Category Archives: Computer Questions and Answers

Questions and answers on a broad range of computer related topics

RyZen and DDR4 Memory – what to look for

Posted on September 10, 2019 by quill

AMD’s RyZen and RyZen third generation (Zen2) CPUs have rewritten the conventional wisdom around computer processors, the one that goes “Intel is the performance and innovation leader, and AMD follows behind with lower performance chips for the budget market”. The … Continue reading →

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Mac Pro Refresh 2019 – Expansion and memory

Posted on September 9, 2019 by quill

Apple finally brought a new Mac Pro design to the table. It is a return to the tower format, with some serious expandability and options. The CPU(s) are still Xeon workstation class processors, which means far higher expandability and bandwidth … Continue reading →

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iMac 2019 Memory configuration

Posted on September 4, 2019 by quill

The 27 inch iMac for 2019 (5K, 2019) introduced DDR4 memory at the 2666 MHz speed, and an upper limit of 128 GB RAM. DDR4-2666 (PC4-21300) non ECC SODIMMs. Apple originally stated a 64 GB limit, however 32 GB modules … Continue reading →

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Can I build a gaming computer under $1000 March 2018 edition

Posted on March 15, 2018 by quill

It’s March 2018 and we are revisiting our exercise in budget computing: Can we build a computer that will give acceptable gaming performance for under $1000 Canadian? Here’s what’s new: DDR4 RAM has doubled in price, and dragged SSD pricing higher along … Continue reading →

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Where did the screw holes go? 8 and 10 TB hard drive mounting issue

Posted on June 8, 2017 by quill

So you’ve got your shiny new Seagate IronWolf or Western Digital Red Pro 10 TB hard drive and your’re itching to install it in your MacPro or NAS appliance.  You pull out the drive tray and grab your screwdriver and… … Continue reading →

Posted in Hard Drive News, Hard Drives and SSD, Mac questions, Windows questions | 1 Comment

The king is dead, long live the king – iMac Pro announced

Posted on June 8, 2017 by quill

Apple announced the release in December 2017 of the iMac Pro, a multicore Xeon based iMac all in one machine. Its hard to see this as anything other than the death-knell for the cylindrical MacPro platform – the same processor, … Continue reading →

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2017 iMac machines use DDR4 memory

Posted on June 6, 2017 by quill

Apple released a refresh to the iMac lineup June 5 2017. The iMac machines are noted for their all in one desktop design with high-quality ‘Retina’ LCD screens (5K resolution on the 27 inch, 4K resolution on the 21.5 inch). … Continue reading →

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New MacBook Pros and USB C (and Thunderbolt and video, and network, and power)

Posted on October 31, 2016 by quill

The new MacBook Pros announced October 27 2016 have taken the plunge that we guessed was coming: All USB Type C ports, all the time.  (for a refresher on Type C, see our article here) Following on after the opening … Continue reading →

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I have lousy WiFi reception – what can I do?

Posted on May 1, 2015 by quill

I can’t get good WiFi reception in my living room, my router is in the basement on the opposite side of the house In order to achieve reliable WiFi performance, you have to get a strong radio signal from the router … Continue reading →

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USB 3.1 and USB Type C: What *is* that port?

Posted on April 29, 2015 by quill

The latest iteration of the USB standard is making its way onto motherboards and into notebooks.  With USB 3.1 Type A connectors and USB C (or Type C) connectors, 5 Gbps and 10 Gbps, we have a bit of ‘splaining … Continue reading →

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DDR4 memory makes its debut

Posted on April 28, 2015 by quill

DDR4 memory starts shipping for desktop machines and servers. Through the years, the DDR Memory standard has been updated to DDR2, DDR3 and now DDR4 (JEDEC Satandard JESD79-4). It’s worthwhile to note that despite sharing the DDR name, each of these … Continue reading →

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How can I reinstall OSX and keep my bookmarks and mail?

Posted on April 27, 2015 by quill

I would like to do a reinstall my OSX as I am having problems. I do have a backup Can I transfer my browsers favorites, contacts and previous e-mails without losing them? Here are several specific points, but read this … Continue reading →

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How can I make a bootable OSX USB installer?

Posted on April 26, 2015 by quill

Reinstalling OSX on a Macintosh is sometimes necessary, whether you are upgrading or whether you need to repair a problem. The problem is that after Snow Leopard, Apple abandoned DVD media and gone exclusively to downloadable installers.  And, many recent … Continue reading →

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Can I build a $600 gaming machine?

Posted on April 26, 2015 by quill

The CAN$600 question is, can an uber-affordable machine deliver an acceptable gaming experience?  And the answer is: with the right expectations, yes. The first thing that has to go out the window is the idea that you have to play … Continue reading →

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