Pixco 8mm AND 7artisans 25mm | More Video Samples

Hey, everyone.

Here's more video samples shot on the Pixco 8mm and 7artisans 25mm lenses. These are still fantastic lenses for their price for micro four thirds cameras like the Panasonic G85 or Panasonic G7. The Pixco 8mm wide angle lense does a great job and it seems it prefers a smaller aperture for getting everything in focus and allowing you to shoot at a slower shutter like 1/50 or 1/60. This is great for outdoors in a sunny day since I haven't figured out a way to add an ND filter on it.

The 7Artisans 25mm lens does have a thread on the front for filters to be attached, great for outdoor shooting with an ND filter. The most difficult part in making this video was being a one man crew. Since these are full manual lenses it can get tricky to focus if you're wanting to film yourself in front of the camera unless you plan ahead.

Pixco 8mm F3.8 Fish-eye CCTV Lens http://amzn.to/2hoOaSJ
7artisans 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Prime Fixed Lens http://amzn.to/2eUxb5O
Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
K&F Concept 58mm ND Fader Variable Neutral Density Adjustable ND Filter ND2 to ND400 http://amzn.to/2y1qkDf

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Production Equipment
Beginning shot with:
Shot with a Canon EOS 77D http://amzn.to/2ykHmc7
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM Lens http://amzn.to/2Awgqrn
Audio recorded with:
Tascam DR-22WL Portable Handheld Recorder with WiFi http://amzn.to/2y2CdsJ
Comica CVM-V03 Lavalier Lapel Microphone http://amzn.to/2xzu6lQ
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

In the Kitchen: Coconut Chicken Curry from Scratch - Quick Video

Hey, everyone!

This video is somewhat different from what I've been posting and it's something I may do from time to time since I do enjoy cooking. This is the second time making Coconut Chicken Curry from scratch and the first time was years ago. Why not record it this time for you to see? Once I get my kitchen set up for proper recording better videos will come. Don't worry I'm still going to produce more videos like the ones I've been posting before. Anyways, enjoy!

7artisans 25mm F1.8 Lens for Micro Four Thirds | Overview & Sample Photos/Video

Hey, everyone.

Let's see how well the 7artisans 25mm F1.8 Lens for Micro Four Thirds lens performs. First you'll get to know a quick overview of the lens and afterwards you'll see some sample photos and videos. Part of the sample video was shot last Monday when we went up to Santa Fe and part of it is from today when we went for a walk near the Rio Grande. I like this lens and I will be using it a lot more often and I'll work on bringing you more samples of how this lens performs.

7artisans 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Prime Fixed Lens for Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds MFT M4/3 Cameras http://amzn.to/2eUxb5O

Sample Photos and Videos shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
K&F Concept 58mm ND Fader Variable Neutral Density Adjustable ND Filter ND2 to ND400 http://amzn.to/2y1qkDf

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Production Equipment
In Studio:
Shot with a Canon Rebel T5 http://amzn.to/2fJUXT1
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens http://amzn.to/2wOlclI
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens http://amzn.to/2xvwTLu
Audio recorded with:
Tascam DR-22WL Portable Handheld Recorder with WiFi http://amzn.to/2y2CdsJ
Comica CVM-V03 Lavalier Lapel Microphone http://amzn.to/2xzu6lQ
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Part 5C | Benchmarks (2 of 2)

Hey, everyone.

Here is part two of the benchmarks and gameplay with knowing Xeonomorph is 100% complete. In terms of graphical game settings we're using the high preset for the most part. Look at the beginning of each game for the specifics. Resolution is at 1920 x 1080 and we have disabled V-Sync on all games. We're also running with the latest NVIDIA drivers as of the time of the testing.

System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
2TB Hitachi HDD
EVGA GTX 970 SSC
Thermaltake 500W PSU


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Part 5B | Benchmarks (1 of 2)

Hey, everyone.

With Xeonomorph being 100% complete we can now see how well it performs with gaming. The swap from the R9 290 to the EVGA GTX 970 SSC should provide us a huge boost in performance. The 2TB drive should give us plenty of space to store all of these games. In terms of graphical game settings I prefer using the high preset on most games as a basis for our benchmarks and gameplay. Some games will run at a lot higher setting which you will see with Battlefield 1. Resolution is at 1920 x 1080 and we have disabled V-Sync on all games. We're also running with the latest NVIDIA drivers as of the time of the testing.

System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
2TB Hitachi HDD
EVGA GTX 970 SSC
Thermaltake 500W PSU


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
7artisans 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Prime Fixed Lens http://amzn.to/2xbUiTz
Audio recorded with:
Tascam DR-22WL Portable Handheld Recorder microphone http://amzn.to/2wSYVSk
and Comica CVM-V03 Lavalier Lapel Microphone http://amzn.to/2xH6tJn
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

7artisans 25mm F1.8 Lens for Micro Four Thirds | UNBOXING

Hey, everyone.

Today we're taking a look at this 7artisans 25mm F1.8 Lens for Micro Four Thirds lens. I saw it the other day and became interested in it. I wanted to see if it would be better than the 25mm CCTV lens. This first video will be the unboxing and a very quick preview at the end.

7artisans 25mm F1.8 Manual Focus Prime Fixed Lens for Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds MFT M4/3 Cameras http://amzn.to/2eUxb5O


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Production Equipment
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Audio recorded with:
CAD U37 USB Studio Condenser Recording Microphone http://amzn.to/2wphQ3N
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Part 5 | 100% Complete!

Hey, everyone.

Xeonomorph is 100% complete! It had a great start but the AMD R9 290 was holding the whole system back due to it's temperature issue. After careful consideration we decided to flip the card and were able to get an awesome deal on an EVGA GTX 970 SSC graphics card plus add an additional 2TB hard drive. I feel we have succeedded on creating an awesome budget gaming rig for this summer. Stay tuned for benchmarks and gameplay on Xeonomorph!

System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
2TB Hitachi HDD
EVGA GTX 970 SSC
Thermaltake 500W PSU


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Audio recorded with:
Tascam DR-22WL Portable Handheld Recorder microphone http://amzn.to/2wSYVSk
Aleratec 3.5 mm Computer Clip on Mini Microphone
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 4B | VG909 GPU Cooler

Hey, everyone.

Here is Part B of Part 4 of the Xeonomorph budget build. We're putting the Cooler Boss VG909 on to the AMD R9 290 reference graphics card. At the end there will be some comparison numbers from the Heaven Benchmark.

System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
Thermaltake 500W PSU
Cooler Boss VG909 GPU Cooler

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 4A | VG909 GPU Cooler

Hey, everyone.

To start off this video had to be split into two sub-parts. One reason was due to length of the video. Having it as one video would have made it too long. Second reason is due to the second half still being worked on.

In this video we will take a look at the Cooler Boss VG909 GPU cooler. It's advertised as being able to cool an AMD R9 290. It was a challenege obtaining this cooler due to numerous cancellations from sellers on Ali Express. This was due to the sellers stating they no longer had the item in stock. We finally got one off of eBay. Today I'll give you some info on this cooler and stay tuned for the application process.

System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
Thermaltake 500W PSU
Cooler Boss VG909 GPU Cooler

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Konica Minolta MAXXUM 7D | Non-Pro Overview and Quick Clean Up

Hey, everyone.

This camera was gifted to me by my uncle. It's an older camera but he knows I'm slowly getting into photography. He's had this for a long time and from my research this camera came out in 2004. It will be a fun camera to shoot with and see what it's capable of. I cleaned it up on the outside as best as possible. Used a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water for most of the exterior and some rubbing alcohol in certain areas. Two of the lenses are good to go but the TAMRON lens had fungus on it which results in hazy images.

Shot with a Canon Rebel T5: http://amzn.to/2vRIgL4
Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens: http://amzn.to/2vywFpc
Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920: http://amzn.to/2vy7pPI
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 3C | Benchmarks

Hey, everyone.

Here is the third sub-part of part 3 of Xeonomorph! With PUBG completed we move on to some older but still recent games: Rise of the Tomb Raider, The Division, and Ghost Recon: Wildlands. We are using the latest driver from AMD as of the time of this upload. We're running with the high preset on all three games.

Graphics Settings:

Rise of the Tomb Raider:
Screen Mode: (Exclusive) Fullscreen
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
DirectX 12: UNchecked
VSync: Off
Anti-Aliasing: FXAA
Preset: High
Texture Quality: High
Anisotropic Filter: Anisotropic 4X
Shadow Quality: High
Sun Soft Shadows: On
Depth of Field: On
Level of Detail: High
Dynamic Foliage: Medium
Ambient Occlusion: On
PureHair: On
Specular Reflection Quality: Normal
Vignette Blur: Checked
Motion Blur: Checked
Bloom: Checked
Tessellation: Checked
Screen Space Reflections: Checked
Lens Flares: Checked
Screen Effects: Checked

The Division:
Screen Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
VSync: Off
Frame Rate Limit: Off
Shadow Quality: High
Shadow Resolution: High
Spot Shadow Count: High
Spot Shadow Resolution: High
Contact Shadows: Sun Low
Post FX AA: Off
Temporal AA: Supersampling
Resolution Scale: 100%
Sharpen image: 70%
Particle Detail: Ultra
Enable Wind-Affected Snow: Yes
Volumetric Fog: High
Reflection Quality: Medium
Local Reflection Quality: High
Sub-Surface Scattering: Yes
Anisotropic Filtering: 8X
Parallax Mapping: High
Ambient Occlusion: High
Depth of Field: Medium
Object Detail: 40%
Extra Streaming Distance: 50%
Chromatic Aberration: Yes
Neutral Lighting: No
Lens Flare: Yes
Vignette Effects: Yes

Ghost Recon: Wildlands
Screen Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
VSync: Off
Frame Rate Limit: Off
Shadow Quality: High
Shadow Resolution: High
Spot Shadow Count: High
Spot Shadow Resolution: High
Contact Shadows: Sun Low
Post FX AA: Off
Temporal AA: Supersampling
Resolution Scale: 100%
Sharpen image: 70%
Particle Detail: Ultra
Enable Wind-Affected Snow: Yes
Volumetric Fog: High
Reflection Quality: Medium
Local Reflection Quality: High
Sub-Surface Scattering: Yes
Anisotropic Filtering: 8X
Parallax Mapping: High
Ambient Occlusion: High
Depth of Field: Medium
Object Detail: 40%
Extra Streaming Distance: 50%
Chromatic Aberration: Yes
Neutral Lighting: No
Lens Flare: Yes
Vignette Effects: Yes


System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
Thermaltake 500W PSU


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 3B | PUBG

Hey, everyone.

Here is the second sub-part of part 3 of Xeonomorph! After the initial CPU benchmark using Cinebench R15 we go on to see how PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds performs on this system.

Graphics Settings
Screen Mode: Fullscreen
Resolution: 1920 x 1080
FPSCameraFOV: 90
Equipment HUD: Off
Weapon Slot HUD: Off
Brightness: 50
Colorblind Type: Normal
Quality: High
Screen Scale: 100
Anti-Aliasing: High
Post-Processing: High
Shadows: High
Texture: High
Effects: High
Foliage: High
View Distance: High
Motion Blur: Unchecked


System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
Thermaltake 500W PSU


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 3A | Cinebench R15

Hey, everyone.

Here is the first sub-part of part 3 of Xeonomorph! We put the beast together. It's clean and ready to go. The first test is using the Cinebench R15 benchmarking tool. We're going to see the results as well as compare it to the Intel Core i5-4690K processor at its stock speeds. The i5-4690K is at stock speeds to show a fair comparison between this and the E3-1245 since that processor cannot be overclocked (at least on this system).

System specs:
Dell Precision T1600
Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
8GB DDR3 RAM
250GB HDD
AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
Thermaltake 500W PSU


Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 2

Hey, everyone.

Here is part 2 of Xeonomorph! Let's talk about what's inside this beast, let's talk about the hardware. All the parts work and we cleaned the components. Thermal past was re-applied to both the CPU and the GPU. The stock PSU has been swapped to a new Thermaltake 500W PSU. Some slight modification had to be made to allow the R9 290 to fit inside the case. After everything that's been done the system does work!

System specs:

• Dell Precision T1600
• Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB HDD
• AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
• Thermaltake 500W PSU

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Production Equipment
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Fotasy M3517 35MM F1.7 CCTV Lens: http://amzn.to/2vudXLs
Tascam DR-22WL Portable Handheld Recorder with WiFi: http://amzn.to/2x2RbeG
Aleratec 3.5 mm Computer Clip on Mini Microphone
Magnus VT-4000 Professional High Performance Tripod System with Fluid Head: http://amzn.to/2uU9yVG
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Part 1

Hey, everyone.

Here is part 1 of Xeonomorph! It starts off with a cheesy film-like preface and then an introduction to the gaming system.

System specs:

• Dell Precision T1600
• Intel Xeon E3-1245 (v1)
• 8GB DDR3 RAM
• 250GB HDD
• AMD R9 290 GPU (reference)
• Thermaltake 500W PSU

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Thermaltake SMART 500W PSU: http://amzn.to/2vVjcqS

Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Xeonomorph | Awesome Budget Gaming Rig - Summer 2017 | Teaser Trailer / Intro

Hey, everyone!

Here's a quick intro and teaser trailer for what's coming out soon. A budget gaming rig for Summer of 2017. Stay tuned for Xeonomorph.

TeckNet GH928 7.1 Channel Gaming Headset Review

Hey, everyone.

A tight budget means looking for inexpensive gadgets and accessories. Here we have the Tecknet GH928 7.1 Channel Gaming Headset. It usually runs for less than $30. Sometimes you get what you pay for but every now and then you'll be surprised. These aren't too bad. Overall they do perform well. The sound coming from each side is crisp and sharp. There's good bass and the highs are not too shabby. The microphone works well but not great. I think part of it is due to not being able to bring it closer to your mouth for it to do a better job at picking up your voice.

Tecknet GH928 7.1 Channel Gaming Headset: http://amzn.to/2wd2hwk

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
SainSonic 50mm f/1.4 CCTV Cine Lens: http://amzn.to/2v9KF7O
Fotasy M3517 35MM F1.7 CCTV Lens: http://amzn.to/2vudXLs
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Lightdow LD4000 Action Camera Review

Hey, everyone.

Action cameras and dash cams have dropped in price in the past few years. Instead of paying over $100 you can now get one for less than $50. A friend of mine, Shawn (from the Daily Dirt: https://www.youtube.com/user/mgkbull2), notified me of this Lightdow LD4000 which was on sale. Decided to grab one to see how it compares with my SJCAM SJ4000 and to also have it as a backup or secondary action camera.

Original music by: Alex Talavera

DIY Dashcam Dual Camera Rig Video: https://youtu.be/RC_5dOlS5cw

Lightdow LD4000 1080P HD Sports Action Camera Bundle: http://amzn.to/2twzKjo
SJCAM Original SJ4000 WiFi Version: http://amzn.to/2thuTaw

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Fotasy M3517 35MM F1.7 CCTV Lens: http://amzn.to/2vudXLs
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

CS:GO | My First ACE (but in Casual .....and still proud of it)

With the recent tournaments going on I started to play CS:GO again. I'm a casual gamer and play just for fun. Sometimes I'll get hooked and play for about a month or so but then I'll stop for about a year. You can tell I'm no pro since I still use the default crosshairs and sometimes I'm not the smartest player but I have fun. Here's my first ace on a round!

DIY Dashcam Dual Camera Rig

Hey, everyone.

Here's a quick DIY on how to build a fairly inexpensive dual dash cam rig. The primary purpose for this rig was to test and compare two different dash cams side by side. There are other options out there to accomplish this task and some which may be cheaper but I wanted to work items I already had at home.

Materials:
5" - 1-1/8 in. x 1-1/8 in. x 8 ft. PVC Composite White Outside Corner Moulding
2 - 20 tpi x 1-1/4 in. Stainless-Steel Socket Head Cap Screw
2 - Washers
2 - Rubber O-Rings
3 - 1/4" nuts
3 - Cannibalized parts from included dash cam accessory kit

Tools:
Hack saw
Electric Drill
1/4" Drill Bit
Sandpaper (optional)

Original music by: Alex Talavera

Lightdow LD4000 1080P HD Sports Action Camera Bundle: http://amzn.to/2twzKjo
SJCAM Original SJ4000 WiFi Version: http://amzn.to/2thuTaw

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Kamisafe KINGJOY KT-200 Tripod: http://amzn.to/2tZWiNm
Similar tripod under a different name: http://amzn.to/2uYu82I
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Pixco 8mm Fish Eye f/3.8 CCTV Lens for MFT/M43

Hey, everyone.

I've been on the market for a wide angle lens for the Panasonic G85. Found this small lens and decided to give it a shot. Overall I'm satisfied with its performance and since there aren't too many reviews on it I've decided to make this video for you.

Original music by: Alex Talavera

Pixco 8mm F3.8 Fish-eye CCTV Lens: http://amzn.to/2tW307A and http://amzn.to/2uEMsyv
Here's a similar lens but under a different name: http://amzn.to/2sTHbFU

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85: http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Kamisafe KINGJOY KT-200 Tripod: http://amzn.to/2tZWiNm
Similar tripod under a different name: http://amzn.to/2uYu82I
Lighting with a LimoStudio Photography Softbox Light Lighting Kit http://amzn.to/2pEOlfk
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

Ethereum - The New Mining Craze

About a year ago everything was fine and dandy. If you wanted to build yourself a nice and powerful computer you could with ease. I am referring to the cost of parts. Prices do fluctuate from time to time but for the most part you know what to expect. A year ago a processor, a motherboard, and a graphics card were at what we would refer to as having a "normal price". The one component which has started to climb in price was the SSD hard drive. An increase in price started sometime last year. These types of drives have been on a roller coaster ride for the past few years where the price goes up and down. They've been up ever since last year. Nowadays many of us accept this price as being the "norm".

About a month ago or so a new mining craze has swept the globe. It's called Ethereum. A similar mining craze happened a few years ago when Bitcoin exploded. This caused the prices of AMD graphics cards to skyrocket. Fortunately I was able to get my R9 270 just as its price was climbing by paying about $30 over its retail price. Then the crash came. People were offloading their cards on sites like eBay for cheap. This was fantastic for those who wanted to upgrade from their older card. I even got another R9 270 to CrossFire it with my first card to improve my performance in some games.

Jumping back to the present we now have Ethereum. It started with the AMD RX series graphics cards. Last year I got an RX 480 8GB graphics card at the time of launch for the retail price of $239.99. Now these cards sell out as soon as retailers stock them. On eBay these cards are fetching over $100 of their retail price and these are not new cards these are for used cards. The RX 500 series are also included in this price hike. With this mining craze it did start with the AMD cards but slowly it began to spread towards the NVIDIA cards. The mid-range GTX 1000 series cards began to sell out and their prices have also jumped.

If someone is building themselves a new computer or are wanting to upgrade their old GPU their only option is for either a low tier card or a high tier card from NVIDIA. I don't mention AMD since they currently do not have anything to compete with the GTX 1080 or 1080 Ti and AMD's low tier cards do not perform as well as NVIDIA's low tier cards. That's just the plain and honest truth. We're waiting to see what RX Vega can do in terms of performance when it launches.

Why am I writing this? Well it is because I enjoy pricing budget gaming systems. It's one of the things I do for my YouTube channel. There are times when I'll consider using a pre-built computer from a generation or two ago like a Dell or HP computer. All it needs is just a budget friendly graphics card. The gaming rig would perform well at 1080p resolution with decent graphical settings for most games. It would be a system which could outperform a gaming console. About a year ago a system like this would go for about $300 - $400. Now it would cost about $100 - $200 more. This is not fair for those on a tight budget. Well, life isn't fair. What can we do? At this point all we can do is wait for the craze to die down. At least some manufacturers are helping to alleviate the scarcity. They are releasing graphics cards directed at miners. These cards lack most output ports.

There may not be a point to my story and there may not be a conclusion. I just felt I wanted to write something that's been on my mind recently. It is like having an itch that I have been wanting to scratch for a while. Writing about it helps take care of that itch. In the meantime thank you for reading. Take care and have a great day!

The Adventures of the Test Bench Shelf Upgrade

Hey, everyone.
Space was running low on the shelf where the test bench is located. More stuff was being added. Time to upgrade and get a bigger shelf. Fortunately one was on sale at a local hardware store for a decent price. Our dog, Rey, is going to accompany me during the process.

Music during voice narration provided by Alex Talavera
Music at the beginning and end of the video is from YouTube's Royalty Free Library
Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/29cFjt6
Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85 http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK

Sample Test - Suction Cup Car Mount Camera Holder

Testing out the 6.5cm Diameter Double Suction Cup Car Mount Camera Holder for small cameras like GoPro's and similar type of cameras. This is the very first test and the first run. Will be testing it out some more in the next few days.

This footage has been sped up a little due to some shakiness with the footage. I'll need to see if something wasn't screwed on tight enough or if this is how the mount will perform. In the meantime, thanks for watching!

If interested this is the exact model:


Here's a similar one:
http://amzn.to/2tDfwJE

Parents decided to make one too. Ours is Arnold Schwarzenegger and theirs is Danny Devito. Together they're Twiins

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2rItm87

Homemade Coffee Flan

via Instagram http://ift.tt/2tA43Gx

Flashback | The $hady LAN Party | June 8-9, 2002

Hey, everyone.

It's the 15th anniversary of The $hady LAN Party which took place in the summer of 2002. Why is it called "The $hady LAN Party"? It's because the organizer's online name was $hady. He was one of the leaders of our Counter-Strike gaming group. Why was the party held in Northern California? Well, that's where he resided.

It was a fun trip heading up north from Southern California with me, my best friend and brother Andrew, and another friend / member of the group who was named Sc0rched. We loaded the four door Honda Civic with our PC towers, CRT monitors, and accessories. It was a tight fit and a long drive.

It was a year after finishing college. We were young with not too many responsibilities in our lives. The event was a blast and a memory I'll never forget. Enjoy the video!

P.S. - I was rockin' an Intel Pentium III 733MHz CPU and a Guillemot/Hercules 3D Prophet II GTS 64 MB NVIDIA GeForce 2 GPU in my system.

Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/2rT617N

Music provided by Alex Talavera

FFXIV Stormblood Benchmark | CPU's: G3258, i3-4130, i5-4690K, AMD Athlon 760K | GPU's: GTX 750 Ti, R9 270, R9 280, R9 290X, RX 480, GTX 970

Hey, everyone.

Here is the benchmark tool for Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood. We're running with the High Preset for desktops and at 1920 x 1080 resolution. We are running with the latest video drivers as of the time of this upload. Below is the entire set of videos. Two videos for each CPU and each video containing three GPU's.

CPU's: G3258, i3-4130, i5-4690K, AMD Athlon 760K
GPU's: GTX 750 Ti, R9 270, R9 280, R9 290X, RX 480, GTX 970

Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/2rT617N

Music provided by Alex Talavera

Stormblood benchmark videos in the works with four CPU's and six GPU's

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ORICO 2.5 inch USB3.0 Hard Drive Enclosure (2189U3) | Overview & Review

Hey, everyone.

These hard drive enclosures are useful for putting life back into old laptop hard drives which may no longer be in use. This is my second Orico hard drive enclosure. If I buy a product and I'm satisfied with it then I like sharing that information with others.

Music provided by Alex Talavera



If interested you can get one here:

Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone http://amzn.to/2rT617N

The battlestation area was cluttered and disorganized. She is now clean.

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The Arch is breathtaking

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We're almost there...

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Two eggs, cooked beans from the other night, shredded cheese, diced tomatoes.

There are days when things get easier and there are days when they get difficult. It can be a struggle sometimes when one wants to eat healthier. This morning I attempted to create something I have never done before. Others may have already made this and it may be out there for many to see but I haven't had a chance to check it out for myself.

Two nights ago I added rinsed pinto beans into a crock pot and added some water and some salt for seasoning / flavor. They cooked overnight on the highest setting on the crock pot and the next morning it was set to low. Last night the crock pot was turned off and the beans were ready. Made a large amount to separate into containers to place in the freezer. This would help in making quick meals when needed.

I had some leftover beans and had to have breakfast. Eggs are usually associated with this morning meal so I thought why not make an omelette with the beans. The eggs were scrambled in the actual non-stick frying pan prior to heating it up. No oil was used. Sprinkled a dash of salt and pepper on the eggs. When one side was done I flipped them over and then added a couple of spoonfuls of the beans and a little bit of shredded cheese on top. Folded the other half of the eggs and closed the lid so it can all meld together.

While they became a family I diced up a tomato to sprinkle on top. This is the end result and it was so delicious. It will not be the last time this bean omelette is made. Next time I'll add some diced onions as well and maybe some salsa.

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One of my favorite shots from our California trip. Taken on our last day.

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"Don't believe his lies" - Memento

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Star Trek aka The Getty

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Breakfast before hitting the traffic to the Getty Museum

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Exhausted, a little sunburned. Will be sleeping well tonight.

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Not hot, about 80 degrees but humid. Good long walk taking pictures.

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Since Winston mentioned it might as well. :D

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My brother recommended this place.

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We made it to The Valley. Getting dinner to go.

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The meteor crater

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Changing the Screen Protector on a Nexus 5X

Hey, everyone.

I dropped my phone after taking a shower. It was being picked up from the shelf above the toilet. It slipped, it bounced off the edge of the counter, top of the toilet seat and landed on the ground. Fortunately it was the screen protector that cracked. The phone is fine.

Using the second screen protector included in this double pack of screen protectors my dad gave me when we first got our Nexus 5X last year. The first wet towelette was dry due to not being used in a year. Used rubbing alcohol to clean the surface of the phone. Wipe off any fibers and dust using a coffee filter. Laid the screen protector on one side after lining it up. Let it automatically attached itself down the length of the phone. Used the filter again to ensure no air was caught in between the screen protector and the phone screen.

The case also cracked on the corner and had to order a new one.



Original music by: Alex Talavera

Similar screen protector http://amzn.to/2qli8Gj

Shot with a Panasonic Lumix G85 http://amzn.to/2q1lIWK
Lighting with a LimoStudio Photography Softbox Light Lighting Kit http://amzn.to/2pEOlfk
Edited with Vegas Pro Edit: http://amzn.to/2pET4h3

My other channel if interested: https://www.youtube.com/user/YakovGYP
BLOG: http://lifeworkswithyakov.com
Twiiter: https://twitter.com/lifeworkswyakov
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifeworkswithyakov/
tumblr: http://lifeworkswithyakov.tumblr.com/

Primitive Technology: Water powered hammer (Monjolo)

Spigen Thin Fit Nexus 5x Case with Premium Matte Finish

Originally purchased on April 19, 2016 so this means I've owned it for a year. Why am I writing a review on it just now? Well, a year is plenty of time to test it out. No, I'm kidding. I should have written one sooner for this case. So, what happened was it finally gave out on me a few days ago. Seriously. It was my fault, though. Taking a shower, getting ready for work in the morning. Had it on the shelf above the toilet listening to AM morning talk radio. Got out of the shower, put some clothes on, and was going to head out. I grabbed the phone but didn't get a good grip on it. It slipped out of my hands. It hit the edge of the counter, bounced on the toilet seat (glad the seat cover was closed), and then the ground.

At first I thought the case was fine. The only damage done to the phone was the tempered glass screen protector. There was a long crack going from the left to the right side of the phone. I could see a small dent on the case as well of the impact. Today I replaced the screen protector and as I took off the case I noticed the top left corner had a crack.

From the beginning the case proved itself. I dropped this phone a good handful of times. Both indoors and outdoors. There are light scratches here and there. The edges around the camera are wearing off. The inside edges on the front are also wearing out. You can see the white plastic underneath. You can clearly see the miles on it if you inspect closely. From far away it still looks beautiful.

Anyways, I'm going on a trip soon and need a new case. It's time to retire this one since I don't want to risk using it while I'm out. Good bye, my minty, refreshing green Spigen case. You will be missed. For you all who are reading this thank you and I highly recommend this case!

Dad got me this last year. Pack of two. Tonight the second one replaces the first as per having a little accident with the first as it protected my phone. You will be missed.

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VLOG (Episode 6.2017W16)

Episode 6 is now up but I feel bad it's late. Originally I plan on recording on Friday nights, then publishing on Saturday. For this past weekend I wanted to talk about our weekend adventure so I was planning on recording Saturday night and publishing Sunday morning. This was difficult since we got home late. Sunday I had to run some errands so at the end it was done at the start of the work week.

Saturday we went through Jemez Springs up to Bandelier National Park. We made a few stops along the way. This was a very similar trip we took almost a year ago. Everything was perfect and beautiful. Coming up we have our California trip and we're really looking forward to that.

We finally went inside the Valles Caldera. Hard to believe something like this is over 11,000ft above sea level.

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Quite a few of these guys walking around, had to make sure we didn't step on them.

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Taking advantage of the free National Park weekend at Bandelier National Park. Almost a year (11 months) since we were here.

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Watching her work at Bandelier National Monument

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From Corsair H50 to NZXT X41 for the GPU cooler. Took longer than I expected, around five hours due to some issues here and there.

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VLOG (Episode 5.2017W15)

Episode 5! I'm getting the hang of this. Lets keep it going!

• Going to bed late, sleeping in. Works well with my work schedule. Due to recent changes I'm going in to work early for a few weeks. This means exhaustion and I cannot wait to go back to my old schedule!
• National Park Day. This means getting into a national park for free! Take advantage of it. Here's more info: https://www.nps.gov/planyourvisit/fee-free-parks.htm and https://www.nps.gov/findapark/national-park-week.htm
• Headphone bracket DIY project coming soon!

My other channel if interested: https://www.youtube.com/user/YakovGYP
Video recorded with the Logitech HD Pro Webcam C920 and audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone. Check the links down below for more information:

 

How to 360 a Photo for YouTube

Hey, everyone.

I was wondering if it would be possible and simple to take a 360 degree picture from your cell phone and make it into a 360 degree YouTube video. Based on my research I found it is possible, gave it a try and it does work. Afterwards I did find out others have done something similar but here's my attempt at it. So far I've done this with an Android phone (Nexus 5X) since I don't have an iPhone. I also used Adobe Premiere Elements and Adobe Photoshop Elements. You can use your own video editing software for creating the video clip. For resizing the image prior to you can even use Microsoft Paint.

Watch the 360 Degree Sample here: https://youtu.be/OcAd4ts9-Bo

Software used:
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 14 & Premiere Elements 14 Multi-Platform 14 [Old Version]


Newer version available:
- Bundle: Adobe Photoshop Elements 15 & Premiere Elements 15 or get them individually
  

Audio recorded with a CAD U37 microphone