hunchback

the best way i can explain it is like this. A proxy is like a tunnel. All your traffic requests goes through it and when it reaches the destination or host PC it gets the info and sends it back to you. So to any outsider any web traffic looks like its all coming from the IP of the proxy you are using. Where as a VPN is like a virtual cable, So think of it like running a cable from your computer all the way to where ever the VPN is located. Its more secure in most cases, easier to setup and all your web traffic goes through it. But it can cost money Here is a more in depth explanation at superuser http://superuser.com/questions/257388/what-is-the-difference-between-a-proxy-and-a-vpn But to answer what makes a VPN so special well in the corporate world i could setup a VPN on my network and on the computers that live on my network and then when a computer leaves the business as long as it is connected to the VPN it could access servers and such that are at the business location. So basically with a VPN i can go anywhere yet still have access to the save local network because i have a virtual cable running back to the local network.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Im thinking now to do a software raid because of flexibility and cost. Now i just have to decide which server solution i am going to use.....

Not for me, With my Cisco e4200v2 i get like 8ms or lower pings

I am looking to build a home media file server. I want to run some sort of raid (not sure what yet) But i would want a minimum 8 disks. I am thinking raid 5, 6, 5e, or 5ee. I need some suggestions on a good quality raid card. I would rather not go above $500, and i would really prefer to stay below that. But i do understand that you have to spend a decent amount of money to get a decent raid card. It would be preferable to have something that has the capability to add disks to the array without having to rebuild the WHOLE array!

get WD red drives

I like cystaldiskmark, its simple, it works. http://crystalmark.info/software/CrystalDiskMark/index-e.html

So i just got a roku 2 XS and i have a HUGE DVD collection and would like to rip all those DVDs onto my computer and make a plex server for streaming all my movies to my TV, phone, tablet etcc. Im going to run all this on my old athlon x2 box. So my question is what OS should i run? freenas? Linux? Windows 7 (NOT 8) The OS is not a problem ( i have a technet plus subscription) I want to have the expandability so encase i want to use it as a file server in the future. But i would like something that can run plex, and thats not to terribly hard to setup.

Thank man, i have now made my decision

I tried an n56 and it sucked

I am upgrading my router from a dlink dir 655....it was just getting to old and slow. I only have a couple wireless devices but i want a router with dual band wifi, and one with strong range. I have tried the asus n56u and the wifi speed was just to slow ) : i have been thinking about getting the linksys e4200v2 but the reviews say it has mediocre range and speed on the 2.4ghz band. Which is a problem for me because i have a nexus 7 which i use for a lot of media consumption and it only has the 2.4ghz band in it. So if anyone has any suggestions that would be great.

I would recommend changing your power supply to someone reputable like corsair, Newegg is always having rebate sales on their PSU so if you just wait a little bit you should be able to pickup something cheap. For the CPU cooler if you have the money get like a h80 or something. The case is another problem i see with this build. I have used the V6 case and i personally did not like it because it doesn't not have much room for cable management. The backside has practically no room for routing cables ( i had to sit on my computer to get the motherboard cable to fit. I also dont see a CPU on the list...

newegg/NCIX/Amazon/tigerdirect

Dang Europe has some cheat services i pay twice that for TV Internet (50/25) and phone....i want some of that cheap goodness over here

I pay for 50/25 with verizon fios in the US. I think the high ping might be due to my terrible router.

I agree with the other people. Here is what i would do if i where you. CPU: 2500K http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80623i52500k or 3570kK http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80637i53570k Keep in mind that the 3570k (ivy bridge) when overclocked tend to run at a higher temp. And some people say you cant reach as high an overclock. Motherboard: Pretty much any asus p8z77 motherboard would be fine. The reason i recommend the z77 is because i have the z68 and the marvel sata and 3rd party USB 3 are nasty, They have some major problems. But for a budget z77 board this is what i would get http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vle or for a higher end one i would go for this one http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vpro CPU Cooler: I would get a h100 or h100i or even the h80i or h80 because Linus recently tested them and prooved that they are basically the same to the h100 and less money. (i think its this video ) If you don’t have the money for either of those and you arnt going to do any overclocking then just use the stock cooler. There is a cheaper but still good CPU cooler out there that a lot of people recommend; i just can recall it off the top of my head.... RAM: .Pretty much anything, Low latency is better. I prefer Gskill, Corsair, Mushkin, and patriot all are good. Video card: Depending on your budget go for like 680, 690, 660, etc im not very knowledgeable on video cards, so if someone could recommend something that would be great. SSD: Depending on your budget i would recommend a kingston hyperx 3k (non 3k are a little slower) You can catch them on sale for pretty cheap) Or a intel 830, and if you have the money a samsung 840, Intel 840, or a OCZ vector. I run two kingston hyperx 3k in raid 0, They are absolutely amazing. All of these are available on NCIX and im not going to provide links because i dont know what size you want. HDD: If you can afford you a SSD or need a DATA drive. Pretty much any HDD will work but i like the Western digital blacks. They aren’t to expensive but they are great drives. 1TB: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=50895&vpn=WD1002FAEX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD 2TB: http://ncix.com/products/?sku=58376&vpn=WD2002FAEX&manufacture=Western%20Digital%20WD PSU: I like corsair for all my PSU. If you watch the sales on newegg and NCIX you can pick one up for dirt cheap. I would recommend something 600w or higher for this type of build.

I dont personally use it but the corsair m90 would be great. Because of all the macros you can set. http://ncix.com/products/?sku=64133&vpn=CH-9000002-NA%2FCH-9000006-NA&manufacture=Corsair&promoid=1366 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826816007&Tpk=corsair%20m90