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Graphics Card Crash – And why EVGA is my preferred choice!

juni 3rd, 2014. Published under Hardware. No Comments.

So, after not being home for a weekend, I come home and turn on my computer, there’s a weird windows kernel graphics driver error, and my Graphics card somehow seems to obtain a flaw!

I try rebooting the computer as i suspected it being an error in windows, but no change. So i try to uninstall the driver and re-install it, without and results. Video of the attempt to install the video card driver can be seen here.

So, after concluding my card is busted, I go to www.evga.com and log into the site, fill out a support ticket, as I bought my 580 GTX there years back. And as i back when i got it, registered the card within the 30 day limit, I am apparently entitled to a 10 year limited warrenty. On top of this, support replies, that from what i described i should RMA the card.

3 days later, the UPS guy is in my Driveway, and gives me a package from EVGA, containing a EVGA GeForce GTX 670 Signature 2 card :-O

So basically they upgraded me as well, since the 580 GTX weren’t in stock anymore. I am so great full, and just have to share this.

Switch from home built server to QNAP TS-419+

september 2nd, 2011. Published under Consumer, Hardware, Pictures, Software. No Comments.

After having had a custom server running in my office for almost 6 years, I decided to plug-in a Watt meter the other night to measure exactly how much power it was drawing. I was shocked ..

Before I reveal what happend afterwards let me first explain that I always used my “old” gaming rig as base for a server. So when my main computer was upgraded, the old parts were usually moved into the server, except for graphics card card. I always had a low profile, passive cooled, low-end in the server, as it would be accesed using remote desktop anyways. The server was also always set the server op for power saving mode, so when it wasent used it ould almost go into sleep mode. Rough server specs were:

CPU: q6600, RAM: 4 GB DDR2, SSD: 1x 40 GB, HDD: 5x 500 GB, 1x 750 GB, 3x 1000 GB, PSU: 650 Watt ,FANs: 5x120mm (Including the one for CPU cooling)

Back to the Watt meter, it showed 153 Watt when IDLE! At boot up it would consume 330 Watt!
So, how much is that a day? Or per year?

153 Watt * 24 Hours = 3672/1000 3,672 KWH a day
Current pricing where I live is 1,69 kroner per KWH, so
3,672*1,69 = 6,20 kroner per day or 6,20*365 = 2263 kroner per year!

2263 kroner a year, just in power!

I had for some time been looking at the “Nas World” and never found any good reason because I would be limited in what i could do with my server then. If i had a Server running on a “2nd generation high-end PC” i would always have extra power for hosting a game server. Now i was a t a point where i had to reconsider if i needed that freedom at all.

I made a quick calculation on what a NAS would cost pr. year running. I found a QNAP TS-419P+ Nas that looked to be able to offer what i really needed, or more correctly, i had everything i knew i would want, and then some. Two main things were posibility to have lots of space and low power consumption. It can handle 4 disk of up to 3 TB a piece, so a total of 12 TB and according to its specs it peaks at 31 Watt ( although thats with 4 x 500 GB disks ). Running cost per year with 31 Watt constantly would be:

31 * 24 = 744/1000 = 0,744 KWH a day
The price of a KWH is still 1,69 kroner per KWH, so
0,744*1,69 = 1,25 kroner per day or 1,25*365 = 456,25 kroner per year!

Thats a yearly saving of 2263 – 456,25 = 1806,75 kroner per year! Do note that i calculated the NAS running cost as if its working all the time, and the Sever calculation was made while the system was idle.

Since i got the NAS, i discovered that i actually dont need all the things I used to convince my self i should have a powerfull server for. Also, i have found numerous cool small things to install on it, like iStat, CrashPlan, TwonkyMedia just to mention a few.

On top of this Im starting to love this whole SSH Console thing, so trying to move away from the, otherwise, pretty webGUI the Qnap comes with.

Dropped my iPhone4 earliere today

august 3rd, 2011. Published under Hardware, Pictures. 2 Comments.

it did NOT make it … :(

So tomorrow or friday, im off to get it repaied via irep.dk. The saddest thing about it is that i actually got the phone shortly after release, so short that i was given a free 30€ bumper for it, and i stopped using the bumper just a month or so ago :(

Dammit one feel naked without my precious!

My Precious .. destroyed!