Computer General Discussion Thread

[Bezombia]

In light of continued semi-off-topic discussion in a slew of sort of related threads, I've decided to take the initiative and create one central PC Discussion Thread.

This thread shall be used for all sorts of discussion about PCs. Be it hardware, software, firmware, freeware, shareware, abandonware, trickleware, vaporware, legalware, or even tupperware (please not tupperware. that was a joke.)!
To be more focused then the Tech Discussion Thread (which is still 99.9% phone stuff) and slightly more focused than the TFG, which is where most of the stuff that would go here was ending up, this thread shall...uh...well here it is!


To start off the thread, the ultimate question. Which do you use most often: Windows, Mac, or Linux? Bonus poll joke options that aren't really joke options afoot

[Spoder]

Windows will always be superior.
As will Radeon and RoG.

[Czechanada]

Windows 7 user over here.

[Bezombia]

Windows 7 user over here.

+1 to this. I'll be using W7 until Linux becomes an all in one alternative.

[Spoder]

Windows 7 user over here.

+1 to this. I'll be using W7 until Linux becomes an all in one alternative.

I'll never use Linux because open-source in something with as limited a variety of choices as OS hurts enterprise and the economy.

[Bezombia]

+1 to this. I'll be using W7 until Linux becomes an all in one alternative.

I'll never use Linux because open-source in something with as limited a variety of choices as OS hurts enterprise and the economy.

That doesn't even make an ounce of sense.

[Spoder]

I'll never use Linux because open-source in something with as limited a variety of choices as OS hurts enterprise and the economy.

That doesn't even make an ounce of sense.

Financial isolation.
Requiring support/investments.
When you fail to deliver, those investments/donations fail.
They also provide free, slightly more buggy/dumbed down versions of paid for software licensed by companies, which hurts their revenue and thus the economy.

[Bezombia]

That doesn't even make an ounce of sense.

Financial isolation.
Requiring support/investments.
When you fail to deliver, those investments/donations fail.
They also provide free, slightly more buggy/dumbed down versions of paid for software licensed by companies, which hurts their revenue and thus the economy.

1: what
2: nope
3: nope
4: makes zero sense

[Spoder]

Financial isolation.
Requiring support/investments.
When you fail to deliver, those investments/donations fail.
They also provide free, slightly more buggy/dumbed down versions of paid for software licensed by companies, which hurts their revenue and thus the economy.

1: what
2: nope
3: nope
4: makes zero sense

1.Financial isolation/dependancy because you don't make revenue.
2.Something as large as Linux requires donations
3. When you fail your project, people wasted their money donating
4. It does make sense. Take google drive for example (To which Microsoft skillfully and expertly responded with Office 365). Tons of people use it. While it isn't "open-source", it's a free office alternative (dumbed-down/poorly optimized) that is drawing customers away.

But meh. I would prefer Windows, because it is a dependable software. I don't need to worry about all support dropping, and the company closing down. It's a licensed, closed-source licensed software, so that I means I can trust the company to work on it, I can trust it to stay around, and I can trust it when I invest in it.
But now for hardware.
Which brand do you prefer?
Republic of Gamers (ASUS gaming brand)
MSI
Gigabyte
EVGA
ASRock

I prefer RoG myself

[Bezombia]

1: what
2: nope
3: nope
4: makes zero sense

1.Financial isolation/dependancy because you don't make revenue.
2.Something as large as Linux requires donations
3. When you fail your project, people wasted their money donating
4. It does make sense. Take google drive for example (To which Microsoft skillfully and expertly responded with Office 365). Tons of people use it. While it isn't "open-source", it's a free office alternative (dumbed-down/poorly optimized) that is drawing customers away.

1: ...uh, no.
2: "Linux" isn't made by one person/group.
2: No, because nobody donated.
4: Also take note that google drive is shit "software" that's only free because Google knows nobody would buy it.

But meh. I would prefer Windows, because it is a dependable software. I don't need to worry about all support dropping, and the company closing down

This makes less than zero sense. Just because Windows is being sold for money and Linux isn't doesn't mean that MS is any more or less inclined to go out of business then the hundreds of groups that are developing Linux versions.

It's a licensed, closed-source licensed software, so that I means I can trust the company to work on it,

Again, there's no logic there.

I can trust it to stay around, and I can trust it when I invest in it.

Um, no, no you can't, that doesn't make any sense. Just because it's closed source doesn't mean it's going to last longer.
In fact, it means quite the opposite. If MS went out of business right this second, all development of Windows would stop dead in the water. On the other hand, if the thousands of individuals that are independently working on Linux all dropped dead right now, there are hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of programmers that could take their place in a heartbeat because it would be perfectly legal to do so.

But now for hardware.
Which brand do you prefer?
Republic of Gamers (ASUS gaming brand)
MSI
Gigabyte
EVGA
ASRock

I prefer RoG myself

HIS for graphics cards, Gigabyte for motherboards, Intel for processors.

[Spoder]

HIS for graphics cards, Gigabyte for motherboards, Intel for processors.

HIS meh.
Intel is great.
You prefer...the cheapos.
ewwwww.

[Bezombia]

HIS for graphics cards, Gigabyte for motherboards, Intel for processors.

HIS meh.
Intel is great.
You prefer...the cheapos.
ewwwww.

HIS has the best coolers of any of the AMD consistent brands.
Gigabyte is in a love affair with Intel, where 99% of the time the top of the line mobo is a Gigabyte.
Intel > AMD for gaming purposes from a raw performance standpoint.

[Spoder]

HIS meh.
Intel is great.
You prefer...the cheapos.
ewwwww.

HIS has the best coolers of any of the AMD consistent brands.
Gigabyte is in a love affair with Intel, where 99% of the time the top of the line mobo is a Gigabyte.
Intel > AMD for gaming purposes from a raw performance standpoint.

Graphics>Processor for gaming purposes.
AMD A10-7770K + R9 290x = everything you want.

Gigabyte is never top of the line.

http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/RAMPAGE_IV_BLACK_EDITION/
http://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/MAXIMUS_VI_EXTREME/

[Meritocratic States]

Saying hi from a Windows 8.1 Professional.

[Bezombia]

HIS has the best coolers of any of the AMD consistent brands.
Gigabyte is in a love affair with Intel, where 99% of the time the top of the line mobo is a Gigabyte.
Intel > AMD for gaming purposes from a raw performance standpoint.

Graphics>Processor for gaming purposes.

Nope. Not sure where you got that from, because it's completely wrong.

Just look at this website, that has dozens of "mix and match" builds that offer the best performance for any given budget:

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Notice how once you get around the $900 point, all of the processors are Intels? Also notice how a Gigabyte mobo is recommended for almost every budget, where the competitor switches between MSI, Asus, Asrock, and eventually Rampage?

[Spoder]

Graphics>Processor for gaming purposes.

Nope. Not sure where you got that from, because it's completely wrong.

Just look at this website, that has dozens of "mix and match" builds that offer the best performance for any given budget:

http://www.logicalincrements.com/

Notice how once you get around the $900 point, all of the processors are Intels? Also notice how a Gigabyte mobo is recommended for almost every budget, where the competitor switches between MSI, Asus, Asrock, and eventually Rampage?

Then why is RoG the most used brand by professional, competitive overclockers?
And yeah, Intel's higher end CPUs are better. I know that. Stop acting as if I'm ignorant. And at 900USD, if you're choosing intel then you're just going to be overpaying. At the 1300USD pricepoint, it's reasonable but AMD dominates <1000USD.
But in gaming, for max performance all you need are good cards and a fair CPU. The cards are way more important.

[Wind in the Willows]

I use Windows and Linux.

[Czechanada]

I use Windows and Linux.

I would be using Linux in a dual boot as well, but none of the distros I have tried want to connecet to the internet.

They used to, but then we got a new router.

[Bezombia]

I use Windows and Linux.

I would be using Linux in a dual boot as well, but none of the distros I have tried want to connecet to the internet.

They used to, but then we got a new router.

I would be dual booting, but AMD's crowdopensource drivers are complete shit, and the proprietary drivers are a bit messy to install. Wouldn't be a problem if my card didn't, for some strange reason, default to 10% underscan, but as long as that goes on it really isn't an option for me.

I do have a TinyCore bootable CD in case Windows ever decides to shit itself again like it did a few months ago.

[Czechanada]

I would be using Linux in a dual boot as well, but none of the distros I have tried want to connecet to the internet.

They used to, but then we got a new router.

I would be dual booting, but AMD's crowdopensource drivers are complete shit, and the proprietary drivers are a bit messy to install. Wouldn't be a problem if my card didn't, for some strange reason, default to 10% underscan, but as long as that goes on it really isn't an option for me.

I do have a TinyCore bootable CD in case Windows ever decides to shit itself again like it did a few months ago.

The proprietary drivers aren't that hard to install; One just has to remember to install the 32 bit kernel headers before installing the drivers.

To uninstall drivers, however, is difficult.

[Novaya Tselinoyarsk]

PC Setup:

CPU: AMD Six Core 4.1GHz
RAM: 8GB
Mobo: Asus Something (I forget the model, can't be arsed to look)
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 650
OS: Windows 7 Prof
Storage: 1x 128GB SSD for OS, 1x 1TB 7200RPM HDD for games.

I keep all of my movies, music, and files on my server, which runs:

CPU: AMD Quad Core 3.9GHz
RAM: 6GB
Mobo: Asus Something (Again, can't be arsed)
GPU: None
OS: Debian (I also have about five VMs, two which run Windows 8 for dicking around, and Windows Server; Other three are different flavors of Linux)
Storage: 3x 2TB 7200RPM HDD, 1x 1TB HDD, 1x 128GB SSD.

I built my server out of the old parts from my original gaming PC, and just added refurbished HDDs from various sources, barely spent any money on making it other then new case.

[Bezombia]

PC Setup:

CPU: AMD Six Core 4.1GHz
RAM: 8GB
Mobo: Asus Something (I forget the model, can't be arsed to look)
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 650
OS: Windows 7 Prof
Storage: 1x 128GB SSD for OS, 1x 1TB 7200RPM HDD for games.

I keep all of my movies, music, and files on my server, which runs:

CPU: AMD Quad Core 3.9GHz
RAM: 6GB
Mobo: Asus Something (Again, can't be arsed)
GPU: None
OS: Debian (I also have about five VMs, two which run Windows 8 for dicking around, and Windows Server; Other three are different flavors of Linux)
Storage: 3x 2TB 7200RPM HDD, 1x 1TB HDD, 1x 128GB SSD.

I built my server out of the old parts from my original gaming PC, and just added refurbished HDDs from various sources, barely spent any money on making it other then new case.

This is mine:

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K, 4.6 GHz (212 EVO)
RAM: 16GB (2x8, 1600)
Mobo: Gigabyte Z77-D3H v1.1
GPU: HIS IceQ/X Radeon HD 7850 (oc'd to 1.05 GHz)
OS: Windows 7 HE
Storage: 180GB Intel SSD; 1TB Seagate HDD; 2TB+8GB Seagate HSSD

[RiderSyl]

Here's mine:

Manufacturer: Gateway
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 870 @ 2.93GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.9GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Hard Drive: 978 GB
Mobo: I have no idea.
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5750
Monitor: acer HDMI H233H Monitor

[Bezombia]

Here's mine:

Manufacturer: Gateway
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU 870 @ 2.93GHz (8 CPUs), ~2.9GHz
Memory: 8192MB RAM
Hard Drive: 978 GB
Mobo: I have no idea.
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
Video Card: ATI Radeon HD 5750
Monitor: acer HDMI H233H Monitor

>8 CPUs

[Czechanada]

Manufacturer: Hewlett-Packard
Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad 6600 at 2.4 Ghz
Memory: 4096 DDR2 RAM at 400 Mhz.
Hard Drive: 2 x 500 GB
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit (6.1, Build 7600)
Video Card: Powercolor Radeon HD 6870