The Member's Systems Discussion Thread

[Pcbuilder123]

Haha, it's always funny when somebody claims to be fluent in programming and I ask them what language and they respond with the overly-confident "English."

 

[Pcbuilder123]

What's your guys opinion on this build, transferring a friend from the potato-staion 3 to a gaming pc. His budget is dependent on his test scores (around 700$ right now, but the lower the better. The hardware without the monitor is a little under 580$) WOW HAVE PRICE DROPPED.

 

[Onus]

Even though you've chosen a SSHD, I'd get a desktop hard drive, preferably a WD Black. Also, that little USB wireless adapter will have a worthless antenna; get something better, preferably a PCIe x1 card.

 

[g-unit1111]

What's your guys opinion on this build, transferring a friend from the potato-staion 3 to a gaming pc. His budget is dependent on his test scores (around 700$ right now, but the lower the better. The hardware without the monitor is a little under 580$) WOW HAVE PRICE DROPPED.

Not bad for $700 but the Hyper TX3 is an extremely cheap cooler, I would probably go with an Intel i5 and do something like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($182.07 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.49 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($53.59 @ Directron)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Vapor-X Video Card ($171.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12G 550W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($16.99 @ Directron)
Total: $718.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-21 12:49 EST-0500

 

[Onus]

I can't see the original build at work, but g-unit's looks good except for the RAM; that's CAS11 and 1.65V; I'd get CAS9 and 1.5V. I'd probably find a different case (probably Rosewill), but that's a niggle unlikely to save more than $10-$15.

 

[g-unit1111]

So here's a perfect example of why I hate store reviews, this is for the PSU I'm buying (if I can find one ) :

This review is from: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 G2 220-G2-0850-XR 850W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Power Supply Intel 4th Gen CPU Compatible 10 Year Warranty
Pros:

Modular, ample connectors and quite. 10 year warranty - a real plus. The packaging alone for this power supply is worthy of note. A storage bag for a power supply may seem silly at first but it makes a fine storage bag for the extra cables and other odd's and ends.
I put this into a Corsair 540 chassis and it's an exact fit. Fully expect that this power supply will be all I need for quite awhile.
Cons:

The power supply is a fine product and I had no problems installing it. Wish I could say the same for EVGA's rebate tactics. Some would say they have learned how to make a rebate center into a profit center.
Other Thoughts:

If you purchase this and have a rebate form - be sure to send everything via certified mail. They lost my documentation (again) but having a certified mail receipt put the burden on them. I asked NewEgg to intervene and they more than stepped up to the plate. That is what makes purchasing from NewEgg a hassle free experience. Now if EVGA only operated with the same business ethics this would have been a 5 star review.

Really? Two eggs just for a bad refund? I'm sure the manufacturers have a problem with this as much as I do.

 

[tiny voices]

This is why I NEVER read or even consider user reviews for anything really. There are tier 1 Seasonic PSUs on Newegg with 3 starts because the mail messed up and the unit got to the buyer late. Blows my mind that people think this is Seasonic's fault in any capacity.

 

[Onus]

It's amazing how many PSU-shaped objects have so many excellent consumer reviews. I try to review most of the stuff I buy there, and try to make the reviews have at least some relevance, and always try to address fitness for purpose.

 

[turkey3_scratch]

Pythons pretty awesome. Been working on it since August (begin with CodeAcademy and a few books and now a class), and alongside this, RobotC, and after this moving to Java. I'm completley fluent in html5, javascript and css back when I was into website development, but expanding intrests now.

I should start learning how to code more, I took Basic, HTML, and C++ like 10 years ago but I'm sure things have changed since then. :lol:

Really opens a new door to logic and overall understanding of how things work. I'm learning at a steady pace, but trying not to rush it b/c I want to eventually get into c++, and you can pick up some bad habits from the languages I've been doing so trying to avoid those

If you really want to go hardcore learn Assembly. I highly admire anyone who knows Assembly because it is so closely related to coding binary, but with some human-friendliness thrown in. Programs made in Assembly run fantastically because compilers are not always perfectly efficient. For instance, Roller Coaster Tycoon, release in (1999?) worked on some of the worst computers from 1996 even. Why? One person programmed the entire game in raw Assembly. Chris Sawyer is that man. The game runs perfectly without compatibility mode today on Windows 8.1 even.

I myself work on web design a lot. I am not fond of Python for you people who use it, PHP is a lot more flexible and standard. HTML, CSS, and Javascript I have fluency. Assembly is in the future for me.

 

[tiny voices]

I have to know Python for GIS applications, as those softwares (ESRI suite) run on it.

 

[g-unit1111]

This is why I NEVER read or even consider user reviews for anything really. There are tier 1 Seasonic PSUs on Newegg with 3 starts because the mail messed up and the unit got to the buyer late. Blows my mind that people think this is Seasonic's fault in any capacity.

User reviews as a complaint department blow my mind. What's really funny is yesterday the receptionist at my work called UPS to complain about a package that we sent to New Mexico for a project out there, and the UPS customer service department said to her "Oh we don't take customer complaints.". We were both like WTF! :lol:

It's amazing how many PSU-shaped objects have so many excellent consumer reviews. I try to review most of the stuff I buy there, and try to make the reviews have at least some relevance, and always try to address fitness for purpose.

It always boggles my mind that Ultra power supplies get 4.5 and 5 star ratings on Tiger Direct - I've had two of these things and both caused me nothing but problems. Will never buy again.

I myself work on web design a lot. I am not fond of Python for you people who use it, PHP is a lot more flexible and standard. HTML, CSS, and Javascript I have fluency. Assembly is in the future for me.

I will look into that. I heard that statistics programming is one of the hardest classes you can take as an IT major, any truth to that or is it just impossibly difficult teachers?

 

[Onus]

Hmmm, trying to remember the name of the statistics language I used some 30 years ago...SSPX? It was a little tedious, but not difficult.
I remember writing a 640-step program on my TI-59 to do confidence intervals. I was particularly proud of it, because even limited by the calculator's "language," I pulled it off without a single GTO (a GOTO, not allowed in structured programming, which I was also learning at the time).

 

[g-unit1111]

Hmmm, trying to remember the name of the statistics language I used some 30 years ago...SSPX? It was a little tedious, but not difficult.
I remember writing a 640-step program on my TI-59 to do confidence intervals. I was particularly proud of it, because even limited by the calculator's "language," I pulled it off without a single GTO (a GOTO, not allowed in structured programming, which I was also learning at the time).

Things must have changed since then. The Cal State system (where I go) has a class for 4th year IT majors called QIS 316 which is probability and statistics programming, and some of the IT majors that I've talked to have said that it can break even the most advanced hardcore IT majors (they call this class the "QIS of death"), and lots of people have dropped out of the program or changed majors. I thought basic statistics was hard. :lol:

 

[Onus]

Probability and Sadistics were usually math courses at Georgia Tech, not ICS. I wrote the Confidence Interval program for my own benefit for one of them, so I could be reasonably sure my answers were good on some tests.

 

[tiny voices]

Probability and Sadistics were usually math courses at Georgia Tech, not ICS. I wrote the Confidence Interval program for my own benefit for one of them, so I could be reasonably sure my answers were good on some tests.

Was this considered cheating? In my past 4 years of college, use of ANY calculator program was considered cheating and would result in removal from the course.

There was a kid in the engineering school who would sell Ti-NSPIRE calcs modified and stuffed into ti-84 shells for like $500 each. It was AMAZING how many he sold. They even came with a card explaining the button remapping and everything. The NSPIRE was not allowed in any calc class because of its algebra system, but ti-84s were fair game.

Also....Sadistics....:lol:

 

[Onus]

No, calculators were specifically allowed. It is possible that professors back then ('79? '81? I've forgotten; suspect '81 though) were unaware of just how powerful some of the calculators were, BUT we were required to show our work, which the calculators could not do for us.

 

[g-unit1111]

Probability and Sadistics were usually math courses at Georgia Tech, not ICS. I wrote the Confidence Interval program for my own benefit for one of them, so I could be reasonably sure my answers were good on some tests.

Was this considered cheating? In my past 4 years of college, use of ANY calculator program was considered cheating and would result in removal from the course.

There was a kid in the engineering school who would sell Ti-NSPIRE calcs modified and stuffed into ti-84 shells for like $500 each. It was AMAZING how many he sold. They even came with a card explaining the button remapping and everything. The NSPIRE was not allowed in any calc class because of its algebra system, but ti-84s were fair game.

Also....Sadistics....:lol:

Yeah in accounting it's not really an issue but the teacher I have now won't allow use of scientific calculators on the tests for that very reason, we have to use regular calculators.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

Lol, I created a MATRIX program on my TI-83+ where it goes thru the wake up Neo and then has scrolling numbers. All original. I should know Assembly and ASCII for CyberSecurity. Never got the hang of it. Basic asn in Visual Basic? I remember making games and Sims with that, lol. I have the files on my desktop.

 

[Pcbuilder123]

Wait-- why is this 750w gold unit 59$??? 5 dollars more than the 450w...

Also the 450w modular is the same price as the non. This is a tier 2 psu aswell...

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006BCKHIQ/ref=twister_B00ESVCGPO?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 

[stickg1]

That's just a good deal on a decent PSU. It's not modular though.

 

[g-unit1111]

Hey friends! I'm back! At least for a bit....

Overclock.net got me into mechanical keyboards. Other then that (and a cheap fan controller), that is all that has changed in the past 5 months. I love Cherry MX Blue switches. How about you guys?

I very badly want to get a Corsair K70 RGB but it's a bit too rich for my blood at the moment. :lol:

Right now I'm using a CM Storm while my work PC uses a Gigabyte Osmium.

 

[Turb0Yoda]

Found a working 16 gb USB in the garage with Norton on it. Thanks, but no thanks... Not I have 2 16 gb, 1 8 gb, and a pseudo 512 mb, which is 40 mb when formatted. That one comes with a long story.

 

[Pcbuilder123]

Changed up that build I was making that I posted a picture of a few days ago. Might end up going with an x4 760k and go micro atx (350d windowed) instead of a 6300 and a full atx spec 01 but not sure because that would cause quite a performance hit.

 

[tiny voices]

It won't be a performance hit at all in gaming and in some games you might even get better performance. The 6300 only has 3 cores and 3 pseudo cores, where the Athlon has 4 real cores. This is the reason that the 5 year old Phenom 2 x4 chips typically game better than the fx-4300 line.

 

[tiny voices]

Hey friends! I'm back! At least for a bit....

Overclock.net got me into mechanical keyboards. Other then that (and a cheap fan controller), that is all that has changed in the past 5 months. I love Cherry MX Blue switches. How about you guys?

I can't stand blues. Browns are my favorite and what I own on two boards.