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Budget pfSense build with workstation parts

Dave Farquhar Hardware, security July 9, 2018July 3, 2018 2 Comments

I’ve written about pfSense before. It’s a router project based on FreeBSD, a free Unix project that never gained the popularity of Linux but is perfectly capable in its own right. But it doesn’t run on router hardware. It’s designed to run on a PC. But a lot of pfSense builds get expensive. So let’s look at a budget pfSense build. Let’s see what we can do for around $100-$150.

I see a lot of pfSense builds with price tags of $300. If you’re OK with using used equipment, you can build a nice machine for half that. And you don’t have to give up quality either. In fact, I’ll argue that building one my way gains you quality. Let’s get to it.

What is Comptia A+ certification?

Dave Farquhar Hardware July 5, 2018June 29, 2018 0 Comment

What is Comptia A+ certification? If you’re looking to get into IT and aren’t having any luck, this is the certification most likely to get you in the door. If you’re looking to get work on the technical side and you feel stuck, this certification is a good one to get.

In my first job interview, my interviewer handed me a PC and a memory module and asked me to install it. It took me about a minute and a half. I would expect anyone with an A+ certification to be able to do the same thing.

Should I buy a Chromebook? Yes!

Dave Farquhar Hardware, security June 29, 2018June 22, 2018 0 Comment

Should I buy a Chromebook? Absolutely. It’s true that Chromebooks are great for some things and mediocre for others. But Chromebooks are dirt cheap, and great enough at some things that it’s worth buying one if only for security purposes. Online banking is the best example, but not the only one. To me, the question isn’t whether to buy one. It’s whether to buy two.

Where to sell computer parts

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 15, 2018July 3, 2018 0 Comment

Where to sell computer parts can be a difficult question. I remember a time when cities like St. Louis had tons of used computer stores more than happy to sell your parts on consignment. Those days are over. But there is still a market for used computer parts, and the Internet provides a couple of venues to pick up the slack.

Whether you just want to raise money for your next purchase or try your hand as a professional reseller, you have some options.

How much is my computer worth? How to find out

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 14, 2018July 3, 2018 0 Comment

How much is my computer worth? That’s a really common question after you buy a new computer. Or when you find your old computer in the basement. Here’s how to find out what your computer is worth.

How long do modems last?

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 8, 2018June 8, 2018 0 Comment

If you feel like you replace your modem more often than you replace your computer, you’re probably not imagining things. And if your relative’s or neighbor’s modem lasts longer than yours, you may not be imagining things either. So how long do modems last? And what can you do about it?

If your ISP provides your modem, it’s not your problem when it fails. Except for the wait to replace it, I suppose. But you won’t be out any money. But if you have to provide the modem, the cost and life expectancy does matter.

Best time to buy computer parts

Dave Farquhar Hardware, Saving money June 6, 2018May 24, 2018 0 Comment

Figuring out the best time to buy computer parts is tricky. It’s not quite like saying the best time to buy a TV is right around the Super Bowl. But there are some tips you can follow to help you find the best deals.

Good timing won’t make building a PC cheaper than buying one, but it can at least narrow the gap, if you have the patience to buy when you find a deal rather than buying all your parts in one shot.

What is a Zip drive?

Dave Farquhar Hardware June 5, 2018July 3, 2018 0 Comment

What is a Zip drive? It’s a relic of late 1990s computing, rendered obsolete by USB flash drives, and anyone who remembers them will say good riddance. Not that I have strong opinions about it. But even though I don’t remember Zip drives fondly, they served a real, legitimate purpose in the 1990s. Like them or not, we needed them.

I’m not alone in this. In 2006, PC World ranked the Zip drive as the 15th worst technology product of all time. The next year, it ranked it the 23rd best technology product of all time. How can it be so good and so bad at the same time? We needed it really badly, but it didn’t work well.

How to hook up a monitor to a laptop

Dave Farquhar Hardware May 17, 2018May 14, 2018 1 Comment

It didn’t used to be hard to connect a monitor to a laptop, but the large number of different connectors and seeming lack of standards makes it harder today. Let’s cut through the confusion and figure out how to hook up a monitor to a laptop.

Why is it so hard? Because adapters and cables have higher profit margins than laptops. But don’t worry. We’ll sort out how to make the connection, then how to extend or mirror the built-in display.

Silicon Power S55 SSD is a hard bargain

Dave Farquhar Hardware May 16, 2018May 16, 2018 0 Comment

The Silicon Power S55 SSD frequently goes on sale and is usually the cheapest SSD you’ll find. But is it a bargain? I dug into it to find out.

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