r/computers 19d ago

Discussion Mod team here, how are things doing? Is there anything that you'd like to see us add or fix?

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone!

Just wanted to see how people are doing, and ask if there's anything that you'd like to see around here.

We're always open to suggestions, as long as they're constructive!

We appreciate all the help you all put in troubleshooting and helping out people in need!


r/computers 23d ago

Review Geekom GeekBook M16

5 Upvotes

Geekom GeekBook M16

Initial Experience: Packaging, First Boot, Build Quality

Unboxing the computer was quick and easy, the box comes with a seal that shows that it wasn’t tampered or stolen in transit. The box is high quality and has individually boxed accessories fit into compartments inside (everything is well protected).

The first boot up of the computer went without issue, simply plugging in the included 100W PD USB-C charger, using the included cable, waiting just a few seconds for the memory to train, it boots into windows for the usual Windows 11 out of box experience.

Giving the laptop the WIFI password, or connecting to Ethernet via the included dock, it will take about an hour to download and install updates (though you can skip that step and do it later if you’re in a hurry, and this is just an estimate and will depend on your Internet connection).

The casing of the M16 is high quality, a nice matte silver finish, and the fasteners are all exposed, none hidden unlike many other brands. This makes it simple for someone with the appropriate torx screwdriver to open the shell and access the SSD, which is a Kingston 512GB. It can be upgraded to a reported 4TB max.

The Hardware (Meteor Lake based system in a 16-inch Shell)

Device Specifications:

  • Materials: Aluminum Alloy;
  • Color: Iceberg Silver;
  • CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 Processor 185H Meteor Lake;
  • GPU: Intel Arc Graphics;
  • TDP: 55W;
  • Display: 16-inch LCD, FHD 1920x1200, 60Hz;
  • Memory: 16GB LPDDR5, 7500MT/s;
  • Storage: 1x M.2 Type 2280 Key M SSD (PCI-e Gen4/3, up to 4TB);
  • Camera: 1080P digital shutter;
  • Wi-Fi: 6E, Bluetooth 5.4;
  • Battery: 99.9Wh designed capacity;
  • Connectors: 2x USB-C 3.2 Gen2, 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x USB4 (40Gbps), 1x 3.5mm jack, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen1;
  • Keyboard: 98-key with white backlight;
  • Fingerprint: Integrated into power button;
  • Speakers: 2x, system comes equipped with DTS:X Ultra;
  • Hinge: 180-degree;
  • Weight: 1.73kg (3.8 lbs);
  • Dimensions: 355.2 mm x 250 mm x 16.7 mm (14.0" L × 9.8" W × 0.66" H );
  • Power Adaptor: 100W, USB-C.
HWinfo
USB-C and HDMI
USB-A and multipurpose 3.5mm audio jack

Internal Component Analysis

  • Cooling Matrix: The acoustic profile of this cooler is very quiet compared to single fan coolers that I’ve seen, with a very quick ability to correct for sudden loads. At maximum speed, it sounds like a high pitched whine much like a twin turbo kicking in while you’re sitting in the driver’s seat: you can hear it but it’s neither loud nor does it last very long.
  • Storage: Kingston 512GB w/ 64MB HMB (Benchmarked at 6000MB/s read, 3800MB/s write)
  • Memory Architecture: The 16 GB of Micron DDR5 running at 7500 MT/s in quad-channel configuration is soldered and cannot be upgraded.
  • Processor Package: The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H (Meteor Lake) processor integrated with Intel Arc Graphics. Designed to support a 55W TDP, the system utilizes proprietary Dynamic Tuning Technology (DTT) to manage power delivery intelligently. During rigorous testing, the CPU demonstrated a peak package power draw of 53.8W under heavy burn-in loads, while the integrated Arc graphics independently scaled to 19.6W during graphics intensive tasks such as Furmark.

Performance under stress

During my stress-testing with the Geekom M16, the system demonstrated truly exceptional thermal management and power scaling. I pushed the laptop through a continuous barrage of demanding workloads, ranging from a heavy CPU burn-in that commanded a peak package power of nearly 54W, to a suite of AI and OpenVINO benchmarks targeting the CPU, GPU, and NPU, and finishing with a grueling Furmark run. Through it all, the M16 stayed remarkably cool under pressure. The highest temperature recorded during the stress-test was a highly manageable 85°C during the intensive AI CPU benchmark. When the testing pivoted to graphics-heavy tasks like Furmark, the integrated graphics stretched their legs up to 19.6W of dedicated power while staying perfectly chilled at a maximum of just 72°C. Most impressively, despite throwing everything from sustained multi-core loads to varied AI inferencing tasks at it back-to-back, the laptop experienced just one instance of thermal throttling. It flawlessly and dynamically shifted power to where it was needed most, proving it can sustain peak performance profiles reliably.

Key Data Points From the Logfile:

  • Thermal Throttling: One instance during a test designed to max out the CPU, once the fans ramped up throttling stopped.
  • CPU Performance: Peaked at 53.8W power draw during the initial burn-in and hit its maximum temperature of 85°C during the AI CPU benchmark.
  • GPU Performance: Correctly ramped up during the Furmark test, pulling up to 19.6W independently and reaching a safe peak of 72°C.
  • Intelligent Patterns: The log shows clear, segmented power delivery. During GPU-bound tests (like Furmark or the AI GPU benchmark), CPU power draw gracefully stepped down to give the integrated graphics maximum thermal headroom, keeping overall system temperatures exceptionally stable for a laptop chassis.

Battery Life Testing

Taking this laptop out to the back porch for an outdoor gaming session truly showcased its outstanding thermal and power management. Even while running in 'Performance Mode' and playing Mewgenics in an environment with an ambient temperature of 75°F, the system remained astonishingly cool. Over an impressive uninterrupted gaming stretch of 2 hours and 42 minutes, the CPU temperatures maxed out at a mere 61°C and comfortably hovered around an average of just 50°C. During this heavy load, the battery smoothly discharged from 95% down to 20%, projecting well over 3.5 hours of unplugged gaming stamina, which is a remarkable feat for any modern laptop. Once the battery hit that 20% mark, I closed the game and transitioned to office tasks mainly using Google Chrome. The system instantly demonstrated its dynamic efficiency, drastically cutting the CPU package power from a 17.1W gaming average down to just 6.9W. It only sipped 4% of the battery over nearly 20 minutes of active web use, while the CPU temperatures dropped to a 43°C average. Whether it's pushing pixels on the porch or quietly powering through spreadsheets, this laptop perfectly balances sustained performance with superb battery life.

Here is the breakdown of the data:

  • Gaming Phase (Mewgenics, Performance Mode): Duration: 162 minutes (2.7 hours).
    • Battery Drain: 75% drop (95% to 20%).
    • CPU Temps: 61.0°C Max / 50.0°C Average.
    • CPU Package Power: ~17.1W Average.
  • Office Phase (Web Browsing): Duration: 18.2 minutes of active use.
    • Battery Drain: 4% drop (20% to 16%). This projects to roughly 7.5 hours of total battery life for office tasks.
    • CPU Temps: 51.0°C Max / 43.8°C Average.
    • CPU Package Power: ~6.9W Average.

The next day (after allowing the battery to fully recharge), I unplugged and began a session of browsing, streaming and office application use with the power profile set to “balanced” and using Microsoft’s PowerToys to stop the computer from sleeping or turning off the screen while I had to leave the room for a moment (you’ll see why that was needed momentarily).

The following is an analysis of the log file taken during that productivity session:

A. Run Time and Battery Projection

  • Total Log Run Time: 9 hours, 48 minutes, and 51 seconds. (This is why PowerToys was needed)
  • Battery Drain: The battery started at 100% capacity (99.9 Wh) and ended at 25% capacity (25.482 Wh), resulting in a total drain of 75% during the session.
  • Projected Runtime to Empty: Based on the continuous 75% drain over roughly 9.8 hours, the projected total battery life from 100% to 0% under this specific productivity workload is ~13.1 hours (13 hours and 5 minutes).

B. Throttling Instances

During the run, the system experienced several instances of thermal and power throttling. This usually happens in short bursts when opening applications or loading heavy web pages, which is common behavior for modern thin-and-light processors managing burst performance.

Thermal Throttling Events:

  • Core Thermal Throttling (avg): 962 instances
  • Package/Ring Thermal Throttling: 958 instances
  • IA: Thermal Event: 971 instances
  • Note: P-Core 9 ran the hottest, triggering thermal limits 728 times on its own, followed by P-Core 8 (473 times).

Power Throttling Events:

  • Package/Ring Power Limit Exceeded: 154 instances
  • Core Power Limit Exceeded (avg): 29 instances
  • Note: The individual E-Cores and P-Cores hit their individual power limits about 26–27 times each.

GPU Throttling:

  • GPU Throttle Reasons (avg): 5,927 instances. (With integrated Intel Arc Graphics, the GPU frequently hits software/hardware power limits to leave thermal headroom for the CPU during general productivity).

5. Verdict: Specialized Performance and Endurance

The M16 presents an intentional, high-value design. By focusing its engineering on what truly matters to power users, it carves out a highly specific, powerful niche for professionals who value structural substance, sustained processing muscle, and true all-day endurance over flashy RGB looks.

When evaluating what this laptop offers at its current sale price, it stands out remarkably against the broader landscape of its peers:

  • Unmatched Mobile Endurance: Against standard ultraportables or highly restrictive base-model premium platforms that bottleneck you with meager RAM and storage, the M16 provides generous local hardware resources paired with an absolute monster of a 99.9Wh battery. For anyone working on long-haul travel or away from an outlet, this legal-limit battery size offers immense run time.
  • Workstation Muscle Over Budget Alternatives: While entry-level gaming laptops in this price range often sacrifice build quality for graphical flair, resulting in flimsy plastic frames and abysmal battery life, the M16 channels its budget into premium aerospace-grade aluminum. Under the hood, a robust dual-fan thermal cooling system is explicitly engineered to let its high-end processor sustain heavy workloads without severe performance drops, ensuring snappy, reliable responsiveness during intense productivity tasks.
  • Universal Compatibility and Power: Unlike the newer ARM-based platforms at this price tier (which frequently suffer from software compatibility headaches and emulation layers) the M16 delivers uncompromised x86 architecture. It runs heavy data-crunching, code compilation, and development environments natively and effortlessly.

To wrap this up, the M16 strips away unnecessary RGB fluff to invest heavily where it counts. If you are a programmer, data analyst, or remote professional who needs uncompromised, sustained processing power, maximum physical battery capacity, and a premium chassis that can handle the rigors of daily travel, this machine delivers exactly what matters. At $799, it stands as an incredibly robust, specialized workhorse that offers exceptional value.


r/computers 2h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Antivirus for PC & Mac?

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone, thanks in advance for any tips.

I work at a nonprofit animal shelter and I've been tasked with figuring out what antivirus software we should used for our computers. We have a mixture of PCs and Macs, some laptops and some computers. We currently use ESET.

I don't know what we're currently paying. I'd like to present a couple of options to the board for them to ultimately make the decision. It would have to work for both Mac and PC.

Also, is antivirus software still necessary? I feel like I don't hear folks talk about it anymore, mostly just stuff about scammers and whatnot.

Thanks again!


r/computers 9h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Is my laptop asking for retirement?

Post image
17 Upvotes

Hi all, I have a Dell G3 that I bought new as a gaming laptop in 2018. Truth be told I didn’t want to use it specifically as a gaming PC but mainly as something I could play Star Trek Online with, maybe the odd strategy game here and there etc but mainly to use for work (office applications and browser work).

I wanted value for money and in my experience, gaming machines tend to have a better spec and in theory would last me longer before a replacement was needed.

I have upgraded the RAM and replaced the screen hinges over the years but I’m finding this past few weeks that it feels slow and sometimes struggles to keep up.

I’m running windows 11 home.
Intel core i5 (9th gen) 9300H 2.4ghz
12Gb DDR4
NVidia GeForceGTX 1050 DDR5 3GB.
500GB HDD

I’ve wiped it recently and already using 300Gb some how.

Believe it or not I used to be a degree level student who loved building and playing with PCs but that was 20 years ago and times have changed massively. I’m so out of the loop now and I’ve become one of those guys who needs help.

Is my laptop asking for retirement? Can I do anything financially worth while to keep it going or do I go out and get something new?


r/computers 11h ago

Resolved Donating my laptop, how can I erase all my information?

23 Upvotes

I know I can reset it to factory settings but in case someone wanted to search deeper would they find anything if I only do a basic reset? Is there anything else I could do without damaging the laptop?

Thanks to anyone who answer


r/computers 2h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting How to dust inside of computer + question about dust

5 Upvotes

I have this expensive computer but I’m not really a tech expert, it’s been about 6-8 months, it’s already pretty full of dust.. it has vents cover thingys that I would think stop dust getting in easily so I don’t know why.
I also have no clue how to clean it.. in my head I’m thinking I’d just unscrew a part or something and use a dusting brush inside or maybe a dry cloth, but I don’t know if like I’m not supposed to do that and I could damage it... I’d really appreciate some help with this.
I have a power spec one by the way, not sure which but it has a glass panel on the side.


r/computers 7h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Rapid ticking sound

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

5 Upvotes

the sound comes during first startup, then vanishes completely as the pc remains open for 2-3 minutes, doesn't reappear until its closed and reopened again


r/computers 5h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting What’s this

Post image
4 Upvotes

I was just doing normal stuff on my computer and it suddenly turned like this? Any ideas and how to fix?


r/computers 2h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting EM interference with my power source(s) causing laptop Bluetooth connectivity issues

Post image
2 Upvotes

If I connect a power source directly to my laptop I get issues with my Bluetooth where connections get dropped.

What I have tried:

using the barrel jack charger my laptop came with, using this new usb-c charger I bought, using different power sockets in different buildings, installing the latest bluetooth drivers, disabling power saving settings, restarting laptop, deleting bluetooth devices and reconnecting, i think that is it.

My current fix is to use a usb-c hub as intermediary between the power block and laptop and that eliminates the Bluetooth issues for some reason.

Both the barrel jack charger that my laptop came with and this new usbc power block have no ground pin, so just the 2 live pins that connect to an outlet. The Bluetooth issues didn't start until about 6months ago. I’m hoping it’s some component on my motherboard that can be swapped without too much trouble, but my intuition says it’s never that simple.

Does anyone have any trailheads I could follow to try and isolate the issue or learn more about this phenomena? I’ll try to include a picture of my motherboard later today.


r/computers 12h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Windows 11 keeps asking for bitlocker recovery key every boot, did I just lose everything?

9 Upvotes

I turned on my Windows 11 laptop (Lenovo) this night and instead of booting normally, it went straight to a BitLocker recovery screen asking for the recovery key.

The weird part is I didn't change any hardware, update the BIOS, or do anything unusual (at least not that I remember). It was working perfectly yesterday.

I checked my Microsoft account but it says there aren't any recovery keys associated with it. Now I'm kind of stuck because I have a lot of work files on this drive. Has anyone had BitLocker suddenly trigger like this? Is there anything I can safely try before assuming the drive is inaccessible?

Any advice would be appreciated.


r/computers 44m ago

Discussion Any recommendations for a new laptop under/around 1,000 with the requirements I mention below. Any help is welcomed

Upvotes

Hi, Im looking for a new laptop since the current one I'm using is basically lobotomized. I'm looking for (preferably) a DELL or something akin to one with at least 32GB of ram and a good bit of storage to play games and do college work on (so I'd need Microsoft Word). I would like to run things like blender/beginners 3d software for college so Im pretty sure I need something with good graphics. I'm not trying to run super big AAA games, but I'd it can run Minecraft and other smaller steam games that'd be good too.

My budget is around 1,000 USD. I was originally looking at a DELL Latitude 7440 14" (2023) Intel 13th Gen, which seemed good at first but heard it had performance issues when running things.

Sorry if this is a lot to ask for help on, I'm just sort of lost in my search so any information or recommendations would be helpful, thank you!


r/computers 49m ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting My laptop does not switch to the dgpu and i dont know why

Upvotes

I tried reinstalling the drivers and restarting the laptop.

Ive also tried booting into the bios and searching for any gpu settings and there are none.

Ive tried putting it in high performance mode in the nvidia control panel and in the windows graphics settings.

The gpu doesn't seem to turn on at all

I have an old Hp laptop with a gtx 1650


r/computers 1d ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Stuttering in games when playing and only noticeable when moving the character

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

99 Upvotes

It does this in every single game i play its particularly worse in DX12 Cpu- ryzen 7 9800x3d Gpu - Rx 9070 xt sapphire nitro + Mb - Msi Mag X870E tomahawk wifi ATX AMD 5 Ram - G.skill trident Z5 NEO rgb 32gb (2 × 16) 6000mhz CL30 memory Storage - Western Digital WD_Black SN850X Psu - Corsair Rm 1200e W 80+ gold certified OS - windows 11 Home 64bit


r/computers 1h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting White screen Flickering issue when i click (My Camera cant really show it well)

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

Upvotes

For example, when I play Roblox and click pretty often, I get a white screen, and it's like the game tabs out. I'm only back in the game when I click again. I can't figure out what it is. Also It has nothing to do with my monitor.


r/computers 1h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Is this too much paste?

Thumbnail
gallery
Upvotes

I bought this laptop from facebook marketplace even knowing that it had an error 43 with the gpu. I dont know if its bad or not (the paste)


r/computers 1h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Does anyone know how to turn off the smart charging hysteresis management in Lenevo???

Upvotes

So from the past few days I dont know how but after reaching 100 it discharges to 55 and then charging starts. Doesnt matter if i unplug and plug in. It has to discharge till 55 and only then it recharges. How to disable this?


r/computers 2h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting What Mac should I get?

0 Upvotes

so I really need to upgrade my computer and I’m looking at MacBooks are the Intel Macs really as bad as people say they are?

My current specs on a refurbished laptop are

8 gigs of ram

intel i5 processor

And that’s really all I know about it and I’m pretty sure the ram is DDR3

By the way, this is for music production.


r/computers 8h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting help with low end laptop

3 Upvotes

hi guys, my sister has this acer swift 1 with:

Intel Pentium Silver N5000

4GB RAM

64GB storage

fanless

ram is soldered and not upgradeable

running windows 11.

it became extremely sluggish. task manager shows around 95% ram usage and 100% disk usage with only edge (2 tabs), settings and task manager open.

she mainly browses the web, makes presentations and backs up files to cloud. what would u recommend for this hardware?


r/computers 3h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Help desoldering bios chip

Post image
2 Upvotes

So I need to desolder my bios chip using hot air but since the chip is really close with these components should I not proceed with that?


r/computers 3h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting My Computer has a black screen

Post image
1 Upvotes

I opened up my laptop this morning to this, I thought it was just being weird after updating overnight. But after I got logged in, it would just be a black screen for like 5 minutes until turning off. I ended up trying to restart the computer a couple times and nothing is working. Does anyone know what to do?


r/computers 5h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting URGENT HELP NEEDED! A bot is subscribing my business email to unwanted mailing lists

1 Upvotes

At 3:00am I started receiving sbscription notices for dozens of unrelated websites. I'm guessing some bot has started populating my email address into random web forms? It's clogging up my inbox and making it almost unusable.

Has anyone experienced this before? I'm not sure why this is happening. Is there anything I can do to stop it?


r/computers 8h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Slight gap difference between body and hinge

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

Noticed a bigger gap on the left side. There's no crack sound or anything, the laptop opens with one hand and lifts slightly when opening it. My old laptops mostly required 2 hands to open it, so that's why I'm concerned. The gap looks bigger irl than in pictures


r/computers 5h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Brother DCP T730DW "Unable to Print 30" Error

1 Upvotes

Has anyone experienced the "Unable to Print 30" error?

Brand new pa lang po ang printer namin at kakalagay lang ng ink. After loading the ink, nag-ink charge naman siya, pero pagkatapos ay lumabas na ang "Unable to Print 30" error.

May naka-experience na po ba nito? Ano po ang naging solution? Maraming salamat po sa sasagot.


r/computers 5h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting "free inodes are marked as used"

Post image
1 Upvotes

I really need help on resolving this problem. The drives has 2 os (dual boot) and the free unallocated space i got is from shrinking down the linux part of the drive. I really hope there's a way to resolve this.


r/computers 5h ago

Question/Help/Troubleshooting Help needed buying a PC as a casual gamer!

1 Upvotes

Hi there, I’m looking to upgrade from my ancient device of 10 years - I’m a very average (below average maybe) gamer. I love to play the Sims, Minecraft, Planet Zoo and Cities Skylines - all pretty much live sim/ builder games that are currently really slow and tedious to play.

Any advice as to what components to pick?
I’m very unsure whether to get Nvidia / AMD card and what price range to go for? (Ideally max 1200€ but if I have to upgrade for a lot of €€€ in a short time maybe more?) Will a cheaper PC last me 10 years too? (No I’m not looking to play cyberpunk or gta or anything)

Really would love some advice and tips as I’m kinda lost in the available info and the speed in which the cards etc. are evolving, there’s like 50 new ones every time I look into it xd

Edit : Central Europe, doesn’t really matter if pre-built or I build it as long as the € diff isn’t insane

Thank you!!!