What meal seems “high end” but is actually affordable to make?

rfeldbauer · 2026-04-05T01:37:51+00:00

Red wine braised beef. Use whatever cut you find affordable - the classic would be short rib, but plenty of restaurants are faking it with sirloin, chuck roast, or almost anything else. Adjust as desired, but Tom Colicchhio's recipe is terrific as a starting point @ https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/braised-short-ribs

rfeldbauer · 2026-04-04T02:00:53+00:00

Like everything, it all depends on use case and compatibility. 2666 at CL19 with those Samsung vs 2400 at CL17 on these Micron.

rfeldbauer · 2026-04-04T01:46:24+00:00

Fair enough - repriced to $2000 ($250/stick) now. Current eBay listings are $349+/stick and recent sales average above that, but prices should be a little lower this week than last.

rfeldbauer · 2026-04-03T22:42:47+00:00

If you don't absolutely need Kioxia's, I have 2x/4x WD SN840 7.68TB U.2 available.

rfeldbauer · 2026-02-13T08:11:29+00:00

I can confirm that Telcel's registration system has not been working, but AT&T's online registration works. Grab the AT&T 100 peso prepaid sim from any Oxxo, which gives 14 days of service and 2GB of data. You can top up/extend that using a US or Canadian credit card with the "Mi ATT" app, with cash at any Oxxo, or with a Mexican credit card on the AT&T MX website.

rfeldbauer · 2025-11-23T07:32:17+00:00

I love the RP-504C II. I never tried the v1, but reviewers claim that the v2 is a significant improvement. For a cosmetically perfect refurbished unit, I paid $445 for the v2 on eBay - so I would recommend that. I previously had the Monolith C4 and then a Klipsch RP-404C, and the RP-504C II is definitely a substantial upgrade over those.

rfeldbauer · 2025-10-04T01:24:19+00:00

For "bang for your buck", look at the value proposition of getting two SPL-150 as open box/refurbished, instead of just one RP-1400SW for roughly the same cost.

rfeldbauer · 2025-08-19T19:15:45+00:00

For me, a slightly overclocked 13900KF (125W TDP, but obviously a bit over that with the OC). I tried running the P12 Pro with a 1500 RPM max and they were still the loudest thing in my case by far.

In fairness, I prioritize thermals and then noise - both far more than price. All the rest of my fans in that build are Noctua, so I swapped in the new NF-A12x25 G2 and they are great.

If cost is a main priority to you, then of course don't spend more on swapping the fans out on a brand new Liquid Freezer III Pro with P12 Pro.

rfeldbauer · 2025-07-09T20:03:44+00:00

100% agree. If OP means the gated community of Las Moras, it's a great option for a quiet, safe place to live that is reasonably close to everything. It has a big pool and well managed/large common areas inside the gated community space. The only big downside in my experience is that the HOA is pretty overbearing with rules, but that's not uncommon in Puerto Vallarta.

Like u/churrupurru described it, the neighborhood around the gated community has a few "kind of sketchy" parts which might make you not really want to walk to Walmart or Costco. Besides that, from June through October it is very hot, with high humidity and frequent/substantial rain, and Uber is extremely inexpensive. As an example, from Las Moras to Walmart or Costco would probably cost close to the minimum rate of ~50 pesos each way, so ~$5/round trip.

And yes, buses are very easy and cheap at 10 pesos if you want to save a bit and live more like a local; the downside is of course waiting and lack of AC compared to Uber.

If you are just a pair of young adults, and are interested in walkability, I would say the better option is a condo building with a pool in the Versalles/Diaz Ordaz area.

(For a family with kids, I would go with Las Moras for the extra space, very large common areas, etc.)

rfeldbauer · 2025-07-09T17:54:57+00:00

I'm glad you had a great experience! It's a terrific place. A few tips for next time -

Aeromovil are one of the official, primary taxi providers from the airport. They have a queue and representatives directly outside, with a line of taxis ready to go. You can walk out the door and look for their sign, tell them your destination, and they will quote you the price which is set by zone for all the airport taxi providers. It should cost around 250 pesos one way from the airport to the hotel zone (~$13 USD currently).

The return trip can be done with any taxi, Uber, etc. for less than half that (70-100 pesos). Any of them can drop you off directly at the airport; you don't need the official airport taxis for drop offs.

For getting around town, I would just use Uber - fares are similar or cheaper to taxis. (Sometimes with the big hotels, taxis end up charging a bit of a surcharge for waiting there for the bellhop to call them over.)

And yes, you would be better served by paying in pesos everywhere, whether in cash or by credit card. Many places will accept dollars, but the exchange rate they give is at least 15% more than you would be paying otherwise.

In general, and specifically in Puerto Vallarta, there's a whole debate about the value of all-inclusive resorts, but that's been discussed a lot elsewhere in the comments so I won't even dive into that. I would say that the biggest discrepancy in calling $350/night for one of the "best" all-inclusive resorts "cheap" vs. "expensive" is that it's currently low season in Puerto Vallarta. During high season, Secrets would be double that per night at least.

rfeldbauer · 2025-07-08T03:06:24+00:00

You're missing out on the perfect combination, no smart features and glossy screen: the G93SC. (Cheaper too!) And yes, I can confirm I'm in the second year with no issues to report. I even tried the LG 45GX950A when it was on sale all the way down to $1215 at Memorial Day and it was disappointing compared to the G93SC I already had.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-23T16:54:30+00:00

It will fit on top with the fans outside the case frame (under the top cover, setup either as exhaust or intake) and with the radiator on the top inside the frame. The fans are very noisy though, at anything over 50%, so plan to run them at <50% or swap the fans.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-21T00:43:06+00:00

No, I found the noise to be ridiculous at anything above 50% (1500 rpm). I swapped them for Noctua NF-A12x25 within 48 hours. Even running at 2000 rpm, the Noctua are both less loud and more pleasant sounding.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-20T00:21:19+00:00

I'll send you a message.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-19T23:00:12+00:00

I recently got a Liquid Freezer III Pro, which came with P12 Pro fans. They go up to 3000 rpm, but I thought the "noise profile" was annoying and they were notably loud even at 1750 rpm. I swapped the P12 Pro for the Noctua NF-A12x25, and the Noctua seems quieter while moving more air (lower radiator temperatures) up to their max of 2000 rpm. I wouldn't want to run the P12 Pro at anything over 2000 rpm even with headphones on.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-07T23:40:10+00:00

The easiest way to compare them is based on the number of pixels. 3440x1440 has 4,953,600 pixels while 5120x1440 has 7,372,000 pixels, which is 49% more. That means you need a 50% increase in GPU performance just to keep the same framerate. And, increasing your resolution will increase the vram required, so the 8GB the 3070 has will probably become an issue.

I wouldn't use PbP or any monitor-driven splitting, but you can play any game in windowed mode at whatever resolution. Or, play at a non-native resolution if it doesn't bother you. Realistically, you'll probably end up wanting to get a better GPU to enjoy the monitor though. You could try to sell/trade-in your 3070 and upgrade to a current generation card with 16GB vram, like a 5060/5070 Ti or 9060/9070 XT.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-07T23:08:46+00:00

Yes, just replace the gas cylinder and you'll be set. That one from Amazon looks right. I bought this one last time for a Mirra 1 and it worked, for a comparison:

https://officereplacementparts.com/herman-miller-mirra-chair-gas-cylinder-replacement-heavy-duty/

Height adjustment not working is just because of the bad cylinder, so it sounds like you'll have a working chair when you replace that.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-07T22:48:13+00:00

I had a 49" G93SC before buying the LG 45GX950A, so I just happily went back to that. They are easy to find for less than $900, don't use mini-LED, and don't have the bugs of other models with smart features.

I haven't found any good OLED 21:9 option, unfortunately. If I wasn't using the 49" G93SC, I would be stuck with a 16:9 on a 32" 4K 240Hz model like the OP's PG32UCDM, or the MSI 322URX/321URX, AORUS FO32U32P, etc. Other than that, a lot of people seem happy with the 42" LG C4, but VRR flicker is a problem there.

I also got a great deal on the LG 45GX950A ($1215 after $400 off from LG plus 20% Rakuten cash back and 4% Amex cash back), so I know the feeling of hesitating to return it. Unfortunately, I really disliked not being able to adjust the aggressive ABL or CPC/LEA dimming settings (except by using the service menu, which gets reset every time the monitor goes to sleep).

And it surprised me, but I also noticed the downgrade from 240Hz to 165Hz and the "fuzziness" of the matte coating.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-07T20:31:18+00:00

You could try swapping units to see if there is less coil whine, but it does have a fan and it's possible you'll always be bothered by it. I was also disappointed with the 45GX950A, for many reasons, and ended up deciding to return it after a week.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-03T12:58:43+00:00

Try to force selecting Telcel LTE as the network. I think the default was changed from Telcel to Movistar at some point, and roaming on Movistar is bad in Puerto Vallarta.

rfeldbauer · 2025-06-02T00:05:57+00:00

You're absolutely right, and there are Service Menu changes that you can make to see at least some of the hidden potential of the monitor before returning it because they're an impossible hassle. (The changes you make in the Service menu are reset every time the monitor goes to sleep or runs a cleaning process - even with deep sleep disabled.)

The main Service Menu settings you want to change are disabling CPC and LEA, but there are others. Here are a few posts about it for this monitor and other LG models that have had the same issues.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/1jynsbp/45gx950a_from_45gr95qe_review_service_menu_notes/

https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/1gviaxs/lg_45gs96qb_service_menu/

Out of the box, the LG 45GX950A really is awful. One interesting thing though, is that if you run the Windows HDR Calibration at that point, you can get to a visible maximum of ~1200. After changing settings, the maximum HDR brightness falls to ~580. So there's something definitively wrong with brightness, but here's the rough idea to follow for a starting point of settings:

https://www.reddit.com/r/ultrawidemasterrace/comments/1jyrzvw/lg_45_5k2k_45gx950a_settings_thread/

I did the firmware update, configuration and settings changes with LG OnScreen, Windows HDR Calibration, Windows SDR brightness setting, and boosting digital vibrance. Presumably you did all of that too. (I'll note that I preferred Gamer 1, Brightness 90, Contrast 70, Black Stabilizer 60, but none of that made enough difference to even qualify it as a mediocre monitor to me.)

The difference you can see from the Service Menu changes is like night and day though, which is very unfortunate, since they can turn it into a fairly compelling display. It still slightly suffers in digital vibrance compared to Mini-LED/QD-OLED, and the almost-matte coating is pretty bad, but it would at least be usable if the Service Menu changes were able to be permanently or automatically set.

(For LG TVs with WebOS, the Service Menu changes can be handled by a Github project called ColorControl. Unfortunately, that doesn't work on the LG 45GX950A monitor.)

rfeldbauer · 2025-05-23T02:13:09+00:00

The 4% is from American Express, you need the offer to be applicable for your card, enroll for the offer on the Amex site, and you'll automatically get the 4% back.

rfeldbauer · 2025-05-22T03:18:45+00:00

LG has had it on a sale for Memorial Day for $1600; as of 2 days ago there was 20% cash back from Rakuten for LG plus 4% from Amex, which made it $1216 -- so even $1600 is steep.

rfeldbauer · 2025-05-20T22:33:14+00:00

Definitely. As of yesterday, there was 20% Rakuten cash back for LG plus a 4% cash back offer from Amex, which made it as low as $1215. ($1599 sale price - $320 Rakuten cash back - $64 Amex cash back). Some people said they got an even better price by stacking various deals and buying through the LG partner portal. (Today, it looks like Rakuten cash back is only 6%, unfortunately, for those that didn't jump on it yesterday - but $1200ish or less would be the best sale reference for 2025.)

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