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  1. Winterpool

    Western Digital Red 2 TB drive $109.99 at Amazon

    Looks like Amazon is matching Newegg's discount on 2 TB WD Reds. http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digita...dp/B008JJLZ7G/ Qualifies for free postage [2-day if you're Prime]; also, may be tax-free in certain states where Newegg levies sales tax. Seriously tempted to buy a couple more for...
  2. Winterpool

    Minimum requirements for a ZFS file server?

    I should like an archival file server -- data integrity, not speed, is the paramount goal. ZFS seems like the optimal foundation for such a server, but I've a number of concerns. Foremost are the hardware requirements. Most enthusiasts will urge a capable cpu and 8+ GB of memory to run ZFS...
  3. Winterpool

    Firefly $25 on Blu-ray

    As this is a geek forum, I expect there will be plenty of punters interested in Firefly: The Complete Series on Blu-ray $25 Personally I had awfully mixed feelings about the series. I loved the aspect of Han Solo and his motley crew going on random jobs and adventures. The actors were...
  4. Winterpool

    Computer longevity -- is no protection better than cheap protection?

    First, my apologies if this is the wrong forum. I opened here because 'General Hardware' gets much more traffic than 'Power Supplies', and it's a topic beyond PSUs per se. Translocate if necessary... Black Friday often brings deals on cheap UPS, which reawakens in me every year 1.) the...
  5. Winterpool

    Gateway 11.6-inch EC1457u dualcore CULV subnotebook $450

    Buy.com has marked down the Gateway EC1458u with dualcore Pentium SU4100 (1.3 GHz CULV 'Penryn') to $440. 4 GB of DDR2 memory, 320 GB hard drive (5400 rpm), and 6-cell battery. Free postage, no tax in most states. This is the Gateway version of the 11.6-inch Acer 1410 and 1810 subnotebooks...
  6. Winterpool

    COMBO Only... not so hot: Sparkle GeForce GTS 450 for $76 after rebate

    Sparkle's SXS4501024D5SNM (GTS 450) video card is on sale at TigerDirect for $120 - $50 rebate = $70. $5.87 postage to the Northeastern US. The GTS 450 was introduced to compete with the Radeon HD 5770, and I'm not sure how compelling it is round that price, but at $76, this seems a very...
  7. Winterpool

    Now warm at $340 AR: HP ZR24w IPS display for $300

    Update: the display is back in stock but now at $390 - $50 rebate = $340. This is a better price than any other vendor online, but you'll have to be willing to deal with the rebate (for the record, I've never had any difficulty with MacMall/PCMall rebates). I think my ZR24w is being...
  8. Winterpool

    AGP graphics for video decoding

    Further to my query regarding AGP cards, I wonder if this Radeon HD 4650 is the best deal I'm going to find for H.264 video processing? As I previously noted, I'm interested in a modern gpu to enable a legacy system to play 720 and ideally even 1080 HD video content. $61 after rebate makes...
  9. Winterpool

    Where are the Arrandale 'netbooks'?

    By 'netbook' here I of course mean < 13-inch ULV notebook. The sort of machine exemplified by the Acer Aspire 1410 series. Last year, it seemed the arrival of 11-12-inch dualcore ULV notebooks would take care of my concerns with weak Atom and singlecore ULV machines. I was shocked to see...
  10. Winterpool

    The mysteries of Comcast DNS

    For some time now (since at least summer of 2009), we've experienced incredibly dodgy DNS service at my parents' house (southern NJ) where Comcast is their ISP. It seems clearly to be a DNS issue, since I can visit sites via IP addresses directly, but neither web browsers nor ping commands are...
  11. Winterpool

    The thing will not POST...what happens if your BIOS does not support a cpu?

    Some time ago a friend passed down to me an old Athlon X2 3800+ (AM2). He had been keeping it in a Camel Lights cigarette pack, so I had my doubts, but eventually, in late November, I bought an ASUS M3A78-EM motherboard to try with the old Athlon. A few weeks ago, I finally got round to...
  12. Winterpool

    NEC EA231WMi 23-inch IPS display...$280

    Newegg is offering the NEC EA231WMi display (23-inch, 1920x1080, e-IPS panel) for $310 - $30 coupon (code 'EMCYRYZ62') = $280. Free UPS 3-day shipping. Tax in several states, helas. After 5-7 per cent sales tax, the final price will still be lower than most recent offers on this monitor...
  13. Winterpool

    Dell UltraSharp U2410... $449

    HP's aggressive pricing of the ZR24w is beginning to pay off for consumers (at least in America). After applying 10 per cent coupon 'J3$5B30MDZ8?FG' the UltraSharp U2410 price will drop to $449.10 (pre-tax) at Dell Small Business. Coupon expires tomorrow. I can't personally recommend the...
  14. Winterpool

    Choosing a Radeon HD 5750 (or perhaps 5670)

    I'm considering the Radeon HD 5750 for my ex-girlfriend. SuperBiiz is offering a 10 per cent coupon on various video cards. This reduces the PowerColor AX5750 to $116.09, a few dollars cheaper than the current Newegg rebate deal for the MSI R5750. There are, however, no reviews on Newegg for...
  15. Winterpool

    My ex-girlfriend will soon have the superior video card

    You see, I've still the same GeForce 9600 GT that I got when I first built my current 'Penryn' system. This may seem utterly barmy, but I bought this card mostly owing to the ASUS 'sakura girl' artwork... on a heatsink I haven't seen since the card went inside my Antec case. Of course a few...
  16. Winterpool

    Sony BRAVIA KDL-46V5100 and PS3 120 GB for $951

    Update: Best Buy will be offering this bundle (46V5100 and PS3 slim) + PS3 game + (mediocre) Blu-ray movie for $951 beginning Sunday, 6 Dec. This is superior to the Black Friday week SonyStyle deal. See my latest post below for more. This promotion is on the front page of every deals site...
  17. Winterpool

    Best value card for casual gaming

    My ex-girlfriend has an Athlon X2 4600+ machine she uses as a server (AMD 780G chipset). However, she also has a 40-inch Samsung telly and is willing to try some games on it. I could instal a moderately-priced video card, output through HDMI, and probably play older games and ports from...
  18. Winterpool

    Dell UltraSharp U2410 for $479.20

    Update: the 10 per cent coupon is back, ('$1J56T82R58HBS') -- this will drop the price of the Dell U2410 to $449.10 before tax. The coupon expires on the 26th May. [... this has already been mentioned in the display threads, but I think the coupon is worthy of 'Hot Deals'] Only a day...
  19. Winterpool

    What is the next 'killer app'?

    I expect this question has been asked before, so if there's a recent thread along these lines, please feel welcome to point me in its direction. ;) CPU and graphics technology have got to the point where even budget offerings can run most non-specialist tasks adequately. Even cheap...
  20. Winterpool

    Is it possible to buy a decent power supply for less than $30 or 40

    I suppose I know what the good power supplies are, and I generally recommend and build with Seasonic-manufactured models (Antec, Corsair, PC Power&Cooling). That said, I've a lot of older machines sitting around whose power supplies I don't trust or have already failed. I'd like to buy three...
  21. Winterpool

    Collecting my data from 20+ IDE drives

    I've quite a few old machines sitting round various parts of North America. Being old, they almost all contain IDE / PATA hard drives, ranging in capacity from 2 GB to 650. I should like to transfer most of this data from the IDE drives to my contemporary SATA drives (I've been amassing TB...
  22. Winterpool

    Pioneer KURO 5020FD $1999.99 at Best Buy; also see KRP-500 for same price

    This isn't anything like the best price we've seen on Pioneer KUROs as they undergo liquidation. But it's become increasingly difficult to find a retailer with KUROs in stock at any price. By the time I convinced the pater of the virtues of Pioneer, it was impossible to find a 5020 for < $2000...
  23. Winterpool

    Thin client using ancient hardware

    Am posting here, as I'm not sure where it would better fit ('Operating Systems'? '*nix'?). Feel free to recommend another thread... Went down to my parents' house this weekend and with my cousin tried firing up half a dozen old systems we have lying about the place. Somewhat to my surprise...
  24. Winterpool

    HP LP2475w for $530ish

    CostCentral is offering the HP LP2475w for less than $550... $529.45 to be exact. No shipping fees (FedEx Ground). Sales tax in California and Pennsylvania. Provantage offers the monitor for $508.18, but you will be hit with about $21 postage (and tax in CA). 24-inch H-IPS panel; 1920x1200...
  25. Winterpool

    Subscribe to select magazines and earn $5 or $10 Amazon gift certificate

    Amazon is running a March promotion that rewards you with gift certificates for subscribing to certain magazines. Generally the more costly subscriptions (often two-year) will get you $10, others get you $5. It's not clear if you can obtain the gift certificate multiple times. If anyone can...
  26. Winterpool

    Has the time come to buy a good LCD monitor?

    I've been using the same 19-inch Trinitron CRT and 19-inch LCD (PVA-panel -- see 'Annuminas' in signature) for a few years now. I've rarely seen an LCD I found satisfactory, save maybe the Apple Cinema Displays (I've never actually worked with any other IPS-panel displays). Waited and...
  27. Winterpool

    Coupon EXPIRED: Dell UltraSharp 2209WA e-IPS display for $224.25 + tax

    Though not as cheap as the deals some have obtained by telephoning / chatting with Dell representatives, this price doesn't depend on finding the right person at the right time of day in the right mood. Just apply the coupon 'T4346M$Q6GRJB$' when checking out from Dell Small Business to take 25...
  28. Winterpool

    Dell 2408WFP for $543 after 20 per cent coupon

    Well, $543.20, actually, after applying the coupon code '594RKQ263SS63H', which takes 20 per cent off the retail price. I believe this is the cheapest I've seen it. Free shipping too. Coupon is good for 100 uses. Still redeemable as of 4.15pm EDT. The UltraSharp 2408WFP was the best...
  29. Winterpool

    Q9450 for $325 at Frys Memorial Day sale

    Edited: iPhone photo shows price of $325 (not $300), only $35 cheaper than Newegg. A reasonable price but not hot. My friend must suffer dyslexia. My friend is at the Fry's in Palo Alto gathering some kit on sale. He rang me to report $300 Q9450 cpus -- not as hot as $280 but still pretty...
  30. Winterpool

    Atom mini-ITX bundle being introduced at 42 pounds

    From Ars Technica, a British retailer is offering the Atom 230 (1.6 GHz) bundled with a 945GC chipset mini-ITX motherboard for the quite reasonable sum of 42 pounds sterling (about $80 to 85 depending on how crappy the US dollar is faring that day). Ars points out that this is cheaper than most...
  31. Winterpool

    Have we passed bottom of memory price cycle?

    I've not read anything in the industry or channel press, but are DRAM prices rising again? Perhaps it's just the effect of the very generous Corsair rebates mostly expiring, but I've noticed that 2 GB and 4 GB sets of Corsair, the popular G.Skill 'PQ', etc, have all risen a few dollars or more...
  32. Winterpool

    Proto-Montevina in new iMac?

    This may belong in the 'All things Apple' ghetto, but I thought this might interest a more general audience. MacRumours reports Intel provided 'early Montevina-like technology to iMac'. Depending on whom you ask, the new iMacs are built on an overclocked Santa Rosa / proto-Montevina chipset...
  33. Winterpool

    Home server consolidation mix and match

    As I barely earn five figures (in depreciating US dollars!), I tend to inherit much of my computer kit. Of the six computers in my flat, I built three and received the other three when they were deemed 'redundant' by previous owners. I've also collected quite a few hard drives over the years...
  34. Winterpool

    What you need to know about Nehalem

    ArsTechnica's 'Hannibal' has always been my favourite writer on cpu architectures, ever since Apple's PowerPC days. I didn't read Computer Science or Electrical Engineering at university, so I very much appreciate a tech writer whose education has ranged beyond those disciplines (Stokes is...
  35. Winterpool

    [Disregard] Kingston DDR2 PC3200 2x1 GB kit for $38

    KVR400D2N3K2/2G: ie a 2 GB kit of Kingston ValueRam, PC3200 (CL3), non-ECC, your usual 1.8V DDR DIMMs, for $38 after $7 instant rebate direct from Kingston. Currently appears to qualify for free postage. This isn't fast memory, even for the nForce 2 days, but it's a great price on a pair of...
  36. Winterpool

    Antec Neo HE 380W for $20AR

    Newegg is offering the Antec Neo HE 380 watts for $70 - $50 rebate, free shipping. Proportionately big rebate, but if you can stomach it, that's a pretty good deal for a brand-name 380W PSU. You won't be driving any overclocked quadcore SLI rigs with this power supply, but it could make an...
  37. Winterpool

    Cheapest low-power virtualisation-capable server build

    I may be building a proper MS test server network soon, and I hope to be able to maximise use of my hardware by running a few virtual machines. I'm awfully tempted to buy a cheap Dell server on sale (eg the PowerEdge T105 that's often available for about $400 -- last week a basic model for...
  38. Winterpool

    [Expired] TechNet Plus subscription $99 for students

    Microsoft is offering new one-year subscriptions to TechNet Plus for $99 with the code TSTNT7. A TechNet Plus Direct subscription entitles you to nonexpiring evaluation licences for pretty much every major MS software package. Amongst the highlights: - Windows Server 2008 - Windows Vista...
  39. Winterpool

    Have Wolfdale cpus been officially released -- and what of their prices?

    Kris recently published an article on the E8500 which seems to be in fact a discussion of Wolfdale and overclocking more generally. The article is forcing me to voice a couple of questions that have been much on my mind lately: - Were the Penryn desktop (Wolfdale) processors in fact...