Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-26-2008, 05:43 PM   #21
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
I agree. But sounds like Firedreamer is a gamer, and many games dont run on linux so that might be an inhibitor.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 08-26-2008, 07:09 PM   #22
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,894
Quote:
Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny View Post
I agree. But sounds like Firedreamer is a gamer, and many games dont run on linux so that might be an inhibitor.
Well I am not a fanatic gamer. The only game I have on my computer is Microsoft Flight Simulator. I added a lot of extras to the off-the-shelf game and to run smoothly it requires a pretty souped up system with a good graphics card (that's why I would like to upgrade the PS). I had just bought a set of Bose speakers for my system and it is now amazingly realistic sound-wise (the walls are shaking when I throttle up my A330 on take-off). Well that was before the computer fried.
Nonetheless, I prefer to have a "user-friendly" interface (like windows), so I tend to stay away from linux.
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2008, 07:28 PM   #23
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Oh my. Flight simulator can really eat up some graphics cards. You could easily blow $3-400 on a card and still not be able to run the highest settings. Maybe you should just toss the computer and go buy an airplane?

As far as the interface, you might be surprised by the modern linux variants. I installed and ran Ubuntu for a while and except for some things that were a bit different here and there you might mistake it for windows, especially when in an app like openoffice or firefox.

The product dual boots nicely with windows, or you can boot it off a cd or dvd.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2008, 07:38 PM   #24
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,894
Quote:
Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny View Post
Oh my. Flight simulator can really eat up some graphics cards. You could easily blow $3-400 on a card and still not be able to run the highest settings. Maybe you should just toss the computer and go buy an airplane?

As far as the interface, you might be surprised by the modern linux variants. I installed and ran Ubuntu for a while and except for some things that were a bit different here and there you might mistake it for windows, especially when in an app like openoffice or firefox.

The product dual boots nicely with windows, or you can boot it off a cd or dvd.
Well I haven't used a linux system since I finished grad school 7 years ago, so I should perhaps take a fresh look at modern linux variants.

As far as the airplane goes, nah I like BIG airplanes and I sure can't afford one of those!
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2008, 07:44 PM   #25
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Oh come on...what're ya saving it for?

Check out this thread...

http://www.early-retirement.org/foru...ore-32135.html
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 01:23 PM   #26
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,894
I have just installed a new PS and my computer is now purring like a kitten again! Woohooo!!!!! Thanks everyone!
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 01:42 PM   #27
Moderator Emeritus
W2R's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: New Orleans
Posts: 47,472
Quote:
Originally Posted by FIREdreamer View Post
I have just installed a new PS and my computer is now purring like a kitten again! Woohooo!!!!! Thanks everyone!
That is wonderful!!! Glad to hear a happy ending.
__________________
Already we are boldly launched upon the deep; but soon we shall be lost in its unshored, harbourless immensities. - - H. Melville, 1851.

Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
W2R is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 02:42 PM   #28
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Good deal. What supply did you get and how happy are you with the noise, ease of install, etc?

Dang, and I found a vista based quad core desktop this morning for under $400...
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 05:06 PM   #29
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,894
Quote:
Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny View Post
Good deal. What supply did you get and how happy are you with the noise, ease of install, etc?

Dang, and I found a vista based quad core desktop this morning for under $400...
I got a pretty generic PS, 630W. It was pretty cheap (I think it falls in your "crap" category) but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on it in case it didn't solve the problem plus I knew for sure that this one was compatible with my computer in terms of size and connection types.

630 Watt ATX Power Supply

It is much, much quieter than the previous PS (and hopefully it will last longer...).

Installation was pretty easy (and I didn't electrocute myself!). I just unscrewed the old PS from the computer case, and then one by one, I switched to connections from the old PS to the new one to make sure I didn't forget to reconnect something. Then I screwed the new PS back to the computer case and voila! Easy, even for a novice like me.

Last night I was dreaming of buying a new system and I found this gem while surfing the internet:

Dell - XPS Desktop with Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E8400 - X630-112B


A bit overkill I suppose, but I could just imagine running my flight simulator on that baby. The wife said no though...

Anyways, I am happy my computer is back up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Want2retire View Post
That is wonderful!!! Glad to hear a happy ending.
Thank you W2R! I am relieved I didn't lose any data and that the mother board didn't fry. Next purchase: a better surge protector!
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 05:54 PM   #30
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Glad your machine is back up and running. Problem I have with cheap PS's is that they often create many of the "this weird thing happened to my computer" problems that I dont think they're worth it. Given that you may have had a totally dead box and peripherals, maybe it was a good idea to go cheap.

BTW, I could have gotten you into a core 2 quad machine with a better graphics board than that for under $500. Even you wife should appreciate such a small expense that makes such a huge improvement in your quality of life? Heck, you could have turned all the quality controls to dang near the top and felt like you were actually in the air, only without the massive jet fuel costs...

__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 06:03 PM   #31
Moderator Emeritus
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 12,894
Quote:
Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny View Post
BTW, I could have gotten you into a core 2 quad machine with a better graphics board than that for under $500. Even you wife should appreciate such a small expense that makes such a huge improvement in your quality of life? Heck, you could have turned all the quality controls to dang near the top and felt like you were actually in the air, only without the massive jet fuel costs...

Say, no more pleeeaaassssseeeee! I am glad my computer is repaired, I am glad my computer is repaired, I am glad my computer is repaired...
FIREd is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-28-2008, 06:43 PM   #32
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
Awwww...1033 fsb, quad cores, big fast graphics card, dvd writer, 3GB fast ram, 500gb hard drive...why...its almost free...
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2008, 12:20 AM   #33
Moderator Emeritus
Nords's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Oahu
Posts: 26,856
Quote:
Originally Posted by FIREdreamer View Post
Next purchase: a better surge protector!
If you really want protection from surges then buy an UPS. It might cost the price of two or three of those PSs but it's worth it.

It took an earthquake followed by a power failure to persuade me...
__________________
*

Co-author (with my daughter) of “Raising Your Money-Savvy Family For Next Generation Financial Independence.”
Author of the book written on E-R.org: "The Military Guide to Financial Independence and Retirement."

I don't spend much time here— please send a PM.
Nords is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2008, 04:52 AM   #34
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
cute fuzzy bunny's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
UPS's can be very cheap. Circuit City has a tiny one for $20 on closeout. Sams Club has a larger one for $30. There are regular Fatwallet deals for mid to large size models on sale, with a rebate, and an in-store coupon that knocks them down to $40-50. I have a humongous one I got from Staples with one of those triple dipper deals for <$50 that has one of our satellite dvr's, the tv, the cable modem and a couple of other things on it.

Only thing to watch out for is that most of them have a beeper or squealy thing that goes off if the power dips or drops. That can be rather displeasing if you get a blip at 3am. Some of them have a switch or take a USB connection and have configurable s/w that lets you turn that off. Most Cyberpowers have USB/software. Some APC's have switches. A ton of them have neither.

Whats fun on the big cyberpower we have is that it keeps a log of all 'power events'. So I can look at it once every few months and see all the surges, dips, drops, etc.

Belkin is discontinuing their UPS line and their products are being clearanced all over. I see that Fry's and Microcenter both have pretty good deals in the $35-40 range for them

http://microcenter.com/single_produc...uct_id=0256683
http://shop1.frys.com/product/416253...H:MAIN_RSLT_PG
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
cute fuzzy bunny is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2008, 12:30 PM   #35
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Goonie's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North-Central Illinois
Posts: 3,228
Quote:
Originally Posted by cute fuzzy bunny View Post
Only thing to watch out for is that most of them have a beeper or squealy thing that goes off if the power dips or drops. That can be rather displeasing if you get a blip at 3am.
Been there, done that! I had an old APC that did the early A.M. beep thing to me several years ago. I woke up and heard a "beep".....then silence. Just as I started to drift off to sleep again....."beep". What the.....? Got up looked (and listened) around......nada! Climb back in the sack......."Beep". Son of a.....what's going on here? Finally tracked it down to the APC UPS! Unplugged everything from it.....unplugged it from the wall socket.....sat it on the back patio.....went back to bed.

I replaced the battery in it, and all was fine until about a year later....."Beep". I'm now back to using a couple of heavy duty surge protectors (in series) with no UPS!
Goonie is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-29-2008, 04:57 PM   #36
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,819
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonie View Post
Been there, done that! I had an old APC that did the early A.M. beep thing to me several years ago. I woke up and heard a "beep".....then silence. Just as I started to drift off to sleep again....."beep". What the.....? Got up looked (and listened) around......nada! Climb back in the sack......."Beep". Son of a.....what's going on here? Finally tracked it down to the APC UPS! Unplugged everything from it.....unplugged it from the wall socket.....sat it on the back patio.....went back to bed.

I replaced the battery in it, and all was fine until about a year later....."Beep". I'm now back to using a couple of heavy duty surge protectors (in series) with no UPS!
That's happened to us a few times, between smoke alarms, a cell phone that was left on giving the 'I will be dead soon' beep, etc.

In this day and age, you'd think they would put a little voice announcer on these things. "UPS low voltage alarm", "Replace Smoke alarm battery", " Cell Phone Battery LOW"...

Most of these things already have all or most of what they need to do it. I know they were advertising a 'talking smoke alarm' a while back. They said that kids would sleep right through a blaring alarm, it just does not register with them in their sleep. I thought it was BS, then we had a spider or something set ours off at 3AM. Took me a couple minutes to get to it,get the cover off and sweep it out. Three kids never budged. That was kinda scary.

-ERD50
ERD50 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2008, 03:49 AM   #37
Full time employment: Posting here.
jambo101's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Montreal
Posts: 940
I'm not much of a computer whizz but i had a similar problem with one of my computers not too long ago.Hit the big button and nothing,just for the heck of it i took the on button apart and found out that it had become disconnected from the real on button behind the plastic,PC has been working great since then.
__________________
"Second star to the right and straight on till morning"
jambo101 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
mild computer problem Khan Other topics 7 04-09-2008 06:34 PM
computer problem - javascript Khan Other topics 1 11-13-2006 09:33 PM
Wierd computer problem. Is it a virus? thefed Other topics 12 07-27-2006 01:00 PM
Help with computer problem modhatter Other topics 20 01-31-2006 11:08 PM
MOVED: Help with computer problem BigMoneyJim FIRE and Money 0 01-29-2006 10:59 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:34 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.