Advice Thread

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Merrymaker_Mortalis
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 15 Jul 2016, 13:39

One floor to up to one or two walls and a floor.

I don't know if USB Wifi varies based on what type of USB port it's in (2.0 or 3.0) or brand/model.

The Ethernet connection is good when it's registered by the PC.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Master Gunner » 15 Jul 2016, 16:32

At least in theory, a USB2 Wifi adapter should be able to keep up with a WiFi N signal (USB2 = 480Mbit/s, 802.11n = 450Mbit/s).

In practice, USB probably won't quite keep up, but unless you have a really high-speed internet connection, it shouldn't matter much anyways.

On the other hand, if you have a gigabit connection and a WiFi AC network, then you'd need a USB3 port to take full advantage of it; but short of that USB2 should be fine.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby abanytar » 06 Aug 2016, 16:32

PC Question

I've been having an ongoing (1 year this month) problem with my PC. When it happens, the computer shuts itself down after less than 1 hour of use, usually while watching YouTube/Twitch/etc. or while playing a game (most recently Civ 5 while I entertained optimism that I had fixed the problem (spoiler alert: I hadn't)). I have changed graphics cards, I have replaced the heat sink compound on the CPU, and I've done a total reinstall of Windows 7. The random shutdowns continue to frustrate me.

What I need advice on is next steps. Do I (A) continue to try to find a solution in my current set-up, or (B) toss what I have and get a completely new computer?
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby betsytheripper » 06 Aug 2016, 18:44

Without more symptoms, we might not be able to help too much, so I have a couple questions:

Are you monitoring temperatures? Are there any tells like freezing, or is it just suddenly off?

I've had some sudden shut offs that my best guess was over heating, so after resetting the heat sink on my GPU, I started monitoring temps and fan speed and put EVGA Precision X to work on fan control. If you're not using these types of programs already, those are my first suggestion.

Failing those, investigate your PSU and mobo for faults, maybe consider looking at your airflow through your case. I'm sure there's lots of other good suggestions I'm not considering, too, from more computer savvy folk. :D Hope you work it out, though, computer troubles suck.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby abanytar » 09 Aug 2016, 09:21

OK, so I downloaded a hardware monitor to look at temperatures while I ran Civ 5 again. The CPU peaked around 60-63 Celsius, which seems high to me. The GPU never got above 45 Celsius, which seems fine (I guess? I have no idea what I'm doing). I got past the magic 1 hour mark playing the game, so I was starting to feel hopeful.

Then at just about exactly three hours in, with no warning and no significant change in component temperatures, the computer just shut down.

So if I were to investigate the PSU or mobo for faults, what would I be looking for, exactly?
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Dutch guy » 09 Aug 2016, 11:48

Those are both hard to diagnose. You could use that hardware monitor software to check the stability of the 3.3v, 5v and 12v lines. That might give some info on the PSU.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Robo4900 » 11 Aug 2016, 21:16

If this is a desktop we're talking about, I'd suggest getting a new CPU cooler(I recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo) to solve the CPU temperature problem, since a 63°c CPU is pretty bad.

The fact that it suddenly shuts down on the dot of 1 hour is interesting... Maybe it's a driver problem? A stress test might be a good idea.

Either way, try checking the windows logs(Right click on the start button > Event Viewer > Windows logs > System). Post any "Critical" or "Error" messages that happened around the time of any of the shutdowns.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby CamelKnackRambleHort » 12 Aug 2016, 09:12

Does anyone know what resources are typically available to the homeless, or where I can look up that information?
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Jamfalcon » 12 Aug 2016, 09:22

I think it'll vary a lot depending on where you are. Here, it seems to mostly handled by either the city's government or non-profit organizations, depending on the type of service. Are you talking about shelters, food banks, that kind of thing? Or like availability to longer term housing and job training/finding?

I hope everything's okay!
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby CamelKnackRambleHort » 12 Aug 2016, 10:10

More like shelters, cheap food, that sort of thing.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Jamfalcon » 12 Aug 2016, 10:41

Alright. I saw from your Youcaring page that you're in Salt Lake City, so I took a look and found a PDF with a listing of a whole bunch of services: http://www.slcdocs.com/hand/Homeless_Services_Resource_Guide.pdf.

There's also a directory site, here: http://www.homelessshelterdirectory.org/

And a temporary assistance page from your government: http://jobs.utah.gov/housing/scso/hprrh/

Hope one of those is what you're looking for helps!
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby CamelKnackRambleHort » 12 Aug 2016, 11:36

Thank you. I just didn't even know where to start.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Jamfalcon » 12 Aug 2016, 11:48

No problem. I'm guessing at least one of those places can at the very least direct you to somewhere or someone that would have more specific answers, too.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby MinniChi » 20 Aug 2016, 08:38

So a friend of mine desperately wants me to help her set up and run a commercial catering kitchen.
She would do catering out of the location and we would have it available to rent out for anyone else in need of licensed space (birthday parties, home cooks that need more space etc.)

What I'm having difficulty with is figuring out my part in the business after we open. Do I work on catering as well? Despite my lack of contacts? Or should I concentrate my efforts elsewhere? Such as event hosting, or just taking care of the business end of things?
We're in the planning stages currently. Looking at funding and costs. We really want to get everything rolling by October.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Elomin Sha » 20 Aug 2016, 15:12

Ask.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Dutch guy » 21 Aug 2016, 08:07

MinniChi wrote:So a friend of mine desperately wants me to help her set up and run a commercial catering kitchen.
She would do catering out of the location and we would have it available to rent out for anyone else in need of licensed space (birthday parties, home cooks that need more space etc.)

What I'm having difficulty with is figuring out my part in the business after we open. Do I work on catering as well? Despite my lack of contacts? Or should I concentrate my efforts elsewhere? Such as event hosting, or just taking care of the business end of things?
We're in the planning stages currently. Looking at funding and costs. We really want to get everything rolling by October.


If she really wants you to join she must have an idea of what she is expecting you to be doing, so my first suggestion would be to just ask your prospective partner: "What do you expect my role to be". Talk AT LENGTH about what the mutual expectations for both of you are. A business venture is a great way to destroy a friendship if you don't talk very clearly about what each is going to do. Put it on paper preferably.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Macheya » 23 Aug 2016, 17:56

I didn't want to start a new thread, so I'm asking here. A couple friends of mine are going to have a chance sometime next year (I think, nothing's set in stone yet) to move to Washington state, specifically Bellevue. I've looked it up on Google maps, but there's not much you can glean about a city from there. I was wondering if anyone has any information or advice about the city and the surrounding area.

My friends used to live right outside Seattle a few years ago, so they have an idea of the climate, weather, what the city will be like, etc. I'm curious if it's a good biking city, how the snowfall is, job market, stuff like that. I currently live in Florida, but I prefer the cold to the heat. I've never lived in a really big city, but I visit Orlando often so I'm used to them. I have a car as well (2002 Monte Carlo).

I know WotC's HQ is in Washington State, and I know the BC Ferry has a stop in Seattle. One of the reasons I'm so excited for this move to become real is that I could visit Victoria once I'm settled in.

Thanks for the help, I appreciate anything you could give me or point me to.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Jamfalcon » 23 Aug 2016, 21:32

I can't answer all of those question, but as a Southern British Columbian the climate's pretty similar, and I drive past Bellvue every month or so to visit my girlfriend in Tacoma (about 45 minutes south of there). From what I can tell, Bellevue is basically the same city as Seattle, since it's just across a bridge from the downtown. So, let's see about those questions...

Macheya wrote:My friends used to live right outside Seattle a few years ago, so they have an idea of the climate, weather, what the city will be like, etc. I'm curious if it's a good biking city

From what I've seen of Seattle, it's probably alright for biking, if you're okay with lots of hills. Not sure about Bellevue specifically, though.

Macheya wrote:how the snowfall is

Snow won't be a big issue for you most of the year. Even a few hours north and farther inland, I've gotten two or three snowfalls at most the last few years, and they tend to melt within a couple days. I'm sure the city is well equipped with snowplows and the like. December/January tends to get the bulk of it, but that close to the water, I doubt you'll see more than a couple inches most years. That said, if you want to see lots of snow, there are plenty of mountains within easy driving distance.

Macheya wrote:job market

Not knowing what your profession is it's hard to say, but if you're going to be looking at minimum wage level jobs, Seattle has a $15 minimum wage to look forward to, and wouldn't be a far commute. Not sure if that carries over into Bellevue, but I expect businesses try to be at least competitive. As for industries, all I know is that there's a very large tech industry to the city.

Macheya wrote:I currently live in Florida, but I prefer the cold to the heat.

It'll probably seem very nice and mild compared to Florida. There are hot days for sure, but make sure you get a nice windbreaker and shoes that are okay in the rain, too.

Macheya wrote:I've never lived in a really big city, but I visit Orlando often so I'm used to them.

Like I mentioned, I think Bellevue basically counts as Seattle, so you'll at the very least have easy access to a major city. And segueing into the next point...

Macheya wrote:I have a car as well (2002 Monte Carlo).

Seattle is really busy. I think because of its geography sandwiched between two bodies of water, the main arteries get super congested for drivers. I'm sure locals can tell you the good routes to take, but as someone who just drives through the area and has been one or two places downtown, it can be pretty crazy and take a long time to travel a short distance, especially during rush hour.

Macheya wrote:I know WotC's HQ is in Washington State, and I know the BC Ferry has a stop in Seattle. One of the reasons I'm so excited for this move to become real is that I could visit Victoria once I'm settled in.

Yeah, the ferry isn't cheap, but I think it's a relatively short ride to get to Victoria from Seattle. It's also worth noting that you'll be a bit over two hour's drive from the border to mainland Canada, and it's a super easy, all highway drive from Seattle to Vancouver, and very straightforward for the other nearby crossings.

Other than that, as I understand it the cost of living is on the higher end for the US in the Seattle area, so do be prepared for that. But as someone completely biased who's grown up in the same climate and a similar regional culture, it's a pretty worthwhile investment. :) Hope some of that helps, and I'm sure somebody with more specifically local experience will be able to chime in too!
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby abanytar » 24 Aug 2016, 12:19

Robo4900 wrote:If this is a desktop we're talking about, I'd suggest getting a new CPU cooler(I recommend the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo) to solve the CPU temperature problem, since a 63°c CPU is pretty bad.

The fact that it suddenly shuts down on the dot of 1 hour is interesting... Maybe it's a driver problem? A stress test might be a good idea.

Either way, try checking the windows logs(Right click on the start button > Event Viewer > Windows logs > System). Post any "Critical" or "Error" messages that happened around the time of any of the shutdowns.


Sorry I haven't posted in a bit! Obviously my computer has not melted into slag in the interim.

On a whim, I decided to disconnect the SATA cable for the pre-owned CD drive I got from a friend when I first built this computer...and I haven't had any problems since! I "accidentally" played Civ 5 for five hours without any hiccups or shutdowns. So it may be the problem's solved. I will definitely look into that new CPU cooler - I checked the temperature logs after that five hour session and the CPU maxed around 70°C during play. Yikes. I'll also dig through the Windows logs and see if I can find any of those error messages. Thanks for the suggestions and help, everyone!
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Macheya » 24 Aug 2016, 20:44

Jamfalcon wrote:Other than that, as I understand it the cost of living is on the higher end for the US in the Seattle area, so do be prepared for that. But as someone completely biased who's grown up in the same climate and a similar regional culture, it's a pretty worthwhile investment. :) Hope some of that helps, and I'm sure somebody with more specifically local experience will be able to chime in too!


Thanks a bunch for your answers, they're definitely a help. I actually have like three jackets and a windbreaker that I never get to use because I live in Florida and it never gets cold enough to put any of it on. As for snow, it can get bent, so I'm glad it doesn't pile up like it did when I was in Massachusetts.

Anyway, thanks for your help, it's much appreciated.
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Lord Chrusher » 25 Aug 2016, 13:24

Macheya wrote:I know WotC's HQ is in Washington State, and I know the BC Ferry has a stop in Seattle. One of the reasons I'm so excited for this move to become real is that I could visit Victoria once I'm settled in.


To be pedantic, the ferry from Seattle to Victoria is not run by BC Ferries. The passenger only Victoria Clipper goes from downtown Victoria to downtown Seattle in about three hours. If you want to take a car to Vancouver Island from Seattle you have three options. First, you can drive up to Tsawwassen (two and a half hours) and take the BC Ferry (an hour and a half) to Swartz Bay then drive in Victoria (half an hour). Second, you can drive to Port Angeles (two and a half hours) then take the Coho (an hour and a half) across the Straight of Juan de Fuca to Victoria. Third, you can drive up to Anacortes (two hours) then take the Washington State Ferry to Sidney (two hours) before driving into Victoria (half an hour).
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Re: Advice Thread

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 15 Apr 2017, 17:34

Can anyone suggest a graphics tablet that shows the marks you're making on it?

I have a standard tablet, but I find the disconnect between the surface and my monitor difficult to adjust with (scaling issues). However, with trying Art Academi games on the DS, I find seeing my marks on the touch screen helps a lot.

Any advice for what tablets would be ideal for this? I want to go into digital art, but I am traditionally skilled. This type of tablet seems the best for my needs.

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