What's your latest tech purchase?

[8BitZ80]

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I got one of those Sharkoon Gaming Dac Pro S units and GOLLY! this is good!
My casual earphones are as good for playing Warzone as Steelseries Arctis 7 I got recently.
I wonder, it lets me have a 96khz sample rate sound while even arctis 7 doesnt, is it legit?

I'm a headphone user and I've been thinking about getting a USB DAC. Is it better than onboard audio? Any idea how it compares to a sound card?
I used to have an Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card, loved the sound quality but it had a weird issue (it freaked out occasionally) and I had to RMA it. Now I'm running onboard audio.

 

[khemist]

I'm still one of those people who doesn't use my phone to listen to music, battery life on mine isn't great and i'm not ready to upgrade yet.

 

[Lorec]

I'm a headphone user and I've been thinking about getting a USB DAC. Is it better than onboard audio? Any idea how it compares to a sound card?
I used to have an Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card, loved the sound quality but it had a weird issue (it freaked out occasionally) and I had to RMA it. Now I'm running onboard audio.

I use it on my laptop, because my jack is broken. It gives me a very good quality sound. On PC it depends, my Asus C8H has a much better built in sound tbh.
Judging by Your specs, it should upgrade Your sound experience. For details check TPU review of those units.

 

[Deleted member 24505]

just got this, hopefully better than my old EK-supreme LTX CSQ

 

[Valantar]

For some convenience and peace of mind when reassembling, flushing and refilling my loop after a long move:

 

[mouacyk]

just got this, hopefully better than my old EK-supreme LTX CSQ

Spoiler

View attachment 167372

Mine is going on 5 years strong -- cooled 4790K at 4.9GHz, 5775C at 4.3GHz, 8700K at 5GHz, and now a 9900K at 5.2GHz. The fin area of the pro is immense and is the key to its performance. Someone on overclockers.com even dumped his recent EK velocity block to go back to it for 8C drop in direct die cooling on a 9900K. When RDNA2 drops (so all cards are on the table ), I will likely change out my GPU and go direct die with this CPU block as well for 5.3GHz.

For some convenience and peace of mind when reassembling, flushing and refilling my loop after a long move:

When I rebuilt my loop last month, I had just received this very test kit from PPC and it was very convenient. Because I had disassembled everything (CPU block, GPU block, and pump) for scrubbing and cleaning, I wanted to make sure I reassembled each component with the proper seal. This kit allowed me to test each component, before I assembled the entire loop for a final test. All the components tested out fine, but one of my QDC was leaking ever minimally when the entire loop was tested. Just had to take it apart, wet the o-ring and mate it again. Well worth its price for the assurance.

 

[Valantar]

Mine is going on 5 years strong -- cooled 4790K at 4.9GHz, 5775C at 4.3GHz, 8700K at 5GHz, and now a 9900K at 5.2GHz. The fin area of the pro is immense and is the key to its performance. Someone on overclockers.com even dumped his recent EK velocity block to go back to it for 8C drop in direct die cooling on a 9900K. When RDNA2 drops (so all cards are on the table ), I will likely change out my GPU and go direct die with this CPU block as well for 5.3GHz.


When I rebuilt my loop last month, I had just received this very test kit from PPC and it was very convenient. Because I had disassembled everything (CPU block, GPU block, and pump) for scrubbing and cleaning, I wanted to make sure I reassembled each component with the proper seal. This kit allowed me to test each component, before I assembled the entire loop for a final test. All the components tested out fine, but one of my QDC was leaking ever minimally when the entire loop was tested. Just had to take it apart, wet the o-ring and mate it again. Well worth its price for the assurance.

I have yet to disassemble any of my blocks, and I've even been lazy enough to keep my coolant running for two years before this move. Guess I should really take better care of it I need the PC up quickly right now though for work, so I won't tear it down now either, but I'll be running a pretty strong vinegar mix through it for at least a couple of hours tomorrow (given that it's still leak free). That should take care of any corrosion, and I sincerely doubt there's any growth of any kind in the loop. Guess we'll see how disgusting things look once I flush the loop though. My thermals have stayed the same for the entire period I've had the loop, so I'm not that worried. But then I don't go for colored fluids and that type of nonsense. Clear premix (I've used both EK and AlphaCool) is my jam.

 

[tabascosauz]

I got my ZMF Ori pads for my DT 770 in the mail today. Because the 4-year-old stock velour DT 770 pads had become less "nasty" and more "biohazard" at this point, I took them off, cleaned the "filter pieces" best I could, and replaced them with the ZMF Oval cowhides I've had on my ATH-M40X for the past few years. While the cowhides are comfy for quiet in-bed listening on the ATs, they don't work well with glasses and induce a drastically darker and horribly unbalanced tone on the Beyerdynamics. Yeah yeah, Darthbeyers and whatnot, but I'm not a dark angsty 14 year old. Not to mention they're oval and the DTs are round.

So with the sides of my head smarting and an impression of my glasses clearly pressed into the side of my skull, I bought some round Ori pads for my DTs instead. These are a bit smaller and rounder, but still plenty big for my big ol' ears. Most importantly, they aren't quite as thick, and being made of lambskin squish quite a bit more, bringing the sound much closer to my ears and closer to stock. Sound is stock-ish, being a bit brighter but not so as to sacrifice midrange, definitely worlds better than the Ovals. Those belong much better on the M40X, that's for sure.

Being made of much softer lambskin, they are also insanely comfortable and almost feel like they aren't even there. The sweaty stock velours don't even come close, not even in softness. And they are the first pads I've ever used to work as well with glasses as without. Overall super happy with these.

A lot of people love praising velours for comfort, but they aren't any more breathable than leather; they just soak up all the sweat from your head instead and after a few while become disgusting hazmat that you have to throw out. I heard the DT 990 velours are much better, but I couldn't find a retailer here.

I'm a headphone user and I've been thinking about getting a USB DAC. Is it better than onboard audio? Any idea how it compares to a sound card?
I used to have an Asus Xonar Essence STX sound card, loved the sound quality but it had a weird issue (it freaked out occasionally) and I had to RMA it. Now I'm running onboard audio.

For most users, ALC1220 is pretty good and shows how far integrated audio controllers have come. ALC1150...ehhhh ok. But if you're running anything ancient like the ALC88x/ALC89x codecs, I'd be very surprised if you didn't hear a difference with even an entry level DAC.

Not going to pretend to be a headphone snob here, but I've been using the E10K for about 3 years now and it's a good one without breaking the bank. IIRC E10K and stuff like the Schiit Fulla/Modi are priced similarly. There is an obvious advantage in sound quality to ALC892 and 1150, but if I'm honest it's the little amp in there that makes all the difference. I love maxing out the application volume and Windows volume while being able to control my volume on the fly with the knob on the E10K instead. All the ALC1150/1200/1220 onboard solutions I've had struggle not exactly with sound quality, but with getting sufficient volume on >32ohm headphones to get music to really "open up" because motherboards don't have decent amps. Your needs may be different and limited to just a pure DAC if you have really low impedance headphones, but in that case I feel like it'll be harder to tell a difference to onboard audio.

Obviously, the usual disclaimers apply: the headphones you use, the pads on your cans, the music/sounds you listen to, glasses or no glasses, etc.

 

[GreiverBlade]

more ergonomics but with more freedom ...

alright, i have a Logitech Trackman Marble since long .... feel comfortable but the cable and awkward button placement make it ... awkward sometime

Spoiler: Yeah, that one ...

Spoiler: Then more awkwardness hit me ...

ah .... i guess i keep that one to play "Stay! Stay! Democratic People's Republic of Korea!" VN ... that would make sense ....

1995:

Spoiler: i remembered one of my first Trackball i had from Logitech which was that one :

basically i got :


ohhhh alright so that's how the 20 degree tilt base work ... magnets? the base is quite heavy and hold well in place ... smaller footprint, less awkward and 120 days autonomy on a charge? deal!

20 degree tilted, it feel like my Sovos, granted it will not replace it for KB/M gaming, but for couch browsing or light point and click games, where i do not always want to have my Nerdytech Couchmaster on my legs, will do mighty fine, i am not using the Unifying dongle since she can handle BT connection and i already use a BT dongle for my Xbox controller and the VR controllers.

and a little extra to replace that shame of a SSD that the WD green 240gb is ...


laugh of the day is the pricing : official logitech store 129.90chf ... price i paid, 79.90, which is only 10chf more than the Trackball M570 outside promo, and the 860 Evo is normally 74~ chf got it BNIB sealed on auction for 25chf

 

[Valantar]

Following up on my leak tester, I can't quite decide if the irony of my drain port being leaky qualifies as delicious irony or just the annoying kind. At least it was easily identified and fixable without major surgery, I just need to replace the length of cheapo clear tubing connecting the port with the EK ZMT neoprene tubing that's in the rest of the system, as the clear tubing apparently doesn't seal well against that barb fitting. The rest of the system is leak free, hooray!

Also, a useful tip I can share from today's experience: when the loop is pressurized and the pressure has forced some remaining coolant out to the drain port, don't just open the valve there without thinking.




Edit:

Two hours into running ~12% vinegar through the loop and the liquid has turned slightly blue. Definitely some corrosion in there, though judging by the color and lack of gunk it's likely not that bad. Might just be stuff I didn't get out when I first built the loop, as my 120mm rad is more than a decade old and had been lying around unused for quite a few years. I never used this strong of a vinegar solution back then, so there might have been some stuff I didn't get out. Guess we'll see how bad things are once I upgrade everything later this year.

I'm considering turning on the system to get some heat into the loop to help the vinegar do its magic. Any thoughts?

After I'm happy with this I'll flush with copious amounts of tap water, then drain it all and fill up with premix again.

 

[Caring1]

I'm considering turning on the system to get some heat into the loop to help the vinegar do its magic. Any thoughts?

After I'm happy with this I'll flush with copious amounts of tap water, then drain it all and fill up with premix again.

Flushing with tap water?
Won't that just add heavy metals into the loop again?

 

[p1ngwe1]

My new device for Work From Home and RAM upgrade because Flight Simulator

 

[oxrufiioxo]

Pretty nice.... Not bad for $299

 

[Valantar]

Flushing with tap water?
Won't that just add heavy metals into the loop again?

Heavy metals? In tap water? I don't know about you, but I don't live in Flint, Michigan, and as such the amount of heavy metals in the tap water is essentially zero. Tap water has plenty of stuff in it that you don't want in your loop over time, but it should be perfectly fine for flushing. I mean, I guess there could be trace amounts of copper from the pipes, especially if using hot tap water, but ... those particles are so small they either go right through or aren't big enough to make a difference in any way if they should get stuck. I would be more worried about mineral deposits, especially lime, but again, it's not like that water is staying in the loop over time, so there's no time for it to deposit.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Well it's been a while since I bought a motherboard and this one seemed to take my interest.... I wonder if it will take anyone else's interest....

View attachment 167153 View attachment 167154 View attachment 167155 View attachment 167156 View attachment 167157

I saw it and I just thought, it's boxed, it's Abit, it's a dual CPU and it's overclockable.. Why wouldn't I buy it??!

I was also keeping tabs on a 3850 AGP card which was boxed and in lovely condition but I missed the bidding by a few quid and what can I say... I'm still salty even now!! So frustrated!!

I did order myself some cheaper fittings for a build I'm currently doing only to realise whilst I was doing the build I didn't really need them, but at least they look pretty and I can use them else where

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I needed to connect up a drain port so... These are rotatory fittings and about 10mm long.. Nice quality I think and for £4 a fitting (same place through ebay wanted nearly £7 a fitting!!) utter bargain

Been buying a few films and CDs of late, but that's not so tech related for the moment Time to go and do something in that Project Log of mine.......

Had one of those many moons ago in a full tower, as you did in those days. I don't think I ever got any use out of the second CPU

 

[phill]

Had one of those many moons ago in a full tower, as you did in those days. I don't think I ever got any use out of the second CPU

I've got to find a PSU for it at some point, but that's kinda down on my list lol Just trying to get my main PC up and running how I'd like it and then waiting on a consideration for changing out the GPUs and then my monitors would have to go.... It'll be an expensive upgrade but so worth it.. I don't like 1080P anymore lol

 

[remixedcat]

650Ti is going to the great PCIE in the sky.

 

[phill]

View attachment 167613

650Ti is going to the great PCIE in the sky.

I'd have waited my good man... You can pick up some RTX 2080's for similar prices and that's without the 3000 series cards being out yet.... If you can, send it back and hang on for a few more weeks.... Your wallet and PC will thank you

 

[biffzinker]

I'd have waited my good man...

You should of said young lady. You should hangout at the TPU Lounge/General Nonsense thread.

Here’s a hint.

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/awesome-project-ive-been-working-on.270499/post-4340625

 

[remixedcat]

I'd have waited my good man... You can pick up some RTX 2080's for similar prices and that's without the 3000 series cards being out yet.... If you can, send it back and hang on for a few more weeks.... Your wallet and PC will thank you

Can't.. occasional burnt smell not taking chances.. I wanted to wait too. Also only have 635w PSU.

Also it's a Dell precision T3600 w 8c16t xeon

 

[khemist]

First new phone in Four years.

 

[Chomiq]

Needed new strap for Mi Band 4, only "red" was available in local store:

Considering it's official stuff they need to work on their naming scheme.

 

[witkazy]

Shoping was made , mistakes possibly too but hey, live and learn..Any way list go as follow : asrock x570 taichi mobo
gskill 2x16gb ram cl 18 22 22 42
2x500gb ssd team group gx2 + two enclosures from lc-power
4x 120mm white fans from xigmatek.

 

[phill]

You should of said young lady. You should hangout at the TPU Lounge/General Nonsense thread.

Here’s a hint.

https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/awesome-project-ive-been-working-on.270499/post-4340625

You do know I'm blonde right?? I don't have brain cells!!

Can't.. occasional burnt smell not taking chances.. I wanted to wait too. Also only have 635w PSU.

Also it's a Dell precision T3600 w 8c16t xeon

Apologies madam! It turns out I need to visit more threads in this forum!

Ah the PSU would have been fine but I think with the special cables they have in those Dell units, I'd be a little bit careful to say the least... We had one go at work, crikey... One of the caps blew and the smoke that came out the back... Kinda reminded me of a diesel car/van!!

 

[remixedcat]

Lol.. and ouch!! I hope that mine will workout ok