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MarkDRogersJr

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About MarkDRogersJr

  • Birthday February 21

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Profile Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    East Coast, USA
  • Interests
    Computers (who would've thought), sound, video, and picture editing, gaming, cars, my wife (she told me to put that here).
  • Biography
    Cybersecurity Guy, PC Builder, Avid Gaming Fan, Networking enthusiast, and Video Editing amateur.
  • Occupation
    Systems Engineer

System

  • CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
  • Motherboard
    ASUS x570 Pro Prime
  • RAM
    G.Skill Trident Z Pro 3600
  • GPU
    Gigabyte RTX 3080 Ti
  • Case
    Fractal Design Meshify-C
  • Storage
    Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1TB, 860 QVO 2TB, Western Digital SN850 2TB
  • PSU
    Seasonic Focus GX 850W
  • Display(s)
    LG 38GN950-B
  • Cooling
    Cooler Master Evo Black Edition
  • Keyboard
    Logitech G915
  • Mouse
    RAZER Naga Pro
  • Sound
    Sennheiser HD6XX, Schiit Audio Modi/Magni Stack
  • Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
  • Laptop
    Dell XPS 13 All-In-One (2020)

MarkDRogersJr's Achievements

  1. Honestly, that didn't even cross my mind. Taking a look now, there are quite a few configurations of Dell and Lenovo that fit my criteria as well. Thank you! More options to consider now for sure!
  2. Hi everyone! I'm currently in the market between now and six months to purchase a laptop that will replace my current two-system, desktop and laptop combo I have now. I understand the compromises I am facing when considering switching to a single system setup that has to be portable, so here is the exact scenario and requirements: I am a cyber security professional who is looking to have some portability with traveling, but also can't give up the capacity to run one-two virtual machines at a time for things like Kali, REMnux, and a Win10 instance for FireEye FLARE. Cores/Threads and RAM are priority. I am looking for as thin and light as I can get, but know there are some heavy limitations to my prospects given rule 1. I prefer 13" but will wiggle for a 15" due to appreciating the extra monitor size. This is my second priority, given I will travel and don't want to lug around a full-size gaming machine. Bonus points to not actually looking like a gaming machine as well. I'm also looking for typing comfort as I am preparing to go back for my Doctorate next fall. While I have a keyboard and mouse at home I'm good with, on the go I need to be able to stand coding and writing for long periods of time, so the keyboard can't slack. Finally, I'm a gamer in my personal life and while I don't expect heavy gaming on the go, I'm almost demanding eGPU compatibility for my plug-and-play office/battle station at home. A discrete GPU in the system is optional, though. A note on price: based on my ideas below, you can gauge I am looking at spending up to about $2,500 USD. This isn't as much of a concern as is the functionality of the system, to which I have been able to price one as low as $1,500 USD. So with the research I have done thus far, I'm at a bit of a crossroads, and I am looking for heavy input from first-hand buyer experience and those whom fall into a similar scenario as I do. Here's what I've narrowed down to thus far: The Dell XPS 13 7390 - This thing ticks a lot of boxes for me. Portability, hardware, and keyboard are all given praise by a multitude of sources. On top of it, it's a beautiful machine, honestly. The Standard version can get fitted with an i7-10710U 6C/12T processor that is the beefiest and only 6-core you can find in a 13". The downfall? A measly 16GB of RAM. In comparison, the 2-in-1 version has a lot more flexibility for being able to change into a tablet, which, while appealing to me doesn't really do much at all outside make it look cooler and maybe have some use on D&D nights. That version can climb all the way up to 32GB of RAM, but is stuck at the i7-1065G7 4C/8T processor. Both have two Thunderbolt 3 ports, with I/O advantage being given a little more to the standard version. Considering I am in the mood for gaming capabilities as well, the 6-core has the advantage of a higher clock, though, to what purpose if it throttles? The MSI Prestige 15 - Another great contender, it also carries the i7-10710U like the Standard XPS 13. I/O is also great with two USB 3.(whatever it is now) type A's, two TB 3 ports, etcetc. It can carry up to 32GB of RAM and has a GTX 1650 Max-Q to boot, which is nice for some portable gaming on the go. However, it comes in at about one pound heavier than the XPS 13 and is two inches larger (when we are talking about Thin-and-Lights, I guess I'll be picky about this). I'm much less concerned about thermal throttling (though reviews show it still happens) due to its bigger cooling system, which makes me worry about what the XPS 13 is capable of given it is a more compact system. The Razer Blade Stealth 13 - At least an honorable mention, the Stealth has a lot to offer but looking over the specs, it isn't overtly appealing as the more feature rich XPS 13's, given its price point. Depending on the model, you're either getting an 8th gen or 10th gen i7 4C/8T processor, and either an MX150 or 1650 Max-Q. All are stuck at 16GB of RAM and 512GB of Storage, where the other vendor models are more flexible with their configurations. The Blade 15 is a better contender with its 6C/12T 9th gen i7, but quickly loses it's appeal from the increase in size and the super low SSD storage at the low end models, which doesn't step up to 512GB until you're dropping $2,200 USD. The Alienware m15 - The biggest of the group and contending on most expensive with Razer, but also likely the most capable aside from being stuck at 16GB of RAM, the new M15 model can go clear to a massive i9-9980HK 8C/16T processor and go anywhere from a RTX 2060 to a 2080 Max-Q. The design they've put into the laptop itself is the most modern-professional gaming PC look out of any gaming laptop[/opinion]. Priced to compare with the other contenders, it doesn't stray too far from the ballpark; enough to keep it as a consideration as the most powerful option on the list. In addition, something that sets this apart is the Alienware proprietary eGPU link that connects directly to PCIe, compared to Thunderbolt which has added overhead due to the controller. For reference, btw, my current desktop is: CPU: i7-5820k 6C/12T, OC'd to 4.2GHz RAM: 32GB DDR4 2400MHz GPU: MSI GTX 1080 OS Disk: Samsung Evo 860 512GB SATA SSD Monitor: 3440x1440 UWQHD, 120Hz The Laptop I have now isn't worth mentioning as anything I move toward would be an improvement. If you've gotten this far, 1. Thank you. I know its a lot to take in but I'm just super indecisive about this, and with me being a long-term system owner who doesn't buy new systems but every three-five years, I'm not looking to throw my money at something unless I know I will be the most satisfied with it. 2. I know many of you will think why I would contend with having so much in such a small package when I have an excellent platform for a VM Machine already. To that, I retort that I'm not expecting my aged hardware to continue to support reliability to the point I'm running analysis and research on safely, but a Plex server? Sure! For more extreme functions, I plan on building out my lab more with the proper equipment, but that isn't the purpose of this particular machine I'm wanting to buy. I'm specifically looking for the replacement of both my laptop and desktop. Something that is functional to my needs on the go for work but can still plug into an eGPU to play games at the end of the day. I like having all my files and data stored in a single place (to clarify I do securely backup stuff) and don't want to move VM's, snapshots, files, etc from machine to machine all the time like I do now, nor pay for the large cloud storage I would need otherwise. A NAS is also an option but my internet connection may not always be available in some places or too unreliable to fetch bigger files. So now I turn it over to you guys. Any input, feedback, or recommendations? Is there a great contender I am missing? Let me know!
  3. Hey guys, So I'm running BitDefender on pretty much everything. I run it on all my desktops, laptops, Androids, etc etc. A few months ago, BitDefender started becoming overtly intrusive. It started spiking resources, it wouldn't let me browse certain websites, it denied GTA Online any sort of traffic so I couldn't play. Eventually through it all, I said to heck with it and uninstalled it and immediately all my woes were gone. Now recently, Windows Defender (thanks to Windows 10) is started tanking my resources, and I've just lost faith in AntiVirus in general. So I swallowed my pride and reinstalled BitDefender thinking maybe the new 2017 update will cure some of the issues. Well, no, actually, it hasn't. Still can't connect to certain websites, including my own home router at its local IP Address, can't connect to GTA Online and other game servers, having slower browsing and higher latency; OH, and this is after disabling ALL of the modules and security settings I have access to in BitDefender, per a technical support guy at BitDefender saying to try and reactivate them one at a time once everything started working again. Well, I did that, and still everything is not working. Anyone have this kind of issue with BitDefender? Should I just give up? I mean, I'm not asking for much, am I? I'd even take AntiVirus recommendations at this point, despite having paid for it and having over 200 days left on my subscription.
  4. My current setup is... Keyboard: 2014 Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Mouse: 2014 Raza Naga Headset: Either Direct Line Beats SoloHD's, or Razer Kraken 7.1 (For those of you that may go: Hey, you're completely decked out, what gives? I will likely give it away to my wife, brother, or one of my friends. I have no need for it personally, but wouldn't mind spreading the love of PC gaming with quality peripherals.)
  5. Would love to get this for my home to do various home movie and gaming nights with my wife and friends
  6. I'm 'alright' when it comes to routers depending if you're looking at the broad spectrum of home, business and enterprises classes. I'm good with routers that have GUI interfaces, I understand some terminology, I've done some command line routers as well. I'm always learning from my college and my work so I'm not afraid to jump into new systems I haven't touched before. I'll have to look into Ubiquity. I appreciate the point in their direction.
  7. (I'm piggybacking this since it's relevant and can continue on from what I posted earlier regarding potentially upgrading: ) Well it looks like this is turning into a "what router should I upgrade to" thread now, because I've been having network issues all day after a series of power outages and brownouts. I went to make sure my network was good and while my modem was fine, my router refused access. I figured it was just a error, and after attempting to connect to the admin control panel via wifi and direct connection (the original was through a switch), I wasn't able to get in. I decided since I had a backup configuration, I would just factory reset. It had me jump through the Netgear Genie hoops on routerlogin.net and I was able to set back up the password, update firmware, etc, but as I attempted to login to the router's control panel to restore my backup, I was greeted with the same '192.168.1.1 refused to connect' screen. I cleared cookies out, I power cycled the router, double checked firewall settings, verified my network and gateway IP, and was able to ping and go beyond the router (like here to post this, as well my surfboard at 192.168.100.1) but just couldn't get into the UI. 'routerlogin.net' was also refusing to connect as well. I dug into the error and saw that potentially IPv6 and the Genie app could cause problems (an issue from 2013). I decided to troubleshoot further by disabling IPv6, renewing my IP, and installing genie to see if it could connect at all, through the app or the Browser UI. Nothing worked. I'm not sure what is wrong with it honestly. So... What router should I be upgrading to? Or should I be considering the same model? Or any tips on getting this router fixed instead?
  8. Hi guys, This is my first thread to the forum, I'd like to say I've been a fan of this community and the youtube channel for several months now and I have learned so much being here and absorbing all the knowledge and information that is put out. I'm an avid gamer, HD Netflix binge watcher, a student, and sometimes I work at home. The company I work for is up and coming with consumer Gig internet within the next year or so in my area and I've generated a few questions for anyone here to help guide me in upgrading my network the maximize reliability, speeds, and reduce latency where possible, so I can get the most out of the 'holy crap'ness that is forthcoming. My current set-up is generic American "High End" Cable 50mbps Down/5mbps Up. I run a Motolola SB6241 Modem into a Netgear R7000 'Nighthawk' router that runs dual wifi and two LAN connections to two Netgear GS308-100PAS gig switches I use on either end of the house, all tied together with CAT 6A (overkill, I know). Combined, my router and switches take traffic from roughly 20 devices, not at once 95% of the time, but I do run my bandwidth into the ground as multiple bandwidth intensive programs run at the same time a lot (multiple video streams and gaming sessions at the same time, file transfers and downloads, etc etc). Of course when the new internet comes in, the Surfboard is gone, as it will be fiber to end-user. So I'm attempting to gauge just how serious I want my future network to be. Here are my questions (with statements): I was planning on getting rid of the router as well, switching to a small business grade router with up to 16 ports (or-so) and power-over-ethernet to wire the whole house instead, and running a Access Point for wifi over the POE somewhere at the center of the home for maximum coverage. Would this be ideal? Or should I consider just sticking with consumer routers and wire that instead? Managing all the bandwidth and connections at the same time, I am not too sure if I am close to hitting my router's capacity or not, honestly. Is there even one a normal consumer like me could hit? Pricing isn't exactly a variable, as this is still early stages of planning, but if the consumer grade is substantially cheaper (and so far based on pricing I've found, it could be), then I might just stick with the consumer grade router (and maybe upgrade to a newer one, with AC Wave 2) and network my home as needed off the usual four ports it gives me. Of course, I can expand with switches directly off the Router, but that leads to my next question: as I divide the network amongst switches, do I, over time, degrade the performance I would obtain from QoS? Since unmanaged switches just simply connect A-B, they don't manage the traffic that passes through them like a managed switch or router does (right; or am I wrong on this?). Should I consider a managed switch, as I do have higher priority traffic on some devices than others that I would like to route as such. Thanks for any help guys!
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