PC Tech Thread

I'm not sure fiddling is the right word, it's not deliberate! PC was a cheap one from EBuyer and has had some genuine issues but I'm definitely thinking a thin client solution is the answer.

Could some suggest a 2-1 laptop/tablet looking for a decent machine which I can do a bit of work on and also watch Netflix and the likes. not bother by games or apps. In the £650 price range, so far have picked out these as potentials, need it to be windows based.

Asus UX305
Asus Transformer Book T300 Chi
Lenovo Yoga 700 (14 inch)
Acer Aspire Switch 11 (SW5-171-325N)

Any suggestion would be great.

I finally unplugged the old beast and it's in the middle of the lounge waiting to have its insides dusted before it finds its new home in the bedroom as my Computrainer brain. #csb

Chromebox could be a solution (or Chromebook with a USB docking station to keep the portability and allow docking to keyboard, mouse, monitor, etc).

Have a careful think about what he uses though. Chromebooks are good but there may just be some Windows software that is required and no Chrome alternative, mine couldn't replace a windows pc but is an ideal second laptop. Certain video formats don't play well for instance.

Also, not sure whether an i5 isn't a bit of an overkill. It's not doing much other than running Chrome. My Chromebook is running an ARM processor and copes fine

http://techcrunch.com/2016/02/25/jides-slick-remix-os-tweaks-android-for-pc-style-productivity/

Isn't that pretty much Chrome OS? There's already a beta that lets you run Android apps on there.

Sorry meant to say he's got a Chromebox and seems to very happy with it so far. He went for the Asus one as he's had bad experiences with Samsung and didn't like the sound of the process required to upgrade it to receive updates (which is crap to be fair, if it's that old it's not a good sign).

The only problem we had was that he said the screen wasn't working, but he just needed to press the button to switch it to HDMI.

Oh dear, BIOS update gone wrong appears to have killed my PC. Ordered a £12 replacement chip but if that doesn't arrive from Germany before the end of the week I'm gonna be very tempted to pull the trigger the stuff currently sitting in a scan shopping basket.

Five years solid service from the 2600k and it was still going strong. Not even sure how much of a difference I'll see with a 6700k, but I do like the idea of M.2 and other fancy new things.

Cloned my HDD onto a SDD on Saturday, turned the PC off to restart it, pressed the power button and... nothing.

The mobo shows a power status LED but received wisdom on the internet seems to think the most likely thing is that the powersupply has given up. What are the chances of this happening straight after a backup?! Annoying as the ps was pretty much the only part worth keeping in the impending required upgrade (that I can't afford).

Something failing is much more likely to happen after you've just plugged something new in vs. the machine shitting around all year whirring away.

Double check your cables and get googling...

I'm going to vacuum all the dust out and re-wire it when I get home - all I had done was swap SATA data and power leads around. I can deal with bios beep codes and nothing useful happening, not used to nothing happening at all!

^^ this. Quite possible you've nudged a cable in the installation process.

I'm guessing you've also tried booting with the HDD to see if that works?

Yeah, nothing fires up at all, not even any fans.

I might be wrong, but have a Google before putting a vacuum near your pc, I think it might be really bad for it.
@Brun I'm still running my 2500k, it's been going a similar amount of time and it hasn't missed a beat! Not convinced I'd get much more out of something newer

Yes it can cause static to build up and fry your machine, use compressed air instead.

Upgraded my Hacks CPU to an i7 4790k over the weekend, only have the stock cooler and I am a bit concerned about over heating. What low profile (sub 10cm) coolers would folks recommend? My case is a very small Micro ATX so space is very limited. Would like something thats simple to bolt on too, don't want ot have to take the whole machine apart (again) to fit. CHeeeeeers.

What kind of temps are you getting idle and load?

Just above 40 idle, getting up to 60 easy when under load, haven't gone nuts with it though so fear it may go even higher. I think my average was 45.
I don't think I want it to go above 60. 50 is prob better.

That sounds fine as it is. They can hit 104 and are safe at 90. Cooler is better but you ain't in dangerous territory by any means.

I'm sure if you really pegged it, you could go up to 80ish under load but you could always put a bigger cooler on. Are you using the stock cooler? What case fans do you have? Bigger is better with fans, as they can spin slower, quieter and push more air.
Sounds like you're mostly (entirely) restricted by the space you have for heat sinks.

Yeah? Is it just for bragging rights that people have ultra liquid cooled set ups that never pass 45? Same as 120 FPS (we all know 25 is fine BRO).
Yeah stock cooler, was super easy to fit. Might give it a proper test on some games tonight.
Lookgn at aftermarket coolers, do they require a plate on the other side of the MOBO too? Not a chance in hell i'm taking things apart that much, not even sure i'll have the room...

Want to reinstall windows 7 on my laptop as have random shut down issues that I can't fix using system restore/removing driver updates etc. Don't have access to the original manufacturer supplied disc and just found out that I can't download the iso from windows site as it is OEM even if I supply the (valid) licence code.

Anyone got any ideas sources for win 7 home premium iso that are authentic?

The stock cooler is guaranteed to be sufficient for that processor, otherwise what's the point!
As long as you applied the thermal paste correctly, which it sounds like you have by those numbers, it's all gravy.

Some of the massive heat sinks have back-plates IIRC to stop them from flexing the mobo too much.

Just keep an eye on it and blast any dust bunnies that block the cooling fins over time.

Want to reinstall windows 7 on my laptop

Are you sure the laptop doesn't have the bits for a clean reinstall on a partition?

Cool (oh the pun!), good to hear... makes sense too. Will keep my eye one everything and see how it goes.
Might grab these on the way home so I can use the hack rather than the iMac this eve... and it'll be the last time I ever have to play with no mic.
http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/tv-dvd-audio/audio-and-headphones/headphones/philips-shb3060bk-wireless-bluetooth-headphones-black-10138588-pdt.html

Unfortunately yes, last time I did this I cleared the partitions..... D'oh!