Post here when you buy computer/tech stuff

[pixel]

I got a Netgear Orbi RBK50 AC3000 Mesh Wifi setup.

https://www.amazon.com.au/NETGEAR-High- ... orbi+rbk50

I price matched at Office Works and they beat it by 5% bringing it down to AU$425 (roughly US$308)

It's a pretty good price when you consider Amazon US has it for US$329 https://www.amazon.com.au/NETGEAR-High- ... orbi+rbk50

I think my dad bought a set of Orbi routers to upgrade his old Apple Airport. He seems very happy with them so far

It's definitely an improvement over my single modem/router device I had previously. My wireless cameras outside respond much quicker than before. Ideally I'd like to get 1 more satellite router to extend the coverage a bit further, but so far it's working better than my previous setup

With all the IoT devices out there like cameras and such, mesh networks are definitely a good investment

[Skynet]

I got a Netgear Orbi RBK50 AC3000 Mesh Wifi setup.

https://www.amazon.com.au/NETGEAR-High- ... orbi+rbk50

I price matched at Office Works and they beat it by 5% bringing it down to AU$425 (roughly US$308)

It's a pretty good price when you consider Amazon US has it for US$329 https://www.amazon.com.au/NETGEAR-High- ... orbi+rbk50

I think my dad bought a set of Orbi routers to upgrade his old Apple Airport. He seems very happy with them so far

It's definitely an improvement over my single modem/router device I had previously. My wireless cameras outside respond much quicker than before. Ideally I'd like to get 1 more satellite router to extend the coverage a bit further, but so far it's working better than my previous setup

With all the IoT devices out there like cameras and such, mesh networks are definitely a good investment

I've got 5 cameras total but I need to set 2 of them up, plus I have 5 wifi light bulbs. Next step will probably be power switches for devices. It's ridiculous how easy you can setup home automation these days. I also have the lights controlled by my 3 Google Homes as well.

[pixel]

It's fun stuff! I bought a set of smart bulbs on a whim, and I'm impressed by how much I depend on the automation.

I set up an alarm with Alexa to play the news and classic rock music. The lights in my bedroom turn on to a low dim color while the living room and kitchen lights turn on full. So even when I fall asleep on the couch, my alarm wakes me up

[Skynet]

The one thing that shits me off is Australian power grids. We get power outages frequently enough, but when it happens at night my wifi bulbs reset to full brightness and the Google Home reboots with a fairly loud noise. Scares the shit out of me if it happens and I'm asleep

[Hawq]

spindle of 25 Verbatim DVD-RW (x2) not exactly a purchase as I got them for nothing since we dont sell blank media in the charity shop (god knows why as they are still sealed) looked them up on amazon to find they cost £19.05 a spindle on there

[pixel]

spindle of 25 Verbatim DVD-RW (x2) not exactly a purchase as I got them for nothing since we dont sell blank media in the charity shop (god knows why as they are still sealed) looked them up on amazon to find they cost £19.05 a spindle on there

Reminds me of those halcyon days where I'd fight through Black Friday crowds to buy giant spindles of DVD-R discs for Xbox warez. Or being mad when they jacked up the prices on CD-Rs during the Napster/Limewire days.

[melancholy]

New computer time!

Intel i5-9600k
MSI MPG Z390 Gaming Plus
Patriot Viper DDR4 3400 16Gb (2x8GB)

Those are the only new parts. The rest will be pieced out from my old setup.

[melancholy]

Soooooo I ended up making more upgrades than I thought. I bought a RTX 2070, which ended up being so long that it hit the wall. I had to get new plywood and completely rebuild my PC board to fit in my cabinets. It looks much nicer now, especially since I have a routing table that made perfectly cut holes for the wires.

[melancholy]

And the GPU is dead already. I played AC Odyssey 3 times with it and on the third session it showed artifacting everywhere. I sent it back to Amazon, but now I’m apprehensive about replacing it because I have heard other complaints about the RTX series. I’ll have to decide what to do when I get my money back.

[ian]

Buy a used 1080ti, or wait a few months for amd to fuck up and watch RTX pricing go up for no reason again.

[Stormwatch]

I just got a GTX 960 video card. (I know, it's quite outdated, but it fit my budget, and it's better than my old 650ti.)

[pixel]

I picked up a Ryzen 2600X and a motherboard for ~$210 US:

[Skynet]

Grabbed a Chromecast gen 3 for the grand total of $2.20 due to a combination of discount and banked up credit I could use against purchases.

[melancholy]

Raspberry Pi 4. I plan to put Retroarch on it now that I know it supports lag reduction.

[Stormwatch]

My old monitor died, so I got a lovely Dell UltraSharp U2410 for ~$210. Thus far, totally worth it.

[melancholy]

Apple Watch Series 3

I said I would never get one, but I don’t carry my phone on me at work and it was getting to a point where it was impossible to reach me on our new phone system in an emergency. Last week my daughter’s daycare closed and my wife had to leave a job interview to pick her up because nobody could reach me. It was the final straw (though luckily she still got the job).

[pixel]

she still got the job

Congrats!

[Dr. Zoidberg]

Yes, congrats to your wife, mel. And congrats on getting a fancy watch.

[melancholy]

Thanks, though I’m only half excited. On the one hand, she will make an extra $3 an hour and gets out of retail. On the other hand, it will cause us to make too much for government benefits for our kids, so costs of healthcare and school lunches for them is going to go from $17 a week to $103 a week.

[OrangeRibbon]

Congrats, if it helps last year I started a job that made more a year, but because of things like healthcare, and 401K contributions, my taxable income is actually less.