What's your latest tech purchase?

[Pumbaa]

Busy week.

Just ordered an OWC Express 1M2 USB4 NVMe SSD enclosure.

OWC Express 1M2: Portable USB4 NVMe M.2 SSD Solution

Offers incredible speeds of up to 3836MB/s, DIY flexibility with NVMe M.2 SSDs, and compatible with USB4, Thunderbolt, and USB-C computers and devices.

www.owc.com

...so now I just need to figure out which NVMe SSD to buy, would love to grab a Samsung 990 Pro 4TB, but... We'll see...

990 PRO PCIe® 4.0 NVMe® SSD 4TB | Samsung US

www.samsung.com

Not technically a purchase (yet) but I also got a Zyxel XGS1250-12 Managed Multi-Gigabit Switch on loan from a friend to try out some USB 2.5 GbE and 5 GbE network adapters. Not quite sure what to expect but it would be nice if some of them actually are both stable and noticeably faster than a traditional single gigabit adapter.

XGS1250-12 | 12-Port Web-Managed Multi-Gigabit Switch includes 3-Port 10G and 1-Port 10G SFP+ | Zyxel Networks

www.zyxel.com

To top it off: Gambled on a Mellanox ConnectX-3 from eBay. Ancient but performant, as long as the product is genuine, as described, and arrives safely. 🤞

 

[Pumbaa]

Hi, it’s me again, your friendly neighborhood gambler!

This week’s risky move: A second hand Mac Mini (2018), entry level with 3.6 GHz Core i3, 8 GiB RAM, and 128 GB SSD. So far so good, seems legit. I will probably eBay a RAM upgrade to encourage me to open up the Mini and give it a good clean.

The machine is not going to see heavy use, but some legacy software need an Intel Mac, and it will be nice to be able to spin up some proper x64 virtual machines without powering up the watt-munching server.

 

[P___X]

Hi, it’s me again, your friendly neighborhood gambler!

This week’s risky move: A second hand Mac Mini (2018), entry level with 3.6 GHz Core i3, 8 GiB RAM, and 128 GB SSD. So far so good, seems legit. I will probably eBay a RAM upgrade to encourage me to open up the Mini and give it a good clean.

The machine is not going to see heavy use, but some legacy software need an Intel Mac, and it will be nice to be able to spin up some proper x64 virtual machines without powering up the watt-munching server.

I'm considering an M1/M2 mac mini (used). I'm running a JellyFin Server on my wife's old i3 mac mini and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It's just running a little warm in clamshell mode.

 

[Pumbaa]

I'm considering an M1/M2 mac mini (used). I'm running a JellyFin Server on my wife's old i3 mac mini and it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. It's just running a little warm in clamshell mode.

The M1 Mini is a wonderful machine, I have had one for years and don’t think I have ever heard its fan. Granted, I haven’t ran Jellyfin on it…

Not sure how you manage to run an i3 Mac Mini in clamshell mode though. Impressive! 😅

 

[P___X]

The M1 Mini is a wonderful machine, I have had one for years and don’t think I have ever heard its fan. Granted, I haven’t ran Jellyfin on it…

Not sure how you manage to run an i3 Mac Mini in clamshell mode though. Impressive! 😅

it runs very well, actually. the only issue is the heat throttling. but again, the nonconsumerist approach would be to move it to my cool basement.

 

[Pumbaa]

Spotted a first generation Apple Magic Mouse at a thrift store. Seems to be fully functional, w00t!

 

[splifingate]

I bravely decided to purchase the last xTool D1-Pro from my local MicroCenter:



This will be my first Laser Tool, and I'm super-stoked!

My main challenge is to decide just how I can bring the products of this into my Classroom...my kiddos are already challenged-enough, and I don't want to (additionally) hurt their eyes, or lungs.

 

[splifingate]

clamshell mode

How do you run a Mini in clamshell mode?

 

[Pumbaa]

How do you run a Mini in clamshell mode?

Putting it inside a giant clamshell would explain the problematic temperatures.