The Spam Thread!

[huckleberrypie]

Going to be running some benchmarks tonight. I used Geekbench 5 Tryout.

CPU: https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/1096992
GPU: https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/compute/470303

Now here is the scores for the Inspiron 5675 with identical CPU:
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/1061214

And it's GPU... or something close to it. Results vary between RX 580 vendors.
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/compute/468770

I will do a heat test on Greta next. I'm curious to see how hot her CPU gets and whether my concerns are valid.

Ryzens are known for being multi-core monsters I must say. Though for some reason game code seems to be more or less biased towards Intel but given how they're only slightly slower compared to when they're running off a Core i7, the lower frame rates are largely negligible in practical terms.

[cpd2009]

Just got done doing the heat test on Greta, and it doesn't look good. CPU temp gets around 75C with the highest temp at 79C in HWInfo 64.

Here are her Geekbench scores BTW.
CPU: https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/1097398
GPU: https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/compute/470469

[huckleberrypie]

That definitely doesn't look good. Maybe dusting the vents off would fix the issue somewhat?

[cpd2009]

I'll give that a shot. If that doesn't help, then it's likely the insides also need dusting, but I'm not that good at opening up laptops besides user accessible slots.

Perhaps I could use that as a convenient excuse to get that Motile?

[cpd2009]

I think that quick dusting did the trick. Took an air duster and blew into the side vent. A whole bunch of dust flew out the vent and bottom intake fan.

I left a browser tab set on this forum page to stress the CPU, and now temps are hovering around the upper 50s to mid 60s Celsius, with the highest temp of 72C. It's a rather good improvement. The keyboard also doesn't feel too hot to the touch either.

Maybe I won't need that Motile after all.

---

As such, I'm starting to lean towards not getting that R7-1800X rig. Pearls specs are a bit dated now, but it's still capable of doing the tasks I need to do. I will only have around $650 to work with, so perhaps all Pearl needs is an SSD and different video capture hardware. If the Honestech software wasn't so buggy (seriously, taking the capture window out of focus freezes the program), I'd be able to get good capture quality with minimal or no frame drops. I'd like to try that Roxio device from Walmart, or if I'm feeling like spending a bit more, acquiring a PCI-e capture card.

There's also other things I'm thinking of using the extra money for, such as continuing to rebuild my retro game collection as well as a new stereo system for my bedroom.

[huckleberrypie]

I think that quick dusting did the trick. Took an air duster and blew into the side vent. A whole bunch of dust flew out the vent and bottom intake fan.

I left a browser tab set on this forum page to stress the CPU, and now temps are hovering around the upper 50s to mid 60s Celsius, with the highest temp of 72C. It's a rather good improvement. The keyboard also doesn't feel too hot to the touch either.

Maybe I won't need that Motile after all.

---

As such, I'm starting to lean towards not getting that R7-1800X rig. Pearls specs are a bit dated now, but it's still capable of doing the tasks I need to do. I will only have around $650 to work with, so perhaps all Pearl needs is an SSD and different video capture hardware. If the Honestech software wasn't so buggy (seriously, taking the capture window out of focus freezes the program), I'd be able to get good capture quality with minimal or no frame drops. I'd like to try that Roxio device from Walmart, or if I'm feeling like spending a bit more, acquiring a PCI-e capture card.

There's also other things I'm thinking of using the extra money for, such as continuing to rebuild my retro game collection as well as a new stereo system for my bedroom.

Whichever fits your bill I guess, as long as it is more than capable of doing whatever you want given your hobbies and interests.

[cpd2009]

My taxes are done, and I should receive my refund sometime after the middle of February. The Earned Income Tax Credit gets delayed due to some anti-fraud check the IRS now does.

I have finalized my plans for the tech goodies I'll acquire with said refund. I will stick to this plan because I really need to work on my indecisiveness problem.

For Pearl, I will get that 1TB SSD upgrade. I will research different video capture options as well. The candidates are either the Roxio device or the Dazzle DVD Recorder HD. There exists a Dazzle model that has hardware video encoding in the capture device, but it's made with Windows XP in mind. Win10 compatibility not guaranteed.

As for my Mac conundrum, It's safe to say that any Mac I get will be LowEnd. While researching potential candidates, it appears that modern iMacs have a problem where poor case design can cause dust to get stuck between the glass and LCD, creating ugly dark streaks that can interfere with picture clarity. More info here: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/did...c.2122476/ iMacs also get issues with Retina displays getting pink edges or corners, again alluded to poor case design. That is unacceptable, and Apple doesn't seem to care. No wonder some Apple users are moving to Windows or Linux.

As for the LowEndMac in question, I have sights set on a small 20'' iMac from either 2008 or 2009. I will use said LowEndMac for audio recording (transferring tapes or records to MP3) and as a compact Windows XP retro PC. An Intel C2D would fit the bill for these tasks. The '08/'09 iMacs can take up to El Capitan, but I will roll them back to either Leopard or Snow Leopard and install a more up to date web browser like Leopard WebKit or Arctic Fox. These Macs can be had for around the $100 to $150 range in good working condition. They are rather easy to fix when you have the right tools and the patience.

[huckleberrypie]

So you ditched the Ryzen in favour of a used Mac then?

Well at least that Mac's far more serviceable than the nightmare that is the new iMac models which Apple greedily locked down to death.

[cpd2009]

So you ditched the Ryzen in favour of a used Mac then?

Well at least that Mac's far more serviceable than the nightmare that is the new iMac models which Apple greedily locked down to death.

I'm afraid so. I only will have around $670 as I mentioned, so that Ryzen rig will take up nearly 75% of that. I need to choose my purchases carefully and think hard about whether my current hardware setup will take me into the next year.

And you are right about the older Macs being more serviceable. I seen a video from OWC detailing the process of upgrading a 2007 - 2009 iMac. It takes lots of patience, but if you have the right tools and knowledge, you can pull it off, literally. The front glass is held on by magnets, and you use suction cups to...wait for it... pull it off. You then remove a series of Torx screws to take off the front bezel, and then carefully lift the LCD, while also disconnecting the various cords leading to the internals. Once that's done, you can upgrade to your heart's content. The older, pre-Retina MBPs are even more serviceable. All you do is unscrew the bottom panel and that's it. The entire chassis is workable from that point on.

There should be a way where user upgradability is maintained without sacrificing form factor. That may mean making laptops thicker again, but in this never ending quest of making the thinnest and lighest laptop, something bad is going to happen again. With the Galaxy Note 7, Samsung tried to cram a powerful battery inside a thin phone, and those batteries started exploding. MBP's a few years ago were prone to thermal throttling because of the thin case and poor cooling. There's also Bendgate too.

[cpd2009]

Beginning to make space for the future iMac-retro-thing. I will place it in one corner of my bedroom.

I'll have to do a bit of re-arranging, moving my gaming TV to the opposite side of the room and moving a bookshelf or two. I will then have to acquire a new computer desk from Walmart. Pearl's desk is one of these, which you build yourself.

As for Pearl's SSD... I do have a question. Would it be better to just get a smaller SSD (around 500GB or so) for a boot disk, and just use her existing 1TB WD Black as storage? I wonder how long an SSD would last if it were just the sole disk in a PC. If I were to start editing video on a more consistent basis, would that shorten an SSD lifespan if it were the sole disk?