Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by sunblaze

Indoor bike

sunblaze — Thu, 03 May 2012 17:39:10 +0800

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to buy an indoor bike for regular cardio (At least 5x a week, probably daily).

Why an indoor bike (as opposed to jogging/running/swimming/gym membership/skipping rope/treadmill)?

- Convenience / ease of access / safety (considering schedule/weather/malaysian roads, etc etc).
- I've had a knee injury in the last 2 yrs, and plain personal preferences.
- Goal is not to build muscles/strength (just to lose belly fat i.e. the infamous "spare tyre")
- Budget considerations.

So my questions:
1) How much would an *entry level* indoor upright bike cost, and any brands/models to recommend? Preferences:
- Can last for a few (at least 2-3) years if it's being used for 1-2 hours everyday. (Kinda rules out the RM300 ones from Carrefour/Tesco/etc).
- Silent/magnetic resistance type.
- Something with a distance/heart rate display.
- Option to have it serviced/repaired later on if needed (is it normally needed?), or low/easy maintenance. Obviously at least a 1yr warranty, longer would be better.

2) Where is a good place to buy such a bike in PJ/KL without getting "parang-ed" for the price? Budget would be around RM1k, although if something cheaper is available I wouldn't mind. Definitely not going to 2k and above (don't need anything too fancy in features... )

The internet showed me 3 bikes from a local source that are within budget:
http://www.fitnessconcept.com.my/userfiles...00(700x989).jpg (RM849)
http://www.fitnessconcept.com.my/userfiles.../TRX-EB2173.jpg (RM1098)
http://www.fitnessconcept.com.my/userfiles.../TRX-EB2174.jpg (RM1398)

Anyone used the 3 bikes above or have info to share?

Recommendation/comments/feedback for the 2 questions above would be much appreciated

Better PC sound

sunblaze — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:09:13 +0800

Hi,

I'm an audio layman who would like to improve on the existing rig. Would appreciate some feedback/suggestions:

Current rig: Windows desktop PC
Source: VIA VT1708S specs
Output: Creative I-Trigue 2300 2.0
Usage: Music (mp3s and CDs: OSTs, rock, pop, some trance), movies, some gaming (more priority on the sound quality than the positioning from something like a 5.1 gaming setup). Typically 2-5 hours constant use at a time, non-air cond room so the ambient temp is typical for Malaysian weather.
Budget: RM400 to 500 in total (can't go higher)

Previous rig: similar, with Cambridge SoundWorks CSW 100 (2.1) speakers.

Due to budget constraints I'm aiming for headphones, and a USB sound card if it makes sense and fits the budget above.

A friend is using Sennheiser HD215's so I'm considering those (or something else in a similar range), but I'm wondering if my sound source won't do justice to the output.

So my questions would be (keeping in mind that my ears are untrained/layman standard as indicated by the rigs above):
- For something around the range/quality of HD215s, would the existing sound source above be adequate? Or would a USB soundcard from Asus/Creative be a better choice?
- If USB soundcard is justified, any recommendations which would offer good value for money/performance for the budget constraints above?

thanks!

WTA Headphones or speakers

sunblaze — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:56:49 +0800

Hi,

Would like some advice; given the following would it be better to go for headphones, or speakers?

Rig: Windows PC
Source: VIA® VT1708S 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC (dedicated sound card is not an option due to lack of expansion slot. If this is terribad then please feel free to indicate a practical budget point it makes sense to aim for given the source).
Location: Study/PC room (i.e not a hall/living room).
Usage: Primarily pc games (stuff like WoW, SC2, Diablo 3.. not Counterstrike), a bit of music (typically 128 bitrate mp3s, rock/alternative/pop), the occasional movie.
Usage duration: Typically 2-4 hours at a stretch, anything beyond will involve breaks.
Budget: RM200-400.

Basically would like to know which would offer a better experience at that price point (considering my rig and usage), then I'll take to the relevant thread and research brand/model choices.

Thank you!

PC/GPU Overheating?

sunblaze — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 14:12:51 +0800

Hi everyone, need some advice.

My current rig:
Intel i5 750 (stock speed and cooler)
ASUS P7P55-M
4GB Kingston PC1333 DDR3 RAM (2x2)
Intel 80GB SSD (G2)
2 Western Digital SATA drives
Leadtek 560Ti 1GB (stock speeds and settings, running at 1920x1080 at all times)
Samsung DVD-RW
Corsair 750TX
CM ATX casing
Windows 7 64bit

GPU upgrade was done just yesterday, and since then I've had some problems.

Yesterday when doing the GPU installation and testing, a 2 or 3 times on boot up (POST) error 1 long beep, followed by 3 beeps. Google indicated that POST error means its either a bad GPU, or GPU is not seated properly. Took out and put back the GPU, screwed in place etc, no problems after that yesterday.

Today during some gaming an hour ago (WoW @ 1920x1080 @ max settings, SC2 at same resolution and Ultra settings) the PC self rebooted (2x) within the first 20 mins of running the games, and after one of the reboots the same beeping code occurred again. Windows Event Viewer logs don't show any error, no BSOD happened to give info. This problem only occurred today afternoon (last nite when doing some quick tests in WoW and SC2, and when formatting the PC there was no problem at all).

Downloaded and ran VMT to test and see if its bad GPU memory, full test came back saying everything looks ok.

Downloaded RealTemp360 and it indicates my CPU temperature is just 1-2 degrees below 50 degrees celcius when NOT under load (just running Windows 7 and typing this out to you guys with Real Temp running in the background). Previous testing indicates that CPU stress test pushes CPU temps to mid to upper 70s.

This GPU does not seem to have any connector for a temp sensor to plug into (previous Palit 9800GT 512MB had one to link to the mobo) so I can't tell if the GPU might be overheating when under load, since the PC restarts happened during gaming today around noon (and not last nite).

Room ambient temp is typical malaysian (upper 20s to low 30 degrees celcius at this time of day?) and I'm just using a ceiling fan.

PC cooling is basically:
CPU - Intel stock
GPU - stock
PSU Corsair stock internal fan
1 stock cooler master PC casing fan (running at around 2000 to 2200 rpm?)

Sides of the case does not have any holes/brackets for additional fans.

1) If it is the GPU overheating under load, what can I do to lower the temp for the GPU and inside the PC case (aside from using room air-cond ).
2) Any shops which specialize in air cooling (i.e. will know how to lower casing temp and increase airflow). Don't mind spending a bit (<500) to cool the whole rig down nicely. Already have in mind to replace the Intel stock cooler, but if the casing temp remains high then it won't solve the problem.

Suggestions and feedback would be advised.

Edit: Overheating is now the primary suspect. Tried gaming with air cond on and slightly less detailed settings, everything seems stable.

Upgrade question!

sunblaze — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:03:22 +0800

Currently:

Intel i5 750 (stock speed and cooler)
ASUS P7P55-M
4GB Kingston PC1333 DDR3 RAM (2x2)
Intel 80GB SSD (G2)
2 Western Digital SATA drives
Palit 9800GT 512MB DDR3 (256bit)
Samsung DVD-RW
ViewSonic 24inch display
Corsair 750TX
CM ATX casing
Windows 7 64bit

Planned usage:
Gaming @ 1920x1080 at Ultra/Max quality settings with smooth framerate i.e. 30-60fps on a stable basis even with action going on (Games: Wow: Cataclysm, Starcraft 2, eventually Diablo 3)

Upgrade budget: below 1k, the lower the better as long as it can play the games above at the mentioned detail then it's fine.

Considering: nVidia 560, 560 Ti, 570 GPU (price checks indicate that they'd cost around 6xx to 9xx depending on brand and model)

Additional notes: I know that WoW and SC2 tend to be more CPU hungry compared to other games, but at the same time my GPU is a bit dated compared to the rest of my current rig. Since I'm playing at that resolution and want to enjoy the eye-candy, which upgrade would offer optimal value for money and hit the performance levels mentioned? Future-proofing can kinda be limited to SC2 expacs and Diablo 3

Opinions and advice would be appreciated