You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.

It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
including the backplates of GPUs.

Oops.

And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.

There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.

(It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
designs. ;-)

* read here:
https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/

On 4/8/2024 2:19 PM, Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>
> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
> including the backplates of GPUs.
>
> Oops.
>
> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.
>
> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>
>
>
> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
> designs. ;-)
>
>
>
> * read here:
> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/
>

The only LEDs on my computer are externally facing such as the one next
to the power button, and the ethernet port. I don't like the glaring
light when I'm trying to play games.

Unfortunately the mid range keyboards and gaming mice are all LED'd up.
I can turn them off, but then I can't see the letters since they're
black on black then (I still have trouble with the F keys and a little
bit the numbers on the top and have to look when I'm getting used to a
game that uses them.) ... Shades of Disaster Area's space ship.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

I never cared about those pretty lights on my PC stuff. The only lights
are the blinking drive lights, laser under the optical mouses, and power
lights. :P

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:

> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.

> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
> including the backplates of GPUs.

> Oops.

> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.

> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.

> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
> designs. ;-)

> * read here:
> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/

--
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." --James 4:7-8. Solar (total) eclipse (of the <3) day!
Note: A fixed width font (Courier, Monospace, etc.) is required to see this signature correctly.
/\___/\ Ant(Dude) @ http://aqfl.net & http://antfarm.home.dhs.org.
/ /\ /\ \ Please nuke ANT if replying by e-mail.
| |o o| |
\ _ /
( )

Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote at 23:19 this Monday (GMT):
> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
>> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
>> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>
>> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
>> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
>> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
>> including the backplates of GPUs.
>
>> Oops.
>
>> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.
>
>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>
>
>
>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
>> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
>> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
>> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
>> designs. ;-)
>
>
>
>> * read here:
>> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/
> I never cared about those pretty lights on my PC stuff. The only lights
> are the blinking drive lights, laser under the optical mouses, and power
> lights. :P

Info lights are cool. Flashy RGB lights are... fine.. sometimes.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the
entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:

>
>You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
>GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
>idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>
>It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
>melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
>UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
>including the backplates of GPUs.

Yeah, guy to RMA person, it was the LEDS in the RAM that burned/melted
my GPU not my *EXTREME* overclocking and/or 24/7 crypto mining.

Yeah, Yeah, that's the ticket.

Xocyll

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:

> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.

Yeah, I my motherboard has power and reset buttons which have LEDs and
there's the two digit Dr. Debug display too but that's all. It does have
a total of four pin headers for two different kinds of LED strips stuff
but I haven't bothered. Apparently there's now some kind of sync thing
too so you can have all your leds change color in a synchronous
fashion. Sigh.

> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.

I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
the first where I've put in a brace.

On 4/8/2024 6:00 PM, candycanearter07 wrote:
> Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote at 23:19 this Monday (GMT):
>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
>>> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
>>> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>>
>>> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
>>> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
>>> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
>>> including the backplates of GPUs.
>>
>>> Oops.
>>
>>> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.
>>
>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>
>>
>>
>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
>>> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
>>> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
>>> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
>>> designs. ;-)
>>
>>
>>
>>> * read here:
>>> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/
>> I never cared about those pretty lights on my PC stuff. The only lights
>> are the blinking drive lights, laser under the optical mouses, and power
>> lights. :P

Funny enough my mouse doesn't have a visible laser, just LEDs under the
logo and DPI indicator.

>
>
> Info lights are cool. Flashy RGB lights are... fine.. sometimes.

Except for one of the wifi routers which is in our bedroom has super
bright blue LED info lights. I covered them up with electrical tape,
but the light still leaks through the vents a little, but at least down
to 'nightlight' level instead of 'Police helicopter searchlight'

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

On 4/9/2024 5:59 AM, Anssi Saari wrote:

>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.
>
> I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
> board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
> sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
> the first where I've put in a brace.

My current one seems to be fine in that regard, but I do remember my
last one drooping.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

On Tue, 9 Apr 2024 07:08:01 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
wrote:

>On 4/9/2024 5:59 AM, Anssi Saari wrote:
>
>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.
>>
>> I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
>> board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
>> sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
>> the first where I've put in a brace.
>
>My current one seems to be fine in that regard, but I do remember my
>last one drooping.

I've the brace, but even without it the GPU seems to be in there quite
solidly and without much droop. That metal bracket in the back seems
to take up almost all of the weight; even if I don't insert the card
into the PCIE slot it doesn't shift much.

But I use the brace because why take chances?

I've noticed there are some towers which hang the GPU vertically now,
although whether this is a reaction to the weight or just some radical
cooling solution, I've no idea.

At the rate GPUs are growing in bulk, soon maybe we'll be attaching
the motherboard to the video-card. ;-)

Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote at 12:59 this Tuesday (GMT):
> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>
> Yeah, I my motherboard has power and reset buttons which have LEDs and
> there's the two digit Dr. Debug display too but that's all. It does have
> a total of four pin headers for two different kinds of LED strips stuff
> but I haven't bothered. Apparently there's now some kind of sync thing
> too so you can have all your leds change color in a synchronous
> fashion. Sigh.
>
>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.
>
> I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
> board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
> sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
> the first where I've put in a brace.

What's Dr. Debug?
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote at 14:02 this Tuesday (GMT):
> On 4/8/2024 6:00 PM, candycanearter07 wrote:
>> Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote at 23:19 this Monday (GMT):
>>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
>>>> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
>>>> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>>>
>>>> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
>>>> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
>>>> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
>>>> including the backplates of GPUs.
>>>
>>>> Oops.
>>>
>>>> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.
>>>
>>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
>>>> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
>>>> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
>>>> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
>>>> designs. ;-)
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> * read here:
>>>> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/
>>> I never cared about those pretty lights on my PC stuff. The only lights
>>> are the blinking drive lights, laser under the optical mouses, and power
>>> lights. :P
>
> Funny enough my mouse doesn't have a visible laser, just LEDs under the
> logo and DPI indicator.
>
>>
>>
>> Info lights are cool. Flashy RGB lights are... fine.. sometimes.
>
> Except for one of the wifi routers which is in our bedroom has super
> bright blue LED info lights. I covered them up with electrical tape,
> but the light still leaks through the vents a little, but at least down
> to 'nightlight' level instead of 'Police helicopter searchlight'

Why do you keep your router in your room?
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
writes:

> What's Dr. Debug?

It's a two digit display for numeric error codes. So if the power on
self test detects some error it'll be displayed there. Fairly useless,
I've had it on two motherboards now and haven't had much use for
it. When I got some bad RAM in a memory update some years ago, it just
showed a random error or nothing.

You know, they used to sell add on cards back in the day with this
functionality. Maybe it was useful at some point.

On 4/9/2024 8:20 AM, candycanearter07 wrote:
> Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote at 14:02 this Tuesday (GMT):
>> On 4/8/2024 6:00 PM, candycanearter07 wrote:
>>> Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote at 23:19 this Monday (GMT):
>>>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
>>>>> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
>>>>> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>>>>
>>>>> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
>>>>> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
>>>>> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
>>>>> including the backplates of GPUs.
>>>>
>>>>> Oops.
>>>>
>>>>> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.
>>>>
>>>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
>>>>> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
>>>>> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
>>>>> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
>>>>> designs. ;-)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> * read here:
>>>>> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/
>>>> I never cared about those pretty lights on my PC stuff. The only lights
>>>> are the blinking drive lights, laser under the optical mouses, and power
>>>> lights. :P
>>
>> Funny enough my mouse doesn't have a visible laser, just LEDs under the
>> logo and DPI indicator.
>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Info lights are cool. Flashy RGB lights are... fine.. sometimes.
>>
>> Except for one of the wifi routers which is in our bedroom has super
>> bright blue LED info lights. I covered them up with electrical tape,
>> but the light still leaks through the vents a little, but at least down
>> to 'nightlight' level instead of 'Police helicopter searchlight'
>
>
> Why do you keep your router in your room?

Small house, wife doesn't want the wires all over, computers aren't in
their final destination for wires either (2 & 1/2 years so far.)
Everything's falling apart and it works, so it's way down on the list of
stuff to get done, but yes I would like to wire the house with
Ethernet... eventually. Maybe that'll get done before I move again or
move on.

--
-Justisaur

ø-ø
(\_/)\
`-'\ `--.___,
¶¬'\( ,_.-'
\\
^'

Spalls Hurgenson wrote:
>
> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware
>

Actually, it's more like the opposite. All the low budget crap, gets
more rgb leds than a christmas tree to make it look High end. At one
point it was impossible to find a pair of cheap desktop speakers without
rgb lights.

>
> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>

it's ugly and distracting if done wronge My computer has leds on the
motherboard, GPU border and two programmable led strips, but...

- 90% of the time they are off
- Motherboard and GPU leds actually serve a purpose. They give me the
temperature readings, CPU load and how the GPU fan is doing.
- When in use, brightness is kept to a minimum (this is because I have
noticed that cheap RGB strips has more power than they should

- And they are for lanparty usage (Dreamhack size). That's the only time
of the year I go all out. it contributes to the atmosphere.

Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote at 15:28 this Tuesday (GMT):
> candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid>
> writes:
>
>> What's Dr. Debug?
>
> It's a two digit display for numeric error codes. So if the power on
> self test detects some error it'll be displayed there. Fairly useless,
> I've had it on two motherboards now and haven't had much use for
> it. When I got some bad RAM in a memory update some years ago, it just
> showed a random error or nothing.
>
> You know, they used to sell add on cards back in the day with this
> functionality. Maybe it was useful at some point.

Sounds like a cool concept.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote at 15:30 this Tuesday (GMT):
> On 4/9/2024 8:20 AM, candycanearter07 wrote:
>> Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com> wrote at 14:02 this Tuesday (GMT):
>>> On 4/8/2024 6:00 PM, candycanearter07 wrote:
>>>> Ant <ant@zimage.comANT> wrote at 23:19 this Monday (GMT):
>>>>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> You know how all the 'high-end' gaming hardware (RAM, motherboards,
>>>>>> GPUs, fans, etc.) now includes LEDs? Maybe it wasn't such a good
>>>>>> idea... and not just because it's ugly and distracting.
>>>>>
>>>>>> It turns out, some gamers are reporting that their GPUs are getting
>>>>>> melted/burnt because of the LEDs in their RAM sticks. Cheap LEDs emit
>>>>>> UV light, and this can leave scorch marks on some plastics...
>>>>>> including the backplates of GPUs.
>>>>>
>>>>>> Oops.
>>>>>
>>>>>> And I'm sure all that UV does great things to people too.
>>>>>
>>>>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>>>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>>>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>>>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>>>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>>>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>>>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>>>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up. I'd
>>>>>> say that sensible component design seems to be a thing of the past...
>>>>>> except then I remember 'hard-cards' (hard-drives mounted on ISA cards)
>>>>>> from the AT/XT era and realize we never had sensible component
>>>>>> designs. ;-)
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>> * read here:
>>>>>> https://www.lowyat.net/2024/320127/ram-rbg-led-burn-in-gpu-backplate/
>>>>> I never cared about those pretty lights on my PC stuff. The only lights
>>>>> are the blinking drive lights, laser under the optical mouses, and power
>>>>> lights. :P
>>>
>>> Funny enough my mouse doesn't have a visible laser, just LEDs under the
>>> logo and DPI indicator.
>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Info lights are cool. Flashy RGB lights are... fine.. sometimes.
>>>
>>> Except for one of the wifi routers which is in our bedroom has super
>>> bright blue LED info lights. I covered them up with electrical tape,
>>> but the light still leaks through the vents a little, but at least down
>>> to 'nightlight' level instead of 'Police helicopter searchlight'
>>
>>
>> Why do you keep your router in your room?
>
> Small house, wife doesn't want the wires all over, computers aren't in
> their final destination for wires either (2 & 1/2 years so far.)
> Everything's falling apart and it works, so it's way down on the list of
> stuff to get done, but yes I would like to wire the house with
> Ethernet... eventually. Maybe that'll get done before I move again or
> move on.

Fair.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On 09/04/2024 16:30, Justisaur wrote:
> On 4/9/2024 8:20 AM, candycanearter07 wrote:
>> Why do you keep your router in your room?
>
> Small house, wife doesn't want the wires all over, computers aren't in
> their final destination for wires either (2 & 1/2 years so far.)
> Everything's falling apart and it works, so it's way down on the list of
> stuff to get done, but yes I would like to wire the house with
> Ethernet... eventually.  Maybe that'll get done before I move again or
> move on.
>

I did think about it and then thought what's the point. The router is
physical connected to the PC in the computer room and everything else
uses WiFi which is more than adequate. The there's the issue of how do
you hide the wires as I don't fancy cutting channels into bricks.

On Tue, 9 Apr 2024 08:30:05 -0700, Justisaur <justisaur@yahoo.com>
wrote:
>On 4/9/2024 8:20 AM, candycanearter07 wrote:

>> Why do you keep your router in your room?

>Small house, wife doesn't want the wires all over, computers aren't in
>their final destination for wires either (2 & 1/2 years so far.)
>Everything's falling apart and it works, so it's way down on the list of
>stuff to get done, but yes I would like to wire the house with
>Ethernet... eventually. Maybe that'll get done before I move again or
>move on.

And just as soon as you /do/ get the house wired for Ethernet, there's
a new standard that requires you to upgrade all the routers, switches
and cabling to take advantage of it.

I started with 10mbit ethernet; eventually I upgraded to 100mbit. I'm
(very slowly) working my way to gigabit ethernet (mostly need to
replace my old CAT5 cables). By the time I'm done, I'm sure 10gbit
ethernet will be common and I'll to start all over again. ;-)

On Tue, 9 Apr 2024 15:00:11 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
<candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:

>Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote at 12:59 this Tuesday (GMT):
>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>>
>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>
>> Yeah, I my motherboard has power and reset buttons which have LEDs and
>> there's the two digit Dr. Debug display too but that's all. It does have
>> a total of four pin headers for two different kinds of LED strips stuff
>> but I haven't bothered. Apparently there's now some kind of sync thing
>> too so you can have all your leds change color in a synchronous
>> fashion. Sigh.
>>
>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.
>>
>> I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
>> board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
>> sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
>> the first where I've put in a brace.
>
>
>What's Dr. Debug?

ASRock's proprietary way of displaying POST error codes. Everytime
your computer starts up, it runs a variety of processes (check mem,
check voltage, check vid card installed, etc.) After every process
completes, it outputs an code, telling you the status of that check.
If one of these start-up tests fails, the computer halts. Knowing the
error code of which process fails (usually a two-character hexadecimal
digit) is very useful in troubleshooting.

Older PCs used to either show these error codes on screen, or use beep
codes, but these were imperfect solutions. Having an LED built into
the motherboard is a lot more useful. Most modern, high-end
motherboards have this functionality. You can also buy an expansion
card which has the same ability.

But ultimately, it's really just a tool for techies. If you're not
going to troubleshoot and fix your PC yourself - instead, taking it to
the shoppe when it won't start - then you won't get much use from it.
That's why most motherboards don't offer it.

Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote at 15:43 this Wednesday (GMT):
> On Tue, 9 Apr 2024 15:00:11 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
><candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:
>
>>Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote at 12:59 this Tuesday (GMT):
>>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>>
>>> Yeah, I my motherboard has power and reset buttons which have LEDs and
>>> there's the two digit Dr. Debug display too but that's all. It does have
>>> a total of four pin headers for two different kinds of LED strips stuff
>>> but I haven't bothered. Apparently there's now some kind of sync thing
>>> too so you can have all your leds change color in a synchronous
>>> fashion. Sigh.
>>>
>>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.
>>>
>>> I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
>>> board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
>>> sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
>>> the first where I've put in a brace.
>>
>>
>>What's Dr. Debug?
>
> ASRock's proprietary way of displaying POST error codes. Everytime
> your computer starts up, it runs a variety of processes (check mem,
> check voltage, check vid card installed, etc.) After every process
> completes, it outputs an code, telling you the status of that check.
> If one of these start-up tests fails, the computer halts. Knowing the
> error code of which process fails (usually a two-character hexadecimal
> digit) is very useful in troubleshooting.
>
> Older PCs used to either show these error codes on screen, or use beep
> codes, but these were imperfect solutions. Having an LED built into
> the motherboard is a lot more useful. Most modern, high-end
> motherboards have this functionality. You can also buy an expansion
> card which has the same ability.
>
> But ultimately, it's really just a tool for techies. If you're not
> going to troubleshoot and fix your PC yourself - instead, taking it to
> the shoppe when it won't start - then you won't get much use from it.
> That's why most motherboards don't offer it.

Certainly sounds like it would be nice to have.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

On Wed, 10 Apr 2024 16:00:08 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
<candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:

>Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> wrote at 15:43 this Wednesday (GMT):
>> On Tue, 9 Apr 2024 15:00:11 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07
>><candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> wrote:
>>
>>>Anssi Saari <anssi.saari@usenet.mail.kapsi.fi> wrote at 12:59 this Tuesday (GMT):
>>>> Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> There's no real information on how common the problem is, or how long
>>>>> it took before the plastic got scorched or, really, any specifics.
>>>>> Still, it's another reason to not bling out your PC.
>>>>
>>>> Yeah, I my motherboard has power and reset buttons which have LEDs and
>>>> there's the two digit Dr. Debug display too but that's all. It does have
>>>> a total of four pin headers for two different kinds of LED strips stuff
>>>> but I haven't bothered. Apparently there's now some kind of sync thing
>>>> too so you can have all your leds change color in a synchronous
>>>> fashion. Sigh.
>>>>
>>>>> (It's not really related, but modern GPUs are getting burdensomely
>>>>> heavy and large too... so much so that the PCIE slots on motherboards
>>>>> are having problems supporting that weight. There are reports of the
>>>>> slots getting pulled off their traces on the motherboard because of
>>>>> the weight. My GPU came with a little adjustable 'brace' meant to be
>>>>> placed between GPU and chassis to help hold the massive thing up.
>>>>
>>>> I put in a GPU brace recently. I think I read the drooping of the GPU
>>>> board itself isn't healty in the long run either. Haven't had PCIe
>>>> sockets pulled off yet or breakage in any GPU though, the current one is
>>>> the first where I've put in a brace.
>>>
>>>
>>>What's Dr. Debug?
>>
>> ASRock's proprietary way of displaying POST error codes. Everytime
>> your computer starts up, it runs a variety of processes (check mem,
>> check voltage, check vid card installed, etc.) After every process
>> completes, it outputs an code, telling you the status of that check.
>> If one of these start-up tests fails, the computer halts. Knowing the
>> error code of which process fails (usually a two-character hexadecimal
>> digit) is very useful in troubleshooting.
>>
>> Older PCs used to either show these error codes on screen, or use beep
>> codes, but these were imperfect solutions. Having an LED built into
>> the motherboard is a lot more useful. Most modern, high-end
>> motherboards have this functionality. You can also buy an expansion
>> card which has the same ability.
>>
>> But ultimately, it's really just a tool for techies. If you're not
>> going to troubleshoot and fix your PC yourself - instead, taking it to
>> the shoppe when it won't start - then you won't get much use from it.
>> That's why most motherboards don't offer it.
>
>
>Certainly sounds like it would be nice to have.

Honestly, it's not as useful as you might think. It only reports POST
(Power On Startup Tests) results, so once the UEFI or OS takes over,
it's of no help... and that's when most of the problems usually occur.
Even when the error codes are for problems that the error codes can
catch, it's usually something a techie would notice and test
automatically anyway (e.g., RAM errors or forgot to insert a video
card ;-). And often the error codes are just too generic to be useful.
Plus, it all relies on the motherboard itself functioning correctly.

It's not completely pointless and there are instances when it can be
helpful. But it's quite limited. Mostly when I use it (I've an ASUS
board and they call them 'Q-Codes" instead of "Dr Debug", but
functionally it's the same thing) it is to confirm that the PC got to
the 'boot into operating system' stage, although even then that's
usually obvious enough that I don't need to look at the codes. Rarely
do I look up what error-specific codes mean.

But in some ways, it's as much 'bling' as the over-the-top LED
lighting, intended more to look cool than really do anything useful.