Fixing a Slow 1550MHz Ryzen 5 2600 CPU Speed in Linux

📅 June 22, 2018
So, you purchased a brand new Ryzen 5 2600 3.4Ghz processor only to discover that Linux reports its speed as 1550 MHz. Why? Can it be fixed?

It turns out that that newer motherboards (X470, for example) for Ryzen CPUs include extra features. One feature is called PSS Support, and it needs to be disabled when using Linux in order for Linux to show the 3400 MHz CPU speed rating.

Ryzen 5 2600 vs. i7-4770 Quickie Tests in Linux

📅 June 21, 2018
How does a 2nd-generation Ryzen 5 2600 CPU at 3.40 GHz on a recent X470 motherboard compare to an older Intel i7-4770 at 3.40GHz?

Does the six-core AMD Ryzen 5 2600 blow the Intel i7-4770 out of the swimming pool like a tubby chubby doing a cannonball? Or does it leave mere ripples in the shallow end of the kiddie pool like a cautious granny?

Having an opportunity to use both processors, I performed a few kind-of-real-world tests of my own to compare them while keeping most other factors equivalent.

Here are my results.

Set Custom Folder Icon Using Bash

📅 June 12, 2018
You are probably aware that you can set a custom icon using the file manager’s GUI, but did you know that you can also set a custom icon on a folder using the command line?

That’s right. The gvfs-set-attribute command will allow you to set a custom icon to a directory so that the new icon will appear in place of the default folder icon when viewed in a GUI file manager.

This is particularly handy for assigning multiple custom icons for movie and music directories while preserving the default folder icons for other system directories. It can be scripted, and it is easier to do than you think.

SanDisk Ultra 500G 3D SSD and Linux

📅 June 9, 2018
Does the SanDisk Ultra 500G SSD work with Linux?

After all, it touts a whopping (up to) 560/530 MB/s on the box and a 5-year warranty. That’s pretty fast for SATA-III, so will this SSD meet these numbers?

Needing a higher-capacity SSD for a Linux system, this drive was purchased mainly for its low price. Given that it was also on sale at the time of purchase, it was a bargain. However, I was not expecting this bargain-priced SSD to perform as well as it did in both Linux Mint 18.3 and Windows 7.

Guess the Number with 4digits

📅 June 8, 2018
Need a mental diversion?

Try 4digits – a simple guessing game in which you must guess the 4-digit number in eight tries.