SSD Hard disk. Laptop is used but in good condition. HD Webcam (1280x720). Ethernet LAN 10, 100, 1000 Mbit/s. Display : 14”. Battery is working OK.
www.ebay.co.uk
Click to expand...
I thought the Lenovos looked squarer, but it's just the camera angle. They're all the same.
Personal preference is slightly towards Dell in that their support is better, but I guess that's irrelevant on a 6 generation old machine. In my experience, build quality is similar.

The 7300 is slightly newer, in that 8250 is Kaby Lake Refresh and 8265 is Whiskey Lake. There's not a lot in it, but newer is newer.
 
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campanula said:
What would you go for, Sky? I think Grobag (eldest) will help (he often offers but can't quite grasp how truly dim I am...and worse when in a flap)
Click to expand...

campanula said:
I counted up my (ahem) budget (£2 coins in a teapot) and have £248 (which is more than I thought)...but would ideally like to hang onto to the £48 (which actually buys 200 tulips and 250 anemones).
Click to expand...

If I had £200 to spend I'd look for something a bit cleaner and a bit more modern. However, I suspect you're far more like my OH who has little interest and would far rather spend time (and money) on her garden.

I'd go for the first Thinkpad or the Dell 7300. The Dell is slightly newer as Chz points out, although the thinkpad comes from a far more established seller. That said eBay are pretty good when it comes to siding with the buyer if there are any issues.
 
So thank you - I have ordered the Dell Latitude (yay!!). Sky, is your offer of an 8gb thingy compatible? I would very much like to take your generous offer. I am more than happy to send you some £££ as I still have a whopping £120 in the teapot. I will be scrutinising the bulb catalogues with as much intensity as the most fanatical techie. Can you do a DM? PM? (not sure what
UnderOpenSky said:
If I had £200 to spend I'd look for something a bit cleaner and a bit more modern. However, I suspect you're far more like my OH who has little interest and would far rather spend time (and money) on her garden.

I'd go for the first Thinkpad or the Dell 7300. The Dell is slightly newer as Chz points out, although the thinkpad comes from a far more established seller. That said eBay are pretty good when it comes to siding with the buyer if there are any issues.
Click to expand...
Yep, I have done it. The Dell 7300 arrives on Friday. Thank you so much, DM/PM incoming in the morning.
 
Yes, no problem. I'll drop you a PM.

I'm 98% (ish) sure it will work. As it's a small DDR 4 stick that will fit in the device. But PCs being PCs....theres a very small chance it won't play nice with the ones that's in there. When I upgraded a load at work we had to match them, but that's tax payers money...i certainly wouldn't be bothered on my own kit.
 
Im such a dickhead, Ive had some galaxy buds for about 4 months but was pissed off because even the slightest movement they would stop what ever media I was playing.

Then yesterday I was looking at them and saw the R and L on the buds were upside down when I put them in, so thought what if I turn them around? And 'hey presto' they work perfectly now.

We live and learn, dickhead me
 
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UnderOpenSky said:
Yes, no problem. I'll drop you a PM.

I'm 98% (ish) sure it will work. As it's a small DDR 4 stick that will fit in the device. But PCs being PCs....theres a very small chance it won't play nice with the ones that's in there. When I upgraded a load at work we had to match them, but that's tax payers money...i certainly wouldn't be bothered on my own kit.
Click to expand...
If you look in the stuff offered forum, I still have the two 8Gb RAM modules. Would they fit Campanula's laptop? (offered 5 July last year). That would give 16Gb with no matching issues.

UnderOpenSky
 
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Is there a reason why I shouldn’t listen to the radio through my Google Nest all day? Like, because it’s streaming will it use a lot of electricity or anything?
 
Just built myself a new machine.

I've been running the same desktop computer since 2015. It's one I put together myself, with an Intel i5-6600K on a Gigabyte Z170 motherboard with 16Gb of DDR4 RAM and a Radeon RX570 video card, all in a Fractal Define R4 case. For about 98 percent of my computing needs, this machine still works just fine--a testament to how powerful modern computers are--but one area where it's noticeably slower than I'd like is in rendering and processing my pictures in Lightroom and Photoshop, and also the occasional video editing I do in Premiere Pro. So, time to build a new machine:
  • Intel i7-14700K CPU
  • Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX motherboard
  • 64 GB (2 x 32GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5200MHz RAM
  • MSI NVidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB video card
  • EVGA 750 GT 80+ Gold 750W power supply
  • Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO CPU cooler
  • Samsung 990 Pro 2TB M2 Solid State Drive (operating system and programs)
  • Crucial P3 Plus 4TB M2 Solid State Drive (working drive for documents, as well as images and videos in process)
  • Fractal Define 7 Solid Black ATX computer case
  • 4 x 8TB storage drives for backup, media, etc., brought over from my previous machine
The 64GB of RAM was probably overkill, but it was only 30 bucks more than 32GB. I might regret not going for a more powerful video card, but I'm not a gamer, and it's only for help with image and video processing. It's an unlocked CPU so I can overclock it, but I'm running it at default speed for now and will see how that goes. If I end up overclocking, I'll keep an eye on CPU temperature in case I need to upgrade to liquid cooling, but I'd p[refer not to do that unless I have to.

Bonus: because I work from home two or three days a week and use my home computer, work offered to pay for the components. I insisted on paying for the video card, because I don't need that for work.











 
mhendo said:
Just built myself a new machine.

I've been running the same desktop computer since 2015. It's one I put together myself, with an Intel i5-6600K on a Gigabyte Z170 motherboard with 16Gb of DDR4 RAM and a Radeon RX570 video card, all in a Fractal Define R4 case. For about 98 percent of my computing needs, this machine still works just fine--a testament to how powerful modern computers are--but one area where it's noticeably slower than I'd like is in rendering and processing my pictures in Lightroom and Photoshop, and also the occasional video editing I do in Premiere Pro. So, time to build a new machine:
  • Intel i7-14700K CPU
  • Gigabyte Z790 Aorus Elite AX motherboard
  • 64 GB (2 x 32GB) Corsair Vengeance DDR5 5200MHz RAM
  • MSI NVidia GeForce RTX 3060 12GB video card
  • EVGA 750 GT 80+ Gold 750W power supply
  • Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 EVO CPU cooler
  • Samsung 990 Pro 2TB M2 Solid State Drive (operating system and programs)
  • Crucial P3 Plus 4TB M2 Solid State Drive (working drive for documents, as well as images and videos in process)
  • Fractal Define 7 Solid Black ATX computer case
  • 4 x 8TB storage drives for backup, media, etc., brought over from my previous machine
The 64GB of RAM was probably overkill, but it was only 30 bucks more than 32GB. I might regret not going for a more powerful video card, but I'm not a gamer, and it's only for help with image and video processing. It's an unlocked CPU so I can overclock it, but I'm running it at default speed for now and will see how that goes. If I end up overclocking, I'll keep an eye on CPU temperature in case I need to upgrade to liquid cooling, but I'd p[refer not to do that unless I have to.

Bonus: because I work from home two or three days a week and use my home computer, work offered to pay for the components. I insisted on paying for the video card, because I don't need that for work.











Click to expand...


Nice purrrsessor
 
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