Recent content by Winterson

Not unusual for the PC maker to under spec the PSU and so it cannot provide enough power for gaming. I would check on replacing the PSU and with one with a higher Watt rating if possible.

I have had to replace two Samsung EVO modules that were mounted on a very large heatsink. These burned out in months but the replacements have been OK for the past 2 years. I doubt very much that any manufacturer is doing a burn-in of their components and so the customer becomes the tester.

Lower voltage results in higher operating temperatures and lower life expectancy. To deal with the problem I use a 1200W line conditioner that maintains 120VAC for the computer. The cost is about the same as a UPS but with no battery to replace - ever.

I received one of the new Omen 45L this week and it was DOA and it would cost me having a $428 onsite service contract to have a tech look at it. I like the Omen design but quality control is now a distant memory with HP. To open the case where there is the glass panel one needs a special star...

A 10% tariff is paid by the U.S. distributor who then decides how much to increase prices to resellers how do the same for prices for their customers. A 10% tariff for an importer can increase U.S. prices at retail by 20% or more. It can also reduce supplies in Canada unless they have an...

Unless the computer includes a high level of customer support it is a high risk purchase. From experience I limit myself to computers from HP, Lenovo, and Apple. Easy to check the reviews by customers to validate the customer support provided by the company.

Production has not been the problem at Intel but rather their inept managers that are too distant from the market. They failed to consider Nvidia as either a threat or an opportunity, much as they have done with AMD. Intel decided to embed graphics processing inside the CPU which is good for...

Assembling a PC from parts purchased at retail is OK if you need a hobby. Otherwise you are paying a great deal more for each part than a company like Lenovo or HP pays for the same part that they are buying by the thousands. Both HP with its Omen line and Lenovo with its Legion computers are...

The only situation where sine wave output is important is with the use of a generator. With a square wave output they can damage electronics and this is particularly a problem with generators used in boats. More important than the output is having a minimum voltage level maintained. My utility...

I have used a combination UPS and surge protection box for many years and in the past if I needed a replacement battery for a UPS it was easy to find at the local office supply store that sold these devices. Now I have a combination of APC and Cyperpower UPS boxes and cannot find OEM replacement...

There are some excellent deals for gaming computers from HP and Lenovo that include the graphics card and so no issues with slots or with the connector. I have a 3 year old HP tower with a 1200W PSU but the 4090 power connector did not mate up even with an adapter to the power connector for the...

For the total cost of a Airbnb stay the owner should be providing at least a DSL connection to the internet. We only stay at places that provide internet Wifi access. In 2024 that does not limit us at all.

With the Nvidia graphics cards one also needs a higher power PSU and a 10-pin connector. The slot is not the problem with older computers.

I have used every version of Windows release by Microsoft and it is not a stable operating system. It became even less stable when new verions allowed applications to directly access the kernel to get performance on par with OS/2. Always a good idea to do backups, including the registry...

I purchased a Hewlett Packard Z4 tower computer in 2020 and when I checked to find a replacement for the front fan the HP part had been discontinued. A fan failure is not unusual and I would expect HP to maintain an inventory if only to support repairs for computers with a service agreement...