Random Technology Questions

[RoadRunner71]

I got it working and haven't lost anything. Thanks for the help, guys.

[friendly luggage]

My friends currently got an i5 2400, 8GB ram and a GTX 550 Ti but this needs upgrading or replacing now. He's got about £500 to build a new PC or upgrade the existing one. I'm thinking of just getting a new case (old one needs replacing), PSU and a graphics card but was wondering what everyone else thought.

Edited September 7, 2014 by friendly luggage

[yoječ]

Yeah, that should do the job. Maybe an SSD as well.

[WesternMotorcycleCo.]

Thought on this PC?

 

i3-4130

GTX 750ti

8GB DDR3

 

Owner says it runs new games on ultra and youtube proves that, but is the GPU outdated or anything?

Edited September 7, 2014 by TPenterprise

[Flachbau]

http://videocardz.com/nvidia/geforce-700/geforce-gtx-750-ti

 

Says it was released on February 18th of this year.

[Raavi]

Current plan ends next month, so I'm the market for a new phone. Currently own a Galaxy Note 2, which I've been more than content with. Now, should I go for the Note 4 or for the at first sight somewhat gimmicky Note Edge? Does one have any significant advantages over the other? Or should I go with something else entirely?

[GreatGig]

If you like your Note 2 then the natural progression would be to go for the Note 4, which is no slouch of a phone so that'd be a great choice (the Edge is also pretty great).

 

On the other hand, going with a different device can sometimes be exciting. You might adore it after a week, but you can also end up hating it. Just make sure that reviews of whichever phone you choose are all good. I have the Note 3 at the minute but I'd love to trade it for the LG G3 or One M8. Anyway, I guess you can just look at the market and see if anything else interests you, if not, you always have the excellent Note 4 to fall back on.

[Flachbau]

I would read reviews about these devices before upgrading: LG G3, Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 (Android & Windows)

 

The Note 4 and Note Edge are not released yet, so you will have to wait if you really choose to purchase one of those.

[Rebel]

I switched from an Iphone to the LG G3. Basically, I'd like all of my songs on my Iphone (they aren't on my PC due to reformatting etc) to be transffered to my PC. However, I used a programme called Sharepod. Basically, it told me if I wanted to transfer more than 50 songs I'd have to shell out £20. f*ck that, I'd like something free considering I'll only ever do this once. So do you guys know any other way I can get my songs from my iphone to my PC and save them there?

[hornedturtle]

Connect phone to computer

Treat it like a usb and copy it from the phone to your computer.

[Flachbau]

Let's say I use a converter (for a random example, VGA to DVI), would I lose any quality? Would it be better to just use DVI instead?

 

Just a random question that came across my mind today.

 

Also, how can I make Windows 8.1 preform better on a Intel Celeron D 356 with 2GB of RAM? Help please.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Android

[yoječ]

You mean a passive adapter or an active converter?

 

First off, VGA port is analog, thus in itself it offers worse quality than DVI (which is digital). However, DVI-I ports send both analog and digital signals, so they can be used with passive adapters with no extra loss of quality.

If you'd want to connect VGA monitor to DVI-D port, you'd have to use an active converter, which could also increase lag.

[Flachbau]

Ah, I meant adapter, not converter. I was trying to remember what it was called while making that post Thanks for putting things in perspective.

[yoječ]

I'll also add that adapters are often poorly made, a better solution is to use DVI-VGA cable.

[SimsDaniel916]

Anyone know how to restore ringtone purchases from iTunes? Under "Purchased" the only options are Music, TV Shows and Movies. No option to find already purchased ringtones.

 

I picked up a iPhone 6 Plus and after restoring from iCloud, all of my custom ringtones are gone.

[SpongeSquid]

Should I get an Xperia Z Ultra or Oneplus One? The Z Ultra costs slightly less but it has worse specs than the 1+1 and it seems a bit too big.

[Vanto]

The OnePlus One has better specs, better (primary and secondary) camera, it's smaller and cheaper (in pages I've seen). However the Xperia Z Ultra is waterproof, has shatterproof screen and does have microSD card slot, unlike the OnePlus One.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Vanto

[sivispacem]

And you can actually buy an Xperia, whereas the OnePlus is basically vapourware.

[SpongeSquid]

I can get the Xperia for about 300$ or the OnePlus One 16GB for about 330$. I like the Xperia a bit more but I'm kinda scared of it snapping in half or the screen shattering easily if dropped considering how large and thin it is.

[Vanto]

Some websites claim it's shatterproof and other scratch resistant.

[Gummy]

Can I get a good gaming laptop for around $1400?

I want something that's good for gaming and lasts for around 5 years and can play something like IV or Watch Dogs, and later V, I've been offered this, this is a rare chance to get a good laptop (my parents won't let me buy a PC)

[Flachbau]

I'm going to also ask this in the Have a Question topic, but where can I find the HD version of the wallpaper seen here?

[Ciaran]

Hey.

 

Quick Question, How easy is it to replace a backlight for a 32" TV?

 

Cheers.

[Crokey]

Very, very tricky, not only have you got to strip the whole back panel off which is a tricky job, and get the right back light component, which may well cost you as much as a new TV. A lot of the back light arrays are connected with plastic ribbon cables, and for some reason TV manufacturers like making these as stuck in as possible, usually with lots of solder or clamps that are made of that really thin breakable plastic and are easily damaged.

 

However, to make things worse they can be hardwired into the LED/LCD array so you can't actually replace the back light at all, it really depends on the manufacturer

[GreatGig]

Yea, I wouldn't even bother. Tried to do it myself once and it's easily one of the hardest things to ever try. The ribbons and clamps that Croke mentioned were the biggest issues I had. I'd just buy a new set as it'd probably cost less overall.

 

Anyways, I have a question. I finally got myself an Xbox One and bought a few games to download. On every other device I have Internet speed is great, reaching 20-25Mb on average. The Xbox doesn't seem to be getting this though. Downloading Forza 5 took bloody forever. So, does anyone know if this is an Xbox issue or is there something else going on?

[K^2]

I finally got myself an Xbox One and bought a few games to download. On every other device I have Internet speed is great, reaching 20-25Mb on average. The Xbox doesn't seem to be getting this though. Downloading Forza 5 took bloody forever. So, does anyone know if this is an Xbox issue or is there something else going on?

See if web is just as slow. Try streaming something from YouTube. Or just run a browser-based speed test.

 

Of course, out of 3 likely bottlenecks, one is probably MS's fault, and the other two are definitely MS's fault. And whatever it is, it's probably a feature according to them. Nonetheless, if the problem is with the connection, you might be able to improve things by adjusting your router's settings, so it's worth a try.

[Cosmic Gypsy]

Ok, I'm in need of an upgrade in terms of my gaming PC, my current specs are.

 

Windows Vista Home Premium, 64 bit OS

Dell, XPS 730X

Intel Core i7 CPU, 920 @ 2.67 GHz

6gb RAM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285

I have a Windows 7 disc that i finally need to install, but other than that, what do you guys suggest? Cities Skylines is crashing every 10 - 40 minutes with display driver stopped responding message, RAM is maxing out and sh*t. Plus my CPU at times gets unfathomably hot. Games like DayZ won't run at all.

[hornedturtle]

Ok, I'm in need of an upgrade in terms of my gaming PC, my current specs are.

Windows Vista Home Premium, 64 bit OS

Dell, XPS 730X

Intel Core i7 CPU, 920 @ 2.67 GHz

6gb RAM

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 285

I have a Windows 7 disc that i finally need to install, but other than that, what do you guys suggest? Cities Skylines is crashing every 10 - 40 minutes with display driver stopped responding message, RAM is maxing out and sh*t. Plus my CPU at times gets unfathomably hot. Games like DayZ won't run at all.

is you're graphics card cconnected properly? Also what is you're harddrive?

[Vanto]

I'd personally recommend a new graphics card, and just as you mentioned that the CPU gets very hot, a good cooler.

[Cosmic Gypsy]

So you'd say my RAM isn't an issue?

 

When playing Cities: Skylines the RAM maxes out and causes the game to crash more often than not, i go to task manager and I'm using like 5.19 gigs of RAM, and my CPU will be at like 80% usage or some sh*t, would this be because my graphics card isn't as good as it could be?

 

Pretty sure the graphics card is installed/connected properly, hasn't been touched since i bought it which was like 2009 lol. Works fine on older games, just not so great on newer games, and terribly on high end games.

Edited March 17, 2015 by Cosmic Gypsy