The Computer Help Thread

[Lewis]

I bought a new laptop, as well as whatever it's called for my old hard-drive, and the new thing won't let me access the files on it. What do I need to do?

[Boydy]

What's it saying?

[Lewis]

It just says I don't have permission to access/read them, so it takes me to permissions, and now it is 'Setting security information on' D:\Users\Lewis... (but taking aaaages) which I take it is my hard-drive?

[Giggles]

Had that before too and never got to the bottom of it.

[Boydy]

It just says I don't have permission to access/read them, so it takes me to permissions, and now it is 'Setting security information on' D:\Users\Lewis... (but taking aaaages) which I take it is my hard-drive?

https://www.howtogeek.com/182452/how-to-get-data-off-an-old-hard-drive-without-putting-it-in-a-pc/

"Assigning the permissions can take a little while, depending on the size of the folder. You should only need to do this once."

Patience.

[Lewis]

That's good. I can see recognisable file names coming up now.

[Lewis]

http://i64.tinypic.com/25ksv0n.png

What has happened here? Videos were fine earlier (and saved things are fine through Media Player), so what have I done to Chrome if YouTube and streaming won't produce any picture?

[Boydy]

Does it work in a different browser?

[Lewis]

It works in Microsoft EDGE, but who wants to use that? Whatever. As long as I haven't ballsed the computer itself up.

[Boydy]

I'm not saying use it, just making sure it's actually a Chrome problem.

[Boydy]

https://www.groovypost.com/howto/fix-embedded-videos-not-playing-google-chrome/

Try that.

[Spikey M]

Just use Edge.

[Lewis]

Thank you mate. Is Edge actually any good? This stream is doing well on it, but the fact it got all passive-aggressive with me yesterday when I made Chrome my default browser put me off going back.

'Well, if you don't want to use the safer browser...'

[Boydy]

I tried it briefly a while back but you couldn't get extensions for it then so I couldn't use adBlock and that quickly put me off it. Dunno if it's available now.

I think they switched the underlying engine to same one Chrome uses last year too so there probably isn't much difference now.

[Spikey M]

We use it at work. It's fine. It's certainly not IE.

[Pepe]

Use Epic, mate.

[Boydy]

Anyone know a good place to get spare computer parts? As I've posted about before my laptop's touchpad seems to be fucked. I've tried every software-based fix going so I reckon it must be a hardware problem. I can't seem to find the touchpad for my model online though. Found a broken model of the same laptop on ebay for £50 which I could salvage the touchpad from but it looks fucking filthy so I'd rather not.

I get by alright since I always plug in a mouse, keyboard and monitor at my desk anyway but I'd like the option of being able to use it on the sofa again.

[Spikey M]

Just use Edge.

[Boydy]

:panda:

This is why I didn't vote for you.

[Giggles]

Just use Edge.

Don't be losing yourself votes with that kind of talk.

[Offshore Toon]

I've got a virus/adware/malware that tries to redirect me from Google search results. AVG hasn't picked it up and Chrome clean-up hasn't picked it up. Does anybody know of a program that should be able to pick it up?

[Offshore Toon]

I tried it briefly a while back but you couldn't get extensions for it then so I couldn't use adBlock and that quickly put me off it. Dunno if it's available now.

I think they switched the underlying engine to same one Chrome uses last year too so there probably isn't much difference now.


We use it at work. It's fine. It's certainly not IE.
I switched to Firefox at work since it, apparently, doesn't use up as much memory to run, but I never really notice much of a difference between browsers.

[phonics]

Try MalwareBytes.

[Offshore Toon]

Trying now. Cheers.

[phonics]

Also uninstall Chrome. Run it. Then re-install.

[Offshore Toon]

Okay, cool. Thanks.

[Offshore Toon]

Still there. Any other ideas?

[Spikey M]

Uninstall it again, but this time really hit the enter key so it knows you're not fucking about.

[Boydy]

Are there any dodgy extensions installed?

[phonics]

Still there. Any other ideas?

Okay I have two things to suggesat.

1) Are you on Windows 10? if so, can you press ctrl+alt+delete and go over to the tab labelled start-up and post a screenshot.

If you aren't on Windows 10, press ctrl+r and type msconfig, tab over to start-up and post a screenshot. Do this and then wait for a reply before moving onto 2.

2) It sounds like this thing has infected your registry, backup any documents/movies/music and format your pc.

Either way, stop downloading weird .exe files and accepting all the terms and conditions, it sounds like you've done the same thing a 75 year old in the 90s would know not to do.

edit: Yeah actually can you take a screenshot of your extensions as well please? Click the dots in the top right>more tools>extensions.

[phonics]

Uninstall it again, but this time really hit the enter key so it knows you're not fucking about.

This sounds like a joke idea but back in the day of CRT monitors, I had one that would turn off all the time and then hitting it on the side would wake it up.

[Offshore Toon]

https://i.imgur.com/siT1haW.png
https://i.imgur.com/7MWXrAY.png?1
https://i.imgur.com/U7ln138.png?1

I don't really download anything on here (in recent memory only the malware thing you suggested and Peek Through that SvN suggested). The only thing I can think of is it happened through a streaming site.

[phonics]

Can I have a screenshot of the actual thing in your chrome?

PS. What is VProtect Ap... and ELAN SMart...

[Boydy]

The elan thing will probably be something to do with your touchpad.

[SvN]

Check your hosts file in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc

[Offshore Toon]

Hosts file looks fine, although that doesn't mean much coming from me. There was basically nothing in it.

Can I have a screenshot of the actual thing in your chrome?

PS. What is VProtect Ap... and ELAN SMart...
Vprotect is AVG Web TuneUp.

Getting a screenshot is pretty tricky. It just redirects me. It happened just now as I tried to search for 'crystal search' as that is one of the sites it redirects to, before eventually landing me on another page. The last instance went through bing.com and took me to booking.com. It only seems to happen for quite generic searches where I'll click on whatever on the page and it'll redirect me.

[phonics]

Hosts file looks fine, although that doesn't mean much coming from me. There was basically nothing in it.

Vprotect is AVG Web TuneUp.

Getting a screenshot is pretty tricky. It just redirects me. It happened just now as I tried to search for 'crystal search' as that is one of the sites it redirects to, before eventually landing me on another page. The last instance went through bing.com and took me to booking.com. It only seems to happen for quite generic searches where I'll click on whatever on the page and it'll redirect me.

You computer savvy enough to take a video of your screen while this happens? If not, PM me and I'll do some tech support for you.

[SvN]

Is it this Offy?

https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-games-crystal-ads/

If not, give us a screenshot of one of the sites it redirects to.

[Giggles]

Get a TeamViewer sesh going :drool:

[Boydy]

I didn't see Daemon Tools in there before. Doesn't it often do shite like this? What do you actually use it for?

[Offshore Toon]

You computer savvy enough to take a video of your screen while this happens? If not, PM me and I'll do some tech support for you.
Yeah, will get onto that tonight if its still not solved.

Is it this Offy?

https://malwaretips.com/blogs/remove-games-crystal-ads/

If not, give us a screenshot of one of the sites it redirects to.
Possibly. I dismissed that when I originally Googled as there hasn't been any game pop-ups, but I should have read further.

I downloaded and installed "AdwCleaner" from that link, and although it looks the same as the one Phonics linked its picked up on some stuff. Will restated now and see if it did anything.

Got redirected from Google to here:
https://i.imgur.com/5VUhMyg.png

And then here:
https://i.imgur.com/0A3uGLY.png


I didn't see Daemon Tools in there before. Doesn't it often do shite like this? What do you actually use it for?
Its been years since I've used it. Uninstalling now.

[Shindig]

Text is appearing weirdly on all browsers for me. Typing a message out, text is flickering in an out and I can bring some of it back by highlighting it. I've updated Chrome and restarted but it's still a problem.

[phonics]

I had that problem for a while and I can't remember how I fixed it. Sorry. It was something more fundamental than uninstalling/reinstalling a program though.

[Shindig]

Clearing cache did nothing. :moop:

[Raoul Duke]

Is it just browsers? If you reboot in Safe Mode, does it still happen?

[Shindig]

I think it's Chrome. I've switched to Firefox and it's golden. I had it happen in IE as well which made me think it was a more global thing. Found a forum thread over at google support that seemed to centre around the problem happening on mobile devices and the only solution they could think of was rolling the version back.

[Lewis]

My laptop has started making a grinding noise today. What could that be?

[Raoul Duke]

Fan clogged with dust probably. Open it up and clean it.

[Lewis]

I've had it two weeks.

[igor_balis]

I've got a virus/adware/malware that tries to redirect me from Google search results. AVG hasn't picked it up and Chrome clean-up hasn't picked it up. Does anybody know of a program that should be able to pick it up?

Ah shit, had that one before mate, you have to remagnetize your hard drive. Delete system 32 and await my instructions.

[Panda Bear]

Fan might have a loose bearing.

[Panda Bear]

Offshore Toon

Avast Antivirus has a utility that will scan for viruses and delete them before Windows boots up. Try that.

[Offshore Toon]

Offshore Toon

Avast Antivirus has a utility that will scan for viruses and delete them before Windows boots up. Try that.
That didn't work.

Thanks everybody for the help, but I don't really care tbh. Its not that bad and I've needed a new laptop for a while anyway.

[Lewis]

My internet is running a decent speed, I can download things as normal, and my phone will run stuff with it; but web pages are failing to open and the troubleshooter is telling me that the DNS server isn't responding. How can that be? Two days into this shit now and the laptop is on borrowed time.

[Boydy]

My internet is running a decent speed, I can download things as normal, and my phone will run stuff with it; but web pages are failing to open and the troubleshooter is telling me that the DNS server isn't responding. How can that be? Two days into this shit now and the laptop is on borrowed time.

https://gizmodo.com/yes-you-should-still-change-your-dns-settings-for-bett-1828216684

Try that.

[Boydy]

Any luck, Lewis?

[Lewis]

No. I rang up BT and their so-called technical so-called support e-mailed me the Microsoft troubleshooting guide. Cheers sweetheart.

[Lewis]

Probably worth adding that it was briefly working a little while ago so fuck knows might just smash my laptop.

[Raoul Duke]

https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/faq/840/ ?

[Gray Fox]

Spilled coffee on the mechanical keyboard a few days ago. Waited for it to dry out and cleaned all of the keys and the top of the keyboard underneath them.

After getting all of the keys back on, some of them are still sticking, which I'm assuming means there's shit on the switches. Is it RIP keyboard from here or can I salvage it?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw_tpElJbxY

Could still be salvaged.

[Gray Fox]

Will give it a watch. Most of the keys are fine, so I'd ideally like to not have to go get a new keyboard.

[Giggles]

Is it not ancient or do they still make keyboards like that?

[Gray Fox]

Is it not ancient or do they still make keyboards like that?

That's very similar to my model in the video, minus the macro keys.

[Gray Fox]

Attempt #1 at cleaning it has loosened some keys a little, but not a massive improvement. It's now borderline usable but annoying.

[Giggles]

I'm in the market for a new tablet now that I'm giving the Mrs the Pixel C. Been looking at the iPad Pro which is widely regarded as the best of the bunch but on the other hand I've zero apple so I've been thinking of the Pixelbook as an alternative basically because Google everything for me.
For price comparison about €1200 gets me the 11" iPad Pro with the keyboard case and pen(cil) or it gets the 128GB Pixelbook (which has a keyboard on it already) and the pen.
For anyone using an iPad, I'll never be using any apple services like iCloud and all that so would it be worthwhile still then? What are Google's apps like on it or do any of you use them? Can you use Google Assistant on a iPad in any form or are you stuck with Siri?

[Giggles]

Video making software, any decent options out there? I'm not looking for anything too complicated just something to stitch clips together with a few more options than the Videos app on Windows 10. If there's a bit of a subscription then that's ok too. I'd one called Filmora before and it was fairly user friendly but just wondering is there any better options.

[Giggles]

Anyone ever use Adobe Premier Elements?

I'm also getting that iPad mentioned above so would that iMovie thing suffice?

[phonics]

iMovie would be fine for what you’re looking for.

[Giggles]

Good man 👍

[Pepe]

Can't get wifi in the bedrooms in my new apartment. They are only like five meters away. :moop:

[Shindig]

What the hell are the walls made of? Line of sight that shit.

[Giggles]

Speaking of wifi, I've hit my device limit on my home router and I don't seem to be able to up it over 25 but apparently I can turn off my wifi and plug an access point into the router. Anyone done this and can recommend one?

[Baz]

Can't get wifi in the bedrooms in my new apartment. They are only like five meters away. :moop:Get mesh. Google WiFi or Netgear Orbi.

[Boydy]

Speaking of wifi, I've hit my device limit on my home router and I don't seem to be able to up it over 25 but apparently I can turn off my wifi and plug an access point into the router. Anyone done this and can recommend one?

How do you have 25 devices connected?

[Giggles]

Get mesh. Google WiFi or Netgear Orbi.

Yeah Google WiFi was my first thought. Is there settings faff on the router to do? I've read stuff about gateway or bridge modes, etc.



How do you have 25 devices connected?

7 or 8 phones, 3 tablets, laptops, 6 Google Homes, Shield, security camera, doorbell, etc. Doesn't be long racking up.

EDIT: Actually, the Shield is wired.

[Pepe]

What the hell are the walls made of? Line of sight that shit.

I don't know, electric fields or something.


Get mesh. Google WiFi or Netgear Orbi.

Will look into that.

Ideally I would run a cable to my PC, but my wife has vetoed that idea.

Is getting the ISP to install a second hookup (or whatever you call it) a thing?

[Pepe]

Yeah Google WiFi was my first thought. Is there settings faff on the router to do? I've read stuff about gateway or bridge modes, etc.

I don't know. Works great in the living room, and if I move the router around it gets better, so I am thinking it is not a settings thing, but I guess I will have to look into it.

[SvN]

Magic can help here, he's an expert when it comes to WiFi extenders.

[Giggles]

I've the iPad on the way. Hit me with some apps. Is Good Notes 5 the best one for writing?

[phonics]

I'd just use GoogleDocs myself.

[Giggles]

I'd just use GoogleDocs myself.

For handwriting? It's definitely what I'd use for word processing anyway, I use nothing but Docs on Android and Windows.

[phonics]

I'd literally never considered handwriting so I have no idea on that front. What would it be for? Drawing calligraphy?

[Giggles]

I'd literally never considered handwriting so I have no idea on that front. What would it be for? Drawing calligraphy?

Taking class notes as I'm starting a new course the middle of September and from examples I've seen it's handy for dropping diagrams, etc into notes.

[phonics]

Ah, I'm absolutely awful at taking notes full stop so can't help you.

[Baz]

I've the iPad on the way. Hit me with some apps. Is Good Notes 5 the best one for writing?https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/ale-or-horse/id1465669362

[Boydy]

What's your course, Giggles?

[Disco]

Hard Border Guard 1.0

[Giggles]

What's your course, Giggles?

Advanced van driving. PhD

[Spikey M]

10am - aggressive undertaking
11am - Objectification of women
12pm - Shit in a stranger's toilet
1pm - Lunch
2pm - "Sorry love. Need a part." Knock off early

[Giggles]

That's about every day :cool:

[Yevrah]

Any thoughts on this one gents:

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/hp-envy-17-ce0576na-17-3-intel-core-i7-laptop-1-tb-hdd-256-gb-ssd-silver-10193314-pdt.html

With the discount it's just over a grand.

[Giggles]

Class spec but unless it’s never leaving the desk I’d think long and hard before buying a 17” laptop. I’ve a 15” with half the size of bezel than that and it’s still a pain in the bollix to do anything mobile with.

[Yevrah]

Cheers. Is the graphics card any good? The details appear to be suspiciously absent.

Size is ok for me as I have a 17” at the moment. It basically never leaves my coffee table and tv, but is easier to manoeuvre than putting a desktop there.

[Boydy]

Cheers. Is the graphics card any good? The details appear to be suspiciously absent.

Size is ok for me as I have a 17” at the moment. It basically never leaves my coffee table and tv, but is easier to manoeuvre than putting a desktop there.
I was looking for graphics card details and couldn't see anything so I would assume integrated graphics. I'd avoid if you want it for gaming.

[Giggles]

Yeah not for gaming, but I’ve one of those Nvidia GTX cards in mine and it’s still a complete shitshow for gaming too so if it’s mainly for that I’d get a proper dedicated gaming laptop or, ideally, a console. Need those big fans.

[Giggles]

What do the Option and Command keys do on apple stuff? I’ve sort of gathered that Command is like Control on Windows (Command+C, Command+V, etc) even though Apple have a Control key also. Is there a full list anywhere?

[Yevrah]

Would the graphics card be fine for FM?

[Giggles]

I’m not 100% sure on the requirements for FM but it 2019 ran as well for me on my work PC with integrated graphics as it did on my own one with the Nvidia in it. No noticeable difference whatsoever.

[Yevrah]

Cheers Giggles.

[Raoul Duke]

What do the Option and Command keys do on apple stuff? I’ve sort of gathered that Command is like Control on Windows (Command+C, Command+V, etc) even though Apple have a Control key also. Is there a full list anywhere?

They're application dependent, although there are some common patterns (Cmd + C/V = copy/paste, Cmd + , = preferences, Cmd + q = quit) etc.

[Giggles]

How the fuck do you get rid of the big search bar on the taskbar on the latest Windows 10 update? I did it on my own one but I can't see the option on my work one now, apart from using small taskbar icons which I don't want.

[Mike]

Right click on the taskbar and under search select hidden. Untick cortana too. I think?

[Giggles]

Right click on the taskbar and under search select hidden. Untick cortana too. I think?

That's it cheers. I wanted the icon but not the bar. I was going straight into taskbar settings and not seeing that in the menu.

[Giggles]

Windows on my work PC is suddenly showing as not activated (the watermark on the bottom right). The laptop came with Windows 10 Home on it and the other day I upgraded to Pro so I'm presuming something there is the issue, though the payment has gone out and all and it upgraded fine at the time. Anyone ever see this?


https://i.imgur.com/D2NRi5Q.png

[Giggles]

Requested a call-back and some lad just got me to enter a key over the phone without asking any details at all. It's activated now though and says the edition is Windows 10 Pro. Strange.

[Baz]

Some lad. :D

[Spikey M]

Cover your webcam mate.

[Giggles]

Some lad. :D

In Indian fellow as they all are.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Cover your webcam mate.

He got the job done for free, that's all that matters.

[Giggles]

Anyone know a decent tool to turn a .pptx into an mp4? There's a built-in one in Powerpoint but it's shite as every new slide skips back to the previous one for a split second.

[Giggles]

Can you not use the imgur website from an Apple device?

[Baz]

I'd be surprised if you couldn't.

I just use the app anyway.

[Giggles]

You can't upload to the app without an account.

[SincereTheRebel]

How can I send a monitor via post safely, without a box for it?

[SincereTheRebel]

Bubble wrap. Lots of it

[Giggles]

You never said thanks.

[Giggles]

How do you password protect a single program on Windows 10 Pro?

[Spikey M]

SvN can you add Giggles to the poll in the nonce thread please?

[Alan Shearer The 2nd]

Anyone else still on Windows 7?

[Giggles]

Practically our whole health service.

https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/hse-to-spend-11m-on-extended-security-support-for-now-obsolete-operating-system-974569.html

[Giggles]

Any easy way to screen record on Windows 10? The in-built game bar is a mad faff because it stops once you minimise anything full screen. I downloaded some recommended app called OBS but, despite trying numerous fixes, it only records a black screen for me.

[Giggles]

Never mind, I had ShareX installed all along and had forgotten about it. It's faffy as fuck too, but it works.

[Alan Shearer The 2nd]

Anyone have bother with their Virgin Media broadband cutting out?

I've had it since I got the place over 7 years ago and it was faultless until the past couple of years where it likes to cut out a lot. Can come in spells so I forget about it when it behaves but today I think it's cut out over half a dozen times.

[Clunge]

I was with Virgin in Cardiff, Guildford and a couple of years since I moved to London and I swear the service and quality of connectivety declined and declined and declined year after year. The connection on our final Virgin router set up dropped all the time (2016-18). Been with Zen Internet since then and their connection and service has been flawless, rock solid 75-80mbp without a singke drop.

Swear the Virgin routers are absolute garbage these days.

[Alan Shearer The 2nd]

I got a new router from them when last negotiating a discount and although it definitely seems worse, the problem was there before.

I shall have a closer look at Zen.

[Luca]

Speaking of, does anyone have a recommendation on a good router? The ISP-provided ones are always such shit.

[Raoul Duke]

Speaking of, does anyone have a recommendation on a good router? The ISP-provided ones are always such shit.

Not used it, but: https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/

[SvN]

Literally just setup Google Wi-Fi today. Seems decent so far, the range is much better than the router I had.

[phonics]

My Hard-Drive fried tonight. What are the good/cheap/large SSDs on the market at the moment?

[ScousePig]

Please can someone recommend me a good gaming laptop? This seems as good a time as any to invest in a new laptop, with potentially plenty of time on my hands. I currently have a Lenovo Yoga 710 and whilst it's a decent little laptop, the graphics card* is poor for what I want and I can't really play games as well as I'd like.

I like my simulation games and I've recently bought Planet Zoo (I already have Planet Coaster). So I basically want a gaming laptop that will play these games well. My budget is less than a grand (preferably around £800 although I've no idea if this is realistic), and I'm happy to buy one from Curry's if needs be - in the past I've had PCs custom built.

*just to clarify, I can't update/improve my graphics card on this laptop and solve some of my problems, can I?

Looking at Curry's, I've come across a couple of options, but a lot of it is just jargon to me.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1660-ti-1-tb-hdd-128-ssd-10194231-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-legion-y540-15irh-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-128-gb-ssd-10193614-pdt.html

[niko_cee]

I looked into this around black friday to see if there was anything good in the warehouse on Amazon and suffice to say it seemed like a total fucking minefield.

[Giggles]

How bad is the MacBook butterfly keyboard? I was going to buy the new Air but might be worth looking at an older pro too.

[Pepe]

Please can someone recommend me a good gaming laptop? This seems as good a time as any to invest in a new laptop, with potentially plenty of time on my hands. I currently have a Lenovo Yoga 710 and whilst it's a decent little laptop, the graphics card* is poor for what I want and I can't really play games as well as I'd like.

I like my simulation games and I've recently bought Planet Zoo (I already have Planet Coaster). So I basically want a gaming laptop that will play these games well. My budget is less than a grand (preferably around £800 although I've no idea if this is realistic), and I'm happy to buy one from Curry's if needs be - in the past I've had PCs custom built.

*just to clarify, I can't update/improve my graphics card on this laptop and solve some of my problems, can I?

Looking at Curry's, I've come across a couple of options, but a lot of it is just jargon to me.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/acer-nitro-5-an515-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1660-ti-1-tb-hdd-128-ssd-10194231-pdt.html

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing/laptops/laptops/lenovo-legion-y540-15irh-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i5-gtx-1650-128-gb-ssd-10193614-pdt.html

I'd say that first one looks ok, but a 128 gb ssd is way too small. At least you have the regular hard drive, I guess.

[Pepe]

I got mine in Dell's refurbished section. Can you also do that from the UK?

[niko_cee]

Yeah (https://www.dell.com/en-uk/dfh/shop/dell-refurbished/cp/outlet)

[Pepe]

This one seems similar to the linked one and a bit cheaper:

https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7Uddq95K2PSvKaL9o90Orvl1L 8qRHQ95W0Ht9omv9OIhI4Tn%2fxUt60rRY0xCMK85prXfqdZJv 46yWoXZPOa2rVFQu8XBMhJfG65cgdrHa73DkjFmP0eVR%2bV9Q yY%2fsCsALlso%2f9KIfEV7EwQGDsisaEBbADniPC5vAwsr%2b a1fx7x1lDFxnLWTebsdOlGjtHqdilUMxsW5ARHUF9RYrCIa8iR hzqfAOBu7TQCw%3d%3d

This one is a bit over 1k, but good:

https://outlet.euro.dell.com/Online/SecondaryInventorySearch.aspx?c=uk&cs=ukdfh1&l=en&s=dfh&sign=PXhcOSHtr1T4IOw%2fPR7Uddq95K2PSvKaL9o90Orvl1I MuPmatZYMYTh4ESdhzC0a%2bC2k5vRohOfGv%2bN86LaLBSC%2 f9Ac1bN3ZyPcc%2bTmdKUk16FbUk6Wa6wVlpu5SrI7raFx0Jko Peq8WpgLCAplW4GHp0DaUnQc3H8oCi5eJTj9EkUJydzlrQFzOz xXJXU7kCyr%2fpKuTSPJlNNYxqUb9OcM34roWRrcC89FB9nvNg 1k1WgyTnyD9Nl4aeWmOhbw4rkQY4zJOOBvT7FKNAqqPhw%3d%3 d

[ScousePig]

Thanks Pepe, the first one I linked is the one I'm leaning towards after doing some research. What's the issue with 128gb SSD?

I'll compare mine with the first Dell one you linked. Are there risks to buying refurbished laptops?

[Pepe]

I think you only have a 1 year warranty, so there is that risk.

A 128 gb hard drive is small, especially since some games are getting huge. The 1tb one helps, of course, but regular hds are slower. You'd probably be just fine.

[niko_cee]

Reviews of those Acer's seemed pretty sketchy to me, although it is hard to get a handle on things when most reviewers consider anything sub-Gigabyte/under £2k to be budget.

You can get the nitro's (albeit spec'd differently) cheaper on the amazon warehouse if you don't mind the box being damaged or some minor case imperfections.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=gaming+laptop&i=warehouse-deals&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Edit - amazon also periodically do everything 20% off in the warehouse, which can make a dent on a £1000 purchase.

[CJay]

How bad is the MacBook butterfly keyboard? I was going to buy the new Air but might be worth looking at an older pro too.

Haven’t heard about too many problems with the 2018/2019 ones, but it is technically the same keyboard that is under a 4 year repair warranty because of failure rates, which kinda says it all. You could risk it with that vintage but you’d be mad to go any older.

[ScousePig]

Reviews of those Acer's seemed pretty sketchy to me, although it is hard to get a handle on things when most reviewers consider anything sub-Gigabyte/under £2k to be budget.

You can get the nitro's (albeit spec'd differently) cheaper on the amazon warehouse if you don't mind the box being damaged or some minor case imperfections.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=gaming+laptop&i=warehouse-deals&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Edit - amazon also periodically do everything 20% off in the warehouse, which can make a dent on a £1000 purchase.

I'll have a look at that when I get chance, cheers.

[Baz]

I’d get this: HP Pavilion Power 15-dk0020na 15.6 Inch Full HD Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7 9750H, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (6 GB Dedicated) Graphics, Windows 10 Home - Black (https://amzn.to/2wFCItP)

[Shindig]

My laptop's an HP Pavillion. It's dead as fuck and never worked right. Fuck 'em.

[SvN]

I’d get this: HP Pavilion Power 15-dk0020na 15.6 Inch Full HD Gaming Laptop, Intel Core i7 9750H, 8 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (6 GB Dedicated) Graphics, Windows 10 Home - Black (https://amzn.to/2wFCItP)


tag=baz9torres

:D You never, EVER miss a trick, do you?

[niko_cee]

Those Pavillion gaming laptops are highly regarded, in fairness.

[Giggles]

Haven’t heard about too many problems with the 2018/2019 ones, but it is technically the same keyboard that is under a 4 year repair warranty because of failure rates, which kinda says it all. You could risk it with that vintage but you’d be mad to go any older.

Might just stick with the new one so. Repairs, even free ones, are a pain in the hole.

[Baz]

tag=baz9torres

:D You never, EVER miss a trick, do you?Its got to a point where I’ve forgot cos if I click ‘share’ on amazon it includes that. :sorry:

[Raoul Duke]

The new Air has the new keyboard and they're meant to be releasing a new Pro soon with it too. https://buyersguide.macrumors.com

There's the iPad Pro with the keyboard case/trackpad too which just came out.

[Giggles]

The new Air has the new keyboard and they're meant to be releasing a new Pro soon with it too. https://buyersguide.macrumors.com

There's the iPad Pro with the keyboard case/trackpad too which just came out.

I have the last iPad Pro (2018) but the new keyboard for the 12.9 inch is 400 euro so fuck that, plus I don’t really like trackpads on anything anyway. Using a real mouse with the iPad since 13.4 is class though.

Don’t think I’d need a MacBook Pro unless it was the right money, that’s why I was looking at older models. The current base Air with the i3 upgraded to i5 would probably be exactly what I need and the right price. I’ll be getting shot of the XPS 15 for it.

[Raoul Duke]

Doesn't the XPS shit all over the Air, specs wise? Mac OS > Windows though, obvs

[Giggles]

That’s the main reason really. I have a good Windows PC from work that I can use freely (no security software) so there’s no point having another one, even if it is a bit better.
Mac OS would be dogshit for work but as personal machine it would all mix in seamlessly with the iPhone and iPad better than Windows.

[Boydy]

Can't believe you've gone full Apple fanboy, Giggles. You'll be camping out at the Apple store for the next iPhone release.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

One step closer to Hipsterdom.

[Pepe]

He already has the craft beers on point. What is he missing? A scarf?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

A man bun.

[Giggles]

Hipsterdom? Real hipsters use non smart phones or won’t have one at all.

[Giggles]

I must say though I do prefer iOS to any iteration of Android I've tried, especially on a tablet. There are still some irritations like Siri being a complete waste of time compared to Assistant, and some tie-ins that are getting less frequent all the time thankfully. I wouldn't agree at all that Mac OS is better than Windows 10, far from it, but for someone tied-in to everything else and not doing much in the line of work on it then it's definitely handier. I wouldn't get one if I didn't already have a Windows 10 laptop though.

[Shindig]

Anybody been having problems with Sky wifi? The signal seems to have died right off lately. Wired connections are fine but the wifi is completely bollocked.

[Giggles]

Speaking of the iPad, being able to use it as a second display for Windows with the duet app is very handy. Definitely need work to buy me a second monitor though for the long term.

[Baz]

Anybody been having problems with Sky wifi? The signal seems to have died right off lately. Wired connections are fine but the wifi is completely bollocked.

I had similar at the start of the week with Virgin Media, but seems to be back to normal now.

[Giggles]

Aren’t most of them throttling now?

[Shindig]

Maybe. A router reset seems to bring it back. I still fancy grabbing another ethernet cable from ... errr... somewhere.

[Giggles]

Microsoft Teams - Either I’m missing the option of a shared calendar for between all members or is that a massive omission from the software?

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

Mum wants me to find her a laptop for no more than £500.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0813P4JQ9?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=t3-1926633823761439000-21

Saw this, alright?

She doesn't need much just something that boots fast with decent memory that is light.

[Baz]

Mum wants me to find her a laptop for no more than £500.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0813P4JQ9?tag=georiot-trd-21&th=1&psc=1&ascsubtag=t3-1926633823761439000-21 ( https://amzn.to/3do1xdq)

Saw this, alright?

She doesn't need much just something that boots fast with decent memory that is light.
Spot on, I’d say.

[Giggles]

Is there any way to sync an office 365 work calendar to the iOS calendar the same way you can use the iOS Mail app for emails?

[Raoul Duke]

Either using the Outlook app or add the exchange account to Calendar.

Pretty much all calendar apps can sync Office/GCal/iCal feeds, it's a fairly open standard, like email.

[Giggles]

Either using the Outlook app or add the exchange account to Calendar.

Pretty much all calendar apps can sync Office/GCal/iCal feeds, it's a fairly open standard, like email.

I’m using the outlook app for my personal email so that wouldn’t work.

How do you add the exchange account? When I tap add calendars in the iOS calendar I can’t change the account type off iCloud. Don’t see any option to add an exchange account.

[Giggles]

I can’t change this:


https://i.imgur.com/3D0EnPn.png

[CJay]

Settings -> Passwords & Accounts -> Add Account

Should be it. 👍🏼

And then you’ll have to toggle calendar on for the new account of course.

[Giggles]

Cheers. I had the account added but hadn't toggled Calendar on in the account settings.

[Raoul Duke]

I’m using the outlook app for my personal email so that wouldn’t work.

How do you add the exchange account? When I tap add calendars in the iOS calendar I can’t change the account type off iCloud. Don’t see any option to add an exchange account.

Fairly sure you can have multiple accounts on Outlook/other mail + calendar clients. I have my personal and work ones in Gmail (not using Exchange though) but I assume it'd be the same.

[Gray Fox]

Any tips on reviving a dead mechanical keyboard?

It got coffee'd about 6 months ago. I made a half assed attempt to clean it, but the keys were just too sticky afterwards. I thought it had been thrown away in the house move but I've just found it again.

The keys don't feel as bad as I remember and as I had "lost" it anyway, I'd be willing to do whatever to save it.

[Spikey M]

need a new laptop lads. Nothing flashy, mainly for work but also needs to run FM and Civilization VI at a decent pace. Ideally no more than about £500. Anyone got any recommendations?

[Boydy]

You use your own laptop for work?

[Spikey M]

Yeah. The one work provided is a sack of shit.

[Gray Fox]

Any tips on reviving a dead mechanical keyboard?

It got coffee'd about 6 months ago. I made a half assed attempt to clean it, but the keys were just too sticky afterwards. I thought it had been thrown away in the house move but I've just found it again.

The keys don't feel as bad as I remember and as I had "lost" it anyway, I'd be willing to do whatever to save it.

Tried first with a careful clean of the face of the thing underneath the keys. Got some ear buds to clean around the switches with warm water and put the key caps in a warm water bath with a smidge of washing up liquid. Just about got to drying now and it doesnt seem to have worked. Some switches feel stiffer than I remember.

I didn't want to go full submersion but it may well be the next step. Unless I full on start breaking it down.

[Giggles]

I've somehow got some shit called Killer that is apparently managing my WiFi and looks like it was designed with crayons on my PC. The trouble is that it doesn't show in the Add/Remove Programs section so how do you uninstall something that isn't in that list?

[Baz]

Sounds like you might need to keep it? https://www.dell.com/support/article/en-uk/sln300762/alienware-laptops-with-killer-wireless-cannot-connect-to-the-internet-through-lan-or-wireless?lang=en

[Gray Fox]

Tried first with a careful clean of the face of the thing underneath the keys. Got some ear buds to clean around the switches with warm water and put the key caps in a warm water bath with a smidge of washing up liquid. Just about got to drying now and it doesnt seem to have worked. Some switches feel stiffer than I remember.

I didn't want to go full submersion but it may well be the next step. Unless I full on start breaking it down.

Eventually gave up on the piddling cleaning methods and went full submersion in the end. Put the thing in a bath and activated all keys with it submerged in warm/hot water.

After allowing almost a full week to dry I can state it's been a success for now. All of the LEDs have survived but the only key casualty I've noticed is the "/" key. It doesnt quite feel the same as new, but it's came back from the brink of me throwing it out, so I'll take the win.

[Raoul Duke]

Not really a computer but I'm thinking of buying this: https://www.samsung.com/uk/lifestyle-tvs/the-frame/highlights/

Love the design options and being able to get away from having a big black rectangle in the most prominent spot of your room.

Anyone got this (or the LG GX, which seems similar but seems to have a better picture quality but less polished options around displaying images)?

[Yevrah]

How much are they?

[phonics]

My parents have one of the LG ones. They’re beautiful.

[Dquincy]

One assumes you'd have to accept positioning your television relatively high on the wall as you wouldn't normally place a framed piece of art low on on the wall.

I'm not a fan of high TVs. i.e. above your fireplace.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

How much are they?

£1200 for a 43 inch 4K.

[Boydy]

One assumes you'd have to accept positioning your television relatively high on the wall as you wouldn't normally place a framed piece of art low on on the wall.

I'm not a fan of high TVs. i.e. above your fireplace.

Yeah, same. Really don't like wall mounted TVs.

Those do look nice though.

[John Arne]

I know they have to do it for promo reasons, but not having any decent images of that TV with the power cable tailing out is a bit meh.

[Raoul Duke]

I know they have to do it for promo reasons, but not having any decent images of that TV with the power cable tailing out is a bit meh.

Most people would either cable it inside the wall or run a bit of guttering (?) to hide it, like this guy who installs it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUtvD4ZP74U

[Giggles]

Definitely need the wall done for those things.

[Kikó]

My Lenovo Yoga touch screen is now cracked so two questions really 1) is it easy to replace(out of warranty) 2) if not, any recommendations on a decent laptop, wouldn't mind some light gaming capabilities?

[John Arne]

I bought a Surface Laptop 3 a few months ago. It's been great.

[hfswjyr]

Not sure if NZ pricing of the Surface Laptop is any different to overseas, but those things are ridiculously expensive over here.

[Giggles]

They’re nice but they’re ridiculously expensive everywhere.

[phonics]

You don’t have to put it that high on the wall.

Here’s my parents version:

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/464147082253434911/739795889429807174/image0.jpg

It turning on when you walk into the room is wild.

[hfswjyr]

Neat idea, but unfortunately that photo makes it still look very much like a TV on a wall for me.

[Giggles]

And you’d have an awful sore neck watching it.



.

[Manc]

What an insight.

[Kikó]

Empty tissue box at the front. :henn0rz:

[phonics]

I’ve been watching Normal People, what can I say.

[Pepe]

That micro "art". :harold:

[Pepe]

Neat idea, but unfortunately that photo makes it still look very much like a TV on a wall for me.

True. That Samsung one looks good in its ads, but once placed it is probably the same thing. Also, dealing with the cables sounds like too much trouble. If you hate the looks of the TV so much, just don't have it in the living room.

[niko_cee]

My Lenovo Yoga touch screen is now cracked so two questions really 1) is it easy to replace(out of warranty) 2) if not, any recommendations on a decent laptop, wouldn't mind some light gaming capabilities?

I bought a gigabyte aero 15 off amazon warehouse as lockdown set in and it's epic. Probably a bit above 'light gaming capabilities' mind.

[Raoul Duke]

You don’t have to put it that high on the wall.

Here’s my parents version:

It turning on when you walk into the room is wild.

Your parents really need to get their shit together when it comes to picking a frame colour :moop: They could switch out the TV surround for a wood effect one, which would look great.

[Lofty]

I have a 55" LG OLED C8 on the wall above the fire place, looks fine, use a tiltable mount never had any neck ache or anyone complain about it. I did read somewhere that QLED isnt the same as OLED it is just named that way to muddy the water? Not sure how true that is. As for the tv itself, I got mine for a grand having shopped around and getting a Richer Sounds price beat offer, also being happy to buy it when it was going to be heavily discounted due to the new models coming out.

I'm really happy with it, watching stuff in HDR 4k still really amazes me, Blue Planet etc is an epic watch on it. Built in surround sound is decent as are the apps, though my PS4 is plugged into mine so minimal app usage.

[Lofty]

There's a guy selling refurbished Toshiba laptops with 16gb ram and i8 processors in that could be epic for FM, only 12 inch screens though. Feel like that could be too small.

[hfswjyr]

What's an i8 processor?

[Shindig]

He's so tall he can see the future.

[Giggles]

Or past seeing as there’s an i9.

[Giggles]

Anyone else keep losing their bookmark icons on Chrome?

[Giggles]

https://i.imgur.com/q9yXIBk.png


The ones that have returned are ones I've opened this morning. Third time it's happened.

[Lofty]

Not sure what is occurring but using samsung internet to browse the mobile forums when I go in the FM thread as of today it just keeps refreshing until the tab crashes out.

[Giggles]

Did you open a Baz affiliate link?

[SincereTheRebel]

I need a new laptop or even a tower. I haven't used my PC in about two years, but I would like to get a new one. It isnt going to be used that much at all, but when i want to use it. I need something that is reliable. Or would a tablet be OK to use?

[Raoul Duke]

Depends what you want to do with it and what your budget is.

[SincereTheRebel]

I dont play games on it and if i do, it will be FM and FM only. Its just going to be used for general use twice a year, if that. Ive got a the monitor and desk that is perfect for a tower. Is it really needed though. Probably even a refurbished PC would fit perfectly given the limited use it will see.

[niko_cee]

Twice a year?

[SincereTheRebel]

Yeah, i don't use a PC really anymore. I do everything from my phone. I would like to have something with a keyboard though.

[Giggles]

Get a Bluetooth keyboard for your phone. For twice a year you don't need a PC.

[SincereTheRebel]

Might just be some tablet that you can push to a monitor

[Giggles]

Might just be some tablet that you can push to a monitor

What phone have you? The newer Samsungs have the desktop mode once you plug the phone into any monitor.

[SincereTheRebel]

Im looking to buy a VDSL modem router. Just one device. I don't really want to have a separate modem and a separate router, but it looks like it just isn't possible with gaming in mind. It appears I'm limited to a small list found below. It seems like I would need two separate devices.

https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/search-keywords/xx_xx_xx_xx_xx/modem/xx-criteria.html

If I buy this modem (https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Wireless-Support-UK-TD-W9970/dp/B013OXVA6M/ref=sxin_7?adgrpid=102898788719&ascsubtag=amzn1.osa.e134bb31-4c39-482a-9fec-5365b8753bc2.A1F83G8C2ARO7P.en_GB&creativeASIN=B013OXVA6M&cv_ct_cx=adsl%2Fvdsl+router&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osa.e134bb31-4c39-482a-9fec-5365b8753bc2.A1F83G8C2ARO7P.en_GB&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_wn=osp-single-source&dchild=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwhb36BRCfARIsAKcXh6ErIDQKJhYiiRTBXTuM Km4lQ5-U9UF7gAKpIR1eETdSdPVQWTZmRkQaAhDyEALw_wcB&hvadid=445981959064&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=1007249&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=3395509946317386534&hvtargid=kwd-340391415111&hydadcr=799_1866650&keywords=adsl%2Fvdsl+router&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B013OXVA6M&pd_rd_r=cfd1a7bb-7726-4d24-aade-e58d6e691414&pd_rd_w=L2z8j&pd_rd_wg=v60xF&pf_rd_p=60a3a643-0296-49e5-9e74-6a4d4591d289&pf_rd_r=WTP72ZK55GBM10PW7ZY1&qid=1599066593&sr=1-2-32235bf8-c8dc-423d-b49a-58af94d8b862&tag=googhydr-21), can I then connect a specific gaming router to the modem and it should work like the Asus (https://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/network-routers-and-switches/routers/asus-rog-rapture-gt-ax11000-wifi-cable-fibre-router-ax-11000-tri-band-10194208-pdt.html)or the Netgear (https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-XR700-100EUS-Nighthawk-Gaming-Router/dp/B07GZ138X8)?

[niko_cee]

I'm fascinated by the fact that you want a PC to use 'once or twice a year' but also want some sort of state of the art wireless set-up.

How bells and whistles does it need to be? I've had one of these (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wireless-Connections-UK-Archer-VR2800/dp/B06WD4RVL4/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=archer+vdsl&qid=1599070617&s=electronics&sr=1-6) for a few years and it's pretty solid.

[SincereTheRebel]

The PC idea has been scrapped. No need for it. This is purely for the next step in console gaming. In looking to take it all to the next level.

[Pepe]

Ethernet cable is your friend.

[Gray Fox]

With the new gen of consoles coming and having been stuck on 1080p for some time, I've found myself with some money stuck aside for a potential 4K monitor purchase. My budget as it is, is £300. Now I know that does cut me off from most of the premium/staples of the range, but there seem to be many options in that £250-300 price range from various reputable names(Samsung, BenQ, LG etc).

Something like this is an example (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-inch-UR55-Monitor-LU28R550UQUXEN/dp/B081TR5BMH/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=4k+monitor&qid=1604707943&refinements=p_89%3ASamsung&rnid=1632651031&s=computers&sr=1-4).

I guess my main question is, has anyone else done something similar lately? I guess what I'm getting at is, should I really be getting into a more, entry level monitor but improve my screen to 4k, or just stay in my 1080p shaped lane?

[Mike]

While not a brand I knew much about I ended up getting a Iiyama monitor, and it’s been brilliant. I’ve only got a 1080p one but there 4K one is £20 over your budget but might be worth a look?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0182GI69U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_smMPFbFEK9VKC

[Shindig]

I'm staying in 1080p world but that's mainly because I only tend to replace TV's if they're knackered. 4K looks nice though.

[Sir Andy Mahowry]

I bought a 27 inch 4k LG monitor a couple of years ago. I think it was around £350 and I think it's great.

[Gray Fox]

While not a brand I knew much about I ended up getting a Iiyama monitor, and it’s been brilliant. I’ve only got a 1080p one but there 4K one is £20 over your budget but might be worth a look?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0182GI69U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_smMPFbFEK9VKC

Unfortunately it only offers 4k over the display port connection. The PS5 doesn't have one.

From some quick research, it seems I have a choice of an IPS panel with a ~5ms response time, or a TN/VA panel with a 1ms response time. An IPS panel with a 1ms response time would need an increase in my budget.

[Boydy]

Why a monitor rather than a tv?

[Gray Fox]

I have my own desk set up for the PC/Console. So I'm sat infront of it quite closely.

[Dquincy]

Hi chaps

Wife has a 2015 Macbook. A few years ago some of the keys stopped working on the keyboard, but the majority still work fine.

Is there a fix to this without replacing the whole keyboard? And could it be a software issue rather than hardware?

Thanks

[Raoul Duke]

Apple offer keyboard replacement as it's become a bit of a problem in some of the recent Macs with the low-travel keyboards as they switched to a new mechanism that was shit. It's probably that, although if you can be more specific as to the model (click the Apple symbol in the top-left > About This Mac) I can tell you if you have one of those.

[Dquincy]

Thanks Raoul.

The info tells me 'Macbook Air 11-inch 2014'. It's older than I thought.

[Gray Fox]

With the new gen of consoles coming and having been stuck on 1080p for some time, I've found myself with some money stuck aside for a potential 4K monitor purchase. My budget as it is, is £300. Now I know that does cut me off from most of the premium/staples of the range, but there seem to be many options in that £250-300 price range from various reputable names(Samsung, BenQ, LG etc).

Something like this is an example (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-inch-UR55-Monitor-LU28R550UQUXEN/dp/B081TR5BMH/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=4k+monitor&qid=1604707943&refinements=p_89%3ASamsung&rnid=1632651031&s=computers&sr=1-4).

I guess my main question is, has anyone else done something similar lately? I guess what I'm getting at is, should I really be getting into a more, entry level monitor but improve my screen to 4k, or just stay in my 1080p shaped lane?

Still in the should I/shouldn't I stage of this.

I could get a very good 1080p display for my budget, a pretty good 1440p one or a more entry level 4k.

Ideally I'd have already gone for a 1440p, but the PS5 doesn't support it natively, only upscaled at the moment. Sony have however said if demand is there, that will change in a future update.

[Offshore Toon]

Is PC Specialist still the best place to go? I'm looking to get a desktop to get back into PC gaming but don't really want to spend more than £1k.

[Gray Fox]

If you can I'd hold off a little. Assuming you've been away from the game a few years, things have changed recently. AMD did nothing for years, so Intel/Nvidia was the only way to go. However there's been a change of people at the top for AMD.

Firstly they returned in the CPU market with a big bang. Their Ryzen series has blown Intel out of the water in terms of bang for buck. As an example, my i7 6700k I'm using is now close to I think 6 years old. It was the top customer CPU of the time, but that's nothing compared to even the Ryzen range that's sub £200 now.

The main gains however will be with the GPU. Nvidia recently announced their 30x0 series, which provide a big jump in performance and cost the same as, or slightly less than the previous 20x0 series. This was the big news, right up until AMD did the same thing again. Their 6800 series was announced and while you do get a smidge more performance on Nvidias side, they've undercut them on the price.

The problem though is that PC gamers have seen the big performance for price gains. For example the "entry level" 3070 has shown to be of very similar performance to the 2080ti which is a GPU that is near £1000 more expensive. As such, they all wanted one and given the pandemic, the supply of that first batch is just non-existent.
If you can wait then you'll likely get a whole load more for your £1k than you would if you tried right this second.

[Offshore Toon]

A much better write up than I expected. I'll sit tight for a bit then. Thanks.

[igor_balis]

Does Martin Keown have brain damage?

[Disco]

I bought a Chillblast last time and I'd buy one again, that was 3-4 years ago though so I can't say how their pricing is.

[Disco]

Does Martin Keown have brain damage?

I'm told he can't even post in the right thread these days.

[igor_balis]

I'm told he can't even post in the right thread these days.

Hahaha fuck sake. I'm not deleting that, it's too perfect. What a thick cunt i am.

[phonics]

I’m getting mostly new parts soon so it probably doesn’t matter but I just opened my case for the first time in a while and the only part not covered in dust are all four corners of the GPU which seem to have a weird sticky substance on them. I had noticed a downgrade in performance recently that hadn’t recovered after reformatting. Have I somehow melted my card without killing it?

[Shindig]

https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/is-gpu-leaking-something-black-and-sticky-on-the-outside-of-gpu-picture-attatched.3479645/

Might be a popped capacitor which isn't terminal.

[Giggles]

Anything I need to take care doing if I want to install Ubuntu alongside Windows 10 on a laptop? I’ve read through some guides which look straightforward but are there any hardware restrictions to watch out for or does it affect how Windows runs?

[randomlegend]

I have no idea in answer to your question, but am curious what you're installing Ubuntu for?

[phonics]

No there’s no hardware restrictions. Good luck. I hate Linux with a passion.

[Giggles]

Bit of a project, and won’t be keeping it long. Are there any issues with getting rid?

Would I actually be just better resurrecting an old laptop for a while?

[phonics]

Yes. It’s not that hard to get rid of but you still have to create a hard drive partition. Ubuntu’s fine to get rid of because it has a GUI but if you’re just working on something I’d practice on something you can just wipe.