Random thoughts.... [Tech Edition]

I enjoy building my own computer. I really do. I really, really, REALLY hate when I have to fix it though!

This time it won't even post. At first I thought it might be the monitor, but I quickly disproved that.

Next time I build a PC, I will buy a motherboard with an LED readout.

Does it just sit there and do nothing but spin the fans? My first port of call is graphics in that case, if there's a card in there take it out and see what difference it makes. Same symptom if you forget to plug in the PCIe power.

This build has been pretty faultless but I had strange issues at the start of April, the display would go off randomly and the fans would go to full speed. Restarting would restore it to normal. Turns out one of the 6+2 pin GPU PCIe connectors was loose, or more specifically the 2 pin add-on part that doesn't have a clip had backed out slightly. It finally moved enough to trigger a red light on the GPU and alerted me to it.

My fault for trying to re-arrange the cables inside.
 
Does it just sit there and do nothing but spin the fans? My first port of call is graphics in that case, if there's a card in there take it out and see what difference it makes. Same symptom if you forget to plug in the PCIe power.

This build has been pretty faultless but I had strange issues at the start of April, the display would go off randomly and the fans would go to full speed. Restarting would restore it to normal. Turns out one of the 6+2 pin GPU PCIe connectors was loose, or more specifically the 2 pin add-on part that doesn't have a clip had backed out slightly. It finally moved enough to trigger a red light on the GPU and alerted me to it.

My fault for trying to re-arrange the cables inside.


Yeah, it mostly does nothing. Other than checking the monitor and clearing the CMOS, I haven't done much. I will get to it after I get over being annoyed, or in need of playing a game.
 
I enjoy building my own computer. I really do. I really, really, REALLY hate when I have to fix it though!

This time it won't even post. At first I thought it might be the monitor, but I quickly disproved that.

Next time I build a PC, I will buy a motherboard with an LED readout.

I tend to ignore those. Most of the time I'm fixing a computer these days its a server (server motherboards don't bother with LED code displays). The old strategy of taking everything out that isn't needed to boot works the best regardless if it's a $400 computer or a $20,000 one.
 
The LED display on mine was only useful to tell me that the GPU was shagged after my AIO cooler leaked over everything last year. A roadtrip of drying later and it had fixed itself (the GPU that is, not the cooler).
 
I tend to ignore those. Most of the time I'm fixing a computer these days its a server (server motherboards don't bother with LED code displays). The old strategy of taking everything out that isn't needed to boot works the best regardless if it's a $400 computer or a $20,000 one.

Where do you start when it is a pretty basic system? In other words, there isn't much extra in my system. I have one SSD and a video card inside.

The LED readout would let me see where it is hanging in a moment instead of tearing it down to the basics. This is also much easier on my bad back, knees, and other worn out body parts. That is the real problem here, my body is fairly broken, and anything I can do to make things easier for me physically, is the way to go.
 
Do you have an intel cpu? Might be able to get away with pulling the graphics card or perhaps pulling a ram stick to see what the hold up is. An LED readout isn’t always helpful.

 
I got it fixed. What did I do? Hell, I am not sure what I did at this point, but I will tell you what I did.

I turned to power supply on and hit the power button for shits and giggles. Nothing.

Turned power supply off, and unplugged a Xbox controller dongle to get it out of the way and wiggled the main power supply cables on the MB, and the power to the video card. Turned it on and hit the button and voila, it is alive.

Did the power supply need to be cycled? I doubt it. Were the cables loose? I don't think so, did not feel like it. Is it the dongle? I really hope not! Did the video need to be pushed back in place? Maybe?

We will see if it happens again.
 
I got it fixed. What did I do? Hell, I am not sure what I did at this point, but I will tell you what I did.

I turned to power supply on and hit the power button for shits and giggles. Nothing.

Turned power supply off, and unplugged a Xbox controller dongle to get it out of the way and wiggled the main power supply cables on the MB, and the power to the video card. Turned it on and hit the button and voila, it is alive.

Did the power supply need to be cycled? I doubt it. Were the cables loose? I don't think so, did not feel like it. Is it the dongle? I really hope not! Did the video need to be pushed back in place? Maybe?

We will see if it happens again.

Nope, I've seen that happen. UEFI tried to figure out if the xBox dongle was a bootable item.
 
Yeah, I had a few problems with USB devices causing a non-bootable condition. Sucks.
 
It still falls under the "I really hope not" category. lol
 
You know when you use Airplane Mode to block annoying ads in certain apps?

I'm expecting them to send out updates soon. And when you engage flight mode a message pops up to say "Airplane mode? In the midst of a pandemic with the world's airlines grounded? Are you fucking kidding me?"
 
You know when you use Airplane Mode to block annoying ads in certain apps?

I'm expecting them to send out updates soon. And when you engage flight mode a message pops up to say "Airplane mode? In the midst of a pandemic with the world's airlines grounded? Are you fucking kidding me?"

I tend to either pay to remove ads (it’s usually cheap) or find some other app. Ads in apps can diaf.
 
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If this turns out to be accurate, I will be very happy. So happy that I will most likely be giving Apple my money for one. It will be the first time since the iPhone 5S of 2013 that I actually purchase a new phone, rather that having last year's handed down to me. Kudos to Apple for realizing that not all of us want to lug around a phablet. I will still have to live with the stupid glass back, but I think the current generation's oversize is a bigger problem for me.

And how small is this? Koroy’s dimensions come from a Macotakara leak which was initially dismissed but which he has now discovered to be credible and they reveal the 5.4-inch iPhone won’t be much bigger than the original (2016) 4-inch iPhone SE and smaller than the new 2020 4.7-inch model:
  • 5.4-inch iPhone 12: 131 x 64 mm (5.15 x 2.51-inches)
  • 4-inch iPhone SE: 123 x 58 mm (4.84 x 2.28-inches)
  • 4.7-inch iPhone SE: 138 x 67 mm (5.43 x 2.65-inches)
Yes, Apple is finally making a truly compact, bezel-less iPhone. Moreover, the bezel-less design incorporates a 19.5:9 aspect ratio which is longer and thinner than the 16:9 ratio in the iPhone SE models. This means the 5.4-inch display can still result in a narrower smartphone than the 4.7-inch iPhone SE.

If it's not accurate, then bleh... I will just hold on to my iPhone 7 for longer and just wait and see.
 
I was expecting an 11S before the 12, I wish they would make their mind up. I have already decided (or rather my wallet has decided) that I'll be keeping mine until this is out, at least. My X is working great still, battery capacity shows 93% after two years of sitting on a wireless charger every night.
 
My XR is like a year and four months. It is at 87% right now, I think. It's deteriorated faster than any other iPhone I've owned, and I don't know why. I haven't used it any different other than wireless charging.
 
I was expecting an 11S before the 12, I wish they would make their mind up. I have already decided (or rather my wallet has decided) that I'll be keeping mine until this is out, at least. My X is working great still, battery capacity shows 93% after two years of sitting on a wireless charger every night.
Well, we did get the 8 in stead of the 7S in 2017, so it's not unprecedented. In many ways, the 11/11Pro was just an improved 10R/10S with some new features, in the same way that the 7 was an improved 6S with some new features.

If the rumors are accurate, we will be looking at a "super cycle" this time around, when we get both a new design, form factors, and completely new hardware on the inside. Usually, we only get one of those on a cycle. The rumored 5 nm A14-chip is supposed to be a big step up from the A13 in performance and efficiency. Unfortunately, super cycles tend to come with a price bump, so we'll see.

My XR is like a year and four months. It is at 87% right now, I think. It's deteriorated faster than any other iPhone I've owned, and I don't know why. I haven't used it any different other than wireless charging.
That's bad, my iPhone 7 has a two years and six-ish months old battery and is still on 91% battery health and I'm reasonably sure that I will replace the battery soon. I would have lodged a consumer complaint to the store over that bad a degradation in such a short time.
 
My 8’s battery is saying 93% and is now 1 year and 3 months. Not bad though the lightening port is starting to crap out. It clicks in but it’s not “connecting” so to speak and small movements disconnect from whatever it is connected to which sucks because my phone is my GPS and I use it via CarPlay.
 
It clicks in but it’s not “connecting” so to speak and small movements disconnect from whatever it is connected to which sucks because my phone is my GPS and I use it via CarPlay.
95% certainty it's just lint. Take a toothpick and poke around in there, you'll be surprised how much fluff it collects from sitting in a pocket for a while. Don't worry, nothing in there can break from a wooden toothpick or similar instrument - use some force and get into the back corners properly. Lightning ports are notorious for this, I clean mine every 1-2 months and it's noticeable every time.
 
My earpiece is starting to die on my 6S+ Kinda hoping that once stores open i can get it looked at.
 
My XR is like a year and four months. It is at 87% right now, I think. It's deteriorated faster than any other iPhone I've owned, and I don't know why. I haven't used it any different other than wireless charging.
Hm...are you using one of those 25W wireless chargers? because that will account for the discrepancy.

my 6S+ is at 92% after 18 months. It's still perfectly fine and I find that I will have no reason to upgrade until it drops support.
 
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