Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by abu.shofwan

PCIE 4 vs PCIE 3

abu.shofwan — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 22:51:18 +0800

Dear Sifus,

Asking a real question here. I have i5 4440 setup with GTX 970. Don't want to waste too much money and just thinking of getting mid-range latest gen GPU cards, from either green or red camp (depending performance per dollar).

Thing is, all these latest gen cards will be specced for PCIE 4, while my setup I believe is only PCIE 3...

How much worse can it be between PCIE 4 vs PCIE 3, considering that I'm just aiming for mid range (thinking about same level as 2060/ti/super, but the next gen version).

MXM II compatibility

abu.shofwan — Wed, 01 Jul 2020 15:23:11 +0800

Hi Sifus,

I admit I had not been very attentive to mobile gpu techs.

Found out this morning that my old (from 2008) Aspire 5920G utilizes mxm ii card for its gpu. It is currently using the old radeon 3470 mxm ii.

Question:
Can I buy a more updated mxm2 gpu and plug it in? I am aware that some 5920G come with nvidia 8600m.but I've seen some 9600m cards available in the wild (ali express) and wondering if I can snatch one to give this baby a little boost.

I want to use this lappy for my kids to learn MS-Office... it's currently stuffed with OS, Office, and some old games installed by my nephew.

Main specs as of now:
Core 2 duo (remember those?) T5850
3gb ddr2 ram
250gb hitachi hdd
Radeon HD3470 gpu (mxm2 card)
Win 7 ultimate (planning to get orig. win 10)

How to drain phone battery efficiently

abu.shofwan — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 16:36:03 +0800

Hi guys,

Want to ask your experience. What is the best (fastest) way to consume battery in our mobile?

I’ve heard of “Battery calibration” (or whatever it’s called), by letting your phone battery run until 0% and it shuts down by itself. After that, you need to charge the phone to full 100%.
I thought nothing of it before, but last month I saw with my own eyes that it does have an effect.

I have a mi5 which couldn’t hold battery charge that well anymore (it’s old enough). I mainly use it to video call my family back home. And from 100%, the battery would drop very, very quickly (like, maybe in 15 – 20 minutes of call time) that I would immediately need to connect to a charger.

One time I just used the phone by browsing to keep an eye out on the battery drop. This confirmed my suspicion, that it was indeed no longer having the same endurance. And that time I just decided to use it up until it shuts down by itself. To my surprise, after that (and after charging the phone to full), now the phone can last hours of video calls. My estimate puts it to around 3hrs – which is miles away from the 15 to 20… or max 30 minutes from before. So it really looks like it works.

And to think, I have ordered replacement battery for my mi 5 (to sell it off).

Now I want to do the same with my other phones and tablets. I have an Acer e700, a Z3 Tablet Compact, which are 4 or 5 years old? I have p20 pro, which is roughly 1 year old (which I bought actually to replace my then-dying mi 5), or even my mi A2 Lite (less than 1 year old). These gadgets never been "calibrated" before.

Thinking back, a few times I've heard people mention should do this once in a while (with one recommending to do it every month, at least). Do you guys have any experience for this type of battery calibration? How do you do it? Is there an app that drains the battery quickly and without the need of actual human touch/intervention?

Thanks y’all.

Salvaging parts from a Laptop

abu.shofwan — Wed, 21 Aug 2019 19:12:02 +0800

My Aspire 7 A715-72G died on me. 1 year plus, so no more warranty. According to service center, the motherboard blew (or rather, something in the MB... the power adapter also got busted at the same time). They are unable to get the MB replacement as (they claimed) the model is too old already (to which I protested, I only bought it a year and a half ago - cannot be "too old" already)

I can see no physical damage myself so I intend to send it to another service center, the unofficial - but reputable - one.

However, in the sad and unwanted possibility of no replacement parts can be obtained by the service center (and 3800 riyals down the drain)... what can I salvage?

I have bought myself a second hand desktop (I am more of a desktop guy, actually. Built all my rigs myself before this). I know I can carry over my HDD (it's just smaller physical size, but same SATA connection). I have already bought an external enclosure for my m2 SATA SSD (yes, I intend to use it as a BIG and fast usb flash drive).

I want to reuse the WiFi module - but not sure what is the name of the connection there. Is it M2? But what type? tried googling, couldn't find description for the Qualcomm Atheros card.

For RAM... is there a way to reuse the RAM... maybe make a RAM-disk?

How about the casing: keyboard, touchpad and monitor... anyone has any idea whether (and how) these can be reused?

Navy updates guidelines for reporting

abu.shofwan — Thu, 30 May 2019 17:46:07 +0800

Normally, you know who is posting this type of threads.

They call it "unexplained aerial phenomena" instead of plain old UFO.

The Navy has updated its guidelines for pilots to report unidentified flying objects, the New York Times reported, following a series of mysterious sightings off the East Coast.
The sightings took place four to five years ago, and the article did not explain why the guidelines, originally issued in 2015, were updated earlier this year.
The Navy pilots will be part of a new History Channel series, “Unidentified: Inside America’s UFO Investigation.” The N.Y. Times story, which was widely circulated this week, represented a publicity coup for the network.
The newspaper says pilots based on the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt saw the objects — some of which they described as spinning like tops and reaching 30,000 feet — during the summer of 2014 through March 2015 in training exercises off the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Florida. In 2014, a F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot reported nearly colliding with one. Two pilots were quoted by name in the story. They said they began to see the objects after receiving upgraded radar systems.
“People have seen strange stuff in military aircraft for decades,” Lt. Ryan Graves said. “We’re doing this very complex mission, to go from 30,000 feet, diving down. It would be a pretty big deal to have something up there.”
The N.Y. Times story includes grainy video captured by the plane’s camera. The Navy adjusted its reporting methods for what the military calls “unexplained aerial phenomena” following the Roosevelt incidents.
“There were a number of different reports,” said Navy spokesman Joseph Gradisher, adding that although some cases could be commercial drones, in regard to others, “We don’t know who’s doing this, we don’t have enough data to track this. So the intent of the message to the fleet is to provide updated guidance on reporting procedures for suspected intrusions into our airspace.”

full storeh here:
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2019/05/28...ilots/23736144/

if slow, then kolos

Need advice, potential job in

abu.shofwan — Wed, 06 Mar 2019 13:33:41 +0800

Sifus...

As some of you may recall, I am currently working in Qatar. My current role is practically like an engineer handling contracts, procurement and a bit of cost controlling.

I like it here. Pay is good, environment is good, safety and security is good (a bit dangerous on the road, but that's all)... Car is cheap, petrol is cheap, and salary is tax free. My take home pay is at least 9000 usd per month (I say at least because I am on a daily rate contract).

Now there is an agent asking whether if be interested to take on a managerial role. Not like project manager, but more like head of a section for a project in Indonesia. This is also contract basis (non permanent, which of course it would be), min 12 months. They're looking for someone to start sometime in May 2019. My current contract is up to Dec 2019, but a one year extension is already in the pipeline (I saw the document with my own eyes... No increment was there).

On the one hand, I have the desire to finish my curreny job (the project will likely finish in Q1 of next year). On the other hand, Jakarta is so much closer to home. At the very least, I'd have a chance to see my family on every weekend (quite cheap with Air Asia).

The pay... On offer currently is USD 8k gross. Which is quite a step down, considering I can make 10k net in a month here in Qatar.

Anyone can give some insight on working in Jakarta? I am seriously thinking of switching.

The World's Loneliest Duck

abu.shofwan — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 14:04:39 +0800

More than 1,700 miles northeast of New Zealand is a small island. Described as “a place where nature hasn’t been broken,” the raised coral atoll is called Niue. Known for its imposing limestone cliffs and pristine dive sites, the island nation is home to about 1,600 people, and as of January 2018, exactly one duck — a mallard named Trevor.

Trevor the Duck (Courtesy of Trevor the Duck - Niue/Facebook)© / Trevor the Duck (Courtesy of Trevor the Duck - Niue/Facebook) Elsewhere in the world, ducks are a fairly common sight, but Trevor’s presence on Niue was somewhat surprising. Before his arrival, there were no ducks on the remote island, commonly referred to as “the Rock” for its lack of wetlands, lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.

Local officials believe Trevor — fittingly named after the speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives, Trevor Mallard — ended up on Niue after being blown there by a storm. But unlike other ducks who have made infrequent, and brief, visits in the past, Trevor stayed.

A muddy puddle on the side of a dirt road became his new home, and Trevor “became part of the community,” Rae Finlay, chief executive of Niue’s Chamber of Commerce, told The Washington Post in a phone interview early Tuesday.

But Trevor’s solitary existence, which attracted global attention and earned him the distinction of the “world’s loneliest duck,” has come to a tragic end.

“We’ve had confirmed reports that Trevor the Duck — Niue has died,” read a post Friday on the duck’s official Facebook page, which is run by Finlay. “He was seen dead in the bush after being attacked by dogs.”

Concern for Trevor, widely known as “a global celebrity and promoter of Niue,” began rippling through the island and on social media last week when many reported that the duck was no longer at his puddle and wondered where he may have gone.

“I’m lost and can’t find my Puddle,” a post on Trevor’s Facebook announced Wednesday. “Has anyone spotted me this week around Niue?”

Commenters were immediately alarmed.

“WHAAATTTT????? What is going on???,” wrote Claire Trevett, a journalist with the New Zealand Herald, who was one of the first to report on Trevor’s existence in September. The story, called “The sorry tale of Niue’s only duck,” went viral and helped launch the duck to international fame, Finlay said.

“Has he been Ducknapped????” another person asked. “Seriously I hope he is ok though.”

Trevor, Finlay would soon find out, was not okay.

“We went looking for him, and then one of the local families told us that a dog had got him,” she said. “Somebody saw the dog attack.”

Niue’s “lovely little duck friend” was laid to rest by a group of locals near his puddle, Finlay said.

“A lot of people will miss the fact that he’s no longer with us,” she said.

When Finlay first spotted Trevor in the puddle last year, she never thought he would take up a permanent residence on the island.

“I’ve seen him fly,” she said. “There didn’t appear to be anything wrong with him. We had no idea why he chose to stay there, but he did.”

Despite calls for a mate to be brought in or for Trevor to be moved to a place more suitable for ducks, Finlay said the proposed solutions presented their own issues. There were concerns about introducing a second duck “to a country with no natural water source,” she said, adding that Trevor’s puddle was “only big enough for one.” Moving Trevor was also a challenge because no one knew exactly where he came from, so many argued that the best option was to leave him be, she said.

“He certainly seemed happy where he was,” she said.

Before long, Trevor was a fixture in the community. A sign was erected near his puddle that read “Niue Duck Sanctuary,” and under Trevor’s name in smaller text was a description: “The lonely only duck in Niue.”

People regularly brought food to his puddle (his favorites included cooked rice, cabbage and corn) and gave him treats whenever he would stop by their lawns, Finlay said. When the puddle looked too dry, residents and the local fire department “always came to his rescue and topped him up until it rained,” she said.

Trevor became such a constant that locals even started using him as a reference point when giving directions, Trevett wrote, recalling that when she visited the island last year, someone instructed her to “turn right after the duck.”

Though headlines billed Trevor as “the world’s loneliest duck,” Finlay said the label wasn’t entirely accurate.

“He had plenty of visitors each day bringing him food, just checking on him or taking photos and selfies,” she said, noting that the duck also appeared to make friends with a chicken, a rooster and a weka, a flightless bird native to the island.

News of Trevor’s untimely death was met with an outpouring of grief on social media.

“Deepest sympathy to the people of Niue from the Parliament of New Zealand,” wrote the duck’s namesake, Mallard, on Facebook.

“Oh Trevor we will miss you,” one person commented, “thank you for gracing our shores for a year and for bringing my children a lot of joy. You also taught them to be compassionate and find fun in filling your pond.”

Another wrote, “Fly on, Trevor.”

Others were angered by how Trevor died, calling for the dog to be “put down."

“That dog should be put behind bars for life,” one person opined on Facebook.

Finlay, who regularly fed and checked in on Trevor, told The Post that she was “devastated."

“He will definitely be missed. He captured many hearts, and even the rooster, the chicken and the weka were looking a little forlorn today wandering around the near-dry puddle,” she said.

TLDR
There lived a lonely duck in Niue, NZ... for a year
Brought "colour" to the lives there
It died after getting attacked by a dog
People (the locals) mourned

Writing a book

abu.shofwan — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 19:07:19 +0800

To be frank, I only found out about this subforum after making a search for posts on publishing a book.

Story is, during the last bulan puasa, I was left with a little bit more time than usual. Work ends at 1 pm here during the month of Ramadhan. I go home around 2.30 – 2.45, though, so that I arrive home right about time for Asar prayer (around 3.20pm). With about 3 hours to go before buka puasa, I started pounding words onto my XPS 12. Day in and day out.

And it turns out I liked it…

No, not the way the keys reacted when I pressed them. I’m talking about the writing itself.

I had a general idea of the topic (fiction, of course, but not fantasy or dungeons and dragons type… or science fiction), how the story will go. I’ve drawn a bit of a diagram so that I don’t forget it.

It looked like it was going to be a short novel. But as I continue working on it, I’ve managed to go more than 80 thousand words. And it’s still not finished.
What started as a short novel, a way to kill time until the buka puasa, now looks like it will be a two-book ordeal. Maybe even three. I know I can fit into two for sure, but I’m starting to see the possibility of something to be written in between book 1 and 2. Yes, it started as 1 book. But as I got deeper and deeper into the story, it became apparent that I needed to split into 2 books. So now I have a lot of material already drafted for book 1 and a few chapters for book 2.

Nowadays, with less time to work on it and more time to work at the office, I spend about an hour and a half to progress the story – which is normally enough for one chapter.
So… any tips for a noob writer? Maybe can make this as a side income, was what I thought.

A small problem I have is that my mind continues to work on the story throughout the day. While working at the office, while off to the masjid for prayer. Any tip on how to calm one’s mind?

What's the difference between Range Extender

abu.shofwan — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 23:53:48 +0800

I hope this is the correct place to post this.

I am in need of a wifi access point for my room. Unfortunately, I am quite noob when it comes to networking. I used to just let my bro take care of it, while I just be the end user.

I am renting part of a house (or "villa" as they call it here) on 2nd floor. There is already wifi here: in the "Living room" the 2.4 channel is strong while the 5GHz channel is weak (1 bar most of the time, sometime can get 2). But but signal is very weak in the bedroom: 2 bars or less on 2.4 and zero bar on 5.

There is a LAN cable here and it's live... I mean, I can access internet if I plug it into my laptop. So I'm thinking to use this to make better wifi signal up in my room.

Looking around at what's available in Lulu, I found:
1. TP-Link AC750 Wi-Fi Range Extender RE 210;
2. Linksys AC750 Access Point WAP750AC;
3. Linksys Wifi Range Extender RE6300 DB AC750.

Both the Linksys cost the same, while the TP-Link is cheaper by around 80 riyals. There are other models (from D-Link, Belkin, etc.); I just mention these three for the sake of giving examples only.

My question is, being noob, what's the difference between these two options eh? From the description, both "Range Extender" and "Access Point" seem to do the same thing: provide a wireless access point for me to connect to. All three have one ethernet port, which can be used to connect to a router.

Much appreciate if any sifus still online can give some tips/advice.

Accord or Impreza

abu.shofwan — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 21:51:20 +0800

Short story:
I'm now working in Qatar, got a one year contract. I'm about to complete 2 months now, and I'd been renting a Tiida all this time. But since my contract is 1 year, with a high possibility of extension of at least another 6 months, it's financially better to just buy a second hand car.

I've narrowed down my choices to these two:

1. Subaru Impreza, 2.0 boxer, AWD, auto with paddle shifter n cruise control
Thing is, exterior not that great. A bit of scratch at the rear bumper, small dents (likely from stones on the highway or whatever). New battery and tires fitted, though. I know nothing of Subaru, this would be the first time it's run into me somehow. But the service charges (records) were quite cheap... 180 riyals to 700 riyals... Mostly around 400 riyals.
2013 model, 145000km clocked with regular service at the dealer. Asking for 17000 riyal.

2. Honda Accord, 2.4L one, auto n cruise control, too
Well what can I say, it's an Accord. Owned one of these before and they're quite dull, actually. But they're kind of long lasting and trouble free. Don't know about the Impreza... Resale value definitely the Accord wins.
2012 model, 125000km clocked and regular service with dealer (quite near to where I am staying, so that's a plus). Asking for 22000 riyals but willing to let go at 18500 since we work in the same company.

I feel like want to try the Impreza but my heart is weary if it turns out troublesome. Any advice? Need to make a decision by tomorrow.

Opinions please - Offer for Qatar Gas

abu.shofwan — Wed, 29 Nov 2017 00:16:57 +0800

So here's the situation, I'm told by my agent that I had been succesfull in my last interview with QG and will be receiving the offer soon enough. But the thing is, the offer will be on single status and I know full well that education there is mighty expensive. I have 3 children, 2 already schooling.

the offer will be on a daily rate (no work no pay basis) and the work is 5 and 6 days per week (alternating).

now, while the figure is way higher than my last salary in KL... education is soooo expensive... schools I looked at (googled) were in the region of QAR 26- 35k per year. times 3 would be 105k (or you can say, I have to save QAR 8750 per month to pay the fees). I think national/government schools would be cheaper, but I doubt I can get my kids accepted there... what with the arabic language spoken and little to no english (I assume)... Indian or Pakistani schools are there and a lot cheaper, of course... but I'd want my kids to go to international schools. not taking my family is out of the question.

all in all, I calculate that I would earn around QAR 24k plus another 7k for accommodation.

So what you guys think?

I know there are people here that had worked or are working in Qatar...

Should I take the leap of faith? Education is my main concern, if you can share some thoughts (positive preferred) would be much appreciated...

[WTS] Lumia 430

abu.shofwan — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 15:48:34 +0800

THREAD CLOSED

TS ALREADY MOVED OUT OF MALAYSIA

TM internet disruption

abu.shofwan — Wed, 13 Sep 2017 00:31:37 +0800

Location KLCC area...

Now using mobile data

On all, I guess I'll go to sleep earlier tonight

[WTS] 2003 Sonata 2.4 RM 6000 SOLD

abu.shofwan — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 10:13:16 +0800

Item(s): Hyundai Sonata 2.4 A - 2003, gold colour

Package includes: The CAR!!! with tires (5 pcs), steering wheel, roof in tact and all glass unshattered

Price: Asking for RM 7,300.00

Warranty: At this age? you gotta be dreaming...

Dealing method: Cash, preferred... Bank Transfer not so much... No post request will be entertained, though. And no payment by vouchers... even for doughnuts!!

Location of seller: both car and owner in KLCC area

Contact method/details: LYN (here in this thread) or PM for phone number

Age of item: let's see... 2017 minus 2003 equals... hmmm... 12... no...I mean 14 years

---

Item(s) conditions: Good working condition. She runs well and has so far not given me any headache. I never had accident with her, and nor she with me... And she's cold... err... I mean, her Aircond is still cold.

Picture: Got pictures... Whatsapp for more...

Reason for sale: Not using very much. Bought as a weekend car, but rarely driven in all my years owning her (since 2014)... maybe some 4 thousand km... not too sure.

Other Info: Well, I ain't no car dealer, so if you wanna buy the car, I hope you know your way around on getting the administrations done. I'm kind of tied up with work on workdays and travel home (balik kampung) to visit my kids on the weekends...
Full insurance cover (+ windshield) with Etiqa Takaful...
Roadtax/Insurance upto 24/2/2018...

Johor Businessman's Wife Kidnapped

abu.shofwan — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 18:39:22 +0800

Tried searching with several key words, but couldn't find any threads on this.

Actually found this in a news portal from across the strait (no, not Singapore, the other one)... the kidnapping happened in late February, but I don't recall reading this in the newspaper (although, to be honest, I only read the Star at the office). She's thankfully been rescued and already returned to her family now.

If I'm slow, then please close.

/Quote

Jakarta - Ling Ling (44), wanita WN Malaysia telah dibebaskan dari sanderaan penculik di Batam, Kepulauan Riau. Saat ini, istri pengusaha di Malaysia itu telah berkumpul dengan keluarganya.

Ling Ling sebelumnya diculik kawanan bersenjata api di rumahnya di Kulai, Johor Bahru, Malaysia pada tanggal 21 Februari 2017. Ling Ling kemudian dibawa ke Batam melalui pelabuhan tikus.

Para pelaku di Malaysia sempat meminta uang tebusan sebesar SGD 5 juta kepada suami korban. Enam pelaku WN Malaysia ditangkap oleh pihak kepolisian Malaysia. Dari keterangan mereka, diketahui Ling Ling berada di Batam dalam penguasaan sindikatnya.

Saat ini PDRM tengah membutu otak penculikam bernama Wak Lan. Polri menyatakan siap membantu pihak kepolisian Malaysia untuk mengusut tuntas kasus penculikan tersebut.

/endQuote

https://news.detik.com/berita/d-3451641/mom...kan-ke-malaysia

New camera on trial detects multiple violations

abu.shofwan — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 17:09:50 +0800

Seems like there is better and better camera system out there.
Was browsing another forum and found this.
To my noob mind, this seems like a bit of AI built into the programming/system to detect multiple violations.
if they brought this system here, it may help deter some of the most common violations. if it can detect tail-gaters, it can probably detect emergency lane users.

well, it would definitely at least deter me from overtaking using the middle lane (you know la, sometimes slow folks die-die want to use the fast lane)... but if they had this system, maybe slow folks will not hog the fast lane no more, eh...

» Click to show Spoiler - click again to hide... «

PCI-E 2.0 for GTX 1050/1050ti

abu.shofwan — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:46:07 +0800

hey guys, i wonder if these cards can work with PCI-E 2.0 or earlier - power wise. i mean, will the 2.0 slot be able to supply enough juice to these cards. since they don't have other power connectors, the slot should really be able to deliver all the power required.

i'd been itching to replace my old HD 5770 (more than 7 yrs old, iirc) with 1050/ti or even AMD's 460. But always feel hesitant fearing the slot would not be able to supply enough juice.

TBH, i've been out of touch with the basis of gpu tech (i mean the PCI-E tech). most articles online talk about bandwidth this, bandwidth that, how much it will affect the FPS... but not really talking about the power envelope.

Suspected AMD Zen benchmark

abu.shofwan — Thu, 03 Nov 2016 19:49:08 +0800

Notebookcheck reports on a suspected AMD Zen engineering sample benchmark - server grade cpu maybe. But seemsbto have the i7 and a xeon beat in this (limited) benchmark

http://www.notebookcheck.net/Benchmark-spo...U.182381.0.html

But I maintain my pessimistic stance until proven without a doubt.

AMD Radeon RX 460

abu.shofwan — Tue, 06 Sep 2016 16:10:11 +0800

Anyone bought this card here in Malaysia? How does it perform?

Just now saw a thread of a gigabyte rx460 card which appeared to be faulty. Anyone else got a faulty card?

I'm thinking of buying this card, preferably by end of this week, to replace a dying 5770.

The 5770 is installed in an old rig (1st Gen Core i3) and used to browse, watch movies (and youtube) only. No graphically-serious gaming... 768p TV-monitor only...

Windows 10 only

abu.shofwan — Sun, 04 Sep 2016 09:05:22 +0800

it looks like only Win 10 will work with Kaby and Zen
only the latest software will work with the latest tech... it remains to be seen how successful will be this effort to limit windows compatibility.

Microsoft: Intel Kaby Lake- and AMD Zen-Chips only support Windows 10
Sorry, folks! Future silicon requires the latest Microsoft platform.

Microsoft, Intel and AMD made it clear, that earlier Microsoft platforms before Windows 10 will not be supported anymore on next generation silicon. This could lead to Skylake-hardware being in high demand for the foreseeable future.

Of course people will try to get Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to run on future chips and they might even succeed in doing so. This will not be an option for companies though. Analysts like Dean McCarron of Mercury Research suggested, that this situation could lead to a higher demand for Skylake components and dealers might even start stockpiling them to meet future demand.

more here:
http://www.notebookcheck.net/Microsoft-Int...0.173350.0.html