Archmaille

Since this is my Tech Review blog I guess it is appropriate that I share that my Tech Review reviews will be somewhat lacking for a while. I’ve got a whole bunch of work to do with multiple projects, including but not limited to The Bible Animated! Got a whole lotta stuff to do, but The Bible Animated is kind of priority in the matter. It is a huge undertaking with CakePHP and I’m the only one working on it, so it’s hard to find the motivation… also it’s hard to keep up with this Tech Review reviews blog when I’ve got so much to do with The Bible Animated. Anyways, we’ll be back to the Tech Review blog at some point in time, just not right this second since I’ve got several other projects to build on, also including a food site HealthyBudgetCooking.com to help people learn to do Healthy Budget Cooking

written by Archmaille

In my line of work there is nothing more important than reliability. My network has to function at 100% every day! With the some times thousands of file transfers between my workstation and test server here at the house there is no room for error, and the speed must be unrivaled! Especially since Google will be installing gigabit internet here soon and I will be running a webserver from my house there isn’t anything that comes in priority over a fast, reliable switch. Cisco SR2016T 16-Port Rackmount 10/100/1000 Gigabit Switch allows me to get my work done fast, transfering files, updating test sites, saving backups, you name it and this little beast of a switch handles it for me! I’ve been running a Cisco SR2016T 16-Port Rackmount 10/100/1000 Gigabit Switch in my home for years, even used it at a few LAN parties with over 150 people hooked up to this thing and it never flinched!

written by Archmaille

Okay, so don’t tell my wife… but I might have, maybe, kind of taken a peak at her Christmas present… the Kindle Fire. My wife is big on the portable computing thing… but she’s been hinting that her laptop gets a little too toasty on her lap after extended use, and maybe I could find her something that is a little more portable friendly Well I also know she’s big on reading, tons of books all over the house of hers. And yeah, you can read books on any tablet if they are in PDF form… but why not get one with thousands of books available with service designed for it? That’s why I settled on the Kindle Fire, and I just couldn’t keep my hands off of it when it arrived today! So after my little hands on review of my wifes Kindle Fire… I have to say that I might be hooked, I might need one of my own

written by Archmaille

I think a lot of people have complete amnesia some times. The AMD FX-4100 is essentially a dual core processor, yes I know it is “quad” core, but it is really a dual Bulldozer core system. The fact that it is competitive with quad core processors is simply amazing! I think AMD has some tweaking to do, but if you absolutely cannot wait for your FX processor I suggest the FX 4100, it can potentially be unlocked to an eight core CPU, and overclocking in general with this beast is intense! The new AMD FX lineup runs on so little power, and produces so little heat that you can push one of these to 4.6ghz on air! 5ghz should be no problem with a little water cooling

written by Archmaille

When you do as much blogging as I do nothing is as important as a comfortable keyboard. I’ve been using my Logitech Wave K350 2.4Ghz Wireless Keyboard for a couple years now, and have to say that I will never go back to a straight keyboard. Heck the Logitech Wave Keyboard is so comfortable that I will never go back to a flat keyboard If you’re trying to do our 90 day blogging challenge you will soon notice pains everywhere… wrist pains, finger pains, eye strain… working on the computer requires a lot of special attention to ergonomics. The most ergonomic keyboard that I have ever found is the Logitech Wave K350 2.4Ghz Wireless Keyboard this thing is beautiful! The Logitech Wave K350 2.4Ghz Wireless Keyboard has a slight angle, much better than most split keyboards that have sharp angles some times worse than a straight keyboard. The Logitech Wave K350 2.4Ghz Wireless Keyboard also has a slight dip in the keys where your longer fingers rest, it creates the most comfortable natural keystrokes ever. I’ve been using a Logitech Wave keyboard for about 2 years now, and I cannot imagine ever using another keyboard. I’ve got some other ergonomic tricks up my sleeve for working on the computer, but we’ll talk about those later Your keyboard is your primary weapon in your blogging arsenal, so the $40 it will take to get a good ergonomic keyboard is well worth every penny. Even a 2 year lifespan will easily pay for itself… repetitive motion injuries are no fun to deal with, trust me when I say that before you begin this journey a comfortable keyboard like the Logitech Wave K350 2.4Ghz Wireless Keyboard is a necessity.

written by Archmaille

This is my sweet spot, my little piece of heaven! I’ve been waiting for the AMD FX 8150 for a VERY long time! Or at least it feels like a very long time… A beast CPU for 3D rendering, and gaming. The FX lineup from AMD is a multi-taskers dream come true! A lot of people are quick to judge the fact that the AMD FX-8150 only barely passes similarly priced Intel CPU’s… what they haven’t taken into account is A) real world use, and B) overclocking! This beast overclocks itself, when under full load I’ve never seen mine hit less than 3.8ghz across the whole spectrum! It only runs at 3.6ghz if the heat is too much, and well… THE HEAT DOESN’T GET TOO MUCH WITH THIS CPU!!! Seriously, 8 cores and it runs cool still… That is an amazing feat, it means AMD could of pushed these bad boys a lot further than they did… but they give you that option! If you want to push your CPU to its limits you can easily do so overclocking (the 3.8ghz mine runs is a factory setting, it does so automatically unless heat gets too much). I’ve read a lot of reviews where they get a 30% performance increase (in some instances) from an overclock to 4.2ghz across the whole spectrum! That’s pretty intense… haven’t messed with it myself, but I imagine with my quad 120mm fan radiator I should be able to hit 4.5ghz without breaking a sweat

Oh, and I was talking about real world performance… Granted I’m moving from an AMD quad core CPU… but the AMD FX-8150 makes everything faster for me! I’ve got 4 15,000 RPM hdd’s in RAID 5, and the speed in which I can load, save, and boot up increased dramatically. For someone who multi-tasks using multiple monitors, and 5 or 10 programs at once… there isn’t anything faster! The AMD FX-8150 has helped my computer keep up with my rate of work! So to all the nay sayers… maybe it’s not for you, but for me the AMD FX 8150 8-Core Processor 3.6ghz x8 Socket AM3+ FD8150FRGUBOX is exactly what the doctor ordered

written by Archmaille

It always amazes me how fast technology moves. I bought a camera a few years ago, did tons of research, and got the best bang for my buck as I intended to use it for taking pictures of my jewelry for my online business. It is aging a little bit now, and won’t take an SDHC card (it was before the high capacity was added to the specifications). So looking for new cameras I ran across this Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10E which is astounding! For the same price as I paid for my 4GB SD flash card you’ve got the Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10E that can hold 32GB of information! Even high resolution videos would be able to store a good half hour or more depending on the format! I keep getting amazed by technology, I guess that’s why I love it so much. Soon not only will you have Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10E type drives for your camera at decent prices like this, but we’ll all be running flash drives on our computers once they work out the kinks! For a camera the Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10E is a great buy, you would be able to store thousands of high resolution images, or several minutes of HD video… Definitely picking up a Transcend 32 GB Class 10 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS32GSDHC10E for when I grab a new camera so that I can keep everything safe in one place!

written by Archmaille

If my previous review of the Logitech Wireless Performance MX mouse enticed you, but didn’t seem to have enough functionality for you… well then the Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700 is your mouse! I’m not an MMORPG player, and the additional buttons don’t help me in any game I play… but I still love this mouse! Not only is it wonderfully ergonomic (similar design as the MX) but it has all kinds of macro keys that I use when working online. I save code snippets that I use a lot in macros, links that I am using a lot, or strings of information all can be saved on the Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700 with enough keys to let you program tons of functionality in. You can use the keys for all sorts of fuctions like changing brush sizes in photoshop, saving, macros… you name it… I love this little mouse it helps me be more productive than I could be without it.

written by Archmaille

Oh sweet ergonomics! When you work online and use your computer as much as I do ergonomics are one of the most important things you can have in your peripherals. Most of my readers know that I have a Logitech Wave keyboard, which not only has the perfect curvature for your hands, but it also dips in for your longer fingers!! Well Logitech continues to lead the pack in ergonomics with their Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX not only does it have the perfect fit for your hand supporting your hole hand with a nice cut out for your thumb, but everything about it is ergonomic. If you are like me you probably use your scroll wheel a lot, after hours and hours on the computer even the “click” from scrolling your wheel can create pains in your finger tips… well welcome in the Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX with open arms! It has what Logitech calls a micro gear, you can engage or disengage it to have a nice solid click, or friction free scrolling! My favorite invention on the mouse since the laser tracking system. If you’re a proficient computer user do yourself a favor and grab a Logitech Wireless Performance Mouse MX to save your hands for when you really need them.

written by Archmaille

I’ve heard a lot of people (myself included, I used to be one of these people) say that they would never waste their money on a GPS system. Formerly being one of these people I feel uniquely qualified to portray such animosity towards an expensive GPS device. For one, I’m a cheapskate, I drive under 55mph everywhere to get the best gas mileage possible, the house is a warm 65 degrees in the winter, and a freezing 85 in the summer… I don’t like to spend more than I have to on anything, and I do what I can to keep our unavoidable bills low. So lets start off with that argument… WHY oh why in the world would I ever pay $100+ for a device that only gets occasional use? I mean seriously how often do we drive to new places, I know how to get to work… or at least I hope I know how to get to work Some days it can be a little iffy without a good jolt of caffeine to get things rolling. Those days I’m not sure even the TomTom VIA 1405M GPS would get me there properly. The next argument that I’ve used forever is that I simply don’t need it, I’m a good navigator. It’s the road constructions fault I didn’t find the exit I needed… Stupid Kansas DOT doesn’t know how to put a sign at the exit, oh sure they got one 3 miles out letting me know it was coming up, but what about the oh so important sign AT THE EXIT!!!! Oh right… I guess I’m not as good of a navigator as my TomTom VIA 1405M GPS, in all fairness it’s never my fault though!

So my wife got me the TomTom VIA 1405M GPS as an early Christmas present… I think it was meant to be a Christmas present, but we’ve got quite a few places to go before then… and I think she wanted to get there on time. I’m not sure why she got me the TomTom VIA 1405M GPS not like I need it or anything! I’m a little bit hurt, and insulted that she would think of me in such a way… Just don’t tell her that I love it! Did you know this thing has fuel efficient routes? Yeah, I mean usually my fuel efficiency goes down with any new place we head… all the stop and go driving looking for my exit or turn, etc. With my of my usual trips I know which roads are straightest longest with the least stop and go driving… now I don’t have to know, the TomTom VIA 1405M GPS knows for me! So maybe I like my TomTom VIA 1405M GPS a lot, and maybe it gets a lot more use than I thought it would, and maybe it could actually help save money with my eco routes… just maybe the TomTom VIA 1405M GPS was a spectacular purchase!

written by Archmaille