Computer Hardware

“Experience the new user friendly GUI of Samsung Magician. Try our new features and enhanced functions for better user experience. Samsung Magician provides an integrated convenient solution for SSD with advanced capabilities. Samsung Magician software is developed and distributed exclusively for users of Samsung Solid Sate Drives (SSDs).”
Download | Installation Guide (release notes)

Intel Chipset Drivers
Package version: 10.1.18716.8265
Installer version: 3.1.7.142
Date: 03/30/2021
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 x64
Microsoft Windows 10 (Refer Release Notes for details.)
Microsoft Windows 10 x64
Microsoft Windows* Server 2016 x64
Microsoft Windows* Server 2019 x64
Download & Info

A certain download site just posted very old Sound Blaster drivers as though they just came out. They are nearly 3 years old.
Here are the Sound Blaster drivers I’m using:

Sound Blaster Z 3.4.98.00 (01FEB2021) – Download & Info

Sound Blaster ZxR 3.4.98.00 (01FEB2021) – Download & Info

Sound Blaster X-Fi Series Last official 24JUNE2019 v11_2_30_0012
Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Series Last official 24JUNE2019 v11_2_40_0019
I use Daniel_K’s SB X-Fi Series Support Pack 5.0 from 2020. Trust me, they are far, far better than the official drivers.

Sound Blaster Audigy Series
I use Daniel_K’s SB Audigy Series Support Pack 7.0

As usual the initial downloads are “limited” which means mostly unavailable.
I found it over at TechPowerUp.
Official link now live: Samsung SSD Software Page. Thanks Tim!

O&O ShutUp10 1.8.1418
Freeware, portable privacy app. Another small update. I do recommend downloading and running it. I’ve found recent Windows Updates have changed a couple of settings Like “Disable Telemetry”.
Download | Changelog

Macrium Reflect v7.3.5672
– Macrium Task Scheduler
A scheduled backup that sleeps or hibernates the PC after completion could wake the PC a short time after completion. This has been resolved.
Missed scheduled backups for the same backup definition may not honor the Full/Diff/Inc order of precedence when starting causing an Incorrect number of backups to run. This has been resolved.
– Retention Purge
Differential retention could report an incorrect number of Differentials found in the backup log. This has been resolved.
Download | Release Notes | Thanks AG!

Stuff I bookmarked recently. Some off topic, some not:

The LastPass Android App Contains 7 Trackers From Third Party Companies
“When it comes to account security, using a password manager is generally a good idea. But what happens if that password manager is tracking what you’re doing and not even telling you? According to security researcher Mike Kuketz, the LastPass Android app has seven embedded trackers, and LastPass may not know what data they collect.”
Geeze…Glad everyone has ditched this by now!

First Fully Weaponized Spectre Exploit Discovered Online
“It targets Spectre, a major vulnerability that was disclosed in January 2018.”
Over 2 years ago the chicken littles told us we needed to patch everything immediately or else. Also, it was disclosed to us in January of 2018. Intel had informed the Chinese Government before anyone else.

Four ‘New’ Beers Have Been Added to the Brewers Association Style Guidelines
“Kentucky Common Beer, Belgian-Style Session Ale, and New Zealand-Style Pale Ale and India Pale Ale.”
Sounds really interesting:
“Characteristic Ingredients: Six-row barley malt was used with 35% corn grits to dilute the excessive protein levels along with 1 to 2% each caramel and black malt. Native American hops, usually about .2 pounds per barrel of Western hops for bittering and asimilar amount of New York hops (such as Clusters) for flavor (15 minutes prior to knock out). Imported continental Saazer-typehops (.1 pounds per barrel) were added at knock out for aroma”

Can You Name the World’s Most Expensive Toll Road?
“the most expensive toll road on earth isn’t in Switzerland, California, or Germany. It’s in…”
Around here, I-95 in Virginia has optional express lane tolls lanes and the price fluctuates based on traffic.
The biggest toll I can think of per mile here is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel. It is 17.6 miles long and costs $14-18 to cross.

Home Fires
My wife and I streamed this show recently on PBS/Masterpiece/Amazon Prime. Decent show, I was drawn to it because I’m into WWII history.
“Home Fires is a British period television drama about the life of Women’s Institute members on the Home Front during the Second World War. Set in a rural Cheshire community called Great Paxford, the series is produced by ITV, and launched its first series in May 2015. The first series is set between September 1939 and early 1940.”
Wikipedia – Home Fires (British TV series)
Although not typically even close to my kind of music, I very much like the theme song:

Yesterday I received this email from Nvidia:
[Read more…] about The GeForce RTX 3060 Experience

i7-9700K on sale for $249.99 at Amazon, and Best Buy. It is $305 at Newegg. Deal gone!
8 actual cores, no hyperthreading. I run the 9700KF (no graphics) on my second rig with all cores locked at 5GHz.

OK, all that expired or whatever.
For those who are lucky enough to be near a MicroCenter the current LGA 1151 CPU sale prices are:
i7-9700K = $219.99
i9-9900K = $319.99 (This is the CPU in my main rig.)
In addition, “Save $20 when bundled with a compatible eligible motherboard“.
These prices are “In Store Only”. Locations: https://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/default.aspx
Unfortunately for me, MicroCenter is 2+ hours away.
Some folks say Best Buy will price match these.
Again, my default running configuration for these is all cores locked at 5GHz.