beteng1

Hi everyone,

I'm having some WiFi connectivity issues at home where the WiFi connection would sometimes just drop during the day and we believe that the Modem/Router (ISP provided) is the one thats causing it drop. 

A couple of months ago, we were using Netgear Nighthawk X6 R800.  Unfortunately, one night we had power outage and surge that took out the R8000 and we've been living with the crappy modem/router provided by our ISP.  

With the work from home mandate from our employers, 3 of us are working from home.  The heavy users is mainly me and my dad who goes in conference calls (Teams/Zoom) daily.  When work hours are done, we're either streaming movies or playing video games at home.  There are approximately 50 devices connected to our network and majority of it are on WiFi.  The only devices that are wired are:

- My gaming computer (top floor)

- Work laptop, by the gaming computer

- Printer

- Sibling's laptop (top floor)

- NAS (bottom floor)

- Apple TV (sometimes I use this cable for the Switch)

- PS4

Questions or things we've tried at home

- We've explored using the Google Nest WiFi months ago but at the time, we only got to test using just one device and we didn't get the extra nodes due to budget.  We ended up returning that one as we found that the WiFi speeds in the second floor was slower than the ISP's Moden/Router.  In addition, I was not too sold on it as I could not even hide the SSID (surprising) and I could not reserve IPs.

- We're currently using a repeater located on the 2nd floor close to the main door.  We have a Nest Camera and Nest Hello DoorBell that would sometimes drop connection.  My dad has purchased a repeater so that we can get the 2 smart devices to connect to our network.

- I'm thinking that with the number of smart devices we have at home, having a mesh WiFi might be better for our use case.

- I've not tried and not aware of friends and family friends that are using a mesh wifi network to get some feedback.  I've got a coworker who is using the Google WiFi for years now and he's advising me against it due to the lack of 'control' functionality compared to other mesh WiFi.  He's advised I look into Netgear Orbi or Eero.

- I find that WiFi 6 is not mainstream at this time and I'll be paying a premium if i were to get this and 'future proof'.  I do have a concern that some of the Smart Devices that we have at home (ie TP Link) might not work with the latest and greatest if I were to go down this route.

Would you be able to recommend either a router or mesh wifi systems?  If I'm to go with a router, I'll most likely place it in the ground floor where its closest to the center of the house.  In terms of budget, I probably would not go over $800 CAD unless there's something that 'ticks all the boxes'.

Thanks,

Vincent

Apologies on the lame drawing/sketch.  I'm just using MS Paint. 

Legend:
Blue Square Box = Computer, NAS & Printer
Green Square Box = Wireless Smart Home Device
Yellow Line = Wired Ethernet Connection
Yellow Dot = Router/Modem
Red Square = Gigabit Switch
Brown Diamond = Wired Ethernet from one floor to another

Devices per Floor:
Top Floor (10)
5 Smart Devices (Google Home, Smart TV Smart Lights)
2 Desktop (1 not in use but hard wired)
3 Laptops (2 wired and 1 wireless)

Ground Floor (16)
3 Nest Camera
6 Smart Switches/Devices
1 Router/Modem from ISP
1 Laptop (Wireless)
1 Nest Thermostat
1 Google Home
1 Smart TV
1 Chromecast

Basement (7)
1 Apple TV (Wired)
1 Google Home
1 Smart TV
2 Gaming Consoles (1 wired)
1 NAS (wired)
1 Chromecast

Personal Mobile Devices:

4 iPads
5 Cell Phones (1 extra phone for testing)
 

I joined the crew, VinceDepaul.  I'll invite whenever I'm doing heists or invite me if you guys need 1 more for heists or just shenanigans.

Did you find a solution for your problem? I seem to be having the same issue.
I have 2 u2414h using DP and HDMI + an asus monitor using DVI. when i turn off the asus monitor, none of my windows on that monitor does not get moved.  But if i turn off one of the u2414h, the windows(skype, chrome) gets shifted to the other u2414h.

Thanks,

Vincent

Hi Guys,

I need some help now that I have multiple displays.  I'm currently using 2x U2414h (HDMI to HDMI and DP to miniDP) and an Asus VS248H-P(DVI to DVI).  The HDMI cable is some spare cable we have around the house, I'm using the cable that was in the box with the u2414h(DP to miniDP) and VS248H-P(DVI to DVI).

I set up my Skype on my left monitor (u2414h using HDMI) and i use my main u2414h.  When i close my left monitor, i hear a sound how a USB disconnects and the Skype window gets shifted to my main monitor.  When i have it on my right monitor (Asus), the window stays there.  Is there a settings i can change so that whatever window i have on my left monitor does not shift to my main when i turn off the left u2414h?  I never had this issue before when i was using my Asus monitor and my old LG tv/monitor screen.

I'm using a Windows 8.1 OS and an Asus GTX 780.

Let me know if you have some questions regarding my setup.

Thanks,

Vincent

  The offer is till Aug 1, 2014. I'm debating whether I should get 3 now or later.  I have a feeling they might be releasing a newer version of it.

Oh man.. I do not have a local store that i can buy it from. I'd have to buy it online and have it shipped

omg no don't lower  the settings. Thanks for pointing out the obvious. <_<

If i have to use only one monitor to play on max settings.. so be it

Thanks for fast response!

I'll go for an IPS monitor then!

Hello everyone,

I have been thinking whether I should do a surround setup.  I’m curious which one would be ‘better’, in your own opinion, whether to use IPS or TN panels in surround.  I found that most people would recommend the Dell U2414H because of its thin bezel and great colour.  Originally I thought of doing 3 Benq XL240T (never had a 120hz Monitor) hooked up to an Ergotech 3 monitor stand.  Now I’m in conflict between the U2414h and XL240T and my budget for each monitor is $400 including tax (13% HST Canada).  I have an Asus DCU II 780 and plan on getting another 780 SLI at the end of the year. 

So my initial questions are:

1.       Would you select an IPS or TN panel for surround?

2.       Which monitor would you use? (Vesa mount compatible)

3.       Why did you choose that monitor? (Bias, preference, experience etc.)

I’ll be using this setup for my regular use (movies, surfing the web) and school work (coding, research, word doc). Do you think it will be worth it for me to get a surround setup or should I just get a single widescreen monitor?

A question about PSU, if I’m to get another 780, would my AX860 watt power supply be enough or do I need to upgrade my PSU as well?  I did a PSU calculator and I was getting either almost the limit or over the limit.  I then checked other forums and people said it should be just fine. So I don’t know whether I should upgrade or not.  What could possibly happen if I go over the limit? Hopefully it would not cause any fire.

I have only been doing a few hours of research about this so any other suggestions or inputs would be great.

Thanks,

Vince

its freezing outside so more games would help me pass time

Do not let your cpu get above 90C for any length of time.

 

If you are running stock speed and voltages the load temps are high. Prime95 has a tendency to abnormally push up temperatures but I wouldn't of expected temps in the 90C range.

 

Not sure where you are getting the idle temps you listed. According to the screen display the cores idle around 30C which is quite normal.

Yeah, as much as possible i dont want to leave it running over 85C for a long period of time. I worry too much about the temps.

I had a screen shot of the idle temps but it seems like i lost the picture.

Your volts are pretty high for stock clocks. With 4770K Turbo Boost raises clocks to 3.9GHz and volts to 1.27-.29. I can run mine with mild OC of 4.0 and bit conservative volts of 1.15V.

I had problems recently with the pc not booting up after a power surge.  Had to clear the cmos and it had returned all the cpu volts and speeds back to defaults(i think).  Now Im back to 1.156V and idling around 35C.

I believe that when i AI Suite's 4 way optimization, it had added more volts to the CPU core and thats the reason why i was getting high temps.  Since i have not planned on overclocking it yet, I'm just going to leave CPU alone for now.

Quick Update:

I went to NCIX last week after i recieved an email from Swiftech that NCIX can have my H320 exchanged for another H320.  Turns out they NCIX and Swiftech have arranged that canadians do not have to mail the pump to Swiftech, instead we can just exchange it to the store(NCIX) as long as we have the receipt and its still under warranty.  I'm still waiting for NCIX to receive the shipment of H320s so i can get it exchanged.  Some good news for me

Sorry guys, i just saw replies on this thread now.  Been busy with school.

hello,
 
just an update, i was able to get my hands on NH-D14.  I just lifted the 120mm so it doesnt interfere with the RAM modules.  I then tested its cooling by running prime95 for about 30 mins and i find that my temperatures are still high.
I already have changed the CPU Q Fan in the bios settings to advanced mode and have modified the fan controls at the CPU.  Any ideas if this is normal or reasons why its too high?

I forgot to add, here are my idle temps:

core 0 - 35C

core 1 - 34C

core 2 - 36C

core 3 - 34C

package - 35C

Thanks

-Vince

You can also get that ram with 8gb for like $10 more.

Did you mean getting a 1x8gb RAM? i was thinking of getting probably one stick of 8GB, and if he plans on expanding it in the future, he either buy another 8GB(exact same specs) or replace it with a better/higher kit.

the build its self is $100 more and dosent have the custom part, but it is more effective 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/SAV1OUR/saved/3t3J

i think $1000 would be stretching it as much as possible i want to keep it around $800 so he doesnt have to spend much.

Swap that 660ti for a 760 that even cheaper. There are alot of 760 under 280 that are probably better then the Gigabyte card =

As, perhaps consider getting a small 64/ 120gb ssd as a boot drive, makes a massive difference! You can get a 64gb sandisk one for less than 50 dollars

I played around with your suggestions and got this: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2FU93

If only he has extra money i would have changed the MOBO and CPU to MSI Z77A and i5.

i was looking around and found an extra dvd drive so i can just give it to him

I dont think Dota2 takes up that much GPU and CPU power so the only thing im a little concerned is Fallout4 since there are no specs yet.  so let me know what you guys think

-VInce

dangit! i didnt realize that the raid card was there! It was from my plan to build my own NAS.  Thanks guys for letting me know!

-Vince
 

Hi everyone!

I got a friend who is asking for help to select pc parts for him and hes probably going to ask me to build it for him   So if you guys could help me, to help him, decide which parts to take that would be great!

His budget for the pc is between $600-$800 (Canadian) but IF he gets a good paycheck, he MIGHT increase it   He did say that he wants to buy laptop that will be used for school and some photo processing on the go.

The desktop should be able to play his favourite games, Dota2, Fallout3 and Fallout4(when it comes out), on “max [settings] without missing a beat and without overheating […] and that is easily upgradable […] im probably looking at no more than $1200 for both desktop and laptop if at all possible”.  He already has the keyboard, mice, headphones and monitor so less things to put for the pc parts and the OS will come free as a student (I believe since I got one for free).

--Disregard from here-- 

I got an idea about the parts but I’m not too sure about them and its at $1000 mark which is maxing out his desktop budget.  So let me know what you guys think:

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2FRgo 

--to here--

Here is my idea about the parts. Let me know what you guys think

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2FTyV

Thanks!

-VInce

Yes, you can just move the 120mm fan. I only use the 140mm fan by itself and it cools well but I think it's because of the ghetto mounted 140mm intake in my 5.25" bays that pushes air directly towards the heatsink.

yeh that one isn't compatible but you could do what woodenmarker said

i guess putting the 120 at the back would be better in my situation

@beteng1 if you're worried about ram clearance you could go with the NH-U14S,cools only marginally worse than the D14 with a single fan (roughly on par when using second fan) and it's  much slimmer,although it's longer so it blocks the first Expansion slot slightly,although since you aren't using the fire expansion it shouldn't matter.

thats a good option.. but since the U14S and D14 are the same price, would i be able to benefit more if I just use the 140mm fan? im just thinking since there are 2 'towers of fin'

How about the Bequiet Dark rock 3?

wow this one looks really nice! $72 vs $90 for D14 and U14S.  How is the performance difference between Dark Rock 3 vs NH-D14 and NH-U14S

Vengeance ram is pretty darn tall.

lol i didnt expect it to be that tall

So far im leaning towards the D14 if i move the 120mm fan at the back(closer to the IO) since it would go nice with my Noctua fans.  Man that dark rock looks pretty sexy still.  I'll let you guys know at the end of the week and thanks for the inputs!

Are you using the original vengeance with the tall heatsink? 

Not quite sure if this is tall.. But it looks like this: http://www.corsair.com/en/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/v/e/vengeancemodule_kx2.png

Hello everyone,

I had my Swiftech H320 for about 6 months now and it 'died' on me.  When i tried starting up my computer, I got an error about my CPU cooler.  I listened to it and it started hearing some noise inside the pump and there is quite a lot of vibration.  I then removed it and started using the stock Intel cooler.  I assumed that it might have been air bubbles stuck inside the pump so i hooked it up to one of the fan headers and started tilting both pump and radiator.  The noise is still there and I noticed how the pump is running really fast.  I did a reboot a couple of times and it sometimes work and sometimes it doesn’t.  This is the second time I have used an all in one liquid cooler.  I first used the H220, it broke completely after the 3rd week, returned it to NCIX and requested to get the H320 instead of the H220.

So that’s my story why I’m looking for air coolers now.   It seems like my luck with liquid coolers are bad so I’m looking around for a nice air cooler.  At the moment I don’t plan of overclocking my pc but probably in the future when I need to squeeze more performance in it.  I was thinking of getting NH-D14 but then it seems like I’m getting compatibility clearance with my RAM.  Would it be possible to just move the 120mm fan that comes included with it, to the back?  If it still would not work what other recommendations/suggestions can you guys give me?

Here are my specs:

NZXT Switch 810

Intel 4770K @ 3.5ghz

Asus Maximus VI Hero

Asus DCUII 780

16gb (2x8gb) Corsair Vengeance @ 1600mhz

Intel 335 SSD 240gb

Samsung 840 240gb

Corsair AX 860i

Thanks!

-Vince

add me as well.  dont have that many games though

SteamID: VinceDePaul

I got Dirt3, Dota2, L4D, L4D2 Ragnarok and B4(Origin: Vince_De_Paul)

So the ECC RAM is not mandatory for NAS builds.  I was struggling to find what are these ECC RAMS but its good to know i can just pick a cheap RAM stick.

I guess streaming outside wouldnt be the best but Id try to experiment with this.  I also plan on getting the asus routers but not until my current DLink DIR-655 is completely dead.  It still works but sometimes it just stops connecting to the network.

Fortunately my college is giving free windows server which saves me a couple of dollars

Thank you Rekhyt and Giggitygeobbels!

Id like to add, with FreeNAS, would i be able to stream outside of my home network(i think its called VPN)? Since i have unlimited bandwidth for our home network and cellphone, maybe i could take advantage of streaming media from NAS to my phone.

thanks for the quick reply Rekhyt.

Would you happen to know what is the average power consumption of a 'regular' NAS?  Im just trying to estimate how much power it will take. Initially i plan to have four, and probably expand to 8 WD reds.

What are brand/models of ECC memory? I thought i can just put any RAM like a corsair vengeance ram though i might find something else that is cheaper.

-Vince

Hello everyone,

It's my first time posting here in the forum so I'm not sure whether I'm on the right page or not.  I guess for background info about me.  I am a college student, studying computer engineering, in Ontario Canada and living with my parents still.  Since my program has coop in it, i want to have this as my own project since i like to tinker with computers.

Anyhow, I'm interested in building a centralized computer but not quite sure whether its a NAS or Home Server.  Its main purpose is to act as a main storage for media(music movies etc) and as a backup for my family(family photos for every member, work, school stuff etc).  I plan on having the media accessible for others to stream it, such as my family and guests, and have the family backup only accessible for family members only.

I'm looking for input/ideas on how to set this computer up and not quite sure if this will be a NAS or Home Server. It will be mostly used for streaming(like a NAS) and I plan on doing monthly backups(like a home server).  In addition, I might just turn this machine on when needed and won't be leaving it running 24/7 because it might have a huge impact on our electricity bill.

I found a post by Ssoele for an 8-bay NAS build (post name: Getting started with a NAS) which i find as a really good starting point for this build.  The only thing i might just change is the case, CPU, motherboard and the power supply

The only thing i require in this computer is to have these drives in RAID 5 or 6 and will probably start with 4 x 4TB WD RED.  As for my initial questions:

1.  What OS(Windows Server, FreeNAS, etc) should i set this up?

2.  If 4 HDDs are required to run RAID 5/6, is it possible to add more drives(4tb WD Red) in the future?

3.  Would i benefit by a lot if i change the CPU/Motherboard to a Haswell CPU and haswell compatible motherboard in terms of power?

4.  As for the power supply, wouldnt it be power efficient to be using something that is gold or above?  Though i dont think i have seen a PSU that is below 500watts.

If there is something i said that is not clear please let me know and thank you in advance for any inputs.

-Vince