Category: NZTekonverse -> Hardware

  • Apple vs Google vs Microsoft vs Samsung vs….etc etc etc…

    So I have listed the names of the world’s four biggest computer hardware / software vendors … or at least the best known, in various different ways. Apple and Microsoft have been the two leading providers of desktop operating systems for decades. Apple and Google are the two leading providers of mobile operating systems. Apple…

  • Escaping The Skylake 14nm Intel Architecture Circus

    Once upon a time, there was the Intel Skylake CPU architecture. Skylake was introduced in 2015 for the sixth generation of the Intel Core CPU. Using the Intel tick-tock cycle, it was the tock component, the tick being its predecessor Broadwell. Broadwell introduced the 14nm process node to the Core architecture and after Skylake, there…

  • StarTech 8U Open Rack

    Anyone who has worked for any length of time in the fields of professional computing or audio is familiar with the concept of equipment racking. The ubiquitous and very common 19″ (48.25 cm) equipment racks used in these fields and many others (in the computing realm, network patch panels as well as servers are often…

  • Hibernation fails with Kubuntu 20/22 on HP computers if Secure Boot is enabled.

    Some months back I did write about how to enable hibernation in Kubuntu as it is not enabled by default like it is in Debian. I have particularly noted that this is an issue on computers made by HP in that following the given instructions still does not make hibernation available in some HP manufactured…

  • Debian Falling Behind In Hardware Compatibility

    One of the great controversies in the open source world is manufacturers who supply closed source drivers for their devices for open source operating systems like Linux. Debian uses the term “firmware” to describe these drivers and Debian, more than almost any other Linux distribution out there, prides itself on a firm policy of “officially”…

  • How To Build A PC From $300 To $3000 [3]

    Last time I described how the key parts of an entry level $300 computer system could be obtained. This time I am going to write about the parts needed for a mid range system costing around $1000. The key decision for any computer is the type of CPU required. I could choose either the same…

  • Upgrading

    The series on how to build a PC from $300 to $3000 is being written as an allusion to my own computer upgrade project I have been working on this week. I took the middle of the road approach to this system and was able to bring the timeline forward after obtaining family support. A…

  • How To Build A PC From $300 To $3000 [2]

    Part 2 of this series is different from originally planned as I decided to take a little detour and look at if I could build a basic HTPC system in a small chassis for a modest cost. Most HTPC systems do not require a high performance spec and a $300 system as mentioned in part…

  • How To Build A PC From $300 To $3000 [1]

    One of the great strengths of the PC platform is the wide range of configurations which are possible from entry level to high end workstation, or server. PC based servers use the same basic and often interchangeable components as the lowest spec system you can buy. For the point of this discussion I’ll ignore single…

  • Home Theatre PC and all that…[2]

    In the first post of this series I took a look at some options out there using different form factors and chassis for a home theatre PC. After a month or two of the current form factor I’m sharing some more thoughts about the form factor options. Generally when you are talking PCs, it is…