<![CDATA[Strawberryland Forum - Computers, Games & Tech]]>

<![CDATA[Strawberryland Forum - Computers, Games & Tech]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/ Wed, 10 Jun 2026 02:52:30 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Jasper Restoration Thread]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-679.html Wed, 17 Mar 2021 08:43:24 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-679.html
The case is branded "Tangent Computer" as it was once a pre-built PC, but at one point, the former owner had to replace the motherboard with it's current Asus TUV4X one. The CPU is a Pentium III at 1ghz and the graphics card was originally an Nvidia Riva TNT2. I later replaced it with an Asus Radeon 9600XT. Exact amount of RAM is currently unknown, as with the hard drive too.

I last used this computer as a daily driver for about two years, running Windows XP Professional. For 2009 through 2011, it was still a decent computer for web browsing, but it was beginning to show it's age with sites like YouTube. Once I moved on to the mid-2011 Mac Mini, Jasper became secondary, and then unused and in storage.

Taking inspiration from Clint/LGR, I want to restore Jasper into a semi-retro computer gaming rig, with main focus on Windows 9x/ME PC games. I have many such games in my collection, such as Bejeweled, Chuzzle, various shovelware collections, you name it. Tongue

The OS will either be Windows 98 SE or ME.

Here is what Jasper needs so far:
-A new PSU.
-A new rear cooing fan with a proper motherboard connector
-A preferably new-old-stock IDE hard drive at 80GB. Windows 98SE has issues with larger drives such as 120GB and up unless you use special drivers.
-A motherboard BIOS battery.
-Optionally, a new case as well. The current one is very beat up and full of stickers from your's truly. I could get some Goo Gone and remove the stickers off the front and it would look rather presentable.

Thread will be updated once parts are ordered.]]>
The case is branded "Tangent Computer" as it was once a pre-built PC, but at one point, the former owner had to replace the motherboard with it's current Asus TUV4X one. The CPU is a Pentium III at 1ghz and the graphics card was originally an Nvidia Riva TNT2. I later replaced it with an Asus Radeon 9600XT. Exact amount of RAM is currently unknown, as with the hard drive too.

I last used this computer as a daily driver for about two years, running Windows XP Professional. For 2009 through 2011, it was still a decent computer for web browsing, but it was beginning to show it's age with sites like YouTube. Once I moved on to the mid-2011 Mac Mini, Jasper became secondary, and then unused and in storage.

Taking inspiration from Clint/LGR, I want to restore Jasper into a semi-retro computer gaming rig, with main focus on Windows 9x/ME PC games. I have many such games in my collection, such as Bejeweled, Chuzzle, various shovelware collections, you name it. Tongue

I placed Lilly where Rusty's monitor used to be at. Rusty will soon be hooked up to my HDTV solely for games.

[Image: Lilly-Final-02.jpg]

From left to right past the calendar icon... Arctic Fox browser, Preview, iTunes, VLC, iMovie '11, QuickTime, HandBrake, and Avidemux 2.6.9. I found Handbrake to have a much better interface than Avidemux just for converting the raw QuickTime recordings to smaller files. I keep Avidemux around for the commercial compilations and making the upscaled YouTube uploads. I know I said I was going to use iMovie '11 for that, but it caps at 30fps. I plan on making YTP again though, and iMovie '11 works well enough for that.

[Image: Lilly-Final-03.jpg]

I placed Lilly where Rusty's monitor used to be at. Rusty will soon be hooked up to my HDTV solely for games.

[Image: Lilly-Final-02.jpg]

The recording setup. The HDMI dongle connects to one of the back USB ports, and the Composite-to-HDMI converter goes into the dongle. Final picture shows QuickTime recording from the HDMI dongle. It's stretched out, but I resize it to proper 4:3 with Handbrake.]]> <![CDATA[My recent 2009 White MacBook restoration project]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-672.html Wed, 24 Jun 2020 02:10:17 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-672.html
But anyway... it was a bit of a process to restore this machine and make it semi-modern. One odd thing about this MacBook is that two screws were missing on the bottom panel. This was clearly mentioned in the description, and given how neatly kept the remainder of the machine was, this wasn't a deal breaker, and I am planning on replacing the bottom panel anyway for reasons I'll get to in a bit. It even came in a nice protective sleeve too. Another nice thing was the previous owner decorated the laptop with one of those stick on skins, which here is a abstract leaf pattern with colored birds sitting on said leafy patterns. I plan on leaving this sticker on as I won't really be using this MacBook out in public. Taking off the bottom panel is very easy, with normally eight small Philips head screws holding the case in... or rather, six as two were missing with this MacBook. A neat feature about these 2009 White MacBooks is the bottom case is covered in a rubber sleeve which helps the laptop keep a good grip on a table surface. Age hasn't been kind to it. This rubber bottom is crimped onto the metal plate around the edges, and you'd think it be pretty tightly fit. Well, it's not, or at least, no longer is. While trying to get the case taken off, I instead pulled off a portion of the rubber casing, and getting it back on over the edge of the metal plate is impossible. So now, the edges of the rubber are drooping out in spots. Sad

Luckily, spare bottom cases (likely after market ones) are sold on eBay, and I am going to get one soon.

Here is what I am doing. I replaced the slow 5400rpm drive with Greta"s old 250GB SSD. I then installed El Capitan, and upgraded to High Sierra from there. Next up is the RAM. This MacBook supports up to 8GB RAM. High Sierra is running rather snappy as it is with 2GB RAM, but this is because of the SSD speeding things up. More memory intensive apps and games will start to slow things down, and I am planning on some video/audio capture experiments with this thing. I will upgrade the RAM at the same time I replace the bottom case.

Below are some photos of the unit, and some random pictures taken during the setup process. I will also provide links to Geekbench Scores, which I ran against my 2020 MBP. Spoiler: The 2009 MacBook gets smoked by the 2020 MBP.

2020 MBP score:
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/2661672

2009 Macbook:
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/2661689

Photos in the next post...]]>
But anyway... it was a bit of a process to restore this machine and make it semi-modern. One odd thing about this MacBook is that two screws were missing on the bottom panel. This was clearly mentioned in the description, and given how neatly kept the remainder of the machine was, this wasn't a deal breaker, and I am planning on replacing the bottom panel anyway for reasons I'll get to in a bit. It even came in a nice protective sleeve too. Another nice thing was the previous owner decorated the laptop with one of those stick on skins, which here is a abstract leaf pattern with colored birds sitting on said leafy patterns. I plan on leaving this sticker on as I won't really be using this MacBook out in public. Taking off the bottom panel is very easy, with normally eight small Philips head screws holding the case in... or rather, six as two were missing with this MacBook. A neat feature about these 2009 White MacBooks is the bottom case is covered in a rubber sleeve which helps the laptop keep a good grip on a table surface. Age hasn't been kind to it. This rubber bottom is crimped onto the metal plate around the edges, and you'd think it be pretty tightly fit. Well, it's not, or at least, no longer is. While trying to get the case taken off, I instead pulled off a portion of the rubber casing, and getting it back on over the edge of the metal plate is impossible. So now, the edges of the rubber are drooping out in spots. Sad

Luckily, spare bottom cases (likely after market ones) are sold on eBay, and I am going to get one soon.

Here is what I am doing. I replaced the slow 5400rpm drive with Greta"s old 250GB SSD. I then installed El Capitan, and upgraded to High Sierra from there. Next up is the RAM. This MacBook supports up to 8GB RAM. High Sierra is running rather snappy as it is with 2GB RAM, but this is because of the SSD speeding things up. More memory intensive apps and games will start to slow things down, and I am planning on some video/audio capture experiments with this thing. I will upgrade the RAM at the same time I replace the bottom case.

Below are some photos of the unit, and some random pictures taken during the setup process. I will also provide links to Geekbench Scores, which I ran against my 2020 MBP. Spoiler: The 2009 MacBook gets smoked by the 2020 MBP.

2020 MBP score:
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/2661672

2009 Macbook:
https://browser.geekbench.com/v5/cpu/2661689

Photos in the next post...]]> <![CDATA[My "MP4" player collection.]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-666.html Sun, 20 Oct 2019 05:41:21 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-666.html
By the mid-2000s, you could find these MP4 players at major retailers sold at deep discounts compared to name brands like Apple, Sandisk or Creative. The price reflected the overall quality of the devices. While some devices could actually be decent, others can have cheap build quality, buggy firmware, and poor battery life.

Despite this, I had an appreciation for these kinds of media players... at least the ones that worked well. Below is my collection that I have built up over the years, along with details about them.

[Image: MP4_Player_Collection.JPG]

1 - RCA M6204-B MP3/video player. This little player was a Menard's holiday special in 2014. It looks like it has capacitive buttons, but it's just a thin flexible plastic sheet that sits over mechanical buttons. The buttons do work well, and navigation is easy to figure out. It has your basic functions like MP3/WMA playback, FM radio, and photo viewer. FM tuner isn't the best. It's not that sensitive, so distant station reception is very hit and miss. The player is limited to onboard storage, which in this case, is 4GB. No expandable memory slots at all. Sad

It works rather well, even if the menu navigation is a bit slow.

2 - Mach Speed "Eclipse" 180 Pro. This is/was a very common brand seen in big box discount stores like Walmart, Kmart, and Shopko. The 180 Pro has that familiar Chinese iPod-clone design, only with branding printed on the reverse. Features are similar to the RCA, but the layout mimics the iPod interface somewhat. It also has a low quality digital camera and expandable microSD memory. The player itself comes with 4GB onboard storage. As a useful player, it's debatable. The music playback functions well enough, but the FM tuner leaves a lot to be desired and the player takes a really long time to start up. Build quality is decent thanks to an aluminum casing.

3 - HOTT MU763. This is my only Rockchip MP4 player I own. The case is aluminum like the Eclipse. The player has a resistive touch screen, which works okay but sometimes doesn't respond like it should. I really like the equalizer in the music player. It has something called "MS EQ" which with the right headphones, can produce a rather deep bass and crisp treble. FM tuner is once again not that great. This player would be alright to use if it weren't for one "feature" that ends up being a nuisance. In the music player, you can shake the player right or left to go forward or back in the playlist. If you carry the player in your pocket, this "feature" may trigger by accident and your music playlist gets disrupted as the player goes forward or back unintentionally.

4 - Altus M204-B - Probably my personal favorite of all the MP4 players I have used. My original from 2010 is long gone, but I found new-old-stock on eBay a couple years ago. As you can see, I have two of them. The batteries charged up fine and continue to hold a charge. The menu navigation is easy to learn and responsive, and the media features work really well. The best feature is the ability to customize the startup, shutdown, and main menu background images. It also includes a camera which isn't that great. The FM tuner works really well and handles weaker stations fine when the display goes to sleep. Has 4GB onboard storage and additional microSD card slot.

5 - Hipstreet Crossfade 4GB I found this on sale for $15. There's a reason it was so cheap. The build quality is among the worst I have seen. The player is very lightweight plastic, and the button switches are very glitchy. The FM tuner is quite excellent for such a cheap player as well as music playback. There's no expandable storage and you're limited to the onboard 4GB storage. My player is now disassembled because the battery has swollen, and I need to find a safe way to disconnect the cell before trying to recover the data that's still on the device.

6 and 7 - Generic MP4 players from China I found these at a small town RadioShack franchise. These were the most generic MP4 players you can find. The one on the right requires a microSD card to function, and came with a 16GB card. The one on the right has no expandable memory and 8GB onboard storage. FM tuners are okay. The player on the left suffers from glitchy buttons and the one on the right is having battery issues. Battery doesn't seem swollen, but it will not charge at all.

8 - Eclipse Supra Fit From the same company behind the 180 Pro. Has the features of that model but with one of the worst capacitive screens I have used. It's way too sensitive. You can barely touch the sides of the plastic bezel and it will register a random touch on a part of the screen. It has 8GB storage and microSD slot.

9 - Visual Land ME-907 I originally purchased this in 2012 to replace my first Altus M204-B that died. The UI is entirely built on Adobe Flash, and has the ability to play back Flash movies. It could load Flash games, but IIRC, the touch screen doesn't work with Flash content, so you can't click on buttons presented in such files. In addition to a 8gb storage, it has a microSD slot and a mini HDMI output. The UI is very responsive and full of fancy animations, though it doesn't have dedicated buttons for changing music tracks. In order to change the track, you have to turn on the screen, get past the screensaver, and then go back/forward in the playlist.

I'm currently trying out my players to see which one I can use as my main music device. I was thinking of just getting one of those cheap USB-stick MP3 players that use a AAA battery, but seeing how I have so many of these, there's no real need to add yet another.]]>
By the mid-2000s, you could find these MP4 players at major retailers sold at deep discounts compared to name brands like Apple, Sandisk or Creative. The price reflected the overall quality of the devices. While some devices could actually be decent, others can have cheap build quality, buggy firmware, and poor battery life.

Despite this, I had an appreciation for these kinds of media players... at least the ones that worked well. Below is my collection that I have built up over the years, along with details about them.

[Image: MP4_Player_Collection.JPG]

It works rather well, even if the menu navigation is a bit slow.

2 - Mach Speed "Eclipse" 180 Pro. This is/was a very common brand seen in big box discount stores like Walmart, Kmart, and Shopko. The 180 Pro has that familiar Chinese iPod-clone design, only with branding printed on the reverse. Features are similar to the RCA, but the layout mimics the iPod interface somewhat. It also has a low quality digital camera and expandable microSD memory. The player itself comes with 4GB onboard storage. As a useful player, it's debatable. The music playback functions well enough, but the FM tuner leaves a lot to be desired and the player takes a really long time to start up. Build quality is decent thanks to an aluminum casing.

3 - HOTT MU763. This is my only Rockchip MP4 player I own. The case is aluminum like the Eclipse. The player has a resistive touch screen, which works okay but sometimes doesn't respond like it should. I really like the equalizer in the music player. It has something called "MS EQ" which with the right headphones, can produce a rather deep bass and crisp treble. FM tuner is once again not that great. This player would be alright to use if it weren't for one "feature" that ends up being a nuisance. In the music player, you can shake the player right or left to go forward or back in the playlist. If you carry the player in your pocket, this "feature" may trigger by accident and your music playlist gets disrupted as the player goes forward or back unintentionally.

4 - Altus M204-B - Probably my personal favorite of all the MP4 players I have used. My original from 2010 is long gone, but I found new-old-stock on eBay a couple years ago. As you can see, I have two of them. The batteries charged up fine and continue to hold a charge. The menu navigation is easy to learn and responsive, and the media features work really well. The best feature is the ability to customize the startup, shutdown, and main menu background images. It also includes a camera which isn't that great. The FM tuner works really well and handles weaker stations fine when the display goes to sleep. Has 4GB onboard storage and additional microSD card slot.

5 - Hipstreet Crossfade 4GB I found this on sale for $15. There's a reason it was so cheap. The build quality is among the worst I have seen. The player is very lightweight plastic, and the button switches are very glitchy. The FM tuner is quite excellent for such a cheap player as well as music playback. There's no expandable storage and you're limited to the onboard 4GB storage. My player is now disassembled because the battery has swollen, and I need to find a safe way to disconnect the cell before trying to recover the data that's still on the device.

6 and 7 - Generic MP4 players from China I found these at a small town RadioShack franchise. These were the most generic MP4 players you can find. The one on the right requires a microSD card to function, and came with a 16GB card. The one on the right has no expandable memory and 8GB onboard storage. FM tuners are okay. The player on the left suffers from glitchy buttons and the one on the right is having battery issues. Battery doesn't seem swollen, but it will not charge at all.

8 - Eclipse Supra Fit From the same company behind the 180 Pro. Has the features of that model but with one of the worst capacitive screens I have used. It's way too sensitive. You can barely touch the sides of the plastic bezel and it will register a random touch on a part of the screen. It has 8GB storage and microSD slot.

9 - Visual Land ME-907 I originally purchased this in 2012 to replace my first Altus M204-B that died. The UI is entirely built on Adobe Flash, and has the ability to play back Flash movies. It could load Flash games, but IIRC, the touch screen doesn't work with Flash content, so you can't click on buttons presented in such files. In addition to a 8gb storage, it has a microSD slot and a mini HDMI output. The UI is very responsive and full of fancy animations, though it doesn't have dedicated buttons for changing music tracks. In order to change the track, you have to turn on the screen, get past the screensaver, and then go back/forward in the playlist.

I'm currently trying out my players to see which one I can use as my main music device. I was thinking of just getting one of those cheap USB-stick MP3 players that use a AAA battery, but seeing how I have so many of these, there's no real need to add yet another.]]> <![CDATA[Azpen G1058B low-end Android tablet review]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-663.html Thu, 20 Jun 2019 01:56:21 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-663.html
[Image: AZ_002.jpg]

And this is the box it came in...

[Image: AZ_001.jpg]

The most unique feature of the G105B is the included 4G LTE connectivity, something you don't see often in discount tablets sold at major retailers. The MSRP of this tablet was $149, but because the store I bought it from is going out of business, it was marked down 60%, and I got it for only $60.

The G105B comes with a Mediatek MT6735 Quad-core SOC with a Mali T720 GPU, approx 1GB RAM, and 64GB of built in flash storage. There is a microSD card slot that supports up to 64gb cards, as well as two SIM card slots, one already used with a bundled SIM for FreedomPop, which I will get into later. The tablet has Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Performance is rather decent for this tablet. Startup was a bit slow when first powered on out of the box, but subsequent start ups have been much smoother. App performance varies. Small apps like terminal emulators and system information viewers open up rather quick, while complex apps like Google Mail or Play can take a bit to get going sometimes. After loading, they tend to work more or less okay.

Preinstalled software is limited to just the Google apps and a few basic utilities like a file manager and user manual. There is a "My FreedomPop" app for use with the associated pay-as-you-go internet service. There is also an FM radio app as this tablet comes with an FM tuner. I haven't seen any Android tablet sold at a store that comes with an FM tuner until now. I have tested it out, and reception is rather good outdoors as I was able to get many channels I normally can't get indoors. It also has a recording feature too, so you can save FM broadcasts to MP4 audio format, though the extension has to be changed from 3gpp to m4a to get them to work with Winamp.

The camera is alright. There isn't as much detail compared to my LG Rebel 3's camera, and the front facing camera needs a good amount of light to be usable. I tried Skype with family with said tablet, and I had to sit near my apartment window so my face wouldn't become a dark shadow. The indoor lights didn't help brighten my face at all. Later on in the thread, I'll post some photos taken with both the G105B and the LG Rebel 3 and compare them side by side.

I will give a warning about a potential unwanted app that is preinstalled in the tablet. Malwarebytes reports that the infamous Adups is preinstalled as a system application. The Adups variant present on the G1058B is classified as a PUP (potentially unwanted app), and is part of the tablets built in "Wireless Update" utility. Still, it may be advisable to follow the guidelines here to "freeze" this bit of software.
https://forums.malwarebytes.com/topic/21...for-adups/ The variant on the tablet is the first name on the list. The other two Adups variants, which contain an actual backdoor, aren't present on the G1058B AFAIK.

Finally, about FreedomPop. The tablet came with a bundled offer for this pay-as-you-go mobile internet service. The SIM was already installed in the tablet, and you just have to follow the instructions on the included leaflet to activate it. The FreedomPop services offers free 500mb 4G LTE data per month, but there are a few strings attached. Yes, the 500mb a month really is free, but FP really tries to get you to part with your money. When you activate, there is a small $.60 or so fee, but that's just the beginning. Want the free 500mb and only 500mb? Keep your eye out for the "no thanks" links. They tuck them away in the corner in small print, where the big green button tries to gain your attention so they can sign up up for a free one month trial of their Premium 2GB plan. That 2GB plan is presented as a monthly option, but the fine print states that if you forget to cancel the trial before the period is up, your card will be charged around $95 for one year of service. There is also a sketchy feature called Automatic Top-Up, which charges your debit/credit card $15 to add more data to your free service when you get within 100mb of reaching the 500mb free data cap. You can't turn this off either unless you sign up for a $6.99 a month "safety net" feature.

FreedomPop may have good prices if you manage to score one of their plans that actually bills monthly, but their hard selling of their additional premium features and sketchy practices almost makes them a complete turn off for me. Luckily, you can swap out the FP SIM and install any compatible GSM SIM. The tablet is unlocked. Smile

Here is the Geekbench Results. Top is the Azpen. Bottom is the LG Rebel 3.

[Image: AZ_003.jpg]

And finally, the home screen wallpaper of my G1058B.
[Image: AZ_005.jpg]

And this is the box it came in...

[Image: AZ_001.jpg]

Here is the Geekbench Results. Top is the Azpen. Bottom is the LG Rebel 3.

[Image: AZ_003.jpg]

And finally, the home screen wallpaper of my G1058B.
[Image: AZ_005.jpg]

Oh yeah, the tablet also came with a free Bluetooth keyboard, featured in the first photo. It attaches to the included patent leather sleeve with hidden magnets, and connection is rather easy. I haven't given the keyboard much of a real test yet since I don't really like compact keyboards like that, but after connection, it does seem to work as you'd expect. Typing a query into Google Play worked as it should.]]> <![CDATA[New year... new upgrades?]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-659.html Thu, 29 Nov 2018 02:09:57 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-659.html
I'm currently thinking over plans to either upgrade or replace Greta. I have had a chance to use her over the weekend during my Thanksgiving mini-vacation. Basic things like web browsing or text documents are still no problem for her. I do notice her old Pentium B960 may be getting a bit outdated for some of my Steam games. The games do take a bit of time to load compared to Pearl. Should this be expected though? The Pentium B960 is clearly an entry level CPU from 2012, and I'm surprised she is still capable of even basic tasks with Windows 8.1. Her old GeForce 610m is also very capable of playing my Steam games on low to medium settings.

I'd rather have Greta on Windows 10, but as I mentioned before, that OS is extremely taxing on her hardware. Windows 8.1 is much faster but is far more clunky in design.

If I were to replace Greta's old HDD with a modern SSD, would that be enough to run Windows 10 without any slowness, or will the B960 be a potential bottleneck? Given her age, would it be more advisable to replace Greta with a modern laptop that can run Windows 10 from the get-go?

I also plan to upgrade Pearl in steps. I'm starting to discover that she may need a slightly beefier CPU and/or GPU for video recording tasks. As it stands, recording video is mostly flawless, but there are small moments in the recorded videos where obvious frame-dropping can be seen. Since I mostly record TV stuff, the frame dropping is a minor nitpick, but I'd rather have the video as smooth as possible. I don't know if I need to either upgrade the CPU or the GPU. Movavi uses hardware acceleration for recording and displaying the video preview from what I can tell. I want to upgrade the RAM first since it won't take me long to save money for another stick of 8gb RAM. That will make the board run in dual-channel mode, so would simply installing another RAM stick improve performance alone?

If I do need to upgrade the GPU, I would like a GTX 1070 and an upgraded Corsair PSU to match. A GTX 1070 would seem overkill to someone like me, but if I ever want to play Super Lucky's Tale on max settings, I'll need that.

The question is.. will I need to upgrade the CPU, RAM and GPU? Or will just one of these being upgraded improve things alone?

There is also the matter of Pearl's HDD. Her HDD is quite old, being the 500gb disk from Audrey, who I purchased in 2012. So far it doesn't seem to have problems, but the older the drive gets, the possibility of failure increases. Whenever I do need to replace it, I will get an 1TB SSD, despite being very expensive. What color of SSD should I go for? Western Digital has various different kinds of SSDs, such as Blue, Black, and Green.

And finally, perhaps an unnecessary upgrade... getting a BluRay burner. BD-R discs are a bit on the spendy side, but backing up photos to disc is a bit tedious since I only have a DVD writer.]]>
I'm currently thinking over plans to either upgrade or replace Greta. I have had a chance to use her over the weekend during my Thanksgiving mini-vacation. Basic things like web browsing or text documents are still no problem for her. I do notice her old Pentium B960 may be getting a bit outdated for some of my Steam games. The games do take a bit of time to load compared to Pearl. Should this be expected though? The Pentium B960 is clearly an entry level CPU from 2012, and I'm surprised she is still capable of even basic tasks with Windows 8.1. Her old GeForce 610m is also very capable of playing my Steam games on low to medium settings.

I'd rather have Greta on Windows 10, but as I mentioned before, that OS is extremely taxing on her hardware. Windows 8.1 is much faster but is far more clunky in design.

If I were to replace Greta's old HDD with a modern SSD, would that be enough to run Windows 10 without any slowness, or will the B960 be a potential bottleneck? Given her age, would it be more advisable to replace Greta with a modern laptop that can run Windows 10 from the get-go?

I also plan to upgrade Pearl in steps. I'm starting to discover that she may need a slightly beefier CPU and/or GPU for video recording tasks. As it stands, recording video is mostly flawless, but there are small moments in the recorded videos where obvious frame-dropping can be seen. Since I mostly record TV stuff, the frame dropping is a minor nitpick, but I'd rather have the video as smooth as possible. I don't know if I need to either upgrade the CPU or the GPU. Movavi uses hardware acceleration for recording and displaying the video preview from what I can tell. I want to upgrade the RAM first since it won't take me long to save money for another stick of 8gb RAM. That will make the board run in dual-channel mode, so would simply installing another RAM stick improve performance alone?

If I do need to upgrade the GPU, I would like a GTX 1070 and an upgraded Corsair PSU to match. A GTX 1070 would seem overkill to someone like me, but if I ever want to play Super Lucky's Tale on max settings, I'll need that.

The question is.. will I need to upgrade the CPU, RAM and GPU? Or will just one of these being upgraded improve things alone?

There is also the matter of Pearl's HDD. Her HDD is quite old, being the 500gb disk from Audrey, who I purchased in 2012. So far it doesn't seem to have problems, but the older the drive gets, the possibility of failure increases. Whenever I do need to replace it, I will get an 1TB SSD, despite being very expensive. What color of SSD should I go for? Western Digital has various different kinds of SSDs, such as Blue, Black, and Green.

And finally, perhaps an unnecessary upgrade... getting a BluRay burner. BD-R discs are a bit on the spendy side, but backing up photos to disc is a bit tedious since I only have a DVD writer.]]> <![CDATA[For the want of a Mac...]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-658.html Sun, 18 Nov 2018 21:20:35 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-658.html
I'll cut to the chase. I want some kind of Mac computer, possibly an iMac. I shouldn't have sold off my old Mac Mini a few years ago. It would have made it easier to switch.

For those who don't follow the Spam Thread. let me get you caught up to speed on my current situation. I have my own Windows based PC that I have built myself nearly two years ago. It has an Intel Core i5-6100 dual-core CPU, GeForce 750Ti graphics, 8gb RAM, and a somewhat dated 500gb HDD. It's my first PC build and it came out great, though my cable management sucks. I haven't had any issues with my build, and I'm confident that I would be able to upgrade the system when needed.

For all the good my custom PC has brought, it still has brought on a bit of stress, no thanks to Microsoft. Windows 10 is becoming a mixed bag for me. The most recent OS updates brought along nasty bugs like users documents being deleted or Windows not remembering file type associations. I haven't encountered any of those problems myself, but compared to Windows 8, 10 doesn't seem to perform as well, especially during boot up. It also brings along features and apps I don't particularly care for like Cortana or the myriad of bloatware. Not all of it can be uninstalled of course... unless you use third party tricks to forcibly remove them. But I tend to stay away from such tools that mess with system files.

There is of course, Windows 8.1, which is still supported with security fixes until 2023. I have this on my ancient Gateway laptop since Windows 10 is too much for it. I only have one Windows 8.1 license which is being used on said laptop. There is also Linux, which is starting to become more and more user friendly. Issues still abound if you ever need to use proprietary graphics drivers, and not all of my Steam games are Linux compatible.

I guess that is a good segue into explaining what I use my computer for. I don't do anything that requires lots of hardware power. My activities mainly consist of browsing the web, watching online video and playing casual type games and pinball simulators. The heaviest work I do is in video editing, and I do want to learn how to draw digitally as well. My current computer is obviously up to these tasks, but what if my computer gets hit with some nasty Windows 10 update bug in the future? Will Linux ever get to the point where I can drop Windows and skip macOS completely?

Given my current needs, I have considered either getting an all-in-one PC with downgraded specs to fit my workload and giving my current PC to my mom at home. She too has one of those AIO units from 2012, and it's an entry level AMD E-Series one. Windows 10 is getting too much for that old computer as well and my mom could really use a new PC.

Besides a Windows based AIO, there is of course, Apple. I understand that Apple really tries to nickel-and-dime their user base and marks up the prices on their tech far higher than their PC equivalents. They also like planned obsolescence, with every macOS release dropping several models of older Macs. In fact, my old mid-2011 Mini isn't compatible with Mojave. It can only run up to High Sierra. I would go the Hackintosh route, but it requires lots of terminal use, manual editing of config files, and just lots of tinkering to get macOS running on a non-Apple computer.

That is where my idea of just switching to the "dark side" comes from, I guess. For all the bad things Apple does, I still admire their product designs and macOS itself. I just got this feeling that an iMac would be a better fit for my computing needs. I still do have a lot of Mac software linked to my Apple account, and iMovie would be good enough for my video editing needs. As for audio/video capture, my current Honestech Vidbox has Mac drivers available. I would just need capture software to go with it. As for games, two of my pinball sims, Zaccaria Pinball and Pinball Arcade, do have Mac versions on the Steam store. I even have Pinball Arcade linked to my Apple account as well, but my Steam content won't transfer to that version. As for my Windows casual games, it's not that big of a deal if I can't get them to run on a Mac. I still intend on resurrecting my old XP box for older PC games someday and those games do run fine on that PC's old Radeon 9600XT AGP card.

I have a tough decision to make here. Either stick with what I have, get a Windows based AIO replacement, or start saving up for several months to buy the iMac. The model that I would particularly want is $1,499. I'd prefer the iMac have at least 8gb RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive, and dedicated graphics. I can configure the iMac to have 16GB RAM at order, and it's the only way to get 16GB since RAM is not upgradeable in iMacs. Given my daily use requirements and my low gaming requirements, 8gb would probably be enough.

I could go Low End Mac as an alternative, getting an older refurbished iMac or Mac Pro. But forward compatibility becomes an issue with the aforementioned macOS releases dropping older products from the support list.

If I go the Windows AIO route, I would have to get a possible downgrade in graphics quality of my pinball sims, but I would still be able to do everything else just fine. I would be willing to accept the tradeoff since I hardly play those pinball sims as much as I used to. The AIO would have to be capable of utilizing my video capture device, but I have seen AIOs that use Intel i5 CPUs.

And there you have it. Perhaps I'll just end up sticking with my current setup in the long run, but who knows what the future may bring?

Oh yes, forgot to mention. macOS' yearly updates tend to go far smoother than Windows' bi-annual ones, probably because Apple still has internal bug testers. Tongue

I also think macOS doesn't force ads into the OS like Windows 10 does. I'm starting to see ads in Control Panel, and the latest Insider previews are also testing ads in the Mail app. :/]]>
I'll cut to the chase. I want some kind of Mac computer, possibly an iMac. I shouldn't have sold off my old Mac Mini a few years ago. It would have made it easier to switch.

For those who don't follow the Spam Thread. let me get you caught up to speed on my current situation. I have my own Windows based PC that I have built myself nearly two years ago. It has an Intel Core i5-6100 dual-core CPU, GeForce 750Ti graphics, 8gb RAM, and a somewhat dated 500gb HDD. It's my first PC build and it came out great, though my cable management sucks. I haven't had any issues with my build, and I'm confident that I would be able to upgrade the system when needed.

For all the good my custom PC has brought, it still has brought on a bit of stress, no thanks to Microsoft. Windows 10 is becoming a mixed bag for me. The most recent OS updates brought along nasty bugs like users documents being deleted or Windows not remembering file type associations. I haven't encountered any of those problems myself, but compared to Windows 8, 10 doesn't seem to perform as well, especially during boot up. It also brings along features and apps I don't particularly care for like Cortana or the myriad of bloatware. Not all of it can be uninstalled of course... unless you use third party tricks to forcibly remove them. But I tend to stay away from such tools that mess with system files.

There is of course, Windows 8.1, which is still supported with security fixes until 2023. I have this on my ancient Gateway laptop since Windows 10 is too much for it. I only have one Windows 8.1 license which is being used on said laptop. There is also Linux, which is starting to become more and more user friendly. Issues still abound if you ever need to use proprietary graphics drivers, and not all of my Steam games are Linux compatible.

I guess that is a good segue into explaining what I use my computer for. I don't do anything that requires lots of hardware power. My activities mainly consist of browsing the web, watching online video and playing casual type games and pinball simulators. The heaviest work I do is in video editing, and I do want to learn how to draw digitally as well. My current computer is obviously up to these tasks, but what if my computer gets hit with some nasty Windows 10 update bug in the future? Will Linux ever get to the point where I can drop Windows and skip macOS completely?

Given my current needs, I have considered either getting an all-in-one PC with downgraded specs to fit my workload and giving my current PC to my mom at home. She too has one of those AIO units from 2012, and it's an entry level AMD E-Series one. Windows 10 is getting too much for that old computer as well and my mom could really use a new PC.

Besides a Windows based AIO, there is of course, Apple. I understand that Apple really tries to nickel-and-dime their user base and marks up the prices on their tech far higher than their PC equivalents. They also like planned obsolescence, with every macOS release dropping several models of older Macs. In fact, my old mid-2011 Mini isn't compatible with Mojave. It can only run up to High Sierra. I would go the Hackintosh route, but it requires lots of terminal use, manual editing of config files, and just lots of tinkering to get macOS running on a non-Apple computer.

That is where my idea of just switching to the "dark side" comes from, I guess. For all the bad things Apple does, I still admire their product designs and macOS itself. I just got this feeling that an iMac would be a better fit for my computing needs. I still do have a lot of Mac software linked to my Apple account, and iMovie would be good enough for my video editing needs. As for audio/video capture, my current Honestech Vidbox has Mac drivers available. I would just need capture software to go with it. As for games, two of my pinball sims, Zaccaria Pinball and Pinball Arcade, do have Mac versions on the Steam store. I even have Pinball Arcade linked to my Apple account as well, but my Steam content won't transfer to that version. As for my Windows casual games, it's not that big of a deal if I can't get them to run on a Mac. I still intend on resurrecting my old XP box for older PC games someday and those games do run fine on that PC's old Radeon 9600XT AGP card.

I have a tough decision to make here. Either stick with what I have, get a Windows based AIO replacement, or start saving up for several months to buy the iMac. The model that I would particularly want is $1,499. I'd prefer the iMac have at least 8gb RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive, and dedicated graphics. I can configure the iMac to have 16GB RAM at order, and it's the only way to get 16GB since RAM is not upgradeable in iMacs. Given my daily use requirements and my low gaming requirements, 8gb would probably be enough.

I could go Low End Mac as an alternative, getting an older refurbished iMac or Mac Pro. But forward compatibility becomes an issue with the aforementioned macOS releases dropping older products from the support list.

If I go the Windows AIO route, I would have to get a possible downgrade in graphics quality of my pinball sims, but I would still be able to do everything else just fine. I would be willing to accept the tradeoff since I hardly play those pinball sims as much as I used to. The AIO would have to be capable of utilizing my video capture device, but I have seen AIOs that use Intel i5 CPUs.

And there you have it. Perhaps I'll just end up sticking with my current setup in the long run, but who knows what the future may bring?

Oh yes, forgot to mention. macOS' yearly updates tend to go far smoother than Windows' bi-annual ones, probably because Apple still has internal bug testers. Tongue

I also think macOS doesn't force ads into the OS like Windows 10 does. I'm starting to see ads in Control Panel, and the latest Insider previews are also testing ads in the Mail app. :/]]> <![CDATA[I may go on a Linux quest again... but in a different way.]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-641.html Wed, 28 Mar 2018 03:22:06 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-641.html
I could move down to Windows 8 like I always say, but what if Linux works out this time? I have tried it many times before, and always found some sort of issue that booted me back over to Windows, but it is showing great improvement every time I do try it. I can also use Firefox too. Wink

Here is my idea. To test Linux, I will use the latest release of Linux Mint, and install it on Greta. I will then downgrade Pearl to Windows 8.1 as I have no more need for Windows 10 features that I never use anymore. By testing Linux on Greta, I can keep track of Windows app compatibility and try out various open source replacements for my proprietary programs.

If Linux Mint or some other distro meets my needs perfectly, then I may end up replacing Win8.1 with Linux, though that idea remains to be seen.

May as well start making preparations. I will use this thread to keep track of issues or successes I come across.]]> <![CDATA[The struggles of video game collecting.]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-623.html Fri, 10 Nov 2017 10:14:04 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-623.html

It's exciting, and a bit nerve wracking too. When you realize just how much stuff you have to move, you begin to think about your mass of things. And right now, I'm thinking about my very large retro video game collection.

Before anyone asks, no, I'm not selling the entire collection off. I am changing focus on how I collect games moving forward.

See, when I was in a nearby city mall a few weeks ago, there was this Indian guy selling these knockoff NES Classic consoles. Below is a rather good sounding review of the unit, which I did post in the Spam Thread. I'm reposting here for context and for those who don't frequent the spam thread.

This is what begun the process of my current train of thought. If the CoolBaby is indeed built well, has many popular games already loaded, and is HDMI enabled, then what's the point in keeping the same copies of the games? They may end up sitting on the shelf collecting dust when they could be sold off to someone who is into the retro collecting craze than I am at the moment.

There is also the Virtual Console. It's not perfect and it's essentially a money making device for the big N, but gaming on the VC is more convenient on both Wii/Wii U and 3DS. I don't have to mess with game carts that don't start on the first try and I don't need a large CRT set to play those games. It's also nice to be able to play a Mario game on the go.

Thirdly, I may have gone a bit overboard with the game collecting thing. Rather than focus on games that I genuinely want to play, I just bought games left and right and ended up with a lot of carts that I likely will never play at all.

What I plan on doing is to sell off copies of games that I can get on the VC or on the CoolBaby device. This includes many first party games like the Mario, Zelda, Metroid, or other popular titles. I will instead focus on the games I actually want, and games that will likely never see a re-release on a VC or a knockoff device. Seeing as how I'm more into collecting for the Wii and DS at this point, I may need the space. Tongue

The only collection that will be mostly spared is my Sega Genesis library. AtGames is coming out with an HD version of their plug-and-play systems, and they actually got the sound emulation correct, based from reviews I have seen so far. I will basically sell off games that are already built into the device.

In the end, I will get some return on my investment. These popular games command good prices on the open market these days.]]> <![CDATA[Atlus DMCAs PS3 emulator developer]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-620.html Sun, 01 Oct 2017 07:57:09 +0000 huckleberrypie]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-620.html
https://boingboing.net/2017/09/30/rpcs3.html

Just got word about this courtesy of Traditional Frog - sure, I know emulators have been used to play pirated titles, but this reeks of being way too draconian. While emulators have earned a somewhat dubious rep for the above-mentioned reason, Atlus' argument that RPCS3 can be used to play their games for free doesn't hold much water when one can play said games downloaded off the usual venues (whose names I won't obviously mention) on a jailbroken PS3 anyway. Granted, some have somewhat profited from these emulators (which can be indeed legally sketchy), but DMCA takedowns on such projects do cause a chilling effect on those who only intend to emulate a particular system as a hobby and not to profit unfairly from it.

One of my friends was right in a rebuttal he made when we had a chat recently, in that things like emulators can be used for legitimate purposes and the association with piracy is just an unfortunate consequence. With Atlus' logic, perhaps the government should ban the sale of performance auto parts as illegal street racers are using it, right? Furthermore, third-party emulation (and some forms of reverse-engineering) has been deemed legal for as long as no copyrighted code (e.g. BIOS logic, game ROMs) is used. Sony lost in its case against Bleem (at great expense to the latter, sadly; they were forced to close shop due to legal fees) owing to the courts who determined that the PlayStation was reverse-engineered fairly. Also, the problem here is exacerbated by mainstream media casting emulation in an unfairly negative light, due to its apparent association with pirate sites and the relative ease of downloading a ROM over dumping it off a cartridge.

What do you guys think?]]>
https://boingboing.net/2017/09/30/rpcs3.html

Just got word about this courtesy of Traditional Frog - sure, I know emulators have been used to play pirated titles, but this reeks of being way too draconian. While emulators have earned a somewhat dubious rep for the above-mentioned reason, Atlus' argument that RPCS3 can be used to play their games for free doesn't hold much water when one can play said games downloaded off the usual venues (whose names I won't obviously mention) on a jailbroken PS3 anyway. Granted, some have somewhat profited from these emulators (which can be indeed legally sketchy), but DMCA takedowns on such projects do cause a chilling effect on those who only intend to emulate a particular system as a hobby and not to profit unfairly from it.

One of my friends was right in a rebuttal he made when we had a chat recently, in that things like emulators can be used for legitimate purposes and the association with piracy is just an unfortunate consequence. With Atlus' logic, perhaps the government should ban the sale of performance auto parts as illegal street racers are using it, right? Furthermore, third-party emulation (and some forms of reverse-engineering) has been deemed legal for as long as no copyrighted code (e.g. BIOS logic, game ROMs) is used. Sony lost in its case against Bleem (at great expense to the latter, sadly; they were forced to close shop due to legal fees) owing to the courts who determined that the PlayStation was reverse-engineered fairly. Also, the problem here is exacerbated by mainstream media casting emulation in an unfairly negative light, due to its apparent association with pirate sites and the relative ease of downloading a ROM over dumping it off a cartridge.

What do you guys think?]]> <![CDATA[A Little Rant about parents that share too much information online.]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-619.html Wed, 06 Sep 2017 21:30:12 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-619.html
Every now and then, I come across this one particular Flickr user. I won't name names or link it here, but it's an account run by a family in the southern United States. This family documents their entire lives in this account including their own children, going on trips and documenting family events. That seems normal, until you find out that they end up sharing family moments that are best left as private images or not uploaded at all. Said images were taken during their kids bath time. They aren't illegal images and are just innocent pictures documenting that family's life. Even so, these are pictures that they should have AT LEAST been uploaded as private. They chose to upload them as public instead, and this is where it starts getting downright creepy.

I only came across these images when I wanted to take a look at this family's "About" page, where Flickr users can write some text introducing themselves and all that. The "About" page contains a gallery of said users most popular pictures, sorted by either the most "Faved" or most commented. Guess which pictures got the most faves?

Yeah... the bath pictures ended up being on their most popular list because sick perverts faved them the most. And this family doesn't seem to realize that their innocent pictures are being used in this manner.

I'm kind of at a loss of words on what to say here other than... I was genuinely creeped out by the entire thing. I will state that these images aren't pornographic at all. It's just bath time pictures that this particular family should have thought twice about uploading into a public space. I'm grossed out by the fact they did this for many reasons, and I'm sickened by the fact that perverts ended up creating an unintentional gallery of their sick desire on a family's Flickr About page due to how the site sorts out the most popular photos on any given account.

I don't know how to go forward with this. Something obviously needs to be done to let this family know that they should NOT be uploading their kids' bath time pictures as a public photo, but rather as private. If they would have done that, then these pervs wouldn't have done what they did to make this family's About page so damn scary.]]>
Every now and then, I come across this one particular Flickr user. I won't name names or link it here, but it's an account run by a family in the southern United States. This family documents their entire lives in this account including their own children, going on trips and documenting family events. That seems normal, until you find out that they end up sharing family moments that are best left as private images or not uploaded at all. Said images were taken during their kids bath time. They aren't illegal images and are just innocent pictures documenting that family's life. Even so, these are pictures that they should have AT LEAST been uploaded as private. They chose to upload them as public instead, and this is where it starts getting downright creepy.

I only came across these images when I wanted to take a look at this family's "About" page, where Flickr users can write some text introducing themselves and all that. The "About" page contains a gallery of said users most popular pictures, sorted by either the most "Faved" or most commented. Guess which pictures got the most faves?

Yeah... the bath pictures ended up being on their most popular list because sick perverts faved them the most. And this family doesn't seem to realize that their innocent pictures are being used in this manner.

I'm kind of at a loss of words on what to say here other than... I was genuinely creeped out by the entire thing. I will state that these images aren't pornographic at all. It's just bath time pictures that this particular family should have thought twice about uploading into a public space. I'm grossed out by the fact they did this for many reasons, and I'm sickened by the fact that perverts ended up creating an unintentional gallery of their sick desire on a family's Flickr About page due to how the site sorts out the most popular photos on any given account.

I don't know how to go forward with this. Something obviously needs to be done to let this family know that they should NOT be uploading their kids' bath time pictures as a public photo, but rather as private. If they would have done that, then these pervs wouldn't have done what they did to make this family's About page so damn scary.]]> <![CDATA[The Photobucket debacle.]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-615.html Sun, 09 Jul 2017 02:56:33 +0000 huckleberrypie]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-615.html
Unsurprisingly, this doesn't bode well with those who had stuff uploaded on said host for a long time, and rendered most images on various websites null and void due to the sudden change. While I do understand that running a file or media host with millions of users is a major undertaking, calling for immense space and bandwidth to carry most if not all, slapping such a huge fee without even warning users or going through a transition period is draconian, plain and simple. And yet Imgur seems to be fine and dandy with all them memes and so on, just as the post abides by their rules.]]>
Unsurprisingly, this doesn't bode well with those who had stuff uploaded on said host for a long time, and rendered most images on various websites null and void due to the sudden change. While I do understand that running a file or media host with millions of users is a major undertaking, calling for immense space and bandwidth to carry most if not all, slapping such a huge fee without even warning users or going through a transition period is draconian, plain and simple. And yet Imgur seems to be fine and dandy with all them memes and so on, just as the post abides by their rules.]]> <![CDATA[Time for a New "New" 3DS.]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-609.html Tue, 02 May 2017 05:50:07 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-609.html
I have had an original Nintendo 3DS since July 2013, gifted as a college graduation gift. It has served me well, playing hundreds of hours of various games, mostly Animal Crossing New Leaf.

Come earlier 2017, and I decided to try out Super Smash Bros on 3DS, and noticed it ran kind of slow. I did my research and learned the upgraded 3DS model, the "New" 3DS, can play this game without issues and brings along some enhanced features. After swinging back and forth between upgrading and not upgrading, I finally bought my "New" 3DS XL last weekend. I wanted the Red color to match my old 3DS, but no store had it. It was either Black or Galaxy Style. I went for Galaxy Style because it looks a bit nicer than standard black, plus the inside is a cool metallic blue. Photos are shown below:

[Image: New3DSXL_01.jpg]

The reasons why I decided to upgrade are boiled down to two. There were some SNES Virtual Console titles that I was interested in (namely, games that cost hundreds of dollars on eBay), and SNES VC is only available on the "New" 3DS. I also discovered that using the shoulder buttons on the old 3DS is very uncomfortable to me. I haven't played many games that use the shoulder buttons until a few weeks ago when I tried my hands (literally) at Luxor.

Among other features the "New" 3DS brings to the table are a C-Stick located above the face buttons. This isn't an analog stick, but a rubber nub not unlike those found on older ThinkPad laptops. It's used as a second analog stick for games that need a secondary analog control, like moving the camera around. It's also used to execute Smash Attacks in Super Smash Bros. There are two additional shoulder buttons, ZL and ZR. The "New" 3DS also boasts a faster processor and built in amiibo support on the touch screen. Because of these many ehancements, there are games that only work on the "New" 3DS, but as of this writing, there aren't many exclusives beyond Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. As I mentioned, the SNES Virtual Console is only available on the "New" 3DS.

The "New" 3DS comes in two sizes, the standard size and the XL size. I chose the XL since I figured it would be more comfortable to use the shoulder buttons and that the screens are much larger, making games easier to see. The XL is the only model readily available in the states, with the standard size being limited edition bundles, like the most recent $99 Super Mario edition.

I think the "New" 3DS XL was a great choice for an upgrade. In terms of speed, the "New" 3DS far outclasses the original. The system UI is much more responsive, especially the eShop. Games that are enhanced for the "New" model also load faster, or perform a lot better than an older 3DS. One particular game, Hyrule Warriors Legends, only has 3D with the "New" units.

Should one consider upgrading if they have an original 3DS? It's very subjective. Personally, you should only upgrade to the "New" 3DS if you desire any exclusive feature like SNES VC, or if you really get into games like Super Smash Bros, which really benefit from the upgraded model. If you don't want any of the extra bells and whistles of the "New" 3DS, then it's best to stick with your original model, be it an XL or regular size.]]> <![CDATA[New 3DS... To upgrade or not to upgrade]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-608.html Fri, 03 Feb 2017 07:14:29 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-608.html
Lately, I have been using my original Nintendo 3DS a lot more. It was originally a college graduation gift from summer 2013, and while I did use it on and off over the years, I found out that I'm missing out on a lot of great games. I also like how 3DS/DS games are designed to be played in short time frames. I have a busy work day, so between the two jobs I have during rest periods, I can play my games for that length of time, and just put the console to sleep when I have to return to work.

Lately, I have been going back and forth deciding whether or not I should upgrade to the upgraded "New" 3DS, specifically the XL model. This all started when I tried out Super Smash Bros for 3DS, aka SSB 4. I noticed that on my system, it took forever to start up and when you exit, the system restarts. I researched this, and learned that this game pushes the limits of what the 3DS can do and it's more or less optimized for the upgraded "New" 3DS. With my console, the game does run fine when it's loaded up, but Miiverse and the web browser are disabled. On the "New" 3DS, you can multitask while playing this game and the load times are significantly shorter. SNES Virtual Console is only supported on the "New" 3DS as well. Several other games also make use of the upgraded hardware, usually performance improvements and use of the C-Stick and ZL/ZR buttons. A comprehensive list of such games are listed here on the nifty 3DS subreddit... https://www.reddit.com/r/3DS/wiki/exclusives

There is also hardware improvements... better 3D camera, face-tracking 3D, faster processor, etc. I hardly use the 3D feature since it's mostly a gimmick, but honestly, the face-tracking 3D does pique my interest. You can even use amiibo figures and cards without the use of an external reader/writer. I ended up ordering one for my original 3DS just yesterday, which I could have held off for a little while longer I guess.

I am so tempted to upgrade and give Nintendo $170 for a like new refurbished unit (since nearly every store I been to hasn't had 3DSes because of Nintendo's stock "issues"), but I really don't know if it would just be an impulse buy.

I have a few things that sway me towards Yes... There is only one "New" 3DS game I am moderately interested in, Hyperlight EX. There are actually some SNES VC games I do want such as Earthbound and MegaMan X and X3. Those game carts cost an arm-and-a-leg on eBay, especially EarthBound. I am intrigued by the increased performance of the system and certain games overall. I also would be more likely to use the 3D more with the new console. Built in amiibo support is also nice.

Here are the points that sway me towards No... my original 3DS has a physical Wifi switch, which is handy in case I need to shut off Wifi quickly to conserve battery. The "New" 3DS has a software switch built in to the Home menu settings, which takes more time to find and switch on or off. The included stylus is a comfortable metal telescoping type. The SD Card is easy to access and takes full size cards. The "New" 3DS has a microSD card.... inside the battery cover.... and it takes a bit more work to replace. Besides the exclusives I mentioned and SSB 4, my 3DS library runs fine and dandy on my current 3DS, and so will the games I have my eyes on.

And there you have it. I have trouble making up my mind on things like this, and perhaps someone could steer me towards a final decision. It's my choice in the end though, and who knows... maybe between now and summer a game will be announced that takes advantage of the "New" 3DS and it will convince me to upgrade.]]>
Lately, I have been using my original Nintendo 3DS a lot more. It was originally a college graduation gift from summer 2013, and while I did use it on and off over the years, I found out that I'm missing out on a lot of great games. I also like how 3DS/DS games are designed to be played in short time frames. I have a busy work day, so between the two jobs I have during rest periods, I can play my games for that length of time, and just put the console to sleep when I have to return to work.

Lately, I have been going back and forth deciding whether or not I should upgrade to the upgraded "New" 3DS, specifically the XL model. This all started when I tried out Super Smash Bros for 3DS, aka SSB 4. I noticed that on my system, it took forever to start up and when you exit, the system restarts. I researched this, and learned that this game pushes the limits of what the 3DS can do and it's more or less optimized for the upgraded "New" 3DS. With my console, the game does run fine when it's loaded up, but Miiverse and the web browser are disabled. On the "New" 3DS, you can multitask while playing this game and the load times are significantly shorter. SNES Virtual Console is only supported on the "New" 3DS as well. Several other games also make use of the upgraded hardware, usually performance improvements and use of the C-Stick and ZL/ZR buttons. A comprehensive list of such games are listed here on the nifty 3DS subreddit... https://www.reddit.com/r/3DS/wiki/exclusives

There is also hardware improvements... better 3D camera, face-tracking 3D, faster processor, etc. I hardly use the 3D feature since it's mostly a gimmick, but honestly, the face-tracking 3D does pique my interest. You can even use amiibo figures and cards without the use of an external reader/writer. I ended up ordering one for my original 3DS just yesterday, which I could have held off for a little while longer I guess.

I am so tempted to upgrade and give Nintendo $170 for a like new refurbished unit (since nearly every store I been to hasn't had 3DSes because of Nintendo's stock "issues"), but I really don't know if it would just be an impulse buy.

I have a few things that sway me towards Yes... There is only one "New" 3DS game I am moderately interested in, Hyperlight EX. There are actually some SNES VC games I do want such as Earthbound and MegaMan X and X3. Those game carts cost an arm-and-a-leg on eBay, especially EarthBound. I am intrigued by the increased performance of the system and certain games overall. I also would be more likely to use the 3D more with the new console. Built in amiibo support is also nice.

Here are the points that sway me towards No... my original 3DS has a physical Wifi switch, which is handy in case I need to shut off Wifi quickly to conserve battery. The "New" 3DS has a software switch built in to the Home menu settings, which takes more time to find and switch on or off. The included stylus is a comfortable metal telescoping type. The SD Card is easy to access and takes full size cards. The "New" 3DS has a microSD card.... inside the battery cover.... and it takes a bit more work to replace. Besides the exclusives I mentioned and SSB 4, my 3DS library runs fine and dandy on my current 3DS, and so will the games I have my eyes on.

And there you have it. I have trouble making up my mind on things like this, and perhaps someone could steer me towards a final decision. It's my choice in the end though, and who knows... maybe between now and summer a game will be announced that takes advantage of the "New" 3DS and it will convince me to upgrade.]]> <![CDATA[Introducing my new self-built Intel Core i3-6100 rig]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-303.html Tue, 29 Nov 2016 22:34:52 +0000 cpd2009]]> https://www.strawberryforum.org/board/thread-303.html
During the past few months, I have been acquiring the parts needed to build my own Intel Skylake rig, all suggested by Blake. Smile

Yesterday, the final part, the Intel Core i3-6100 CPU arrived at my home and I proceeded to assemble the system. I'd never imagined that a computer build would be so easy, and it's thanks to Intel developing an easy to use standard for CPU installation and mounting the cooling fan.

Here is what my new rig is made from:
-Rosewill FBM-01 MicroATX case
-Gigabyte GA-H110M-A MicroATX motherboard
-Intel Core i3-6100 dual-core processor
-Corsair Vengeance 8GB RAM Stick
-Corsair CX430 Power Supply (I already had this Wink

)

The remaining parts were reused from my old systems, consisting of a 500gb Seagate drive from Audrey, PCI-e Wifi from Ruby, a "Manhattan" 6-in-1 card reader, and DVD-RW drive from Patsy, and most importantly, the graphics card... the Nvidia GeForce 750Ti.

Later upgrades will include adding a secondary 1TB HDD and installing another Corsair 8GB RAM stick, maxing out the memory at 16GB.

The name I chose for the rig was Pearl, named after this neat little book series. Pearl is the rabbit btw... https://www.amazon.com/Pearl-Wagner-Two-...%26+wagner

So far, Pearl has literally outperformed all my previous systems, and I haven't even completed benchmarks yet. Websites load up almost instantly and system response time is much improved, noticeably when installing my software programs. I also gained two USB 3.0 ports on the back, along with four USB 2.0 ports.

I did have to make one minor change during build... Pearl's two front USB ports aren't connected because the GA-H110M-A only has one front USB header, and I decided to use that for the card reader. The card reader does have a standard USB port on it, so I can still use flash drives.

Later on, I will post screenshots of benchmarks and other things. I should get that done soon, I hope. Tongue

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During the past few months, I have been acquiring the parts needed to build my own Intel Skylake rig, all suggested by Blake. Smile

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