RkBlog

PC Hardware

Testing portable USB-C/HDMI EHOMEWEI X1 Pro dual-display monitor

Testing a productivity dual-display EHOMEWEI X1 Pro monitor from Aliexpress

Taking a look at the un-released Snapdragon X Elite Windows Dev kit

Testing the best bin of Snapdragon X Elite in a mini PC form factor

Testing a network lab mini PC with Intel i3-N305 and eight 2.5G Ethernet ports

A review of Intel i3-N305 miniPC with various network and storage interfaces.

PC on ARM - Linux and Windows on ARM

Benchmarks, reviews and solutions for ARM based PC desktops and laptops.

Before you buy Snapdragon X Elite device - check the chip model number

There are four variants of Snapdragon X Elite with one severely weaker from the oter

A quick test of OCuP4V2 and EXP GDC OCuLink adapter boards

Testing compatibility and performance of new OCuLink adapter boards available on Aliexpress.

OCuLink and Thunderbolt 3/USB4 eGPU on Linux with GPD Win Max 2

Testing performance and support for eGPU solution under Linux

Benchmarking various Linux distributions on GPD Win Max 2

Ryzen 7840U versus Linux. How does it perform and what's the difference versus Windows.

Programming and electronics

Testing Raspberry Pi cameras with Sony and OmniVision CMOS sensors

Compatibility and image quality testing of various Sony IMX and OmniVision based cameras for Raspberry Pi

Network monitoring applications - taking a look at Glasswire, Sniffnet, Postmaster, and alternatives

GUI network monitoring applications can be handy for checking which applications use the network and how.

Testing Upscayl - local AI image upscaling application

Upscayl is a cross-platform desktop application for AI-powered image upscaling using a few selected models.

Sending cross-email-client-compatible emails with MJML and Python

Sending a good-looking email is not easy due to limited and varying HTML support by email clients. MJML can however help with this problem.

Testing AMD Amuse - local image generation with Stable Diffusion AI models

Generating images from prompt, changing image styles with various Stable Diffusion models

Sending SMS through GoIP GSM gateway using HTTP API

GoIP is a GSM gateway with multiple ways to automate its operations and handle SMS or VoIP features.

PC scripting and monitoring with microcontrollers and custom components

Custom displays, LED, sensors and more. Custom V-slot PC cases, power monitoring done with microcontrollers and custom components.

CloudCannon as a git based headless CMS for static site generators

Showcasing CloudCannon with 11ty as a headless CMS service

Astrophotography

Jupiter 17.09.2023

M27 Dumbbell Nebula

Messier M33 and M15

Jupiter 08.09.2023

Connecting Canon EOS R cameras to T2 and M48 lenses and telescopes

Adapters for Canon R mount for old lenses and astrophotography.

Light pollution effect on deep space astrophotography

How a bit of light pollution can make nebulosity vanish from images

M27 Dumbbell Nebula in common and exotic bands

Narrowband and bandpass imaging from UV to IR of NGC 6853.

Mounting custom industrial filters in astronomical filter cells

How to mount a 25mm filter in a 1,25' filter cell.

Games and benchmarks

World of Warcraft Classic and Retail on Snapdragon X Elite Windows on ARM

Testing Snapdragon X Elite performance in WoW Retail/Classic and FFXIV

World of Warcraft Classic and Retail on Intel i3-N305

Testing Intel i3-N305 in World of Warcraft retail and classic versions

The Bazaar - a new card game / hero builder and auto-battler

The Bazaar is a free-to-play card game developed by an ex-Hearthstone pro player aiming at fun and engaging hero-building gameplay.

FFXIV Dawntrail CPU, GPU, and iGPU performance comparison

Testing Dawntrail performance across wide range of PC hardware.