What's your latest tech purchase?

[Aquinus]

Eww snow wtf who put that there??

I love the seasons, all of them. I wouldn't stay in New Hampshire otherwise.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

Cough off topic guys cough. The viper will bite you

 

[freeagent]

What do you mean you dislike snow? Snow is awesome, even better if it's -15C outside.

I don't dislike it per se.. when its here its fine, have no choice at that point. -15 is nice, its the -30s and -40s I am not looking forward to. And the dam windchill that makes it feel like -50 and -60c. not f lol.. ugh. But I don't have this hairy body for my good looks, its probably so I don't die while hunting for food Luckily we have grocery stores these days..

I better buy something tech related in the next 3 minutes to avoid the wrath

 

[Deleted member 24505]

I don't dislike it per se.. when its here its fine, have no choice at that point. -15 is nice, its the -30s and -40s I am not looking forward to. And the dam windchill that makes it feel like -50 and -60c. not f lol.. ugh. But I don't have this hairy body for my good looks, its probably so I don't die while hunting for food Luckily we have grocery stores these days..

I better buy something tech related in the next 3 minutes to avoid the wrath

The viper bit me, blocked me from the technical issues thread If i have one now, i will post it off topic somewhere else

 

[R-T-B]

God, let me bail you guys out.

Exciting!

 

[Space Lynx]

got the ipad mini 64gb purple edition for $460 (yes I am just as surprised as you its already on a $40 sale) couple weeks ago, due to shortages and such it just now shipped. should be here soon. yes, I know all about the jelly scroll. I only use landscape mode though even before I knew about the jelly issue, so it won't effect me. that's actually the main reason I went with ipad mini I wanted small enough form factor that I could comfortably do landscape mode with on the go. the jelly scroll thing is a bit annoying considering its such an expensive device, but again it won't effect me so I am fine with it.

I have never had a proper Apple device before, let alone a top of the line one (this has the same gpu and cpu as the Pro line of latest phones) so I am hoping it will last me a good 4-5 years. I really don't do much... youtube, spotify, hearthstone, magic the gathering arena, etc. those are all free on Apple, so that expensive ecosystem really won't effect me. i just want a good secure device with high quality that will last me a long time.

it was between this and the Nokia T20 tablet that is coming out soon... but i prefer this form factor... and I prefer the security of Apple. plus the ipad mini has a better camera both front and back... which will be nice because I have never owned a nice camera before, all my phones were always budget to lower mid tier range. the Apple Cloud costs 99 cents a month for 50gb storage... so 12 bucks a year, and honestly I probably won't even use half that, I'm not a heavy user of camera or cloud stuff. so yeah overall should be an interesting experience.

 

[tabascosauz]

got the ipad mini 64gb purple edition for $460 (yes I am just as surprised as you its already on a $40 sale) couple weeks ago, due to shortages and such it just now shipped. should be here soon. yes, I know all about the jelly scroll. I only use landscape mode though even before I knew about the jelly issue, so it won't effect me. that's actually the main reason I went with ipad mini I wanted small enough form factor that I could comfortably do landscape mode with on the go. the jelly scroll thing is a bit annoying considering its such an expensive device, but again it won't effect me so I am fine with it.

I have never had a proper Apple device before, let alone a top of the line one (this has the same gpu and cpu as the Pro line of latest phones) so I am hoping it will last me a good 4-5 years. I really don't do much... youtube, spotify, hearthstone, magic the gathering arena, etc. those are all free on Apple, so that expensive ecosystem really won't effect me. i just want a good secure device with high quality that will last me a long time.

it was between this and the Nokia T20 tablet that is coming out soon... but i prefer this form factor... and I prefer the security of Apple. plus the ipad mini has a better camera both front and back... which will be nice because I have never owned a nice camera before, all my phones were always budget to lower mid tier range. the Apple Cloud costs 99 cents a month for 50gb storage... so 12 bucks a year, and honestly I probably won't even use half that, I'm not a heavy user of camera or cloud stuff. so yeah overall should be an interesting experience.

I honestly don't mind the jelly scroll effect. I couldn't put a name to it for the longest time but I've seen it on devices and computers of all types I've owned. Kinda like it actually, in a weird way.

My iPad Mini is the first gen one. I still use it pretty regularly to play Galaxy on Fire 2, since you can't get it off the Appstore anymore. For all the bitching and moaning I did at the time about the low res screen and weak SoC, it's held up well and I don't mind after like 8 years. The nice thing about Apple is that GPU performance is almost always overkill, which helps immensely with maintaining a good user experience as the device ages.

When my XPS 13 decides to give up the ghost I think I will walk away from laptops and go to an 11" iPad Pro. Just don't have the need to spend so much pointless money on a laptop, between my two desktops. We've got a new 12" M1 iPad Pro in the family and I like how it looks and handles itself.

When it comes to phones there are a couple reasons I can't use an iPhone atm. When it comes to tablets it's the other way around, Android tablets are still about as half assed as they used to be.

 

[Kurt63]

Dinner at TTs place! Ill bring the bbq sauce

AND BEER !!!!! I'll bring the beer !!!!!

 

[sam_86314]

UPDATE: Still waiting on my Pixel 5a. I figured OnTrac saying it'll arrive on the 6th was a stretch since Google says it'll arrive between the 7th and 8th.

Out of curiosity, I looked into OnTrac since I rarely deal with them (most packages I get are delivered by USPS and UPS)...

Reddit - Dive into anything

www.reddit.com

...and holy crap! Their subreddit is completely filled with people having the exact issue I'm starting to have.

Other review websites have overwhelmingly negative reviews from people having their packages lost.

If it gets delayed again on the 8th, I'll contact Google and see if they'll do anything.

Anyone else have interesting experiences with this company?

 

[R-T-B]

Anyone else have interesting experiences with this company?

Yes, the driver for my area was so afraid of my dog he used to punt packages from the edge of my driveway to my porch. Repeatedly.

My dog is a springer spaniel.

They also once "destroyed" a package of mine (not kidding that's what the package tracking app told me) because quote "tape compromised." Newegg was kind enough to send another.

FWIW, everything usually arrives, but it's always way too interesting. I've had them deliver things in unmarked vans with literally no license plate, etc... drivers "deliver" things in my trash can like they don't understand how the first world works or something... I could go on and on.

Good luck!

 

[Jetster]

I've never had an issue with On Trac. Always really fast and sometimes late in the evening
FedEx is very slow, weeks. I'm always relieved when its Ontrac

 

[R-T-B]

I've never had an issue with On Trac. Always really fast and sometimes late in the evening

I think it depends a lot on the driver. Our whole neighborhood seems to be a "troublezone." They keep rehiring but just trade one problem for another (the guy who feared dogs was replaced by the guy we coined "garbage delivery man" after finding a few packages umm... in the garbage.)

The company could filter better with hirees though judging from the PR they get.

 

[Jetster]

I think it depends a lot on the driver. Our whole neighborhood seems to be a "troublezone."

The company could filter better with hirees though judging from the PR they get.

I did notice they are really young and drive fast

 

[R-T-B]

I did notice they are really young and drive fast

Yeah, probably overworked if I had to guess. But that's just spitballing what I don't know.

Hope your package arrives ok @sam_86314

 

[ThaiTaffy]

Delivery drivers won't even come near our house they all know us and just leave our packages at my in-laws in the nearby town. anyway back to topic case and fans came for the wife's shopping pc/ Nas today I had planned to buy her an old 775socket motherboard but since I had this b450 board she's getting an athlon ApuView attachment IMG_20210529_205000.jpg

 

[lexluthermiester]

Delivery drivers won't even come near our house they all know us and just leave our packages at my in-laws in the nearby town. anyway back to topic case and fans came for the wife's shopping pc/ Nas today I had planned to buy her an old 775socket motherboard but since I had this b450 board she's getting an athlon ApuView attachment 219990

Is that lighting supposed to have the blue hue to it or is that a trick of the camera?

 

[Valantar]

Is that lighting supposed to have the blue hue to it? or is that a trick of the camera?

I'd guess white balance issues? Cool white LEDs in a warm white environment tend to look like that.

 

[ThaiTaffy]

They are like 5000k so cool white I don't really intend to use them but they were the cheapest economy fans I could buy here other then buying some really naff ones.

 

[repman244]

New (used) server, don't have any other pictures yet, still waiting for some components to come (HDD trays, RAM...)
The config will be two of these CPUs running with 128GB RAM in a HP DL380p G8 with 12x HDD LFF chassis (top of the stack with no trays).
Primary use will be as a fileserver + some VMs so I can get rid of some HDDs in my PC.

Ignore the cables, because the rack is a complete mess at the moment.

 

[Liquid Cool]

I've been on a bit of a tear lately...



I picked up this little gem on ebay for $54 while I was hunting down a new notebook to replace my tablet. I ended up purchasing an Elitebook 745 G6 which will be here on Sunday. I'll post a snapshot or two after it arrives.

So what is it? What did I purchase? The MT-42 Mobile Thin Client from HP. The MT-42 is essentially the exact same notebook as the HP 745 Elitebook G3. This one comes with an a8-8600b apu w/ R6 graphics, 8GB's(2x4GB) of memory and a 128GB M.2 drive. Gaming prowess? If you can recall how Skyrim plays, it'll handle Skyrim at 60FPS, but not much more. For business or multimedia? Perfect.








What am I going to do with it? I don't know yet. Might give it to someone who would need it more than I do. I've tested it thoroughly....it's works perfectly. Cleaned it up, gave it the MX-5 treatment and she's ready to go.

I'll probably be back later....Ol' Liquid Cool bought a graphics card.

Best,

Liquid Cool

P.S. I've never claimed to have any photography skills AND I assure you I never will....

 

[sam_86314]

My Pixel 5a arrived today.

The case I ordered from Amazon is still on the way.

Need to decide if I should put LineageOS or some other custom ROM on it. TWRP isn't available for the 5a just yet; hopefully soon.

The default launcher has a weird light spot at the very top of the screen that I don't like (it's visible in the photo). Anyone have any recommendations for alternative launchers?

 

[Mussels]

My Pixel 5a arrived today.

The case I ordered from Amazon is still on the way.

Need to decide if I should put LineageOS or some other custom ROM on it. TWRP isn't available for the 5a just yet; hopefully soon.

The default launcher has a weird light spot at the very top of the screen that I don't like (it's visible in the photo). Anyone have any recommendations for alternative launchers?

I love my 4XL, except for how google has pretended the widevine L3 issue doesn't exist... an update broke the DRM, so we're capped at 720p SDR for playback... they claim its a hardware thing that needs an RMA to fix, but wont RMA for a software problem so i'm stuck in limbo.

If the final release of Android 12 doesn't fix it, i'll have to stop recommending pixel phones :/

Best alternative launcher is Nova prime

 

[sam_86314]

Best alternative launcher is Nova prime

Problem is I'm cheap. I think I tried Nova a while ago and didn't care for it, but I dunno.

Gave Lawnchair a try (it's open-source) and it looks identical to the default launcher but without that annoying gradient. Also has endless customization options and supports the feed to the left of the home screen, so it looks like this is what I'll be using.

Also gonna add that it's so nice to finally not have any carrier crapware on my phone. The built-in VVM service works fine and I don't have any Verizon apps installed.

 

[Anarchy0110]

I've been on a bit of a tear lately...

View attachment 220046

I picked up this little gem on ebay for $54 while I was hunting down a new notebook to replace my tablet. I ended up purchasing an Elitebook 745 G6 which will be here on Sunday. I'll post a snapshot or two after it arrives.

So what is it? What did I purchase? The MT-42 Mobile Thin Client from HP. The MT-42 is essentially the exact same notebook as the HP 745 Elitebook G3. This one comes with an a8-8600b apu w/ R6 graphics, 8GB's(2x4GB) of memory and a 128GB M.2 drive. Gaming prowess? If you can recall how Skyrim plays, it'll handle Skyrim at 60FPS, but not much more. For business or multimedia? Perfect.

View attachment 220047


View attachment 220048

View attachment 220049

What am I going to do with it? I don't know yet. Might give it to someone who would need it more than I do. I've tested it thoroughly....it's works perfectly. Cleaned it up, gave it the MX-5 treatment and she's ready to go.

I'll probably be back later....Ol' Liquid Cool bought a graphics card.

Best,

Liquid Cool

P.S. I've never claimed to have any photography skills AND I assure you I never will....

Would be perfect to test drive Ubuntu distros with this one.

 

[fullinfusion]

New 2021 Samsung Neo Q90A 55" 4K HDR10 tv with the Q series sound bar with Dolby Atmos and BT sub woofer. Remote don't use batteries but a solar cell on the rear, or else charge with a type C connector.

Also a Certified 8K ultra high speed HDMI 2.1 cable.