You’re still being vague, so I’m going to assume you want to watch TV on a computer monitor. Why am I assuming this? Because trying to bridge pure analog signals (like S-Video, component, composite, or SCART) with a hybrid VGA signal is a massive headache. You'd need an active converter, which isn't cheap, and most of those aren't even designed for monitor use—they're built to send a PC signal to a TV, not the other way around. By the way, when I asked about connectors, it doesn't matter what ports your monitor has; it's about what video outputs your graphics card actually provides. But whatever...
If you're just pulling a signal from a digital antenna receiver and sending it elsewhere, you're only getting one stream: whatever channel is currently selected. That would mean your monitor is basically just acting as a second screen mirroring your TV. Change the channel on the box, and it changes on the monitor too. They'll always show the exact same thing. I don't think that's what you're after; I'm guessing you want to watch two different shows on two different screens at once.
First question: are you picking up an over-the-air signal via an antenna, or are you getting your service through a provider via phone lines, Ethernet, or cable? If you're using a major US provider like Comcast or Spectrum, you're probably out of luck. Their set-top boxes are locked down specifically to prevent you from watching their content on multiple devices.
Now, if you really are just pulling an over-the-air signal from an antenna, then yeah, it's totally doable. You just need a tuner designed for a PC. These come as internal PCIe cards you slot into your desktop or as a USB flash drive that plugs right into a port. You feed the signal into them via a coaxial cable.
One end plugs into your PC (if it's a USB flash drive style, obviously into a USB port), and the other end connects to the antenna cable providing the signal. Once you install the software, you can sit back and watch TV on your monitor. Better yet, you can record shows on a timer, play back recordings, or grab still screenshots. You control everything with your keyboard or mouse, and some even come with a remote so you can kick back on the couch.
Aside from letting you watch TV independently of your main receiver, these solutions are way cheaper than buying converters. For example, you won't need anything more expensive than this:
The only trick is making sure you "tap into" the antenna signal before it even hits your receiver. You need the raw over-the-air signal. This is easy; you can grab a coax splitter with one input and two outputs at any hardware store or Best Buy for a few bucks. If you try to split the signal *after* it leaves the receiver, you'll only ever see the one channel that's currently playing on the box, so your USB tuner will be stuck on that single channel.
If I guessed right, great. If not, let me know... 😬
You're unbelievable. On one hand, you're out here handing out advice like you're some kind of guru with years of experience under your belt, but on the other, this isn't even the first time you've tripped over your own feet like this... I don't even know what to call it 🤷
And if this whole post is just a joke because you were chatting with someone at 5 AM, you should've just stayed in the chat room...
Look, let's be clear: I'm not saying you should already be an expert on Small Form Factor builds. But it's wild to me that your first instinct wasn't to just Google "SFF" or "SFF graphics card." If you had, you would've seen that Small Form Factor basically means low profile when we're talking GPUs. It would have opened up a whole new world of models specifically designed for the SFF standard—so much so that Nvidia actually uses a specific "S" suffix on certain model numbers just for these cards...
With SFF cards, you aren't going to find any top-tier powerhouse models. Between the limited PCB space and the fact that you can't cram a dual-slot cooling setup into a tiny SFF case, you're pretty much stuck with mid-range options.
Also, SFF or low profile cards often ship with a standard backplate meant for a regular ATX case, but they include a low profile bracket in the box that you're supposed to swap out.
But here's the kicker: since SFF solutions are usually branded by big manufacturers, they go out of their way to make upgrades a total nightmare—whether it's software or hardware. They want you buying everything directly from them. They do this through weird chassis designs, intentionally adding useless metal tabs or plastic obstructions so aftermarket parts won't physically fit. Then there's the software side, using locks to prevent hardware or OS changes, BIOS locks, and even precisely calculated power supplies that'll choke the second you try to add a faster CPU or a better GPU.
So, even if you actually find an SFF card that fits the dimensions of your case, there's still no guarantee it'll actually work.
Do what exactly? Slow down a second and tell me what you’re actually trying to achieve and what gear you're working with. Are you trying to watch TV on your monitor, or are you trying to mirror your PC screen onto the TV? Is this for movies or gaming? Are we talking desktop or a laptop? Also, let me know what video inputs and outputs you have available on both the computer and the TV.
It might be the power supply. Honestly, an old 260W unit is a miracle if it’s even running at all. Components lose their efficiency over time, so it’s likely putting out way less than what it’s rated for. Back in the day, the E7400 was a decent little "lite" processor that could handle some decent overclocking; its TDP was around 65 W for that era.
It's very possible that pathetic power supply is struggling, giving you enough juice one minute and starving the next. Bottom line: it's working too hard and could kick the bucket any second. Just pray it doesn't take anything else down with it, because those ancient power supplies have terrible protection circuits. If I were you, the first thing I'd do is grab any power supply—new or used. Anything around 400 W will be a massive upgrade over what you've got now.
Those graphics cards come in different versions, so I'm not sure which ones you actually have. Generally, a Radeon shouldn't need an extra power connector on the card itself; it should pull everything it needs from the PCIe slot. On the other hand, the Nvidia card likely has a 6-pin connector that you absolutely have to plug in to get sufficient power. But look, if you haven't plugged that extra connector into the Nvidia card yet, don't even try it. You might pull too much from that weak power supply and then—boom.
If the issue is indeed the power supply—which you can check by borrowing one for an hour to test—and the Nvidia card starts working, then you might want to hunt down an extra 2 GB of RAM (used, obviously, since we're talking DDR2). That would make for a pretty decent combo without breaking the bank.
Whether upgrading this machine is even worth it is a toss-up. You need to check which processors that Asus board with the P43 chipset still supports, update the BIOS, and inspect the hardware. You might even find some blown capacitors in there...
It’s got a SATA II controller and USB 1.0, so you might run into compatibility issues with newer parts. Everything depends on the state of the motherboard, which, frankly, could die tomorrow. All you can do is say it lasted a long time... 🤷 Spending maybe 200-$100 on a used power supply and some memory is fine, but anything beyond that... 🤷
You’ll find all kinds of companies and so-called "experts" out there. In my long career, I’ve seen it all. IT guys can be incredibly frustrating because you’ve got one group that actually doesn't have a clue what they're doing, and another group that’s just trying to bleed the customer dry. Asking around on a forum—assuming you actually find someone smart enough to listen—isn't being cheap or unprofessional. It's about making sure you don't get fleeced by some guy charging you a fortune for a "turnkey" cosmic solution that's really just a bunch of rebranded Visual Basic apps running on Windows 7, like you mentioned above...
That way, at least you have a rough idea if someone is trying to rip you off or not... 🤷
Dell. It’s a newer platform, way better build quality, much nicer screen... HP also offers a 2-year warranty, and the rest is likely just insurance through an authorized service center, so check out the top thread for details...
DVDs are honestly just obsolete at this point, especially with cheap USB sticks and external hard drives everywhere.
If you've got $3,000 to drop at Best Buy, this is hands down your best bet. Honestly, just pick whichever one you like more; they're basically identical except for the hard drive. Dell gives you the standard 3-year warranty, but if you go with Toshiba, you can check their terms here:
Look, since we started out talking about just three workstations, nobody mentioned thousands of entries being logged every single day. Based on what I've seen and dealt with over countless years, I immediately pictured a small office with three desks, a machine, filing cabinets overflowing with folders, and maybe three clerks processing 200-500 orders daily for about fifteen different clients. If I'm wrong and we're actually dealing with double those amounts, it's still not enough volume or revenue to justify a serious server and a "real" database capable of handling thousands of daily queries.
I agree on the backup situation too. That’s why I suggested two mirrored drives, and an additional backup—just like we discussed in that other thread—can be automated to a USB drive.
In setups like this, you usually have one terminal serving a single client's database, but even if all three 😬 hit it at once, it's still well within the capabilities of a DBF file. Honestly, a huge chunk of accounting services still run through a Command Prompt using applications built on generations of Oracle and Visual Basic, while the rest use modified legacy apps adapted for some tiny, free SQL solution.
I know the era of DBF solutions is long gone and plenty of firms implemented proper SQL solutions ages ago, but given the state of our economy, it’s honestly amazing that any service can even think about buying new gear instead of struggling on machines where an IBM port is the only way to connect a printer. 😬
Bottom line is, I jumped the gun here and rushed into things without asking the right questions. It's a perfect example of how years of experience can actually work against you, and just proof that you never stop learning.
That's the thing. Tech companies have made a killing off "computer" speakers and headphones, even though they're basically just Hi-Fi gear. You can usually find much better quality stuff from actual audio brands, and honestly, it’s often way cheaper than the "computer" branded junk. 🤷
But the second you slap a "gaming" or "PC" label on something, it hits people right in the brain. 😬
Accounting firm, three workstations... Bare minimum hardware requirements. Just read through this thread:
We actually started out looking at a server, but eventually realized a QNAP NAS was a much better, cheaper way to go. It’s independent of any specific workstation, you don't have to babysit it, it wakes up whenever there's network traffic, and you can access it from any machine on the network. Plus, it's small and easy to tuck away, and if you throw in two drives, you've got real-time backups ready to go. There are plenty of other perks too...
There’s zero need for a beefy, overpriced server. For the kind of work you're doing, that's ancient history and a total waste of cash...
As for workstations, you can stick to basic specs. You could use tiny micro cases, or just grab some All-in-One setups—there are a million ways to go, so see what catches your eye. In my experience, space is always an issue for accounting offices, which is why I'm suggesting these minimalist, functional, and secure options. I'm assuming you've already got a router with a few ethernet ports lying around, right?
Btw, Microsoft carries those QNAP NAS units, and they have AIO solutions too...
Nah, Harman Kardon and JBL are way more expensive... I don't really need anything new until my current setup dies on me. 😬 But when that time comes, I’m planning to ditch these cheap PC speakers entirely and grab some budget active monitors, maybe something like the Mackie CR3 or CR4. You can find those for $100-$150, and the CR4 with Bluetooth goes for about $200. They aren't really stocked locally here, so I'll probably have to hunt them down somewhere in the States to avoid extra hassle.
I think it would be a massive step up from these basic PC speakers, provided I don't plug them straight into some crappy integrated motherboard audio. 😬 If I pair them with even a decent aftermarket sound card, the difference will be night and day.
I don't see why anyone would take such a massive risk by buying a gaming rig with crappy build quality—especially when you're looking at the $1k range where you're already expected to deal with more wear and tear than a basic office laptop. That’s just masochism and a fast track to bankruptcy since word spreads quickly. Plus, they usually bundle "Apple promotions" on top of the standard two-year warranty during the first year. The main gripe people have with the new Google models is that they aren't nearly as rugged as the previous generations. It seems ASUS is feeling the economic squeeze too; instead of cheapening the internal components, they just went with lower-quality chassis materials.
If that's a dealbreaker for you, there's a series from ASUS that's almost identical in specs:
And for the price difference, you could swap out the DVD drive for an SSD instead...
Besides ASUS, you've also got Dell in that same bracket:
It's got the new Skylake processor with an SSHD and a dedicated M.2 slot, so you can pop in an SSD without even touching the DVD drive. It also supports up to 32GB of RAM (2x 16GB).
They definitely exist, it's just that Europe isn't much of a market for them. And yeah, I'm with you on the underpowered satellites. That’s why I mentioned how much I actually dig the power distribution on that 1800 Karaoke (PA) setup—it’s got those 2x 15 W satellites and a 15 W sub. But I guess that's probably just because they prioritized the microphone input...
It all depends on how the amp and cabinet are built, the driver quality, and a bunch of other variables. But honestly, you have to consider what you actually need them for (personal use) and the price tag 😬 because we aren't talking about audiophile-grade gear here.
I’ve still got an old set of 2.1 speakers on one of my PCs—just some cheap setup with a 12W wooden sub and two 7W satellites. I picked them up for pennies back in the day at a local discount shop. I can tell you, they almost fill a whole room with sound, and it isn't even bad. But if you push those bass levels too hard (it’s only a modest 4" sub at 12W), the neighbors start noticing. You can feel the vibrations traveling through the floor. It won't knock down walls, but it'll definitely rattle the windows. As for component quality, you don't even really notice distortion until you crank them past 90%.
Honestly, one of the best buys I've ever made (!) for next to nothing. Even today, these newer, much more expensive models can't seem to touch them. It's a shame that brand doesn't exist anymore; the best proof of their quality was back in 2001 when Logitech bought them out just to crush the competition.
Look, most of those budget speakers that aren't just pathetic 2W junk are actually decent. It seems like they found a way to churn out model after model using basically the same internal platform, all while keeping the price point dirt cheap (and recycling parts, just like everyone else does). They slap some wood veneer on one, plastic on another, call one of them "gaming" gear... but at the end of the day, they all sound surprisingly good.
Specifically, the one you're asking about looks pretty solid to me. For this tier, having a 6.5" bass driver is great—it’ll move enough air to actually fill the room. Plus, pairing that with 15W per channel for the mids and highs sounds like a winning combo. My guess? You won't be able to crank them past halfway, but that's not because of distortion—it's because you'll have the neighbors knocking on your door.😬
Our local retailers are part of the problem too, constantly messing up product names and photos. But a huge chunk of this mess comes from Genus, whose cryptic model numbering and regional series variations just create total chaos.
On the official manufacturer pages, it's listed with a "PA" suffix (meaning public address), but that's how it showed up on the Best Buy link. Now, I can't tell if it's just sold out or if their new website is just complete garbage—it won't even load for me.
Edit:
Okay, the page finally loaded, though who knows how long it'll stay up:
Price is the big hurdle here, so you might as well grab this Asus k with a 2-year warranty and try to stack it with some Asus promotions. Between the decent graphics and the 1600 x 900 resolution, it should handle games pretty well, provided they aren't CPU hogs. The screen is standard for the K series—at least it isn't the X series 😬—but the real headache is that if you want to upgrade the RAM, you have to take the whole laptop apart at a repair shop...
This is probably the only mid-range laptop out there with a solid GPU. I don't think you'll find anything better for the money, at least not from what I've seen...
I'm looking at this compared to some older Logitech models. I haven't seen a setup with the amp built right into the sub and those side connectors anywhere else. Where did you even pick this up?
This 2.1 kit has master, bass, echo, two mic inputs, and dual mic volume controls... but zero headphone jacks. 😬
And honestly, that photo over at Best Buy might just be wrong. 😬 Wouldn't be the first time...