Equipment Crew- Part IV

[Keetman]

In!!!


Keetman pm about PC build will share a useful site.

Go ahead and shoot it to me, I'll continue to learn, however..... I'm already in the clean up phase Thanks for getting back with me though!

[THErunCMD]

purty lights congrats on the build

[KBKB]

Go ahead and shoot it to me, I'll continue to learn, however..... I'm already in the clean up phase Thanks for getting back with me though!

Looks good to me. Congrats!

[keyboardworkout]

I'm already in the clean up phase

Did you go with Windows 10?

[Keetman]

Did you go with Windows 10?

No, I'll probably upgrade at some point, but I just used Win 7. It's been fine for awhile, it'll work for the time being.

[urbanlifter]

Nice build Keetman, I like your style! Here is my first build a couple years ago, I went a little overkill and the videos on Newegg were incredibly helpful! Added an SSD last year in additon to my hard drive, and just recently did the free upgrade to Windows 10.

[Keetman]

Nice build Keetman, I like your style! Here is my first build a couple years ago, I went a little overkill and the videos on Newegg were incredibly helpful! Added an SSD last year in additon to my hard drive, and just recently did the free upgrade to Windows 10.

That looks familiar.

I can't believe the SSD's. I'd never seen one and when I got it in the mail, I thought something was wrong. The overall weight of the machine and the silent operation have really surprised me as well. I had no idea what to expect. I've been using a laptop for about 10 years and really haven't messed with the inside of a pc. This was a cool experience.

[Domicron]

dammit, should not have clicked this thread. i need to build a new computer, my 5 year old laptop is definitely on it's last legs...even my work laptop is running into issues

[Cleveland33]

ugh - I rear ended someone getting on the TPK this morning - she seemed fine, was able to drive off. My neck is a little stiff and a bit of a headache, but my car might be totaled. Sucks cause I bought it from my mom so it was an 06 Explorer with only 60k miles on it, half of which were her literally driving to church and back. Was hoping to have that car and no payment for 5-7 years to put some money away/towards other things.

Won't know if it is totaled till Th. Trying to think of a car I could reasonably replace it with for whatever cash I will get from insurance - seems unlikely.

Anyone ever bought a police interceptor? I found some that should be less than I'll get for the Explorer that look like they were unmarked cars - ie not driven as hard as a cruiser. Thinking about it, it seems like it might be a good option as a dad - big back seat, vinyl seats and floors for easy cleanup, everyone gets out of your way, etc.

I know they are typically driven hard, but they are also beefed up to handle it.

[urbanlifter]

That looks familiar.

I can't believe the SSD's. I'd never seen one and when I got it in the mail, I thought something was wrong. The overall weight of the machine and the silent operation have really surprised me as well. I had no idea what to expect. I've been using a laptop for about 10 years and really haven't messed with the inside of a pc. This was a cool experience.

Haha, I bet that was a shock on the SSD! Building your own is definitely a cool experience, and really once you break things down its unbelievable how simple things really are. The only nerve racking time I had was installing the main CPU and the liquid cooling system. Mainly because I bought the 3930k processor and with the price tag breaking that thing would have ruined my year LOL.

ugh - I rear ended someone getting on the TPK this morning - she seemed fine, was able to drive off. My neck is a little stiff and a bit of a headache, but my car might be totaled. Sucks cause I bought it from my mom so it was an 06 Explorer with only 60k miles on it, half of which were her literally driving to church and back. Was hoping to have that car and no payment for 5-7 years to put some money away/towards other things.

Dang man, glad to hear everyone involved was ok though. Being from a GM family its hard for me to recommend anything Ford , but hopefully you will get a favorable estimate from the insurance company and it will fund the next vehicle.

[Domicron]

ugh - I rear ended someone getting on the TPK this morning - she seemed fine, was able to drive off. My neck is a little stiff and a bit of a headache, but my car might be totaled. Sucks cause I bought it from my mom so it was an 06 Explorer with only 60k miles on it, half of which were her literally driving to church and back. Was hoping to have that car and no payment for 5-7 years to put some money away/towards other things.

Won't know if it is totaled till Th. Trying to think of a car I could reasonably replace it with for whatever cash I will get from insurance - seems unlikely.

Anyone ever bought a police interceptor? I found some that should be less than I'll get for the Explorer that look like they were unmarked cars - ie not driven as hard as a cruiser. Thinking about it, it seems like it might be a good option as a dad - big back seat, vinyl seats and floors for easy cleanup, everyone gets out of your way, etc.

I know they are typically driven hard, but they are also beefed up to handle it.

glad to hear you're okay. you might ask your insurance agent about your policy and your neck: sometimes they only give you a few days to get it checked out. (they maybe worried people will use the car accident as an excuse to get on work-comp). so if it gives you trouble be sure to get it checked out sooner than later.

as for your car. if it's in good shape and low mileage you may (hopefully) be surprised at what you get from insurance.

[Cleveland33]

Dang man, glad to hear everyone involved was ok though. Being from a GM family its hard for me to recommend anything Ford , but hopefully you will get a favorable estimate from the insurance company and it will fund the next vehicle.

Thanks - I just don't have the funds available to take on a car payment right now (or won't I should say).

I am from a Ford family, but damn if my buddy's Nissan Frontier is a nice truck - Ford doesn't make a mid-sized or even the compact Ranger any longer. If I could do anything I would find an old Bronco, but seems not a fun thing trying to get her into a car seat in the back.

glad to hear you're okay. you might ask your insurance agent about your policy and your neck: sometimes they only give you a few days to get it checked out. (they maybe worried people will use the car accident as an excuse to get on work-comp). so if it gives you trouble be sure to get it checked out sooner than later.

as for your car. if it's in good shape and low mileage you may (hopefully) be surprised at what you get from insurance.

I was rear ended back in April or so. Went to the hospital, they checked me for mobility and if I had any pain to the touch on my neck and torso. Don't have any of those issues now, so I assume they'll tell me the same thing - Advil and rest. If it is worse tomorrow I will go in to get checked.

[Keetman]

ugh - I rear ended someone getting on the TPK this morning - she seemed fine, was able to drive off. My neck is a little stiff and a bit of a headache, but my car might be totaled. Sucks cause I bought it from my mom so it was an 06 Explorer with only 60k miles on it, half of which were her literally driving to church and back. Was hoping to have that car and no payment for 5-7 years to put some money away/towards other things.

Won't know if it is totaled till Th. Trying to think of a car I could reasonably replace it with for whatever cash I will get from insurance - seems unlikely.

Anyone ever bought a police interceptor? I found some that should be less than I'll get for the Explorer that look like they were unmarked cars - ie not driven as hard as a cruiser. Thinking about it, it seems like it might be a good option as a dad - big back seat, vinyl seats and floors for easy cleanup, everyone gets out of your way, etc.

I know they are typically driven hard, but they are also beefed up to handle it.

Sorry to hear this, but I'm glad everyone is ok besides being banged up a little.

Are you thinking the vehicle is totaled because of the damage or because of it's likely value? I ask because I know sometimes they total later model vehicles because the resell value is so low it's just cheaper to be done with it than spend more to fix it. If this is the case and you think the car is salvageable, after they give you a quote for totaling it, see if you can buy it back with a salvage title. I have a coworker that has done this a couple of times. It's legal, you just get less money back. Depending on what the damage is, it could be worthwhile.

[Cleveland33]

Sorry to hear this, but I'm glad everyone is ok besides being banged up a little.

Are you thinking the vehicle is totaled because of the damage or because of it's likely value? I ask because I know sometimes they total later model vehicles because the resell value is so low it's just cheaper to be done with it than spend more to fix it. If this is the case and you think the car is salvageable, after they give you a quote for totaling it, see if you can buy it back with a salvage title. I have a coworker that has done this a couple of times. It's legal, you just get less money back. Depending on what the damage is, it could be worthwhile.

Over the phone she told me it may be totaled based on the age (it's an 09), the airbag having deployed, and that the radiator was leaking fluid. So I am not sure.

I was wondering about that - so they offer me $x for it, I ask to buy it back with salvage title and they offer $x-y? And then I pay the repairs out of pocket.

do you have to insure it as a salvage then?

[Keetman]

Over the phone she told me it may be totaled based on the age (it's an 09), the airbag having deployed, and that the radiator was leaking fluid. So I am not sure.

I was wondering about that - so they offer me $x for it, I ask to buy it back with salvage title and they offer $x-y? And then I pay the repairs out of pocket.

do you have to insure it as a salvage then?

Yea, that's the gist of it. My friend/co-worker had an old truck that had been beat up over the years. A neighbor ran into it and he filed a claim. He drove it to work and the adjuster met him there. They totaled the truck for 6 grand. He asked what they would do with it, because he still wanted it. They said they'd scrap it. He asked if he could buy it and they said sure. He got a check for $5000, a salvage title, and he continued to drive his truck as was.

I don't know about the insurance. It might have some effect, but I imagine it's negligible. Obviously the salvage title is always there, so resale value is effected. However, you're getting the insurance settlement, so there is the value. All of this hinges on the fixability of the vehicle obviously. You certainly don't want to get beat up on the bottom line, but it's something to consider.

[Synthetickiller]

Here's my Frankenstein's monster of a PC.
Excuse the poor quality of the first pic. I don't feel like retaking it. It's a Silverstone FT02



I need to do some cable management. Otherwise, it's a pretty solid build. I've got a 4790k @ 4.7ghz (I really need to push this to at least 4.8ghz), gtx 690, 32gb ddr3 1866mhz, Raid 0 Crucial mx100 250gb x3 (stop gap for M.2 eventually). It's cooled by a 360mm rad (dual 180mm fans). It's silent & my temps are insanely low. Still on Win 7 x64 b/c I don't need MS talking to my install of Windows 10 24/7, nor do I need the bugs. Don't get me started on 8/8.1.

I really should get pics of all my PCs once I have a place to display them, especially my router. I'm proud of that little bastard. I'll never buy a prebuilt router again. No more nightmares!

[Synthetickiller]

Over the phone she told me it may be totaled based on the age (it's an 09), the airbag having deployed, and that the radiator was leaking fluid. So I am not sure.

I was wondering about that - so they offer me $x for it, I ask to buy it back with salvage title and they offer $x-y? And then I pay the repairs out of pocket.

do you have to insure it as a salvage then?

If it's the radiator itself, that can be fixed fairly easily & for the price, upgraded (always a good thing). Swapping out a rad isn't major work. Airbags usually have to be activated (not installed) by a dealership. At least that's the case with GM vehicles. Airbags aren't expensive either. Removing trim to install airbags & things isn't too hard once you either buy the service manual or search forums.

What else is wrong with it? I guess the bumper is totaled. That's an easy fix, assuming the frame is fine. Are there any messed up panels?

A while ago, I would automatically say to get rid of a car that was in a wreck, but considering the current prices of new vehicles, that's unrealistic for a lot of people. It's really hard to give advice without knowing what's wrong & the quotes price to fix everything.

[Stasher1]

I don't know about where you are, but in some states the insurance company doesn't have a say in whether or not a vehicle is totalled. Alabama, for example, has (or had, when I lived there) a 70% rule. If the cost to repair the vehicle exceeded 70% of NADA value, it was totalled. You could choose not to file a claim an repair it out of pocket, or you could file a claim and sign the title over to the insurance company who would file it with the state as totalled and convert the title to a salvage title. Vehicles with salvage titles were illegal to drive on public roads, could not be registered, and could only be issued a "rebuilt" title if the work was done by licensed and bonded vehicle rebuilders.

Know the laws in your area before negotiating with the insurance company to buy your totalled vehicle back. It may not be worth the expense and aggravation. Also, anything you use as leverage to negotiate a higher value from the insurance company can (and likely will) be used against you to increase the amount you'll have to pay in order to buy it back. BTDT.

[THErunCMD]

Sucks about the car situation Cleveland...do you need to buy something right away absolutely or can you get by? I hate having to buy a car quickly. The last car I approached like I approach the weights and settled on a model/price I wanted to pay and set up alerts on CL. I agree the bronco with car seats will be no fun. Looking forward to getting back into a two door for my small car once the kids are out of car seats .

Man I just use an old 2009 30" iMac I got for free from work. Came from the Marketing department so they beefed it up crazy with space and tons of RAM. Gets a bit hot but it's okay. Also have the i7 Surface Pro 3 as my work computer running windows 8.1 - love that thing. I work from home quite a bit and have the dock hooked up to the iMac and use it as the monitor. I don't play any games or do any crazy processing or anything so this is fine for me. Need to move my iTunes library to the iMac from my ancient desktop for the AppleTVs to work off of.

[Synthetickiller]

For anyone out there who's into high end monitors, the Korean 4K 42"/43" monitors are on ebay & affordable ($800). The quality is awesome, but "only" 60hz.

THErunCMD
I had 2 old NEC 30" monitors that recently kicked the bucket earlier this year. One half way works & I can't bear throwing it out yet (set me back $1200). It's mind blowing how cheap 1440p/1600p monitors are now. 4k will be cheap in 1 to 2 years. I just can't afford to buy two GTX 980Tis to run them! Between weightlifting equipment, computers & upgrading two vehicle suspensions, I'm going broke lol.

[matrix563]

When my vheicle was totaled they let me keep it by taking off 250 of the check they gave me. They told me the title would remain clear. Ive already salvaged some parts off it that exceeded 250. The engine and transmission are still fine (car still starts up moves etc). so eventually ill find a frame thats ok and motor bad and swap them in and voila car fixed.

[Cleveland33]

If it's the radiator itself, that can be fixed fairly easily & for the price, upgraded (always a good thing). Swapping out a rad isn't major work. Airbags usually have to be activated (not installed) by a dealership. At least that's the case with GM vehicles. Airbags aren't expensive either. Removing trim to install airbags & things isn't too hard once you either buy the service manual or search forums.

What else is wrong with it? I guess the bumper is totaled. That's an easy fix, assuming the frame is fine. Are there any messed up panels?

A while ago, I would automatically say to get rid of a car that was in a wreck, but considering the current prices of new vehicles, that's unrealistic for a lot of people. It's really hard to give advice without knowing what's wrong & the quotes price to fix everything.

the more I talk to some people who have been through it and think about it, I am more certain it will be totaled. The whole front end will need body work - quarters, hood, etc - plus whatever else under the hood and almost ten years old.

So thinking instead of trying to pay cash for a car with the settlement, I will probably use it to pay off some other debt I have been working to pay down. I pay roughly a car payment a month towards that, the settlement should be enough to pay it off, free up that cash and financing a quality option will be a wash for me in terms of monthly expenses. As much as I hate car payments, it is probably better for me than revolving debt and hopefully I will find something that will last at least 3-5 years after I pay it off.

So how much haggling is involved with insurance companies over totaled settlements? What are the leverage points I can use besides low miles? Do they always come in low or do they sometimes offer a fair settlement?

[Cleveland33]

Sucks about the car situation Cleveland...do you need to buy something right away absolutely or can you get by? I hate having to buy a car quickly. The last car I approached like I approach the weights and settled on a model/price I wanted to pay and set up alerts on CL. I agree the bronco with car seats will be no fun. Looking forward to getting back into a two door for my small car once the kids are out of car seats .

Thanks - yea I am gonna need something. Have a rental through insurance now, have no idea how long they will pay for it, but I assume they have to understand that if a car is totaled I am going to need SOME time to get a replacement, I will ask when they call tomorrow after the appraisal to be sure.

The other thing I may have going for me - a very good friend of mine's father-in-law, who I know and have a very friendly relationship with, owns a small used car dealership. Like it's him and a couple pt workers to detail the cars. He mostly deals in older/lower value cars (not a great area) like less than $5k.

I thought about going something I could pay cash for and hoping to get a few years out of it, but as single dad I think I need something more reliable.

BUT - when my buddy's engine blew on him unexpectedly, his FIL offered to take him to dealer only auctions and would basically buy the car at auction for him, and then pass it on to him at the same price + the auction fees. Not sure how much the usual used car dealer markup is, but I am going to talk to him this weekend to get an idea on that option.

[Cleveland33]

When my vheicle was totaled they let me keep it by taking off 250 of the check they gave me. They told me the title would remain clear. Ive already salvaged some parts off it that exceeded 250. The engine and transmission are still fine (car still starts up moves etc). so eventually ill find a frame thats ok and motor bad and swap them in and voila car fixed.

sorry for not multi-quoting, mind is elsewhere this morning.

I know a guy that got let go from his job (or quit- can't remember) so to make ends meet he bought totaled cars and parted them out on ebay. Usually would only keep a few of the higher end / most desireable items and then tow the remaining to scrap to keep the garage open for the next car. Ended up becoming a full time biz for him for a few years and he ended up getting bought out by a local dealership and running their operation. Of course, he's back to having a boss and absolutely hates it now.

[KBKB]

I came upon this snake while hiking this morning. It gave me a chance to try out the 90mm lens that I got yesterday.

[Cleveland33]

I came upon this snake while hiking this morning. It gave me a chance to try out the 90mm lens that I got yesterday.

How far away are you?

[morebarbell]

I came upon this snake while hiking this morning. It gave me a chance to try out the 90mm lens that I got yesterday.

How far away are you?

Not far enough!! Yikes!

There are safer ways of tabata interval training than dodging rattle snake strikes!

[Bench905]

Here's my build...don't feel like unplugging the side fan to show the guts...but no crazy cooling or anything like that.

i7-4790k
32GB DDR3 1866
r9 270x (not really a gamer)
250GB SSD
2TB WD Black
3TB WD Green
3TB Seagate External
Corsair 500R with CX600M PSU
ASUS Z97-E

[CliveWarren]

You not running BBcom Black? Newb.

[KBKB]

How far away are you?

The camera lens was about five feet away from the snake. I used a 90mm lens and cropped quite a lot of the photo away.

I inadvertently got closer to it when I first came upon it. It was sunning itself at the side of the trail; I probably got within 2 to 3 feet of it before realizing it was there. I backed away very quickly once it started moving.

These snakes blend in very well with their surroundings. I've walked right by or over them on other hikes without noticing them. The only reason I know this is that someone else on the hike spots them.