Hi All: Matthew upgraded the Secure Socket Layer (SSL) so the warning, "Not a secure website ..." issue should have disappeared for everyone. He will be upgrading the forum SW probably this weekend. Thanks Matthew! Wayne
Hi All: I am not sure if the upgrade is complete just yet but there were some upgrades applied over the past two to three hours. Wayne
Hi All: A new year, and some upgrades over my last large tech hardware purchase almost 4 years ago. Here are the 2025 purchase upgrades as 2026 was approaching for the Media room of sorts. The Murphy Bed can still drop as I can move the desk and chairs out and the (3) displays swing back flat against the wall. Despite all the hardware (shown) and software (Microsoft Excel) tech one could imagine, I still use an old-fashioned pencil w/ eraser and paper to keep track of small details as shown. To begin, I purchased a new Windows 11 HP laptop with an Intel Core Ultra 7 258V + Intel Arc 140V GPU (16GB) + 32 GB of DDR4 (onboard), 17.3" 400 nit FHD (1920 x 1080), multitouch-enabled, IPS, glass display, 512 GB SSD which I swapped with a $119.06 incl tax, 2 TB Samsung 990 EVO PLUS SSD within a day of its arrival in late November, a 5MP IR camera with HDR auto switch, dual array digital microphones (GLS), and an Intel Wi-Fi 7 BE201 (2x2) Bluetooth 5.4 wireless card. The best part, it cost just $789.99 + $61.22 tax + $5 recycle fee + the $109.06 2 TB SSD = $965.27 incl. tax. Along with the laptop, the following "stuff" came along for the ride to cover the media room(s). (1) LG - 48" B5 OLED main display ($595.36 incl. tax) (2) Samsung - 27" Odyssey G7 (G70D) 4K UHD IPS 144Hz 1ms Smart Gaming Monitors ($511.82 incl. tax) (3) Logitech - Ergo K860 Keyboards ($483.75 incl. tax) <-- 1 for the media rooms 43" Q651G monitor and 1 for the 55" QM6K monitor (1) TCL - 55" QM6K 4K UHD HDR QLED Smart Google TV ($429.01 incl. tax) (2) Crucial - X10 Pro 2TB USB-C Portable SSDs ($280.13 incl. tax) (1) TCL - 43" Q651G 4K UHD HDR QLED Smart Google TV ($237.59 incl. tax) (2) Ergonomic Gaming Chair w/ Lumbar Support and Adjustable Armrests ($164.98 incl. tax) (1) TP-Link Deco BE25 Dual-Band BE5000 Wi-Fi 7 Mesh Wi-Fi Router ($161.60 incl. tax) (1) Logitech - MX Master 4 Mouse ($128.95 incl. tax) (1) 63" Computer Desk ($96.95 incl. tax) (3) HUANUO Ergonomic Cooling Gel Enhanced Seat Cushion(s) ($76.74 incl. tax) (2) MOUNT PRO Monitor Wall Mounts with Tilt/Swivel/Rotation Adjustable, Gas Spring Wall Arm ($56.00 incl. tax) (5) Five outlet wall charger and surge protector ($48.45 incl. tax) (2) Roku Streaming Stick Plus 2025 - 4K & HDR Roku w/ Voice Remote ($40.94 incl. tax) (1) Logitech - Signature M650 Wireless Mouse ($34.47 incl. tax) (3) Gel Wrist Rest Mouse Pad ($32.21 incl. tax) (2) MountFTV Full Motion Swivel TV Wall Mount ($60.16 incl. tax) (1) Logitech - Signature M550 l Wireless Mouse ($29.00 incl. tax) (1) SABRENT - USB 3.2 Type-C Tool-Free Enclosure for M.2 PCIe NVMe and SATA SSDs ($26.95 incl. tax) <-- The 500 GB SSD from the new HP went into my old HP laptop and the 1 GB SSD from that went into this as storage. (4) 8K HDMI 2.1, 6.6 ft. Cables ($24.12 incl. tax) (1) UGREEN - USB C Hub w/ 4K 60Hz HDMI out, 100W PD Charging out, USB-C & USB-A 10Gbps Data Ports, and SD/TF Card Reader ($22.56 incl. tax) (1) WAVLINK - USB C to Dual 4K@60Hz HDMI Adapter ($21.54 incl. tax) (2) Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-A 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) Charging/Data Cable ($19.38 incl. tax) (1) 17.3" Laptop Sleeve Case ($18.91 incl. tax) (1) 1 TB SanDisk USB Stick ($15.14 incl. tax) (1) 10ft, Cat 6 Cable, Cat6 Cord for the Spectrum Modem ($9.69 incl. tax) For a grand total of $4,591.67, yeah, I overspent. The less extensive hardware setup behind me... 43” TCL 6-Series 4k TV/Monitor, Logitech Ergo KB and M650 mouse, and gel mouse pad at the ready. Wayne
Hi All: Never skip the opportunity to test some of the HW I always say. In this case, the Crucial X10 Pro absolutely kills it on a high end Laptop that can take advantage of its dual channel USB at > 2 MB/sec. CrystalDiskMark: 2 TB Crucial X10 Pro External USB-C vs 1 TB WD SN 3000 DDR 3 in a Sabrent PCIe NVMe enclosure vs 2 TB Samsung 990 Evo Plus in an HP Omnibook 7 For $129.00 ea. + tax, the Crucial X10 Pro absolutely kills it for an external SSD hard drive! It is just 50% slower than the 1 TB WD SN 5000 DDR3 in my old HP laptop while connected via its USB-C cable! Wayne
