Meet the REAPER

[HatoriTakaya]

Glad to here the final parts are ready to be installed and tested for the week. But yeah, that's one messy room you have there. At least it's decently clean in my opinion. Seen rooms that is more messier than that but... that was in the IT room where the administrator is always keeping all the campus computer parts and other goods for the respective things all related to IT goods back in my younger days. Now it's a bit cleaner now since they have 2 to 3 separated server rooms and one main IT room for the IT tech room that is only housing 2 to 3 people max.

Putting that aside, keep us updated on the progress of the Reaper on the first post which your current changes.

 

[GenKiDan]

ODD, I thought I had already replied to this thread some time ago, well guess not, must have just thought about it. I like a little computing and pc building I must, very interesting to see, and interesting too do except when it becomes a hazzle......huuuh All the little things that one sometimes discovers along the way no matter how well things seemingly where planned out in advance.

Anyways, this is interesting to see checko, especially a bit about the SSD's imo. Hope your having some fun doing this with or without some haywire processes.

And as I though/imagined I had mentioned earlier I've been doing my own little pc tweaking as well in this time period recently.
If your interested you can see some of the pictures I just posted today here: Picture thread

Mine is for gaming though as you can probably guess or suspect by a first look. And I'm not quite done yet. Even though it's mostly just refurbishing my already existent build.

Maybe I should name my system something so your Reaper can have someone to play with.

P.s. I got a great idea from looking at your "messy" picture...
I noticed your oven had what looks like two fans right below "Old Timer" It would be wicked (but perhaps totally unrealistic) to build a custom PC inside the oven!! And rename it, "THE FURNACE"

Also I'm currently having on my agenda to format my drive and reinstall windows, getting rid of the pirated ver I used for testing out win8 with a legit copy I got sitting here now, I almost did that today, until I remembered I am going to get a new system's SSD. So whats the point, I might as well wait. I've loved the Intel ssd's btw for their quality, but I'm going for the new Samsung 840's series this time. Probably an EVO.

 

[Checkmate]

It's a wood heater, used for emergency situation, when a snow storm come and kill electricity, then my life may depend greatly on it.

The fact that one can endure the stupidity of Windows 8 amaze me. From the bottom of my heart, I admire you all: Either you're a saint or a do-M.

Regarding the Samsung 840 SSD. I recently acquired a 840 SSD 250GB for dirt cheap (120$,whether you're expect to pay 200$) and let's just say I'm quite satisfied with its quality (speed and endurance) for a TLC. The 120GB is a whole lot different story, though.

 

[GenKiDan]

Sounds cozy too me, if you have a generator to run your pc/router and still be connected with the cracking sounds from the fireplace.

Well, actually that was my exact same attitude about win8, but after trying it, it's converted me more and more. I def see promise in it, and am kinda liking it. Maybe it is more a matter of getting used too, plus just ironing out any obvious lacks or lame things with time. Before I tried it, I read all these reviews and saw all this stuff about it, and it made me just shake my head and think, bah, no way I'm getting that. yet here I am. I'm not sure I'm pure enough hot be called a saint though, but whats a do-M now again, think I've only run into that expression once before, and I can't remember anything from it.

Was it the old version or the newer EVO series ?
I was thinking of maybe getting the 120gb EVO for a systems drive and ...Maybe "hit the big one" and get the 1tb version as well, but haven't decided if I'll bother paying up for that yet.

But I'll tell you this that when it comes to hardware level encryption, it's only either the Crucial m500 or these Samsungs that is an option with it's eDrive compatibility. Something that makes them extra alluring for me. All though, it requires win8 as well as things are presently...And I don't suspect M$ will actually add that ability in win7, which was a major bummer for me earlier, until I knew I'd actually use win8.

 

[FinalPyre]

The fact that one can endure the stupidity of Windows 8 amaze me. From the bottom of my heart, I admire you all: Either you're a saint or a do-M.

I think this is a valid statement if you hate Windows in general, or especially disliked win7. If you do however like win7, then my only guess is that you never actually gave win8 a chance, or just didn't figure out how to make it work for you. I basically find it an all around light upgrade from win7, and win8.1 is coming out soon (free upgrade) which looks to only make things even better.

I still have no idea how so many people online seem to hate on win8, and then you find out that it is simply because they haven't used it (especially when people gripe about the start menu, which imo is the best upgrade once you know how to use it).

 

[Checkmate]

But I'll tell you this that when it comes to hardware level encryption

I don't do HW encryption, no comment.

I think this is a valid statement if you hate Windows in general, or especially disliked win7. If you do however like win7, then my only guess is that you never actually gave win8 a chance, or just didn't figure out how to make it work for you.

I did give it a chance, let's just say the design is way too stupid for desktop use. Then again, I'll probably stick to Windows 7 for a bit longer. Not sure if they have fixed Windows 8 flaw in 8.1 but I'm not wasting my time to find out.

(especially when people gripe about the start menu, which imo is the best upgrade once you know how to use it).

imo, once I discovered what it really was.The windows metro ui that replaced the start menu is the highest level of stupidity Microsoft ever pull, perhaps, they are trolling after all.

 

[FinalPyre]

Really? I think the metro, or modern ui or whatever you desire to call it, is a fantastic thing. It saves a lot of time, and allows me to have all my programs/common directories lined up in neat order, organized in columns with other useful information by them (such as the current weather, for instance). The metro ui also does wonders for clearing off my desktop, since now there is no need to keep any shortcuts on there. File layout is nicer too. And holy aunt Paula's pumpkin patch task manager doesn't look like a pile of waste anymore. :)

I guess to each their own. But really, the older version of start menu was so outdated that I really think it was time to rework it.

I view win8 as a small upgrade from win7. Nothing major, but it was definitely worth the $15 I put in for the upgrade (coughcoughtotallydidn'tdoanythingsketchycoughcough).

Oh and it seems you forgot their initial unveiling of the Xbox one. XD

 

[Will98]

Imo... win8 is for tablet people and phone users.

 

[Checkmate]

Really? I think the metro, or modern ui or whatever you desire to call it, is a fantastic thing. It saves a lot of time

Seriously, it's actually give me more headache, cause more trouble, because before I was be able to one click most of my common stuff and now I had to do several clicks to get to where I want. Then again, I have my way to use it, and so are you. I have 4 monitors, tons of shortcut, and more. Not many people have the same equipment as I do, YMMV.

I'll probably ban Xbox One in all of my houses. And it's a serious statement. In fact I might just ban Xbox One from ever going on internet on my core routers.

 

[HatoriTakaya]

Imo... win8 is for tablet people and phone users.

I agree with this statement since the designs pushing away from traditional keyboards and mouse by working towards touchscreens and so-called-intuitive design.

Here's a comic for the jokes about Windows 8 before 8.1 probably was released.

http://joshpelton.com/blag/?p=238

But really, I feel it was designed for tablets, mobile OS and other future touch screen devices overall. I mean, I'm pretty sure there's a touch screen monitor for desktop computers that may or may not be commercially available. Is it modern? You can say it is with it to be designed with the newer interfaces. Is it something you want to standardize in a working environment? Not really... it's not time efficient in many factors at the moment. Suggestion? Include a patch to allow user to have it working like Window 7 interface or Window 8 interface to give more options.

 

[FinalPyre]

Yeah I will never buy a touch screen for my home station. The thing with the win8 ui is, it takes just about as long to open as the regular start menu (about a quarter of a second or less), displays all the same information as the old start menu, and provides the same functionality as the old start menu. It does this while basically giving another extra desktop just for shortcut layouts.

If it slows you down, that is an extremely good reason to hate it, I just don't see how that is possible (where are those extra clicks coming from, for example?).




EDIT: I just thought of something. I've always used the start menu in both versions of windows mainly by hitting the start key, and then using the arrow keys. I forgot that most people probably use the mouse, which might slow you down a bit, especially if you don't use the windows key to bring up the menu. Gripes may make more sense to me, now.

 

[Checkmate]

If you still wonder why Windows 8 is so bad to me, then you can watch this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0fsyb-ttcw

The first 10 minutes tell you exactly my feeling why it is completely garbage

I use shortcut most of the time, as well as key combination. Windows 8 denied most.

 

[FinalPyre]

Haha, I watched the first few minutes, and it was painful already. They actually had one legit gripe already (the right click menu appearing at the bottom, which I don't like much either, but once again arrow keys solves that), but most of it was just them acting like cavemen who just found a computer, so they could complain about every detail (their complains about the music player was just... sad. It isn't like anyone used WMP either anyways...). XD

Oh did win8 get rid of the boot macro shortcuts? I did indeed use those a lot on win7, but because of the start menu I no longer bothered on win8. Kind of sad if it is actually gone though. Poor move.

 

[Checkmate]

They actually had one legit gripe already

They actually had a lot of correct remarks but you need to watch the whole thing to see.

though, opinion is opinion, because of my way of using windows, windows 8 is unusable for me. Your experience and setup might be different.

General testing shows REAPER is now ready for its work. There are still some occasionally BSOD but I don't know why. It seems to be completely random. MEMTEST run for over 48 hours without finding any problem. Swap the GPU to make sure it's nothing wrong, CPU temp is not an issue. And the fact that it BSOD while idling for a few days is just totally out of nowhere.

 

[FinalPyre]

The bane of every computer creationist: random BSODs. ;_;

I've gotten a few of those on this machine, but I think it is closely related to me not running appropriate tests ever. XD

 

[Checkmate]

Stability is absolutely must to me. This is the first build that has random BSOD for me. Also the first time I'm scratching my head, wondering why...

 

[HatoriTakaya]

Wish I could make a comment about stability but so far I resolved my BSOD based on aging hardware on the HDD that has my OS was installed.

Your system is completely new and most likely updated to the latest Window 7 updates. You might want to investigate if there anything minor you may have missed in your methodical setup outline to ensure everything was ticked off the list. Honestly I didn't like the Gigabyte Motherboard due to my previous experience with them. Then again, it could be me frying the system due to overclocking for long periods of time. Currently doubting that though.

Haven't used SSD yet, so maybe I may miss a few things about them. When it BSOD, did it give any specific error with a particular high or low number? It helps if you can give information about that. Resolved mine based on I/O input device error, low number which came down to aging HHD for my OS.

 

[Checkmate]

the BSOD is too random and too rare for further investigation, this is going to take a long long time.

On another note, I just got a new laptop, it's from Sony(Sucks) but the specs is ok. It comes with Windows 8. I can't wait to butcher it into pieces.

 

[GenKiDan]

You checked the BSOD error code to try and uncover it's cause yet ?

///

On the recent talk about win8. That dislike video posted last page was one of the videos I remember watching before trying it my self. Imo it has its "thing" that just needs ironing out(like searches not listing everything). But other than that I think it's got plenty of intuitive potential and I love the integratedness of it all. As [MENTION=37707]FinalPyre[/MENTION] ; pointed out about using the actual windows button, I strongly suspect ppl bash it based much on them simply not "getting it" right away. I can be guilty of that myself when I encounter things that are too unintuitive to figure out and I'll admit it annoys the F@ out of me. All in all, certainly things can be ironed out, as I would expect everything to not be perfect expect right of the bat, but the design itself, as in metro was a pleasant surprise that I think gets bashed unjustly ahead of time. I think pyre nailed it for some with the caveman analogy, I can kinda imagine that, with clubs and all coupled with a youtube channel for wenting their frustration, which is almost as a channel of revenge for some after having been annoyed by something ^^ (which is something I wanna use as well to uncover some "true" idiocy I encounter though) Alas, people are creatures of habit, and the ability to adapt is a virtue that can reap rewards for the willing. Note I'm still exploring it myself, so I may still have things to discover and uncover as time passes.
But enough of that then, as it seems that topic kinda was and is no more at this point.

P.s. BSOD is rly nagging if I don't know what caused it and I can verify that the issue is solved. Call it BSOD/failure angst...

 

[FinalPyre]

On another note, I just got a new laptop, it's from Sony(Sucks) but the specs is ok. It comes with Windows 8. I can't wait to butcher it into pieces.

I was thinking of picking up a laptop with medium specs, and Sony was one of the options I was considering (since they scored high on a reliability statistic). It has been so long since I've done laptop research that it seems much has changed. Why do you think Sony sucks, and why would you intentionally buy it if you think so (which I'm guessing is an indication that you don't actually think it sucks).

Any laptop brands you would recommend?
Basically I'm looking for either one that has what I want, or a place I can customize it, which Sony allows: full HD screen is a must (if I'm on a 15.5" screen, I would still like some space on it), looking for an i5 with ~8gb RAM. Don't really care about the HDD. Lightweight would be a good bonus.

 

[Checkmate]

Why do you think Sony sucks

The design is utterly stupid and the price is insane. This is arguably the worst laptop I ever used in my life, but still they are a bit a better than Mac Pro. And the fact that I know Sony quality is on par with HP (which is really really really shitty, beyond any comprehensive level)

I bought it for someone else, and because time is running out, I can't be too picky about what I can choose. If this is for me, it's straight back to where it belongs, and I'd demand a full refund. So yeah, I bought it with the exact thought that it will suck a lot but this is beyond my expectation.

Any laptop brands you would recommend?

Acer and Asus make very decent laptop. However, in Canada, they come with English-French Keyboard, and that keyboard imo should be banned. If you happen to find an Asus/Acer that doesn't have that abomination then by all mean go for it. Dell build quality is good and the design is less stupid than Sony but the fact that they force me to use their shit (such as power brick) disgust me. Though I'd still pick Dell for the keyboard issues. The Vostro 3560 is great value, if you willing to throw in some upgrades.

My last laptop which is a Core i7-3612QM (4 cores) , 16GB of RAM, backlit English keyboard, Radeon 7670M 2GB, 15.5 Full HD Matte Screen, 256GB Crucial M4 mSATA and 750GB 7200 RPM of Seagate Hybrid drive for 900$ back in Dec. 2012 perform great, keyboard layout is good. I gave it to my dad though

Now this Sony laptop, with being 8 months newer than the previous one:

Core i7-3537U (LOL only 2 cores), 8GB of RAM LOLOLOL and they told me it shoud have been 4GB instead, so I'm getting free upgrade LOLOLOLOLOLOL, backlit english keyboard, GTX 740M 2GB (duh), 1TB 5400 RPM LOLOLOLOLOL WTF, 15.5" Full HD GLASS screen (this is full of problems, glaring, bleeding OMFG this is a fucking TN panel, Dell one was S-PVA) for 1100$.

Dell give 4 USB3 ports, one of which is high-powered port that provide extra power for demanding modern tablet and phone plus it can charge without turning on the laptop, this is a great feature for someone who travel around the place like me. Sony only got 2 USB3 ports, no powered port.

Dell touchpad is also much better than Sony: multitouch (Sony doesn't have this), smartly aligned, so your palm won't accidentially hit it.

Dell keyboard is also better design than Sony and the keyboard click feels more comfortable to use in long sessions.

Sony quality is unacceptable. And I'm using a worse PoS for a more expensive price after 8 months. Oh yeah, that's shitty. OK I should stop bashing them or else my Reaper thread will turn into a Sony basher thread.

 

[FinalPyre]

Sounds like the Sony meets some of my suspicions, as you say. I was starting to be wary of what parts were actually in it, with some of their options (who even bothers to make an i7 with two cores... what the hell!? and if you are serious about that screen, oh my god do not want, especially after I'm spoiled by P-IPS).

Acer and Asus make very decent laptop. However, in Canada, they come with English-French Keyboard, and that keyboard imo should be banned.

Agreed, I hate those keyboards with a fiery passion, but I might have to deal with it. I find I can adapt pretty fast, and laptops always have shitty keyboards anyways.

Dell build quality is good and the design is less stupid than Sony but the fact that they force me to use their shit (such as power brick) disgust me. Though I'd still pick Dell for the keyboard issues. The Vostro 3560 is great value, if you willing to throw in some upgrades.

Hmm yeah I'd go halfway on Dell. I guess I probably don't need this laptop to last too long anyways. Their stuff likes to die. My last laptop was actually a Dell, and I agree that the touchpad is the best I have ever used. I'll look more into Asus, they were indeed ranked higher than Sony in many aspects of my searching (not that I ever really trusted Sony, as they seemed too uncommon).

My last laptop...

Sounds like that beast would run HOT. XD
I'd plan to upgrade the RAM myself to save cash (most places seem charge like $80 to go from 4gb to 8... even though they have two slots...). Don't think I would need over 8gb, I'm not going to be doing any serious gaming on this thing, just anime, browsing, notes, and coding.

OK I should stop bashing them or else my Reaper thread will turn into a Sony basher thread.

Long live the Reaper Twins. Hopefully you get some kind of epiphany on that BSOD, and then it runs like a dream.

Thanks for the info. This will be to my aid.

 

[Checkmate]

I always max out the ram due to my eroge and my bragging right of having this laptop/this comp so that I can play erotic game. Kinda make my irl friends to feel gross but I loveeeeeee it.

But yeah, if you noticed, all of my computer, they might not have the most expensive CPU or GPU but they pack tons of important components: Tons of RAM and tons of I/O Performance.

 

[FinalPyre]

For me it is somewhat the opposite. I don't need a whole lot of Ram, and I/O hardly matters at all. For this laptop I don't care if the HDD is 320GB. CPU is the most important, and then the screen. Just looking around a bit on newegg, and I have no idea why there seems to be next to no quad cores coming up... guess I may just settle for a dual but... gross. Seems to be virtually no HD screens unless you find a place to customize as well. The search goes on.

 

[Checkmate]

Yeah, we have different priority :p

I need: ok CPU power, max amount of ram, max amount of I/O and brute space, fair amount of battery and fair amount of gaming capability, max quality of monitor ofc. I always get 1920 SPVA or IPS (if there's one around, IPS is very rare)

Atleast I know Dell's are all SPVA, matte screen. I absolutely hate glossy screen, I'd punch the sales dude if he brag how good glossy screen would be. TN panel should be discontinued for good. I'd rather have no screen.

Edit: Further Investigation shows this could be SSD fault... GEH!