Katylar

Intel Sandy Bridge

I don't really do 4k editing. But i do use premiere once in a bluemoon. I use Photoshop quite a lot, though. I already have my games and apps installed on another SSD.

Win10. How do I use it as cache?

I recently found myself the owner of an extra 120gb ssd. I already have an EVO for my bootdrive and another SSD for my apps. I do have an HDD for my files, but 120gb won't be realistically big enough to replace that for now. So now I have a first-world problem of having an extra SSD. Any suggestions on best way to utilize it? I've heard it can be used as a high-speed scratch disk and whatnot. I'm on Win10 Thoughts?

Hi Everyone, Thanks for your advice. To elaborate, we're a small company and our business is primarily an offline one. To reiterate, we're not looking for an enterprise-level solution, because aside from the budgetary constraints, I don't think we really need it. We're primarily a print design company (we are not a tech startup), so we don't handle consumer information/data nor do we interface with consumers at all. What we will have on the server will be our PSDs, AIs, etc., which aren't that damaging if 'leaked'. We've been using this ISP-issued modem as our router and AP for the past 3 years, and although it's been frustrating sometimes whenever a phone gets disconnected or our CS:GO lanparties after hours become laggy, we've been able to work. However, I do want to integrate a NAS eventually so we can consolidated our workfiles (and give all our designers a single place to go), and being able to connect more desktops via ethernet (our modem combo has only 4 ports) are the primary reasons why we're planning to try and go for a better setup. That's also why I'm hoping to get some advice and then do it on my own. So that I can learn and grow alongside our business. If--and when--we eventually expand enough to require enterprise-level stuff, then hopefully I'd be good enough to handle that, too.

Hi! Sorry if this is the wrong section for this post, I don't quite know where it should be. I'm a co-owner of a small startup and we maintain a small office. With that being said, our budget is limited so we've been making do with a barebones network setup and we've had a lot of issues but we've soldiered on. To give you an idea, our current setup is as follows: 1 ISP-issued modem+router-switch+AP (you know that combo box?). Like I said--barebones and pathetic. Now that we have some wiggle room, we've decided to try sorting out our networking solution. We're planning to gently expand over the coming months, and we think it's high time we made sure we were using a slightly more professional setup. However, enterprise solutions are still way beyond our budget, I think. And getting a networking professional to do the planning, config, and physical wiring is also outside of our budget. So it's fallen on me to do everything. I have some rudimentary knowledge on networking (some CISCO courses back in 2004-2005), and am a system builder. Although I'm sure my knowledge is miniscule compared to those who are actually qualified, I'm willing to learn and put in the hours. And we have interns who can help me with the actual wiring (and the office isn't that big). So here's our setup: We currently have a single DSL line. I have some Cat6 or Cat5e stowed away somewhere. No shortage of those. For Phase 1 (this 2018), we have: 6 desktops connected via Ethernet Around 15~20 devices connected via WiFi, including 1 wireless printer and a chromecast For Phase 2 (probably early next year, so the network I'm planning should be able to accommodate these): Addition of 10 more desktops connected via Ethernet Around 20 more devices connected via WiFi A NAS that all devices can access (with password) And eventually perhaps a Load Balancer so we can integrate our current DSL and the Fiber line we're planning to get soon. I plan to eventually setup a NAS, but that's a secondary concern. For now, I just need all the devices to be able to access the internet and maybe print. I was originally planning to just buy a wireless router to attach to our modem and have everything connected to that, but that's no longer viable. So I was thinking of buying a router, 21-port Switch, and a WAP (or 2). But after checking out most examples of the web, they all strongly recommend having a firewall between my modem and my router. Hardware Firewalls are exorbitantly expensive. So I did more research and found pfSense. This seems ideal, so I'm looking for some feedback. I could easily build a system from spare or 2nd-hand parts that we can use as our router+firewall if this it the case, although I'm not sure at what point it becomes more cost-effective to buy a ready-made router and/or firewall from TP-Link rather than try to DIY it using a PC (given that I'll need to spend cash on lots of RAM, I believe?) Finally, I've heard about MESH. I can't quite wrap my head around this, and if I should learn and implement this topology, instead. FYI: We're from Manila, Philippines. So availability of certain hardware is a concern (And thus why I'm thinking of just going the DIY PC route). Ebay and Craigslist aren't that helpful, but we do have our own online marketplaces for hardware.

Hi! Thanks for the advice. So if I don't get an AP and just use a modem > wireless router > switch, then would that mean that wifi devices will connect to the router? If so, would that change the network topography (i.e. if I hook up our NAS to the switch, will laptops connected via WiFi through the router not be able to easily communicate to the NAS?) As most routers I've seen are wireless routers.

Hi! So the office for my small startup has finally grown enough that we're thinking about upgrading our tech infrastructure. We're a small design firm, so we have a mix of Macs and Windows desktops and laptops, plus everyone's smartphones, etc. Currently, our setup is BARE BONES. We're using the modem+wirelessrouter+switch combo that our ISP gave us. It is horrible. I'm not looking to do anything enterprise-level, and our budget is small (even moreso since we're from the Philippines, so for us $200 is quite expensive). So here's what we have: 7 desktops (hopefully to connect via ethernet) 1 Chromecast (wifi) 8 laptops (wifi) 10 phones (wifi) Visitors' Devices (wifi) NAS Server (Eventually) What would you recommend in terms of network devices? My initial guess was modem > wireless router > switch, but then I realized, where would the wireless devices connect to? the new router? Wouldn't that make a separate subnetwork for my wifi devices and my hardline devices? Are there any wireless switches? Or would it be best to go mode > router > switch > WAP?

Can you expound more on the 960evo comment? I thought an NVMe on M.2 was faster? Or is it the same because it's an M.2 SATA and not PCIe? Thanks!

Hi! I'm currently making do with a low-budget rig I put together from spare parts I had lying around just so I could have a PC. I work mostly as a programmer and designer, so my desktop does need to have enough oomph to run Photoshop and the like. I've been living with bad and old desktops, as I always told myself I'll save up and buy a top-tier rig, but rainy days keep happening and so I've been stuck in this rut for years. I'm sure if most people see how my desktop performs they'd be appalled. Think it takes more than 5 minutes for Photoshop to start, and I can't run CS:GO on the lowest settings with extreme stuttering. So I decided to aim lower and finally treat myself to a mid-range build. I'm sure any improvement will blow me away. I was about to pull the trigger on a Ryzen 1600, but since Coffee Lake came out I've decided to go back to team blue. So here's what I've got: PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor (PHP 10,289.32 @ OutletPC) CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler (PHP 4,575.32 @ OutletPC) Motherboard: ASRock - Z370 Killer SLI/ac ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (PHP 6,742.52 @ Newegg) Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (PHP 7,646.98 @ Newegg Marketplace) Storage: Samsung - 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For PHP 0) Storage: Samsung - 960 EVO 250GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (PHP 6,053.75 @ Amazon) Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For PHP 0) Storage: Western Digital - Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For PHP 0) Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (PHP 3,802.64 @ OutletPC) Video Card: Zotac - GeForce GT 730 2GB Video Card (Purchased For PHP 0) Power Supply: Corsair - CXM 550W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (PHP 2,007.11 @ Newegg) Total: PHP 41,117.65 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-11 13:14 EDT-0400 Intended use is for some all around gaming; hopefully with relatively high settings for older games (i.e. Starcraft II, Dragon Age), but with at least medium settings for newer ones (Dawn of War III), and general productivity work with Adobe Creative Cloud, primarily Illustrator, Photoshop, and Premiere. Graphics-wise, a resolution of 1080 or 1440 with higher than 60fps if possible. I'm planning to have a two-monitor setup for now, and eventually will upgrade to a 3-monitor setup once I get a good deal for a 3rd monitor. Budget is as stated. PHP 30,886.5-PHP 51,477.49. The big issue is that I'm living in the Philippines, so finding parts isn't easy. Note that I plan to upgrade to a 1060 or 1070 GPU by the end of the year. The current setup will be that I'll plug my primary monitor to my onboard graphics (since apparently the onboard graphics for the 8400 is now better than my crappy GT730), and plug my secondary monitor into my GT730. For the case, I'll shop around in physical/brick-and-mortar stores here and see what calls to me looks-wise. So I didn't include in here. Is the cooler overkill? Obviously, I can't overclock the i5-8400... so I'm not sure. For the storage, I already have existing disks that I want to carry over to my new build. So my current bootdrive (850EVO) and my 2 WD Blues (which are in RAID0) will be used for applications and my steam-library, respectively. Then a new 950EVO (M.2) for a new boot drive to add some speed, and a new 3TB HDD for media-storage. I'm not sure about my MoBo choice at all, as all I'm really looking for is SATA (for my drives) and USB support. Finally, I plan to perhaps upgrade with another 16GB kit for my RAM sometime next year. Does this look good? Comments?

This projector looks great. I bet it would be awesome to be able to bring it anywhere and set up a theater or gaming area when I'm hanging out with friends. Like the guy who always brings the guitars to parties, whoever has this project could be the go-to guy if people want to chill and either watch a flick or two or do some gaming sessions. I can already picture a screening of some cult classics like Conan or RHPS. But seriously, great projector and great concept. Price is a bit steep, but I guess you get what you pay for. Would also be really, really handy for meetings with my team where we can easily setup a projector even when on the go or if our clients don't have a projector set up.

Ok, understood. Bandwidth then. Actual surfing experience should still improve, though.

Hi All! I'd like to ask if anyone can recommend a good free or very affordable software load balancer? I've just upgraded my mobile carrier's data-plan, so it has some pretty good LTE speeds. Now I plan to make the most bang for my buck by tethering my phone to my desktop whenever I'm at home. Right now, my desktop uses my home DSL connection via wired LAN. I was thinking of using a load balancer so I could merge both WAN connections into a single high-speed connection. The only one I've read anything noteworthy about is Speedify. Unfortunately, that's a bit expensive—at $19/mo. My current DSL costs $26/mo, and my mobile service is $40/mo. So adding $20 to that is a bit too much. What do you think? Does anyone have any recommendations?

Ah. I'm pretty sure you don't know either, as they're local telcos here in the Phillippines. For ISP, it's Bayan, and for mobile, it's Smart Communications.

Hi! As I said, I currently don't have any router (except for the 3-in-1 modem+router+ap provided by my ISP). So I'm hoping for some advice on what router to buy. Thanks for letting me know about the USB ports, though. Would a phone be usable for that, though?