Happy Birthday Frank Miller!
Subject: Editorial | January 27, 2012 - 06:17 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
It has been a while since we revisited our Forum members favourite antivirus programs, which is rectified by this thread right here. In the Networking Forum you may find a brand new favourite storage device from iOmega, even if the dreaded 'Cloud' word is used. Over in the Processor Forum you can get some good upgrade advice ... as in some times you don't need to unless you only use the machine for synthetic benchmarking. Other times, the upgrade is very much worth it as long as you choose the right part for the job.
If you are a gamer and a PCPer and have yet to join the Fraggin' Frogs, shame on you! Every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday at 8PM Eastern time you will find them playing a random game; right now it is a good chance of BF3 on the PCPer server. When you aren't gaming, have you considered joining up with the Folding Frogs or one of our BOINC teams and donate your spare CPU cycles to cure cancer, spot pulsars or even help chug data from the LHC? If you'd rather generate heat of a different sort, the current GOP candidate race has the Lightning Round sparking. Remember, the more you post the more people will read and join in on the discussions on our forums, positive feedback in the most literal sense!
RIP Etta James, your voice will be missed
Subject: Editorial | January 20, 2012 - 06:18 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
It has been a while since we last visited the PC Perspective Forums, what with the holidays and CES taking up large amounts of time, so it is only proper to take a look at what has been going on. One member is having troubles with their gaming rig, not during gaming though, only when trying to watch Netflix, while another has been tasked to build a secure connection between a Doctor's office and a remote server.
If you are looking to build a high end system, check out this mega-post covering the setup and performance of a Core i7-3960 and GIGABYTE G1.Assassin2 utilizing Intel's self contained watercooler. The Processor Forum has threads pointing out the limited benefits of switching an i7-920 for an i5-2500K while the Cases'n'Cooling Forum features a Cooler Master Storm Enforcer which has been modded into an homage to Dead Space 2. There is also an in depth look at how to make your own 3 bay, 5 drive adapter.
The Audio forum offers up some suggestions to a user with broken leads on their motherboard while in the Storage Forum the imminent death of a Caviar Black drive is discussed. Our Small Form Factor Forum has plenty of discussion about tablets and the Trading Post is stuffed with new For Sale threads. Head on over to the Forums and see what you can learn, teach or both!
If you are in North America, wake up early to catch the lunar eclipse or just stay up all night playing Skyrim
Subject: Editorial | December 9, 2011 - 06:18 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
If you ever needed proof that not all PSUs are created equally, just check out what happened to this new member who posted in the Tech Talk Forum and notice the elegant temporart solution that is now in place. The same can be said of gaming mice, you can suffer with a bad one but why bother with all of these choices for around $50? Once everything is up and working to your hearts content, why not make the statement that every enthusiast's PC is their castle literally true?
If you are more into monitors and are considering going the 120Hz route, several members have suggestions for 3D displays in the Video Forum while this member already has a bg TV but is looking for a good graphics card to power it. If you are shopping for a tablet then drop by the Mobile Forum as several other members are also investigating tablets, so pool your knowledge to make sure you get the best one for your needs. You should also check out the Hot Deals Forum, there are many specials out there at this time of year to take advantage of. As well the Trading Post is an excellent source of presents for yourself or possible others you care about.
Once again, the PC Perspective Podcast is available in both audio and visual form before the weekend, so you can spend quality time with Al, Josh and myself on Friday night because we wouldn't want you to have to drink alone!
Did you know that actor Harrison Ford died 54 years ago, today?
Subject: Editorial | December 2, 2011 - 05:28 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
Nobody said that the PC Perspective Forums can only be about PCs, for instance this thread looking for advice on a power amp is music to our ears. Perhaps instead of a PC problem you have an issue with a DNS forwarding issue or there is always this thread. Of course, PCs and the problems they have are a much more common topic, from older motherboards that might be showing their age to an indepth look at brand new ITX motherboard. You can even get tips on reducing your computers power consumption.
In the Cases'n'Cooling Forum you can check out a members new case mod project and in the Gaming Forum you can check out what The Fragging Frogs are playing. The Lightning Round is geared up for the upcoming US elections and the Trading Post is a great resource for Christmas presents. You should also check out the PC Perspective Podcast right now and share it with several friends or we will start taking forever to upload the video again!
Remember it is important to keep your interns well oiled
Subject: General Tech | November 18, 2011 - 06:29 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday, oily ken
Maybe it is the upcoming Black Friday sales, maybe it is the Christmas season starting up but it seems a lot of members are out shopping. From a new gaming mouse to heatsinks and partial upgrades or tablets the forums are in a buying mood, except for one Grinch-like SSD.
The Processor Forum is buzzing with talk about the new Sandy Bridge E chip but the cool kids are hanging out in the Cases'n'Cooling Forum. The observant might have noticed a strange thread appear, where our fearless leader is soliciting members opinions of Antec. You can bet there is a good reason for that, so toss in your two cents.
In the Storage Forum, the SSD experiment hits its third week, while another user is shopping for a SATA 6Gb/s add in card. You might hear crickets chirping in the Gaming Forum, but between Battlefield 3 and Skyrim, who has time to post!
You should be able to see the PC Perspective Podcast video by now, it seems a lovely little group called Symbolic Digital Movies beleives they own the bucket head video and so claimed copyright and had the video blocked. Hopefully at some point they remove their heads from a completely different place.
Only 50 shopping days until Christmas, better hurry up!
Subject: Editorial | November 4, 2011 - 06:11 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
If you feel that you are not having the best day today, be thankful you are not trying to remotely assist someone with BIOS problems in Russia ... and neither of you speak the others language. Still, you might have the kind of day when you manage to overlook one small detail and end up frustrated to no end. Then you decide to relieve your frustrations by blowing up friends and strangers in Battlefield 3 only to discover your factory overclocked card was perhaps not the best purchase. Worse, you could be running out of storage space and be shocked by the current price of hard drives for your upgrade.
At least not everyone in the PC Perspective Forums is having a bad day, some are even having a blast or are trying out brand new hardware! Others are blasting away with the Fragging Frogs as quite a few top tier games have arrived recently. There are also a few enjoying the early arrival of the PC Perspective Podcast video, now with a lot less facial hair.
Black Monday was very different from Black Friday ... might want to keep that in mind in November
Subject: Editorial | October 28, 2011 - 06:26 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
Buying a new motherboard because it can do tricks that your old one can't is good, having a motherboard learn new tricks after you've bought it; not so much. In the Motherboard Forum member BeardedFrog's Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z board which throws a fit if it is rebooted with an HDMI connected HDTV present; think it is the board, the GPU or do you have another idea? If you are more of a Llano type, then windwithme's indepth look at the ECS A75-A motherboard will be a great read for you.
Over in the Processor Forum there is no more speculation about Bulldozer as no one really wants to talk about the product that was delivered, so instead why not switch camps and discuss SandyBridge-E which we shall be seeing soon. On the other hand you can check out all the high end components that Juggalo3451 stuffed into a monstrous CaseLabs TH10 case. Storage fanatics might want to offer their advice to this member, and gamers who haven't joined the Fraggin' Frogs yet should really head over to that forum if they want to play with the gang on Ryan's server or any other one for that matter. Especially if you want in on the all day BF3 party tomorrow!
Regular podcast watchers will be shocked to learn that the video is already up for Podcast #176; and shocked again when they realize it is just Josh and I holding down the fort in our own special way ... at least until Ryan finally shows for the closing ceremonies.
Way to go Yeager; you broke it!
Subject: Editorial | October 14, 2011 - 06:30 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
It seems that the simplest questions can create the biggest stir as a members question about the current relevance of sound cards has been one of the more popular threads in the General Tech forum lately. Have you chimed in yet? No matter how strong the feelings are about sound cards, they have nothing on the conversations about AMD's release of the Bulldozer. We have been waiting for it so long that it could never live up to our expectations, but still it does seem more of a let down than anyone was expecting.
In the Storage Forum one members project to track any changes in the performance of his SSD as it is used has hit the three week mark, check out the results so far. The Linux Forum has a discussion about GNOME while the Windows 8 thread in the Microsoft Forum has grown quiet recently. The opposite is happening in the Gaming Forum as the Rage thread grows and grows and The Lighning Round never grows silent.
The Podcast video is a little delayed this week, but fear not as the audio version is ready right now. Otherwise we appreciate your patience and the video shall appear soonish.
Thank you Lady Ada of Lovelace
Subject: Editorial | October 7, 2011 - 06:20 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday, ada lovelace
If you were to drop by the Processor Forum you will be swept up in a discussion about Bulldozer in no time at all. The long running rumour thread is still very popular and now there are new questions and suggestions appearing as the release date creeps ever closer and the leaks keep appearing everywhere. Take a quick pop into the Cases'n'Cooling forum for a look at this member's new build. After that head to the Storage forum and keep an eye on this thread; one of our members is keeping track of any performance changes that occur as his RAID 0 SSDs are filled and used. Windows 8 is still the topic of choice in our Microsoft forum while Battlefield 3 is the hot topic in the Gaming forum.
As always the Lightning Round has plenty of action, perhaps the only good thing about the current global situation is that it provides no end of things to debate. Head to the Trading Post for a new phone or hardware, or even visit this thread where a member will gladly take all your old dusty PC parts off your hands for free.
You should also check this weeks PC Perspective Google Hangout, and get a look at some of Ryan's new AV gear. Don't worry, we will be back on TWiT.tv next week.
Ethernet is now legally allowed to drink in the US
Subject: General Tech | September 30, 2011 - 06:23 PM | Jeremy Hellstrom
Tagged: friday
The Tech Talk Forum captures a wide variety of topics, though a little more focussed than the spread you might find in the Off Topic Forum. For instance, at the same time that a poll inquires as to whether you think sound cards are even worth purchasing anymore there is another thread discussing a video rendering machine that does not even list a sound card in the build anywhere. One assumes the machine will not be making silent movies.
In the Motherboard Forum you can get a blast from the past, not only is a member having a problem with a Tyan board, another is inquiring about a DFI board. There is a good chance some of our members have never heard of those manufacturers, let alone seen a board from them; other members might get a wee trip down memory lane. If you are more interested in new hardware, how about windwithme's comprehensive look at the Gigabyte G1. Sniper?
In the Processor forum, you might want to keep an eye out on this thread as it might just get a little busier in the very near future. In the Cases and Cooling Forum you can read about the proper philosophy behind applying thermal paste (hint: no spatula required). If you are curious about the Vertex 3 series of SSDs, you should definitely hit this thread in the Storage Forum to get the real story instead of just hearsay. If you are more interested in Windows 8 and the developer version that was recently made available, then off to the Windows Forum with you.
If you are feeling more like finding entertainment on a Friday, then the Battlefield 3 thread has picked up, in part because of Ryan's virtual party last night. If not, there is The Lightning Round where you can vent your spleen about recent events or even The Trading Post where you can engage in a little swapping.
As well, thanks to the new motivational tool that Ryan picked up, Ken has already posted this weeks PC Perspective Podcast in audio and video.
