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My current workstation is starting to sing it’s slow song of death, at least I’m getting a forewarning. 
Our company buys from Dell and I’ve narrowed the choices down to:
Optiplex 390 with i5 2400 with 4GB RAM and a 512MB AMD Radeon HD 6350
Or
Optiplex 780 Core 2 Duo E5800 4GB RAM and a 256MB NVIDIA GeForce 9300
Anybody have any experiences with either system or recommendations?
Is there another system from Dell I could be looking at?
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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The former. The two generations newer i5-2400 stomps the 2 generations older E5800 silly. Anandtech bench comparison[^] The 8600 is the closest fit I could find and somewhat faster than the 5800 on account of having 3x the cache, and an extra 133mhz of clock speed.
I'm not sure what the 6350's specs are to make a comparison; but it's 2 major (4 total) generations newer than the 9300 and both have model numbers indicating that they're relatively low end parts.
3x12=36
2x12=24
1x12=12
0x12=18
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i5 is definitely better, not sure why you're even comparing those.... but if at all possible, core i7 is a GREAT processor!
Also, what OS are you operating? If you're intending on going to Win7, be aware its a RAM hog.
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Thanks Albert, it's my workstaion at work that's dying so I have to spec one that's reasonably priced. I saw the 390 with the i5 and it was essentially the same price as the 780 so wondered if there was something special about the Duo2.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it. My 5 
It was broke, so I fixed it.
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When you say it's a RAM hog do you mean that it uses a lot of RAM for core functionality, or that it uses as much RAM as you can give it to work faster instead of just having spare RAM sitting there unused? (ie SuperFetch[^])
cheers,
Chris Maunder
The Code Project | Co-founder
Microsoft C++ MVP
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That's a good question... I think the answer is somewhere in the middle. Win7 does work a lot faster than XP for a lot of things (the boot time is a lot better too), but it uses a lot of memory just sitting there (thanks in part to the flashier user interface).
Now with that said, I wouldn't put WinXP on anything new, but in comparison, Linux can definitely run smoother on more modest configurations (and you have the option of using a flashy interface like Unity/Gnome3 or running on something simple yet fast like KDE/Gnome2).
Oh... and the reason I had mentioned the RAM to the OP is because I wouldn't buy a new desktop meant for Win7 with 4GB, I'd get at least 6GB. My personal desktop has 9GB, runs smooth. My laptop has 4GB but I run Ubuntu on that. My work computers, well... they're a diverse bunch .
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I have one computer that I can't modify in any way... Industrial thing that can't be changed.
Two displays can be plugged to the same VGA port...
My problem is that when two displays are there the graphics card has not enough power to show the image... and the external display looks nice, but the original one becomes blurry...
Is there any device that could allow me to remove that effect? plugging two displays to the same port without affecting the graphic card?
Thank you in advance...
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Hello everyone! I am new to minifilter drivers and I have thought to design one that just appends a non-existent file to a specified folder, that is, let's say for the folder \test\, when I open this folder with explorer I would like to see its content plus a non-existent file (whatever it's name is).
I know that I should intercept IRP_MJ_DIRECTORY_CONTROL, and append the FILE_BOTH_DIR_INFORMATION structure corresponding to the file I want to "add", but I don't know how to do this  . One easy solution would be to create a IRP response with the mentioned structure in the pre-operation and let the minifilter drivers bellow mine do the rest, but I am not sure this is possible nor how to do this. (Another possibility would be to append this information in the post-operation)
Any help is appreciated, thanks in advance!!!
Santi
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Member 8027003 wrote: I know that I should intercept IRP_MJ_DIRECTORY_CONTROL, and append the
FILE_BOTH_DIR_INFORMATION structure corresponding to the file I want to "add",
but I don't know how to do this
I dont know much about minifilter drivers for file system stuff, but:
When you register as a minifilter driver your IRP handler gets the Irps before the go down the chain. (There are numerous ways of doing this, async, sync, with or without completeion routines. Oneys book is good for the details on this). You want a synch with completion routine handling of the Irp.
So you handle the IRP_MJ_DIRECTORY_CONTROL Irp in your Device control func you registered at DriverEntry.
Now it gets into the unknown for me. I would imagine you allocate some new memry which is big enough for the original Irp buffer (can be in various places depending how the IOCTL is formed: METHOD_BUFFERED METHOD_NEITHER etc) and the additional data.
You then copy the old Irp data over, add the new data at the end. And point the Irp at this new buffer.
You send it down.
In your completion routine you point the Irp to the original buffer. Delete the one you allocated, and complete the Irp so it goes back to the originator.
Give it a go. If it BSODs you know it isnt good,
==============================
Nothing to say.
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...So if I was to ask the magic question...
....
I want a Laptop.
It will have a great keyboard with a seperate number pad, it will have a dvd rewriter, it will have as large a screen as I can comforatbly manage, it will have a massive ego buying it...
what would y'all recommend as todays standard for everything...
Really, money's no object up to about £1000.
------------------------------------
I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave
CCC Link[ ^]
Trolls[ ^]
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Apart from the separate number pad, I would go for any of the Dell[^]range. I recently bought the XPS-15 and think it's a great machine (for me). If you're buying through the business then look at the Vostro range (and save the VAT).
The best things in life are not things.
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Dalek Dave wrote: with a seperate number pad
I believe you can buy just a number pad with a USB connector. If that is true and usable for you then I suspect it would make your choices for the computer itself quite a bit larger.
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That's less an issue that it used to be. One of the few arguable virtues of 16:9 screens is that became possible to squeeze a number pad into a 15" chassis; although it appears a lot of designs use the space to put speakers beside the keyboard instead.
3x12=36
2x12=24
1x12=12
0x12=18
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It's not a laptop your describing, it's a portable desktop.
Look into a laptop with a docking station instead, and you have the best of both worlds. Actually, get two docking stations, you want a real keyboard, monitor and mouse at home too.
I have a 14" Dell Latitude with docking stations with 24" monitors both at work and home. And I'm really satisfied with it.
Don't forget to order it with an SSD.
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Hey guy,
United ahead electronics.,ltd here, selling IC PARTS with good quality and low price.
contact me by eamil:diana@united-ahead-electronics.com
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You can't say "money is no object", and end the same sentence with any kind of monetary restriction. It would have been better to say "I have a budget of L1000". (Sorry, I don't know the html code for a U.K. pound.)
Anyway, define your minimum specs, go to NewEgg and do a search there. You'll at least be able to see what's available in your price range, and can also often find good user reviews.
".45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly" - JSOP, 2010
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You can never have too much ammo - unless you're swimming, or on fire. - JSOP, 2010
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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I am reading Programming Embedded Systems
In this book, I came across this claim:
The amount of memory required can also affect the processor selection. In general, the register width of a processor establishes the upper limit of the amount of memory it can access (e.g., a 16-bit address register can address only 64 KB (216 ) memory locations). [*] <br />
<br />
[*] The narrower the register width, the more likely it is that the processor employs tricks such as multiple address spaces to support more memory. There are still embedded systems that do the job with a few hundred bytes. However, several thousand bytes is a more likely minimum, even on an 8-bit processor.<br />
THis really didn't make any sense to me. Can anyone shed some light on this?
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson "Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users?" - Clifford Stoll
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What part do you need clarified?
In a typical general purpose CPU, the number of bits in a register determines how much memory a CPU can address, since a memory address must be able to fit in the register. An 8-bit register can hold values from 0x00 to 0xFF and can only directly address 256 memory addresses. A 16-bit register can hold values from 0x0000 to 0xFFFF and can access memory addresses in that range, which is 64 KB.
In some CPUs they use tricks to get around that limitation, such as memory paging, where you somehow use more than one register to access banks of memory. For example, they might use one register to select the particular bank of memory, then another register to select the memory address within that bank.
In other cases they get away from von Neumann architecture and use Harvard architecture, where program and data memory are in separate banks, so you can effectively access a full bank for your program code and another full bank for the data.
CQ de W5ALT
Walt Fair, Jr., P. E.
Comport Computing
Specializing in Technical Engineering Software
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Consider it a history lesson from last century!
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.
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I am trying to get started with embedded programming. I came across this website http://www.sparkfun.com/[^], which has a lot of tutorials and hardware.
However, I find the hardware a bit expensive. Like buying a circuit board for $30, plus a few other accessories would make it about a $100. Are their any websites that can sell hardware for a much cheaper price?
Also, My concern is that, for instance, I can buy a cordless phone for about $30 at best buy, but if I was to assemble that on my own, it would be over $200. So the second question is: how do companies assemble these devices and sell them for such a cheap price? Doesn't that mean the hardware they are getting/making is also very cheap? So where do they get it?
*I'm obviously a student, and have a really tight budget, please guide. =(
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Well, as far as price point of embedded kits... it depends on what you want, but $100 is a relatively inexpensive kit. Don't know if you're going to find much cheaper than that.
And as for the question about why you can buy something so cheap that would cost you a lot more to make yourself, well that's mass production at its best. Once a design has been and a prototype has been accepted, assembly lines (usually in a country where price of labor is also cheap) will be outfitted to mass produce circuit boards and the rest of the assemblies. Parts in bulk are usually significantly much cheaper to buy, so these mass producers buy things like resistors, capacitors, and so on in the thousands or millions (to see price differences in these small parts, go to digikey.com[^] and try random parts, and that's through a 3rd party vendor, big corporations have direct relationships with part manufacturers). The combined outcome of buying in bulk and assembly lines is significant savings to the consumer.
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I wasn't aware of how mass production can substantially reduce prices! Thanks for looking into my question and helping me out.
I'll definitely look into digikey.com.
Thanks!
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson "Why is it drug addicts and computer afficionados are both called users?" - Clifford Stoll
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