PC Building Guide and Discussion #12

[flyingkiwi]

Would an upgrade of the internal hdd to an ssd also be an option?

 

[Bocephus86]

Thanks @Osprey & @flyingkiwi . I originally wanted to go down the route of a backup of her files to an external drive/upgrade to SSD & then a "fresh start" with the current computer (I honestly think it's her drive failing that is causing issues too; it's constantly running at 100% and I had a similar issue last year with my work laptop before it's drive failed).

The issue is that my sister's family got a Mac as their main computer a few years ago (my sister is not a computer user and got it as it synced easily with her phone; she uses the Mac for pictures only). My niece is on a Pixelbook for general school work. She decided to do a science project that had some basic intro to coding components and I was just unable to help her on the Mac as I've never used iOS (driver/connection issues to the robot she was coding). I got it to work on my mom's computer (which is where i discovered the slowness) so replacing the current computer for her and then doing a wipe/SSD upgrade on the old one would allow the kids to have a backup Windows machine that is portable.

The two I posted on the prior page do not have open Ram slots. The solution here might be to give her current computer (if available) a Ram/SSD upgrade & a fresh windows install, then getting a really cheap Windows machine as the family backup. I didn't really think about turning the plan on it's head so much; will think on that this weekend and do some price compares; I'm meeting my mother for lunch Sunday so I'll pop open her current machine & see if there is a free Ram slot.

Thanks again.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Finally got 16GB more of RAM. Will be up to 32GB. Should be nice .

 

[Osprey]

Thanks @Osprey & @flyingkiwi . I originally wanted to go down the route of a backup of her files to an external drive/upgrade to SSD & then a "fresh start" with the current computer (I honestly think it's her drive failing that is causing issues too; it's constantly running at 100% and I had a similar issue last year with my work laptop before it's drive failed).

FYI, a hard drive running at 100% is often because there's not enough RAM. When a system is out of RAM, it writes data that's in RAM to the hard drive in order to free up RAM; then, when it needs that data back, it reads it from the hard drive back into RAM. In essence, hard drive space is used as temporary RAM, and mechanical drives just aren't suited for that at all. In other words, there may be nothing wrong with your mom's hard drive. In fact, it's possible that there wasn't anything wrong with your work laptop's hard drive, initially, either. Instead of running at 100% because it was failing, as you assume, it could be that it failed because it was running at 100% (because there was no free RAM).

I would open up Task Manager and check the percentage above the Memory column. If it's over 75%, the laptop is definitely low on RAM and all of the hard drive thrashing is likely because of it. If it's under 75%, especially if it's under 50%, and the hard drive is still going at 100%, then RAM likely isn't the problem. It could be that you're right that the hard drive is failing, but it could also be other things. Google "hard drive 100%" and you'll see what I mean. Often, it's a malfunctioning software component. In Task Manager, sort the Disk column and see what's eating up the hard drive. One thing that is often the culprit is the Superfetch service. If that's it or if you want to try disabling it, anyways, open Task Manager, click the Services tab, then the Open Services button at the bottom, then find Superfetch, stop it and set the startup type to Disabled.

 

[SniperHF]

One thing that is often the culprit is the Superfetch service. If that's it or if you want to try disabling it, anyways, open Task Manager, click the Services tab, then the Open Services button at the bottom, then find Superfetch, stop it and set the startup type to Disabled.

I've had this come up A LOT. It happened more on 8 than 10 but it still happens on 10. On a system with an SSD you basically don't notice it but on a HDD it's a killer.

 

[Osprey]

I've had this come up A LOT. It happened more on 8 than 10 but it still happens on 10. On a system with an SSD you basically don't notice it but on a HDD it's a killer.

Yeah, I've had it happen to me several times, as well, including a year and a half ago on Windows 10. I think that it happens only when you're low on RAM, since the whole point of the service is to pre-load data into memory, and I don't think that I've ever had it on a system with plenty of RAM and no other bottlenecks. You may not notice it on SSDs, as you said, but it can't be good for their lifespans.

 

[Bocephus86]

FYI, a hard drive running at 100% is often because there's not enough RAM. When a system is out of RAM, it writes data that's in RAM to the hard drive in order to free up RAM; then, when it needs that data back, it reads it from the hard drive back into RAM. In essence, hard drive space is used as temporary RAM, and mechanical drives just aren't suited for that at all. In other words, there may be nothing wrong with your mom's hard drive. In fact, it's possible that there wasn't anything wrong with your work laptop's hard drive, initially, either. Instead of running at 100% because it was failing, as you assume, it could be that it failed because it was running at 100% (because there was no free RAM).

I would open up Task Manager and check the percentage above the Memory column. If it's over 75%, the laptop is definitely low on RAM and all of the hard drive thrashing is likely because of it. If it's under 75%, especially if it's under 50%, and the hard drive is still going at 100%, then RAM likely isn't the problem. It could be that you're right that the hard drive is failing, but it could also be other things. Google "hard drive 100%" and you'll see what I mean. Often, it's a malfunctioning software component. In Task Manager, sort the Disk column and see what's eating up the hard drive. One thing that is often the culprit is the Superfetch service. If that's it or if you want to try disabling it, anyways, open Task Manager, click the Services tab, then the Open Services button at the bottom, then find Superfetch, stop it and set the startup type to Disabled.

This is a great tip, I don't know if i'd have ever heard of Superfetch without it. I'll also check her current ram usage; I thought she had 8 but she might only have 4 (it's in that age range) too.

I am going to check on her PC tomorrow as well as my work on (I just replaced the hybrid hard drive that came with it with a new SSD after it crapped out on me last year and havent had issues since, but now you guys have shown me that might not mean there still isn't an issue there). The work machine has 16 gigs of RAM (I upgraded from 8 after purchase) but I do run a lot of simultaneous programs (word, outlook, browser, ticket/service system, notepad++, onenote, softphone, skype messanger & then one of a few various work-related programs are almost always on when I'm working). I do tend to keep a close eye on my machine performance & am usually utilizing around 10 gigs, but it's still something I will check on.

Last note: You guys reminded me about an old crappy laptop I retired a few years ago after switching to Chromebooks for general browsing/low impact computing. I never got rid of it as I was waiting for a place to recycle it (and I am lazy) so i dug it out and wiped it this morning. I am going to bump it from 4 to 8 gigs of RAM and figure out if there is a way to upgrade it to windows 10 from the 8.1 it's still on for free still, then give that to the kids as a backup for these types of projects. It would basically be an emergency laptop, and good enough for that, even if it has to stay at 8.1. Then I'll get my mother an external HDD for pictures, internal SSD & 16gigs of ram. That should keep everything around 250 based on what I'm seeing for the parts I'd need and we all end up doing alright. Plus I get myself a decent little side project that is actually useful to people.

 

[Osprey]

Then I'll get my mother an external HDD for pictures, internal SSD & 16gigs of ram. That should keep everything around 250 based on what I'm seeing for the parts I'd need and we all end up doing alright. Plus I get myself a decent little side project that is actually useful to people.

If you go that route, make sure that the laptop can even be upgraded to 16GB. Some cheap laptops will max out at only 8GB, especially if they have only one RAM slot. The spec sheet for the model on the manufacturer website should tell you the max amount of RAM, the max number of sticks and the type.

As for the rest, if the external storage is only for pictures, why not just keep them on the internal SSD or use a cheap USB flash drive? Jumping from a 256GB SSD to a 512GB is only $30 and a 128GB USB flash drive is only $20. In contrast, a 1TB external HDD is about $50. You get more space, but, if she's not going to use most of it, it's not worth the hassle, IMO. Even a bus-powered, portable external HDD is kind of cumbersome with a laptop if you move it around a lot, since you have to plug and unplug when you move around and it'll be hanging off the side if you use the laptop on your lap. I love such drives, but I don't move my laptop much and I have terabytes of data on them that just won't fit on an internal or flash drive. If I were you, I'd look for the physically smallest USB drive, one that your mom can just leave in the laptop all of the time, something that she can forget is even there, but that she can also remove and take to any other computer. You could also keep copies of the pictures on the internal drive so that she always has a backup.

 

[Bocephus86]

If you go that route, make sure that the laptop can even be upgraded to 16GB. Some cheap laptops will max out at only 8GB, especially if they have only one RAM slot. The spec sheet for the model on the manufacturer website should tell you the max amount of RAM, the max number of sticks and the type.

As for the rest, if the external storage is only for pictures, why not just keep them on the internal SSD or use a cheap USB flash drive? Jumping from a 256GB SSD to a 512GB is only $30 and a 128GB USB flash drive is only $20. In contrast, a 1TB external HDD is about $50. You get more space, but, if she's not going to use most of it, it's not worth the hassle, IMO. Even a bus-powered, portable external HDD is kind of cumbersome with a laptop if you move it around a lot, since you have to plug and unplug when you move around and it'll be hanging off the side if you use the laptop on your lap. I love such drives, but I don't move my laptop much and I have terabytes of data on them that just won't fit on an internal or flash drive. If I were you, I'd look for the physically smallest USB drive, one that your mom can just leave in the laptop all of the time, something that she can forget is even there, but that she can also remove and take to any other computer. You could also keep copies of the pictures on the internal drive so that she always has a backup.

Unfortunately she had 350 gigs of pictures & videos last I looked... she has some difficulty with file management because she, like me, is worried about deleting things she wants so, over time, has a habit of keeping duplicates (backing up her phone photos/videos & my sisters, coping the whole phone, even if there was some overlap with a prior copy). I'd rather give her 1-2 TBs of space to work with for the foreseeable future & she works at a desk 90% of the time. The external drive is something that has been on my to-do list for her for a while.

She is not bad with computers, especially for someone 65, as she's been & is still a office manager with a lot of responsibilities that leverage technology (including Crystal reports, for instance, and working with real access databases) so I am not worried at all about her having issues properly connecting/disconnecting a true external drive when needed (or only connecting it when she wants to do something with the pictures, like a put a slide show together for my grandmother) nor navigating a multiple drive situation.

Appreciate the thoughts though, that is definitely the route I'd go down if it was for me as I don't store much in the way of media and a 128 gig flashdrive would likely be enough space to last me a life time of pictures/videos I want to keep.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Hey just just wanted to ask for some advice about getting a PC. I would use this for work nothing intense, for very light photo editing and for light gaming. Something like Civ 6, roller coaster tycoon, sim city etc. just mostly older stuff.

I know building one is always your best bet but I have other projects I'm working on so just want something out of the box and fairly inexpensive. Was just curious on people's thoughts about something like this. I would require inputs for dual screens.
HP Gaming PC Desktop - NVIDIA GTX 1050, 1TB, Core i5 QUAD, 8 GB RAM, Windows 10 - Newegg.com

Thanks!

 

[SniperHF]

Hey just just wanted to ask for some advice about getting a PC. I would use this for work nothing intense, for very light photo editing and for light gaming. Something like Civ 6, roller coaster tycoon, sim city etc. just mostly older stuff.

I know building one is always your best bet but I have other projects I'm working on so just want something out of the box and fairly inexpensive. Was just curious on people's thoughts about something like this. I would require inputs for dual screens.
HP Gaming PC Desktop - NVIDIA GTX 1050, 1TB, Core i5 QUAD, 8 GB RAM, Windows 10 - Newegg.com

Thanks!

It will do what you need.

Civ VI can be surprisingly demanding but it will run above minimum.

You might want to try and find out what video outputs it has, or you might find yourself needing an adapter depending on what your monitor uses.

A reference GTX 1050 has:
1x DVI
1x HDMI
1x DisplayPort

There's no telling if that has a reference board 1050 or not though from the specs list.

 

[SeidoN]

worth noting that its an i5 2400 making it damn near impossible to upgrade without getting a new board and ram as well

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

worth noting that its an i5 2400 making it damn near impossible to upgrade without getting a new board and ram as well

I guess it’s the old spend more now so you don’t have to later vs. I just I want something to get the job done.

I honestly don’t see myself ever upgrading that PC if I got it. Like I said it’s really just for a few games that aren’t graphically challenging, light photo editing and web based applications.

I’m almost wondering if an integrated graphics chip card whatever would work fine which would also lower the cost I believe.

 

[SniperHF]

I’m almost wondering if an integrated graphics chip card whatever would work fine which would also lower the cost I believe.

The GTX 1050 smokes even the best integrated graphics (about double the performance) I think that would be the Vega 11 which is integrated with this Ryzen 5:
AMD RYZEN 5 2400G Quad-Core 3.6 GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) Socket AM4 65W YD2400C5FBBOX Desktop Processor - Newegg.com

It's probably good enough to do that job but I'd be surprised if you found something that's cheaper with it, it's basically a brand new CPU. Which is nice for upgrading (and it's a better CPU performance wise).

Where as SeidoN pointed out the one you linked actually uses a pretty old one.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

The GTX 1050 smokes even the best integrated graphics (about double the performance) I think that would be the Vega 11 which is integrated with this Ryzen 5:
AMD RYZEN 5 2400G Quad-Core 3.6 GHz (3.9 GHz Turbo) Socket AM4 65W YD2400C5FBBOX Desktop Processor - Newegg.com

It's probably good enough to do that job but I'd be surprised if you found something that's cheaper with it, it's basically a brand new CPU. Which is nice for upgrading (and it's a better CPU performance wise).

Where as SeidoN pointed out the one you linked actually uses a pretty old one.

Sorry you lost me a bit at the end paragraph. Are you saying I should maybe keep looking around for something with a better CPU? I’m not really in a rush whatsoever to grab something.

 

[SniperHF]

Sorry you lost me a bit at the end paragraph. Are you saying I should maybe keep looking around for something with a better CPU? I’m not really in a rush whatsoever to grab something.

Eh, not really. I use a CPU from the same era as the one you linked at it runs fine. The i5 2400 is still pretty comparable to a lower end CPU of today.

It's just you have to take into consideration that like SeidoN said it's basically fire and forget, investing into a pretty old platform.

If the budget is $400 I'd be surprised if you found anything that would run what you want to do faster than the on you linked.

 

[Kairi Zaide]

No idea if I should ask it here since it's not really PC building, more like "gaming setup building", but I'm getting desperate as I've been searching there and there for this type of chair for months now.

I want a chair that has adjustable armrests similar to my current chair, i.e. you can adjust their vertical angle rather than height. For reference, this is my current chair : http://puu.sh/D8dnO/b7eb3e5f11.jpg
On this picture, you can see how my armrests are adjusted. It's a rotating slightly curved cushioned armrest, but unlike 99.9999999999% of the other chairs on the market with rotating armrests, they go downward, not up.

I could go for the same model, and it's probably what I'll do if there's nothing else, but the material is cheap as hell (my current chair is all taped up) and it's not the best cushioning and support. I'd much prefer something other than (faux) leather because it gets sticky in the summer. Honestly, it weren't for these specific armrests, I never would have bought it years ago.

The important things are really for the armrest to rotate in the axis shown in the picture, while being cushioned.

So if anyone knows any brand that does something similar, I'd be thankful.

 

[Hammettf2b]

My buddy is trying to connect 2 4k monitors (lc27jg50qqnxza)to his Thinkpad 1link+ dock thats connected to his thinkpad x1 yoga. the 2 monitors are connected via DP. he can get 1 of them to work but not the other. any ideas?

 

[SniperHF]

the 2 monitors are connected via DP. he can get 1 of them to work but not the other. any ideas?

As in only one monitor will work at a time, or only one specific monitor will work and the other wont?

Daisy chained or 2 separate ports?

 

[Hammettf2b]

As in only one monitor will work at a time, or only one specific monitor will work and the other wont?

Daisy chained or 2 separate ports?

Only one at a time on 2 separate ports

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

Can't for Computex where AMD will show off Navi. This better knock our f***ing socks off AMD. And give it a competitive price.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Only one at a time on 2 separate ports

I'm thinking the laptop doesn't have enough gpu power to handle it?

 

[SniperHF]

I'm thinking the laptop doesn't have enough gpu power to handle it?

Is it always the same port?

Sometimes ports are disabled when a laptop is docked. If one port is on the laptop and one is on the dock for instance.


It could be the GPU though, sometimes they can't drive monitors at 4k 60hz but it might run 2 at 30hz or something.

If the monitors support chaining I'd try that.

 

[Hammettf2b]

Is it always the same port?

Sometimes ports are disabled when a laptop is docked. If one port is on the laptop and one is on the dock for instance.


It could be the GPU though, sometimes they can't drive monitors at 4k 60hz but it might run 2 at 30hz or something.

If the monitors support chaining I'd try that.

will do, thank you.

 

[Suxnet]

Decided to upgrade my setup's sound so I bought a Sound BlasterX G6 and a pair of Klipsch speakers. Man, I've been missing out. Onboard audio can't hold a candle to soundcards. My motherboard is a number of years old now, but I've seen comments from people who have expensive new ones and even they say theirs can't match the audio quality this badboy puts out. This stuff certainly put a dent in my wallet but you get what you pay for.