Author Topic: Bought any computing stuff today? (Read 129788 times)

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #175 on:** 13 March, 2015, 01:05:51 am »

I've just been smitten with an urge to get Euro Truck Simulator; however I should also have to get a new Babbage-Engine on which to run it.

Bah!

Biggsy · « **Reply #176 on:** 13 March, 2015, 07:35:05 pm »

I don't think it needs a hugely powerful engine. Actually, the road and background graphics render rather jagged on mine. Possibly I've not set the best settings. I'm also a bit disappointed that the simulator runs faster than real time. Anyway, I've learnt that I can't reverse an articulated lorry for toffee.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #177 on:** 14 March, 2015, 02:55:47 am »

They quote minimum requirements as:

Windows XP/Vista/7/8, Dual core CPU 2.4 GHz
2 GB RAM, graphics card with 256 MB memory (GeForce 7600 GT-class equivalent or better)

I have the right version of Windows and meet the RAM quantity but I think my puny 1 GHz dual core A4 might struggle a bit.

pcolbeck · « **Reply #178 on:** 16 March, 2015, 12:10:32 pm »

A Line 6 Sonic Port to replace my iRig Stomp

http://uk.line6.com/sonicport-audio-interface/sonicport/

It really is very good.

Now I have 24-bit/48kHz digital quality from my iPad amp syms via an external DAC and the digital port instead of the hissey poppy connection I had via the headphone socket with the iRig.
Now I just need to dedicate some practice time every day and learn to play guitar .....

microphonie · « **Reply #179 on:** 27 March, 2015, 01:44:23 pm »

Finally got around to buying a media server - primarily for music playback, although it will rip DVDs & presumably link up with fancy TVs if that's your thing.

It's a DBM Vortexbox & is connected to the network via Powerline/Ethernet & via an Epiphany Acoustics USB DAC to my Cyrus 7 amp.

Control is via laptop or tablet using Logitech Media Sever app or the Orange Squeeze app .

Sound quality playing FLAC files is fantastic - probably better than playing the cd through my Cyrus 7 cd player (possibly due to the DAC being more up to date than the one in the Cyrus).

The only downside is it's highlighted a few tagging issues, mainly with compilation albums, but I can live with that.

I'm having lots of fun listening to old stuff on random play & utilising my hifi again after months of mainly listening via tiny speakers plugged into the laptop

Great service from the seller too.

Biggsy · « **Reply #180 on:** 27 March, 2015, 02:24:20 pm »

Aluminium plate* to place under my laptop save the vents getting covered when on a soft surface. But I didn't reckon on 4mm being so heavy! I could no longer lift the laptop with one hand if I semi-permanently attach the plate.

Maybe I'll try 2 or 3mm.

* Custom cut to your dimensions by eBayer sgs132. www.ebay.co.uk/itm/111623684738

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #181 on:** 27 March, 2015, 03:51:37 pm »

Quote from: microphonie on 27 March, 2015, 01:44:23 pm

The only downside is it's highlighted a few tagging issues, mainly with compilation albums, but I can live with that.

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious: mp3tag - http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html. Jibble with tags and file locations to your heart's content.

I am currently rejibbling 35 John Fahey albums which, over the network, is somewhat slow going $:-\$

Canardly · « **Reply #182 on:** 27 March, 2015, 04:25:43 pm »

I have a vague recollection of a JF gig at Umist a very long time ago.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #183 on:** 27 March, 2015, 04:44:07 pm »

Quote from: Canardly on 27 March, 2015, 04:25:43 pm

I have a vague recollection of a JF gig at Umist a very long time ago.

Three letters, begins with "G".

TheLurker · « **Reply #184 on:** 28 March, 2015, 09:12:09 am »

Quote from: Biggsy on 27 March, 2015, 02:24:20 pm

Aluminium plate* to place under my laptop save the vents getting covered when on a soft surface.

May I recommend an A3 piece of wood? I use the drawing board (a bit bigger than A3 obv. ) that I used to use for my 'O' level Tech. Drawing homework. Nothing special; just a bit of plywood. Light, big enough for laptop and flounder (logitech marble mouse) or trackball of your choice and at 5mm thick no flex.

One final thought, less (ie pretty much no) heat conduction from the laptop to your laptop when slouched on the sofa.

Biggsy · « **Reply #185 on:** 28 March, 2015, 02:06:49 pm »

I like the idea of some heat conduction as well, though, hence my choice of aluminium. I don't actually use it on my lap. I place it on my pocketed-sprung upstairs office work unit, where I operate it from a recumbent position. I was using a piece of cardboard, previously, which allowed ventilation, but was too good a heat insulator.

microphonie · « **Reply #186 on:** 29 March, 2015, 06:08:11 pm »

Quote from: Mr Larrington on 27 March, 2015, 03:51:37 pm

Quote from: microphonie on 27 March, 2015, 01:44:23 pm
The only downside is it's highlighted a few tagging issues, mainly with compilation albums, but I can live with that.

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious: mp3tag - http://www.mp3tag.de/en/index.html. Jibble with tags and file locations to your heart's content.

I am currently rejibbling 35 John Fahey albums which, over the network, is somewhat slow going $:-\$

Yeah, been using that for a few weeks to gradually tidy everything up - just hit the compilation albums, which can be a pain to get into my preferred format. Still on the learning curve though & get a few odd results (eg 'empty' albums listed under, say, artist Robin Saville but correctly listed under Saville, Robin) that all redoing/rescanning don't seem to clear. Also the occasional album that takes 25 min to update!

Biggsy · « **Reply #187 on:** 29 March, 2015, 07:51:01 pm »

It's worth getting into MP3Tag's more advanced features to do batch jobs, if you haven't yet, if any batch jobs would help. eg. if your compilation albums currently have artist names in the filenames (which you can grab to put in the tags).

fuaran · « **Reply #188 on:** 29 March, 2015, 09:18:57 pm »

For compilations, worth using the "album artist" tag, as well as the "artist" tag. ie you can set album artist to "Various", then use the specific artist tag for each song.
Then you can set your player to group albums by album artist, so it should put all of the compilations together.
The filenames don't really matter. Though it does look neater if they all use a similar style.

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #189 on:** 30 March, 2015, 03:21:33 am »

The "Convert Tag to Filename" is well handy as you can use it to move tracks into different disks and/or directories.

TimO · « **Reply #190 on:** 30 March, 2015, 07:58:40 am »

On eBay, I bought a new cheap small PC for the kitchen, where I've got fed up using the underpowered netbook. It's not the most powerful PC in the world, but a Core i3-4160, with 8GB of RAM, and a 120GB SSD should be adequate for most of the functions that I require of it.

I'm still undecided on whether to mount the TV on the wall using some species of VESA mounting, or just live with it's "foot" on the countertop. Using the Bluray player to watch films would probably work better with the TV higher up, but using it as a PC, I'd probably suffer excessively from neck ache, if I was repeatedly looking up at it (plus, there isn't much room for wall mounting, anyway).

microphonie · « **Reply #191 on:** 31 March, 2015, 06:20:34 pm »

Quote from: Biggsy on 29 March, 2015, 07:51:01 pm

It's worth getting into MP3Tag's more advanced features to do batch jobs, if you haven't yet, if any batch jobs would help. eg. if your compilation albums currently have artist names in the filenames (which you can grab to put in the tags).

It'll probably be quicker to carry on doing them individually than get my head around batch processing! Only some filenames have artist names & I'm also finding a lot of albums where the tag source has debatable quality or is just not available...

I think I'm reaping what I sowed by deleting artist names when I originally ripped the comp cds, in favour of just using 'Various Artists' as album artist

TimO · « **Reply #192 on:** 01 April, 2015, 04:03:46 pm »

Quote from: TimO on 30 March, 2015, 07:58:40 am

On eBay, I bought a new cheap small PC for the kitchen, where I've got fed up using the underpowered netbook. It's not the most powerful PC in the world, but a Core i3-4160, with 8GB of RAM, and a 120GB SSD should be adequate for most of the functions that I require of it. ...

It's arrived now, and I'm quite impressed by it. The performance is perfectly adequate for playing media, and browsing the web, it's much more responsive than the netbook that I was using for similar purposes.

It came with a Logitech wireless keyboard (not in the picture), which I wouldn't have worried about not having, but it's surprisingly good.

If you need a small moderately cheap PC, you could do far worse than one of these.

Biggsy · « **Reply #193 on:** 01 April, 2015, 04:08:25 pm »

Very neat. Is it fanless?

TimO · « **Reply #194 on:** 01 April, 2015, 05:07:30 pm »

Quote from: Biggsy on 01 April, 2015, 04:08:25 pm

Very neat. Is it fanless?

No, but it's fairly quiet. With no other sounds, and sat right next to it, I can hear the fan, but if I'm playing music or some video, the sound from that easily masks any noise. I'd imagine if it was near (or behind) a TV, and you were sat across the room from it, you'd hear very little.

I wasn't really looking for the ultimately quiet machine, I was concerned more about reasonable performance, and this motherboard with the Core i3-4160 does that better than a laptop at twice the price could. With Microsoft's Windows Performance Index, it actually outperforms my Core i5 Desktop, mainly because the onboard video of this machine is better than the onboard video of that one. A fanless machine would likely have lower performance, since they tend to trade speed/heat against noise.

Biggsy · « **Reply #195 on:** 01 April, 2015, 05:34:21 pm »

It's possible to use even a 95W i7 with a fanless cooler, but maybe not in such a small case.

TimO · « **Reply #196 on:** 01 April, 2015, 05:53:49 pm »

Quote from: Biggsy on 01 April, 2015, 05:34:21 pm

It's possible to use even a 95W i7 with a fanless cooler, but maybe not in such a small case.

Yes, I fear with 95W, you'd need a fairly large radiator to dissipate the heat. Size was also a criterion for me, albeit not the primary one. I'd imagine that a decent heat dissipation system would also add to the cost.

DaveJ · « **Reply #197 on:** 02 April, 2015, 01:08:40 pm »

An i3 3240 for my ASUS P8Z68-V LX, replacing the existing G620. According to the benchmarks, it should almost double the performance of the G620, and amazingly, put it within touching distance of my elderly and expensive i7 920.

And all for £85 on Amazon.

Last chance saloon for upgrading 1155 motherboards I think.

Dave

Biggsy · « **Reply #198 on:** 02 April, 2015, 01:49:55 pm »

Is it really true that a new i3 can nearly match an old i7 with applications that use all cores?

(I realise it'd have to be one of the fastest new i3s versus one of the slowest old i7s, if so).

Food for thought, that would be indeed.

tiermat · « **Reply #199 on:** 02 April, 2015, 01:59:47 pm »

A refurbed Toshiba Portege 980, core i7 (2nd Gen) dual core @2.7Ghz, 8G RAM, 128G SSD. Ordered yesterday, arrived today and it is lovely!

This is to replace a creaky old Acer i3 that I used for a few years, then passed onto Mrs T.

Mrs T is not, currently in the country so it should be a nice surprise for her!