So, how great is Kromm anyway?

[Dragondog]

Originally Posted by Kromm

I posted a non-update in the GURPS thread of my LJ this week. Short version: Dead PC.

I guess today is a slow day. For my brain. I read this post, with the impression that PC = Player Character.

I read the LJ post, "Sorry, no real update this week. My PC died. The replacement is en route. But this made it hard to do much work. I hope to get back to you all next week!" And my brain is still on PC = Player Character. I was amazed at how emotionally involved Kromm is in his characters.

It took me a moment after I finished reading the LJ post before my brain started seeing PC = computer.

It is not my day today.


PS.

More proof that my brain isn't working, when I was typing "PC = Player Character" above, I actually typed "PC = Personal Character" both times before realizing that's not what I wanted to type....

[Christopher R. Rice]

I said it elsewhere, but I'll say it here too: That sucks. I've had a dead PC about once every five years (In finally switched from laptop to desktop because it's EASIER to repair) and it never gets less than nerve-wracking. Hoping your new PC shows up fast and you get it running quick.

[Kromm]

New entry posted in the GURPS thread of my LJ.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Hope the new one is better!

Originally Posted by Christopher R. Rice

Hoping your new PC shows up fast and you get it running quick.

The new one arrived at the end of last week. Since we have a fairly high geek quotient around here, I'll share the specs:

System

MB: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490
CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K (8-Core) @ 3.80GHz
AIO: Corsair iCUE H150i RGB PRO 360mm
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Black Gaming 8GB
RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE LPX 32GB (2 × 16GB) DDR4 @ 3600MHz
SSD: Samsung 970 PRO 512GB (system disk)
SSHD: Seagate FireCuda 2TB (storage disk)
PSU: SeaSonic FOCUS GX 750W 80+ Gold
Case: Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C Black

Peripherals (New)

Displays: 2 × Dell S2721DGF
KB: AW310K (wired, mechanical)
Mouse: AW310M (wireless)
Headset: AW310H (wired)

Peripherals (Ancient)

Speakers: Dell Zylus A425 (2.1)
Webcam: V7 CS720A0-1N

Software

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Other: Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019

At some point I'll replace the ancient stuff that remains. It's funny what we like . . . All that gaming-spec hardware is largely because it's better – and in the case of monitors and graphics cards, easier on the eyes – than enterprise hardware. But the parts I like most aren't that. They're the really fast Samsung 970 PRO, the soundproof case that means my PC makes no noise at all, and the clacky mechanical keyboard which has actually increased my typing speed.

Oh, and in light of recent events, I also bought a Samsung T7 portable SSD to replace my aging NAS for backups. ("Aging" meaning that it's an Iomega device from back before Iomega became LenovoEMC.) It's . . . fast. If you want a small, swift, silent backup device, I honestly can't recommend it enough. You do need USB 3.2 Gen 2 to make it worthwhile, however.

[Tyneras]

My experience with PCs has been the best way to keep them quiet is massive passive heatsinks and a power supply waaaaaay over spec. Nothing ever gets warm enough to trigger the fans, the main source of noise.

[Christopher R. Rice]

Originally Posted by Kromm

The new one arrived at the end of last week. Since we have a fairly high geek quotient around here, I'll share the specs:

System

MB: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490
CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K (8-Core) @ 3.80GHz
AIO: Corsair iCUE H150i RGB PRO 360mm
GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 Super Black Gaming 8GB
RAM: Corsair VENGEANCE LPX 32GB (2 × 16GB) DDR4 @ 3600MHz
SSD: Samsung 970 PRO 512GB (system disk)
SSHD: Seagate FireCuda 2TB (storage disk)
PSU: SeaSonic FOCUS GX 750W 80+ Gold
Case: Fractal Design Define R6 USB-C Black

Peripherals (New)

Displays: 2 × Dell S2721DGF
KB: AW310K (wired, mechanical)
Mouse: AW310M (wireless)
Headset: AW310H (wired)

Peripherals (Ancient)

Speakers: Dell Zylus A425 (2.1)
Webcam: V7 CS720A0-1N

Software

OS: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
Other: Microsoft Office Home and Business 2019

At some point I'll replace the ancient stuff that remains. It's funny what we like . . . All that gaming-spec hardware is largely because it's better – and in the case of monitors and graphics cards, easier on the eyes – than enterprise hardware. But the parts I like most aren't that. They're the really fast Samsung 970 PRO, the soundproof case that means my PC makes no noise at all, and the clacky mechanical keyboard which has actually increased my typing speed.

Oh, and in light of recent events, I also bought a Samsung T7 portable SSD to replace my aging NAS for backups. ("Aging" meaning that it's an Iomega device from back before Iomega became LenovoEMC.) It's . . . fast. If you want a small, swift, silent backup device, I honestly can't recommend it enough. You do need USB 3.2 Gen 2 to make it worthwhile, however.

Oh that is SHINY *_*

[Kale]

Originally Posted by Kromm

MB: ASUS ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490

I've put ASUS motherboards in 90% of the systems I have constructed for home and work and haven't had a single issue. The ROG stuff has a bit more bling than I'm comfortable with but the hardware is solid.

SSD: Samsung 970 PRO 512GB (system disk)

M.2 or SATA mounted? I'm still running quite a few legacy systems so they are mostly Samsung 8xx through SATA, although I'm just starting to implement M.2 PCIe storage in some of my newest builds. My wife was amazed when she saw the HD of our living room computer was physically smaller than the RAM sticks.

Mouse: AW310M (wireless)

Hopefully it is easy on the batteries. I've always found wireless mice run out of juice just when you need them the most.

and the clacky mechanical keyboard which has actually increased my typing speed.

I switched to a Logitech G710+ with mechanical switches a number of years ago and it is still clacking along nicely. I mainly bought it because the design group ran a 10 ton AFV over it in the mud, then played a round of Counterstrike with it with no issues.

Oh, and in light of recent events, I also bought a Samsung T7 portable SSD to replace my aging NAS for backups.

Just remember to disconnect your backups from the host PC when you're done. A ransomware attack can lock down your backups as well as your PC if you get in the habit of leaving your backup drives "live" on your system. At work I physically unplug the USB connection between my RAID appliance and my PC after each backup.

[DouglasCole]

Originally Posted by Kale

I switched to a Logitech G710+ with mechanical switches a number of years ago

I use a G613 and love it. I can type noticeably faster and more accurately, with less effort.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by Kale

The ROG stuff has a bit more bling than I'm comfortable with but the hardware is solid.

The silly thing being that I put this in a case without windows, so the bling isn't even visible. But I chose it on the basis of reliability: It got excellent reviews in that department.

Originally Posted by Kale

M.2 or SATA mounted?

NVMe M.2. AFAIK, that's the only version there is of the 970 PRO.

Originally Posted by Kale

Hopefully it is easy on the batteries. I've always found wireless mice run out of juice just when you need them the most.

TBD. I really just wanted the keyboard, but a keyboard/mouse/headset combo was on sale for almost the same price the day I bought it, and I needed a new headset, too. If it proves to be a juice hog, I'll replace it.

Originally Posted by Kale

I switched to a Logitech G710+ with mechanical switches a number of years ago and it is still clacking along nicely.

Yeah, mechanical is the only way to go if you touch-type. My girlfriend detests it because it's noisy, but I have a rubber keyboard pad on the way that should at least mitigate that.

Originally Posted by Kale

Just remember to disconnect your backups from the host PC when you're done.

That's a good tip. First I have to get Windows 10 to run File History properly. Right now, it runs at random times or not at all, so "done" is an unpredictable-to-never state. Until that's resolved, I'll sit behind two software and one hardware firewalls, with three antivirus/anti-malware solutions, and hope I don't click anything too shady.

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by DouglasCole

I use a G613 and love it. I can type noticeably faster and more accurately, with less effort.

Yes, it's one of those hard-to-explain features of mechanical keyboards: People see the travel distance and hear the noise, and conclude (incorrectly) that you must be hammering like crazy and using lots of energy just to type. They go on to assume that means you'll get tired or just not be able to type as fast. In reality, a good mechanical switch is way, way faster and less effort to use than those annoying little laptop keyboards. I find I have to mash non-mechanical switches to death.