Sapphire-53 - Stars And Art

NYALL

So You Need To Buy A Computer But You Don't Know What Specs Are Good These Days

Hi.

This is literally my job.

Lots of people are buying computers for school right now or are replacing computers as their five-year-old college laptop craps out so here's the standard specs you should be looking for in a (windows) computer purchase in August 2023.

PROCESSOR

Intel i5 (no older than 10th Gen)

Ryzen 7

You can get away with a Ryzen 5 but an intel i3 should be an absolute last resort. You want at least an intel i5 or a Ryzen 7 processor. The current generation of intel processors is 13, but anything 10 or newer is perfectly fine. DO NOT get a higher performance line with an older generation; a 13th gen i5 is better than an 8th gen i7. (Unfortunately I don't know enough about ryzens to tell you which generation is the earliest you should get, but staying within 3 generations is a good rule of thumb)

RAM

8GB absolute minimum

If you don't have at least 8GB RAM on a modern computer it's going to be very, very slow. Ideally you want a computer with at least 16GB, and it's a good idea to get a computer that will let you add or swap RAM down the line (nearly all desktops will let you do this, for laptops you need to check the specs for Memory and see how many slots there are and how many slots are available; laptops with soldered RAM cannot have the memory upgraded - this is common in very slim laptops)

STORAGE

256GB SSD

Computers mostly come with SSDs these days; SSDs are faster than HDDs but typically have lower storage for the same price. That being said: SSDs are coming down in price and if you're installing your own drive you can easily upgrade the size for a low cost. Unfortunately that doesn't do anything for you for the initial purchase.

A lot of cheaper laptops will have a 128GB SSD and, because a lot of stuff is stored in the cloud these days, that can be functional. I still recommend getting a bit more storage than that because it's nice if you can store your music and documents and photos on your device instead of on the cloud. You want to be able to access your files even if you don't have internet access.

But don't get a computer with a big HDD instead of getting a computer with a small SSD. The difference in speed is noticeable.

SCREEN (laptop specific)

Personally I find that touchscreens have a negative impact on battery life and are easier to fuck up than standard screens. They are also harder to replace if they get broken. I do not recommend getting a touch screen unless you absolutely have to.

A lot of college students especially tend to look for the biggest laptop screen possible; don't do that. It's a pain in the ass to carry a 17" laptop around campus and with the way that everything is so thin these days it's easier to damage a 17" screen than a 14" screen.

On the other end of that: laptops with 13" screens tend to be very slim devices that are glued shut and impossible to work on or upgrade.

Your best bet (for both functionality and price) is either a 14" or a 15.6" screen. If you absolutely positively need to have a 10-key keyboard on your laptop, get the 15.6". If you need something portable more than you need 10-key, get a 14"

FORM FACTOR (desktop specific)

If you purchase an all-in-one desktop computer I will begin manifesting in your house physically. All-in-ones take away every advantage desktops have in terms of upgradeability and maintenance; they are expensive and difficult to repair and usually not worth the cost of disassembling to upgrade.

There are about four standard sizes of desktop PC: All-in-One (the size of a monitor with no other footprint), Tower (Big! probably at least two feet long in two directions), Small Form Factor Tower (Very moderate - about the size of a large shoebox), and Mini/Micro/Tiny (Small! about the size of a small hardcover book).

If you are concerned about space you are much better off getting a MicroPC and a bracket to put it on your monitor than you are getting an all-in-one. This will be about a million percent easier to work on than an all-in-one and this way if your monitor dies your computer is still functional.

Small form factor towers and towers are the easiest to work on and upgrade; if you need a burly graphics card you need to get a full size tower, but for everything else a small form factor tower will be fine. Most of our business sales are SFF towers and MicroPCs, the only time we get something larger is if we have to put a $700 graphics card in it. SFF towers will accept small graphics cards and can handle upgrades to the power supply; MicroPCs can only have the RAM and SSD upgraded and don't have room for any other components or their own internal power supply.

WARRANTY

Most desktops come with either a 1 or 3 year warranty; either of these is fine and if you want to upgrade a 1 year to a 3 year that is also fine. I've generally found that if something is going to do a warranty failure on desktop it's going to do it the first year, so you don't get a hell of a lot of added mileage out of an extended warranty but it doesn't hurt and sometimes pays off to do a 3-year.

Laptops are a different story. Laptops mostly come with a 1-year warranty and what I recommend everyone does for every laptop that will allow it is to upgrade that to the longest warranty you can get with added drop/damage protection. The most common question our customers have about laptops is if we can replace a screen and the answer is usually "yes, but it's going to be expensive." If you're purchasing a low-end laptop, the parts and labor for replacing a screen can easily cost more than half the price of a new laptop. HOWEVER, the way that most screens get broken is by getting dropped. So if you have a warranty with drop protection, you just send that sucker back to the factory and they fix it for you.

So, if it is at all possible, check if the manufacturer of a laptop you're looking at has a warranty option with drop protection. Then, within 30 days (though ideally on the first day you get it) of owning your laptop, go to the manufacturer site, register your serial number, and upgrade the warranty. If you can't afford a 3-year upgrade at once set a reminder for yourself to annually renew. But get that drop protection, especially if you are a college student or if you've got kids.

And never, ever put pens or pencils on your laptop keyboard. I've seen people ruin thousand dollar, brand-new laptops that they can't afford to fix because they closed the screen on a ten cent pencil. Keep liquids away from them too.

LIFESPAN

There's a reasonable chance that any computer you buy today will still be able to turn on and run a program or two in ten years. That does not mean that it is "functional."

At my office we estimate that the functional lifespan of desktops is 5-7 years and the functional lifespan of laptops is 3-5 years. Laptops get more wear and tear than desktops and desktops are easier to upgrade to keep them running. At 5 years for desktops and 3 years for laptops you should look at upgrading the RAM in the device and possibly consider replacing the SSD with a new (possibly larger) model, because SSDs and HDDs don't last forever.

COST

This means that you should think of your computers as an annual investment rather than as a one-time purchase. It is more worthwhile to pay $700 for a laptop that will work well for five years than it is to pay $300 for a laptop that will be outdated and slow in one year (which is what will happen if you get an 8th gen i3 with 8GB RAM). If you are going to get a $300 laptop try to get specs as close as possible to the minimums I've laid out here.

If you have to compromise on these specs, the one that is least fixable is the processor. If you get a laptop with an i3 processor you aren't going to be able to upgrade it even if you can add more RAM or a bigger SSD. If you have to get lower specs in order to afford the device put your money into the processor and make sure that the computer has available slots for upgrade and that neither the RAM nor the SSD is soldered to the motherboard. (one easy way to check this is to search "[computer model] RAM upgrade" on youtube and see if anyone has made a video showing what the inside of the laptop looks like and how much effort it takes to replace parts)

Computers are expensive right now. This is frustrating, because historically consumer computer prices have been on a downward trend but since 2020 that trend has been all over the place. Desktop computers are quite expensive at the moment (August 2023) and decent laptops are extremely variably priced.

If you are looking for a decent, upgradeable laptop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

14" Lenovo - $670 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD

15.6" HP - $540 - 11th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

14" Dell - $710 - 12th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, and 256GB SSD

If you are looking for a decent, affordable desktop that will last you a few years, here are a couple of options that you can purchase in August 2023 that have good prices for their specs:

SFF HP - $620 - 10th-gen i5, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD

SFF Lenovo - $560 - Ryzen 7 5000 series, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

Dell Tower - $800 - 10th-gen i7, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD

If I were going to buy any of these I'd probably get the HP laptop or the Dell Tower. The HP Laptop is actually a really good price for what it is.

Anyway happy computering.

It’s one thing to have seen that giant metal suit and hear that there is a version of Barry inside of it, it’s quite another thing when you actually come face-to-face with what’s inside… seeing the scar and the milky white eye, but also seeing the person that you love be so twisted. Barry Allen, who probably has the gentlest soul of all of the characters in the Arrowverse, to just see how far he could fall, he’s both terrifying, but it’s also heartbreaking

Andrew Kreisberg (via westallenolicitygifs)

Hoshi wo Tadoreba (Translation)

「星を辿れば」大原ゆい子 “Chasing the Stars”, Ohara Yuiko Listen (x) | Japanese lyrics: (x)

In a daze I chased after a shooting star Longing to know more About the world stretching before me

Don’t just wish for your dreams to come true Just opening the door, we draw a little bit closer

I can’t wait, let’s find out what’s next in our story You’re not the only one who believes in the future So even though the scenery is ever-changing I’ll never let go of the treasures we found beneath the shining sky

Through the tears, the laughter, eating and sleeping And all the times of worry Thank you for staying by my side I’ll see you tomorrow

I’ll never be able to write down all these days That I pictured across the night sky Like little lights that connect into constellations

I haven’t reached my dreams yet But I stretch out my hand Straight towards my goals

The light from the day I had my dream shines even still Through any darkness, that I’ll never lose my way Surely I won’t reach it just shining by myself But those special words I found will always support me

I thought about the lively day today Looking up at the night sky before I sleep

The stars inlayed up there are brilliant There’s nothing quite like them I won’t let any cracks in any of my odd hopes This miracle I happened upon will only keep coming over time

Through the joy, the anger, the worries And all the hectic days Thank you for staying by my side Good night See you tomorrow

After watching spiderman i finally understand this picture of Tom

Gen:lock Idea

Just an idea that won't go away until I write it down. Not the best but here it goes.

This is an AU where somehow before Weller could bring is idea to Holcroft and the Polity he got captured by the Union. And everyone being younger as well. When finding his Gen:lock work, the Union found it interesting and made sure to weaponize it.

Since Gen:lock relied on the neurons of a young body the Union made sure to include children in the recruitment list. Which lead him to find everybody (including Leon) easier.

- Chase and team would be the range of 10 to let teen. Not even at their 20's.

Then came the experimenting, this leading to Chase's and Leon's physical problems. But eventually leading up to the children being able to fight (excluding Cammie, she is still too young even by Union standard)

When the Union was planning to finally attack New York, Weller knew he needed to get everybody out of there. The was no doubt that the Union would put even greater pressure to get Gen:lock field ready no matter what happened at the battle in New York. And Weller could no longer see his kids be suffer for progress of what was once his dream turned nightmare.

He was finally able to contact the Polity, and basically held himself hostage when they only wanted to retrieve him alone. But he would never leave his kids.

The day before the Battle of New York, Polity soldiers waited outside of some of the exits of the research facility. Waiting for their objectives to arrive.

Dr. Weller prepares his kids to be separated. The talks to them about the Polity and reassuring that they will meet again, somewhere where it was safe.

The kids are split like so:

- Valentina, Kazu, and Cammie

- Yaz and Chase

- Weller, Leon, and Sinclair

Valentina and Kazu make an excuse to leave the building, while Cammie is screaming and crying about a nightmare, to calm Cammie.

Yaz and Chase sneak out from the sleep guards.

Weller and and the rest just says he needs to check something and bam everyone is out.

It's only when they are running across the field does the Union finally realize their attempt to escape. They give chase only to find three hovercraft getting air and flying away.

That's all I have so far, but my brain wants to finish but I can't and I am not a writer by any means but this just wouldn't get out of my head. But I feel better now.

Captain America: Civil War AU (Manip)

Let’s be honest, if Peggy were around, Civil War would never have happened.

This one was a popular demand. Many people people asked me about anatomy tips.

I know how hard this topic is and how confusing at the beginning. It’s just so much to learn! Exactly! I remember how lost I was in the beginning and trying out things that actually didn’t help me understand anatomy better.

Actually what I want to convey here is that you can learn to draw human without learning all the muscles and bones. My personal opinion, based on experience is actually that you can do that as something extra. Learning muscles and bones won’t help you draw. True story. 

If you grasps few essential concepts first you will be better off, plus you will be actually drawing characters. You will be more confident in your lines and gain knowledge that will be enough to create artwork you want. 

Look at body as any other object you want to draw. Simplifying and remembering the simplest ideas is way to go. 

Remember: these few ideas I am presenting are just a tip of an iceberg. As you will progress you will expand your knowledge beyond few essential points.

This is my personal approach so I can’t say it will work for you. I know that it works for me

Hope you like it!

Process of my latest drawing from very quick sketch to shading and line work. I am trying to get back into art after a long break and drawing my fav character is helping. Critics are welcomed since since this was a really hard pose and lighting even with reference.