TekThing 12: Intel Skylake Update, Cut Cable & Cell Phone Bills, Cheap DACs, RAM Performance Myth!
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Buy A New Laptop Now, Or Wait For Intel's Skylake??? Bill writes from near Athens, GA, "With Skylake processors on the way is now a bad time to buy a new laptop? When do you think laptops will be available with Skylake? Also would it be a good or a bad idea to insist on buying a laptop with at least a 1080p screen?" We've got answers in the video... including the best times of the year to buy a new laptop!!!
Can I Dump My Wireless Service And Use WiFi? Keith writes in, "I would like to see an episode on cutting the wireless service bill from your phone company. I believe that every man woman and child having a cell phone is sucking the lifeblood out of financially challenged families. With so much free WiFi out there, and so many free phone number apps in the play store, what's the best option for going carrier free and still having a quality phablet you can carry in your pocket?" Shannon's gone Wi-Fi only for phone service... find out the pros and the cons in the video!
Low Cost USB DACs! @CamWardzala tweeted, “@patricknorton @TekThing any recommendations for low cost USB DACs?” Yup! We put three of 'em in this week's Rapid Fire Round: Audioquest's DragonFly DAC, HRT's dSp & iDSP, and the HiFiMeDIY Sabre USB DAC. (Patrick hasn't gotten hands on with DACs from FiiO and Schiit yet, but hopes to soon!)
Simple Ways To Cut The Cable Cord! Bobby James writes, "I have 2 questions. First can you show some (out of the box) simple solutions to cord cutting options for connected TV content? And second, since there is no more DIYtryin can you show something similar to those fun creations from time to time?" Sure! First up, while we'll do some DIY on TekThing, Michael and Patrick have a new DIY show, called Possibly Unsafe! Second, in the video we talk about why we prefer standalone boxes like the Roku, Apple TV, and Chromecast over, say, smart apps in a TV... then we talk about getting video online, from HBO Now, to Sling TV, Pay Per Episode, and more!
Single-Channel vs. Dual-Channel RAM Performance...Myth?!? In the last episode (11) you were asked to explain memory, but it seems to me you left out something we face all the time, multi-channel memory, especially dual channel. If we want 8 GBs of RAM, do we buy 2 fours using two banks and channels or 1 eight using a single channel?" Great question! We found an AWESOME collection of dual-channel vs. single channel benchmarks by GamersNexus... to learn more, go read the article!!! (Or watch the video...)
What Model Is Your Laptop??? Scott asks, "Snubs, I'm curious as to what laptop you are currently using on TekThing? I'm looking for a Laptop with Windows and yours looks about the right size." It's an Acer Aspire S7, and Shannon says it's awesome!
Do Something Analog! Go find your local Farmer's Market and NOM!!!