Ryzen 5 thoughts (1600 -VS- 1600x.. -VS- 2600)

Posted on 02-16-2018 by Benie

Sometimes it feels like April is going to take forever to get here, as that’s the proposed month the new ‘Ryzen 2’ (or ‘Zen+’) lineup launches. Since I saw a video going over the Engineering Sample of the new chips, I’ve been cautiously optimistic for the 2600.
This CPU is supposed to be slightly smaller than the original Ryzen CPUs, but has been confirmed it -will- support existing AM4 sockets (this includes the new Ryzen 3 and 7). The 2600 (according to the engineering sample.. not confirmed) would be slightly faster than the 1600 (by 10-15%).
As for its price, its suggested the MSRP should go for the same as the launch of the 1600(about $200).

Of course I want this. I was even told to wait for it instead of getting a 1600. But this leads me to another thing I want to discuss. In this video, I made a comment assuming the 1600 had a ridiculously high heat tolerance (close to an Intel I5, around 95c). It turns out I was wrong with this…so very wrong (for even wanting it). For I was told the 1600 has a max temp of 65*C, which is 5*C lower than the entire FX series(at 70*C). It’s the 1600X, that has the high temp.
This sickens and also worries me, if the 2600 is also this weak to heat. Though I never felt this (from the time I got that response to now) since I was watching a video of someone trying to ‘delid’ the FX 9590. Good to see someone destroying that overheating bastard. 😛

I had a discussion with someone in Discord about this, and it turns out…let’s say I was confused all over. The 65 I was told, was actually the TDP(the wattage the CPU pulls from the wall) and not the max temp (the two aren’t the same).
The 1600 (and the 2600) actually have a max temp of 75*C. Much, much better than 65. That means both are 5*C higher than the entire FX series. That means 70*C is the temp I need to watch out for, if I plan to overclock. I was also told the 2600 will include a free stock cooler (something I never heard). When I asked if I could see the source, he couldn’t tell me.

There is also the 2400 (part of the Desktop APUs) which released a few weeks ago. It has the power of a Ryzen 5 1600 and an AMD Vega GPU(all I know). It’s supposed to help consumers reeling with the astronomical costs of graphics cards. It’s actually cheaper than the 1600 right now (going for $169). I don’t even see how that is possible.
Unfortunately, the fact resources have to be shared with the CPU and GPU (the reason graphics cards exist), playing your favorite games in 1080p (and even in 720p) with high settings (and expecting 60FPS) isn’t possible.

Posted in Computing | Comments Off on Ryzen 5 thoughts (1600 -VS- 1600x.. -VS- 2600)

Defending Net Neutrality isn’t important to all states

Posted on 02-11-2018 by Benie

Of all the times people have said “the title says all”, this one is especially true. Though its phrasing may feel harsh, it speaks words.
And now I shall speak mine of two things. First, people have asked why haven’t I haven’t been calling my Congress people. I’ll admit I’ve lied and said “I did” or “I’ll do it another time”… but the truth is, folks, I really don’t have “a voice” in this world.
When you lived with your parents with half of your life in the past, you feel your voice doesn’t exist. Plus, you have no way of attending any of these community forums to talk about issues that are important to you. I’m not even a taxpayer, another reason why I don’t have a voice.
I don’t blame anyone but myself for this, but this is why I’m not able to do what Mr. Mike Figueredo (the host of The Humanist Report) wants me to do, which is to “call your congressmen and your senators” and all of this other crap he wants.
Now I’m not against the guy. Love what he’s doing for the U.S., spreading real political news and changing people’s opinions of just how volatile it’s been.

With that said, I go to my second thing to discuss (related to the first thing). Hopefully others that have a life are doing what Mr. Mike Figueredo requests, but it seems Congress doesn’t feel defending Net Neutrality is that important, with only one state (California) trying to push for their own rules, defying the FCC.
If this is so important, why aren’t we seeing more states defying the FCC’s rule of states not being allowed to have their own Net Neutrality laws? Especially my state of Indiana. I can’t be the only one in my state that wants my freedom to go wherever I want on the Internet, to be taken from me.
And what about other states? Iowa? Nebraska? North Carolina? And other state names popping up in my head? Why haven’t they did something? Saying they’ll do something and actually DOING it are two different things!

The deadline is almost here, for Net Neutrality to no longer be a thing. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to get a bit worried (why I made this post).
So don’t just stand there. If you have a life, call your Congressman and Senator! Get out there and make your voices heard! Get out there in the freezing cold with picket signs and march infront of your congress building! Attend these community forums! Anything to get your word out!
We need all of you (people with a life) to do something, for us no-lifers that have no voice! Be our voice!

The clock is ticking.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Defending Net Neutrality isn’t important to all states

‘Cryptojacking’, a ‘new’ issue affecting gamers

Posted on 02-03-2018 by Benie

Ah, Cryptocurrency. Though Bitcoin isn’t to blame for the skyhigh prices of graphics cards (you can blame Ethereum for that), there is another threat to gamers. And just like these two vulnerabilities affecting CPUs, this is also something that can happen without you even knowing about it.

Think of something like a useful website, causing a strain on your system resources. You check System Monitor (that’s part of Task Manager) and see your CPU having a 60% use for no reason. You’re not playing any games, so what gives?
This my friends is ‘Cryptojacking’, a somewhat legal practice that installs code on a website, and turns anyone that visits it into a Cryptocurrency Miner, without their consent.
How it works is through ads. Yes, the most annoying thing to see on the Internet (next to Trump blaming the Democrats of something that he should be working with them.. but I digress). Some people allow ads (such as watching one of their favorite Youtubers to support them). These ads insert a cookie, which takes control of your computer’s resources.
Though, the creators of this software do tell the people that use it, to warn their community (yet unfortunately it’s not a requirement). And sadly I hear one of the websites I used to go on in the past (Wowhead), has been caught red-handed for using this software (and not telling their users).

But unlike the CPU vulnerabilities, this thing does have a fix. Though it’s a fix the user can choose if they want tocan.
There’s two ways to fix it on your end;
1. Install and have legitimate antivirus software(such as AVG), that can also block 3rd party scripts from getting into your computer. This also allows you to keep supporting your favorite content creators (by viewing their ads).
2. Install and have AdBlock Plus/NoScript in your browser. Directly controls what ads are and aren’t allowed, and makes you immune to being a miner (by stopping harmful scripts in their tracks). However, this also is bad for content creators (as less ads viewed means less money for them).

Whichever option you choose, should protect your system’s resources from being used by an outside 3rd party. Also, I highly recommend that you should still support your favorite content creators by donating on their Patreon page (especially if you use an Ad Blocker).
But just to get this out of the way, Benies-Blogs.com will never use this ‘Cryptojacking’ software on its community. I’m against Cryptocurrency (for fucking up PC builders like me in getting a good deal on parts).

Posted in Computing | Comments Off on ‘Cryptojacking’, a ‘new’ issue affecting gamers

Logan Paul returns to Youtube, and I had to comment

Posted on 01-26-2018 by Benie

Spending a few weeks after the most embarrassing and immature way to kick off 2018, Logan Paul returns to Youtube and claims he has matured, and wants to give a message that all the sudden, suicide is not funny.
I did like the video, and it almost convinced me that he had changed for the better, but the fact Youtube’s ‘intelligent’ algorithm placed his video (once again) on #1 Trending, and he monetized the video, proves he hasn’t changed one bit.

So why am I suddenly talking about this entire shitshow now, instead of when it happened? I was busy in Wurm, and I didn’t know much about the guy. Now I know he used to have his own show in Nickelodeon (with his brother Jake Paul), and he’s been doing some crazy shit on his channel (mainly vlogs), and embarrassing America (and Japan’s culture) with his antics. The recent thing is going there and showing “reeeespppect” by yelling and running down busy markets and also throwing things, and also defiling a sacred shrine where people were praying (and being quiet.. unlike him) by throwing coins into a machine.
But what caused the hell to rain down upon him, is going in the forbidden ‘suicide forest’. There he saw a suicide victim hung on a tree (and filmed it, while chuckling to himself). This video got 60,000 views until Logan took it down. This caused national media attention, expressing outrage and disgust against the Youtube star. Later on, he said in a statement that he was shocked people were against him, and he was sorry. Yet he goes on about “I don’t want views, I get views”.
A day later, he tries to post a formal apology to Youtube, his 12 year old fanbase, and to the relatives of the deceased individual. A lot of people turned down this apology, due to how Youtube did NOTHING about this (yet bumped his video to be #1 on Trending (just like this latest one). As for myself, I felt I really didn’t need to express my opinion in a blog post (for others have already done so with videos).

His latest video doesn’t show any compassion for his behavior while he was in Japan, only talking to suicide survivors and claiming he was ‘immature’ and didn’t know that suicide is a bad thing. This is when I finally snapped, and posted this comment on his video;
“Honestly, I can’t tell if you’re serious anymore. How in the hell did you not know suicide is bad in the first place? I don’t believe in ‘immaturity’, you just didn’t care. You did it for the views.
You need to shut down your channel and re-think your life.”
As much as I wanted to respect him for talking to the suicide survivors(bless their souls for not giving up on life), the entire thing felt like nothing more than a stunt to get more views.
I knew suicide was bad way before he went to Japan. There is no excuse for his behavior.

Posted in Personal, Politics | Comments Off on Logan Paul returns to Youtube, and I had to comment

Why 2018 is not a good year to upgrade your computer

Posted on 01-26-2018 by Benie

From mining Bitcoin, driving up the price of graphics cards as much as 200% higher than last year, and RAM also being expensive (and companies are now being looked into for ‘price fixing’)..
There’s another threat that affects PC’s (and no, Mac users.. this one does affect you too). And if you’ve been living under a rock, you’re already affected without even knowing. This isn’t a virus, or a worm that would be eventually killed with an update and you’ll never have to worry about it again(unless the people responsible manage to undo the killswitch). This is a lot more serious…it’s a venerability with your CPU. There are two exploits now in effect.
The first one is called ‘Meltdown’ which primarily affects Intel CPUs, and the second one is called ‘Specter’ which affects both Intel and AMD. What these exploits do, is hijack the Kernel (which controls the data flowing between RAM and the CPU) and cause the hacker to literally take over your computer, and no amount of antivirus scans will save you. Some people have even reported no longer being able to boot their system up. On top of it, the ‘Specter’ exploit affects -all- AMD CPUs, including my own.

Instead of telling people to pop their CPUs out of their motherboard and to get a refund from the manufacture, a fix is coming from Microsoft (as well as for other OS’). The thing is, with this fix, users have reported slower than normal performance (as much as 30% slower, in some games). I thankfully haven’t seen any difference before and after the patch was applied.
So you may be thinking, you’re safe with this update.. think again. This ‘fix’ is nothing but a band-aid, as a hacker could reverse-engineer the thing and reactivate the exploit. This is why there is no long term fix coming, when that fix could be undone. A few patches here and there might come, but sources say they do more harm than good, especially for this new ‘Ryzen 2’ lineup coming in Q1 2018 (which seems to be mainly for laptops).

I can’t tell you what bad news this brings me once March gets here. The very thought of possibly losing my newly installed Ryzen 5 1600 to a hacker is not something I’m looking forward to.
Not to mention I would having to be paying double for RAM due to the increased prices from last year. It makes me want to kick myself in the past for not buying it back then(when it was cheaper), when I had the chance (and I’m sure a lot of other people would agree).
So here’s to hoping a long term fix is in the works, and the ones responsible can’t undo it. Though I don’t think it’ll happen, as Kernel isn’t easily fixed.

Posted in Computing | Comments Off on Why 2018 is not a good year to upgrade your computer

My lack of posting / #TrumpShutdown now in effect

Posted on 01-20-2018 by Benie

I guess it’s time to come clean and talk about my sudden lack of posting blog posts (both here and the Games Blog). I just wanted to say that I’m still alive (nor is this website going anywhere anytime soon). But there are three reasons why I haven’t been posting as much as I have been in the past;
1. Being focused on one game (currently Wurm) and not caring about other games (unless they really interest me (IE Astroneer).
2. An issue with my PS4 that I’m unsure if I can fix.
3. A feeling of being too bored to really say anything.

I’ve already discussed the first one in more ways than I could count, but never the second way (the issue with my PS4). Now the console still works fine, except when I play any game, the fan is ‘screaming’ at me so loud that even if I use earbuds, I can hear it. A quick Google search revealed the (not surprising at all) diagnosis. With how dusty my room is, it’s amazing the PS4 isn’t overheating by now.
This is unfortunately something I’m going to have to get into, and get the dust out.
Yet this poses another problem, with the lack of a bottle of canned air to blow the dust off the fan. 😛 So… until I either find (or buy) one, I can’t really use my PS4.

And the final third reason is.. kind of childish. Mainly has to do with no longer ‘reviewing’ games. It gave me ‘a purpose’ to play them and give them a good go. Now that purpose is gone, and it just feels there’s no point in trying out new games anymore.
There’s no one out there encouraging me to do it. Just like making a Youtube video, or an Inde game. Everything has a purpose, either to make money, and/or just build a healthy community of people that would support your work and want you to keep going.

.
.

And with that said, let’s talk about a more pressing issue that is now unfolding. The US Government is now shut down for the second time in modern history (and what this means for the average American). What’s ironic is this is the 1st year since Donald Trump was sworn in to become President.
Blame is being placed squarely on the GOP (and especially Trump). Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is also on the hot seat, mainly for failing to restore ‘CHIP’; a short term bill to help undocumented immigrants that came to America as children (now known as ‘Dreamers’).
Republicans are blaming the Democrats for saying “fuck you, we want ‘DACA’ to pass!” and for allowing illegal immigrants to not be deported. DACA is a somewhat long term solution for the Dreamers, that would expire in March of this year (instead of CHIP expiring today).

Even though I’m Independent, I side with the Democrats on this one. Even though they’re ‘illegal aliens’, they’re still human beings just like me and you (and all of us). And America is supposed to be “the land of the free” (so says our national anthem). These Dreamers have the right to be here, and to live/work in America. Freedom for all, no matter the color of your skin or what religion you believe in. We (as Americans) need to show the world that we’re not racist towards non-whites.
And before you say “Benie for President 2020!!”, I appreciate the support, but I’ll pass. Running a town in a Simcity game (let alone a country) is a lot of work, that I’m just not qualified for.

As for what this means for you…well, I’m not the best one to ask. But what I heard is it costs the government a million dollars every day they stay closed (yet government workers will still get their weekly checks).
This actually worries me, if this shutdown was to last through next month. For my father is on pension (and my mother and I both get a monthly SSI check). This money will stop coming, if the government is shut down (which is very, very bad news for my family and myself…, not to mention all the senior citizens and the blessed hero veterans which also require these government checks).
So here’s to hoping the GOP get their shit together and make a deal with the Democrats, to end the shutdown.

Posted in Personal, Politics | Comments Off on My lack of posting / #TrumpShutdown now in effect

Thinking of Net Neutrality from another, different angle

Posted on 12-20-2017 by Benie

There’s been no news (apart from some states vowing to file lawsuits against the FCC) since the vote to doom Net Neutrality. Again though, if you haven’t yet, contact Congress and let them know that that Title II needs to stay.

However, I’ve been having conflicting thoughts since watching JayzTwoCents’ latest video (of a podcast). Someone asked him if he was concerned about it. Surprisingly, I didn’t see any comments about it in the comments section. He basically says what I’ve already heard from The Humanist Report, that this isn’t just ruining the right to a free internet, but to remove everything Obama did (because of Trump). If Obama did it, Trump sees it as being evil and must be removed.
It’s not surprising this has bounced back to our Clown in Chief, especially after this push for tax reform, promising the middle class would get “a nice Christmas present”. Yet what’s under the tree this year(and through 2027), would be a burglar in a suit robbing from the poor and giving it to the donors (and the 1%). Trump claims that this would hurt him financially (which is nothing but a lie).

Getting back to the point here, removing Net Neutrality was just another way Republicans are screwing over the American people (and enjoying every bit of it). These scummy practices need to be stopped.
Going back to Jay, he continues with something that had me going “hmm… he might be right here”. Talking about how much publicity this whole ‘protecting the internet’ has. He feels ISPs won’t do what people claim they will do, that they’re smarter than that. Because I remember in the early 2000’s, the term ‘Net Neutrality’ didn’t even exist (and the ISPs weren’t doing these fast lanes and stuff).
But.. now I’m not so sure, because Ajit Pai in the face said the same damn thing that Jay did. And The Humanist Report claims that Net Neutrality (aka ‘Title II’) has been around for quite some time (before it was even given a name).

So who am I to believe? ..Though that won’t really matter in a few months from now (if the courts don’t stop it). This could go two ways;
1) The Humanist Report was right all along, and now the internet is no longer free.
2) Ajit Pai (and Jay) were right all along, that nothing will happen.
I just don’t know. It was hard to tell if Jay is anti-Net Neutrality. But I think he’s just neutral on the subject. To be told one thing (which seems to be the correct way of looking at it), then be told by another who has had experience with the internet (and knows how it works) of the same way that Ajit Pai has been telling us. Then maybe you too would understand the problem here.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Thinking of Net Neutrality from another, different angle

It’s over… but the fight has just begun

Posted on 12-14-2017 by Benie

We all knew the shithead, Ajit Pai was going to vote against Net Neutrality. And with a vote of 3-2, it’s been made. While most people were scared knowing what would happen, I wasn’t. Lost hope ever since we got Trump and Hillary as candidates to be president.
However, this fight isn’t over yet. Even though the FCC has turned their backs on us, it still has to get through congress. Though IMO, with the Republicans running rampant (since Pai was hired by Trump to lead the FCC), I really have no hope that they will overturn the vote.

Then again, that Christmas miracle is still possible. And if they have any decency, they will vote on the side of the internet. And then Pai will learn what happens when you mess with the American people, and our Democracy.
But they can’t do it without your support! Contact congress @(202) 759-7766 (or Text ‘BATTLE’ to 384-387), and calmly let them know your feelings towards a free, open internet for all. And PLEASE tell everyone you know.

The fight is on to save what belongs to each and every one of us. Pai. will. PAY for betraying us!!

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on It’s over… but the fight has just begun

Net Neutrality on its deathbed…and there’s nothing we can do

Posted on 12-05-2017 by Benie

When the head of the FCC says “I’m doing what the fuck I want. Screw democracy!”..you have a problem. And this is exactly what Ajit Pai is doing. Despite millions of people wanting the FCC to reconsider, this pompous ass is letting nothing stand in his way.
But why? Why push so hard, when so many have gravely warned what will happen if this is to pass on December 14th? It turns out, Ajit Pai doesn’t just want to remove Net Neutrality. He’s doing this to be welcomed by the corporate executives of these ISPs (Comcast and ones like it), and will be walking home with a huge paycheck.

Another reason why he’s doing this, is something I have no sources on (nor do I really care to be honest, as it is what it is), but apparently of all the messages to the FCC, there were people who managed to hack and create fake names and statements; even using names of deceased people. I really know nothing about this. But this seems to be showing how filthy the internet is in Pai’s eyes.

At this time…there is really nothing we can do except wait until we can no longer use the internet freely. There is supposed to be a massive protest infront of every FCC sub-building in the US on the 7th(riots are expected, which the media is just going to love talking about(instead of the issues with removing Net Neutrality)).
If you want to participate at these events, feel free. I’m not going to, because I know there’s not a god damn thing I can do about it (since I live with my parents and have no way of transportation outside of them). Hell, I even got asked to be part of the protests. Going to just have to ignore the request.
All we can really pray for, is a literal Christmas miracle that Pai suddenly realizes that he’s wrong. Yet it’s looking next to impossible at this rate.

Ajit Pai is literally the modern version of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Except instead of hating Christmas, he hates Democracy.
He needs to be visited by the three spirits of a non-corporate America, only then would he change his ways. But it needs to happen quickly.

.
I think this is the first time, I beg for an asteroid to hit the Earth. Or at least squish this hater of freedom like a bug. I also wish our President would wake up and see just how serious this is. If he cares so much about the middle class when it comes to this tax plan(which would only help the rich), maybe he can show it for Net Neutrality.
With his power, he could force Pai to drop this bad idea.

I have also been trying to remove this from my memory. Of course I know this is absolutely serious and it would forever change my habits of logging in… but with my limited transportation, there is nothing I can do. I mean, if I had the ability, sure I would be holding a picket sign demanding Pai to listen to not only me, but to an anti-corporate America. Too many corrupted corporations are walking over Americans, and that needs to stop.
The only thing I’ve been able to do, is send my thoughts through Twitter. I know that’s not enough. But..why bother, if Pai has literally made up his mind? We’re fighting a losing battle. …There’s no point anymore.
Plus, it seems the media isn’t even talking about this. This is such a serious threat to not just the internet, but future technology (even going to Mars), yet.. it’s being ignored (as if everything’s OK).

I still pray for that Christmas miracle, though. Santa, keep the Internet free for all. That’s the only thing I want for Christmas this year.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Net Neutrality on its deathbed…and there’s nothing we can do

Winter to come as early as next week for the Eastern US

Posted on 11-30-2017 by Benie

In other news, weather news that just doesn’t seem to wanna go away. Promising news for snow lovers… not so much for the haters of it and the cold (like myself). And no, I don’t think this is because of climate change. At least, I hope not.
Mid-range weather models (according to Meteorologists) have shown the ‘North Atlantic Oscillation’ is changing.
It’s the thing that makes weather patterns (such as cold fronts and high pressure systems) move through on the way to Europe. It’s normal when the oscillation is flat or rises a bit, but when it dips, it forms a ridge which blocks weather behind it. Think of it like a massive accident on the freeway, where you can’t move as you have a fuckton of other people infront of you, all wanting to do the same thing.
This one is allowing a strong cold front to sweep in from Canada, to bring temps from the arctic, which tends to spin down what is known as (as is scientific term): “a displacement of the polar vortex”. In civilian terms, it’s simply known as an “arctic blast”.
Typically, the cold air stays up in Canada where it’s supposed to be. But occasionally when this happens, a piece of that cold air decides to come down into the U.S.

Often it doesn’t stay that long (maybe a week at the most), which is why I feel this isn’t because of climate change). Yet this one is different, as the cold air is forecasted to last over a week (possibly 2+ weeks, even all the way up to Christmas Eve). I wouldn’t be surprised if it might last through Christmas Day, before finally losing steam and being pushed away.
And this full-on displacement won’t just affect the Ohio Valley, but all of the eastern half of the US (including as far as Florida). This is going to jack up the price of OJ, for sure.
Some models from the CPC(Climate Prediction Center) show the displacement will be right ontop of the Ohio Valley, while others show it being over places like Chicago.

What does this mean, exactly? A full-on displacement ushers in VERY cold air for the season. We’re talking, Highs in the 20’s(-6*C) and 30’s(-1*C). Yes… I said HIGHS, not lows. The lows are only going to be colder, with forecasts suggesting we could reach the teens(-9*C) to near 0(-18*C).
BRRRRR, much?! All we need is a gigantic hurricane coming down from Canada, with a -150*F core to kill us all!
(Yes that movie gave me nightmares)

Posted in Personal | Comments Off on Winter to come as early as next week for the Eastern US