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stevv

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  1. Like
    stevv got a reaction from sevs in AOL shutdown Winamp   
    Winamp had so much potential, but they just let the code sit and rot at aol.  Audio and video support.
     
     
    Foobar2000 is good...  but needs video support.  Can't play flv files, and surround audio (still looking for a workaround).
  2. Like
    stevv reacted to Kilerbomb in Project MiniConsole   
    Hey everyone! This will be my first post the Build Logs section, and I plan on making this interesting.
     
    My goal with this project is to make a fully functioning mobile PC that can emulate Gamecube/Wii games at full speed. I want this to be as small as I can possibly build it, with the most power I can squeeze out of it.
     
    BUILD COMPLETION: 
     
    Here's the parts list:
    (☐= Don't have || ☑= Ordered || ☑= Have)
     
    ☑ Case: M350 Universal Mini-ITX PC enclosure
    ☐ CPU/GPU: AMD A10-7850K Kaveri 3.7GHz Socket FM2+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor AMD Radeon R7 series UPDATE: Going for a 7850k instead of the 6800k, I can use that extra OpenCL performance to speed up GC/Wii emulation.
    ☐ CPU Cooler: Scythe Kozuti Low Profile (40mm Height) Universal CPU Cooler
    ☐ Mobo: ASRock FM2A88X-ITX+ FM2+ / FM2 AMD A88X (Bolton D4) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Mini ITX AMD Motherboard
    ☐ RAM: Team Xtreme 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2400 (PC3 19200) Desktop Memory
    ☐ PSU: PicoPSU-160-XT+ 192W Adapter Power Kit (just enough to power this system)
    ☐ Storage: Crucial M500 120GB SATA mSATA Internal Solid State Drive UPDATE: I found out that due to the size of the CPU cooler, I will not be able to fit a regular hard drive into the case. So I'll be ditching the wifi card to put in a mSata SSD.
    ☑ GameCube Controller to USB Adapter
    ☑ GameCube Controller Extension Cables
     
    I'll also be grabbing a GameCube controller to USB adapter, and 2 GameCube controller extension cables. I plan on mounting the GC/USB adapter to the top of the chassis, then drilling 2 holes in the front panel of the chassis to put the ends of the GC extension cables. That way I can always have easy access to plug in my GC controllers, no hassling with bringing extra stuff. I'll also probably permanently glue a Wii sensor bar to the top of the case, and route the wire inside to the front panel USB. In addition I'll also get a bluetooth adapter, so I can connect Wii remotes.
     
    Luckily, because of the way this case is built, my goals should be pretty easy. I can route cables through the empty 80mm fan hole in the front, no problem. To mount the GC/USB adapter I'll probably just use hot glue or something.
     
    Here's what I want to do inside the case:

  3. Like
    stevv got a reaction from dylandylandylan in Thinkpad Appreciation Thread   
    I might not go that route anymore because of a couple of things:
     
    1: Got my nephew a Thinkpad twist, and turns out it has a msata 24GB in addition to the 7mm 2.5 in drive (funny thing is that nowhere did it say there was a 24GB msata drive inside!!).  It's about the same weight as my x300/x301 + touch screen for ~$500.  Swapped the HD for 256 Solid state + win8, and the 24GB msata... osx maverick =).  I was against getting a mac just b/c his class needed to us xcode.  Stick it to the man!  The twist's trackpad is actually pretty good.... 
     
    2: I can't do with only one hard drive in system, so the x1 series doesn't fit the bill anymore.  The thin and light doesn't make too much of a difference for me vs the ultrabooks.  Thinkpad twist with fingerprint and pen... waiting... 
     
    3: well maybe one more... reason I'm sticking with my x301 a little longer... 
     

     
     
    Their whitelist is very narrow.  Can't even use the x300's wireless I had on the x301. 
  4. Like
    stevv reacted to rashdanml in Thinkpad Appreciation Thread   
    Be warned: Thinkpads have a specific set of FRUs (field replacement units) whitelisted in the BIOS. Not every Wifi card will work. Ran into that issue with a similar wireless card. 
    Ebay is a good place to look for wifi cards that are whitelisted. 
     
    The other way around it is a custom BIOS, which is risky. Or modify the PCI-ID of the wifi card, which is less risky. b
  5. Like
    stevv reacted to Warcony in Blackberry Files Patent Lawsuit against Typo keyboard   
    Have you guys ever used a physical keyboard on a phone? Makes me never want to use a full touch one again.
  6. Like
    stevv reacted to ShearMe in The Audio Board's Frequently Asked Questions, Pre-answered!   
    Usually means the treble is harsh.
  7. Like
    stevv reacted to ShearMe in The Audio Board's Frequently Asked Questions, Pre-answered!   
    If you can take detailed pics or a video, yes. Otherwise, I think there's already plenty of "guides" that don't really help.
  8. Like
    stevv reacted to NannerBeans in The Audio Board's Frequently Asked Questions, Pre-answered!   
    Hey I'm going to be recabling my DT770 soon. Do you think anyone would be interested in a guide for it? 
  9. Like
    stevv reacted to brownninja97 in Sharkoon SHARK Blades [FAN]   
    Dont give a fuck about performance, im buying the yellow one.
  10. Like
    stevv reacted to tone503773 in Silverstone RVZ01 Unboxing & Review   
    It is the Phanteks PH-TC90LS CPU Cooler
  11. Like
    stevv reacted to AstroZombie1 in youtube 4k is out :D   
    Give me 60 fps videos instead please google. 
  12. Like
    stevv got a reaction from Eric1024 in LTT Storage Rankings   
    How is Solaris?  I thought of it a few years back for using ZFS instead of FreeNas... but ended up with hardware Raid instead.
     
     
     
    Damn.  How does it sound when all thrashing? 
     
     
     
    I just went through a set of WD SE (7K+ rpm drives) to replace my greens, but returned them for Reds.  The performance was there for indexing, searching, copying lots of small files like music and pictures, but for only the 1% of the time when needed... with 20% extra idle heat, as well as noticeably more  noise and vibration.  And that's just for testing 3 of the 6 drives.   Actually, I would have kept the WD SE drives, but getting a bad batch for me was a clear sign from above  .
     
     
     
    You gotta get REDS!.. they come with a cool "RED" sticker too!  :lol:
     

  13. Like
    stevv reacted to Peter Vaughan Truslow in Project: Interface   
    I made quite a bit of progress on the computer, primarily mounting the monitor to the wall. I started by cutting away the plywood in the wall on the other side and replacing it with 1.25 inch plywood. then I cut a hole in the side of the wall cavity that the monitor was being mounted to and mounted it with the display against the wall, and the mount within the wall.

    here is the finished result of the mount, as close to the wall as I've ever seen a dispaly mounted

    I've also got in my wiring harness so I can power on the motherboard, and I have the motherboard coming in within a few days, so now I can start building the computer and integrating it into the system.
  14. Like
    stevv reacted to Peter Vaughan Truslow in Project: Interface   
    over the weekend I made some more progress on the build. I am nearly done with the functional parts of the computer. it was a bit tricky.
    to start it off we began painting the wall cavity black to make it easier to hide behind something without standing out. then we mounted the motherboard tray and motherboard to get a feel for where everything else would land. the tray was salvaged from a very old IBM machine, and cut down to be not much larger than the motherboard. it was then painted and screwed down to the wall.

    next we took on the arduous task of mounting a power supply within the wall. we cut a bit of extruded right angle aluminum to fit. a slot was cut in the studs and the first bracket was slid into place. we notched the stud on the outer side with a chisel and screwed the second place of aluminum angle into place. then we screwed the power supply and hdd down to the aluminum angle, in the holes that we had drilled earlier.
    it was a good challenge getting the holes to line up, but after a bit of forcing it, we got it all sorted out. next, for good measure, I ran a piece of wire from the aluminum to the motherboard tray, so that everything would be grounded. I'm not sure if this was necessary, but it didn't seem like a bad idea to me. 
    then I made up a short ethernet cable to go to the router, plugged everything up that I could for now, and called it a night. up next is making a bracket for the other side of the HDD, mounting the SSD, which will probably involve velcro.
    once I get my CPU in, which is expected around the 26th, the system will be up and running, awaiting installation of windows 8.1 Pro with WMC
    I'm starting to get really happy about this build. what was once just a crazy idea is quickly becoming something tangible.
  15. Like
    stevv reacted to Freaky_spider in Audio Technica ATH-M50 review   
    Welcome to my Audio technica ATH-M50 review. I'm writing this because my family is arguing downstairs so i decided to write a review about my christmas present! I've already had a day to play with it because my parent knew that there would be arguing today.... :'(
     
    Build Quality
     
    When you first take it out of the box and fiddle around with all the joints i immediatly got the impression that the joints woudn't snap any time soon, which was one of my first concerns.
    After finally understanding which way which joint turns i got a feel about how to get it in the included leatherette (i think) bag and how to wear it on your neck ( don't know how to describe it).
     
    I got the one with a coiled cable so when i plug it into a phone and hold my phone (an HTC one) wich has it 3.5mm jack on the top, like most smartphones, the coiled cable makes my phone rather top heavy. Another of my problems were that my cable would kink because of of the coiled cable, but audio technica have solved this problem by installing a spring at the base of the plug which prevents kinking. This segways perfectly into the build quality of the plug, which there is not much to say about except that its a very big and sturdy and the contact point is gold plated, wich doesn't make sound quality better but hey, for a 180 euro headphone it's a nice touch.
     
    The one flaw in the build quality is the non-braided and fixed cable, so no way to lenghten, shorten or replace the cable with a nice braided piece.
    The fact that it is not braided is a rather big con too me because i have a playful cat who jumps at anything that moves, so my room is off limit for him now :'(
     
    So overall it has great build quality with sturdy joints which won't break anytime soon, under normal circumstances of course.
     
     
    How it feels on your head (???) ( again, don't know how to put it, hope you understand)
     
    The headband isn't fully filled with memory foam but is comfortable enough for a 4 hour gaming / music session.
    The earcups are, in comparison to the headband, fully filled with memory foam and are thus very comfortable. There also is a faux leather on the headband and earcups, dispite them being fake they feel really good so no concerns here.
     
    Sound
     
    I'm not going to say much about the sound because i'm no where near an audiophile.
     
    It sounds great! Bass is very deep and muffles the treble a bit, not by much but it is noticable in bass heavy music with some trebble.
     
    (told you it would be short)
     
    The verdict.
     
    The Good:
     
    + Build quality
     
    + Sound
     
    + Coiled cable (this is pure personal preference)
     
    The Bad
     
    - non replacable cable
     
    - the cable is not braided
     
    - not that much memory foam on the headband
     
    So i hope you enjoyed my review of the Audio technica ATH-M50's! There are alot more review on the internet about these amazing headphones!
     
    If you have any question about them be free to ask them!
     
    Any criticism or typo's? be free to point them out!
     
     
    -Freaky_Spider
     
    EDIT: damn i posted this in the wrong forum, i saw review and thought i had to place it here.... could a mod replace this to the correct forum?
  16. Like
    stevv reacted to alpenwasser in LTT Storage Rankings   
    Yeah, there's nothing like a nice wall of text for a stats whore, I'm totally addicted
    to that stuff as well. On my MSI Z77 board, I only get 38 lines of output, whereas on
    my Supermicro I need to scroll a few screens to view it all.
    If it's not sensors, it looks at least very similar.
  17. Like
    stevv reacted to dangerous1 in LTT Storage Rankings   
    Here's my update, I tried to bold the changes
     
    Hardware
    CASE: Lian Li PC-A70F with Lian Li EX-23NB, EX-34NB, Sans Digital HDDRACK5, Mediasonic 4-bay Probox, and 8-bay Probox
    PSU: Antec New Truepower 750w (Seasonic rebrand)
    MB: Asus P8P67 Pro
    CPU: Intel i7-2600k at 4.43ghz
    HS: Noctua NH-C12P SE14
    RAM: 16GB DDR3 1600
    HBA: Intel SASUC8i, some cheap 2x sata pcie x1 card, Mediasonic 2x esata card, Supermicro SAS2LP-MV8
    SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB
    HDDs:  2x WD Green 4tb
                5x Seagate 4tb
                14x WD Green 3TB (1 added)
                1x WD Red 3TB
                6x WD Green 2TB
                1x Seagate 2TB
                1x Samsung 2TB
                1x 500GB single-platter Seagate (Scratch)
     
    Software and Configuration:
    Windows 7 - All JBOD. I use junctions to merge the drives, works perfectly for me. 
     
    Usage:
    I use the storage for movies and series, i have media players around the house that access it. I also have a 150/75 home line, so I can stream it to any remote location or to my mobile devices.
     
    Backup:
    What is this "backup" you speak of?
     
    Additional info:
    Most 3TB drives were bought for $110 or less and most 4TB drives were bought for $130 or less.
     
    Photo's:

     

  18. Like
    stevv reacted to Eric1024 in LTT Storage Rankings   
    I just looked over the last few pages of this thread, there's been some crazy stuff added 
     
    I'm getting some new hardware for my server soon (supermicro case ) and I'll be using Solaris 11 instead of CentOS (I was originally using mint).
     
    The only upgrade to the actual storage is getting though is a 240GB intel 530 for the L2 ARC because my current 64GB crucial M4 is a bit too small and slow for my taste. (L2 ARC is the level 2 ZFS cache (behind RAM) for those not familiar with ZFS)
     
    I'll be making a separate build log, but for now I just thought I'd update this thread.    
  19. Like
    stevv reacted to S52OBD1 in The nissan leaf offends me   
    I work for Nissan and have driven the Leaf multiple times. The car was designed that way for aerodynamics (i'm sure someone else said it but I"m not reading 5 pages). I don't think it's that ugly but far from pretty. I don't think people buying hybrid or electric cars care what they look like. Just look at the Prius
  20. Like
    stevv reacted to Morpheus in SSD too full but isn't supposed to be? (Solved)   
    yeah
  21. Like
    stevv got a reaction from MEE in 8 SSD workstation Build   
    Not in too much agreement with the hardware choices
    should have gone 2011 instead of 1150 - higher performance overall.  Unless your looking at the 1150 new motherboard features. raid card will not support trim and optimization properly, so expect to pull it out from time to time to optimize.  Other than that, I prefer Areca cards and the ability to manage with just a browser and no software needed. not sure why you have MegaRAID CacheCade Pro 2.0 , I don't see any hard drives in your build.  It's going to mess up your SSD performance since you don't have trim ability.  Recommend adjusting ssd provisioning and partitioning the drives into two volumes with when you set up in the LSI.  Volume 1 is RAID 10, and volume 2 is RAID 0 (for the cache).  
    There's not much else to say till you build it and "show me the money" in performance  B)
     
    Good luck, and don't let other people's opinion get to you.  Though you probably want to update the first post with better explanation on top rather than below.  
  22. Like
    stevv got a reaction from Morpheus in SSD too full but isn't supposed to be? (Solved)   
    Like I said in the first post...  :rolleyes:
  23. Like
    stevv reacted to Mooshi in Is it worth it to get premium fans?   
    Every fan will be annoyingly loud at their max rpm, some more than others. Noctuas are not dead silent when you run them all out. If you're thinking premium fans = dead quiet at max, think again. However, more premium fans can deliver more airflow/better static pressure and be considerably quieter than stock if both are running the same RPM.
  24. Like
    stevv reacted to gostrow in The nissan leaf offends me   
    I care. As a car enthusiast it amazes me that they just can't seem to put an electric motor in a genuinely good looking car. Tesla did it right, they're just too expensive.
  25. Like
    stevv got a reaction from ShearMe in What DAC/AMP to get for my ATH-M50s?   
    I have an E17, it's more versatile. I use the battery for power as the USB can get noisy sometimes (and just use the optical input).  Plus, when on the go, I can still use it (and doesn't drain my laptop battery).  I also plug my phone in it, and just switch back and forth for phone calls (why not lol).  The only Thing I would want more is a turn dial for it (then again, I just leave it at max).
     
    Aside from that, the EQ is helpful because I find my M50's are too "bright".
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