Nerdsauce

I type with mainly two fingers - the index one from each hand - with my two thumbs for the space bar, though I alternate which fingers and thumbs I use depending on which keys I'm trying to hit, and which "side" of the keyboard I need (with the "y", "h" and "b & n" keys marking the "middle" for me). I've got it down to the level where I only have to make small sideways movements with my two hands, and can type at a relatively steady pace of between 70-80 words a minute. I do make mistakes, but can usually correct them pretty quickly as I go with only a small decline in my typing speed. Touch-typing is what you're talking about, and it's all but disappeared from regular usage. It was only created because you couldn't correct documents/letters typed with a typewriter, so it was considered to increase accuracy when typing at higher speeds (and I guess they were right). Nowadays with word processing software it's not necessary to be 100% accurate thanks to the Undo button and built-in spell and grammar checkers. You can teach yourself to touch type - but a job in the I.T industry isn't dependant on your ability to do this. I've had several jobs as an administrator with my weird typing style and they never had a problem with it. Funnily enough, despite touch-typing all but dying out, it's the reason why the "f" and "j" keys still have a raised or textured surface on most keyboards, so you can find the right keys for your index fingers without having to look at the keyboard.

Ok, it's done. I bought the items that were listed in my ebay basket just above. Total cost £351.02 - should be with me in a few days. I'll re-use most of the parts I managed to save from my old computer and give Microsoft a call see if they will let me register my copy of Windows 7 on the new machine. Thank you SO much to all of you who gave me advice, I was totally lost in the maze of options! LOL I'd especially like to thank MarthiniL for his invaluable advice. You guys all rock! :D

Ok this is what my ebay basket currently looks like: MSI Z87-G45 GAMING, Intel Z87, S 1150, DDR3, SATA III, SATA RAID, PCIe 3.0 (x16) Intel Core i5 4670K, S 1150, Haswell, Quad Core, 3.4GHz, 3.8GHz Turbo, 1200MHz G CIT Vantage Grey ATX PC Gaming Computer Case + Purple Led Fans & Card Reader Total Price: £351.02 (including shipping cost)

Would this be a good bundle to get? - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Intel-Core-I5-4670K-3-8Ghz-Asus-Z87-K-Haswell-Motherboard-4GB-Pc-Bundle-/121121034094?pt=UK_Motherboards_CPUs&hash=item1c33604f6e I could then get this case - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CIT-Vantage-Grey-ATX-PC-Gaming-Computer-Case-Purple-Led-Fans-Card-Reader-/370840451452?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopComponents_RL&hash=item5657d0397c Both from the same supplier, comes within my budget and I can use the graphics card, power supply and hard drive I already have. I'll just have to hope Microsoft customer service will be kind to me and allow me to register my Windows 7 copy on the new build (the motherboard it was registered too is destroyed, so that should help, right?).

Well I'm more than happy to use the GTX 570 I still have. The other problem I'm facing is I need the computer to come with an OS. I have a DVD copy of Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, however because I used it on my previous computer I'm not sure that I can register it on the replacement I need to buy.

Hey Guys, My computer recently died, and I've been looking to purchase a replacement. I only have a rather small, very tight budget (£360 max) - but I do need the computer to at least be able to do what I was using the now-dead one for, which is mainly graphic work (vector illustration, web design etc) and gaming (Skyrim, GTA IV, Far Cry 3, Battlefield 3). I have come up with two suggestions that are right on the edge of my budget, but it's giving me a headache trying to decide between them! I'm wondering if you guys can help me decide which is better for my money (there's not much between them), or perhaps even suggest something better? Here's the options: a) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OCHW-FAST-DUAL-CORE-GAMING-PC-COMPUTER-AMD-A6-6400K-4-1-8GB-HD-8470D-1TB-WIN8-/200930965896?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item2ec86b3988 b) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OCHW-AMD-3-9GHZ-QUAD-CORE-ATI-3000-1TB-8GB-HOME-GAMING-COMPUTER-PC-USB3-WINDOWS8-/181172393348?pt=UK_Computing_DesktopPCs&hash=item2a2eb75584 The computer is to replace my dead one, which had the following specs: OS: Windows 7 Professional 64-bit CPU: Core 2 Duo E5500 @ 2.80GHz PSU: G7 Modular Power Extreme 850W GPU: KFA2 GeForce GTX 570 RAM: PNY 4GB DDR3 (don't know speed) Motherboard: H-I41-uATX (Eton/EtonL) Hard Drive: Samsung 1.5TB SATA 3GB/s I still have the hard drive, RAM, graphics card and power supply. I also have the case, but it was designed around the motherboard that came with it, so I don't think I can fit a new motherboard inside (plus, the cooling options are non-existant). Any help you guys can give me would be gratefully received and appreciated! Thanks in advance, Nerdsauce (David)

Perhaps you already have in the future, and that's what caused the dinosaurs to go extinct! oooooooh! wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey!! :blink:

Xiao - I think you're slightly off with your sums ... £140+£155 = £295 not 195 lol. Anyways, here are the three options I've got so far (a third Intel option supplied by a friend): Option One (all from Amazon.co.uk) Arctic Silver 5 3.5g Thermal Paste Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) AMD FX8350 Black Edition 8 Core Processor (4.0/4.2GHz, 8MB Level 3 Cache, 8MB Level 2 Cache, Socket AM3+, 125W, Retail Boxed) AsRock 990FX Extreme3 Motherboard Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit £326.27 Option Two (all from Amazon.co.uk) Arctic Silver 5 3.5g Thermal Paste Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (120mm) AMD FX8350 Black Edition 8 Core Processor (4.0/4.2GHz, 8MB Level 3 Cache, 8MB Level 2 Cache, Socket AM3+, 125W, Retail Boxed) Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD3 Socket AMD AM3+ 7.1, Optical S/PDIF Channel Audio ATX Motherboard Corsair CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 8GB 1600MHz CL9 DDR3 Vengeance Memory Two Module Kit £360.87 Option Three (Intel - all from Box.co.uk) Intel Ivy Bridge Core i5-3570K Dual Core Processor @ 3.4GHz - 3.8GHz Turbo Boost Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Intel Z77 Socket 1155 ATX Motherboard Cooler Master TPC-T800 High Performance Gaming Processor Heatsink Cooler Master 120mm Blade Master Cooling Fan (all of above as bundle offer @ £299.99) Corsair Vengeance 1600MHz RAM Module - 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) - DDR3 SDRAM Arctic Cooling MX-2 Thermal Grease for CPU Processor Heatsink Total £358.20 Is it wiser to go with AMD at this price range, or go for Box.co.uk's Intel deal? And if AMD is the better option, which of the two listed above would be better value for money?

Ok both Blade of Grass and Xiao Pigs have great suggestions - I actually was considering going down the AMD route, but got put off by so many people saying when you need it for slightly heavier tasks the performance isn't there and other such things. The only real difference (other than price) between both of your suggestions is the motherboard. Which one is going to offer the best performance/features for the price? I'm guessing a £108 motherboard is going to be slightly better than a £85 one, right?

I forgot to include what case I have, it's a generic HP mid-size ATX case. Height: 38.40 cm (15.12 inches) Width: 16.58 cm (6.53 inches) Length: 42.9 cm (16.89 inches) With 2x 5.2inch bays and 1 3.5inch bay.

Whichever one I can find the parts suggested cheapest on, I suppose. Though I would prefer a UK-based one such as Box.co.uk or the UK version of Amazon. I'd prefer to avoid Ebay if I can, I just don't fully trust that site or its sellers yet (heard too many horror stories that has kinda scared me off a bit).

Hey guys, I'm currently in a position where I have no choice but to upgrade my computer. My processor is dying and I've started to notice some irregularities such as extremely slow boot-up times, 100% cpu usage when only doing simple tasks (such as having 1 tab open in Chrome plus my word processing software running) and I've even had one or two BSoD's. I need advice on what are the best parts I should be getting as I'm more than slightly out-of-date when it comes to processor and motherboard choices. Here are the details: Usage Requirement: Medium-level gaming (my most modern games are Skyrim and BiShock Infinite - I'd like to play these on at least High setting), 2D illustration, web development, some simple 2D animation although I'd like to start on 3D animations, and general pc usage. Budget: £380 maximum. Sadly I can't go any higher than this as I don't have the income required. Replacement Parts Needed: Processor, Motherboard and RAM (and possibly CPU cooling) - I have NO intention of over-clocking. Current Specs: (items in red need to be replaced, items in black I want to keep) Motherboard - Foxconn H-I41-uATX ... http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01903990 Processor - Pentium Dual Core E5500 @ 2.80GHz RAM - 4GB 10600 (DDR3-1333) GPU - GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 - KFA2 version PSU - G7 Modular Power Extreme 850W HDD - 1.5TB Samsung HD154UI ATA Any help and suggestions you guys can give will be greatly appreciated ^_^

Ok that I can understand - but why don't they just SAY that during the announcements? They're STILL using the age-old excuse "it can cause interference with flight controls/systems" which is an outright lie. I'd much rather be told the truth - that if you're using that heavy and rather blade-like MacBook Pro and the plane crashes during take-off, it could slice someone's head off. Although, perhaps not quite in THAT graphic a detail LOL.

I'd make a note of every single invention, patent and copyright that Microsoft owns then go back and make sure I invent, patent and copyright all of them before Bill Gates gets a chance.

So, technically this is two questions not one - but they are, in a way, closely related: Do you think there will ever be a time when computers get to the level where their processing-speed-to-power-consumption-rate allows for the feasible combining of computers with our physical bodies/brains? I think most people are generally aware that our brains have processing capabilities that even today far outstrip anything we can produce, yet they only use power on the micro-watt and micro-voltage level in comparison to our computers using hundreds of watts of power. It's a topic than more than one sci-fi movie has touched upon - supplementing your own brain's processing capabilities with built-in computers and increasing your own memory abilities with artificial RAM and Hard Drive space (or even renting out your brains natural available memory space to private companies etc) - as well as providing interesting new ways to interact with, and control, your computer. However all that is only possible once computers reach the point where they are using roughly the same amount of electrical power as our bodies (important for good data flow rates between processor and brain - and to stop electrocution!) and the processors get closer to the comparative processing level of our brains (although that isn't strictly necessary as our brains have already shown a remarkable ability to work around such issues) I ask because I've noticed a curious trend lately of shrinking the processing technology (we're now down to 22nm levels), increasing their power-consumption efficiency to decrease total power usage - yet oddly as each new generation of processors and GPUs are released the total power demands of our computers are going UP. 10-15 years ago a 250-500W supply seemed way over the top, yet now 800W to even 1500W power units are commonplace. If processors are getting better at using LESS power to do MORE, and the same for GPUs - why is the general power demands of our computers increasing not decreasing? And does this hurt the overall idea that one day we'll have computers implanted inside us in some way? Sorry for such a long post, it's I'd be fascinated to see what your opinions are on this topic. :)