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Interesting. I've had a Winbook TW100 with just 2GB RAM and an Intel Baytrail-T Z3735D for several years and it has been a decent (not great) performer. The only real pain point was the Realtek WiFi/Bluetooth chip (RTL8723BS) which has a problem doing both simultaneously. I've not tried the Acer units.

Microsoft gives OEMs free, as in beer, or low-cost 32-bit Windows OS licenses for equipment that falls within certain hardware limits (screen size, RAM,etc.), that is why you can find $89 Win10 Tablets, for example.

These things keep on progressing usually following moors law like growth. As others have pointed out 1TB ones are available but they are expensive. My rule is that I will pay about $20 for a flash card or thumb drive which means now I can get a 64GB uSD card for just under $20, a 64GB USB 3.0 thumb drive for about $16, or a 64 GB USB OTG drive for about $20. Some time in the next 16 months I should be able to get 128 GB drives at those price points, and in 18 months after that 256GB drives. If I wanted I could get a 256GB USB 3.0 thumb drive now for about $55 or a 128GB uSD card for about $40. So give it a few more years (3-5 would be a good guess) and the miracle of smart engineers will deliver what you want at a reasonable price.

These things keep on progressing usually following moors law like growth. As others have pointed out 1TB ones are available but they are expensive. My rule is that I will pay about $20 for a flash card or thumb drive which means now I can get a 64GB uSD card for just under $20, a 64GB USB 3.0 thumb drive for about $16, or a 64 GB USB OTG drive for about $20. Some time in the next 16 months I should be able to get 128 GB drives at those price points, and in 18 months after that 256GB drives. If I wanted I could get a 256GB USB 3.0 thumb drive now for about $55 or a 128GB uSD card for about $40. So give it a few more years (3-5 would be a good guess) and the miracle of smart engineers will deliver what you want at a reasonable price.

These things keep on progressing usually following moors law like growth. As others have pointed out 1TB ones are available but they are expensive. My rule is that I will pay about $20 for a flash card or thumb drive which means now I can get a 64GB uSD card for just under $20, a 64GB USB 3.0 thumb drive for about $16, or a 64 GB USB OTG drive for about $20. Some time in the next 16 months I should be able to get 128 GB drives at those price points, and in 18 months after that 256GB drives. If I wanted I could get a 256GB USB 3.0 thumb drive now for about $55 or a 128GB uSD card for about $40. So give it a few more years (3-5 would be a good guess) and the miracle of smart engineers will deliver what you want at a reasonable price.

These things keep on progressing usually following moors law like growth. As others have pointed out 1TB ones are available but they are expensive. My rule is that I will pay about $20 for a flash card or thumb drive which means now I can get a 64GB uSD card for just under $20, a 64GB USB 3.0 thumb drive for about $16, or a 64 GB USB OTG drive for about $20. Some time in the next 16 months I should be able to get 128 GB drives at those price points, and in 18 months after that 256GB drives. If I wanted I could get a 256GB USB 3.0 thumb drive now for about $55 or a 128GB uSD card for about $40. So give it a few more years (3-5 would be a good guess) and the miracle of smart engineers will deliver what you want at a reasonable price.

These things keep on progressing usually following moors law like growth. As others have pointed out 1TB ones are available but they are expensive. My rule is that I will pay about $20 for a flash card or thumb drive which means now I can get a 64GB uSD card for just under $20, a 64GB USB 3.0 thumb drive for about $16, or a 64 GB USB OTG drive for about $20. Some time in the next 16 months I should be able to get 128 GB drives at those price points, and in 18 months after that 256GB drives. If I wanted I could get a 256GB USB 3.0 thumb drive now for about $55 or a 128GB uSD card for about $40. So give it a few more years (3-5 would be a good guess) and the miracle of smart engineers will deliver what you want at a reasonable price.

See my subject & this link: No denying it /https://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=9995967&cid=53488785b [slashdot.org] & it's FAR from a complete list (even though it shows 100's of router security + inefficiency issues).

Your argument is so old and tired I get a /. 404 error, seriously I do. That said anyone who is using the factory provided firmware on a consumer router/firewall is dumb. OpenWRT or DDWRT are much better choices that offer better security and better options. Or if you prefer go and drop pfSense on some "powerful" but inexpensive hardware. As you will have a device like these between your computer and the internet I don't see how an argument about cost is an issue as you have your modem connected to the internet (DSL or Cable) and then either a router or firewall that your other gear sits behind. Depending on what hardware you have and layout your setup behind the router or firewall will vary greatly. * LMAO - again, that's you "networking menials" (that can't program their OWN solutions because you're limited) to a tee

Not a millennial (I assume that it what you meant) by a long shot I do actually program and have through my employer contributed to a number of open source projects. You may have heard of a few of them.

WRONG! I don't understand "layered-security"/"defense-in-depth"? I wrote guides on it that even GOT ME PAID https://www.google.com/search?... [google.com]

Guess what I have contributed to guides on securing systems and am paid by my employer to do so when new versions and updates are sought. The difference is that what I have contributed to are respected and well known.

Also it looks like you are a bit to copy/paste happy as I see you are getting frustrated and double posting (see above and below). You really should look into getting treatment for your ails as something does appear to be wrong.

Why not just get a USB-C to micro-USB adaptor and just use it w/ a standard micro-USB cable available anywhere? If you want the gold monster cables, even for that you can get that in micro-USB at standard rates, and then use it in combination w/ this adapter

Some third-party extended "warranties" are actually more like product failure insurance. Microcenter will sell you a plan that covers the screen getting broken from dropping the thing. http://www.microcenter.com/sit...

What you request is available now. Granted the WiFi card isn't yet supported by pfSense (should be when they get to the current OpenBSD version) but the dual NICs are. I have one (120GB SSD and 8GB RAM) as my network firewall at home and it keeps up just fine even running Squid doing MitM of HTTPS plus sending all web traffic through ClamAV and with Snort in IPS mode. One of these days I will finish getting VPN setup on it and my mobile devices so that I can connect in and not have to worry about someone on scanning my traffic when I am out using hotel, airport, public wifi.

You should have gone with one of these little guys with 8GB ram and a 120GB SSD for about $250. It has no problem keeping up on my 120/40Mbps internet connection with Snort in IPS mode, Squid with ClamAV to MitM all web traffic (yes I have it set up to MitM SSL/TLS), and also doing some DNS level blocking of shit sites (a list of sites that offer some files to use as input can be found here). At most I have gotten it to 50% cpu usage (usually on startup) and the hottest it has run was about 29C.

That made me wonder what the current cost was as the last time I was in microcenter they had a bin of RPi Zeros and were selling them for $0.99. So it looks like that was a special sale that day/week.

http://www.microcenter.com/product/440932/TW802_Tablet_-_Black they also have a windows 10 version, and 7 and 10 inch versions. Works well with window, linux is possible but unsatisfactory (typical baytrail Z... "32bit 'bios' on a 64 bit processer headache) also note that they have bot 16G and 32G mass storage versions; be sure of what you get...

Note that all versions have a full-size usb 2 host port in addition to the micro usb OTG power port... charge AND run a usb hub without cable hacks!

The 10 inch model has a (kinda cheap) keyboard cover (pogo pin interface with magnetic mechanical latch).
I have no commercial interest in this product, but own several of these and find them useful.

If it is a backup then you have at least a second copy. If it is an important document keep multiple copies. USB flash drive are cheap and there are good options for encryption available. So the solution is to just backup the stuff you don't want to loose and if bringing someplace else where others would have access just encrypt it. I have copies of my important data in several places on USB drive, one in my desk at home, one in my pocket, one in the fire chest at home, one in my desk at work. All of the data is encrypted with a strong password.

Pi Zero is $5. Pi 3 at Micro Center is $30. Arduinos run from $4 to $40 and often need shields to do what a Pi 3 will do. They are in similar price ranges.

This thing is five times the price of a Pi 3. I can get a full-size motherboard, CPU, and RAM for $160. Hell, I can get an HP 2 GB Chromebox with a Celeron for $99. http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

In the US, Microcenter. I've picked up 4 so far. They usually have a limit of one per customer. http://www.microcenter.com/pro... Actually, at the time I posted this, it was listed as $0.99. No, really.

It's only credit-card sized in two dimensions. It's more like a full deck of playing cards in the world most of us inhabit away from the screen.

It's also terrible that they are celebrating their $30 to $35 SBC by selling something triple the price. A starter kit like that often goes for more like $70 near me including the Pi 3. http://www.microcenter.com/sea...

At The Pi Hut (UK), Pimoroni (UK), Adafruit (US) and in physical Micro Center stores (US). It says that right in the blog post.

Just go to Micro Center and get them at the checkout. They just keep them in bins there and the clerk hands them over to prevent theft. I don't waste my time with best buy as they are over priced, the clerks are dumb as rocks, and if you have to return something it is a pain in the ass even if it is defective. As far as reliability is concerned the micro center branded cards have been pretty reliable as have the USB drives as I still haven't had one fail that wasn't abused*.

* By abused I don't mean regular normal use but things like being plugged in to a machine that is at knee level and then accidentally bashing your knee into it breaking the connector, sending one through the washer and dryer several times, getting run over by a car.

Well I don't know about this card, but their smaller capacity ones have worked well for me (largest one I have currently is 64GB) and at $33 for a 128 GB card it would be worth a try.

You can't buy the Trion 150 anywhere yet. But meanwhile the street price of the previous generation has hit $70: http://www.microcenter.com/pro... And if you want more capacity, how about the 960GB version for $220: http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

I'm sure that this is partly because they're clearing out the old ones to make way for the new. But it's still a deal if you need a drive right now and don't need the performance irmprovement of the next generation.

You can't buy the Trion 150 anywhere yet. But meanwhile the street price of the previous generation has hit $70: http://www.microcenter.com/pro... And if you want more capacity, how about the 960GB version for $220: http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

I'm sure that this is partly because they're clearing out the old ones to make way for the new. But it's still a deal if you need a drive right now and don't need the performance irmprovement of the next generation.

I don't have an HP Stream 7, but I do have a WinBook TW801 which is almost identical in specs but slightly larger and it has microHDMI out.

When I can get a Windows 10" tablet and matching keyboard for less than $250 I don't see the need to get an Android or Chrome tablet at all anymore. Since I upgraded to Windows 10 it's actually a very capable device. And with a full size USB 3 port I can connect a port replicator and use it as a desktop replacement as well.

When I can get a Windows 10" tablet and matching keyboard for less than $250 I don't see the need to get an Android or Chrome tablet at all anymore. Since I upgraded to Windows 10 it's actually a very capable device. And with a full size USB 3 port I can connect a port replicator and use it as a desktop replacement as well.

This is better

It is in just about every way. Amazon, that is not "in store pickup only" like MicroCenter, is $80. Problem is, when that sale ends the regular price is significantly more. The option I listed is a sale price as well but it's ~$10 more regular price vs $120 more.

This is better

Why would anyone buy this tablet from Amazon?
I can already get all these features on a $59 tablet from Microcenter

Touchscreen
MS Office 365
Micro hdmi port
Micro sd card slot
Micro usb port
FULL SIZE USB 2.0 port
Bluetooth
WiFi
Front and rear facing cameras
Integrated Microphone
Integrated Speakers
Audio Output port
1280 X 800 IPS dispay

I purchased 3 of them several months ago and they have been in constant use. I have had no problems.

There is a wealth of free Windows software that runs on them, and
it is so easy to write your own custom software for this device with C++, C#. Python, Visual Basic etc.

I love it!.

WinBook TW700

Why would anyone buy this tablet from Amazon?
I can already get all these features on a $59 tablet from Microcenter

Touchscreen
MS Office 365
Micro hdmi port
Micro sd card slot
Micro usb port
FULL SIZE USB 2.0 port
Bluetooth
WiFi
Front and rear facing cameras
Integrated Microphone
Integrated Speakers
Audio Output port
1280 X 800 IPS dispay

I purchased 3 of them several months ago and they have been in constant use. I have had no problems.

There is a wealth of free Windows software that runs on them, and
it is so easy to write your own custom software for this device with C++, C#. Python, Visual Basic etc.

I love it!.

WinBook TW700

I purchased the WinBook TW100 (10" tablet) in December and it works well for an under $200 tablet. I added the $49 WinBook keyboard which brought the total to just over $200.00. It won't win any marathons but with 2GB RAM and 32GB SSD (~25GB are left after Windows) it gets the job done. The key items that sold me on it were the full size USB 3 port that can be used while the micro-USB port is being used as a charging port (I don't know why more OEM's don't understand I still need to use the USB while I'm charging sometimes) and a micro-SD slot to put all your files on instead of the tiny SSD. It came with Windows 8.1 but upgraded painlessly to Windows 10. It actually runs very smoothly on Windows 10. I have had a BlackBerry PlayBook (Extremely nice WebOS like experience and the best browser of any tablet of that era), numerous Android tablets (Still have an original Nook Color running Cyanogenmod 10), and a couple of iPads and this is hands down my favorite tablet to date. Since it is running Windows (Yes you can install Linux on it if you want to!) I can install all my existing software. And for less than $200 you also get a free year of Office 365 use.

I purchased the WinBook TW100 (10" tablet) in December and it works well for an under $200 tablet. I added the $49 WinBook keyboard which brought the total to just over $200.00. It won't win any marathons but with 2GB RAM and 32GB SSD (~25GB are left after Windows) it gets the job done. The key items that sold me on it were the full size USB 3 port that can be used while the micro-USB port is being used as a charging port (I don't know why more OEM's don't understand I still need to use the USB while I'm charging sometimes) and a micro-SD slot to put all your files on instead of the tiny SSD. It came with Windows 8.1 but upgraded painlessly to Windows 10. It actually runs very smoothly on Windows 10. I have had a BlackBerry PlayBook (Extremely nice WebOS like experience and the best browser of any tablet of that era), numerous Android tablets (Still have an original Nook Color running Cyanogenmod 10), and a couple of iPads and this is hands down my favorite tablet to date. Since it is running Windows (Yes you can install Linux on it if you want to!) I can install all my existing software. And for less than $200 you also get a free year of Office 365 use.

why not save the money and instead just get some cheap SD cards and fille them with a dump of wikipedia that you encrypted and put in an encrypted container (truecrypt like) and then enabled full disk encryption. For $6 you can get a 16GB micro SD card (includes adapter), or if you wanted to cheap out you could spend $4 for a 4GB one. Just donate those to the TSA and let them sort it out.

why not save the money and instead just get some cheap SD cards and fille them with a dump of wikipedia that you encrypted and put in an encrypted container (truecrypt like) and then enabled full disk encryption. For $6 you can get a 16GB micro SD card (includes adapter), or if you wanted to cheap out you could spend $4 for a 4GB one. Just donate those to the TSA and let them sort it out.

Here

Because tossing an encrypted 32GB USB flash drive in your desk that is a copy of another 32GB encrypted flash drive that is in a fire chest or safe at home that has backups of your important data is too low tech, too robust, and too inexpensive of a solution. This is my solution and the total cost to implement it was about $40 a couple of years ago. It is highly unlikely that both my house and work will burn down at the same time, and since the drives are encrypted someone stealing it out of my desk means I am out the cost to replace the drive but they don't get my data, same with the one in the safe, even if stolen they get a $11 USB stick now. I also included windows, OS X, and Linux versions of the encryption software as well.

1) If you are stuck with windows, consider getting one of these:
http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

2) If you are willing to use an android based solution, perhaps a raspberry pi 2 would be plenty for you and only costs $35 plus whatever shit you have around in your house

If you're lucky enough to have one of these around, check out Microcenter. The nearest one to me is 5 hours away, but I still dropped in and shocked the hell out of the sales staff at checkout.

Still not true.
eVGA OC'ed 760 (500W): https://www.evga.com/Products/...
MSI OC'ed 760 (500W): http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

Overclocked models aren't OC'ed *that* much. For the OC versions, you're talking about bumping TDP from 175W to 200W-ish. That's still a 500W PSU range. To see 600W recommended PSUs, you need a card with a TDP that tops 250W, and none of the 760's I've seen will hit that number in their factory state.

An extra $20 gets you a usable machine (sometimes it goes on sale for $200): http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

Granted it isn't as small as the Stream, but it certainly isn't bulky or heavy. 4GB of RAM is plenty for current apps and storage isn't a concern. I landed up getting two for a friend of mine to replace some really old XP boxen. Performance was good for day to day tasks and the Celeron N2830 has GPU accelerated video for playing 1080p cat videos on YouTube. The only "con" I have with it is that it only has 2 USB ports.

Though the lower-end model is only $300 for a 6-core 12-thread!

http://www.microcenter.com/pro...

I don't know why this is even a story. Technology getting cheaper over time? Competition driving lower costs? Amazing!

BTW, here's a Dell for $199, so the price point isn't even new. Although, this CPU is about half as powerful (~approximate benchmark)

It's still very much the same type of device.

Microcenter -- though even a 2GB ram refurb goes for $550.

Except good luck trying to find semi rare or exotic adapters, converters, or cables at Walmart.

You won't find many of those at Radio Shack either most likely. Have you been into a Radio Shack lately? To say their selection is lacking is putting it nicely. They don't have the square footage to stock too much. Sure they carry some stuff you won't find at Walmart but nothing that you need to buy on impulse.

If I need to go into a store for more exotic computer stuff I go to someplace like Microcenter (lucky enough to have one nearby) or I order it online. If it falls into the common electronics category odds are I can get it from Lowes or Home Depot or Staples or OfficeMax. If I need a cell phone there are about 5 million options within a 5 mile radius of me no matter where I am. Batteries? I have 3 specialty battery shops on my daily commute and of course online is an option too. Soldering iron or the like? Local hardware store. Wire? Home Depot carries plenty.

The only thing Radio Shack carries that most people aren't easily going to find in a nearby retail store is a small supply of fairly common electronics kit stuff like resistors and d-sub style connectors. All of which is available online for MUCH better prices.

Agreed. The one I tried can't even handle yatse.

Microcenter has been offering the A700 for $40 since November: http://www.microcenter.com/product/423567/A700_Tablet_-_Grey

Granted, it is in store only, so you need to live near a Microcenter to buy one.

Or better yet get a real serial card that will work properly. USB to Serial adapters work fine for mice or Garmin handheld GPS units (data transfer only) but suck for other things.

My setup is an SSH server running off an old iMac G4 connected to some external hard drives. Aside from having to manually turn it back on after a power outage, I haven't had to do a damn thing to "maintain" it in years. The cost of the machine is a non-issue--just retire any obsolete computer (can even be a laptop--I know, I've done it). The most expensive part is the HDs, but a 1TB external HD is much cheaper than a year of 500GB storage on Dropbox.

But... If you are lucky enough to have a MicroCenter near you then that is a fine option for same-day shopping. But you have to watch them, too. They make the same cheap-big-stuff-pricey-little-stuff play that Bust Buy does. Except they are a bit more cunning. And the little stuff is priced just low enough so you get it anyway. I got an awesome deal on an Ivy Bridge Mobo and proc when Ivy Bridge landed about a year ago. . The staff was more knowledgeable as well. And, no, I have nothing to do with them. But I saw a shout on /. a few years ago and I was pleased to have one near me in Rockville. But the stores are only in a few cities. Worth a drive, though. Geek Valhalla IMHO.

You can't buy a faster system for $300. Intel's cheapest quad core is $179.

$149 http://microcenter.com/product/400664/Core_i5_3470_32GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor
And that's a quad core that's faster than AMD's 8 core FX 8320.

Toss in $100 for the motherboard

Why would you spend $100 on motherboard? You can get perfectly good H77 or B75 boards for $60-80.

$150 for the GPU

Uhh, your assertion was for CPU, motherboard, and RAM, why does the intel system suddenly get a GPU added to it?