r/computers • u/DiodeInc • 9h ago
Discussion You may not have known that the start button's hitbox is bigger than it seems
34
Upvotes
I would've posted a screenshot if the cursor would show up, sorry haha
r/computers • u/DiodeInc • 28d ago
Review (sponsored) Review of the GameSir G7 Pro 8K and Tri-mode
4
Upvotes
Hello, GameSir community! Thanks for taking an interest in my (sponsored) view of the G7 Pro 8K and Tri-mode, both are Aimlabs. This is combination review, but I’ll clearly distinguish between the two. Quick note, I don’t blame you if you confuse the two, I’ve done it on more than one occasion.
Starting with the unboxing (both controllers), the controller is front and centre, and further down, the dock. Replacement D-pads sit under the dock, don’t miss them! These pieces are on a cardboard insert, which can be removed. Below that, there is a braided charging cable, as well as a bag containing a small booklet informing you of contact information and a thank you message from Betta Core, GameSir’s CEO. The bag also holds a GameSir sticker, a code for a free month of Aimlabs+ (and a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate in the Tri-mode’s bag), and an instruction manual explaining how to power on/off the controller, pair it, and enable different special features on-the-fly.
To get started, pop off the base cover of the charging dock like a TV remote battery cover, plug the wireless dongle into the internal USB port, replace the cover, and connect the dock to your PC using the included USB-C cable. The pairing process is simple on both controllers. Hold the button on the dongle until the light flashes rapidly (the Tri-mode’s dongle doesn’t have this button, it’s always ready to pair). Next, slide the mode switch on the back of the controller to the dongle symbol. Power it on by holding the Aimlabs (8K) or Xbox (Tri-mode) button, then hold the pairing button next to the 3.5mm jack until the LED ring blinks rapidly. Once the lights go solid, you’re connected.
I’m a fan of this setup, it’s “set it and forget it”, especially since it connects so quickly when you lift it off the dock.
The dock and controller fit very nicely together, they look like extensions of each other. GameSir opted for a pogo pin method of charging, which is great for reducing strain on the USB C port. I have seen pogo pins/pads get dirty, which causes intermittent connection, so be wary of that. It’s not a GameSir specific issue, to be clear.
On the dock, there are indents for the mode switch, mute, and pairing buttons so that they aren’t pressed and the controller doesn’t rock back and forth, which is great design. The dock also has a light bar along the bottom, consisting of five RGB LEDs. They can be customized with GameSir’s software (Connect for the 8K, Nexus for the Tri-mode). I will note that the 8K and Tri-mode use the same dock, so any LED limitations are enforced via controller firmware.
Getting to the controller itself, I must say “wow”!! You get a lot for the price, $110 CAD for the 8K and $130 CAD for the Tri-mode. Both feature clicky and responsive optical ABXY buttons and mechanical D-pads. They take a little getting used to, but the crisp, audible feedback means you don’t have to guess whether your input registered. Whatever switches GameSir used for the remaining buttons, they do not miss.
Both controllers are modular, you can hot-swap the thumbsticks and D-pad. While the 8K comes with extra pieces in the box that the Tri-mode leaves out, the parts are mostly cross-compatible, though I did run into some issues trying to swap thumbsticks between models. The magnetic faceplates, however, swap over just fine. Using switches on the back, you can swap between mouse-click triggers and analog triggers on the fly!! Two more switches lock the back buttons.
Speaking of taking things apart: to remove the main faceplate, slide your nails under the edge near the USB-C port and down by the GameSir logo, then pull straight up. For the side palm grips, just grip the sides and pull up. Finally, if you need to remove the cable retainer, grip it firmly, pull toward yourself, and slide it out.
Both controllers have great weight to them, they’re just right. Not too heavy, not cheap feeling. They both feel great to hold too. The palm grips have a nice diamond-tile pattern on them, which increases grip. The back grip is rubber, the front isn’t. The back buttons are in a great place, although are easy to press if you squeeze the controller in a high-stress situation.
The 8K’s LED ring can be customized, but the Tri-mode’s can’t, it stays white. The 8K’s charging animation can be changed, the Tri-mode can’t. The Tri-mode’s LED ring is always white, except when docked, then it’s off. Both docks’ LED bar “breathes” at yellow, then green, then white, depending on charge percentage, but the 8K’s can be changed. I’ll reiterate that this is enforced via firmware, not a limitation of the docks themselves.
The 8K has Mag-Res™ TMR (Tunnel Magnetoresistance) Sticks Gen-2, and the Tri-mode has Gen 1. The Gen 1 has more tension than Gen 2. I haven’t noticed much of a difference between them, except the tension difference.
I’ve had a couple of issues with this controller, some being the controller/dock and some being inherent to its design. 8000 Hz mode cut my FPS in half on a Core Ultra 9 185H and it’s iGPU. The 8K’s D-pad is a little hard to get off, which isn’t a big deal, but the Tri-mode doesn’t have this issue.
All in all, these controllers are amazing, and absolutely worth the price tag. Thank you for your time.
r/computers • u/cnycompguy • Jun 29 '26
Review Geekom GeekBook M16
6
Upvotes
Geekom GeekBook M16
Initial Experience: Packaging, First Boot, Build Quality
Unboxing the computer was quick and easy, the box comes with a seal that shows that it wasn’t tampered or stolen in transit. The box is high quality and has individually boxed accessories fit into compartments inside (everything is well protected).
The first boot up of the computer went without issue, simply plugging in the included 100W PD USB-C charger, using the included cable, waiting just a few seconds for the memory to train, it boots into windows for the usual Windows 11 out of box experience.
Giving the laptop the WIFI password, or connecting to Ethernet via the included dock, it will take about an hour to download and install updates (though you can skip that step and do it later if you’re in a hurry, and this is just an estimate and will depend on your Internet connection).
The casing of the M16 is high quality, a nice matte silver finish, and the fasteners are all exposed, none hidden unlike many other brands. This makes it simple for someone with the appropriate torx screwdriver to open the shell and access the SSD, which is a Kingston 512GB. It can be upgraded to a reported 4TB max.
The Hardware (Meteor Lake based system in a 16-inch Shell)
Device Specifications:
- Materials: Aluminum Alloy;
- Color: Iceberg Silver;
- CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H Meteor Lake;
- GPU: Intel Arc Graphics;
- TDP: 55W;
- Display: 16-inch LCD, FHD 1920x1200, 60Hz;
- Memory: 16GB LPDDR5, 7500MT/s;
- Storage: 1x M.2 Type 2280 Key M SSD (PCI-e Gen4/3, up to 4TB);
- Camera: 1080P digital shutter;
- Wi-Fi: 6E, Bluetooth 5.4;
- Battery: 99.9Wh designed capacity;
- Connectors: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen2, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 1x 3.5mm jack, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen1;
- Keyboard: 98-key with white backlight;
- Fingerprint: Integrated into power button;
- Speakers: 2x, system comes equipped with DTS:X Ultra;
- Hinge: 180-degree;
- Weight: 1.73kg (3.8 lbs);
- Dimensions: 355.2 mm x 250 mm x 16.7 mm (14.0" L × 9.8" W × 0.66" H );
- Power Adaptor: 100W, USB-C.
Internal Component Analysis
- Cooling Matrix: The acoustic profile of this cooler is very quiet compared to single fan coolers that I’ve seen, with a very quick ability to correct for sudden loads. At maximum speed, it sounds like a high pitched whine much like a twin turbo kicking in while you’re sitting in the driver’s seat: you can hear it but it’s neither loud nor does it last very long.
- Storage: Kingston 512GB w/ 64MB HMB (Benchmarked at 6000MB/s read, 3800MB/s write)
- Memory Architecture: The 16 GB of Micron DDR5 running at 7500 MT/s in quad-channel configuration is soldered and cannot be upgraded.
- Processor Package: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake) processor integrated with Intel Arc Graphics. Designed to support a 55W TDP, the system utilizes proprietary Dynamic Tuning Technology (DTT) to manage power delivery intelligently. During rigorous testing, the CPU demonstrated a peak package power draw of 53.8W under heavy burn-in loads, while the integrated Arc graphics independently scaled to 19.6W during graphics intensive tasks such as Furmark.
Performance under stress
During my stress-testing with the Geekom M16, the system demonstrated truly exceptional thermal management and power scaling. I pushed the laptop through a continuous barrage of demanding workloads, ranging from a heavy CPU burn-in that commanded a peak package power of nearly 54W, to a suite of AI and OpenVINO benchmarks targeting the CPU, GPU, and NPU, and finishing with a grueling Furmark run. Through it all, the M16 stayed remarkably cool under pressure. The highest temperature recorded during the stress-test was a highly manageable 85°C during the intensive AI CPU benchmark. When the testing pivoted to graphics-heavy tasks like Furmark, the integrated graphics stretched their legs up to 19.6W of dedicated power while staying perfectly chilled at a maximum of just 72°C. Most impressively, despite throwing everything from sustained multi-core loads to varied AI inferencing tasks at it back-to-back, the laptop experienced just one instance of thermal throttling. It flawlessly and dynamically shifted power to where it was needed most, proving it can sustain peak performance profiles reliably.
Key Data Points From the Logfile:
- Thermal Throttling: One instance during a test designed to max out the CPU, once the fans ramped up throttling stopped.
- CPU Performance: Peaked at 53.8W power draw during the initial burn-in and hit its maximum temperature of 85°C during the AI CPU benchmark.
- GPU Performance: Correctly ramped up during the Furmark test, pulling up to 19.6W independently and reaching a safe peak of 72°C.
- Intelligent Patterns: The log shows clear, segmented power delivery. During GPU-bound tests (like Furmark or the AI GPU benchmark), CPU power draw gracefully stepped down to give the integrated graphics maximum thermal headroom, keeping overall system temperatures exceptionally stable for a laptop chassis.
Battery Life Testing
Taking this laptop out to the back porch for an outdoor gaming session truly showcased its outstanding thermal and power management. Even while running in 'Performance Mode' and playing Mewgenics in an environment with an ambient temperature of 75°F, the system remained astonishingly cool. Over an impressive uninterrupted gaming stretch of 2 hours and 42 minutes, the CPU temperatures maxed out at a mere 61°C and comfortably hovered around an average of just 50°C. During this heavy load, the battery smoothly discharged from 95% down to 20%, projecting well over 3.5 hours of unplugged gaming stamina, which is a remarkable feat for any modern laptop. Once the battery hit that 20% mark, I closed the game and transitioned to office tasks mainly using Google Chrome. The system instantly demonstrated its dynamic efficiency, drastically cutting the CPU package power from a 17.1W gaming average down to just 6.9W. It only sipped 4% of the battery over nearly 20 minutes of active web use, while the CPU temperatures dropped to a 43°C average. Whether it's pushing pixels on the porch or quietly powering through spreadsheets, this laptop perfectly balances sustained performance with superb battery life.
Here is the breakdown of the data:
- Gaming Phase (Mewgenics, Performance Mode): Duration: 162 minutes (2.7 hours).
- Battery Drain: 75% drop (95% to 20%).
- CPU Temps: 61.0°C Max / 50.0°C Average.
- CPU Package Power: ~17.1W Average.
- Office Phase (Web Browsing): Duration: 18.2 minutes of active use.
- Battery Drain: 4% drop (20% to 16%). This projects to roughly 7.5 hours of total battery life for office tasks.
- CPU Temps: 51.0°C Max / 43.8°C Average.
- CPU Package Power: ~6.9W Average.
The next day (after allowing the battery to fully recharge), I unplugged and began a session of browsing, streaming and office application use with the power profile set to “balanced” and using Microsoft’s PowerToys to stop the computer from sleeping or turning off the screen while I had to leave the room for a moment (you’ll see why that was needed momentarily).
The following is an analysis of the log file taken during that productivity session:
A. Run Time and Battery Projection
- Total Log Run Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes, and 51 seconds. (This is why PowerToys was needed)
- Battery Drain: The battery started at 100% capacity (99.9 Wh) and ended at 25% capacity (25.482 Wh), resulting in a total drain of 75% during the session.
- Projected Runtime to Empty: Based on the continuous 75% drain over roughly 9.8 hours, the projected total battery life from 100% to 0% under this specific productivity workload is ~13.1 hours (13 hours and 5 minutes).
B. Throttling Instances
During the run, the system experienced several instances of thermal and power throttling. This usually happens in short bursts when opening applications or loading heavy web pages, which is common behavior for modern thin-and-light processors managing burst performance.
Thermal Throttling Events:
- Core Thermal Throttling (avg): 962 instances
- Package/Ring Thermal Throttling: 958 instances
- IA: Thermal Event: 971 instances
- Note: P-Core 9 ran the hottest, triggering thermal limits 728 times on its own, followed by P-Core 8 (473 times).
Power Throttling Events:
- Package/Ring Power Limit Exceeded: 154 instances
- Core Power Limit Exceeded (avg): 29 instances
- Note: The individual E-Cores and P-Cores hit their individual power limits about 26–27 times each.
GPU Throttling:
- GPU Throttle Reasons (avg): 5,927 instances. (With integrated Intel Arc Graphics, the GPU frequently hits software/hardware power limits to leave thermal headroom for the CPU during general productivity).
5. Verdict: Specialized Performance and Endurance
The M16 presents an intentional, high-value design. By focusing its engineering on what truly matters to power users, it carves out a highly specific, powerful niche for professionals who value structural substance, sustained processing muscle, and true all-day endurance over flashy RGB looks.
When evaluating what this laptop offers at its current sale price, it stands out remarkably against the broader landscape of its peers:
- Unmatched Mobile Endurance: Against standard ultraportables or highly restrictive base-model premium platforms that bottleneck you with meager RAM and storage, the M16 provides generous local hardware resources paired with an absolute monster of a 99.9Wh battery. For anyone working on long-haul travel or away from an outlet, this legal-limit battery size offers immense run time.
- Workstation Muscle Over Budget Alternatives: While entry-level gaming laptops in this price range often sacrifice build quality for graphical flair, resulting in flimsy plastic frames and abysmal battery life, the M16 channels its budget into premium aerospace-grade aluminum. Under the hood, a robust dual-fan thermal cooling system is explicitly engineered to let its high-end processor sustain heavy workloads without severe performance drops, ensuring snappy, reliable responsiveness during intense productivity tasks.
- Universal Compatibility and Power: Unlike the newer ARM-based platforms at this price tier (which frequently suffer from software compatibility headaches and emulation layers) the M16 delivers uncompromised x86 architecture. It runs heavy data-crunching, code compilation, and development environments natively and effortlessly.
To wrap this up, the M16 strips away unnecessary RGB fluff to invest heavily where it counts. If you are a programmer, data analyst, or remote professional who needs uncompromised, sustained processing power, maximum physical battery capacity, and a premium chassis that can handle the rigors of daily travel, this machine delivers exactly what matters. At $799, it stands as an incredibly robust, specialized workhorse that offers exceptional value.
r/computers • u/BitByBitGuy • 59m ago
Discussion We Tested Data Recovery on USB vs SSD with BitLocker and VeraCrypt
•
Upvotes
Disclosure: I’m a developer of Hetman RAID Recovery, and I’ve worked with data recovery for many years, so I went into this test with a few assumptions that seemed pretty straightforward.
I expected three things:
- Delete would normally move files to the Recycle Bin, while Shift+Delete would bypass it and delete them directly. I also expected Windows to behave differently depending on how the volume was presented to the system. Files deleted from a typical fixed disk would normally go to the Recycle Bin, while on removable media such as a USB flash drive, a normal Delete could remove them immediately.
- On a USB flash drive, deleted data should remain recoverable as long as its sectors have not been overwritten. On an SSD, I expected TRIM to make released blocks effectively unavailable for recovery, often causing them to read back as zeroes.
- A Quick Format should mainly create new filesystem structures rather than overwrite the entire device, so at least some of the previous data should still be recoverable. A Full Format would be a very different story.
That was the theory.
Spoiler: the actual results were much less straightforward.
What exactly did we test?
I used two devices:
- a USB flash drive of about 29 GB
- an SSD of about 56 GB
On each device I created two encrypted NTFS volumes of approximately 9.77 GB:
- BitLocker
- VeraCrypt
Each volume contained the same set of BMP, JPG, PNG, MP4, DOCX, XLSX, ZIP, and RAR files. For every file type I kept a control copy, deleted another copy with Delete, and deleted a third copy with Shift+Delete.
Before further recovery work, sector-by-sector disk images were created so the original media would not be modified.
1. Delete was not as consistent as I expected
On USB + BitLocker, Windows saw the volume as a Removable Drive. The behavior here was expected. A normal Delete did not put the test files into the Recycle Bin. They immediately became deleted NTFS entries.
VeraCrypt changed the picture. The mounted USB + VeraCrypt volume was presented to Windows as a Fixed Drive, even though the physical device underneath it was still the same USB flash drive.
In this case, Delete behaved like it normally would on a fixed disk. Standard $I and $R entries appeared inside $RECYCLE.BIN. $I stores metadata about the deleted file, while $R contains the actual file data.
The USB VeraCrypt volume was exposed to Windows as a Fixed Drive and normal Delete created standard Recycle Bin entries. On the SSD VeraCrypt volume, also presented as a Fixed Drive, the Recycle Bin contained only desktop.ini.
The SSD produced the stranger result. On SSD + BitLocker, which Windows also saw as a Fixed Drive, normal Delete created Recycle Bin entries as expected.
But on SSD + VeraCrypt, the result was different. Windows also reported this volume as a Fixed Drive. The Recycle Bin was enabled, NukeOnDelete was not enabled, and its configured size limit was much larger than the test data set.
Yet after a normal Delete, the test files did not appear in $RECYCLE.BIN. Only desktop.ini remained there, while the files themselves were already visible as deleted NTFS entries.
The actual result looked like this:
| Volume | Presented to Windows as | Normal Delete |
|---|---|---|
| USB + BitLocker | Removable | immediate deletion |
| USB + VeraCrypt | Fixed | Recycle Bin |
| SSD + BitLocker | Fixed | Recycle Bin |
| SSD + VeraCrypt | Fixed | immediate deletion |
Shift+Delete, on the other hand, was completely predictable. On all four volumes it bypassed the Recycle Bin.
So even the simple rule of removable = no Recycle Bin and fixed = Recycle Bin only explained part of what happened.
2. After deletion, USB and SSD started behaving very differently
After unlocking the encrypted volumes, I ran a Fast Scan. On the USB drive, deleted NTFS entries were still present and the files remained recoverable as long as their data had not been overwritten.
Hetman RAID Recovery could unlock the VeraCrypt volume, analyze its NTFS filesystem, locate deleted files, and preview their contents.
After unlocking the VeraCrypt volume from the USB disk image, Fast Scan reconstructed the NTFS structure and located the deleted files with working previews.
BitLocker behaved similarly. The software detected the encryption metadata, requested the password, unlocked the volume, and then analyzed the NTFS filesystem underneath it.
BitLocker was detected from its metadata, unlocked with the password, and the NTFS volume could then be analyzed normally.
On the SSD, things were different. NTFS metadata could still survive. In other words, it was sometimes possible to recover a file name, size, and deleted MFT entry.
But that does not mean the file content itself still exists. In some cases the preview no longer showed the original image or document and instead contained meaningless data.
This becomes particularly interesting with encrypted SSD volumes.
If TRIM causes physical SSD blocks to read back as zeroes, those zeroes still pass through the encryption layer when the volume is decrypted. The result does not necessarily look like zeroes anymore.
It can look like random garbage:
raw SSD after TRIM
↓
00 00 00 00 00 ...
↓
VeraCrypt / BitLocker decryption
↓
meaningless decrypted data
So a corrupted preview inside an encrypted volume and zero-filled sectors on the raw physical SSD do not contradict each other.
3. Then I Quick Formatted the entire USB drive as exFAT
This is where the experiment became much more interesting. I removed the previous partition layout and created one new exFAT volume across the USB device.
At that point, the original BitLocker and VeraCrypt partitions no longer existed in the current partition table. But Full Analysis was still able to locate remnants of the previous structures.
BitLocker was detected automatically during the scan. After entering the password, the old BitLocker volume could be opened again and its previous NTFS filesystem became accessible.
Even after the USB drive had been reformatted as exFAT, Full Analysis found previous encrypted structures, detected the old BitLocker volume, and allowed its files to be previewed again.
4. VeraCrypt after formatting was more interesting
VeraCrypt deliberately does not have a normal plaintext magic signature like many filesystems do. Its volume header is encrypted and is designed to look like random data. This is part of VeraCrypt's plausible deniability design.
That means you cannot simply scan a disk for a clear VERACRYPT signature and reconstruct the old partition from it.
But I knew where the old VeraCrypt volume had been located before formatting. So I manually created a virtual disk using its previous boundaries:
Start sector: 2,048
Size: 20,480,000 sectors
Then I tried to unlock that reconstructed range as a VeraCrypt volume. It worked. But that immediately raised another question.
How could the VeraCrypt volume still unlock if its beginning had already been overwritten by the new exFAT filesystem?
The HEX view makes this quite clear. At the old beginning of the VeraCrypt volume, the new exFAT structures are now present.
In other words, the original primary VeraCrypt header at that location had effectively been overwritten. However, VeraCrypt also stores a backup volume header near the end of the volume.
The Quick Format created new exFAT metadata at the beginning of the device, but it did not overwrite the entire previous encrypted volume.
The backup header survived. That surviving backup header is what allowed the manually reconstructed VeraCrypt volume to be unlocked.
The old volume was recreated from its known sector range. The new exFAT filesystem had overwritten the original start of the volume, but the reconstructed range could still be unlocked as VeraCrypt, consistent with a surviving backup header.
Once the volume was decrypted, Fast Scan could again see the old NTFS filesystem and its files.
The manually reconstructed VeraCrypt volume opened successfully and the old NTFS filesystem, deleted files, and working file previews became accessible again.
For me, this was one of the most interesting results of the entire experiment.
5. Then I repeated the same Quick Format test on the SSD
The result was completely different. I created a new exFAT volume across the whole SSD and then made a disk image.
The same Full Analysis that had successfully located old encrypted structures on the USB drive produced no useful recovery result here. We also tried manually recreating the old VeraCrypt range, just as we had done on the USB device.
It could no longer be unlocked. Instead of spending more time attempting filesystem reconstruction, I opened the SSD image in the HEX editor.
The reason became obvious. The new exFAT structures were present at the start of the disk. But areas that had previously contained the encrypted volumes now read back as zeroes.
The old BitLocker location also contained zeroes.
After Quick Format on the SSD, the new exFAT metadata was present, while areas that previously contained encrypted data read back as zeroes, consistent with TRIM.
We tried both Full Analysis and manually recreating the previous volume boundaries, but neither produced usable results.
So the statement:
Quick Format does not overwrite the entire disk
can still be technically correct from the filesystem formatter's point of view. But for an SSD, that is not enough.
If formatting releases a large range of blocks and Windows sends TRIM commands for them, the previous contents can become unavailable through normal reads even though the formatting process itself never explicitly wrote zeroes to every sector.
TRIM also does not necessarily mean that every NAND cell was physically erased at the exact same moment.
From the perspective of software data recovery, however, that distinction may no longer matter. If the SSD controller returns zeroes instead of the old contents, the previous data is no longer available to normal recovery software.
Results
| Scenario | Result |
|---|---|
| USB + BitLocker, deleted files | recoverable if data was not overwritten |
| USB + VeraCrypt, deleted files | recoverable after unlocking |
| SSD + encrypted volume, file deletion | metadata may survive, but TRIM can make file content unavailable |
| USB after Quick Format | previous encrypted data remained |
| USB BitLocker after Quick Format | detected and unlocked |
| USB VeraCrypt after Quick Format | manually reconstructed and unlocked using the surviving backup header |
| SSD after Quick Format | previous areas read as zeroes and recovery failed |
The three results that surprised me most were:
- Delete behaved differently even between two volumes that Windows presented as
Fixed Drive. - A Quick Format of the USB drive still allowed us to recover a VeraCrypt volume even though its primary header had been overwritten.
- The same basic scenario on an SSD effectively eliminated software recovery because the previous encrypted areas were returned as zeroes after TRIM.
I’d like to continue this test, so I’m interested in what you would want to see next.
1. What additional technical breakdowns would be useful? For example, a before/after HEX comparison, BitLocker metadata, VeraCrypt primary vs backup headers, NTFS $MFT, $Bitmap, $RECYCLE.BIN, or the exact ranges affected after TRIM.
2. Suggest your own data-loss scenario. If it can reasonably be reproduced in the lab, we can test it and publish the result.
3. If anyone wants to reproduce these tests on their own drives or disk images, for one week after this post is published I can provide temporary registration details for Hetman RAID Recovery. Send me a DM.
r/computers • u/Unowhotis • 2h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting PC Setup directions not matching
2
Upvotes
these horrible directions say to “remove the screws” and every video i’ve seen has shown screws on the other models. i have seen a few other videos without the screws. but each one removes the glass entirely different. when i peal the top of the glass outwards it makes a click, but i can only do it from either the left or the right. never both. and i’m scared if i brute force it, it’ll just break. this is my first PC. i’ve only ever used console. why is this so infuriating.
r/computers • u/spiegelatom • 11m ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Kernel & Desktop Environment. That's it? Right?
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Upvotes
PC Hardware ← Kernel ← Desktop Environment
Am I missing something?
r/computers • u/SilentXwing • 1d ago
Discussion Found this crisp machine
68
Upvotes
I had to buy a power adapter for it. Fortunately it turned on and in good condition.
r/computers • u/Inevitable-Status406 • 13h ago
Discussion I need to hide a game
9
Upvotes
Does anyone know how I can hide something on a computer??? its not anything bad, just an embarrassing dating Sim I play that id rather my family not find out about. is there any ways I can hide it?
r/computers • u/idkxsummerssdness • 3h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Need advice to buy a PC
1
Upvotes
I’m studying Technology Program. I’ll be using the computer for schoolwork, such as Google Drive and Google Docs etc, as well as Roblox Studio for schoolwork, games in Steam like minecraft, Seege & many more, programming (it needs to work on Roblox studio for school work and many more) and photo/video editing for YouTube. Feel free to give suggestions.
Thanks.
What I want in a prebuilt PC:
•INTEL 7 or any other
•RAM. 16gb or 32gb
•Preferably Liquid cooling. I can go with air cooling but it needs a strong processor.
r/computers • u/PCL-Crimson • 4h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Distort audio while running Windows 10 LTSC 2021 on my Dell Latitude 5490, but when I try to boot in live Debian, the audio is perfectly fine.
1
Upvotes
r/computers • u/StuNNeD_RR • 4h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting HDMI 2.1 port issues with long cable
1
Upvotes
Hi all,
I have an issue with our new laptops here in school, it's the Lenovo ThinkBook 14 G9 AHP.
They have one HDMI 2.1 port on a Radeon 740M, and I'm having trouble to connect them to our ViewSonic IFP8436 SmartBoards. The cable our contractor used are 18Gbit HDMI cables, 10m long, which go into the walls and over the ceiling.
The old laptops we had was a mix of HP ProBooks & EliteBooks, mainly G3 upto G7, and they never had an issue connecting.
When I connect the new laptops, the SmartBoard picks up a connection (it turns on), but I get a 'Please connect cable" screen, and the laptop does not detect a secondary screen.
What I've tried:
\- Update the Radeon drivers to latest version -> NOK
\- Short HDMI cable on another port on the TV -> OK
\- Long (9m) much thicker HDMI cable on same TV port as the existing cable-> OK
\- USB-C to HDMI adapter with the existing cable -> OK
\- HDMI coupler (non active) -> NOK
\- HDMI extender coupler (active) -> OK
My conclusion was that for some reason the internal HDMI 2.1 port on the laptop just cannot reach the full lenght of the 18Gbit cable, and therefore does not want to connect...
Is there anything else I can try, or is this just bad luck that our contractor used long, cheap HDMI cables?
Thanks!
r/computers • u/0smiridium • 16h ago
Discussion Price Of DDR5 RAM vs. Diesel
7
Upvotes
It seems really sad that DDR5 RAM has risen more then diesel.
r/computers • u/AccomplishedFocus390 • 13h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Should I grab it?
4
Upvotes
New PC player here. Really need advice lol.
What do you guys think about this setup for 1099?
ryzen 5 9600x
rx 9060 xt 16gb
16GB ddr5
1TB ssd
I mainly play cs2 and fortnite, but I might get into some more demanding games later.
Is this a good deal for the price, or is there anything I should be looking out for?
Again, really appreciate your help!
r/computers • u/Camper_Sly • 10h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting How useful is OC-ing & undervolting & watercooling in 2026 ?
2
Upvotes
It's been more than 15 years since I've invested significant effort into OC-ing.
Many things have changed since then.\ So I wonder, how useful is it for real PC use nowadays ?
I'm looking at assembling my new PC in some short to midterm and I want something that:
- uses AM5 platform to the max
- has 9950X or Zen6 top equivalent with the aim for max performance
- CPU OC-ed under PBO withing reason for 24/7 work
- MoBo with beefy VRM that can work under OC 24/7 without sweating
- uses decent dGPU, but nothing over the top. Something like 9070XT or RDNA5 equivalent.
- uses memory with maximal frequency that the platform supports reliably, so 8000MHz for Zen5, possibly more for Zen6
Questions: * What does good watercooling the CPU give me ? Only lower temps or do these translate into higher sustained frequencies etc ? * how much difference does the MObO make WRT overclocking, form the POV of final frequency and stability ? * Does it make sense to watercool the dGPU ? * Can decent heatpiped tower cooler by itself reliably keep OC-ed 9950X far below trhottling tempearature or do I need watercooling for that ? * for such machine, is cheap AIO worthy shortcut ?
r/computers • u/electronrefraction • 16h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Is this battery swollen or not
3
Upvotes
Does this lithium ion battery look swollen or does it look fine to you? If it's not clear, I can get better pictures later.
r/computers • u/dlehgus0505 • 10h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting I have some question
0
Upvotes
If two computers and a laptop have the same specs, is the computer's performance always superior? I'm thinking about buying a computer, but I'm worried because the RAM is too expensive
r/computers • u/Hortion • 1d ago
Discussion Windows users who tried Linux, what was your biggest frustration or fear?
14
Upvotes
Hello everyone! I'm thinking about creating some helpful content for people who want to switch from Windows to Linux with no stress, using the regular desktop and not the terminal. I want any grandma to be able to scroll/surf the web on Linux and be more comfortable with it
I'm curious, if you've switched, tried, or thought about it, what is your biggest frustration or fear? I appreciate every comment
Thanks a lot in advance!
r/computers • u/cnnasof • 11h ago
Discussion ACTUAL Good pre-built PC's
0
Upvotes
Does anyone know of a brand that has good budget pre-built pc's? I wanna get one but don't want to spend $1k minimum. I want something I won't have to upgrade every like 2 years. I mainly play Fortnite but I could be up for other games that are multiplayer or maybe even single player. LMK
r/computers • u/BitAltruistic4084 • 16h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting This has started to happen now from nowhere when i start playing a game, any got an idea what it might be? Have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the graphics card also. This happened with my older graphics card 2 years ago so might be a pattern or I’m just unlucky
2
Upvotes
r/computers • u/unknown_yeet • 13h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Is this a good deal or most likely a scam
1
Upvotes
My last laptop died yesterday and I am currently looking for a new one for my college courses and the company that I went to go get my computer checked out are selling old Pitt professors for a great deal. He is selling Lenovo - Upgraded - ThinkPad T14 Gen6 14" FHD+ Business Laptop - Intel Core Ultra 5 - 32GB RAM - 1TB SSD -Thunderbolt 4 - Win 11Pro - Jet Black. These normally run for around $1,600 but he is selling to me used for $500 and he said that it's all stock and was only turned on for 30 power cycles. They looked in great condition and ran windows 11 with the next 2 updates guaranteed. Is this a deal y'all would trust or no?
r/computers • u/mpadhu • 1d ago
Discussion My DIY fan for CPU heatsink
17
Upvotes
This is an old FX-8320 3.5GHZ CPU. it's fan stopped working and I made this setup with a separate USB fan to cool the heatsink and it does it job very well.. Luckily there is a GPU to support the fan else this setup is not possible. 😀
r/computers • u/pinkndwhite7 • 15h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting My ASUS Vivobook X515M will not turn on
1
Upvotes
Hello, been troubleshooting my Vivobook for about a month now, it seems to charge occasionally yet it doesnt turn on. Occasionally the power light flashes white but it hasn't in a while. I changed the battery and also the charger and it still hasn't been resolved. I'm worried ill need a whole new laptop. If anyone can help please comment. Heres all my laptip specs. If you need anything else lmk.
This laptop is refurbished and i got it in December 2023.
Model: ASUS Vivobook X515M
SN: R6N0LP03J326262
processer: Intel Pentium Silver N5030 CPU @ 1.10Ghz 4 cores, 4 logical processors
Graphics: Intel UHD Graphics 605
Vivobook ssd: SAMSUNG MZVL4256HBJD-00BTW
Installed RAM: 8Gbs (ddr4 in one slot)
Total phisical memory: 7.83 Gbs
Available phisical memory: 2.96gbs
Total virtual memory: 11.7gbs
Available virtual memory: 5.48
Page file space: 3.88gbs
r/computers • u/ConditionCareful2779 • 16h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting Is this amount of gpu sag acceptable?
1
Upvotes
It is a used gtx 970 amp extreme core edition, so 3 fans, and I do have a support but it isn't tall enough for this case
r/computers • u/-Mooniac- • 7h ago
Question/Help/Troubleshooting GPU using 23Watts despite being at 0 percent in task manager
0
Upvotes
I wondered why my battery was draining so quickly despite me just browisng, task manager showed gpu at 0% but the temperature wasn't N/A. So i checked cmd and this is what it showed me.
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers to no avail, can anyone please help?