Posts by Ralph 2

Got a pricey gaming desktop from PC World for Xmas? Check the graphics specs

Definitely an issue

We ended up with some of these where I work (not from PC World though). They are definitely 980Ti cards, and the 500W power supplies are actually rated at 480W if you take the case off and have a look at them.

And that isn't enough.

I spent a while setting one up, fired up 3DMark to see how it rated, and the power supply went pop within 2 minutes. That's how we found out it was such a low rated PSU.

A second one has lasted longer - that survived a burn in at least. But we've requested an upgrade to 600W power supplies from our supplier for them.

Thrillpower! Tharg releases 2000AD iDevice app

Printed code

They need to link this to the printed copy, so you can enter a unique code from that to get the digital version for free. Marvel have been doing this on some comics recently and it's a great idea.

SF iPad launch subdued as Apple fans wise up

I'll give you one good reason to go and queue to get one. UPS has managed to lose mine somewhere after it arrived at the depot. i.e. it's been stolen. Now I have to sort it out myself with Apple and will probably have to wait a good few weeks to get a replacement.

iPad 2 made from T-Rex fossils costs £5m

This is exactly the same "company" which "made" the 100-tons-of-gold yacht which proved to be completely made up. So why do you believe this is real?

Alan Sugar's 'cockup braindead in call centre clueless' BT row

I see what the problem was

He used a Belkin router. I rate them about as highly as I rate Amstrad products. They both won't ever enter my house again.

Apple prices up iPad for UK

Falling pound

With the way the pound is falling against the dollar, by Monday it'll be cheaper in the UK than in the USA.

Crucial RealSSD C300 256GB Sata 3 SSD

128GB model works fine on a Gigabyte X58A-UD3R

My experiences with the 128GB model on a native SATA3 motherboard are fine:

Crystaldisk gives:

Seq: 317 read, 133 write

512K: 287 read, 134 write

4K: 29 read, 55 write

i.e. it is using the extra bandwidth that SATA3 gives (and you can see the slower write speed of the 128GB model as well)

If I switch to AHCI mode, the sequential read speed actually goes up to over 340, but for some reason that made my real world tests (a big compile) slow down quite a lot, so I switched back to basic SATA.

iPhone makes eyes at T-Mobile and Orange

Free market

The government should sort out mobile tie-ins once and for all:

Every operator should be obliged to allow their phones to be unlocked for no more than a modest admin fee (£10?) after any contract is finished.

Every operator should also be obliged to sell every phone operator unlocked, without any contract at a price no higher than the total cost of what a 12 month contract + phone + £10 unlock fee would be.

That way we will see the true price of phones being charged, and hopefully less waste. O2 (or anyone else) can still seek an "exclusive" which they can use to encourage customers to decide on contracts with them (and set their tarriffs accordingly with incentives for longer contracts etc.), but it should be a free market.

Job done. Then the operators which have the best service will prevail and the crap ones will fail. Exactly as it should be.