Are there any decent USB wireless adapters?

totalyredness20 · 2012-05-24T19:48:33.868852+00:00

I haven't heard of the others mentioned here, so I can't comment on them, but I've been very satisfied with the Linksys/Cisco WUSB600N these last few years. It's dual band, so if you ever need to connect to a wireless A or 5Ghz Wireless N network, it supports it in addition to your traditional 2.4Ghz B/G/N networks.

JayOtt · 1 day

How is it walking a cat? I don't think I've ever seen it done in person. Is it difficult to get cats to accept the harness?

HardwareLust · 1 day

As ridiculous as this ordeal is, I kind of chuckle at the thought of a black market for Xbox 360s. Demand isn't going to die out just because they go off the shelves.

CGSaw · 1 day

No, the price for that drive has definitely been lower. Just 2 days ago it was listed for USD 199 from Amazon on r/buildapcsales. The price fluctuates weekly if not daily, but always ends up coming back down to that, so just wait for the next drop to 199.

Madmartigan1 · 2 days

An Etsy sticker, I'm guessing?

KingRajRajRaj · 2 days

No, I think he's asking the logic behind having which hard drive where, which illidk basically covered when explaining SATA ports.

Erikthenomad · 2 days

You might try Windows 7. I'm not trying to be facetious, here. The performance optimization for DirectX (Windows) for games is almost always superior to that of OpenGL (OS X, Linux). You also have the benefit of being able to update graphics drivers, though that typically benefits major FPS titles more than it does MMOs or a game like Diablo 3.

As to your specific case, however, this might not make a difference. Switching OSes won't remove a lag spike, though it could help to mitigate it by a few FPS, and it's not worth shelling out for a new OS, configuring it, and rebooting to play one game that's already supported by your existing OS. If you already have a bootcamp partition active, or plan to play many more games on this machine, give it a go.

In the end, it's the un-upgradable hardware (namely GPU and CPU) that are causing this. If you're on integrated graphics (Intel HD 2000, 3000, etc), then a bit more RAM is always nice (between 4-8GB total is a good goal), but that will only do so much.

Calvoz0r · 2 days

Generally, yes, games will run smoother on DirectX than OpenGL, and you also have the benefit of newer graphics drivers on Windows (or Linux), and use of the Windows mouse acceleration curve (which some prefer for games). To what degree you will see a performance gain is questionable, though. I think the easiest way to decide would be to install it on both partitions and benchmark each for 5-10 minutes under a variety of game conditions.

From there you can decide if the FPS gain or quality increase is worth it. What is a 'pretty average frame rate' in your book? A jump from 15-20 might be noticeable and worth the OS switch every game session, but 30-35 might not.

Edit: rereading your post I see you mention

before i go ahead and get windows

If you seldom play games on this machine, this may not be worth your time to go through all the installing and configuration of a new OS. Again, it depends on how often you game and what your current FPS is now. If you have a decent library of games, though, you might find it worthwhile to segregate programs between OSes, using Windows for games, and OS X for productivity, to make the most of your new OS.

Sabacrow · 3 days

Interesting, new info for me! It sounds like that only applies to OWC drives? Or perhaps a select few models of Sandforce drives? I'm pretty sure the utility included with the Intel 520 (Sandforce) series checks to make sure TRIM is enabled on Windows, and I've heard drives like the (non Pro) Plextor M3 can see major slowdowns at higher capacities without it.

Edit: an older article suggests the Crucial M4 can benefit greatly from TRIM over time.

Xanthan81 · 3 days

Do you have any devices plugged in, or any downloads running? In my experience this flashing is indicative of a transition to a charging or background download mode, in which case the Xbox shuts off if there's nothing to do.

Are you shutting down from a certain game directly? Does it do it from the dash or other games or apps? Perhaps it's a profile sync happening for that specific title.

Sabacrow · 3 days

I see. It wasn't clear from your statement whether you were advocating purchase of a SATA II over a SATA III drive if he had SATA II on his computer. Since OP is new to this, I thought I'd be sure and clarify your message.

DareDev · 3 days

I'm not sure enough folks have seen this yet to fully enjoy such a joke

Translation here

RobJperez88 · 3 days

If all else fails, you could make a pretty slick thin aquarium

nitroracertc3 · 3 days

Get a well-reviewed converter, just don't risk an all-in-one macbook car charger solution, since third party chargers (and batteries, since we're talking about power) tend to have high rates of failure and dissatisfaction.

Sabacrow · 3 days

As mentioned, the Crucial M4 is a big favorite - a tremendous value for a drive that rates very high on performance and reliability. Other oft-mentioned favorites are the Mushkin Chronos (cheaper, Sandforce controller) and Plextor M3 (industry-leading 5 year warranty, Marvell Controller). If you want the best of the best, the Intel 520 (custom 'bug free' Intel Sandforce controller) and Samsung 830 (Samsung controller) are very impressive and well-regarded.

I'll add that r/buildapcsales is a great place to catch sales on SSDs and get feedback from the community through each product's comments.

Whatever you pick, it won't have TRIM enabled by default on OS X since it didn't ship from Apple, so be sure to read up on the TRIM Enabler and decide whether that's something you want to tweak (personally I haven't heard any horror stories resulting from its use, and you can always turn it off).

Sabacrow · 3 days

Check if you have a SATA3GB/S or SATA6GB/S controller, and buy accordingly.

just get one that matches your sata controller speed to benefit the most :)

I disagree with this point to some extent. Most SATA II drives I've found at this point cost almost the same as their SATA III replacements. There's no functional disadvantage to using a SATAIII drive over a SATA II drive on a SATA II slot, if anything there could be a benefit due to the newer wear-leveling and garbage collection algorithms potentially introduced with newer firmware. Many older drives also made use of some problematic sandforce controllers which, despite firmware updates, still proved problematic for some users. With the cost of SATA III SSDs coming down so much lately, there's little reason to not grab a current SATA III (6Gb/s) drive with strong reviews and a good price, regardless of whether the computer has SATA II or SATA III.

Hennonr · 3 days

I think Green Peace annoys me the most. If the quad is completely empty, they'll try to start a conversation with me from 200 yards away. And they start it with, "Hi, what's your name?" Man, not only did you not introduce yourself first, but I'm not shouting my details across the lawn.

ilovetrexarms · 3 days

Jabba the Fluff

vlodia · 4 days

What is your FPS on D3? An issue early on with SC2 was that it actually rendered too many frames when the settings were down low, ultimately frying GPUs. If your performance is solid, but the CPU is burning up, consider setting maximum FPSes within the in-game settings, and see if that helps.

ash5 · 4 days

I have a love-hate relationship with Zombie Cafe. It came out early on when the trend of free-to-play games with in-app purchases was just picking up, and I was then naive in thinking I had just stumbled upon a nice, free title I could beat and move on from.

But no. Over time the developers have sucked a lot of the fun out of it. Among other changes, they drastically ramped up the difficulty of cafe raids, and made it near-impossible to improve one's cafe or roster without the use of very rare serums, which can otherwise be bought in bulk for real cash.

It's become a bit of a personal vendetta to stay on top of the game and dominate without the use of in-app purchases.

I suppose that's not much of a recommendation, but it is a title I frequently play.

RFWorks · 5 days

According to their forums, some of the SC versions didn't go through the full testing cycle, hence the recent recall of only EVGA 670 SCs, and not other versions of the 670.

ironpandas · 7 days

The M4 is a phenomenal drive. Great performance and reliability (Marvell controller, not Sandforce, if you care), and some very nice price drops recently. If you want cheaper, try the Mushkin Chronos. If you want a longer warranty, try the Plextor M3. The M4 is basically in the middle of these in terms of price/performance/reliability.

Seppala · 7 days

This might be a decent workaround.

I'm a little skeptical of the ratings, though. Even some with nothing but negative feedback gave it a full 10/10. Common complaints are flimsy construction, high device temps during operation, and possibly the inability to adjust volume from the mac while device is plugged in.

NoAirBanding · 7 days

I have stuff that won't work in 10.7

acmecorps · 7 days

No, why 60gb, as in the SSD, not the RAM. It's such a small size for an SSD now that the costs have come down. A 128gb Crucial M4, one of the better SSDs out there, can be had for USD 109. If the SSD is your only drive, the extra space could be a better investment in the long run.

What is your exact budget? Perhaps you can find a compromise. If possible, I'd try to shoot for 8GB and an SSD. How often are you capping out on RAM usage?

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