Deals for Garage Computers, Electronics, Software!

[pauls_workshop]

Ok guys, this is not for tools but more and more, people are using computers or electronics in their garages. Sometimes tvs. Stereos. Etc. Thought it was time to start a new permathread on anything out there people find in these areas that may be of interest to the good GJ people.

I'll kick it off with a weekend special! One of my favorite places to check every day or whenever I get around to it is Http://www.giveawayoftheday.com . This place offers up free computer (PC) software daily, sometimes with an unlimited license but without free upgrades. Sometimes with a 1 year license. It is a way for people to try out a company's software. Many up and comers have good stuff here. This weekend they have WinX DVD Ripper Platinum 7.5.4 as an unlimited license download (no updates but you shouldn't ever need any really). This is one of the best out there for making copies of your DVDs to backup for your personal garage use as it will handle any dvd you may have. Get a copy while you can.

Post deals as you find them guys that may be of interest! - Paul

 

[nicksnothereman]

Ok guys, this is not for tools but more and more, people are using computers or electronics in their garages. Sometimes tvs. Stereos. Etc. Thought it was time to start a new permathread on anything out there people find in these areas that may be of interest to the good GJ people.

I'll kick it off with a weekend special! One of my favorite places to check every day or whenever I get around to it is Http://www.giveawayoftheday.com . This place offers up free computer (PC) software daily, sometimes with an unlimited license but without free upgrades. Sometimes with a 1 year license. It is a way for people to try out a company's software. Many up and comers have good stuff here. This weekend they have WinX DVD Ripper Platinum 7.5.4 as an unlimited license download (no updates but you shouldn't ever need any really). This is one of the best out there for making copies of your DVDs to backup for your personal garage use as it will handle any dvd you may have. Get a copy while you can.

Post deals as you find them guys that may be of interest! - Paul

You can get old tube tvs (or flat tube) in working condition for 3 bucks (between 13 and 20 inch) at the junk store (savers; southwest chain). Thought about doing that to watch movies in my garage some of them are in pretty good condition too. I already got a monitor in there for my computer but can't hook up the rca cables to that one.

Have to be careful with used electronics though. They don't really make/sell "heavy" personal electronics anymore like boom boxes and the like. Now just something to plug an mp3 player into. I've got cds I'd use a boom box.

 

[W0rLDWaR4]

Thanks for the link! I had no idea it existed.

 

[pauls_workshop]

Thanks for the link! I had no idea it existed.

Glad it is helpful ! I've used this site for years and probably have about 60 applications on my pc from it. Some great brands you can trust when they come up are here:

WinX, Easeus, Aimersoft, Aiseesoft, Daniusoft, Ashampoo, Kingsoft, Paragon, Leawo, Glary, Wondershare, Zoner, Zoom

There are many others, but these I can vouch for. For instance, Kingsoft makes a Microsoft Office suite clone. If you need Word, Excel, Powerpoint for some use but not full time, their free suite when it comes up is awesome! It works great! You don't need Microsoft for this! Paragon and Easeus make great hard drive partitioning and data recovery tools and related. Ashampoo is a German company with many good products. I use their cd/dvd burner as my favorite go to burner of all and it was free. Works really really good. WinX, Aiseesoft, and Aimersoft offer dvd and blue ray players and burners and authoring software, meaning make your own dvd from videos or music or photos. Great stuff. Some are Chinese COO, some Russian, some German, etc. You can read people's comments when you go to the download part and see what other very knowledgable experts may say about a given offering. You don't have to be an expert yourself. If it gets a 60% or higher rating or good comments, try it out. If less than 30% or negative comments, probably stay clear for me. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

So today giveawayoftheday has that Kingsoft Office Suite I mentioned above. This is a great free substitute for Microsoft Office and has compatible format files as Office as well. Grab it while you can if you can use this on your "garage" computer! - Paul

 

[larryq]

Paul, really liking the Audio Technica headphones and the Pioneer bookshelf speakers you posted about here a couple of months ago. Thanks for keeping us in the loop on good deals.

 

[pauls_workshop]

Thx Larry. Try those or other good phones with a nice headphone amp if you haven't. Makes a huge difference, like 50% better sound. The one i mentioned in the Pioneer speaker thread was in the $50 range and a good one.

By the way, Stereophile put out their recent hardware issue where they rate the products. Those little Pioneers were put in Class D. The other lowest cost in that list of quality were in the $300 or more a pair cost range. Those Pioneers were around $50 on the sale, so good bang for the buck. I had said I think competitive up to about anything out there up to about the $300 level. Good to see now Stereophile Magazine pretty much agrees. It is pretty amazing that today you can get entry level but truly audiophile sound quality for all of $50 for a pair of speakers. Some also mentoned Lepai class D circuitry amps on the thread. Those are rated in "class D" in the sterophile list also, no connection there between the two D's. Good low cost speaker amp for that money also. - Paul

 

[larryq]

Thx Larry. Try those or other good phones with a nice headphone amp if you haven't. Makes a huge difference, like 50% better sound. The one i mentioned in the Pioneer speaker thread was in the $50 range and a good one.

By the way, Stereophile put out their recent hardware issue where they rate the products. Those little Pioneers were put in Class D. The other lowest cost in that list of quality were in the $300 or more a pair cost range. Those Pioneers were around $50 on the sale, so good bang for the buck. I had said I think competitive up to about anything out there up to about the $300 level. Good to see now Stereophile Magazine pretty much agrees. It is pretty amazing that today you can get entry level but truly audiophile sound quality for all of $50 for a pair of speakers. Some also mentoned Lepai class D circuitry amps on the thread. Those are rated in "class D" in the sterophile list also, no connection there between the two D's. Good low cost speaker amp for that money also. - Paul

Yes, I've had my eye on that headphone amp you mentioned, but it seems the manufacturer only lists them a few at a time on eBay, and all bid over the $50 level when I've tried. I'll have to revisit.

Heard about the Lepai, will need to check them out as well.

 

[Chadwilliam1]

Here is the best free software. Ubuntu the worlds most popular free operating system. Once you hvae it installed you will have access to to the ubuntu software center with loads and loads of free software.
No need to buy any software and it is an extremely stable OS,
http://www.ubuntu.com/

 

[Ch3apsk8]

So today giveawayoftheday has that Kingsoft Office Suite I mentioned above. This is a great free substitute for Microsoft Office and has compatible format files as Office as well. Grab it while you can if you can use this on your "garage" computer! - Paul

Since we're always bringing up the COO here on GJ, I guess we should let everyone know that Kingsoft is a Chinese company.

 

[timtim2008]

subscribed

 

[pauls_workshop]

Since we're always bringing up the COO here on GJ, I guess we should let everyone know that Kingsoft is a Chinese company.

Yes, it is. Really good stable software though, and much faster than the real Office I've found. There are only a few US based software companies offering the free products. Another one to mention is Wise software. They have a really good free windows registry cleaner and optimizer that I use. It is on the CNET download site. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Yes, I've had my eye on that headphone amp you mentioned, but it seems the manufacturer only lists them a few at a time on eBay, and all bid over the $50 level when I've tried. I'll have to revisit.

Heard about the Lepai, will need to check them out as well.

One little trick with Ebay. You can set it to show similar items but then also only completed sales. This way, you can see what people actually buy an item for. If you are low on your range you are offering for the price, then you are not going to be very likely to win the item. I like to do this first, then put my offer price somewhere in the middle of the range if I want it pretty fast or near the bottom of the range if I want to get the best price for the item but may have to do many auctions to actually get one for that. Useful either way. On the amp, it is a good one, so worth $70 or $80 easily for that matter.

Here are the links to the PA2V2 Amp above:

http://www.head-fi.org/products/electric-avenues-pa2v2
http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplifiers.html

Or read the whole discussion in the Pioneer hot speaker deal thread here. It is post 118 and later on page 6:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=227074

Alternatively, you can get a tubed headphone amp but for much more money and not as portable. Tubes wear out over time and have to be replaced in 20 years or so. Whereas steady state electronics don't. Tradeoffs. I don't have any tubed gear currently but might some day. For a headphone amp, I want something semi-portable, reliable, that sounds good for the price, but didn't want to spend alot either. This one is a good value for it's level of performance and features. Not quite fully USA but designed and made in Canada next door by a EE, with a lifetime warranty! - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Here is the best free software. Ubuntu the worlds most popular free operating system. Once you hvae it installed you will have access to to the ubuntu software center with loads and loads of free software.
No need to buy any software and it is an extremely stable OS,
http://www.ubuntu.com/

Glad you mentioned Linux. I tend to be PC based now with Windows, but Linux is a very valid alternative, with "free" software being the key word in general for the format. I once used Unix extensively many years back. Can also be run fast on a lower spec older computer that would choke with Windows 7 or 8. Might be good to also list the various good Linux software choices out there people can get. What would you choose to do for each type of function in the Linux format? - Paul

 

[1Garageman]

Glad you started this thread, nice job!

 

[pauls_workshop]

For anyone interested, today only, on giveawayoftheday.com they have a pretty nice free video editing program, for editing your videos of your garage! Might be of interest to some who ever need to make changes to videos you may make. It is Wondershare Video Editor. Wondershare is one of those companies with consistently good software I've found. Check it out if you like. - Paul

 

[ggoss]

Here is the best free software. Ubuntu the worlds most popular free operating system. Once you hvae it installed you will have access to to the ubuntu software center with loads and loads of free software.
No need to buy any software and it is an extremely stable OS,
http://www.ubuntu.com/

[emoji651] I use this as well.

 

[Chev89]

For anyone interested, today only, on giveawayoftheday.com they have a pretty nice free video editing program, for editing your videos of your garage! Might be of interest to some who ever need to make changes to videos you may make. It is Wondershare Video Editor. Wondershare is one of those companies with consistently good software I've found. Check it out if you like. -

Paul

I saw that, that's a very good site and useful. doo that these sites exist. Most are normaly fake or want to scam you.
Thanks for sharing anyway

 

[pauls_workshop]

Today only on giveaway they have a nice media player free. It is Zoom Player. Will play just about any format on your computer:

http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

I've used this for a few years and like it. Another free one I also recommend is VLC player, which will play flacs directly, among other formats. For video only players, I like GOM player too, which is similarly free. - Paul

 

[beamrider]

VLC is just about the best damn piece of software ever produced. DOn't have to download any separate codec packs, they're all included. Plus it's a lot more that a simple media player, once you start digging around in it you realize you can do a LOT of stuff with it.

 

[pauls_workshop]

Looks like a busy week. Today on http://www.giveawayoftheday.com/ they have Process Lasso free. This program hasn't been mentioned before. It is a windows memory manager for your computer. I've used it several years and find it to be great!! It is much better than Windows built in memory manager and will allocate the right amount of memory to each program as needed. The end result is the way your computer's ram is managed feels like you have about twice the amount of memory you really do have. Put this on every machine you have and give it a try. Highly recommended and today only. -Paul

 

[Bosque]

I figured I would post Neweggs First Shell Shocker of the day. They are selling a 50" 1080 P TV that I am sure someone could use in their garage for $380.

http://www.newegg.com/Special/Shell...-_-item-_-89-623-018&et_cid=8899&et_rid=46246

 

[pauls_workshop]

I figured I would post Neweggs First Shell Shocker of the day. They are selling a 50" 1080 P TV that I am sure someone could use in their garage for $380.

http://www.newegg.com/Special/Shell...-_-item-_-89-623-018&et_cid=8899&et_rid=46246

That will look sweet in that new garage of yours Bosque! - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Hot deal right now on a 4tb external drive for $112.50 with free shipping. Great for backups or to run your garage computer music storage off of if setup that way. This is a 5900 rpm Seagate, a good choice for low heat generation for longevity.

http://slickdeals.net/f/7121002-4tb...e-black-124-99-or-less-112-50-w-visa-checkout

- Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

And today there is a similar deal on a Western Digital 4TB hard drive as well:

http://slickdeals.net/f/7136880-4tb...16-99-free-shipping-w-visa-checkout?#comments

These 4TB are now in the range on sale that the 3TB were in last year. Prices are finally starting to come down on them. These are at the 2 TB price from 2-3 years ago as well. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Been awhile since updates to this thread, but today noticed on the giveawayoftheday site free software of merit:

http://giveawayoftheday.com/

They have an excellent CD/DVD/BlueRay burning package called Ashampoo Burning Studio. This is a German company. My favorite all purpose burning package for use on your garage system! Free today only, 15 hours left, and must be installed today. Can put on all your machines. Recommended if you can use it. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Thought I'd revive this thread for today. Anyone that needs a 5TB drive, here is a good deal today from NewEgg:

http://slickdeals.net/f/7988005-sto...-119-99-or-less-more-free-shipping-newegg-com

This is a Samsung 5 TB external USB 3.0 drive. It is 5400 RPM and a fast drive. You want 5400 RPM ish for an external drive to not be as likely to overheat like 7200 drives will sometimes do without an active fan. These can also be pulled out and used fine internal to a desktop computer. Down to $120 or less for 5 TB with this deal. One of these filled with FLAC files could handle all your garage music or video storage needs, or make a fine main computer drive if pulled out. The drive inside it is a Seagate, pretty reliable drive. - Paul

 

[larryq]

Thought I'd revive this thread for today. Anyone that needs a 5TB drive, here is a good deal today from NewEgg:

http://slickdeals.net/f/7988005-sto...-119-99-or-less-more-free-shipping-newegg-com

This is a Samsung 5 TB external USB 3.0 drive. It is 5400 RPM and a fast drive. You want 5400 RPM ish for an external drive to not be as likely to overheat like 7200 drives will sometimes do without an active fan. These can also be pulled out and used fine internal to a desktop computer. Down to $120 or less for 5 TB with this deal. One of these filled with FLAC files could handle all your garage music or video storage needs, or make a fine main computer drive if pulled out. The drive inside it is a Seagate, pretty reliable drive. - Paul

Good spot Paul. I bought the 4 TB version a few months back, and extracted the drive from the case after watching this 10 min video:

 

[softailgarage]

The Lepai LP-2020A is a kick *** lil amp, perfect for the garage. I've got one I mounted in the faceboard of the workbench, next to the volume control for a Creative A500 5.1 speaker system and wired to the computer (in the garage of course). On sale from Parts Express, buy one, you won't be sorry.

http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla

BTW, great idea for a thread

 

[pauls_workshop]

The Lepai LP-2020A is a kick *** lil amp, perfect for the garage. I've got one I mounted in the faceboard of the workbench, next to the volume control for a Creative A500 5.1 speaker system and wired to the computer (in the garage of course). On sale from Parts Express, buy one, you won't be sorry.

http://www.parts-express.com/lepai-...source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla

BTW, great idea for a thread

Thanks for the contribution! I've been curious about the Lepais for some time. I don't think it possible to get anything as decent for next to nothing like these little amps. - Paul

 

[pauls_workshop]

Ran across another very interesting deal. A really high end headphone amp at very low cost. I don't have one of these but for those looking for one, check it out:

http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/07/o2-headphone-amp.html
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-o2-amplifier?&mode=guest_open

2 days left on the current deal at Massdrop, $70. - Paul