HEADPHONES!!! Something to live by...

HEADPHONES we all love music, but how TRUE do we really hear our music. Now as a commuting student of 4 years I lived by my headphones, I traveled/slept/worked with the many headphones I've owned.   I've owned everything from $8 - $500 headphones, there can be a huge difference between the good and bad which is typically reflected in the price tag. You can always find headphones for a better bang for your buck.

Everyone wants and envy's those MONSTER BEATS whether it be Studio/Solo/Pro/etc. To be realistic they aren't the best bang for your buck. Your paying a huge price tag for a fad, just so people will notice your conformity in this world. 

Okay back to the point we all have different pref. when it comes to over the head headphones or ear bud's... 

now for long term use and comfort Over the head is the most comfortable. Ear bud's tend to hurt over long periods of listening time. 

On a Budget:

Top 5 Headphone Suggestions

Yes all these are over $100 but they will last you and they are amazing quality for how you may use them. Headphones are always a good investment when you live by them.

Sol Republic Tracks HD - 129.99

Audio-Technica M50's - 179.99

Koss Porta - Pro KTC - 49.99 - 79.99

AKG K 240 MKII - 154.99

Grado SR80i - 139.99

Top 5 Earbuds

KLIPISCH S4i/S4 - 99.00 - 129.99  ** realistically this is the top choice don't look at anything else really... everything else is a waste of money.

If you want the monster quality sound and that are just as good as the Monster Studio's check out the Sol Republics they are built nicer with inter-changeable headbands and cables. For less then half the price. 

Tips to point out a bad sales person

Okay well lets just put it like this its hard to find an honest and trust worthy sales person anymore.
Most places these days don't pay good money to keep good sales people around.

Tips to point out a bad sales person
- if he instantly leads off with oh don't worry its good, I know what you need
- if he doesn't ask more 3 questions he prob. has no clue what you need or what you want
- if he just tries to sell you what ever is not on sale
- if he only gives you one option and keeps on saying "TRUST ME"
- if he doesn't seem to be interested or care about what you need

DO YOUR RESEARCH BEFORE YOU BUY ANYTHING..
DON'T JUST WALK INTO A STORE AND BUY BLINDLY..

Feel free to comment and ask questions on any of my posts...

Stupidity that is Students..

ARCHITECTURE STUDENTS .... god you people buy computers blind....
Disclaimer.... I am not responsible for the laptops/desktops you buy...
this is just a friendly suggestion from a past Architecture student that has worked 4 years in Computer sales and repaired more computers in the 4 years of arch school then I had done projects....

Okay we'll do this in steps....

STEP ONE...
Whats your budget?  MORE money means better laptop
Less money well don't worry there is def. a lot out there for you to choose from just have to shop around, sometimes last years model is better then this years model...

STEP TWO
Desktop or Laptop?

Laptop Good for those commuting students that are always on the move and never want to stay in studio.
  - Generally good for all students because you always want to have a computer with you everywhere you go
  - Laptops will never perform the same as desktop, they tend to over heat and slow down over time...

Desktops GREAT WORK TOOLS FOR THOSE WHO LIVE IN STUDIO
  - OKAY OKAY I know its an investment but DESKTOPS SAVED ME in my final year
  - If you invest in a desktop it will last you 4+ years and they can be UPGRADED!!!  LAPTOPS CANNOT BE UPGRADED...
  - Desktops are great work horses as long as you buy the right one. Or build the right one.

SINCE MOST OF YOU ARE GOING TO BUY A LAPTOP I'LL FOCUS ON LAPTOPS FIRST AND DESKTOPS I'LL POST IN ANOTHER BLOG..

STEP THREE
So you want a laptop... now I bet your all going oh I'm a designer and I want to look like a fancy pants in class with a nice new Macbook Pro .... let me say this yes mac's are nice they look nice but your a dumb ass if you think that's the best performing and best laptop out there for you..

Yes you do see all these fancy pants architects and stuff doing work on macbooks but you know what its not the most efficient machine when you run Autocad/rhino/3dsmax

Okay so back on topic you want a laptop...
Buy a laptop with a Good Processor and a lot of RAM...
Yes its nice to have a laptop with a nice graphics card but its not necessary UNLESS you are doing 3D Walk Through Renderings... no software that you use right now in class will ever your intensive Graphical memory calculations.

I'll Make this easy for people!!!
BUY an ASUS its just easy... I'm not sponsored or paid buy ASUS but they just make things easy local warranty free 2 way shipping and they can fix your laptop in a week pretty much... ** Edit just because you buy an ASUS doesn't mean they all work flawlessly yes you may buy a lemon and it may not work.. and you may have some bad experiences with it. Nothings perfect in this world. ** but no other brand will give you what asus offers you at the same price with the same warranty.

DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT  BUY a HP/LG/(cheap)Samsung/(cheap)Toshiba/netbook/ultra book
Hoping it will do all the architecture work you want..

Okay this is getting longer then I wanted but I'll link a few models that one can consider for future purchase for architecture school...

http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_369&item_id=048622
http://www.canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=710_577_369&item_id=048614

Remember shop around there are always good deal and new things come out all the time I'll post another blog about specific parts and specifications that will be important in a laptop... Remember kids Sales people aren't always there to help you but to SELL you something they make the most money on...

THESE are just my opinions that have developed from over 4 years of Sales experience and personal use... experiences may vary but over the 4 years I've worked for a computer retailer EVERY BRAND YOU BUY WILL HAVE LEMONS...

this blog is dedicated to my Friend Ulysses

GOOD AND BAD BRANDS... (LAPTOPS)

There is a world of difference between good and bad Brands for Laptops ...

***DISCLAIMER this is a personal opinion ... I HAVE AN EXTREME BIAS based on what I have experienced first hand fixing laptops and computers..... ***

GOOD BRANDS 

ASUS .....AMAZING WARRANTY can't be BEAT...

LENOVO (THINKPADS)

FUJISTU .... THEY JUST DON'T DIE.... 

TOSHIBA ... SELECTIVELY

LIMBO ..... HIT OR MISS ... 

Dell 

Alienware

MSI

BAD BRANDS

ACER

Gateway

E-machines

HP (AVOID AT ALL COSTS) It doesn't matter if its cheap if you have to replace it in a year.... 

LG

SAMSUNG.... SELECTIVE MODELS some can actually be good... 

What I define as a good brand is ....

-Doesn't over heat

-Good Warranty 

-Feels Solid

-People buy it not just for the price

Bad Brand

-First thing the salesman points out is the PRICE

-Overheats (cough cough HP.... BRICK)

-Makes funny noises after a week of use

-Cheap Crappy warranty 

-Base there sales on the design of the laptop rather then the specifications

When buying a laptop please just be aware of what your buying and shop around feel the laptop, if you can try it.. some laptops come with a lot of bloat which slows it down. Don't judge a laptop based on your friends recommendation actually read reviews ... Remember your spending $$$600 + buy something that will last invest in the next 4-6 years of use....  

Computer Lingo 101

Okay people lets get this Sh*t straight... Too many people approach me and say some pretty dumb stuff..
COMPUTER TERMS 101

1) GB = GIGABYTE = 1024 MEGABYTES = 1 000 000 000 BYTES
Its Pronounced Giga - Byte .... NOT JIGGA BYTE OR G. B.'s

2) TB = 1000GB's which mean YES ITS MORE STORAGE AND MORE MONEY ...
and its NOT TETRA BYTE its TERABYTE ...

3) USB = Universal Serial Bus
Yes there is a difference between USB 2.0 and USB 3.0
YES USB 3.0 is backwards compatible with USB 2.0
YES USB 3 IS FASTER WHY ELSE WOULD THEY MAKE IT ... AND YES ITS ONLY FASTER WITH USB 3 PORTS WOW!!!

4)VGA = Video Graphics Array
Its the blue thing that plugs into the back of your monitor for old school stuff. IT can be a different colour too and yes its that weird shaped thing that has 15 pins in 3 rows...

5) DVI = Digital Visual Interface
Typically white or black that plugs into the back of most modern Monitors. THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF THIS PLUG IF YOU NEED A CABLE AND YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOUR LOOKING FOR TAKE A PICTURE AND SHOW YOUR KNOWLEDGEABLE SALESMAN.

6) SATA = Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
Little black bar that connects your hard drive or Dvd drive to your mother board ... Easy thing just take a picture of the inside of your computer and show it to your sales man to make sure you get the right thing ...

7) IDE = Integrated Drive Electronics = PATA = Parallel ATA
Ribbon old school drives used to use...

Okay so 7 common terms you should know when going into a Computer store ... if you want visuals just google them... Its always going to be easier to just take a picture of the inside of your computer or bring in your computer for the salesman to help you.

How to buy a COMPUTER FOR ARCHITECTURE....

Okay everyone has this miss conception that when you buy a computer for Architecture School you need POWERFUL GRAPHICS..
This blog is brought upon by a customer that came into the store the other day preparing for architecture school.
So onto the point.... PICKING A COMPUTER FOR ARCHITECTURE SCHOOL

Part One...
Custom Computer or Store bought computer (Bestbuy/Futureshop/Random Local Computer Store)
Well custom computers are always great if you can find the right person to build them, if you have the wrong person building your computer it can be a disaster in the long run. Now don't panic CUSTOM COMPUTERS are better then store bought if you get the right parts.

Store Bought computers are okay if you don't know anyone that can build a computer or in a rush to get to work right away. I usually don't suggest buying a pre-built system because usually the components are standard and you can't really modify or upgrade too much.

THE GREY AREA...
Dell and other custom build companies.
These are great for the mass market that don't know computers, but for those of us that have to spend countless hours working on a computer we want them to be dependable. These computers from dell are hard to upgrade and when they die they are a pain for anyone to fix.

PART 2....
COMPONENTS
1) CPU...
Your CPU needs to be a multi-core processor whether it be intel or amd...
Preferably intel with there turbo boost tech and all the bells and whistles do help when rendering and multi-tasking

2) RAM ...
Well for most common customers I usually say 4Gb is enough for anyone... BUT!!! when your in Design/Engineering you prob. need more RAM especially for us arch students we need to work on so many different platforms. MORE RAM THE BETTER...

3) MOTHERBOARD...
If you don't know computers ask a friend, everyone has a friend that knows computers. ON the chance you don't know what to get ask the sales person at the store typically these days a good motherboard will cost you about $119 or more. What you need on the board is PCI-Express/USB 3.0/SATA 3.0(6 GBs) these are just basic other fancy features like RAID/Duel LAN/etc.

4) HARD DRIVE...
You need a hard drive that need fast access times and dependable. This can be a tough decision Solid State Drives are expensive and Reduce access time which are good for pulling up information and using software but require additional drives to store files.
Typical Hard Drives are still probably the best choice as of now purchasing a high speed SATA 3.0 drive allows for high capacity and speed while still more dependable then SSD's
Capacity is always up to the users

5) Graphics Card.....
Well this isn't extremely important but still required most of us have to invest into a good graphics card. If you plan on doing 3D rendering with walk through's this is fairly important that you get a good graphics card to help with the rendering load.
Quadro and Fire GL Cards are not necessary for student and single users these are more geared for people working in offices with a heavy rendering load.

6) Case and Power supply
Well this is just anything that you'd like really in terms of a case just make sure everything can fit into it and there is enough ventilation for the parts to circulate air
In terms of a power supply make sure there is enough power for the graphics and potential to add more into your system. I typically suggest 750-850watts or more just in case people add another graphics card and hard drives.

7) WINDOWS
What really needs to be said about this.. you need this to use your computer in order to install all the necessary software to be used.

These are just my suggestions when buying a computer its just over the years people come to me with they're problems that i have to fix because they made the wrong decisions.. I understand that I may not know everything but there's a fair bit of thought and understand that has been put into this. I've built more computers then I can remember and for the most part if I wasn't holding back on the cost they've all been pretty good... If you need a system and live in the Toronto Area Please Contact me via this blog  : P

Things Sales People Hate.. :P

Okay this is from 4 years of sales experience in a Computer Store that will remain unmentioned ....

1) PEOPLE THAT SMELL (THIS IS DIRECTED TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T USE DEODORANT AKA F.O.B.'s)

2) PEOPLE WITH SMELLY BREATH

3) CUSTOMERS WHO DON'T WHAT THEY WANT

4) CUSTOMERS WHO DON'T REALIZE HOW BUSY THE STORE IS

5) CUSTOMERS WHO DON'T SPEAK ENGLISH AND ARE NOT PREPARED WITH THE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT THEY WANT

6) PEOPLE WHO DON'T LISTEN

7) PEOPLE WHO ACT LIKE THEY KNOW EVERYTHING

8) CUSTOMERS WHO COME IN 2MINS BEFORE THE STORE CLOSES AND EXPECTS FULL SERVICE..

9) CUSTOMERS WHO COME INTO THE STORE JUST TO TALK, AND WASTE TIME

10) PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW ANYTHING AND EXPECT A FULL LESSON IN ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTERS... ** PLEASE PEOPLE DO A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH BEFORE YOUR COME IN

11) PEOPLE WHO THINK THEIR FRIEND THAT DOES COMPUTERS FOR A HOBBY KNOWS MORE THEN A PERSON THAT DOES IT AS A JOB (THIS ONLY APPLIES TO REAL COMPUTER STORES... BEST BUY DOESN'T COUNT)

12) JUST BECAUSE YOU WORK I.T. DOESN'T MEAN YOU KNOW EVERYTHING...