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<p>Why didn't anyone recommend the nexus 6p?? It is the latest nexus out there and scores virtually in almost all the aspects you mentioned and even exceeds a few</p> <p><strong>Gorgeous display-</strong> boasts a <strong><em>QHD AMOLED</em></strong> and it is the best display on a smartphone and takes on samsung's flagships.</p> <p><strong>Awesome Specs-</strong> Android 6.0 Marshmallow with quickest software updates from Google <br> Quad-core 1.55 GHz Cortex-A53 &amp; Quad-core 2.0 GHz Cortex-A57, 3GB of RAM, Adreno 430 GPU; Snapdragon 810 v2 chipset<br></p> <p>32GB, 64GB, or 128GB of storage<br></p> <p>12.3MP camera with laser autofocus and dual-LED flash; 1.55µm pixels; 8MP selfie camera,</p> <p>2160p video capture<br></p> <p>Cat. 6 LTE (300Mbps); Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; Bluetooth 4.2; GPS/GLONASS; NFC; USB Type-C port with USB host<br></p> <p>Fingerprint reader<br> Android Pay<br></p> <p>3,450mAh Li-Po battery with fast charging </p>

3

2015-09-09T17:08:55.210

|smartphones|

<p>I'm looking at getting a new smartphone, as my old one (a Sony Xperia E) has reached the end of its life. There are a few things it has to have:</p> <ul> <li><em>not</em> an iPhone - I have a personal hatred for the things (not through use, simply on principle)</li> <li>enough RAM to play games with (I found the Xperia E, at its nominal 500MB, was too slow)</li> <li>display resolution not below 200 ppi</li> <li>all the standard communications stuff: texts, calls, and internet (plus their apps pre-installed)</li> <li>a camera</li> <li><em>absolute</em> maximum £400 ($614.42)</li> <li>fits in a pocket (I find that means &lt; 6.0" total size)</li> <li>decent screen size (>= 4.5")</li> </ul> <p>And there are some things it would be nice to have, but I'd settle for something less.</p> <ul> <li>Retina-resolution</li> <li>the ability to create a portable hotspot</li> <li>a <em>decent</em> camera, i.e. > 8MP</li> <li>an SD card slot (no preferences on SD type)</li> <li>the cheaper the better</li> </ul> <p>I imagine there <em>is</em> a phone that satisfies all this; what do you recommend? Please include your reasoning in your answer, and any experiences you have of the phone you're recommending.</p>

What's a good non-iPhone smartphone that's reasonably priced and specced?

<p>At work, in my lab, I am using a programmable USB hub from Acroname (<a href="https://acroname.com/store/s77-usbhub-2x4?sku=S77-USBHUB-2X4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://acroname.com/store/s77-usbhub-2x4?sku=S77-USBHUB-2X4</a>). If you have this attached to your server, you can reach through (remotely) and have the hub disable/enable any port on it's output. Pretty elegant and has saved me a bunch of time and space.</p> <p>I think they have a USB 3.0 hub out now too. </p>

6

2015-09-09T17:23:39.157

|usb|power-control|

<p>I have a remote server (running far, far away), which has a very important USB device plugged in (call T). Sometimes this device simply dies. If this happens, a simple plug out - plug in solves the problem on the spot. But to do that, somebody must be there physically, and do the plug out - plugin back with his own hands.</p> <p>This is what I would like to automate.</p> <p>My idea is to have another (USB or not) device, which can control the power line of another device, so:</p> <ol> <li>it stays between T and my server</li> <li>can control the <em>power</em> of another USB device</li> <li>from the server I can control it remotely (ideal would be a char device, but any other solution is also acceptable).</li> </ol>

With what type of device could I power off/on another USB device programmatically?

<p>Given your description of the shortcomings of your current camera, you want a camera with a large sensor (improved low-light performance and less "noise"), a very large optical zoom range, and a very wide wide-angle view.</p> <p>Measured in degrees, you need an 84˚ field of view (or larger) for a rainbow, and a 5˚ field of view (or smaller) for a distant airplane.</p> <p>Measured in "35mm equivalent focal length", you need a focal length of 19mm (or shorter) for a rainbow, and 500mm focal length (or longer) for a distant airplane.</p> <p>Zoom factor (numbers like "10x" or "4x") is meaningless without knowing the focal length/field of view of one end of the zoom range. You need <em>at least</em> a 25x optical zoom range; given that manufacturers usually bias their zoom range towards the telephoto end rather than the wide end, you may need to go much higher -- this will get expensive, and image quality at the extreme ends of the zoom range will be poor.</p> <p>Pixel count is generally one of the <em>least</em> important criteria when selecting a camera. One of <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/sD39s.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">these</a> <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/KL89c.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">two</a> images was created with a 6 MP camera, while the other was created with a 10 MP camera and scaled down. Which do you think is which?</p>

7

2015-09-09T17:25:05.700

|performance|smartphones|

<p>I have read in many places online that a good smartphone camera doesn't solely depend on the amount of pixels. So, what else should I look in order to choose a good camera in a smartphone?</p> <hr> <p>Sorry, to the community at the outset for not being clear to the specifications of my requirements; I was taking a photo of two rainbow(a very rare thing) at the time prior to twilight. I had Nokia 6700c(5 MP) &amp; took the photo but unfortunately all but the rainbows were in the photo. I then took the photo using my laptop's front camera(HP 2000) &amp; though it was only 2 MP, it could take the image of the rainbow but only a single one with fine grains around it(which after googling, I saw it as <em>noise</em>; thanks to @feetwet). So, 2MP performed better than 5MP! But still the photo was not clear enough to catch the image of second rainbow. Also, I never could take the image of a distant plane neither by the phone nor by my laptop; no matter at what proximity the plane was, it always appeared as dot in the photo but the laptop still performed well w.r.t. the phone. I like to take the images of clouds, sky, halos of moon, planes, birds hovering etc... I only wanted to know why my laptop performed better than my phone despite my phone being superior w.r.t. pixels. Also, I do want to know what to use in order to remove those grains or <em>noise</em> &amp; take the image of rainbow at twilight or prior to that; for all that, is pixel important or something else?</p>

What should I look for besides pixel density/count when choosing a smartphone with a good camera?

<p>In my experience (new mechanical user):</p> <p><strong>Advantages</strong></p> <ul> <li>Key Rollover - Mechanical keyboards should support NKRO (infinite simultaneous key presses) over PS/2 and 6KRO (six simultaneous key presses not including four modifiers like <kbd>Ctrl</kbd>, etc., so 10 simultaneous) over USB*. Being able to press this many keys means the only limit to your typing speed is your fingers, not the keyboard.</li> <li>Repair/Customisation - Keycaps are easy to remove so you can move them around (mine is Colemak. I've also heard good things about Workman). Also this means replacing keys and cleaning are a lot easier than on many non-mechanicals.</li> <li>Build quality - As a premium product the build quality and reliability is very high. As an example the standard <a href="http://cherrycorp.com/product/mx-series/" rel="noreferrer">Cherry MX switches</a> can withstand 50 million key presses compared to 5-10 from rubber dome keys.</li> <li>Feel - There is something nice about the key presses of a mechanical keyboard</li> </ul> <p>*Specifically a limitation of the USB protocol. This may be manufacturer specific, but I'm not sure. If anyone knows, comment below!</p> <p><strong>Aesthetics</strong></p> <p>For many people the aesthetics are important. If you spend a lot of money on something you often want it too look good. With my keyboard free custom keycaps and printing were included so mine looks like this:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uH4Bb.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/uH4Bb.jpg" alt="We do what we must because we can"></a></p> <p><strong>Disadvantages</strong></p> <p>Cost is significantly higher than a normal keyboard (mine was US$200 approximately).</p>

17

2015-09-09T18:13:15.307

|keyboards|

<p>I'm wondering what the advantages of using mechanical keyboards vs. traditional keyboards (i.e. membrane keyboards) are. </p> <p>My primary uses will be coding, productivity, and avoiding getting RSI. </p>

Recommendations for a mechanical or traditional keyboard? Which is better?

<p>If you liked the Logitech M570 they now have the <a href="https://www.logitech.com/en-ca/product/mx-ergo-wireless-trackball-mouse" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MX Ergo Plus</a>, it has received <a href="https://techreport.com/review/32629/logitech-mx-ergo-trackball-reviewed/3" rel="nofollow noreferrer">favorable reviews</a> with some minor complaints; price being the biggest concern.</p> <p>There's also the Elecom <a href="http://www2.elecom.co.jp.e.gj.hp.transer.com/products/M-XPT1MRBK.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">M-XPT1MRBK</a> for a lower price, receiving favorable mention in the above review. The red trackball isn't for show, it improves the sensor's tracking.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbKAi.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/gbKAi.png" alt="Elecom M-XPT1MRBK"></a></p>

18

2015-09-09T18:13:16.910

|gaming|mice|trackball|

<p>I have used the <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-ca/product/wireless-trackball-m570?crid=8" rel="noreferrer">Logitech M570</a> for years, however when I compare the <a href="http://www.howtogeek.com/182702/mouse-dpi-and-polling-rates-explained-do-they-matter-for-gaming/" rel="noreferrer">DPI</a> on it to normal modern gaming mice it seems lackluster. I also would like to use all my fingers for buttons in games that require a lot of different keys and I can't help but feel they are wasted on the two + scroll that the mouse has.</p> <p>I have also ordered a Japanese mouse call the <a href="http://www2.elecom.co.jp/products/M-XT1URBK.html" rel="noreferrer">Elcom M-XT1URBK</a> with the promise of more DPI options and more buttons. Although I did like the way it was wired and I do currently use it I found three issues that lead me to look for other options:</p> <ul> <li>The extra button just slows down the trackball so movement can allows for more precision but is hard-coded and can not be key-bound.</li> <li>The mouse acts like it has mouse acceleration <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16diwK6HWbI" rel="noreferrer">that makes gaming harder</a>. (I may be wrong about this but so far it looks like it.)</li> <li>The size is small I find my hands cramping after a few matches of an intense game (about an hours use). My older <em>"M570"</em> mouse did not do this.</li> </ul> <hr> <blockquote> <p>What are my options for a thumb trackball for gaming (aside from the two listed)?</p> </blockquote>

What are my options for a thumb trackball for gaming?

<p>Have a look at <a href="http://simplenas.com" rel="nofollow"><strong>SimpleNAS Pro</strong></a>. It is based on Banana Pi, costs under $100, has a SATA controller and it allows 2 HDD in RAID0/1 configuration.</p>

20

2015-09-09T18:20:34.147

|hard-disk|nas|raid|

<p>I want to create a private cloud on my home, and for this I want to know a good NAS device that performs the following:</p> <ol> <li>Put two or more hard drives on RAID 1.</li> <li>As cheap as possible.</li> <li>Allow to install software to manage NAS from cloud.</li> <li>Energy efficient</li> <li>Reliable, in the sense that this will be probably running 24/7.</li> </ol> <p>Optional:</p> <ol> <li>Allows to be accessed as a media server.</li> <li>Option for data encryption.</li> </ol>

What options are available for cheap NAS devices that allows to put two hard drives in RAID 1?

<p>I would think entry level servers with RAID, Hot swap and if needed with redundant Powersupply would be sufficient for this. Any of the entry level servers with Dell, HP and IBM should fit the bill. To keep budget low, SATA as opposed to SAS hard drives (keep in mind the reduced RPMs) and built-in SATA RAID can help</p>

25

2015-09-09T19:02:22.643

|server|

<p>I am building an ERP solution using Microsoft .net and SQL server 2012. I would expect about 20-30 users and my client would like to buy his own server rather than go with a cloud based server. </p> <p>Given the performance needs of a small enterprise with about 5 concurrent users using a web application (not directly accessing the server) which is the cheapest or the lowest configuration server that I could recommend. </p> <p>I am considering if hot swappable components would be essential as the server is used primarily for an ERP and can be taken down if there is a component failure.</p> <p>I was suggested a Dell Power Edge T20 Server, which seems to fit the client's budget, but not sure if there are better options for that sort of a budget.</p>

Server Hardware Recommendation for ERP Application

<p>Broadly-speaking, it would be silly to consider anything other than a digital desk at this point. That said, there will be a learning curve for people that are used to analog desks.</p> <p>I've been operating a Yamaha <a href="http://www.yamahaproaudio.com/global/en/products/mixers/ls9/index.jsp">LS9-32</a> at church for the past four years or so, and have found it to be an excellent board.</p> <p>Now, for your requirements:</p> <blockquote> <p>We have a fairly flexible budget, but system under $10k would be best.</p> </blockquote> <p>Ours was purchased four years ago for ~$8500 US. I'm not certain, but logic says that it would be cheaper than that now.</p> <blockquote> <p>We'd really need to have at least 10 aux sends, plus stereo mains output.</p> </blockquote> <p>It has 16 aux sends in addition to the stereo mains.</p> <blockquote> <p>We'd like to have more inputs, but we've gotten along fine with 32. This is a want, not a need.</p> </blockquote> <p>The LS9-32 has 32 faders and 32 inputs on-board, and you can add an additional 32 inputs via an external digital input module if needed. The additional 32 channels are accessible on the desk by switching from the "1-32 Layer" to the "33-64 Layer".</p> <blockquote> <p>It shouldn't be any bigger physically than our GL2200, otherwise we have to start moving things around in the booth and we don't want to do that.</p> </blockquote> <p>The LS9-32 is roughly 35"x20". I wasn't able to find the specs of the GL2200 to compare size.</p> <p>In addition to the above, here are a few high-level features that I enjoy:</p> <ul> <li>Each channel has a 4-band, fully-sweepable parametric EQ, and two dynamics "slots"</li> <li>The channel dynamics slots can be used for compressors, gates, limiters, de-essers, etc.</li> <li>The LS9 has on-board effects "racks", with a wide variety of reverbs, delays, choruses, etc.</li> <li>On-board recorder, with inputs you can assign arbitrarily to discrete channels, auxes, or mains</li> <li>Motorized faders along with a generous scene memory</li> <li>"Guest mode" - with this, nearly all of the board's features are either unavailable or locked. Prevents guests or new users from doing something stupid</li> <li>The Yamaha "StageMix" iPad app. <strong>This is huge</strong>. It's a free app that connects to your board via Wifi. Nearly all of the functionality of the board is available through the app. This lets me do things like be on-stage during sound check to listen and adjust monitor mixes. Also, I can roam the floor, on-axis with the PA and hear the actual mix instead of having to guess from the sound loft.</li> </ul> <p>Our sound staff is exclusively non-pro volunteers (including myself), and while there was a bit of an adjustment period, all of them were able to pick up the basics fairly quickly, and have been expanding their usage and knowledge of the board each time they're on the schedule.</p>

29

2015-09-09T19:22:22.013

|mixing-console|audio|

<p>We're looking for a new desk for an FOH house-of-worship setting. Right now we're using an <a href="http://www.allen-heath.com/ahproducts/gl2200/">Allen &amp; Heath GL2200</a>, 32-channel. We love it. It's done everything we want, but it's getting up there in years and we need more aux sends.</p> <ul> <li>We have a fairly flexible budget, but system under $10k would be best.</li> <li>It would be installed permanently, we don't need to flightcase it.</li> <li>We already have clean power</li> <li>We'd really need to have at least 10 aux sends, plus stereo mains output.</li> <li>We'd like to have more inputs, but we've gotten along fine with 32. This is a want, not a need.</li> <li>It shouldn't be any bigger physically than our GL2200, otherwise we have to start moving things around in the booth and we don't want to do that.</li> </ul> <p>Volunteers are (exclusively) using this, so it would be nice to have something with a not-terribly-steep learning curve. We're open to (and leaning towards) a digital desk.</p> <p>What do I need to consider? Does anyone have experience with something that would be a good fit?</p>

Sound board to replace a GL2200 in a house-of-worship FOH setting?

<p>No question: Get a Wacom Intuous. Available for under $100, this will provide all the key features serious graphic artists and photographers use in Photoshop, Illustrator, and the like: high resolution pressure sensitivity, touch sensitivity. It has a large enough surface that you might never feel the need to upgrade.</p> <p>And you may even find it to be a useful replacement for your mouse in more traditional applications.</p>

36

2015-09-09T19:40:30.473

|graphics-tablet|

<p>I'm sick of trying to use my mouse to do Photoshop drawing. I know the standard is to to use a digitizer (a.k.a., pen tablet), but I don't want to sink hundreds of dollars into one when I really just need something more ergonomic and responsive than a mouse for some details.</p> <p>Are there any obvious entry-level digitizers, or is it not worth it until I'm ready to pay up for the pro-grade digitizers?</p>

Inexpensive entry-level digitizer (a.k.a. graphics tablet) for Photoshop

<p>There are many many more options if you build your own system, and you can then be more flexible in terms of the components and the machine that you end up with. For example: are you looking to max out the graphics card? do you want to be able to upgrade said card relatively easily in a year? </p> <p>The other piece of advice is to not get too hung up on definitions. The HTPC cases are going to be more like what you are looking for in terms of looks and are perfectly capable of being gaming rigs. Take a look at the <a href="http://www.silverstonetek.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Silverstone</a> cases as an example, and this one in particular for a fit in a living room:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UTnmZ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/UTnmZ.jpg" alt="Lascala 16"></a></p> <p>You might think that one is too big, after all it fits a standard ATX case, in which case you can check out the slim models etc. However, more space makes it easier to cool quietly and it looks just like an amp you might see as part of a normal home theater set up. </p> <p>Silverstone are not the only game in town either, <a href="http://www.streacom.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Streacom</a>, <a href="http://www.origenae.co.kr/en/index.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Origen AE</a>, <a href="http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio_category/htpc-chassis/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Lian Li</a>, <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fractal Design</a> have some amazing looking cases and more mainstream players like Corsair (<a href="http://www.corsair.com/en/landing/bulldog" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the Bulldog</a> is coming soon as of writing this) have options on the way.</p> <p>In terms of pre-built systems places like <a href="http://www.quietpc.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">QuietPC</a> have been offering excellent (and quiet, of course) <a href="http://www.quietpc.com/sys-lora" rel="nofollow noreferrer">options</a> that would certainly fit in your living room.</p> <p>As to whether to stack your components, I would always recommend an air gap and no direct contact - even though the heat will generally exhaust out the back a lot of the small form factor units are going to radiate heat from the case directly. </p> <p>I have cooked a wireless router while sitting on top of a PC and had overheating problems with an Apple TV for similar reasons. If you must stack, then always try to have the hottest component at the top.</p>

42

2015-09-09T19:57:54.133

|gaming|pc|

<p>I'd like to fit a gaming PC in my living room, and am looking into small form factor ones. </p> <p>I have been recommended the Alienware X51 series whose I appreciate the shape reminiscent of a gaming console, About Alienware one question I cannot find an answer for is if it would be safe to stack my PS3 on top of it (I do not have a lot of space in the living room)? I heard that the PC can get quite hot. </p> <p>I also want to consider alternatives. </p> <p>Are there other PC cases with shapes similar to the X51?<br> Most of the Mini-Itx have more like a "brick" shape, and seem harder to fit in the living room.</p>

Recommended small form factor gaming PCs?

<p>Red Bear labs has quite a few options. I have used the Blend micro and didn't encounter any problems. I am fairly certain you can change the name too.</p> <p><a href="http://redbearlab.com/blendmicro/" rel="nofollow">http://redbearlab.com/blendmicro/</a></p> <p>They also have smaller/larger models</p>

43

2015-09-09T19:59:38.770

|bluetooth|

<p>For a hardware project, I'm looking for a simple, robust Bluetooth controller on which I can solder buttons. I found the <a href="http://www.adafruit.com/product/1535" rel="noreferrer" title="BlueFruit ez key">Bluefruit EZ-Key</a> but I don't like it that I can't change the name.</p> <p>I've Googled quite a lot but cannot find any alternative. Are there any other standalone Bluetooth controllers around? Or is it possible to build one yourself?</p>

Standalone Bluetooth controller recommendation

<p>I know this is a bit late, but I did just find that Alcatel Fierce 4 has a phone for metro PCS and will release one for T-Mobile this fall. It is $69 USD. It will come with marshmallow.</p>

48

2015-09-09T20:40:30.147

|smartphones|android|

<p>I am looking for a smartphone that I can use for testing and developing my Android app on. Any Android version above 2.3 is okay and any screen size is good. I currently have a Nexus 7 and want another, smaller, screen size. Are there any good smartphones at this price point?</p>

Smartphones under $100 for Android Development

<blockquote> <p>What exactly is hyper-threading? </p> </blockquote> <p>This is a process where your processor simulates another processor core, allowing better multithreading/etc.</p> <p>For example, a dual core machine with hyperthreading will have:</p> <ul> <li>2 physical cores</li> <li>4 virtual cores</li> </ul> <p>In some sense, this allows the processor to "pretend" to have more cores.</p> <blockquote> <p>When should I buy a processor that utilizes this?</p> </blockquote> <p>This can be useful if you are doing applications that are heavily multi-threaded. Virtual machines, image/video processing, compiling code, etc. Basically if your computer use is going to be heavily CPU dependent.</p> <p>For most users hyperthreading will have minimal effect. </p>

50

2015-09-09T20:56:01.217

|processor|

<p>The Intel Core i7 processor has a feature known as "hyper-threading." Quoting their <a href="http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/architecture-and-technology/hyper-threading/hyper-threading-technology.html" rel="nofollow">website</a>: </p> <blockquote> <p>Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology)1 uses processor resources more efficiently, enabling multiple threads to run on each core. As a performance feature, it also increases processor throughput, improving overall performance on threaded software.</p> </blockquote> <p>Of course, this sounds a bit like an advertisement, and it doesn't show whether it has any less desirable qualities to it, such as increased power usage.</p> <p>What exactly is hyper-threading? <em>When should I buy a processor that utilizes this?</em></p>

Should I find a processor with "hyper-threading?"

<h1><a href="https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-43UD79-B-4k-uhd-led-monitor" rel="nofollow noreferrer">LG 43UD79</a></h1> <p>This is a monitor/TV that supports 4 HDMI inputs. It can display a single input or all of them simultaneously.</p> <p><a href="https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-43UD79-B-4k-uhd-led-monitor" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/36FBG.jpg" alt="LG 43UD79 4 input" /></a></p> <p>It has multiple layout options and comes with a remote. There is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42JvQnzOYSc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">video where you can see this feature in action</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://www.lg.com/us/monitors/lg-43UD79-B-4k-uhd-led-monitor" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/yJcFT.jpg" alt="LG 43UD79 4 input layouts and remote" /></a></p> <p>It has been extensively reviewed:</p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv1W0C920oE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Dave Lee</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPrZzu2XcAU" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bitwit</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYrQ-LOiXE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Linus Tech Tips</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_7JKVuC9Bw" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Unbox Therapy</a></li> </ul>

51

2015-09-09T20:57:44.543

|video-adapters|signal-processing|

<p>I have many video outputs that I would like to simultaneously overview with a control monitor, but I don't want to buy a monitor for each video output itself. So I'm looking for a similar solution what we can see at surveillance systems, where the monitor is connected to a DVR unit, which processes multiple camera images, and we can see them displayed in some kind of grid.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ga1jV.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/ga1jV.png" alt="DVR monitor"></a></p> <p>Is there such a device for regular VGA or HDMI outputs? It doesn't matter if it is built into the monitor itself or if it has, for example, 4 or more inputs with one output I can connect to a monitor. It would be nice if the output layout could be configurable to different layout styles like in the picture below, but it isn't a requirement.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbldS.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/FbldS.jpg" alt="Multiple video output layout styles"></a></p>

Is there a monitor or converter I can use to watch 4 video outputs on one screen?

<p>Your requirement &ndash; to be able to read license plates at 500 meters &ndash; is pushing the outer limits of commercial technology. You are talking about a camera that will cost thousands of dollars, and may be a custom-built item.</p> <p>Therefore, you will have to contact higher-end camera manufacturers directly to discuss whether existing products meet your requirements, or what they would charge to build one.</p> <p>Alternatively, you may be able to hack one together using a "tethered" higher-end consumer digital camera and lens with waterproof housing. But that's still going to cost 4-figures per camera.</p>

59

2015-09-09T21:30:53.070

|ip-camera|waterproof|

<p>I'm looking for a weatherproof (or waterproof only) IP Camera capable of covering long distances like 500 meters or more for 24/7 surveillance in industrial areas. I've searched among popular brands but none of them had this specification. most camera lens sized I found are:</p> <ul> <li>3.6mm →15 meters</li> <li>6mm →20 meters</li> <li>8mm →26 meters</li> <li>12mm →40 meters</li> <li>16mm →60 meters</li> </ul> <p>The only Important specifications for the IP camera is having a good video quality and at least 500 meters of straight coverage, so it doesn't matter whether it uses mechanical zoom or digital but it definitely must be a PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) camera. Thanks! </p> <p><strong>UPDATE:</strong> the camera's video quality need to be HD and 10 pixels per inch. </p>

Weatherproof IP camera for long distances

<p>The <a href="https://secure.logitech.com/en-us/product/mx-master" rel="noreferrer">Logitech MX Master</a> has a configurable scroll wheel which you can customize to either click-by-click or autoscroll.</p> <p>Quote (emphasis mine):</p> <blockquote> <h2>Speed-adaptive scroll wheel</h2> <p>Scroll through long documents or web pages faster and easier. The precision wheel auto-shifts from click-to-click to hyper-fast scroll.</p> <p><em><strong>Logitech Options™ software lets you customize this experience.</strong></em></p> </blockquote> <ul> <li>The scroll wheel is also the middle mouse button</li> <li>Ergonomic form factor that's not specific to gaming</li> </ul> <p><img src="https://secure.logitech.com/assets/53166/mx-master.png" alt="" /></p>

64

2015-09-09T22:14:54.900

|wireless|mice|logitech|

<p>I have an old Logitech M505 mouse and I really like both the ergonomic form factor and the fact that it's from Logitech (the Unifying Receiver is handy). I looks like this:</p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Drgxx.jpg" alt="Logitech M505"></p> <p>But this is discontinued and it has a few problems of its own, so I'd like to find a new similar mouse from Logitech.</p> <p>But it must have a <strong>clicking scroll wheel</strong> (so rotating the scroll wheel clicks into set steps instead of smoothly scrolling). Also the <strong>scroll wheel needs to be the middle mouse button</strong> (as opposed to having a separate button below that acts as the middle mouse button). It should also have a <strong>similar form factor</strong> (meaning no weird gaming mice that look like they're an Autobot or Decepticon). Other features (like additional buttons) are okay but not required.</p>

Logitech non-gaming wireless mouse with a clicking scroll wheel?

<p>I'll start with VGA, which is, in my opinion, a "standard".</p> <p><strong>VGA</strong> is an analog signal. This basically means that the quality will not be as great as cables that make use of digital signals, especially at high resolutions. The problem with analog is that noise often distorts the signal and the quality ends up not being as good. So in terms of quality, go for the other three.</p> <p>Digital signals do not have this problem because they are noise tolerant.</p> <p><strong>DVI</strong> is a digital signal that has a few different connecter types and two link modes: </p> <ul> <li>DVI-A has an analog signal.</li> <li>DVI-D has only a digital signal.</li> <li>DVI-I has both, making it especially useful as it can be used with VGA-DVI adaptors</li> </ul> <p>Most adaptors are single link and support a resolution up to 1920x1200 whereas dual link supports up to 2560x1600.</p> <p><strong>HDMI</strong> is the standard for HDTVs. It is also a digital signal and is therefore fully compatible with DVI-D and DVI-I. The benifit of HDMI over DVI is that is has the ability to carry audio as well as the video signal although it does require that your monitor has built in speakers. Recently, HDMI 2.0 was released and gives HDMI the ability to better deal with 4K (Ultra HD) displays at a higher frequency and FPS. If your display or TV has HDMI 1.4, you’ll be limited to 3,820×2160, 4K, at 30 Hz. However, if you’ve got a video card and 4K display with HDMI 2.0, you’ll be able to get 4K at 60 Hz.</p> <p>There's not much difference between between HDMI 1.4 and DVI besides the audio in the HDMI, which can be a real benefit depending on your setup and that colour ranges for HDMI go beyond the RGB spectrum which DVI is limited to. The only benefit of the DVI is the physical screws that support the DVI cable and help prevent port damage.</p> <p><strong>DisplayPort</strong> is the newest of the lot and is aimed towards higher end monitors - newer and high-end monitors tend to have DisplayPort. Its designed to deal with 4K at higher FPS and Hz. DisplayPort is capable of 3840×2160, 8K at 60Hz or 4k at 120Hz!</p> <p>DisplayPort looks like it's the way of the future, especially if you want 4K.</p> <p>Generally it depends on your setup (monitor and graphics card), what you can and can't use but for the future of gaming DisplayPort looks the way to go.</p> <p>References and more info:</p> <ul> <li><p><a href="http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/video-cables-explained-difference-vga-dvi-hdmi-ports/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/video-cables-explained-difference-vga-dvi-hdmi-ports/</a></p></li> <li><p><a href="https://superuser.com/questions/15884/hdmi-vs-component-vs-vga-vs-dvi-vs-displayport">https://superuser.com/questions/15884/hdmi-vs-component-vs-vga-vs-dvi-vs-displayport</a> </p></li> <li><p><a href="http://www.avadirect.com/blog/displayport-vs-hdmi-vs-dvi-vs-vga/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.avadirect.com/blog/displayport-vs-hdmi-vs-dvi-vs-vga/</a></p></li> </ul>

68

2015-09-09T22:50:25.490

|hdmi|display-port|dvi|vga|

<p>These four are the main I/O that you see. What are the pros/cons for each?</p> <p>As far as I know HDMI 2.0 supports higher fps than earlier HDMI as well as that Display Port supports high fps. Besides that I'm not positive on why I would connect my monitor with a certain cable. </p>

What are the differences between monitors inputs (HDMI, Display Port, DVI, VGA)?

<p>It will be hard to find a stereo camera for &lt; 100USD. Still, you can have a look on <a href="https://dev.windows.com/en-us/kinect" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Microsoft Kinect</a> and <a href="https://www.asus.com/3D-Sensor/Xtion_PRO_LIVE/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Asus Xtion PRO LIVE</a>.</p> <p>There is no such stereo camera with a wireless video transmission in the market however you can make one using IEEE 802.11 transmission bands.</p>

74

2015-09-09T23:51:20.243

|scanner|3d-scanner|

<p>I am looking for a camera that can scan 3D objects for use in 3D modeling programs like Blender. Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>SDK</li> <li>quality 3D scans</li> <li>portable, preferably wireless</li> <li>less than $100 </li> </ul>

3D portable camera with depth sensing for less than $100

<p>The <a href="https://www.asus.com/Monitors/MB168BPlus/">Asus MB168B+</a> looks like it would fit your needs. It:</p> <ul> <li><p>is designed as a second monitor with a USB 3.0 cable to power it, and transfer video and data (also works on USB 2.0, but you may experience worse results video quality-wise)</p></li> <li><p>has a 15.6" screen with 1920x1080 resolution</p></li> <li><p>is <em>very</em> portable, weighing less than 2 pounds, and being about as thin as a pencil (0.3 inches); it also comes with a case for protection and also to act as a stand</p></li> <li><p><em>can</em> cost under $150; prices range from about $140 to $225, depending on where you buy it (bargain stores are cheaper); if cost is your biggest issue, you may want to check out the <a href="https://www.asus.com/Monitors/MB168B/">Asus MB168B</a> (no "+"), which is very similar except that it has lower resolution (1366x768) and overall lower quality display; it can typically be found under $150 at well known stores</p></li> </ul> <p>If you prefer higher quality display over cost, the MB168B+ is the better fit, but if you <em>really</em> need it to be under $150, you'll probably want to go with the MB168B.</p>

76

2015-09-10T00:00:57.363

|monitors|laptop|

<p>My laptop runs AutoCAD and various Autodesk drafting/modeling programs. I'd like to buy a second monitor to help me work with multiple files/drawings at the same time.</p> <p>What second monitor can I buy that...</p> <ul> <li>is designed specifically for use as a second monitor,</li> <li>has a diagonal of about 16" (maximum of 20"!),</li> <li>is relatively portable (this will likely be used with a laptop), and</li> <li>is under $150?</li> </ul>

Specialized dual monitor to use with AutoCAD and a laptop

<p>First, you should figure out what your actual power consumption is. A 600W PSU only draws 600W if the hardware needs it. You can get a Kill-A-Watt or similar monitor in the $15 USD range. You can also get a decent ballpark number from online calculators <a href="http://outervision.com/power-supply-calculator">1</a>, <a href="http://www.coolermaster.outervision.com">2</a>, <a href="http://powersupplycalculator.net">3</a>. Don't forget to include your monitor.</p> <p>The UPS you linked only supplies 300W. It gives 10 minutes as the backup time, and I'm going to have to assume that's at full (300W) power draw, as I don't see any other stats on the battery. So, no, it probably won't fit your needs.</p> <p>You could take a look at the <a href="http://www.apc.com/tools/ups_selector">APC</a> or <a href="http://cyberpower.advizia.com/CyberPower/v45/?l=Cyberpower_UPS">CyberPower</a> UPS selectors to get an idea of what would fit your needs and the price range.</p>

85

2015-09-10T01:15:01.923

|pc|ups|

<p>I'm considering buying new UPS for my PC. I'm hoping the new UPS can still hold power for around 15-30 minutes so my computer can properly shutdown. It should also come with surge protection. My PC came with <a href="http://www.corsair.com/en/cx-series-cx600m-modular-atx-power-supply-600-watt-80-plus-bronze-certified-modular-psu">Corsair 600W PSU</a> and I'm using a <a href="http://gaming.benq.com/gaming-monitor/rl2455hm">24" BENQ monitor</a>. </p> <p>Does the <a href="http://www.icaups.co.id/dproduct.php?id=1501">ICA UPS CE600</a> meet these criteria? </p>

Personal computer UPS

<h2><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi">Raspberry Pi</a></h2> <p>On the hardware side, there's an HDMI port; you can connect a monitor up to 1920x1200 (possibly through an HDMI-DVI or HDMI-VGA adapter, which costs barely more than an HDMI cable). There are 4 USB2 ports. The Ethernet port is 100Mbit/s, which should be plenty sufficient for a thin client, especially if it's displaying a web page rather than doing X11 over Ethernet. Wifi isn't built in; if you need that you'll need to get a USB wifi adapter. There's also a pair of sound jacks in case you need to plug in a microphone and loudspeakers.</p> <p>The small form factor and low power consumption (far less than anything you could get with an Intel processor) make it appropriate for environments with dicey power. There's no battery, though you can purchase one separately.</p> <p>The one downside I see is that the only form of storage is an SD card, which can be removed in an untimely manner. You may want to hold it in place with sticky tape or something.</p> <p>There's only 1GB of RAM, not 2GB, but that's enough to display a few web pages.</p> <p>The Pi has an ARM CPU. That means Windows is out (except a special version of Windows 10, but most Windows software won't run on it since most vendors distribute only x86 binaries), but almost all Linux software will work.</p> <p>Ubuntu 14.04 doesn't officially support ARM but there's an <a href="https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ARM/RaspberryPi">unofficial image</a>. If you prefer a distribution that's officially mantained, you can get Debian jessie (there's also Raspbian, but it's optimized for the Raspberry Pi 1, not version 2 which is what you should get now that it's out). Ubuntu is based on Debian and pretty much all the system administration will be the same. Debian doesn't ship Ubuntu's Unity interface, though¹.</p> <p>Both Firefox and Chromium (not Chrome) run on the Pi. There are also more lightweight browsers; try them with your web pages and see if they support all the features you need.</p> <p>The reference price for the RPi2 is $35, to which you'll need to add a bunch of accessories (USB power supply, keyboard, mouse, monitor, cables, USB wifi adapter if needed).</p> <p>There are <a href="http://www.bigboardlist.com/">other similar ARM-based boards that may be more adapted to your needs</a>, for example if 2GB RAM is a strong requirement, or if you really want Gigabit Ethernet, or if you need wifi, etc. The reason I'm putting the Pi forward is that it's the one with the most literature and support out there.</p> <p>¹ _{This may be a relief.} </p>

97

2015-09-10T04:42:01.027

|ubuntu|thin-client|

<p>We develop cost effective hospital information systems for rural India which runs as a web application. To make the overall cost of ownership low, we use Ubuntu as the server and client OS. To drive the cost further down, I would like to move away from entry level PCs as client devices to thin clients running Ubuntu (or other free Linux variants).</p> <p>Specification:</p> <ul> <li><p>With popular browser (firefox or chrome) support.</p> </li> <li><p>standard Monitor with minimum 1280 X 720 pixel Resolution</p> </li> <li><p>3 to 4 USB ports to connect any printer, keyboard, mice</p> </li> <li><p>Supporting latest Ubuntu LTS version (Ubuntu 14.04)</p> </li> <li><p>At least 2 GB RAM</p> </li> <li><p>No separate commercial software requirement. Free/Open Source software like Linux Terminal Server are fine.</p> </li> <li><p>One 10/100/1000 Mbps ethernet port</p> <p>What would be options I can look at?</p> </li> </ul>

Recommendations of thin clients running Ubuntu

<p>The problem with those kinds of USB devices is that it's very difficult to know what chip they are actually using. Some devices in the same series might even use different components if the manufacturer was able to source a slightly different component at a cheaper price. They would then ship a Windows driver that supports the different variations of hardware components.</p> <p>It may be possible to glean something about the used chips by looking at the Windows or Mac drivers. What you would be looking for are strings that you could match against existing Linux drivers.</p> <p>However, before going through that trouble, you could do the following:</p> <ol> <li>See if the manufacturer or seller has some mention of Linux compatibility, either in the available documentation, marketing material, or online forums.</li> <li>Search online for any of the marketing terms for the device to see if anyone else has already tried using it with Linux.</li> <li>Search in one of the Linux driver databases. There are several available (and some list other OSes as well), such as <a href="http://www.linux-drivers.org/" rel="nofollow">http://www.linux-drivers.org/</a>, <a href="https://wiki.debian.org/Hardware" rel="nofollow">https://wiki.debian.org/Hardware</a>, <a href="https://h-node.org/" rel="nofollow">https://h-node.org/</a>, and <a href="https://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/" rel="nofollow">https://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/</a>.</li> </ol> <p>In general, if the manufacturer doesn't declare Linux support for the device, chances are it won't work very well even if there are Linux drivers. Then again, even devices with declared Linux support don't always work well or might not support all of the device's functionality. Ultimately, there are no guarantees and the only way to know for sure is to try. I've had some luck with shops that would allow me to bring a laptop and try the device in the store before deciding to buy or not. (In those cases I've mostly found that the USB device didn't work at all or was practically unusable.)</p>

105

2015-09-10T11:44:14.650

|linux|compatibility|

<p>Let's say I want to buy a cheap USB device which does X. I also want this device to be compatible with Linux.</p> <p>The problem is that in many cases, such devices may be generic or unbranded, and there may not be much information about them on the web to help me figure out if others have used that particular device successfully with Linux.</p> <p>Some examples:</p> <ul> <li><p>USB Video capture devices or TV Sticks,</p></li> <li><p>Sound cards</p></li> <li><p>WiFi Devices</p></li> <li><p>Bazillions of other awesome things</p></li> </ul> <p>Are there any ways to (try) to determine if this device is compatible with Linux, before buying it ?</p> <p>I vaguely remember reading that one can look at the Windows drivers for clues as to the chips used, and then find if those are Linux-compatible, is this possible ?</p>

How can I determine if a specific device works with Linux before buying it?

<p>I'm not entirely sure about the AMD side of things but I'm running 4K <em>now</em> and I've been using nvidia GPUs and currently have a <a href="http://www1.la.dell.com/bz/en/corp/peripherals/dell-p2715q-monitor/pd.aspx?refid=dell-p2715q-monitor&amp;s=corp" rel="nofollow">dell P2715Q</a>.</p> <p>Connectivity:</p> <p>Generally DVI and VGA are nearly dead, they're getting phased out. We're in the arkward situation where support for HDMI is significantly better on TVs and entertainment devices, while DP wipes the floor with everything else on PCs. If you must standardise, use DP for PCs. If you decide to connect your console to your monitor (I don't judge!) </p> <p>On the monitor side:</p> <p>SST >>> MST. Its simpler, you get the full 60 hz refresh rate, and amusingly, its better supported by hardware in most cases. You'll need DP 1.1a or better but meh, as you'll see that's not hard</p> <p>Use mini DP or DP in, not HDMI - the standard for HDMI on PCs is an older standard, monitors may support the same standard and will only do 30 hz. In fact, if you <em>must</em> standardise, DP first, and DP for your best displays.</p> <p>If you're doing photo editing, getting a properly colour calibrated screen a good idea. </p> <p>If you can daisy chain, it'll cut your refresh rate in half. Not too recommended.</p> <p>On the computer side:</p> <p>I've gotten 4K output on a 660. In some cases I've managed to <em>game</em> badly on 4K, and the output wasn't the bottleneck, the ability to render the game was. I believe the 650 is the minimum GPU from nvidia for 4K (they have a <a href="http://www.geforce.com/hardware/technology/4k/supported-gpus" rel="nofollow">handy list</a> here) and anything better than that should handle it fine. 4th and 5th gen (and better) Intel <a href="https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/quick-reference-guide-to-intel-processor-graphics" rel="nofollow">video should be able to handle at least one 4K display</a>. I can't find an equivilent chart or resource for AMD.</p> <p>Something worth considering is the modern UHD display is <em>only</em> 8 megapixels. While its challenging to render <em>graphics</em>, and you might need power to <em>render</em> video, it should probably be fairly simple to build a system that can handle photo editing</p>

112

2015-09-10T14:00:45.350

|graphics-cards|monitors|

<p>I'd like to boost my screen space and resolution. My primary monitor is currently a Samsung SyncMaster 2343BWX: 2048x1152 native resolution running off the DVI output of my <a href="http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4388" rel="nofollow">GA-H77M-D3H</a> motherboard.</p> <p>I haven't picked a monitor yet, so suppose I'd like to go up to 4k-class monitors:</p> <ol> <li><p>Will a single output type &ndash; e.g., either DisplayPort or DVI-D &ndash; be adequate for all monitors and resolution classes up to 4k? Or would I want a card that offers both?</p></li> <li><p>Will any graphics card offering that output be adequate to the task? Or do I need to look for some additional minimum specs on the graphics card?</p></li> </ol> <p>I don't do high-end gaming so refresh rates aren't an issue. My primary purpose for upgrading would be to facilitate high-res photo editing, eventually do 4k video editing, and just get more screen real-estate.</p>

PC support beyond 1920x1080 resolution, up to 4k

<p>Based on personal experience (3 out of 4 failed, purchased several months apart) I recommend to stay away from the hybrid drives, as I will be in the future. A limited sample I know, I could have just been unlucky, but at this point I am cutting my losses with that tech. I think with the cost of SSDs dropping, they will have a limited lifespan as a viable product in any case. </p> <p>So far, I have not had an SSD fail (out of >10 purchased personally since 2009 in sizes from 75GB up to 512GB so far), though I have had one end up in a less performant state thanks to a faulty SATA cable. I have owned dozens of HDDs and had a handful fail, but nothing approaching the failure rate I have seen in hybrids so far.</p> <p>As of writing this, SSDs are coming in the $0.30 to $0.40 per GB range for sizes up to 500GB. </p> <p>The interesting thing here is that (as an example, plucked from Newegg today) the cost for a 250GB SSD from Samsung is currently $0.40/GB which drops to $0.35/GB for the 500GB model. At 1TB, that same drive comes in at $0.37/GB and it is on sale. This is the kind of profile we are used to seeing, however. Essentially, for the top end of any tech segment (4TB+ HDD, 1TB+ SSD at the moment) you will always pay a premium - same is true for CPU, memory, graphics, motherboards, displays etc. </p> <p>This is generally how I will do my SSD shopping - pick a couple of manufacturers with good reputation (Intel, Samsung), then decide on your required level of SSD (budget, consumer, enterprise - in Samsung terms EVO, PRO, Enterprise). Once you have that, look at the cost per GB for each size offered and look for the sweet spot - that will usually be one or two rungs below the top in terms of size.</p> <p>Actually this method will work for most things - CPU (use to be cost per Ghz but more murky now), RAM (cost per GB too), Graphics cards (depends, but cost per FPS in a highend game I play is how I do it), HDDs (cost per GB). There is always a sweet spot on the curve, and it will usually be a little below the bleeding edge, and frequently have sales on (so watch for them).</p> <p>I see from follow up comments that you are looking at HDDs because of price, so let's see where the sweetspot lines up for those. </p> <p><strong>Edit: Updating analysis for 2.5" drives thanks to comments</strong></p> <p>Looking at 2.5" drives that would give you a little bit of a speed boost (7200 rpm) and not worrying about the interface (the PS4 is limited to SATA II) one thing that was immediately obvious is that there is not a lot of choice, here is the cost per GB of a selection of Seagate 2.5" 7200 RPM drives:</p> <ul> <li>$0.188/GB - 1TB</li> <li>$0.186/GB - 750GB </li> <li>$0.129/GB - 500GB</li> </ul> <p>That 500GB model was actually cheaper than the smaller drives, so hardly a surprise that they are the default for the PS4. It's worth noting that the SSD 1TB prices are "only" 2x the 7200 RPM hard drives in the 2.5" form factor, so it's not as much of a premium as compared to 3.5" drives (see below).</p> <p>Here is my original comparison, where I mistakenly profiled 3.5" drives. It's illustrative, so I will leave it here for reference:</p> <p>I will pick a single brand that I have good experience with (Seagate), go for 7200 rpm drives, and not pay too much attention to other factors (warranty, cache etc.) since this is a rough estimation:</p> <ul> <li>$0.092 per GB - 500GB</li> <li>$0.049 per GB - 1TB</li> <li>$0.0375 per GB - 2TB</li> <li>$0.03 per GB - 3TB</li> <li>$0.038 per GB - 5TB</li> </ul> <p>The particular model I was looking at for convenience did not have 4TB/6TB sizes listed, but you get the idea - it looks like 3TB or 4TB is your likely sweet spot from a cost per GB perspective (as an aside: about one tenth of the SSD prices above), so I would look for well reviewed, reliable drives in that range and buy with confidence (for now). Just for reference, the 8TB 7200 RPM drives are rare and are coming in at ~$0.7 per GB as of writing this answer.</p>

123

2015-09-10T18:20:48.503

|hard-disk|gaming|

<p>What type of hard drive should I be looking for a Playstation 4? I am usually partial towards SSD over traditional, but I am also open to the idea of hybrids as well.</p> <p>I have looked into <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00OAJ412U" rel="noreferrer">Samsung 850 EVO</a> and <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00LMXBOP4" rel="noreferrer">PRO</a> SSDs and I have personal experience with SanDisk SSD on my personal gaming computer. These are a little out of my price range.</p> <p>There are many different sites that recommend HDDs, but I want to make sure what I am getting is going to have great life expectency along with great performance.</p> <p>Here is a site that has a comparison test between the three different types and their performance (too much info to post on here): <a href="http://www.ign.com/wikis/playstation-4/PlayStation_4_Hard_Drive_Speed_Test_Comparison" rel="noreferrer">http://www.ign.com/wikis/playstation-4/PlayStation_4_Hard_Drive_Speed_Test_Comparison</a></p> <p>According to the site, SSD has an overall better performance with the install time, boot time, and level load.</p> <p>If you would like to recommend companies or even particular drives, that would be very appreciative as well.</p> <hr> <p><b>Update:</b><br> I am realized that SSDs are a bit out of my price range for 1TB. So I am going ahead and check out some 2.5" HDDs.</p>

1TB or more HDD for Playstation 4

<p>For a cheaper alternative, take a look at the <a href="https://www.amazon.es/dp/B09MVJLSW6/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Ajazz AK33</a> with your preferred switch (blue, red, ...).</p> <p>It's very nice to use, has all keys you need for programming without requiring [<kbd>Fn</kbd> + finger stretching] and, at least the copy I have, is very resistant. I once dropped a full cup of coffee on it, and it still works fine to this day.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLBUo.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/BLBUo.jpg" alt="Ajazz AK33 Keyboard" /></a></p> <p>As an inconvenient for Mac users, it comes with the <kbd>Windows</kbd> key, but you should be able to find your Mac keycaps set for not much money.</p>

126

2015-09-10T21:07:31.987

|keyboards|

<p>I'd like to invest in a new keyboard - I've been typing on a MacBook Pro keyboard forever and, while I love it, it's time for something new and slightly more ergonomic. </p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Must play nice with my 2012 MacBook Pro</li> <li>Must not slide around too easily, that's my pet peeve with keyboards</li> <li>Must be affordable (ideally &lt; $200, but much less would be better)</li> <li>Format should be US/QWERTY. Bonus points if I can rip the keycaps off and turn it onto Dvorak, if I ever get the ambition up to do so.</li> </ul> <p>Ideally:</p> <ul> <li>Bluetooth, I don't have very many spare USB ports</li> <li>Have an option to have an OS X-style 'command' key symbol instead of the nasty Windows key symbol.</li> <li>Not sound like hail hitting a tin roof, that makes me cringe when I type. </li> </ul> <p>Not needed:</p> <ul> <li>Numeric pad: I hate those things and never use them anyway</li> <li>Portability: I don't have any issues using my MacBook keyboard when travelling.</li> </ul> <p>I've heard good things about the <a href="https://codekeyboards.com/">CODE keyboards</a> - does anyone have any experience with them? Are there other keyboards that might work well for my needs?</p>

Keyboard for programmers?

<p>Whether the firmware has been compromised is a valid concern — <a href="https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/79747/besides-mbr-bios-is-it-possible-for-a-rootkit-to-stay-persistant-after-a-form/79762#79762">it happens</a> (<a href="http://spritesmods.com/?art=hddhack" rel="nofollow noreferrer">it's been done for show</a>, and it's rather rare but it has been found in the wild).</p> <p>But a bigger concern is whether the firmware has been programmed correctly. <a href="https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/41676/ata-security-erase-on-ssd/41678#41678">Many SSD firmwares don't implement secure erase properly</a>. Should you trust them to implement crypto properly? I haven't seen a reliable study on the topic, but I've heard (private rumors in some security communities) that some “self-encrypting drives” are actually mere password-protected drives, with no encryption if you just bypass the controller. As a consumer, there's absolutely no way to know whether a particular device does it right¹.</p> <p>The upshot is that I wouldn't rely on the encryption capabilities of a storage device.</p> <p>There's not much point in doing encryption on the drive itself rather than in the CPU anyway. This isn't the 1990s, most CPUs have plenty of spare cycles, of which encryption will only cost a little. Major operating systems come with native encryption: Bitlocker under Windows, dm-crypt under Linux, etc. If you have one of the cheaper editions of Windows that don't have full-disk encryption, or if you need an encrypted removable drive that's portable between operating systems, use <a href="https://veracrypt.fr/en/Home.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">VeraCrypt</a>, the successor of TrueCrypt (which was discontinued because the maintainers didn't want to maintain it anymore, not because it was fundamentally flawed).</p> <p>¹ _{Finding a way to attack a particular model can have a cost in the $10k–100k range, so it's not something you can do casually — but once the attack is found, carrying it out on a particular drive has an incremental cost that can be in the $10–100 range, or &lt;$1 if it's a pure software attack on a buggy firmware.}</p>

129

2015-09-10T21:28:51.630

|ssd|encryption|

<p>Due to the fact that TrueCrypt is <a href="http://truecrypt.sourceforge.net/" rel="nofollow">"not secure"</a> I've been looking for some other way to encrypt the data.</p> <blockquote> <p>WARNING: Using TrueCrypt is not secure as it may contain unfixed security issues You should download TrueCrypt only if you are migrating data encrypted by TrueCrypt.</p> </blockquote> <p>Could you provide some information about pros &amp; cons connected with hardware-based encryption? What if the firmware is controlled by a third-party malicious? I'll be glad if could recommend some SSD which cover the following points:</p> <ol> <li>There is no problem with BIOS compatibility.</li> <li>The quality of the encryption is similar to the TrueCrypt.</li> <li>Firmware of the drive haven't been compromised.</li> </ol> <p>By the way... Have you heard about <a href="https://www.dyne.org/software/tomb/" rel="nofollow">TOMB</a>?</p>

Should I buy an SSD with hardware-based full disk encryption?

<p>When I researched digitizers Wacom was the clear solution. I think they have a patent on their unpowered pen that gives them industry dominance.</p> <p>You should get a Wacom Intuos Pen &amp; Touch Tablet. To stay in your budget you would have to go with the Small, model #CTH480, which runs ~$80 and provides a 6.0"x3.7" active area on an 8.25"x6.9" tablet. Next step up is the Medium, model #CTH680, which runs ~$180 and provides an 8.5"x5.3" active area on a 10.75"x8.75" tablet.</p> <p>Both sizes come with a pen with eraser and 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity.</p> <p>Wireless connection for either requires an extra $40 accessory kit (model #ACK40401).</p> <p>If you're tracing you probably do need to pony up for the Medium size. But I do graphic design with the Small and even though it sounds like a tiny working area the resolution is so high that I don't have any trouble working on an HD monitor.</p>

134

2015-09-10T23:07:07.863

|graphics-tablet|

<p>I'd like to buy a graphics tablet (also known as a drawing tablet, graphics pad, etc. - see <a href="http://graphicssoft.about.com/od/aboutgraphics/a/graphicstablets.htm">here</a> for some more information). I'm interested in using it for input for CAD programs, some of which use freehand sketching for input.</p> <p>My criteria (from most to least important):</p> <ul> <li>A price under $150</li> <li>A low footprint-to-input ratio (for example, a 10-inch diagonal input space on a 15-inch diagonal tablet would be quite wasteful)</li> <li>A diagonal of roughly 6"-9"</li> <li>Wireless connection (e.g. Bluetooth capability).</li> <li>A pen with an eraser</li> <li>A pressure sensitivity of around 1024</li> <li>An overlay for tracing</li> <li>Compatibility with Windows 7</li> </ul> <p>Things I don't need or want:</p> <ul> <li>An extra mouse, cordless or not, for the tablet</li> <li>A screen (working with an iPad is not what I'd like)</li> <li>USB connection (although this might be nice, as backup)</li> <li>The same aspect ratio as the computer it will be used with (software can take care of this)</li> </ul>

A cheap, large graphics tablet with a low footprint-to-input ratio

<p>I have EnerGenie EG-PM2 and was very fast to install and use on Linux/Ubuntu, steps here:</p> <p>Install sispmctl</p> <pre><code>wget https://downloads.sourceforge.net/project/sispmctl/sispmctl/sispmctl-4.9/sispmctl-4.9.tar.gz tar xzvf sispmctl-4.9.tar.gz cd sispmctl-4.9/ sudo apt install libusb-dev ./configure make sudo make install sispmctl cp ./src/.libs/libsispmctl.so.0 /usr/lib #this command should be done after sudo su sispmctl </code></pre> <p>The outlet has 4 ports, example to operate off and on port 1 you do the following commands</p> <p>Turn off and on port 1</p> <pre><code>sudo sispmctl -f 1 #Accessing Gembird #0 USB device 053 #Switched outlet 1 off sudo sispmctl -o 1 #Accessing Gembird #0 USB device 053 #Switched outlet 1 on </code></pre>

140

2015-09-11T00:48:22.887

|power-control|

<p>I am looking for a way to power on/off a 230V power connector from software.</p> <p>The most ideal way would be if it could be controlled from linux, but anything could be ok.</p>

Power on/off 230V power cable from software

<p>Seagate has recently released a <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/3130234/storage-drives/seagate-drops-the-worlds-largest-tiny-hard-drive.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">5TB drive for $85</a>. It's also 5400RPM, but that doesn't matter much these days, because if you're very performance-sensitive, SSD is the way to go anyway.</p>

143

2015-09-11T01:12:20.777

|hard-disk|

<p>I've searched and searched and can only find one 2.5 inch HDD that is larger than 1TB (Western Digital has one model). 3.5 inch HDDs have kept growing to even 10TB, but 2.5 inch drives seem to have hit a brick wall. Are there any 2.5 inch HDDs larger than 2TB?</p>

>2 TB 2.5 inch HDD

<p>Sure it would. Since you're running multiple processes and your main goal is to multitask better, it would really improve performance and smoothness.</p> <p>For what you're currently using, 12 GB should suffice but it seems you're limiting yourself because of your 8 GB of ram so go ahead and get 16 GB.</p> <p>Also if you're using Linux it would be better to <a href="https://askubuntu.com/a/103916/325685">set your <code>swapness</code></a> down to <em>zero</em>. If you're using Windows you can have a look on <a href="https://superuser.com/q/237137/463961">how to control your ram and swap usage</a>. That way you can benefit more from your ram.</p>

154

2015-09-11T03:36:51.013

|android|memory|

<p>I am developing an Android app and have a couple physical devices, however to maximize compatibility with user's potential devices I want to run virtual machines. Currently I have 8 GB's of RAM and usually run 5-10 chrome tabs at once along with Android Studio and one or two emulators. </p> <p>Usually when the emulators are running I notice a slight slowdown. Would there be any benefit to upgrading to 16 GB's of ram in my case?</p> <p>Also: the emulators each use 512 MB of ram - 2 GB depending on the situation. Is over 2 GB's practical for emulators or no?</p> <p>Other specs Intel i5-4670k 120 GB SSD 1 TB HDD 8 GB RAM</p>

RAM recommendation for Android Development

<p>The <a href="http://www.mi.com/en/headphones/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">xiaomi piston 2.0/2.1</a> (there's a 3.0 model out at the moment) out but I've never used it before.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJ2Xc.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/oJ2Xc.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>The cliff's notes version</p> <ul> <li><p>Price: 20-30 usd depending. Got mine for 20 singapore dollars.</p></li> <li><p>Good sound quality - Good enough. I've tried it on my <em>good</em> gear on a lark and it sounds fine. My phone/whatever google play transcodes it to seems to be the limitation</p></li> <li><p>Reliability - I've had mine ~6 months I think. Its built solidly </p></li> <li>Strong cable - Kevlar reinforced cables, sleeving on half of it. Joints are protected by the remote. </li> <li>Comfortability - Has different eartips to suit your needs </li> </ul> <p>That's the model I have anyway. Reviews are <a href="http://www.head-fi.org/products/xiaomi-pistons-2-0-mk301" rel="nofollow noreferrer">decent</a> and people tend to like it. And yes, they come with a case, rubber winding widget, and other shiny stuff.</p> <p>The headphones are machined aluminium. Cable has a remote control and the length between the plug and controller's covered in a protective sheath, and are supposed to be kevlar reinforced. The headphones have great strain relief, and I've had mine for quite a while, daily use with no issues. Its built <em>seriously</em> solidly. </p> <p>You'll get 3 pairs of smooth earbud covers in different sizes and one flanged one, which is supposed to fit tighter. </p> <p>Sound quality's decent, my phone's more of a limiting factor (I'm an audio snob). They're about as good as you'd get for the price range. It comes with that lovely rubber headphone holder and 'jewel case', and street price is ~30usd.</p> <p>Remote control is below where the headphone splits. Its got 3 buttons, tho the volume buttons only work on some phones. </p> <p>That said, there's a lot of fakes of these so caveat emptor. I got mine from xiaomi directly. </p> <p>Considering I was going with super cheapie headphones since I killed quite a few, and this has surviced me, I'd say these are a hardy pair.</p>

159

2015-09-11T15:14:43.687

|audio-quality|earphones|

<p>I've been searching for a good earphone for years but they always stop working after a few months. Sometimes its cable simply tears off, disconnects from the 'head' or starts malfunctioning. There was even an earphone that sounded great but then stopped working for no apparent reason.</p> <p>I want a earphone with those qualities:</p> <ul> <li>Good sound quality - I aim to listen mostly 320kbps MP3 music files with a lot of different instruments/sounds at the same time (progressive, fusion, avant-garde)</li> <li>Reliability - I prefer a not-so-good earphone that lasts for over a year than a great one that stops working after a month </li> <li>Strong cable - The main reason that I want an earphone and not a pair of headphones is because of its portability, but most phones I had couldn't have their cables a little twisted without sounding worse (sometimes permanently)</li> <li>Comfortability - I tend to use earphones for at least half of my awake time on week days so I want and need them to be comfortable that way I don't need to take it off each couple of minutes or every other hour to avoid hurting my ears</li> </ul> <p>As a plus it could come with a small case to protect it inside my backpack.</p> <p>How can I know those qualities just by looking at the phone specs? Is there a general way better than asking around or trying out the luck with trial and error? Where can I find a good earphone that's not so expensive?</p>

Earphone recommendation with good cost-to-benefit ratio

<p>I'd also recommend a <strong>Samson</strong> company.</p> <p>If you don't have a problem with buying second-hand items, you can get a <strong>Samson Go Mic</strong> for less than $30 or buy a brand new one for $38 from <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B001R76D42" rel="nofollow noreferrer">amazon</a>.</p> <p>Pros:</p> <ul> <li>Portable USB condenser microphone </li> <li>Plug and Play </li> <li>Useful clip (you don't have to buy another accessory to keep it in a place) </li> <li>"Natural" sound (perfect for podcasts) - check this <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6zmJ23RCKU" rel="nofollow noreferrer">comparison</a>.</li> </ul> <p>This is a very popular model and you can find reliable reviews <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InhS6xOoPwc" rel="nofollow noreferrer">like this one</a>. <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/78YAFm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/78YAFm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/duJ7im.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/duJ7im.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/JuIKRm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/JuIKRm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

169

2015-09-11T18:03:29.350

|audio|microphones|audio-quality|audio-recording|

<p>I'm looking for a good microphone for recording speech (eg. for podcasts, although it might be used for other things too), ideally for under $30. </p> <p>I'm looking for something that:</p> <ul> <li><p>Has minimal hiss and reasonable sound quality for its price.</p></li> <li><p>Would work with my current setup, which is a laptop + USB sound card.</p></li> </ul> <p>I know that $30 (or even less) is not much for a microphone, but I should be able to get something better then my current very cheap one.</p> <p>There are some fairly cheap ones on Amazon (<a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tonor-Professional-Condenser-Microphone-Computer/dp/B00PZMP3Z0/">example</a>), does anyone have experience with the sound quality of these? The page states that it is a condenser microphone, so does it require phantom power?</p> <p>Any recommendations? Any other tips?</p>

Good, cheap microphone for speech / voice recording?

<p>I recommend the <a href="http://www.symatoys.com/product/show/1901.html">Syma X5C</a>.</p> <ul> <li>Integrated 720p HD camera</li> <li>Slow controls (won't shoot off into the distance the instant you touch the sticks - this makes it easy to fly)</li> <li>Extreme manoeuvrability. It's an aerobatic drone, so you're sorted there.</li> <li>I can find one new on Amazon for £30 ($46)</li> <li>Camera records to SD card, so you can download the footage later.</li> </ul> <p>A word of warning, which I said in a comment and will repeat here: <strong>don't expect other drones to be similar.</strong> There may well be some similarities between the odd few drone models - but control weights and sensitivities are always going to be different, no matter if they're tunable or not. A 1kg drone will respond faster to control input than a 10kg drone; that's just physics. When getting a new drone, <em>always</em> take some low-flying time in a relatively safe location so that you can get used to the new control feel.</p>

171

2015-09-11T19:22:30.157

|remote-control|drone|

<p>I am looking to get a small drone - possibly quad copter style, but open to other recommendations. The thing is, I've never owned or flown such a machine and would like something small and cheap for "training" purposes. The idea is for this particular purchase to be a way for me to see if I'd like the hobby and if so, eventually get something "cooler".</p> <p>My ideal drone would have </p> <ul> <li>Video capabilities of at least 720p. Live streaming is not important for this training drone</li> <li>Easy to fly for both an adult and a young child</li> <li>Maneuverable enough to go through a wooded area</li> <li>Less than $100 and cheap replacement parts (because I expect to damage something)</li> </ul> <p>I'd like for this to "feel" similar to the larger drones that have GPS and live video streaming. My hope is that muscle memory I build using this can transfer to a larger piece of hardware.</p>

"Training" drones

<p>There are several great brands that make Micro SD cards, including, but not limited to</p> <ul> <li>SanDisk</li> <li>Lexar</li> <li>Samsung</li> <li>PNY</li> <li>Kingston</li> </ul> <p>I read <a href="http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-microsd-card/" rel="noreferrer">here</a> that Samsung and SanDisk tend to make the best micro SD cards in terms of performance, but the difference is not much to look into.</p> <p>Realistically, they will all serve you well, so if you do find a really good deal on a MicroSD card, just go for it. A link to the Amazon Page for MicroSD cards is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=lp_3015433011_nr_p_n_feature_two_brow_3?fst=as%3Aoff&amp;rh=n%3A172282%2Cn%3A%21493964%2Cn%3A541966%2Cn%3A172456%2Cn%3A516866%2Cn%3A3015433011%2Cp_n_feature_two_browse-bin%3A6518305011&amp;bbn=3015433011&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1442021432&amp;rnid=6518301011" rel="noreferrer">here</a>. Just make sure you look at the reviews. </p>

175

2015-09-11T23:47:29.187

|smartphones|microsd|

<p>I am searching for a good, fast microSD card with 64GB or 128GB of storage for a reasonable price. Must be compatible with the Huawei Honor 7 smartphone.</p> <p>I don't know what it is important when buying microSD cards, so I would like some advice and some specific models that are good and have a good price. Do you have any recommendations?</p>

64/128GB microSD card that works with the Huawei Honor 7

<p>Consider this logically, RAID controller has to record your config somewhere, if you had RAID-0 or RAID-1 for example. Some do that in own flash memory, others do that on the disk. In the latter case an area on each disk must be allocated to store configuration. There's no guarantee that different manufactures would pick same format. Same goes for checksums for higher-level RAID schemes.</p> <p>Good news is that RAID-1 is easy to recover in either case -- try whole disk, or if that doesn't work, find an offset and use data starting from that offset.</p> <p>Your old setup could be:</p> <ul> <li>no raid metadata -- you can simply plug one disk into regular motherboard and boot; This is most likely for onboard RAID controllers, as they can store metadata in BIOS config.</li> <li>disks first partitioned and then partitions are raided with metadata -- you'll have to adjust start of partition in the partition table</li> <li>disks first raided with metadata and then volume is partitioned -- you may have to create new partition table (bios) or may be ok (gpt)</li> </ul> <p>Trying the first costs you nothing.</p> <p>Wrt. the other two, you can try disk cloning software, your layout may be recognized ;-) </p>

178

2015-09-12T02:26:43.727

|motherboard|raid-controller|raid|

<p>In my case I have been using Raid 1 Mirroring with two disks on an onboard controller of a motherboard that recently dropped dead.</p> <p>Now I'm looking for a replacement motherboard, but I'm a bit worried about the data on the disks which I really want to recover. Since it was mirroring I half expect any SATA controller to just recognize the partitions and work automatically, but on the other half I guess it might not work that way. I don't have a 2nd system on which I can quickly test this and besides I'm concerned that it could be potentially dangerous to just plug it into any system. Some BIOS might just try to automatically initialize it and destroy some data?</p> <p>Can I just go ahead and purchase a new board without worries or should I figure out exactly what make / type and version of controller the board was using and try to find a new board with the same make / type / version RAID controller?</p> <p>For the record, my particular motherboard was a dual Xeon Tyan S2696. It was rendering some footage overnight and in the morning I found it dead. It does not even beep anymore, no fans, no leds, when powered on. The USB ports do get powered with 5V but it looks like there's a swollen capacitor between two PCI-x slots.</p> <p>EDIT: For example, if I purchase a <a href="http://www.supermicro.com/products/motherboard/Xeon1333/5000P/X7DB8_.cfm" rel="nofollow">SuperMicro X7DB8+</a> as a replacement for the <a href="http://www.tyan.com/archive/products/html/tempesti5000xt.html" rel="nofollow">Tyan S2696</a>, would I be able to hook up the old drives and read from them? They both use the Intel ESB2 Chipset, though I don't see and mention of "zero channel RAID" in the Tyan manual. </p>

Are RAID controllers interchangeable? Is data recoverable with a different controller?

<p>The only Mini-ITX board I've been able to find with a PCIe x4 slot is the <a href="http://www.logicsupply.com/ph12li/">Mitac PH12LI</a>. It is not, however, any smaller than any of the PCIe x16 Mini-ITX boards.</p> <p>Personally, I'd recommend a <a href="http://www.logicsupply.com/c292/">Casetronic C292</a> case, an <a href="http://www.logicsupply.com/pciex16-c292/">over-the-board PCIe x16 riser card</a>, and the PCIe x16 Mini-ITX board of your choice. Your x4 card should work just fine in an x16 slot, and you won't need to go looking for parts that probably don't exist.</p> <p>(No association with LogicSupply, they're just my go-to source for looking up all things Mini-ITX.)</p>

182

2015-09-12T06:54:34.460

|pc|pcie|

<p>I'm looking to build a small FFmpeg based video encoder using a BlackMagic Intensity Pro 4K capture card. This card requires a PCIe 4x slot. What's the smallest motherboard/case combination that will hold a 4x card?</p> <p>There are lots of small barebones systems, but most have mini PCIe (1x) connectors, and all of the PCIe risers I've found are either 1x to 1x or 1x to 16x. The 16x connector is way too large.</p> <p>Any ideas?</p>

Smallest PCIe 4x box?

<p>If you are willing to wait, you could get the <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/multimedia-speakers-z333?crid=1589" rel="nofollow">Logitech Z333 Multimedia Speakers</a>. As this hasn't been released yet, I can only go off of the spec sheet and online reviews, but this looks like it would fit your needs.</p> <p>This is a 2.1 speaker system that costs $80 USD. The subwoofer is flat-bottomed, has its own independent controller, and has a 5 inch, front facing driver. The sub is rated at 23 Watts while the two satellites are rated at 8 Watts each. While the website doesn't say exactly how big the drivers are for the satellites, the width of the satellites is about 4.25 inches, so I would expect the drivers are in the range of 2.5 - 3.5 inches in diameter. There are four 5 foot cables for this system (plus input cables): one for the power (wall to sub), one for each satellite (sub to satellite), and one volume controller (controller to sub).</p> <p>This system has both a 3.5 mm auxiliary input and stereo RCA inputs. </p> <p>With about half of your budget left, you add a <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/bluetooth-audio-adapter?WT.ac=ps|11380|bluetoothaudioadapter-CTA1" rel="nofollow">Bluetooth Audio Adapter</a> for $40 that allows you to stream music from any Bluetooth enabled audio device. With both of these items, you are still below your $150 budget (excluding shipping).</p> <hr> <p><strong>UPDATE</strong></p> <p>This appears to have been released. If ordered from Logitech's website, you will get free standard shipping (4-7 business days) on this as the total cost is over $49.</p>

185

2015-09-12T09:27:07.177

|sound-system|

<p>For the longest time I've had the old <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/speaker-system-z313?crid=1589">Logitech Z313</a> 2.1 sound system for my computer. After so many years of use and moving around, I'm looking for a more portable and more powerful system.</p> <p>The Z313's wiring is aggravating. The 3.5mm from the computer goes into a controller, then to the sub, then to the speakers. Also, the sub doesn't have a control to turn bass down independently from the speakers.</p> <p>So what I'm looking for is a sound system with these features:</p> <ul> <li>no more than $150</li> <li>2.1 layout</li> <li>subwoofer with: independent control, 20+ Watts, ~6 inch external driver</li> <li>2+ inch speaker driver</li> <li>flat-bottomed subwoofer would be better than one with feet</li> <li>easy setup, not too many cords (very important)</li> </ul> <p>An inline or onboard volume control is actually something I don't want since I can control volume with my keyboard and directly in Windows, but if a good system has it, I won't mind.</p>

What are some powerful computer sound systems with easy setup?

<p>I have used the <a href="https://www.shopfujitsu.com/store/SelectAccessoryDetail.jsp?partNumber=PA03656-B005&amp;category=Printers+and+Scanners&amp;title=ScanSnap+iX500+Cl+Dplx+Scann" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FUJITSU Document Scanner ScanSnap iX500</a> and been very happy with it. It's a higher priced scanner though. It's currently $500 at <a href="https://www.staples.com/FUJITSU-Document-Scanner-ScanSnap-iX500/product_2420168" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Staples</a> and $400 on <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/com/B00ATZ9QMO" rel="nofollow noreferrer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Amazon</a>.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/JPpmP.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/JPpmP.jpg" alt="FUJITSU Document Scanner ScanSnap iX500"></a></p> <ul> <li>Is not a printer</li> <li>Various paper sizes, including A4 and automatically recognizes the size of the paper. </li> <li>Duplex capable</li> <li>Windows and OS X drivers.</li> <li>Dimensions: 292 mm x 159 mm x 168 mm (11.5 in. x 6.2 in. x 6.6 in.)</li> <li>Weight: 3.0 kg (6.62 lb.)</li> <li>Can scan wirelessly to a device (PC, Mac, iOS or Android devices)</li> <li>Scans to searchable PDFs</li> <li>It can scan approximately 20 pages per minute, in my experience. The official specs say 25 ppm.</li> <li>I can't recall the last time it jammed on me. Amazon reviews seem to agree:</li> </ul> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R17ZGVQCELM2IG/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00ATZ9QMO" rel="nofollow noreferrer">-EastSide</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Improved paper handling mechanism. Regular paper documents rarely jam or misfeed on the S1500. Only if you have stuck, very thin, bended, irregular or wrinkled sheets. I threw in different types of papers and it seems to take them in better! This is a real usability improvement. </p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/RB00AAYPNSH3Z/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00ATZ9QMO" rel="nofollow noreferrer">-MoonX</a></p> <blockquote> <p>Well like I said, I've got about 15,000 documents through this thing and haven't had a single problem with it feeding documents, jamming, or anything. I've used scanners almost twice the price of the iX500 that had more problems.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1CHOZM39O6GOO/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00ATZ9QMO" rel="nofollow noreferrer">-GhostFaceReviewer</a></p> <blockquote> <p>I had crinkled papers and it would never jam. Even thin receipts from years ago would be detected and never jammed.</p> </blockquote> <p>Macworld <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/2025465/document-scanner-showdown-neatdesk-versus-snapscan-ix500.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">compared</a> this scanner to another product I've used (and would also recommend): <a href="http://www.neat.com/products/neatdesk/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NeatDesk</a>. In the review Macworld noted:</p> <blockquote> <p>Not surprisingly, given these different approaches, the ScanSnap iX500 hardware outshines NeatDesk. The ScanSnap is faster, less prone to jams and produces superior scan quality. </p> </blockquote> <p>The different approaches being referenced are NeatDesk's "software company with some hardware" vs Fijitsu's "hardware company with some software" approach.</p> <p>As of March 2019, it appears that the iX500 model has been replaced by a newer model, the <a href="http://www.fujitsu.com/us/products/computing/peripheral/scanners/scansnap/ix1500/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FUJITSU ScanSnap iX1500</a>.</p>

186

2015-09-12T09:48:26.220

|scanner|osx|

<p>I am looking for portable or medium-sized scanner which can take around 20-30 pages at the same time, scan them and convert into PDF format (compatible with OS X).</p> <p>Usually scanners having Duplex Automatic Document feeders are available in large <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photocopier">copy machines</a>.</p> <p>Some time ago I've bought Canon P-150M Portable Scanner which could do that, but the document feeder wasn't very good and software was too slow. The main problem was that the paper usually got stuck (more sheets then more chances to happen) and I had to start the scanning each time from the beginning, and sometimes the scanned pages were crooked.</p> <p>Are there any scanners which can scan A4 pages more efficiently and reliably as described above?</p> <p>So the basic criteria are:</p> <ul> <li>it can either with printer or without,</li> <li>A4 (with possibility of smaller sizes),</li> <li>duplex automatic document feeder (DADF) with capacity of at least 20-30 pages, </li> <li>driver (eventually software) compatible with OS X (and eventually Linux),</li> <li>doesn't crook the scanned pages,</li> <li>it's not so expensive</li> <li>not too big (desktop size, not as big as a copy machine)</li> </ul>

Reliable desktop scanner with Duplex Automatic Document feeder (DADF)?

<p>Because I feel that some people may be unsatiesfied with Thomas' recommendation of the Gemalto IDPrime Cards, I wanted to give another option here:</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.smartcard-hsm.com/" rel="nofollow">The Smartcard-HSM</a></strong></p> <ul> <li>It offers 1024-2048-bit RSA or up to 320-bit ECC with all NIST and Brainpool curves being pre-loaded and may even support custom curves (although I've got no source for this right now)</li> <li>It supports ECDSA and RSA signatures and allows for SHA-1 based on-card hashing (ECDSA) and for SHA1 /-256 /-384 /-512 based RSA pre-hashing ("PKCS", may be PKCS#1 v1.5)</li> <li>The operating system is CC EAL5+ certified, the chip platform is only EAL2+, the <a href="https://www.commoncriteriaportal.org/files/epfiles/0515a.pdf" rel="nofollow">TOE can be found here</a></li> <li>It ships as a standard card form factor (contact, contactless and dual-interface), as micro SD with secure element and 1GB normal memory and as USB-token</li> <li>The only reseller at the moment is <a href="http://www.cardomatic.de/epages/64510967.sf/en_GB" rel="nofollow">card-o-matic</a>, individual cards will be around 20€ a piece, the tokens will be at around 80€ and more</li> <li>Driver support is available via OpenSC, supporting Windows CAPI and PKCS#11, the device driver (for Windows) is delivered extra and requires disabling driver signature checks for the installation though, the OpenSC PKCS#11 library has its limitations though, for example only one application can access the token at the same time</li> <li>If you have initialized the card with a specific key (called device-key-encryption-key (DKEK)) then you will be able to make key-backups off-card, otherwise not</li> </ul> <p><strong>TL;DR: It may be a bit expensive and a bit unconvenient from time-to-time, and somewhat limited in security level, but if backups, brainpool and / or high CC certification are what you're looking for, this may be the right choice.</strong></p>

189

2015-09-12T16:32:27.967

|security|smartcards|

<p>I'm always looking for ways to improve my security in the internet. As I'm also a programmer and somewhat active on <a href="https://security.stackexchange.com/">InfoSec</a> and <a href="https://crypto.stackexchange.com/">Crypto</a> I decided that a smart card is the way to go.</p> <p>I'm thereby looking for a smart card (or an USB-token) that has the following qualifications:</p> <ul> <li>Support for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptic_curve_cryptography">elliptic curve cryptography</a> (256 bits+)</li> <li>Support for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA_%28cryptosystem%29">RSA</a> (2048 bits+)</li> <li>Storage for at least 10 keys of each of them</li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FIPS_140-2">FIPS 140-2 Level 3</a> certification (preferred) or high <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Criteria">Common Criteria certification</a> (EAL 4+)</li> <li>Should be acquirable for private persons (non-companies)</li> <li>Driver (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PKCS_11">PKCS#11</a> / <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptographic_Service_Provider">CSP</a> / CNG) support for Windows 7 and Windows 10 (both x64), either directly or via <a href="https://github.com/OpenSC/OpenSC/wiki">OpenSC</a>.</li> <li>Support for secure key backup and key recovery in case of a disaster (e.g. wrapped key exports along with a way to unwrap on a different physical card)</li> <li>For actual cards: Standard physical interfaces (i.e. no vendor-specific card readers needed)</li> </ul> <p>Non-mandatory points include:</p> <ul> <li>Support for custom ECC curves</li> <li>Native support for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curve25519">Curve25519</a> / Curve448</li> <li>Support for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PKCS_1">RSASSA-PSS</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elliptic_Curve_Digital_Signature_Algorithm">ECDSA</a> (without the software doing the hashing)</li> <li>For actual cards: Contactless operatibility</li> <li>Low price (&lt; $100 per piece)</li> <li>Qualification for qualified electronic signatures (i.e. legally binding signatures), preferably under german law</li> </ul>

What is a good Smartcard for home use?

<p>Please read <a href="http://ronja.twibright.com/tetrapolis/" rel="nofollow">this entire site</a> which should quickly disabuse you of the notion that the technology is simple. </p> <p>The reality is that high speed laser communication (ie, slow by today's standards 10mbps) is not at all trivial, and particularly over the distances you need. There are so many tradeoffs involved in the optical path alone that you could spend months or years trying to design something that would connect at all, nevermind provide a reliable link. For instance, do you select a lower divergence, which gets more power to the end point, but means that if either end moves more than a micrometer then the connection is lost, or do you have a larger divergence which makes aiming less critical, but delivers such low power you have a hard time receiving?</p> <p>That's just one of many, many trade offs and losses in the optical path engineering, and doesn't even touch the necessary low noise amplifiers and electronics, nor the physical layer interface to the network(s) or computer(s) involved in the communications. This also ignores the regulations of laser emissions in a city.</p> <p>At any rate, if your requirements are</p> <ul> <li>Laser communications</li> <li>Up to 5km distance</li> <li>Home budget size</li> </ul> <p>Then the answer to your question, <em>"Do they exist?"</em> is no.</p>

190

2015-09-12T16:37:19.273

|laser|

<p>I am looking for a way to construct a two-way communication channel between remote hosts (far away), in big electric smog (large city), but where the weather is mostly clean (some rainy day is not a problem).</p> <p>I think it could be relatively easily solved by tunneling rs232 through a modulated laser, and tunneling ppp into that rs232.</p> <p>Unfortunately, googling for different laser solutions, I've found only industrial solutions and nothing in the home budget size.</p> <p>Do they exist? Its technology probably isn't much more complex, as an infrared tv controller.</p>

Cheap solution for point-to-point laser communication

<p>Mark's answer covers most of the main points, so I'm going to add this:</p> <p>There are different types of GPUs. It's a common misconception that any GPU will work for any graphics intensive task (video editing, gaming, etc) - not so. The M series GPUs in your question are more geared to be <em>editing</em> GPUs - their optimization was mainly focused on calculations relating to video and graphics editing, rather than more physics-based multiple-step calculations that are used in gaming.</p> <p>For your intended use, there's not a massive amount of difference between the two - if you're editing videos, especially long videos, then the 2kM will perform far better - but if you're only intending on doing basic, occasional editing then the extra $100 isn't worth it. Neither is there a massive difference between the two in gaming performance - if you want a good platform for gaming, you'd be better off looking at a console or gaming-optimized GPU'd PC.</p>

194

2015-09-12T17:53:08.657

|laptop|video|

<p>Is it worth to buy Thinkpad <strong>W520</strong> with NVIDIA Quadro 2000M?</p> <p>The only difference is connected with the number of CUDA cores and Max Power Consumption. The same Thinkpad with 2000M is at least <strong>$100</strong> more expensive. </p> <p><strong>NVIDIA Quadro 2000M</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>192 Cuda Cores </li> <li>Max Power Consumption 55W</li> </ul> <p><strong>NVIDIA Quadro 1000M</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>96 Cuda Cores</li> <li>Max Power Consumption 45W</li> </ul> <p>How will I use it:</p> <ul> <li>Programming</li> <li>Editing raster graphics</li> <li>Occasional gaming (not necessarily new games)</li> <li>Basic video editing (mostly short videos)</li> </ul>

Second-hand Thinkpad W520 (NVIDIA Quadro 1000M vs 2000M)

<p>The Fractal Design Node 202 is a very small form factor PC case (console size), with support for a full size graphics card. A link to the fractal design page for all their node series cases is <a href="http://www.fractal-design.com/home/product/cases/node-series/node-202" rel="nofollow">here</a>, and I suggest you check them out. It will come out soon and uses mini-ITX boards.</p> <p>In addition, the Cooler Master Obsidian series has some very small form factor cases that would be a good fit for a home theater.</p> <p>Silverstone also makes some very small form factor mini-ITX cases. A link to the Amazon page for the Silverstone Raven Z is <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00I3EKXDE" rel="nofollow">here</a>.</p>

202

2015-09-12T19:44:52.607

|case|desktop|

<p>I want to buy a gaming PC to place next to my TV. To give it the best air intake, and given the (little) space available in the room I have decided to buy a case that I can place vertically.</p> <p>Ideally, its width would be under 14cm (5.5in). I don't have a restriction on height, and the depth should be under 50cm (~19in).</p>

Recommendation for "thin tower PC cases"

<p>D-Link's <a href="http://us.dlink.com/home-solutions/wifi-camera/">wi-fi cameras</a> provide the sort of thing you're looking for.</p> <p>There are a number of models, and which one you need depends entirely on your use-case so I won't recommend one, but the page I linked above gives an overview of all the types.</p> <ul> <li>They're wifi cameras, which is definitely wireless</li> <li>There's an interface (not sure if web or not, but probably given their wifi nature)</li> <li>Sends emails for movement alerts, including the relevant files</li> <li>Good motion detection (contrast changes don't register - it's actually looking for <em>movement</em>, not light levels)</li> <li>Records videos of motion (not sure of length, but probably at least 5 seconds). You can also connect a central hard drive to stream or record footage of longer periods - say a day, which you could review the footage of when you get home.</li> <li>All models have night vision, though the range varies from 15ft-26ft between models</li> <li>Has an Android and iPhone app</li> </ul> <p>In short, sounds perfect for what you want.</p>

217

2015-09-13T12:21:02.103

|video-camera|wireless|

<p>I'm looking for indoor camera (a room) with motion detection feature which can send me reliable videos to my e-mail once movement has been detected.</p> <p>I'm aware there are plenty out there, but after I've already tested few of them, none of them actually worked as expected (e.g. Linksys and few other), so I believe this is actually hard to find.</p> <p>I had one WiFi camera which was sending 5s videos with motion via wireless router to my e-mail and FTP account, but the problem was that in all recored videos I could see only the light/contrast changes (especially in the mornings also when getting dark in evenings and sometimes some lights reflecting on the wall from the windows) ending up with hundreds useless video files. I understand there are some options to specify the spot area or sensitivity and I tried to play around with them, but it didn't work, so I believe it just need a better hardware to work properly.</p> <p>The camera should have:</p> <ul> <li>wireless option,</li> <li>web interface,</li> <li>ability to send e-mails or upload files into FTP,</li> <li>reliable IR motion detection (should ignore contrast changes),</li> <li>record videos with detected motion of at least 5 seconds in length,</li> <li>Infrared night vision would be an advantage</li> <li>smart phone app integration would be an advantage</li> </ul>

Motion detection home monitoring camera to send videos to my e-mail while on holiday

<p>The <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16838124011" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Planon SS100</a> is the only truly portable scanner I could find.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TdqYl.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TdqYl.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <ul> <li>You can scan up to 600 images before having to dump them onto your computer via USB</li> <li>Charges over USB</li> <li>Monochrome or color scans</li> <li>Includes software for organization and OCR</li> </ul> <p>One little downfall which you probably won't care about is that it can't scan wide documents like 8.5x11" paper. It's great for receipts, IDs, or other small things.</p>

220

2015-09-13T13:29:38.777

|scanner|portable|

<p>I am looking for pocket-size scanner to scan the receipts. By receipts I mean these which are printed on thermochromic paper rolls on point-of-sale places.</p> <p>I understand you can use smart phone plus some apps, but here are the main disadvantages which I've found:</p> <ul> <li>some point-of-sale receipts are too long to take a picture of it,</li> <li>it's difficult to find the right angle (especially when you're on the go whole day),</li> <li>it takes too much time of readjusting the camera to catch the focus and not to crop anything,</li> <li>default lossy compression format (designed for pictures) gives later trouble for OCR,</li> <li>scanned receipts are crooked and creased (not flatten),</li> <li>at the end of the day it's difficult to separate receipts from the pictures (I know there are some useful apps for that such as <a href="https://www.expensify.com/" rel="noreferrer">Expensify</a> or <a href="https://evernote.com/" rel="noreferrer">Evernote</a>, but I didn't find them so convenient, plus what was already said above),</li> <li>and so on.</li> </ul> <p>Therefore I am looking for a device which is specially designed for that job to make it this task very simple. Especially on the move, so I could throw away the receipt after successful scan. Otherwise text printed on thermochromic paper is very unstable and it's easily get lost (especially some small text such as dates).</p>

Small pocket-sized receipt scanner

<p>I agree with Firepower and SEJPM that the Intel Compute Stick is the route to go for around $150 but if you are looking for a cheaper version of that, the MeeGoPad T02 is a great alternative for $79 (The Ubuntu Version) and around $109 (The Windows 8.1 with upgrade to Windows 10 Version)</p> <p>Both sticks have a Intel Atom Z3735f processor, 2GB's of Ram and 32 GB's of flash storage and connect through HDMI. In addition they have 2 full sized USB 2 ports, Wi-Fi B/G/N and Bluetooth 4.0. Finally they have a micro sd slot with support for up to 32 GB's of extra storage</p> <p>Ubuntu Version: <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B011HPKYCK" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a></p> <p>Windows Version: <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00ZFJFOXY" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/YC8GA.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/YC8GA.jpg" alt="Image of it"></a></p>

221

2015-09-13T13:40:06.173

|usb|micro-pc|

<p>I'm looking for portable micro PC (uPC) on a stick (something like Raspberry Pi), but a lot smaller (a USB thumb drive size).</p> <p>Any architecture is great (ARM is fine), as long as you can install Linux on it (so some storage is a must). Support for Wi-Fi is an advantage.</p> <p>Here is which I've found so far: <a href="http://www.gizchina.com/2012/03/14/buy-android-raspberry-pi-china/" rel="nofollow">Forget Raspberry PI How About Android on a Stick!</a>, but the article is a bit out-dated.</p>

Portable micro PC computer on USB stick

<p>I'm currently running a <a href="http://www.asrock.com/microsite/beebox/" rel="nofollow">asrock beebox</a> as a home server and I'm pretty impressed - its a reasonable balance between most of the factors I'd find handy in a small home server.</p> <p>Its <em>tiny</em>, smaller than the brix of any size, and while its a 'less powerful' <a href="http://ark.intel.com/products/87258/Intel-Celeron-Processor-N3150-2M-Cache-up-to-2_08-GHz" rel="nofollow">N3150</a> braswell processor, its probably plenty for LAMP hosting (I've done it for less and I run VMs with KVM on this - even a full windows 10 install).</p> <p>I picked up the full system with OS (which gives you a 32 gb mmc with windows installed) - I've installed linux on a 1tb hdd, but there's no reason you can't use this for a system drive or even swap. You can also add msata and a 2.5 inch drive, and in theory, possibly replace the m.2 wifi card with a suitable m.2 SSD. There's very few options that give you this much flexibility in storage options in such a small form factor. </p> <p>That's not all though - it has 3 usb 3.0 slots and a proper <em>type c</em> port. It has DP and 2x HDMI, and I've tested the HDMI ports at 4K30. I need to test DP but I'm a bit lazy. </p> <p>Another unique feature is you can load it up with 2 slots of ram - I've got mine with 2x4gb of ram but you can go up to <em>16gb</em></p> <p>Its rediculously small, has low power use and is pretty darned inexpensive. The only place where it may fall short is in the processor speed - its got a low base clock speed (1.6ghz) and will ramp up to 2.08 as needed. Its <em>not</em> actually as powerful as a mac mini but its good enough for most work. I run a full desktop environment (KDE) + up to 2 virtual machines with little issue. </p> <p>~170 usd on amazon + ram and storage to taste, so it won't break the bank either. </p>

224

2015-09-13T14:17:16.963

|pc|mini-pc|

<p>I am looking for mini PC with fairly similar in size (~5x20x20cm) which can <a href="https://browser.primatelabs.com/mac-benchmarks">outperform</a> a <a href="http://www.apple.com/uk/mac-mini/specs/">Mini Mac</a>. The size doesn't matter as long it's not too heavy or big and it can be easily moved between home and work on daily basis in a bag and it's easily to use (simple design with not too many cables).</p> <p>It can be less expensive, but my focus is overall performance power to do LAMP development work. Currently I'm using Retina MacBook Pro which basically crashes quite often when too much stuff is run at the same time. So I'm basically checking what are the alternatives on the market.</p> <p>So basically it should meet the basic criteria:</p> <ul> <li>CPU clock: at least 2.0GHz per core (dual/quad-core minimum),</li> <li>storage support for at least 1TB (unless it's SSD),</li> <li>memory at least 8GB RAM DDR3,</li> <li>HDMI or similar to connect at least 2 external monitors,</li> <li>HD Graphics: not important as far it doesn't run slow while playing some videos,</li> <li>standard features: Wi-Fi, USB, etc.</li> </ul> <p>I've found so far <a href="http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/intel-intel-nuc-barebones-mini-pc-intel-core-i5-4250u-d54250wyk/10326611.aspx">Intel NUC Barebones Mini PC</a>, but it has only 1.3GHz per core (dual-core) as most of the mini PC which I've found.</p> <p>Are there any Mini PC monsters on the market?</p>

Mini PC with dual/quad-core CPU as Mac mini alternative

<p>The Rexel <a href="http://www.rexeleurope.com/en/gb/5967/auto-feed-micro-cut#.VfXHfPlVikq" rel="nofollow">Auto Feed Micro Cut series</a> seems right for you.</p> <p>It's a series of shredders, ranging from the 100M (which takes 100 sheets at 80gsm) up to the 750M (which takes 750 sheets at 80gsm).</p> <p>On your requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Any of the series can handle 100 sheets</li> <li>I can't actually tell how big the bins are relative to the load, but they look big enough to take more than one load</li> <li>Doesn't cut diamonds, but does cut each sheet into "2000 2 x 15 mm bits"</li> <li>You can probably put a bag inside the bin and mount the shredder to keep it in place, if that works for you</li> <li>Rexel make good quality stuff; their website doesn't say durability stats but I'd imagine they're pretty high.</li> </ul>

232

2015-09-13T18:48:14.370

|office|

<p>A small business I do work for does a lot of paper shredding. Currently, each employee has their own personal shredder near their desk. The employees and owners have complained that the shredding is time consuming. They need to feed the paper - usually 3-4 sheets at time - into the shredder, wait for it to complete and then repeat. Each time they start shredding, they have a stack of paper much larger than 3-4 sheets, so it takes time for this process to complete.</p> <p>The owners would like to replace the individual shredders with one or two office shredders. The idea is that users will be able to drop a stack of 100-200 sheets into a feeding tray and the shredder will ingest them automatically. The user will not have to sit and baby sit the machine during a shredding cycle.</p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Should be able to handle 100 sheets of paper at a time</li> <li>Should have a large enough bin to collect more than one full batch of 100 shredded papers (this way the next user doesn't have to empty the container first)</li> <li>Should slice the paper into small diamonds, not single long strands of paper</li> <li>Shredder to be able to be fitted with a plastic garbage bag, but also needs to be easily emptied if such a bag isn't fitted</li> <li>Should be durable. There will be at least 4,000 sheets of paper shredded per work week</li> </ul>

Small business shredder with autofeeding capabilities?

<p>I'm surprised no one has thought to suggest a Skylake based platform. Unfortunately, the CPUs only have 20 lanes of PCI-E, so the second x16 has to come off the PCH, or divide bandwidth in half (PCI-E x8). Not really much of a problem if it's used for GPUs though.</p> <p>My recommendation is the <a href="http://www.superbiiz.com/detail.php?name=MB-Z170-A&amp;c=CJ">Gigabyte Z170 Gaming 5</a>. 4 DDR4 DIMM slots, 6 SATA III (6 Gb/s), 3 SATA Express, and 2 M.2 slots as storage interfaces. 3 back panel and 4 headers for USB 3.0, 4 back panel and 2+2 headers for USB 2.0, and two back panel USB 3.1 slots, one is USB A, one is USB C. There are two Gigabit LAN ports.</p> <p>The motherboard currently costs $160 at superbiiz, and yes, there is a UEFI BIOS.</p> <p>Here's the spec sheet: <a href="http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5498#sp">http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=5498#sp</a></p>

239

2015-09-14T02:35:03.303

|gaming|motherboard|

<p>I am going to be building a computer for a college student. He is going into general engineering while he figures out exactly what he wants to do. The budget for this computer is about $1500 USD (just for the tower). This computer will be running Windows 10. He will be using this computer for school work and for gaming. Since this is the first question, I will be asking about the motherboard.</p> <p><strong>Requirements</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>4 slots of DDR4 RAM</li> <li>At least 4 SATA 6Gb/s ports</li> <li>At least 2 PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots</li> <li>Can support at least 1 front USB 3.0 port</li> <li>At least 2 back panel USB 3.0 ports</li> <li>At least 6 back panel USB ports (includes USB 3.0 above)</li> <li>One Gigabit LAN port</li> <li>UEFI BIOS</li> </ul> <p><strong>Not Needed</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Integrated graphics</li> <li>Integrated WiFi/Bluetooth</li> </ul> <p>As this is a new build, the processor is not set in stone.</p>

Motherboard for a new college desktop computer

<p>If you really want the best of the best projector you should use the one I am using now</p> <p>Xiaomi A300 L1668FCF 4K ALPD WEMAX Ultra Short Throw Proyektor Laser</p> <p>Okay be careful here because it's a bit confusing.</p> <p>It's wemax. 4k A300</p> <p>The price is only around $2k according to <a href="https://www.xiaomitoday.com/2021/05/07/xiaomi-wemax-a300-4k-9000-ansi-lumens-projector/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.xiaomitoday.com/2021/05/07/xiaomi-wemax-a300-4k-9000-ansi-lumens-projector/</a></p> <p>I bought it for $3k</p> <p>However, the picture is crisp. I think it's the most cost effective projector.</p> <p>Easily handle 5 m screen due to high lumen. Because 1 m is 40 inch, we're talking about 200 inch display at least. Hei, make it 6m. It'll still be bright enough.</p> <p>If that's too expensive for you, then use this</p> <p>Xiaomi Mi Ultra Short 5000 ANSI Lumens Laser Projector</p> <p>Half the price, only 5k lumen, HD</p> <p>Is it mounted?</p> <p>I don't mount it. However, I think you can set it up mounted. The thing is, why?</p> <p>The reason why you want mounted projector is because you don't want anything to get in the way between projector and the screen right?</p> <p>In that case, they are Ultra Short Throw.</p> <p>My A300 needs only a distance of mere half meter to get that 5 m screen.</p> <p>I think ultra short throw is better than mounted.</p> <p>I challenge anyone here to show me any better projector at the same price. I've been looking and Xiaomi stuffs are just the plain best for the specs.</p>

247

2015-09-14T17:45:00.900

|projector|

<p>I'm looking for a ceiling mounted projector for a home theater. This projector will be used to watch movies, TV and play controller based computer games.</p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Long bulb life (my assumption is that the projector will be utilized a couple hours a day on various activities mentioned above)</li> <li>Should have vivid colors and not have "streaking" during fast movement in action sequences or games</li> <li>1080p (or higher, if available) resolution</li> <li>Multiple device inputs is a plus, preferably with each being HDMI</li> <li>Small size. "Small" is subjective, but I don't want a giant object hanging from the ceiling. Smaller should imply lighter. </li> </ul> <p>Some bonus features:</p> <ul> <li>On/Off and other settings (contrast/brightness/input device/etc) can be configured to utilize a Harmony remote control</li> <li>Quick On, less than 10 seconds</li> <li>Bulb replacement can be done without removing the entire projector from the ceiling</li> </ul> <p>Most important to me are the first two bullet points. I've seen and used many projectors that "streak" during fast movement. I want to ensure this does not occur. It would ideally be below $700 and quiet.</p>

HD Projector for a home theater?

<p>In Asia, in particular Thailand and <a href="http://pricebaba.com/mobile/pricelist/nokia-price-list?brand%5B%5D=Nokia&amp;filter=true&amp;sort=1&amp;lpage=4&amp;lproduct=9638" rel="nofollow noreferrer">India</a>, there are a lot of cheap and popular dual SIM phones. In fact most people seem to have dual SIM phones - I'm not particularly sure why, but I think multiple boyfriends/girlfriends may be partly the reason. </p> <p>These are all quite similar to the good old Nokia 3310, that is to say, a physical keyboard, and a small, non-touch, screen. These are often around the $40 mark or less, so well within your price bracket. The Nokia 107, for example:</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TM4T1.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/TM4T1.jpg" alt="Nokia 107"></a></p> <p>Some others are the Nokia 206, 208, 215, 220, 222, 225, 301, and 515.</p> <p>This is by no means the full list, but as you can see there are plenty to choose from. Whether these models are available in your country is another question, as they are obviously targeted towards the emerging nascent mobile phone markets, where lost cost is important. In more affluent countries, these may be considered "throw-away" phones, but they do meet your criteria, and do make for great holiday phones.</p> <p>Also, because there is no touch screen and a smaller screen, the battery life is longer on these phones in general, and only require a charge every other day, unlike most smart phones.</p>

256

2015-09-15T09:52:07.520

|mobile-phone|

<p>Due to the fact that typical smartphone durability and battery life of is not not always suited to outdoor conditions, I would like to ask you about some simple mobile phone with dual sim. Second-hand items are acceptable</p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ol> <li>dual-sim</li> <li>high quality and durable construction</li> <li>long battery life</li> <li>good call sound quality</li> <li>price range up to $100</li> </ol>

Mobile phone used only for calls & SMS

<p>I can second Kindle as an option (I have used an older model and a paper white) - for reading novels and other easily rendered text-only fare, it is a great product. The ability to function in direct sunlight as well as darkness without destroying your eyes is a huge advantage over other options.</p> <p>The Kindle app is available on other platforms too though (Android, iOS, desktop OS) and I have found it extremely useful to have a larger format, color capable reader for a couple of use cases:</p> <ol> <li>Graphic Novels - if you like the format, then you will need more than e-ink</li> <li>Technical reading - diagrams, code samples, text that reacts poorly to being broken up all benefit from the larger format option</li> </ol> <p>I have also used Kindle on my phone (it syncs to the furthest read location on multiple devices) for those times that you forget your reader/tablet or are unexpectedly bored.</p> <p>Hence my recommendation, if you can afford it, is a multi-device approach for maximum satisfaction. Whether you go with Kindle or not, make sure that your chosen app and format are usable with several types of devices (syncing is so useful too). </p> <p>For travel, the phone is probably an easy choice (as long as your screen is reasonably sized). The tablet is a personal call - you can replace it with a laptop, but I find that awkward in restricted space (planes, trains) - decent tablets can also be loaded up with films/games etc. for the times your onboard entertainment options are poor. Personally, I leave the tablet at home for travel unless I know that I have a long flight where I need to do tech reading or I know the entertainment options are going to be horrible.</p>

260

2015-09-15T17:23:38.787

|e-reader|

<p>Is there any nice light-weight e-book reader which is easy on the eye?</p> <p>Preferred specifications include: </p> <ol> <li>Display: Touch and (Something which is easy on the eye would be preferable)</li> <li>Decent battery life (I would be traveling a lot, so something which can run for weeks would be very good)</li> <li>Storage: Should be able to store at least 200 books at a time. (That's a threshold requirement. The more, the better)</li> </ol> <p>As I am a traveler, a device which is sturdy and durable would be nice for some quick reads during travel.</p> <p>Should support most e-book formats like epub, pdf, etc.</p> <p>As I am an avid user of <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/" rel="nofollow">Goodreads</a>, a Goodreads app or integration would also help.</p>

What is a good light-weight ebook reader?

<p>External device is per definition not secured... </p> <p>In a computer it's practically saying that you'll use USB. And USB is not meant to be secure.</p> <p>However you seem to have a very bad experience with internal ones which seems to be cheap ones and easily cheated.</p> <p>You need to be sure that they use your veins or infrared. For having a little of security with the USB thing : be sure that it's not a device that only send "Yes/No".</p> <p>Veins cannot be cheated by collecting the grease of the finger or a photo of the finger... Detection is thermal so an image cannot be presented. The only way to cheat the detection is making a 3d metal sculpture of the structure of the vein of the good finger, heat it and show it to the system ... We can say that it's quite secure.</p> <p>However the USB part make the device vulnerable to man in the middle attack (witch is noticed because have an hardware between the usb port and the usb cable) and is also vulnerable to any simulation of the device (this part you can fix it by applying all the methods against brute force method)</p> <p>For instance: <a href="https://solisystems.com/fingervein/index.php?gclid=CM6CuaTjg8gCFUbmwgod5XgOcA" rel="nofollow">https://solisystems.com/fingervein/index.php?gclid=CM6CuaTjg8gCFUbmwgod5XgOcA</a></p>

263

2015-09-15T20:15:26.773

|fingerprint-scanner|

<p>I would like to ask you about some external fingerprint scanner with a higher level of security than typical built-in reader.</p> <p>I have been using several notebooks with built-in fingerprint scanner but it was quite easy to cheat them (I cannot really rely on them as at the first line of defense). In many cases it was not too restrictive when it comes to accuracy of reading, even if the settings of the hardware were selected to the highest level of "security".</p> <p>Do you have any experience with external fingerprint scanners? Is it worth putting some interest in this topic? Could you recommend something? The price is not the most important, what is important is accuracy (not accepting fake but resembling fingerprints).</p>

External fingerprint scanner with high fingerprint detection accuracy

<p>I have a <a href="https://www.blinkstick.com/products/blinkstick-square" rel="noreferrer">BlinkStick Square</a>. They have a large variety of <a href="https://www.blinkstick.com/products/overview" rel="noreferrer">products</a> (including an enclosure for my Square that I just noticed). </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/o9UG8.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/o9UG8.jpg" alt="BlinkStick Square"></a></p> <p>The Square has 8 LEDs and each are <a href="https://github.com/arvydas/blinkstick-python/wiki/BlinkStick-Pro%3A-Change-Color-of-a-Single-LED" rel="noreferrer">addressable individually</a>. The Square comes pre-assembled. There are other products that provide you with the parts so that you can build it. </p> <p>The API supports a <a href="https://www.blinkstick.com/help/api-implementations" rel="noreferrer">number of languages</a> (including <a href="https://github.com/arvydas/blinkstick-python" rel="noreferrer">Python</a> and <a href="https://github.com/arvydas/blinkstick-ruby" rel="noreferrer">Ruby</a>). You can also control it <a href="https://www.blinkstick.com/help/control" rel="noreferrer">remotely</a> by connecting to the BlinkStick web service.</p>

283

2015-09-16T16:53:21.520

|usb|osx|led|

<p>I'd like to have a simple LED light that I can control from my computer (2012 MacBook Pro). I've heard of Kickstarter projects like <a href="http://buy.thingm.com/blink1"><code>blink(1)</code></a>, but I don't want to have it stuck right up against my computer. If anyone has experience with these, I'd love to here it.</p> <p>Ideally, I'd like to have three or four of these that are individually controllable so that I could make a 'flowchart'-type thing for deployments. For example, a simple Capistrano Rails deployment:</p> <ul> <li>One light for a good connection to the server</li> <li>Another light for a good pull</li> <li>One for migrations and asset precompiling finishing</li> <li>Another for complete success of everything</li> </ul> <p>I would write the code to make all this happen, of course. I just need the hardware.</p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Be able to output some noticable amount of light.</li> <li>Since I'm going to be using a few of these, they should be individually addressable and the addresses remain consistent over time.</li> <li>Work over, at most, a single USB port with an expander. I don't have a whole horde of USB ports to use. Bluetooth and wall-power would be even better, but that's probably pushing the price up.</li> <li>Have a sane API, ideally something that can be run in bash.</li> <li>Work with OS X / Ubuntu. OS X is a requirement, Ubuntu would be a plus.</li> <li>Be under $20 each. Ideally much, much less</li> </ul> <p>Nice-to-have:</p> <ul> <li>Colored, but that's not a requirement. A single white-or-yellow color is fine.</li> <li>Preassembled. Solder scares me, but I'll use it if I have to. </li> </ul>

Simple-to-use API-controllable LED light(s)?

<p>If you want to consolidate remote controls, I always recommend a <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-us/harmony-remotes" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Logitech Harmony</a>. There are various models that have additional features (ie. touch screens, how many devices it can control at once, quick setup, etc.)</p> <p>One awesome thing about all models of the Harmony, is that they all use the same database for compatibility. You can search if your devices are available: <a href="https://support.myharmony.com/en-gb/compatibility?utm_source=logitech.com&amp;utm_medium=promo&amp;utm_content=pdp%20-%20footer&amp;utm_campaign=compatibility%20lookup&amp;WT.ac=ps%7C11364%7Clphmcomp-CTA1" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>. Logitech boasts of <a href="http://forums.logitech.com/t5/Harmony-Remotes/Harmony-Remote-FAQ-Misunderstandings-and-Tips/td-p/211978" rel="nofollow noreferrer">compatibility</a> with 250K+ devices across 7K manufacturers. Chances are high that it is compatible by default. If not, you can still program it using a device's original remote.</p> <p>Personally, I have the <a href="http://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/harmony-remote-650?crid=60" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Harmony 650</a>. </p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJXf6.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/zJXf6.jpg" alt="Harmony 650"></a></p> <p>I use it to control a television, receiver, bluray player and stereo. Set up of each device to use the Harmony takes a little bit of time but once a the Harmony knows the device and the on/off macros I use to get everything on and how I want it when I sit to relax, it's very nice. </p>

285

2015-09-16T18:54:04.233

|remote-control|television|

<p>I lost my LG sound bar remote before I moved. Prior to moving I had DIRECTV and could use their remote to control the volume on the sound bar while performing all of the satellite functionalities I needed.</p> <p>After moving I switched providers, this company uses TiVo. When they came and set everything up the remote was not programmed for the sound bar. I tried manually setting it but wasn't able to find the correct codes as well as finding the specific remote model that they gave me.</p> <p>Is there a specific universal remote control that will allow me to connect to my TV, sound bar, and TiVo receiver?</p>

Remote for LG TV, LG Soundbar, and TiVo box

<p>Kingston Digital USB 3.0 Super Speed Multi-Card Reader for SD/SDHC/SDXC/microSD/MS/Compact Flash CF Cards (FCR-HS4)</p> <p>Manufacturer page: <a href="https://www.kingston.com/US/flash/readers/FCR-HS4" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.kingston.com/US/flash/readers/FCR-HS4</a><br> Amazon page: <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00VAGX6MW" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VAGX6MW</a></p> <p>Meets all your requirements and I have used it successfully with Linux Kernels beginning with 4.4, 4.8, 4.10, and several newer kernels. </p> <p>It is fast and reliable with all cards I have used up to 256GB. </p>

289

2015-09-16T22:13:55.043

|linux|microsd|memory-card|sdxc|

<p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Works properly with Linux 4.9 kernel</li> <li>Easy to insert/remove card</li> <li>SDXC card support (64-128GB cards)</li> <li>SDHC card support</li> </ul> <p>Nice to have features:</p> <ul> <li>USB 3.0 interface/speed</li> <li>Separate slot for SD and microSD cards (no need for an adapter)</li> </ul> <p>I have tried a few SD card readers but none of them worked properly with older Linux kernels/distributions. Usually they recognized the reader and the memory card but there were unreadable files and IO errors. As far as I remember they worked well with Windows so I guess it was a driver bug in Linux.</p>

SDXC/microSDXC memory card reader for older Linux kernels

<p>Whenever I hear "heatsink" I immediately think of the <a href="http://www.coolermaster.com/cooling/cpu-air-cooler/hyper-212-evo/" rel="nofollow">Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO</a> (~$30). I, along with tons of other people, will instantly recommend this over anything else. It's actually gained sort of a cult following for how great it is.</p> <ul> <li>Fits LGA 2011 sockets and many others</li> <li>2x120mm fans (600-2000 RPM)</li> <li>9-36dB &mdash; 9dB on the lowest setting is <strong>insanely quiet</strong>, 36dB is still great too</li> <li>Four pipes and the large number of aluminum fins directly remove heat for faster cooling</li> <li>Outstanding performance for pretty much any workload</li> </ul> <p>And of course, temperature management is awesome for the price. <a href="http://www.ocinside.de/media/uploads/cpu_cooler_compare_full_rpm.jpg" rel="nofollow">This graph</a> shows the 212 EVO's idle and load temperatures compared to others of the same capacity. It isn't the coolest heatsink on the market right now &mdash; you can get unimaginably cool ones now &mdash; but since heatsinks are, after all, all about temperature, price goes way up as temp goes down. The 212 EVO sits at above average in every category.</p>

294

2015-09-17T03:32:58.443

|gaming|heat-sink|

<p>I am going to be building a computer for a college student. He is going into general engineering while he figures out exactly what he wants to do. The budget for this computer is about $1500 USD (just for the tower). This computer will be running Windows 10. He will be using this computer for school work and for gaming. </p> <p>From my previous <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/q/239/60">question</a>, it looks like I will be getting an <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117402&amp;cm_re=LGA2011-_-19-117-402-_-Product" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Intel i7 5820K Haswell</a>. The only problem is that it doesn't come with a heat sink. In my previous builds, the stock cooler was enough to get the job done. </p> <p>As I will not be overclocking the system, air cooling should be enough. The heat sink must fit the LGA 2011-v3 socket. The case that all of this goes in will be no smaller than an ATX Mid case.</p> <p>Since there are many options, I will try to narrow it down. I don't care about the noise level, as long as it doesn't sound like a jet engine. It should be more effective at cooling than the average heat sink. I am hoping that I can purchase one for less than $50.</p> <p>Which heat sinks are worthy of a recommendation?</p>

Good heatsink for socket LGA 2011-v3?

<p>I recommend Square's <a href="https://squareup.com/reader" rel="nofollow noreferrer">card reader</a>. You can get the magstripe reader for free from Square. This should imply to you that most of their service is on the software side. They also advertise a <a href="https://squareup.com/contactless-chip-reader" rel="nofollow noreferrer">contactless reader</a> for NFC and chip cards as "coming soon", though you can reserve it for free. If you don't care about the "contactless" part, they have a reader that will read the new chip cards already available for $30.</p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LIZQC.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/LIZQC.jpg" alt="Square Reader"></a></p> <p>I have had the magstripe reader for a few years. I use it for personal payments. It's supported every Android device I've had since the OS was version 2.0. It also supports my iPad and has run just fine through all OS upgrades in the last few years.</p> <p>They have <a href="https://squareup.com/shop" rel="nofollow noreferrer">additional</a> software related features you may find useful, though I can't vouch for any of those. These include a full PoS system, employee management, a market place and the ability to set up an online store through them. </p> <p>Importantly, their <a href="https://squareup.com/pricing" rel="nofollow noreferrer">rates</a> are reasonable (for my limited use):</p> <ul> <li>Per swipe, sale on the Online store or Square Invoices: <em>2.75%</em> (Swipe in $100, and you get $97.25)</li> <li>Per manually entered transaction: <em>3.5% + 15 cents</em> (Enter $100 and you get $96.35)</li> </ul> <p>Both methods accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express (with the same rates). Deposits go into your bank account within two business days. </p> <p>As I said above, I use my Square reader for personal things. Usually payments among friends/family. I've also used it when hosting a garage sale. I feel that was very helpful in getting rid of more "stuff", compared to previous years where I didn't use the reader. Square will email a receipt to the customer and Square protects you for a small amount of charge backs (though, I have never used this feature).</p>

298

2015-09-17T08:09:17.393

|android|point-of-sale|

<p>I along with my friends are starting up a second-hand book store.</p> <p>So, we want a portable mobile credit card reader, which is easy on the pocket (as we are a startup, we would be able to shell not more than $100)</p> <p>As the store is a portable set-up such that it can be moved easily from a place to another place, a nice, portable and durable reader is preferred.</p> <p>No issues with the compatibility, but an Android compatible device would be preferred in case of a specs tie, as most of the team members have an android device.</p> <hr> <p>From the comments, I came to know that it is called a "<strong>Point of Sale</strong>" machine, just in case it might help while answering.</p>

What are some good mobile credit card readers?

<p>As said in the comments, if you care about the battery life then look at the number of mAh the replacement battery has. The Samsung original battery for Galaxy S4 Mini is 1900 mAh so you want something higher, e.g. <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00IK3EECE" rel="nofollow">Zerolemon Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini 5100mAh</a>. Beware that some batteries are too thick to fit in the original phone case, so they come with a thicker case. Also, there exist a bunch of applications that help detecting which applications take the most of your battery, you might want to optimize on the software side as well.</p>

300

2015-09-17T15:09:47.210

|smartphones|android|

<p>I have a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini phone, and the stock battery doesn't usually last me the full day. Do 3rd party batteries work well? Is there any battery that has a longer life than the stock battery? </p>

Better battery for a Galaxy S4 Mini?

<p><a href="https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi</a></p> <p>This is a list of USB wifi adapters tested by the community.</p> <p>Part of the same website but a specific list</p> <p><a href="https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi/blob/main/home/USB_WiFi_Adapters_that_are_supported_with_Linux_in-kernel_drivers.md" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi/blob/main/home/USB_WiFi_Adapters_that_are_supported_with_Linux_in-kernel_drivers.md</a></p> <p>Each one has extensive notes that are too long to copy and paste here.</p> <p><a href="https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi/blob/main/home/The_Short_List.md" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://github.com/morrownr/USB-WiFi/blob/main/home/The_Short_List.md</a></p> <p>I recommend reading all the information before going out and buying anything.</p> <p>Also contributing your experience to them so no one else buys bad devices.</p>

307

2015-09-17T18:41:14.980

|usb|linux|wifi|network-adapter|

<p>I want to make an AP from a Linux PC with an USB Wi-Fi adapter.</p> <p>My attempts until now weren't really successful; either the driver missed the AP capability feature, or the signal strength was negligible even from the next room.</p> <p>I would be really glad to reduce the costly buy-try-throw cycle, anybody has a good experience with such a thing?</p> <p>If it is impossible (for example the power is not enough on the USB bus), PCI card would be also okay (I've tried one with an Atheros chipset, but the signal strength was with it also negligible).</p> <p>If it needs a little bit of SW/HW hacking, it is not a problem.</p>

USB Wi-Fi stick or PCI Wi-Fi card with AP capability on Linux

<p>although the answer from @JuanCarlosCoto was already accepted, I still must disagree on one point </p> <blockquote> <p>..Bear in mind that whatever external fans you may feasibly buy and install will provide much less efficient cooling than an internal one..</p> </blockquote> <p>An external fan, providing that is is not a blow-fan or fan pad , but an exhaust fan type, can be extremely effective - in fact much more than an internal one due to a much bigger facet surface and possibility to work in much higher speeds .</p> <p><strong>Exhaust type fans</strong> ( sometimes called <strong>Vacuum Air Extracting fans</strong> ) , as opposed to blow-fans or pads, work on a different concept. they are actually sucking heat from the regular exhaust grill , instead of blowing air inside ( or in case of the pads - blowing air on the surfaces of the body ).</p> <p><a href="https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=exhaust%20vacuum%20laptop&amp;safe=active&amp;espv=2&amp;biw=1366&amp;bih=600&amp;source=lnms&amp;tbm=isch&amp;sa=X&amp;ved=0CAYQ_AUoAWoVChMInNi086bOyAIVIxumCh0W5Ane" rel="noreferrer">Typology examples</a> from google images ( but searching for the above terms will yield the same for your favorite search engine )</p> <p>Doing that - they are actually taking advantage of the integral / original aerodynamic and airflow design of the laptop, causing the air to enter and flow over the heat-sink / the processor / GPU in a ,much higher volume / minute capacity ( CMq/sec ) all that through the original air ducts .</p> <p>Several of my laptops have a desktop CPU combined with metal body and and are really hot at times , in fact - so hot that I was more than once inflected with a heat burn ! </p> <p>All the cooling pads I have tried were somewhat of a hoax , never had any real influence ( 3-5 degrees Celsius ) - except making noise .</p> <p>But when I found exhaust fans - the effect was extreme . In my tests , on an HP 8560p , after activating an exhaust fan the temperature on the integrated CPU sensor dropped 30 degrees in 20 sec ( 70's to 40's ) with immediate effect ( meaning the drop started in 1-2 seconds !! ) The second drop took some more time ( about a minute ) but it was so efficient , that the fan had to be stopped due to over - cooling now ! </p> <p>The test was made with a 10,000 max RPM external exhaust fan with 2 automatic adjustable speeds and 125.15CFM ( cubic feet / minute ) or 3.54 CCM ( Cubic Meter / minute ) sized 165×80×48MM 1.9W and cost 8$ !! </p> <p>Another advantage is that these type of fans do not insert dust into your laptop like blow fans, but actually sucking the dust out ! </p> <p>And the best part - they are really cheap, and much more portable than the pads .</p>

324

2015-09-18T00:59:24.470

|usb|laptop|ventilation|

<p>I've got a 13" laptop that I've had for a few years now, and it's been working perfectly until a couple weeks ago. It's a Dell Inspiron laptop.</p> <p>However, a few weeks ago, one of the fan has burnt out, and is completely unusable. As a result, the computer overheats fairly quickly, even on minimal usage. Whenever I open up a browser, or my IDE, I run a deep risk of overheating my computer: and as a result, it shuts down immediately.</p> <p>Are there any good computer fans, ideally powered by USB, that would work as a way to prevent my computer from overheating? It should be able to trap heat effectively from the right side to be vented out. I've got a price range of about $20, and it should be quiet, and durable (last me about 1-2 years) while I wait to get a new laptop :)</p>

External fan for over-heating laptop

<p>I would recommend the <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005NGQWL2" rel="noreferrer">Anker 10-port USB hub</a>.</p> <p>It's a little bit on the expensive side, as it is normally listed for just under $80, but there is a sale on <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B005NGQWL2" rel="noreferrer">Amazon</a> that has it listed for $33. Here are some of the features:</p> <ul> <li>Data Transfer to 5 Gb/s on all 7 available ports. </li> <li>3 Additional "charging" ports that provide 2.1A so they can easily charge your phones, and your tablets.</li> <li>4.4 stars from 1100 reviews, I've got to say that's pretty good :)</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYz1G.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/lYz1G.jpg" alt="The Ultimate USB Fashion Statement"></a></p> <p>It looks fairly good as well, not ugly like a lot of other multi hubs. Hope that works out for you :)</p>

341

2015-09-19T03:45:42.937

|usb|hub|

<p>I'm looking for an external USB 3.0 hub for under $50 USD.</p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>USB 3.0</li> <li>At least 5 ports (More the better)</li> <li>Works on Windows 10</li> <li>External</li> <li>Looks nice mounted in one place (I won't be moving it, so it doesn't need to be portable or small)</li> <li>Able to transfer data to/from PC through multiple ports at once</li> <li>Able to transfer data between ports directly (Ex: from one external HDD to another)</li> </ul> <p>It'd be nice to have an individual power switch for each port, but not required.</p>

Cheap USB 3.0 hub

<p>Kingston has a few excellent encrypted flash drive solutions. Their flash drives are always high-quality and are known for their reliability.</p> <p><strong><a href="http://www.kingston.com/us/usb/encrypted_security#dtvp30">Kingston DataTraveler Vault Privacy 3.0</a></strong><br> Their basic encrypted flash drive. (~$60 for 16GB)</p> <ul> <li>encryption certified by FIPS 197 standard</li> <li>optional antivirus (I can't attest to the usefulness of this)</li> </ul> <p><strong><a href="http://www.kingston.com/us/usb/encrypted_security#dt4000G2">Kingston DataTraveler 4000 G2</a></strong><br> Their advanced encrypted flash drive. (~$70 for 16GB)</p> <ul> <li>encryption certified by FIPS 140-2 Level 3, a higher standard than FIPS 197</li> <li>waterproof and titanium-coated stainless steel</li> <li>allows bulk-order customization (logo, encryption and password settings, etc.) for businesses</li> <li>a seal that shows signs of tampering if the encryption module is messed with</li> </ul> <p><strong>Features of both models</strong></p> <ul> <li>4GB to 64GB</li> <li>USB 3.0 and 2.0 connectivity</li> <li>built-in 256-bit XTS encryption</li> <li>works with Vista/7/8.1/10, OSX, and Linux</li> <li>optional read-only access mode</li> <li>lockdown/formatting protocol for attempted break-ins</li> <li>password-protected access and optional "dual password" to reset via the OS</li> </ul>

342

2015-09-19T03:57:57.870

|usb|encryption|flash-drive|

<p>I'm looking for a secure USB flash drive that has built-in 256-bit (or greater) encryption.</p> <p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>At least 16GB</li> <li>USB 3.0</li> <li>Completely encrypted without third-party software.</li> <li>Having either actual buttons on the flash drive (for a pin), or having to type in a password when plugged into a computer is fine</li> <li>Works on both Windows (Vista, 7, 8.1, 10) and on GNU/Linux</li> <li>Able to change/customize password or pin</li> <li>Cheaper it is, the better, but no actual limit for the price</li> <li>Unable to delete files/format without the password/pin</li> </ul>

Encrypted flashdrive

<p>If having physical controls on the front of your PC isn't hugely important to you and you are running Windows on your PC, how about a USB fan controller like the <a href="https://www.nzxt.com/product/detail/157-GRID-V2-digital-fan-controller.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">NZXT Grid Plus v2</a>?</p> <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/4rd3s.jpg" alt="NZXT Grid Plus v2 image"></p> <p>Up to 6 fans, uses the temperature sensors already inside your components so you won't need to wire your own in, multiple profiles, custom temperature curves, up to 6 fans, and it all runs off a box that you can just sit somewhere hidden in your case. Also, it's only around $30.</p> <p>As for the CAM software which you use to control the GRID, I have been using it with my NZXT Kraken x61 cooler, and it seems stable, albeit a little bit bloated with ~100MB RAM usage.</p> <p>I know this isn't what you specifically asked for, but it may be worth exploring?</p>

344

2015-09-19T08:17:11.043

|fan-controller|desktop|

<p>I'm looking for a fan controller suitable for a high-end PC with the following specs (all are required):</p> <ul> <li>5.25" form factor</li> <li>Material is either completely or partially metal</li> <li>At least 4 fan channels</li> <li>Temperature alarm system</li> <li>Touchscreen display</li> <li>Profiles/presets for storing settings</li> <li>Shows fan speeds and voltages</li> <li>Grayscale color</li> <li>Can take up more than one front slot</li> </ul> <p>And then there's the design. I'd prefer it to look sleek and minimalistic with an easy-to-quickly-glance-at display.</p> <p>Price isn't an issue.</p>

Fan controller for a high-end PC?

<ol> <li><p>The main problem with pocket-size projectors is that they mostly rely on wireless connection rather than typical interfaces. What is more, low resolution can make subtitles unreadable. </p></li> <li><p>If we are talking about mini projectors, I can suggest <strong><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/ZeleSouris%C2%AE-Multi-media-Projector-Entertainment-Resolution/dp/B00QMDJEUG/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?s=electronics&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1442951211&amp;sr=1-1-fkmr0&amp;keywords=ZeleSouris%C2%AE%20800%20Lumens%20Multi-media%20TFT%20LCD%20Mini%20Projector%20Portable%20LED%20Pocket%20Projector%20with%20HDMI%20%2F%20USB%20%2F%20SD%20%2F%20AV%20Interface%20for%20For%20Game%20Consoles%20%2C%20TV%20%2C%20DVD%20%2C%20PC%20Laptop%20%2C%20Media%20Player%20%2C%20Home%20Cinema%20%2C%20Entertainment%2C%20Maximum%20Resolution%3A%2019201080" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ZeleSouris UC40.</a></strong></p></li> </ol> <p>Pros:</p> <ul> <li>suit for home video playing</li> <li>relatively small (20.1 x 15.3 x 6.7 cm; 998 g)</li> <li>affordable price (~£60 on Amazon + free shipping)</li> <li>multi-function input (HDMI support)</li> <li>keystone correction</li> <li>many available reviews - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqdtmqzhaiI" rel="nofollow noreferrer">check this one</a></li> </ul> <p>Cons:</p> <ul> <li>text display may be tiring for the eyes after a long time</li> <li>fan is quite noisy</li> <li>short power cable</li> <li>quality of the user manual</li> </ul> <p>This <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R1FGZM400NE4HJ/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">review</a> may be especially helpful:</p> <blockquote> <p>Maybe just me, but this was a serious faff to get set up. Firstly, you have to know how you are going to use this kit. I wanted to use my PC. I thought USB to USB but no, that does not work. HDMI cable is the way to go. Then once I got my hands on a cable, the picture was horrible! Then I faffed about some more and found it is the picture ratio that has to be just right. After all this, I get a decent picture. Better user manual would be a good idea. I will probably do a youtube video review/tutorial just to remind myself how to set this thing up.</p> <p>I put a video onto a thumb stick and it played lovely. Hooked up an external hard drive that played well too. I also used it to display my ubuntu desktop. Text display is ok, but I would not like to have to read alot with it. I have my curtains pulled slightly on a bright day and it is plenty bright. One slight niggle is the power cable is very short so you do need an extension lead. The projector does make fan noise but I tend to mentally block it out once I'm watching a movie. I would say it is as loud as or slightly louder than my PC. The lense cover it came with does not stay on, in fact it is not the right cover for this projector. No problem for me as I'm not travelling with it. [...]</p> <p>So to finish, if you have the money go for a high end model. But for what I paid for this I am very happy.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtzYR.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/dtzYR.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RkR0N.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/RkR0N.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

346

2015-09-19T15:30:12.250

|osx|projector|

<p>I'm looking for home mini (or pocket) projector to connect to the laptop and mirror the screen in order to watch videos.</p> <p>I have less requirements than <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/q/247/15">this question</a> and my budget is lower (ideally below $300/£200).</p> <p>Requirements are:</p> <ul> <li>compatible with OS X (MacBook Pro)</li> <li>should be fairly small &mdash; mini- or pocket-size</li> <li>have a standard connection such as HDMI or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini_DisplayPort" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MiniDP</a></li> <li>available in EU/UK/US</li> </ul>

Mini projector for mirroring the screen or watching movies

<p>The accepted answer has been discontinued. I am hoping that someone will post another.</p> <p>In the meantime, there are a few d.i.y projects floating about, like <a href="https://hackaday.io/project/166218-diy-smartglasses-with-the-raspberry-pi" rel="nofollow noreferrer">this one</a> on Hackaday.</p> <p>Or <a href="https://buzzon.live/67161-raspberry-pi-smart-glasses/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Raspberry Pi Smart Glasses</a></p> <p>Hackaday also have a list <a href="https://www.hackster.io/search?i=projects&amp;q=glasses" rel="nofollow noreferrer">glasses-based projects</a>, which might be of interest.</p> <p><a href="https://vrscout.com/news/build-your-own-open-source-ar-headset/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Build Your Own Open-Source AR Headset For Under $80</a></p> <p><a href="https://blog.adafruit.com/2021/07/21/diy-e-d-i-t-h-glasses-wearablewednesday/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DIY E.D.I.T.H. Glasses #WearableWednesday</a></p> <p><a href="https://learn.adafruit.com/diy-wearable-pi-near-eye-kopin-video-glasses" rel="nofollow noreferrer">DIY Wearable Pi with Near-Eye Video Glasses</a> from AdaFruit.</p> <p><a href="https://mbc-web.org/diy-smart-glasses-raspberry-pi/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Diy Smart Glasses Raspberry Pi 2021</a></p> <p>No doubt there are more, but I am not sure if OP (who hasn't logged in in two years) would accept a DIY solution. But, hopefully, some of this will help someone.</p>

347

2015-09-19T15:45:35.317

|wearable-technology|

<p>Since Google announced that it would stop producing the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Glass">Google Glass</a> technology, are there any alternatives on the market?</p> <p>My requirements are:</p> <ul> <li>modest design,</li> <li>good open-source API/SDK with the community support,</li> <li>built-in camera,</li> <li>display,</li> <li>integration with mobile smart apps</li> </ul>

What are the alternatives to Google Glass?

<p>I recommend the <a href="https://en.avm.de/service/fritzbox/fritzbox-3370/overview/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FritzBox 3370</a> (tech specs <a href="https://www.router-faq.de/?id=fbinfo&amp;hwf=fbwlan3370#fbwlan3370" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>, although in German).</p> <p><strong>Reasons:</strong></p> <ul> <li><p><strong>4 Ethernet ports.</strong> All are Gigabit Ethernet (1000BASE-T).</p></li> <li><p><strong>Great signal coverage with external antennas.</strong> You would have to add external antennas, which is possible without permanent modifications, for example with the <a href="https://frixtender.de/shop/router-liste/frixtender-set-7390/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Frixtender</a> products. You can add multiple different ones with different characteristics depending on your local situation. (I did not personally use the Friztender items so far, but added a similar aftermarket antenna to a FritzBox, and it works ….)</p></li> <li><p><strong>Dual band wifi.</strong> In case your wifi signal strength issues are related to having "too many neighboring wifis" with no locally unused, interference free channel left for you, then you can simply switch from the crowded 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz band to the 802.11a 5.0 GHz band. Range (esp. with obstacles) is less due to the higher frequency, but speed at limited range may be way better due to less RF noise.</p></li> <li><p><strong>Supported by OpenWrt.</strong> <a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/avm/fritz.box.wlan.3370#hardware_mods" rel="nofollow noreferrer">See here</a>.</p></li> <li><p><strong>Internal DSL modem.</strong> Not too important, but saves one device. However I am not (yet) sure if OpenWrt supports the internal DSL modem. It does so for some FritzBoxes like the 7130 (<a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/start?dataflt%5BBrand*~%5D=avm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">see</a>). If not, the LAN1 port of the FritzBox can be used as WAN port and a DSL modem can be connected there (<a href="https://avm.de/service/fritzbox/fritzbox-3370/wissensdatenbank/publication/show/265_FRITZ-Box-fuer-Betrieb-mit-anderem-DSL-Modem-einrichten/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">see</a>, in German though).</p></li> <li><p><strong>Great price: 10 EUR.</strong> This is a product that did cost 180 EUR new, but the manufacturer support ended (no matter when you're on OpenWWrt anyway) and a lot of these are in the market from subsidized DSL contracts. So you can get lots of these for 10 EUR incl. shipment, for example on ebay.de. (I do not expect any problems with used, older FritzBox devices. One of them (model 7050) at my place is in use since 2005.)</p></li> </ul> <p><strong>Method of search.</strong> I selected AVM FritzBox as a brand that is good quality and usually supplies DSL routers that come subsidized with people's broadband contracts in my area (Germany …), as that makes very cheap prices probable. Then I looked through <a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/start?dataflt%5BBrand*~%5D=avm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">all FritzBoxes supported by OpenWrt</a> and found the 3370 to be the only dual-band wifi router among them with 4 Ethernet ports and a great price tag.</p> <p>&nbsp; There are similar FritzBoxes that add an analog phone port but only provide 802.11b/g/n 2.4 GHz wifi and less than 4xGbit Ethernet (FritzBox <a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/avm/avm_fritz_box_7320" rel="nofollow noreferrer">7320</a>, <a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/avm/fritz.box.wlan.7330" rel="nofollow noreferrer">7330</a>, <a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/avm/fritz.box.wlan.7360" rel="nofollow noreferrer">7360</a>). (No match. Esp. since now that most domestic phone connections are SIP anyway, I'd rather choose a native SIP phone instead of combining it with a FritzBox.) And again others that are the same but without phone and internal DSL modem (FritzBox <a href="https://openwrt.org/toh/avm/fritz.box.4020" rel="nofollow noreferrer">4020</a>). </p> <p>&nbsp; Only the relatively new <a href="https://www.router-faq.de/?id=fbinfo&amp;hwf=fb4040#fb4040" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FritzBox 4040</a> comes close again. Unlike the 3370, it does not have a DSL modem but an Ethernet WAN port – not an issue, as an external DSL modem can be connected to the WAN port when needed. Adding external antennas is also possible (<a href="https://frixtender.de/kompatibilitaet-der-fritzbox-4040/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">see</a>). It is however five times more expensive (50 EUR used on ebay.de right now) for basically no extra hardware features over the FritzBox 3370, except for "guest wifi". So my choice is quite clear :-)</p>

353

2015-09-19T23:57:18.653

|router|wireless|

<p>My current router is just not cutting it. It has limited ports (only 2 to be exact) and the signal is horrible.</p> <p>Here's my situation: </p> <p>I live in a two-story house which the builder has placed all my cable wires and Ethernet cables in an encasement upstairs in the master bedroom closet. The signal from my bedroom upstairs is horrible however downstairs is much better. I've read somewhere it is better to place the router downstairs so the signal can move upwards but in my situation that is not possible. </p> <p>What I need in a new router:</p> <ul> <li>multiple Ethernet ports</li> <li>great signal throughout the entire house (even in a room that might be a few walls away from the router itself)</li> <li>secure of course</li> <li>not too big so it can fit in the encasement which is about 2x3'</li> <li>a plus if it supports open-source firmware such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DD-WRT">DD-WRT</a> or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomato_(firmware)">Tomato</a></li> <li>cost-effective</li> </ul> <p>The main part is the signal! I don't really want to buy a range extender unless I have to!</p>

Good cost-effective router

<p>An alternative which you should consider is moving to a server-client model for your calculations, performing the calculations on a powerful desktop and accessing the results remotely. </p> <p>The desktop, being relatively free from the restrictions of cooling and weight, can be configured to be almost an order of magnitude more powerful than the best laptop. Dual Xeon setups with 3 or 4 graphics cards come to mind. </p> <p>However, in order for remote access to work well, you need to have a reliable internet connection (data or wifi). If you can obtain a high speed internet connection that you can reliably access from any of the places you frequent, you should seriously consider that as an option. </p> <p>Many 3G/4G operators have data plans which you can use in your laptop either as a built-in or using a USB data modem, and the main stumbling block here is likely to be the coverage of their services. </p>

354

2015-09-20T12:10:42.750

|laptop|

<p>What are the laptops which are most suited for data scientists and analysts?</p> <p>As we deal with heavy computations and also need to generate visualizations, something which can take the toll of it, would be recommended.</p> <p>Would be preferred if it can help in handling Big Data analytics too.</p> <p>Even though the analytics is done in the Map Reduce framework (or distributed computing), yet the computations are heavy and time taking and also slows down the laptop in most cases.</p> <p>So, a laptop with features and OS which is most suited to handle such things gracefully is recommended.</p> <p>[Price not an issue]</p>

Laptop for data science

<p>I recommend the IPS <a href="http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00D6L4Y9I/" rel="nofollow">ASUS VX239H</a>, €179 at Amazon.de. It has an IPS panel, which has better colour accuracy and viewing angles. It's quite slim, and consumes less than 22 W, according to ASUS. The brightness is 250 nits, not stellar, but it should be sufficient indoors. It does have internal speakers though. The 5 ms response time is good for IPS monitors, and you shouldn't notice nay ghosting when gaming</p> <p><a href="https://www.asus.com/Monitors/VX239H/overview/" rel="nofollow">Here's the ASUS's product page</a>, if you want to know anything else. I'm fairly sure it meets all your requirements. Different sized monitors could be confusing, but you should get used to it after a while, if you use your computer a lot.</p>

355

2015-09-20T16:05:10.093

|gaming|monitors|multiple-monitors|

<p>I'm searching for a good monitor for my PC. I currently own a 21,5" ASUS monitor, which is fine; I'm planning on using the one I currently own as a second monitor and get a new one as my main monitor. I'm willing to pay up to 200 €. I want something that's a little bigger than my current one, maybe 23 - 27" tops. It will be used for gaming and all kinds of office applications as well as graphic design (I'm a heavy user). Because of the latter, it should offer adjustable color modes (or at least some reasonable presets) and be energy-efficient. Full HD resolution (1920x1080), not more and not less. 16/9 aspect ratio is a requirement, I don't want 16/10. Must be available to buy in Germany, no imports. Needs to accept HDMI input, DVI is optional. <strong>Edit:</strong> I don't need internal speakers!</p> <p>Two questions:</p> <ul> <li>Which monitors that fit these parameters can you recommend?</li> <li>To everyone who has worked with multiple monitors before: Do you think it is important that both monitors are the same size? Is it confusing if one is bigger than the other one (or bad for the eyes or something like that)?</li> </ul> <p>Feel free to point out if I missed some important parameter. Thanks!</p>

A good monitor as the main one of a two-monitor setup

<p>With these fairly low requirements, any of the mid-range ARM boards would fit, so you might as well go for a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi">Raspberry Pi</a> by default. (Model 2, the earlier models aren't worth the slightly lower price.) The reference price for just the board is $35, plus a power supply gets you <ul> <li>4 USB2 ports (keyboard, mouse, external drive, 1 spare or wifi)</li> <li>100 MB Ethernet — on the USB bus, so not ideal for heavy duty storage server, but ok for downloading stuff over a typical home Internet connection.</li> <li>Jack and HDMI audio output.</li> <li>Lower power consumption than the external hard disk.</li> </ul> <p>The CPU is not nearly as fast as the latest Intel offering, obviously, but it's enough to run ordinary Ruby programs and do C compilations. (I wouldn't do big C++ or Java compilations though, but more than the CPU, the limiting factor is that there's only 1 GB of RAM).</p> <p>Since this is well under budget, you might consider a higher-end ARM board. 64-bit ARM boards (ARMv8) within your budget are starting to appear. (Of course, that's if you want 64-bit for some reason, not if you specifically need x86_64.) There's at least <a href="https://www.96boards.org/products/ce/hikey/">HiKey</a> board is attempting to be a <a href="https://www.linux.com/news/embedded-mobile/mobile-linux/810613-linaro-launches-96boards-sbc-standard-and-first-armv8-board">reference 64-bit board</a>. <a href="http://www.cnx-software.com/2015/02/09/hikey-board-64-bit-arm-development-board/">It has</a> a 1.2 GHz Cortex-A53, built-in USB2 and wifi, HDMI, 4 GB of onboard flash memory. There's also the cheaper <a href="https://parts.arrow.com/item/detail/arrow-development-tools/dragonboard410c?utm_source=product-page&amp;utm_medium=96boards&amp;utm_term=organic&amp;utm_content=dragonboard40c&amp;utm_campaign=dragonboard410c-arrow#GGMR">Dragonboard 410C</a>, with 8 GB of onboard flash, 4 USB ports and wifi. Unfortunately both have only 1 GB of RAM, at which point there are few benefits 64-bit CPU (there can still be benefits from other architectural improvements such as extra registers and cryptographic accelerators). I can't seem to find an affordable 64-bit board with 2 GB or 4 GB of RAM. You may want to start out with a 32-bit, 1 GB board now and use the rest of the price for a 64-bit board in a year or so if you find the need.</p>

362

2015-09-20T23:36:48.087

|server|linux|

<p>I'm currently using a Ye Olde <a href="http://www.engadget.com/products/hp/compaq/nc6220/specs/">HP Compaq nc6220</a> running Ubuntu Server 15.04 as a server to run odd jobs in my closet. It's doing fine, but the room can get a little toasty (which is fine) and I'm fairly certain it's not the most energy efficient setup.</p> <p>Some examples of the odd jobs I run on it:</p> <ul> <li>Downloading the SE data dump about twice a year to a big external hard drive (it's around a 30GB dump) over a torrent</li> <li>Playing music through a 3.5mm headphone jack throughout the day, managed by a cron job</li> <li>Running a very, <em>very</em> low volume Apache server (it's on my local network, so this is basically no load beyond the base Apache-running load)</li> <li>Running low-volume Rails apps</li> <li>Testing whatever else I want</li> </ul> <p>Since it's running Ubuntu Server, I can run almost anything on it. The issue I'm running into is running things that require a 64-bit architecture - the nc6220 is 32 bit.</p> <p>So, I need something that:</p> <ul> <li>Is fairly cheap (less than it would cost to run an Amazon EC2 server for a couple years, meaning &lt; $200ish, but I'm flexible on the price</li> <li>Has a 3.5mm headphone jack, or a way to output audio to that in some way (I don't care about it having a speaker)</li> <li>Has a USB port or two, for connecting that external data dump hard drive</li> <li>Has an Ethernet port or WiFi</li> <li>Can run a capable version of Linux - defined as being able to run Rails apps and compile C programs.</li> <li>Won't suffocate or melt in a room with terrible ventilation (think about thirty square feet and no airflow)</li> </ul> <p>I'm less concerned about 64-bit compatibility, but it would certainly be a plus. What would work for this?</p>

Energy efficient, low-heat closet-server?

<p>Yes, there are industrial grade touchscreens built exactly for this purpose. I can recommend <a href="https://www.icpdas-usa.com/touch_panel_monitors.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">something in this family</a>. Or you can start your own search on big industrial supplier's sites like <a href="https://www.digikey.com/en/products/filter/human-machine-interface-hmi/946?s=N4IgTCBcDaIC4HsCuBjAFgZxQJwKa4DsACEAXQF8g" rel="nofollow noreferrer">digikey</a> or <a href="https://www.alliedelec.com/plcs-hmis/hmi-displays/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Allied Electronics</a>.</p>

363

2015-09-21T01:21:27.397

|touchscreen|point-of-sale|

<p>My goal is to develop an interactive kiosk with only touchscreen available to visitors for a local museum. I must admit that I'm a freshman in this part of hardware world, but I really like the sound of this challenge, so I need to get some info/advice first about kiosk's components.</p> <p>Regarding to the software part, I'm going to use an Arch Linux OS and develop my own kiosk software for the most minimalistic framework possible. I opt for making an app based on WebGL (because I believe this is my forte), so WebGL Hardware Acceleration must be supported by GPU. In case WebGL would be too heavy, my emergency plan is to build a good HTML site or a standalone Java app (which could be the hardest way, but more efficient).</p> <p>So now about the hardware: The first thing that interests me the most are touchscreens - is there a special type of them, i.e. industrial ones, that are appropriate for this purpose? Where to find them and which one would you recommend me?</p> <p>The computer is covered here <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/382/choosing-the-right-hardware-for-an-interactive-kiosk-computer">Choosing the right hardware for an interactive kiosk - computer</a></p>

Choosing the right hardware for an interactive kiosk - screen

<p>There are a lot of SBCs (Single Board Computers) similar or competitive to the Raspberry Pi that will fulfill your requests. They are pretty broad, and the market is pretty hot right now, so you have lots of options. Like most, I've played around mostly with Raspberry Pis of various sort. Aside from the B, B+, and 2, you have:</p> <ol> <li>I have an <a href="http://ameridroid.com/products/odroid-c1" rel="nofollow">ODROID C1+</a>, and it has greater specs than the Raspberry Pi 2, with which it competes. I loaded Android to it, but it also has Ubuntu available.</li> <li>I have a Beaglebone (I don't think it's the <a href="http://beagleboard.org/black" rel="nofollow">black version</a> though), but I have not done anything with it. It's somewhat competitive in features with Raspberry Pis, I think the original B and the B+. This device is usually meant to run headless, though they do have HDMI ports.</li> <li>I have a <a href="https://www.raspberrypi.org/products/pi-zero/" rel="nofollow">Raspberry Pi Zero</a>, which is neat. I don't think it has any lower power conspumption, and it's required adapters may negate the savings of the board itself, but it is physically small, which may be a boon for your project.</li> <li>I have looked at the <a href="http://www.banana-pi.com/eacp_view.asp?id=35" rel="nofollow">Banana Pi</a> whilest browsing SBCs.</li> <li>Continuing with the fruit pies, is the <a href="http://www.orangepi.org/" rel="nofollow">Orange Pi</a>, another full featured cheap SBC, though this one makes a point of being extremely low cost.</li> <li>The <a href="http://www.linksprite.com/linksprite-pcduino/" rel="nofollow">pcDuino</a> combines an arduino and PC components and has various flavors including USB ports.</li> <li><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598272670/chip-the-worlds-first-9-computer/" rel="nofollow">The CHIP computer</a> is a $9 SBC that hasn't started fully shipping yet, but it's another low cost, low power SBC sure to catch your eye. They should start taking regular orders in the fall if I recall correctly.</li> </ol> <p>SBCs all have slightly different features, which is good and bad. I have come across a blog that keeps up with all sorts of little devices called <a href="http://liliputing.com/" rel="nofollow">Liliputing</a>. You could scroll through it and see if there are any other devices which might suit your tastes.</p> <p><strong>EDIT</strong></p> <p>Mark mentioned community support. I've seen some grumblings in the FOSS communities that people don't understand the allure of the Raspberry Pi, because there are more powerful, more feature rich alternatives. Keep in mind that while the community is large, a good chunk of it are n00bs asking the same questions over and over again presumably getting stuck on known issues. Those known issues can be with the OS, the board, or while they are trying to realign the squishy parts to wrap their squishy part around the concept of Linux and/or Linux around the Pi. My point is that a community of problems is not a beneficial community to the newcomer. I'm a newcomer, and this is my gripe. Also, I imagine that a lot fo Raspberry Pi How tos will work on other similar SBCs.</p>

365

2015-09-21T01:27:05.187

|usb|linux|

<p>Can anyone recommend some hardware which meets the following criteria:</p> <ul> <li>USB port (more than 1 would be handy but a USB hub could always be used)</li> <li>Suitable for running a reasonably small Linux distribution (No GUI needed. Want to run MySQL and some other custom bits. I'm not quite sure how one goes about installing Linux and configuring on a device without a video out.)</li> <li>Reasonably small (thinking a small router)</li> <li>Low power consumption (less than 10W, ideally closer to 1W)</li> </ul> <p>Just a little background: I'm currently working on some home automation projects and having some USB/serial devices I want to capture data from and log to MySQL.</p>

Recommendation for low-power, cheap, USB-capable hardware to run Linux

<p>You might consider looking for a used point of sale system. I've played with PARs, Microses, and Alohas and have never had any trouble with Debian. Even the touchscreens generally work with out of the box installations. Certainly not as fuel efficient as a Pi (though POSes do still use processors designed for efficiency rather than performance), but definitely a little more robust. They also depreciate VERY quickly. You can get one with decent processing power for cheap on the ebay, and parts for the more popular models are usually plentiful.</p>

382

2015-09-21T17:52:58.940

|pc|point-of-sale|embedded-systems|

<p>My goal is to develop an interactive kiosk with only touchscreen available to visitors for a local museum. I must admit that I'm a freshman in this part of hardware world, but I really like the sound of this challenge, so I need to get some info/advice first about kiosk's components.</p> <p>Regarding to the software part, I'm going to use an Arch Linux OS and develop my own kiosk software for the most minimalistic framework possible. I opt for making an app based on WebGL (because I believe this is my forte), so WebGL Hardware Acceleration must be supported by GPU. In case WebGL would be too heavy, my emergency plan is to build a good HTML site or a standalone Java app (which could be the hardest way, but more efficient).</p> <p>So now about the hardware: </p> <p>The screen is covered here <a href="https://hardwarerecs.stackexchange.com/questions/363/choosing-the-right-hardware-for-an-interactive-kiosk-screen">Choosing the right hardware for an interactive kiosk - screen</a></p> <p>Next, what about the computer? I thought about something like Hummingbird i2 or Cubox-i4Pro so it would support at least OpenGL 2.0, Wi-Fi adapter, keyboard and all those things and which would be ready to install the OS on it. Also it needs to be compatible with the chosen touchscreen.</p>

Choosing the right hardware for an interactive kiosk - computer

<p>I am not sure how a $800 graphics card would go in a $1500 computer. One can technically buy it, but without a good motherboard, powersupply, CPU, RAM, HDD, and most importantly a case, it's just going to be a super expensive paperweight.</p> <p>For $1500, assuming you spend two-thirds of the budget for the rest of the build, a GTX 980 would be a good bet. You can find one from EVGA for $510: <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487079" rel="nofollow">http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487079</a></p> <p>The rest of the build could include a i5 4690K/6600K, a Z97/Z170 based motherboard, a 650W power supply, 16GB RAM and a 250GB/1TB SSD/HDD combo. Plus a CPU cooler, a good case and a couple of case fans.</p> <p>If you're looking for a lot of tasks beyond simple gaming, a i7 4790k/6700k would also be a good idea.</p>

385

2015-09-21T21:44:30.300

|gaming|graphics-cards|rendering|

<p>I am going to be building a computer for a college student. He is going into general engineering while he figures out exactly what he wants to do. The budget for this computer is about $1500 USD (just for the tower). This computer will be running Windows 10. He will be using this computer for school work and for gaming.</p> <p>He is hasn't decided if he wants to do any type of rendering yet, so to be safe, lets assume he will be. The graphics card doesn't have to be a power renderer, just something to get the job done.</p> <p><strong>Requirements</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Must be the latest generation of GPU chips. I would like this to last as long as possible for him.</li> <li>Can play most modern games on at least medium settings.</li> <li>Can help him with at least some of his course work. (I do not know what programs he will use. I also do not know how intensive his work will be.)</li> <li>Support for two 1080p monitors</li> <li>PCI Express 3.0 x16</li> <li>At least 2GB GDDR5</li> <li>Price &lt; $800 USD</li> </ul> <p>It would be nice to have it support two 4K monitors in case he wants to upgrade, but it is not a requirement.</p>

Graphics card for new college computer

<p>I would recommend something in the GTX 900 series, or the R9 200 or 300 series. </p> <p>If you want the most power possible, the R9 390 and the GTX 970 are both incredibly powerful cards, and just about equal in terms of performance. The only downside is they are <em>just</em> above your price range. (a quick search on google shopping shows most of them to be around 300-350) If you can find a good deal on one of these, that is probably your best option. It seems like the 390 is just slightly more powerful, but the 970 is more power-efficient. (I've also heard that the 970 has better overclocking, but I'm not positive on that.</p> <p>If you're willing to sacrifice a little bit of performance to stay in your budget, your best option is probably the R9 290. (Which just so happens to be my current GPU) It is almost comparable to the GTX 970, but significantly cheaper. (You could probably get one for $250)</p>

388

2015-09-22T08:24:03.477

|pc|gaming|graphics-cards|

<p>I have an opportunity to buy a used <a href="http://www.dell.com/us/dfb/p/precision-t5400/pd" rel="noreferrer">Dell T5400</a> for a very reasonable price. </p> <pre><code> CPU: Xeon E5420 Clock: 2500 Mhz Cores: 4 - Quad Core RAM: 4GB DDR3 Disk: 250GB GPU: nVidia Quadro NVS DMS-&gt;2x DVI OS: Windows 8.1 Professional </code></pre> <p>Obviously this is a work computer. The gfx card is really not fit for gaming (I have the very same model at work, just with 20GB of RAM, tried running some games and the framerate is abysmal). Most likely I'd purchase more RAM, and moving disks from the old computer I'd have some 1.5TB of storage. But the primary decision for now is the gfx card. </p> <p>My budget for the gfx card is around $250-$300. The primary use would be games, with some graphics editing, programming and home use on the side.</p> <p>Which gfx card that fits that model, that would fit within the budget would provide optimal gaming performance?</p>

How to turn Dell Precision T5400 into a gaming computer?

<p>Another vote for the i7-4790K: I tried to make an i7-6700K machine to outperform it. Both CPUs were delidded — (CL Liquid Pro put between die &amp; IHS) — and overclocked as far as I could reliably go with Noctua NH-D14 &amp; Vcore=1.275).</p> <p>I got to 4.5/4.4/4.4/4.4GHz (1/2/3/4 cores active) on the 6700, and used DDR4 3000 (CL15). With the 4790K, I was able to get 4.9/4.8/4.7/4.7GHz, and used DDR3 2400 (CL10).</p> <p>In both single-thread and overall (Passmark) CPU benchmarks, the 4790 bested the 6700, not by <em>a ton</em>, but...</p>

391

2015-09-22T13:54:34.430

|pc|processor|

<p>Which of modern (desktop PC) CPUs would provide best performance in single-threaded applications?</p> <p>There are some games that haven't been optimized for multi-core use, and the CPU speed is their bottleneck (for physics calculations primarily).</p> <p>I know the end of the line in the gigahertz race were Intel's single-core CPUs of over 4GHz, but then the companies began scaling the speed back while adding more cores or features like hyperthreading. Support for these old extra-fast single core CPUs is scarce nowadays, plus older motherboards, slower RAM and AGP cards would create new bottlenecks, so a more modern alternative would be preferred. So, which of modern CPUs is best suited for this kind of operation?</p>

Which modern CPU for best single-threaded performance?

<p><a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B009S7ALH8" rel="nofollow noreferrer">VIVO Triple LCD Monitor Desk Mount</a> seems reasonable.</p> <p>Pros:</p> <ul> <li><strong>VESA Mount (75 X 75 &amp; 100 X 100 mounting holes)</strong></li> <li>Tilt: -15 to +15 Degree - Swivel: 360 Degree - Rotate: 360 Degree</li> <li>Heavy Duty &amp; High Grade Steel and Aluminum</li> <li>Fits Three Screens up to 24</li> <li>Integrated cable management system </li> <li>Monitor can be installed either in portrait or landscape shape </li> <li>Fully adjustable arms </li> <li>Center Post is 18" tall and the mounting brackets are exactly 21" on center (apart)</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/wxe1Em.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/wxe1Em.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3wDLm.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/s3wDLm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

402

2015-09-22T23:48:20.623

|multiple-monitors|monitor-stand|

<p>I currently have 3 <a href="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236059">Asus VH236H</a> monitors. They are spread across my desk and can be hard to work with. I am looking for a stand or mount to bring my monitors closer together. My monitors have the VESA wall mounts.</p> <p><strong>Requirements</strong>:</p> <ul> <li>Must support my three 23 inch, 10 pound monitors</li> <li>Supports independent rotation, tilt, and pivot adjustments</li> <li>Height adjustable</li> <li>Stable</li> <li>NOT wall mounted. This should use the desk for support</li> <li>Less than $250 USD</li> </ul> <p>My desk is not up against the wall and is about 1 1/8 inch thick. It is made of solid wood, so screwing into it (preferably from the bottom) is not a problem. All that I ask is that I do not have to damage the walls.</p>

Monitor stand that supports 3 monitors

<p>Think about <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00BBUCCKO" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Logitech G105</a>. Price: $39.99 .</p> <p>According to your spec:</p> <ul> <li><strong>6 programmable G-keys</strong>: Configure up to 18 unique functions per game, including single key presses, complex macros or intricate Lua scripts* (*Requires software installation)</li> <li>Long-life blue LED backlighting (<strong>Two different brightness levels plus Off</strong>)</li> <li><strong>Quick-access media controls:</strong> volume, mute, start, stop, pause, forward and back functions.</li> <li>It works with Windows 8 and you don't have to care about W10 compatibility. It's more about marketing rather than specific adjustment.</li> <li>Game/desktop switch: Disables the Windows/Context Menu keys to prevent accidental game interruptions</li> <li>It's a full-size keyboard and seems to be solid</li> </ul> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/U7whW.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/U7whW.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><strong>If you want to have an extra USB think about <a href="http://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B009C98NPY" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Logitech G710+</a></strong></p> <p>The nice thing about G710+ is cable routing underneath the keyboard: <a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/k1rmb.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/k1rmb.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p>Check also:</p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUI-htHPUpM" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Logitech G710+ Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Unboxing &amp; First Look Linus Tech Tips</a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8gjgh.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/8gjgh.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

416

2015-09-23T04:28:02.627

|keyboards|windows|led|

<p>I'm looking for a keyboard under $100USD for gaming, programming, and video editing. For these, programmable keys are needed.</p> <p><strong>Requirements:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Extra programmable keys</li> <li>Backlit keys with adjustable brightness(and able to easily turn lights off)</li> <li>Media control buttons (Play/pause/stop/skip)</li> <li>Full sized keyboard (With numpad)</li> <li>Works with Windows 10</li> </ul> <p><strong>Would like, but not required:</strong></p> <ul> <li><p>I've seen some keyboards with plugs for headphones/USB; having these would be good</p></li> <li><p>Having multiple light colors to choose from (If not changeable, a green color would match my PC)</p></li> <li><p>Volume switches for PC</p></li> <li><p>I don't like really small keyboards, so if its bulky, I consider that a plus.</p></li> </ul>

Cheap keyboard with programmable keys and backlit keys

<p>I recently decided to <a href="https://renaudcerrato.github.io/2016/05/21/build-your-homemade-router-part1/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">build my own wireless router</a> - and I found the <a href="https://rads.stackoverflow.com/amzn/click/B00OJPJVV6" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Airetos AEX-QCA9880-NX</a> performing very well on my DIY machine: 3 channels 802.11ac/n/g in a miniPCIe shape.</p>

420

2015-09-23T14:18:31.910

|networking|linux|wifi|

<p>I have some nice wireless <a href="http://www.netgear.ie/home/products/networking/wifi-routers/R7000.aspx">consumer</a> <a href="http://www.linksys.com/us/support-product?pid=01t80000003KUz3AAG">routers</a>, but will soon be running into their limits in terms of bandwidth/throughput capabilities (assuming my ISP delivers on 1Gb connections). Hence, I am looking to roll my own router again for the first time since I started to use WiFi. I also have an eye on the future (IPV6) and generally like building my own gear. I have enough parts lying around (CPU, case, RAM etc.) to provide most of the building blocks of a nice beefy router.</p> <p>One thing I don't have, and have no experience with is the wireless card itself - I have never purchased one separately, only used the ones already in laptops or SFF PCs. My larger machines have all been wired only. My short-list of preferred features:</p> <ul> <li>Linux driver support (native preferred, not religious about it being open, just stable and performant)</li> <li>802.11ac/n/g support</li> <li>PCI Express preferred over USB (half height option a bonus, not required)</li> <li>Decent performance (throughput) and range (anecdotal experience is fine)</li> </ul>

Wireless card for a DIY Linux router/firewall

<p><strong>Lenovo IdeaPad Y50-70-59441231</strong> meets your requirements. A comprehensive review can be found <a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Y50-70-GTX-960M-4K-Notebook-Review.145340.0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>. I am talking about model with GTX 960M. Price: 1499 Euro.</p> <p>According to your spec:</p> <ul> <li>NVIDIA <a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-960M.138006.0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">GeForce GTX 960M</a> has 4096 MB GDDR5 memory - the same memory bandwidth as the previous GTX 860M, it has higher core clock and it leads to a slightly better performance. 960M is almost 10 percent faster and similar to the desktop GTX 750 Ti. Many games of 2014/2015 can be played fluently in FullHD resolution and high detail settings.</li> <li>Memory: up to 16 GB DDR3-1600, dual-channel, two memory banks <a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-960M.138006.0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-GeForce-GTX-960M.138006.0.html</a></li> <li>Samsung SSD PM851 512 GB MZ7TE512HMHP, 512 GB. It is less than desired, but it can be easily replaced. Take the price into account - SSD are much more expensive. </li> <li>Display: 15.6 inch 16:9, 3840x2160 pixel, Samsung L FLLTN156FL02L01, IPS (glossy)</li> <li>There are three USB ports on this notebook, whereas two of them are USB 3.0 ports (<a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-IdeaPad-Y50-70-59441231.141509.0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a>)</li> <li>Numpad: Yes</li> <li>Backlight: Yes.</li> </ul> <blockquote> <p>The side shafts of the island-style keys are made of translucent red plastic, and the light shines through the actual key bodies, rather than simply leaking from around the key cutouts, as in other backlit laptops. <a href="http://www.cnet.com/products/lenovo-y50-touch/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a>.</p> </blockquote> <p><strong>Gaming Performance</strong> </p> <blockquote> <p>Lenovo's Y50 is explicitly aimed at gamers. Thus, it is not surprising that it can render all current games smoothly. It is normally possible to select the Full HD resolution and high to very high quality settings. The resolution and/or quality level has to be reduced in some games, for example "The Witcher 3". The frame rates are only slightly higher than that of laptops equipped with a GeForce GTX 860M graphics core. However, the advantage over 860 models of the Y50 is greater, like in the 3DMark benchmarks, because the GeForce GTX 860M GPUs in the Y50 models do not clock at their maximum possible speeds.</p> <p>The screen's maximum resolution (3840 x 2160 pixels) can only be fully utilized in rare cases. This option is at most possible in games that only have moderate hardware requirements. The Y50 only achieves just below 70 fps in the benchmark of the game "Dirt Rally" in very low quality settings. The rates drop to 25.3 fps in medium and 22.8 fps in high settings. <a href="http://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-Y50-70-GTX-960M-4K-Notebook-Review.145340.0.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Source</a>.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbkKR.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/pbkKR.png" alt="Photo from http://www.notebookcheck.net"></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-aaPUqZ2UE" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Diablo III Reaper of Souls on Lenovo Y50-70 (with 860M).</a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkOaQ.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/qkOaQ.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p> <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mkc2O.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mkc2O.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>

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2015-09-23T17:06:57.763

|gaming|laptop|development|

<p>I work with software development and have some games that I want to play. Games like The Witcher 3, Diablo 3: RoS, etc.</p> <p>I live in a hot country, so I need something that won't overheat.</p> <p>Requirements:</p> <ul> <li>Windows 7/8/10</li> <li>2GB VRAM</li> <li>At least 8GB RAM</li> <li>750GB to 2TB storage (SSD or HDD)</li> <li>Screen at least 14"</li> </ul> <p>Optional</p> <ul> <li>Numpad</li> <li>Keyboard backlight</li> <li>USB 3.0 ports</li> </ul>

Notebook for work and fun