New computer/laptop advice thread

[Dex Sawash]

I can't even make 10 work properly yet. Definitely going for 16 ram, thanks


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[olliebean]

$15 for an extra 8GB is a bargain. It cost me 30 quid to upgrade mine from 8 to 16 last year.

[seepage]

You might not notice any difference, but e.g. Dell tend to install one stick of RAM instead of two, so you don't get the benefit from dual-channel memory e.g. 2 x 8 GB is better than 1 x 16 GB.

Both sticks have to match though, so you can't just put in any old extra stick of 8 GB, you'd probably have to replace the existing 8 GB with 2 x 8 GB that are exactly the same.

[Dex Sawash]

Got it and it is snappy and reports having the innards as advertised. Had good intentions but ultimately CBA to remove the screws to peep the memory stick(s).

Feel like pure shit just want control panel back.

This may be the catalyst that makes me reorganize the shit out of my work space to improve my efficiency and  enable second monitor*



_*television

[aunt mildred]

There's software that will tell you what memory stick is in what slot on your mobo so you don't have to look inside. Probably the easiest is a small utility called cpu-z (https://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html).

Just go into the SPD tab and select each of the slots in the Memory Slot Selection bit, it will tell you which slot(s) are filled and the speed and size of each memory stick(s). I wouldn't worry about it too much as 16GB is always better than 8GB and for your usage I doubt you'll notice much difference between single/dual channel, unless you're planning to play Elden Ring all day instead of working :)

[BeardFaceMan]

Apparently I'm quite a low talker which means when I talk to people using my Galaxy Tab 6 I sound awful quiet, to the point where people can't hear me at all. What are my options here, other than shouting? Any good external mics or headsets I could use with a Galaxy Tab?

[Neomod]

I've just bought another stick of 8GB to take my Optiplex 7010 up to 16gb. Dell says that's the max but other places have said 32gb. I dunno what to believe.

Oh and is this an ok card to play eurotruck?

[olliebean]

I've just bought another stick of 8GB to take my Optiplex 7010 up to 16gb. Dell says that's the max but other places have said 32gb. I dunno what to believe.

Pretty much everyone says it can support 32GB, including Crucial who guarantee that their RAM will work if it's shown as compatible, so I reckon 32GB is a safe bet despite what Dell say. I think when that model was released Windows 7 was the current version, which only supported 16GB with the Home version, so that may be at the root of the discrepancy. Shouldn't be a problem with Windows 10. Unless that is you have the USFF model, which only has two RAM slots so in that case 2x8GB is the max.

[Neomod]

Ahh right. I have the SFF with 4 slots and so it will be 8GB sticks anyway, ta.

[thugler]

Looking to replace my fucked and falling apart 10 year old thick and chunky 15 inch laptop with something fairly slim and light, with a similar size screen, decent graphics card and chip that will last me ages. Tempted by the fancy dell ones but some dubious reports of whether it's worth the outlay. Is there something cheaper/similar that is less prone to shonky build quality? Maybe something with an amd chip as they seem far cheaper.

[Zetetic]

Clarify "decent graphics card".

[thugler]

Clarify "decent graphics card".

I wanna play red dead redemption 2 i guess.

And it should be able to play stuff at least a little bit into the future.

Edit: I should probably emphasise I am a bit clueless having not bought a laptop or desktop for about a billion years. I hear 17 inchers are smaller than my 15 inch now!

[Zetetic]

Cheers. (I will try to be more helpful later.)

[Neomod]

Further to my Ram query upthread. Is it worth now getting another 16gb (2 x 8) to take me up to 32gb?

Things are faster with 16gb but would an extra 16gb help markedly in the areas of Photoshop, illustrator, video editing and FL Studio?

It'll only cost £40.

[canadagoose]

Further to my Ram query upthread. Is it worth now getting another 16gb (2 x 8) to take me up to 32gb?

Things are faster with 16gb but would an extra 16gb help markedly in the areas of Photoshop, illustrator, video editing and FL Studio?

It'll only cost £40.

I'd go for it. It'll future-proof you if nothing else.

[olliebean]

2 x 8GB for £40? Where are you getting them at that price?

[Neomod]

2 x 8GB for £40? Where are you getting them at that price?

The same seller on ebay I got the previous 8gb stick from.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274302064912

[olliebean]

The same seller on ebay I got the previous 8gb stick from.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/274302064912

And they work OK together? Apparently it's not uncommon to have problems with paired RAM sticks that weren't sold as a matched pair, even if they're ostensibly the same.

[Neomod]

And they work OK together? Apparently it's not uncommon to have problems with paired RAM sticks that weren't sold as a matched pair, even if they're ostensibly the same.

Yep, no problems at all and I noticed a distinct increase in speed across the board but especially with some photoshop plugin filters.

I'm just wondering if the speed will be literally doubled.

[Dex Sawash]

The  better computer I didn't buy back in march was still in my cart and dropped to $146 so I bought it for my kid

Intel Quad Core i5-4590 upto 3.7GHz, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD, 256GB SSD (boot), DVD, WiFi, Windows 10 Professional (Renewed)

[confettiinmyhair]

Looking to buy a drone to film wildlife around local river. Any ideas of one on the cheaper side of budget, less that £150, that isn't a pile of shite?

[Neomod]

I've just bought a DJI Mini SE and I'd say it's worth the extra £100 (mine was £269).

A lot of fun to fly and the image quality is excellent for the price.



Sample snapshot from a test flight in the back garden.

[BeardFaceMan]

I'm looking for a budget bluray drive for my pc, doesn't matter if it's internal or external, any good options out there?

[NattyDread 2]

Looking to replace a dead laptop on the cheap. Does anyone have any tips for buying refurbished? It'll mostly just be used for emails, browsing social media etc and occasional photo editing, so don't need owt too fancy.

I found this site - https://itzoo.co.uk/collections/cheap-laptops-tablets?sort_by=price-ascending

seems like a decent selection. Anyone used them? Are they reasonably priced? And any tips on what to go for?

Any help appreciated. Cheers

[fortune palace]

I bought a grade B refurbished Dell Precision laptop from ITZoo a few months back. great purchase - hard to argue with £350 for a relatively modern i7, 32GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and a dedicated (if somewhat shite) graphics card. it turned up in perfect condition, and the battery is still in decent shape (which isn't always the case with ex-corporate refurbs).

if it's not urgent, I'd recommend keeping an eye on HotUKDeals - they'll occasionally pick up on some bonkers discounts/voucher codes. I bought mine after seeing it posted on there, and saved about £300 on the listed price.

[NattyDread 2]

Good to know. Cheers.

[lipsink]

Hey, can anyone advise me how to add subtitles to my video for Twitter/Instagram?

I've got to the point where I upload the video on Twitter, selected Upload Caption File but then it asks me to search in my laptop so I'm not sure. Should I just add subtitles manually via iMovie? (That seems like it would take a while)

[Kankurette]

Not sure if right place but I keep trying to install Monterrey 12.6.2 and the fucking thing takes forever. It installs OK but then I get this:



It's been a lot more than 25 minutes. How do I make sure it installs properly?

And on top of this, Facebook Messenger (the desktop app version) won't load so I deleted the password in the keychain and then logged back in and it's taking forever to sync contacts etc. (I have Facebook deactivated.)

[NoSleep]

Wait a bit more.

[Dex Sawash]

On edge of seat here