##hardware is a support channel assisting with computer hardware problems. The atmosphere is generally very informal, and socializing on peripheral topics is fairly common. For extended or off-topic discussions, please use ##hardware-social.
- Troubleshooting a computer that won't turn on.
- Isolating the failed component in a failing system.
- Help matching a laptop with your use case.
- Picking out components for a new gaming build.
- Getting advice on building and deploying whitebox servers.
- Bad advice. Joking around is one thing, but destructive or even frivolously time-wasting guidance won't be tolerated.
- Debates of opinion. Do your Operating System / Desktop Environment / Software Alternative bashing in ##hardware-social, please.
- Bitcoin Mining. Building for bitcoin mining is a specialized and very artificial use case. It also sparks a debate about the viability of bitcoins as a currency, and otherwise distracts the channel. Talk about bitcoins in #bitcoin.
- Idiots. A long standing tradition of ##hardware holds that no idiots are allowed in the channel. This rule is applied on a discretionary basis, and those it is applied to are expected to take a time out to consider their behavior.
The first and most important thing to know about benchmarks is that they are synthetic. Most benchmarks suites perform a series of tests whose results approximate real-world tasks; they can be used to relatively compare equipment, but suitability for you will always depend on your use case. If you plan on gaming, compare benchmarks on the type of game you want to play. If you're building a Hadoop cluster, you probably don't want to put too much weight on FPS metrics.
Not all benchmark sites are created equal. http://www.anandtech.com/Bench/ is generally held in high regard. cpubenchmark.net, gpubenchmark.net, and family are generally known to produce dramatically inaccurate results and should be avoided.
You probably need to identify with Freenode services. Type /msg Nickserv help REGISTER for assistance registering and identifying to your account. It's also a good idea to find instructions for your client to authorize on connect.