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Loading ...Virtual Salvation
thewelshbrummie
All thanks to testing VirtualBox on my Laptop.
I’ve been trying to find a simple way to play my old games. I’ve already discussed my plans to image all my Amiga floppies (all 500+) and emulate them with WinUAE, and DosBox takes care of all my games pre-1995 that don’t work on any form of Windows.
But I’ve got over 250 game CDs/DVDs, and the majority predate XP (probably only 20 discs). As XP uses the NT kernal, all my games designed for Win 3.1/9x (which use the Dos kernal) need some assistance.
I’ve had few problems running the Windows compatability mode on XP and have got some classics working (anyone remember the Grand Prix Manager Series?) directly from XP. Some needed a recoded executable or a patch for XP; the last GPM game and RollerCoaster Tycoon being the major suspects. But some refuse to install, including my Win95 copy of Command & Conquer (not that I really need it having the First Decade DVD, but it’s the prime example of a game that fails to install)…
…Enter VirtualBox…
Being a general IT freak and needing an all round desktop rather than an ultra high-end gaming rig, I’ve been playing with the joys of VirtualBox on my laptop. With the loss of my XP install on the desktop, I’ve aquired an XP install CD to get it working again on a new HDD.
But temptation was too great.
I decided to install VirtualBox (having a far smaller footprint than VMWare and looking like a far easier app to configure) an now have XP running virtually. Admittedly more than 512MB RAM kills the laptop (seeing memory usage average 99% when allowing 768MB for the virtual OS clearly isn’t good!) but it wil be more than enough for the few apps that just don’t work on Vista (my USB radio being the major guilty party); after all, my current desktop survived over 3 years with just 512MB quite happily.
The biggest benefit though is that I’ve still got a Win98 CD kicking about…. unfortunately not in my flat, but I’d be amazed if it won’t work. As none of the games designed for Win 3.1/9x failed to install correctly on my 2nd desktop (a Win98 machine, the 1st being an IBM build of Win 3.1) it should cover all my oldschool gaming needs (that computer failing miserably on any Dos based gaming without coding new autoexec.bat files and requiring a reboot for each game and reboot back into Win98 - and even then some games still refused thanks to not being able to get the CD drive to work).
The only problem I’ve had is with Ubuntu; I thought I’d have a play with it as I’ll probably end up using it on my current desktop when the build is complete. But having to resize the screen using the Linux Terminal is a completely unnecessary step; can’t the installer window simply be made to fit an 800×600 resolution without needing to resize in a very technical manner? A quick google came up with the goods (rather, the code), but it’s a completely unnecessary step and will undoubtedly put off most casual pc users who have thought about Linux.
And thanks to the virtual HDDs I’ve created, I’m down to just 30GB free on a 232GB HDD for the laptop… clearly I’l be needing those 1TB HDDs for the desktop!
And having said all of this, the oldest game I have is an exception; created in 1987; just 2 files and it runs directly by running the executable from Vista. And it’s less than 200Kb.
The game? Carrier Command, still a favourite of mine after 18 years and one I’ll be playing for many to come.
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Loading ...Started with the purchasing…
thewelshbrummie
Only small bits though, but they’re definitely worth a mention.
I’ve got the Scythe Kama Panel and the Logitech MX Air mouse, and have ordered the iMon Ultra Bay.
The panel looks much better than I was expecting, though I’m a bit miffed that all of the cables end in standard connectors rather than MOBO headers… This certainly isn’t good news for the audio ports, as I’ll have separate mic/line in/line out jacks to connect to somewhere inside the case… likewise, the card reader ends in a USB type A male jack, not a header; not only that, but so do the USB cables for the USB ports, and I’ve got one jack per port as well. So I’ll probably end up with some compromises as I may need more internal USB ports than I’d anticipated.
I would use it in my current rig (working with a new HDD) until I’ve finalised the newbuild spec (more to follow soon) but as the supplied cables aren’t designed for use with USB headers it’s pointless for the time being.
The iMon Ultra Bay is on it’s way; I’d be surprised if I don’t use it (though there may be issues with the control knobs hitting the case door), and as it’s in short supply I thought it better to get it now before stock runs-out; there’s only one web supplier to my knowledge and eBay didn’t help either.
The mouse is special; it’s not designed as a gaming mouse (2 buttons), but as a media centre mouse it’s phenomenal. Unlike the new Macbook of the same name, the Logitech MX Air really does work in the air; think of it as a mouse that works like the Wiimote but with media functionality. Changing volume, skipping tracks and the inertia scroll panel (there’s no wheel) really make it very special. True, it’s expensive, but it’s gorgeous and should be a good (but more expensive) alternative to pairing a Wiimote with a bluetooth dongle. I don’t play many FPS games but it will certainly make them far more interesting!
I’ll post the full spec soon, though I’m still undecided on some bits, especially the GPU (HD 3850 or 8800GT, note that this will be used on my 1280×1024 17″ TFT) and the CPU (the one I want isn’t available yet). The MOBO is also difficult to find, so again I may have to invest sooner rather than later….
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Loading ...Let’s speed things up
thewelshbrummie
Looks like I’m going to be building my new computer much sooner than the summer.
My current desktop is finished in it’s current form; what I thought was a PSU failure is actually a dying Hard Disk. It spins, but makes the sound of a cat being strangled and my desktop refuses to boot with it; I can’t access the files on it by instaling it into my external enclosure. Loks like I’ll be resorting to the freezer method in the near future….
Not that I really need to; all my valuable data (docs, mp3s etc.) are stored on my other internal disk, so I’ve only lost my Windows install and the apps (which I kept on my C drive), which was less than 30GB and it’s all easily replaceable. But it’s still a big loss, as I can’t update my mp3 player or minidiscs (those being tied to a single Windows install).
I’ve managed to borrow an 80GB disk, so I’ll be heading down the Linux route way sooner than I’d anticipated to access my 500GB data disk (complete with all my work). And I can still use it to convert my Amiga floppies (see previous posts). But really need a working desktop with Windows, as the Creative Zen apps are Windows only and I’d prefer to tie it to a desktop.
So the schedule for the new build is moving forward by 6 months to now.
Unfortunately, my P4 processor uses socket 478, so I can’t reuse it; the biggest sticking point for me. I’ve fully specced the pc I want to build, the catch being that I want to use a Penryn Core 2 Quad (not an extreme chip); using the list of future Core 2 processors on Wikipedia, it would have to be the Q9450. And it looks like they are being delayed for 3 months.
So a cheap Pentium based on the Conroe core may be a stopgap until they are released, probably the E2140 if I can’t wait.
I’ve also chosen the mobo; I’ve said that I wouldn’t mind having 802.11n wireless, but only as a pci-E x1 card; something that is impossible with current cards. Luckily, Asus have once again added onboard wireless with the P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi-AP@n, which is the 1st board I’ve found that supports the latest draft n revision.While it’s pricey (£200+), buying a separate draft n wireless card would add at least £50 to the price, so paying £20-30 more over the Maximus Extreme is a sensible purchase.
However, I’m struggling to find one available to buy… only IT247 seem to have it at the moment. And it only has 2 USB headers, which is one less than I require
But there is a simple solution to solve that problem. And it’s probably the only bit of modding I’ll be doing (and then purely internal).
For around £12, CPC have an unbranded 6 port USB pci card. The external ports will have some use, but it’s the internal ports that make it so attractive. Both the card Scythe Kama Panel and the iMon Ultra bay will work with either a USB header or standard USB port, so one of those can use the pci card.
AND it also allows me to mount all the wireless receivers I’ll need internally. Assuming I get the P182, I won’t need the upper HDD bay, so it’s empty space to play with. The current plan is to mount a USB hub in the space, so I can mount my Bluetooth dongle, iMon remote receiver, and keyboard/mouse receivers internally… result!
I’ve been trying to avoid using IDE cables, so it was a nice surprised to find that Maplin have an IDE/Sata converter so I can use SATA cables. Which allows me to mount the slimline DVD-RAM drive and not use IDE cables at all.
So come on Intel, get the Q9xxx series of Core 2 Quad chips out…..
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Loading ...Speakers and sound
thewelshbrummie
Something I haven’t addressed in previous posts, is the need for speakers. My Trust Soundforce 120 stereo set has survived really well over the last eight years and easily blew away the weedy pair supplied with my last desktop (especialy as that pair produced the worst hum I’ve experienced when using the headphone jack at low volume, possibly as that set was powered via a pass-through kettle lead). But I think it’s time, after nearly 8 years of service, to upgrade.
The choice was always easy for me, as I’ve never had the desire to purchase any surround speakers, let alone a 7.1 set, as I’ve never experienced much benefit. So I’ve gone with the JBL Creature II 2.1 set. I’ve previously heard them and they are extremely loud, don’t distort and have the added bonus of producing a fantastic sound.
Price was always the sticking point, being £70 pretty much everywhere (except eBay). But PC World are currently selling them for £50, which is a sensible price and certainly the best I’ve seen for a brand new set. It’s also probably going to be the only purchase I’ll not make online.
I’m not disappointed; I’ve set them up and they sound exactly like the previous sets I’ve tested.
Talking of sound, I’ve also purchased the Trust HS-6400 5.1 USB Headset. Now I can see you thinking “he’s just said he doesn’t see the benefit of surround sound!” Very true, but at £35.45 it was too good a price to ignore, especially as has optional drivers to “enhance” the sound. More importantly, they were available immediately rather than having to wait a month and offered more features (being the top-end product, the HS-4200 currently priced at £25 but weren’t available last month).
The main point is that they bypass the soundcard by using USB, so the quality is not only brilliant but it makes using my speech recognition apps much easier than using the handheld microphone I was using previously (and having to use seperate mic/headphone combos, as speech recognition doesn’t really work properly with speakers).
So it’s been a major month for audio upgrades, and that’s not counting soundcards…. though I’m still waiting for a PCI-E x1 card equivalent to the X-Fi Extreme Gamer before I invest…
UPDATE: Now I’ve tested the Trust USB Headset fully, I’ve noticed that it lacks warmth, compared to my Sennheiser HD 205 Headphones, which I paid a similar price for in June 2006 (they are currently much cheaper, £20.37 on Amazon on 16/12/2007). For speech recognition the Headset does the job perfectly but I wouldn’t recommend them for gaming if you want the best possible quality.
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Loading ...Decisions, decisions
thewelshbrummie
Of which there are plenty to make.
Having discussed my plans for the external bays in my last post, I’m now stuck. Unless I consider a different case from the Antec P180.
This is because I’ve come across what is possibly the best external enclosure on the market, the Icybox IB-266StUSD-B. Yes it only works with 2.5″ drives and the SATA connectors are of questionable value (smaller drives generally being slower than 3.5″ models), but the ability to mount it inside a 3.5″ bay is the unique selling point, and one which nearly made me buy one from Amazon (being cheaper than Scan).
UPDATE (05/23/07): This is no longer true, Scan still sell it for less than £19, the Amazon price is £22 minimum (it hit £30).
But I mean nearly. As I’ve said before, I still need a 3.5″ floppy drive to convert my Amiga floppies, and the Antec case only has a single 3.5″ bay. And I already have a 250GB external HDD, so do I really need a smaller drive that will cost around £100 just to gain a better form factor?
The options are:
- Consider a different case.
- Abandon the floppy drive (and the Catweasel) and convert my Amiga floppies via networking an amiga (using serial ports) with the desktop.
- Hold on to my existing desktop and, if necessary, stick a Linux distro on the spare partition.
Of these, it will probably be the 2nd or 3rd options; so far, I’ve had no success with the catweasel on my existing desktop, and mearly moving the components to my new-build is probably pointless; especially as Linux support is far superior to Windows, so I’d be better off converting my existing desktop to a Linux box (especially as Vista drivers are curently unvailable). Buying an old Amiga 1200 and networking it the most complex option but it may produce better results.
The real question is whether I really need another external drive. Certainly, it would be far lighter but it would still need the same amount of cables and my 3.5″ enclosure has a built in PSU…
As for the total cost of the build… it could be more than I expected. I quickly looked at the best components on Scan (E6850, DDR3 @1333MHz, 8800GT, 2x 1TB HDDs) only to get a total of £1,500. As I’ve said before, there really isn’t an upper limit on the budget but it’s starting to get just a bit expensive!
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Loading ...5.25″ bays and components rethink (and my new Laptop)
thewelshbrummie
I’ve been spending the last few days looking at extras: mainly bits to fill the external drive bays.
In my 1st post I mentioned that I bought a new DVD-RAM drive; this will move to my newbuild when I have bought a case; that will certainly be a Black Antec P180/2, which has four 5.25″ and one 3.5″ external drive bays. And the sideproject means that I still need a floppy drive, so that wil fill the 3.5″ bay. As I want a card reader, that will have to use a 5.25″ bay.
The problem is that I really want the iMON Ultra Bay by Soundgraph, which uses two 5.25″ bays, which would mean that I would either have to buy a different case or go without one component.
But that was until I found the Scythe Kama Panel. It can control up to 6 fans (with the Antec Case having 5 fan mounts) but I can remove the slot-in attachment that controls 4 of the fans and replace it with a slimline DVD writer; a quick look on Scan and I’ve found this slot-loading DVD-RAM writer. While it is an IDE drive (my current DVD-RAM writer uses SATA cables) it will certainly be the best way to get the iMon panel, a card reader, a floppy drive & 2 DVD-RAM wrtiers. And I can happily live without full control of 3 fans.
The biggest problem I now have is choosing a motherboard with enough USB headers; I need 3, but that will limit my choice of motherboard (MOBO). This is especially true as I need a MOBO with:
- 2x Gigabit LAN (one to my router, the other for a crossover cable for my laptop)
- 2x pci slots (one for the Catweasel, one for my TV card)
- 2x pci-E 1x (when Creative upgrade the X-Fi Gamer and possibly one for wireless when 802.11n cards become available/cheap)
- 3x USB headers (front panel will use 1, the iMON will use a 2nd and the card reader a 3rd though both the iMON and card reader will use standard external USB ports)
- 5x SATA minimum, ideally more (2 system HDDs in RAID 1, one backup HDD for my Laptop, one for the DVD writer and one for the Kama Panel)
I could also do with a serial port, so that I can connect an Amiga directly to my pc (which would make the Catweasel redundant), though both pci and pci-E serial cards exist, and I may end up using my current desktop as a Linux box to do the transfers (as the apps are better on Linux).
I certainly don’t need any PS/2 ports and probably won’t need e-Sata as I intend on buying 1TB HDDs and using a RAID 1 mirror (and the Kama panel provides SATA power & data externally). However I want to use DDR3 memory, which will take some time to drop in price.
As for graphics, the obvious choice is the new 8800GT as it’s a single slot card and slightly quicker than the original 8800GTS cards. The single slot makes it far more practical for me, as I can easily use 5 pci/pci-E slots.
As things stand it’s still a case of window shopping and not buying until Penryn processors and DDR3 become mainstream but that should be the case by the Summer. In the meantime, I’ve got a new laptop from Zepto Computers with which I can use Vista; it’s essentially a business machine but has decent gaming potential (admittedly running games at the native 1680×1050 resolution with the 8600 isn’t viable but it’s way better than the 5200FX in my desktop). Here’s the specs:
- 2.4GHz T7700 CPU (800MHz FSB)
- 2GB RAM @800MHz
- 250GB HDD (5400rpm)
- DVD-RAM writer
- 15.4″ screen (1680×1050)
- SD/MMC card reader
- Expresscard/54
- 4USB 2.0
- mini Firewire
- Gigabit LAN
- Vista Ultimate
Which is why I want a MOBO with 2x Gigabit LAN, so I can get high speed transfers between my laptop and the newbuild. It’s also much faster than my current desktop. Using Adobe Audition 2.0 (audio editing app) to load a 1 hour mp3 (55MB at 128kbps) takes 60 seconds on my desktop; the laptop manages that in 30 seconds.
That’s the latest; more to follow when I start buying components!
Rated: 60% (1 votes)
Loading ...The Amiga Project and it’s importance to the new-build
thewelshbrummie
A quick update on the aforementioned sideproject.
I’ve just returned from France; along with the disks I mentioned which were left there in my parents house. I’ve only got six boxes full of floppies…
The Amiga 500 I had no longer works; the replacement I had is also unreliable and doesn’t run most of the disks. I was expecting to have to buy a new unit, as the one method of converting the disks I’d considered was to connect an Amiga to the serial port on my motherboard. Which could have caused problems with my new-build if I hadn’t had the chance to convert all of the disks before I go back to university…
However I’d found a better solution; it’s called the CatWeasel and is nothing more than a pci card that provides hardware support for the disks and Amiga Mice/Joysticks. Somehow it allows the standard floppy drive in my PC to read Amiga formatted floppies; something I didn’t think was possible (it was always the case that PC floppies could be formatted to Amiga formatted disks and read by Amigas, but not the other way round. I now have the perfect solution, albeit at a cost of £66 but it’s better than paying to have them converted using Cloanto’s data conversion service. the only company I’ve found that do this, charge $5 per disk; as I’ve got over 400, I’m looking at £500+ if I asked them to convert all of my disks!
But this will still affect my choice of motherboard. I’m not going for dual graphics just yet (and in any case I prefer the look of P35 over 680i but will certainly get the 8800GTS 320MB unless Ati release a 3000 series card anytime soon! Which of course rules out SLI). But I do need a motherboard that has a minimum of 2 standard pci slots; one to take the catweasel, the other to take my TV tuner. And ideally I’d prefer a 3rd normal pci slot rather than a 3rd PCI-E x1 as there’s so little that uses those slots at the moment. Which would allow me to use the wireless card I have (though I’m quite happy to ditch it if necessary as my USB card is far more effective and both are 802.11g). But this does cause a problem, as I need the PCI-E 16 slot to not block and pci slots (especially if only 2 are available), otherwise I won’t be able to get everything in…
Having said that, I may be able to avoid any issues… the add-in cards I’ve considered are RAID, Sound and wireless to complement my TV card. On-board RAID and sound are more than good enough for my needs, as is wireless. And considering that Creative now have an X-Fi that uses PCI-E I shouldn’t have many problems if I want better sound (and for my needs, 2nd sound card which would allow me to do radio broadcasts using a single PC). As for wireless… no doubt that will also go PCI-E soon and especially when the 802.11n standard is ratified (which is my preference). But it’s still a major consideration now that I’ve got 2 PCI cards that are essential… and it may limit my options.
Rated: 100% (1 votes)
Loading ...Starter for 70…
thewelshbrummie
Yes, I really mean a starter for 70. Don’t worry, I’ll explain further in the 1st post of my project blog.
Firstly about me; I’m a student in Birmingham but was born and bred in Wales, hence the username. Thanks to being dyspraxic, I was computer literate before I was able to speak; I wasn’t able to string together decent sentences until I was 4 but was quite at home on my dad’s PC of 1986-vintage.
My main hobby is radio broadcasting, mainly with my student station in Birmingham. As such, I need a PC that’s nippy when encoding and with a big HDD; something that my current computer does. It also makes having something thta allows me to listen to FM radio using my computer; of that more below.
So onto my computer history, the recent details being fraught with many breakdowns and annoyances with the manufacturer, hence my decision to build my own.
The first computer of my own was an IBM business machine with Windows 3.11 and IBM-DOS, which I hated as I had to relearn the major commands I knew from MS-DOS (I will add that I had my own Amiga 500, of which more below as it’s relevant to my new-build). It was a rather basic machine; a 486 CPU at 66MHz, with 8 MB RAM and a 512MB HDD. In it’s final year, a 6.4GB HDD was added, (along with Windows 98 which in hindsight was a poor decision, but in fairness I was 13 at the time). This was split into four 1.51GB partitions as the 486 CPU couldn’t handle such a big HDD.
My second computer arrived in 1999, a P3 CPU clocked at 450MHz with 64MB RAM and an 8.2GB HDD. The aforementioned 6.4GB HDD was moved into my new base unit, but the partitions remained as I could never move all my files onto the one HDD in the 5 years I had it.
I would have had this computer longer if it wasn’t for being dyspraxic (adding a 2nd 64MB RAM chip made it far more stable after the registry was hammered, but it was still rather slow). Having started university, I was given my current machine (the student support people give computers to people with disabilities and while I’d argue that mine are minimal, I still couldn’t refuse a new computer!) along with my current 17″ TFT (I was using a 17″ CRT from 2000) but of this machine more below, as it’s been very problematic in 2007. The original spec as a P4 at 3GHZ, 512MB RAM, a GeForce 440MX and a 120GB HDD (with 100GB usable space). Actually I lie when I say it was free; even in May 2004 it was obvious that 256MB RAM wasn’t enough so I paid to double it, and a bit more for the TFT which I still use; so in total it cost a mere £200.
So why do I want to build my own; because the original P4 machine has caused me so many problems, especially this year. Less that a year after I had it the CD drive failed though was replaced under warranty with little hassle and at home, probably because I had ripped my entire CD collection using it.
However this year has been nothing but problematic. As I spend the holiday periods in Wales my base unit travels between home and Birmingham 3 times per year. Until January I had no problems with it, when all hell broke loose, caused my a USB power surge when I connected and used my scanner. Having had a frozen computer for 10 minutes, it seemed sensible to reboot it.
That was the last time that computer did anything.
It was refusing to BIOS POST, and was only spinning the HDD and DVD drives before stopping. Helpfully there was what I assume to have been a diagnostic PCI card installed, which I had never previously noticed. All that is had were 4 LEDs, all of which were lit (which is why I hadn’t noticed it).
Here is where the problems started, as the original repair didn’t make any difference and it failed to boot as before. It took 7 weeks from the original failure, and a threat of legal action (for inaction) to get a computer back (the problem their end was not having the exact same model of CPU which IMHO is ridiculous as they clearly had a similar one in stock (the 3.2GHZ rather than 3.0GHZ P4). I say “a computer” as it’s technically a different machine save for the HDD. New case, graphics (GeForce 5200FX), CPU (3.2GHZ P4 CPU) and a difference in the primary partitions (the original was split into 15GB and 85GB, it’s currently 30GB and 62GB).
The big problem is that the original repair included a reinstall of Windows due to poor booting speed (I had installed lots of software that I use along with games). However, this is where I lost trust in the manufacturers; they only duplicated the “My Documents” folder before wiping everything else on my computer, reformatting the HDD and partitions and then re-installing the OS (XP Home). Therefore I lost over 15GBs of data and my entire email database thanks to incompetence, rather than HDD failure. An angry phone call got nowhere and as such I’ve not trusted Microlink PC since.
So I had my new computer, but less than 8 weeks from having received it (and a return journey to Wales) the PSU failed; a rather obvious bit of troubleshooting when blue sparks appear from it! Another 3 weeks later, it was repaired and is pretty much the computer I now have.
However, I haven’t called this post “Starter for 70″ for nothing. Since the 3 year warranty expired in May, I’ve made some additions to the spec of mmy existing PC and it’s far more functional than before. However these additions will be used in my new-build, hence my mentioning them here.
As my room in Birmingham has its own aerial connection to the roof aerial, I wanted to make the most of it and build a computer that could be used as a media centre. I initially went for the Freecom USB dual-digital tuner thanks to the review in PC Pro and it’s recommended award, which worked well enough. However I was far too tempted by the Compro T750, so a visit to Scan in June made it mine.
Why that TV card? Partly because of the twin tuners, but it also has a useful FM receiver (which is an essential for me) and the remote is fantastic; having rewired the internals, the power switch is now connected directly to the TV card and I can now use the remote control to boot-up and shutdown my computer. Along with decent enough software and Media Centre compatibility with XP Media Centra and Vista, it was an essential buy (the Freecom isn’t Media Centre compatible and is therefore not needed).
You could argue that the FM part of the tuner is unecessary, as I invested in Griffin Technology’s original RadioSHARK (you can look at the current model here). Version 1 of the software allows recording of FM/AM radio in wma or wav (version 2 replaces wma recording with mp3, but it’s buggy and has failed to record about half of my scheduled recordings). It’s reliable with the original software but I don’t use the AM tuner, so the FM tuner on my TV card is better and can be controlled via the supplied remote control.
The 2nd purchase is perhaps frivolous but it will have uses in the future; my new £20 DVD-RAM SATA drive. It is much faster than the existing CD-RW/DVD reader that I still have.
The other 2 upgrades I’ve made were free thanks to chance. My flatmate upgraded his computer with 2GB of RAM, making his existing 512MB useless (as he has 2 RAM slots). Here’s where the replacement computer has favoured me somewhat; the current motherboard, unlike it’s predecessor, has 4 RAM slots rather than 2 and 2 SATA slots. My broken computer had the RAM split over 2 DIMMS so any upgrade would have meant losing the original DIMMs; however my current machine has a single 512MB DIMM and 3 spare slots. Luckly, my flatmates spare DIMM was PC3200 like mine, so I’ve been able to double my RAM for free.
The other free upgrade is a new HDD; my dad purchased the Custom PC Elite listed Samsung HDD (he doesn’t read the mag), making the elemental mistake of purchasing a SATA drive without checking any of the computers he uses. Typically, none of his computers have SATA slots. So I’ve now got a free 500GB HDD sitting inside my computer… how the broken PC I had in January has actually been of benefit, though it is still at the expense of 15GB of data (mainly game saves and my emails; tbh I’d still prefer to have that data to hand).
So onto the new-build. I’ve mentioned the upgrades I’ve made to my existing computer, as I intend on using the HDD, TV card and DVD-RAM drive in my new build and have therefore already spent £70 on it; there was little point in waiting!
So what am I after? Something very fast but at a reasonable price. I may overclock but I’d prefer a reliable and quiet PC that’s as fast as possible.
Do I have any limits? Not really. My target is not to spend much more than a grand, though I will if it’s necessary and I’m more than happy to spend up to £1,300 on a new base unit.
I say that as my TFT is still good; even though it’s beige, is VGA only, is 17″ and has a response time of 14ms, it’s more than good enough for me. I’m also holding out until 1080p TFTs drop in price drastically and ideally are smaller than 24″ screens. As for my speakers, they’re 7 years old, beige and box-like, but they’re still capable of pumping more than enough volume for my needs (to the point that I did a presentation using them and it more than filled the room). I am seriously tempted by a 2.1 JBL set, but from that it should be obvious that full surround sound isn’t what I’m after.
So the base unit; I’m still deciding on some components. But I have made some hard decisions.
Case; the black Antec P180, especially as ebuyer have it for £70 including P&P. It’s ideal for what I want; no flashy lights, no window and plenty of HDD storage options. It’s as close to perfect for my needs.
Memory & CPU; the problem at the time of writing as I’m intending on waiting for DDR3 and Penryn to become mainstream. Ideally I’ll be going for 1,333MHz RAM (I don;t want more than 2GB RAM at the moment as I’ll be using the 32bit Vista Ultimate as my OS) and a FSB matched CPU. Of the current options it would have to be the E6750 or E6850; quad-core can wait!
HDD; The Samsung drive is fantastic and unless terabyte drives drop in price (and platters) I’ll be buying 2 more (I don’t want to buy a HDD with 5 platters as I am trying to build a fairly quiet PC). The existing drive will be converted to backup my 250GB laptop and 250GB external drive, which I still need for my radio work (so I can transfer any mp3 I own).
OS; Windows Vista Ultimate 32bit. This is essential for my needs. DosBox makes all of my Dos games run perfectly (which my Win 98 machine couldn’t always manage, even with my autoexec.bat rewrites for the boot in dos mode). However Xp makes many of my games fail to run; patches and the compatibility mode have got most of them working, but there are still a few that don’t work. So I want to get everything working on a 32bit OS before I switch ti 64it.
I also mentioned my old Amiga 500 above. I still have it and over 400 floppy disks. This is a big side project as I’m intending on creating image files for the lot. I’ve already got Amiga Forever which works really well, so I just need to convert them. The same goes for my old Minidiscs, I’ll soon be ordering the final Hi-MD recorder Sony made as it does USB conversion of analog recordings (including those I made with my old band) and want to convert them all to mp3; ALL of my other music has already been converted.
Again, I’d prefer to do both on a 32bit OS that I know will work rather than try it on a 64bit OS and have more RAM (4GB seems excessive even now, regardless of the OS being 64bit or not).
So I’ve got plenty of shopping to do and plenty of work to do. If you’ve read all this way then thanks for doing so! I’ll be updating whenever I made a purchase or a major decision with my new-build and I hope you find it an interesting read from someone who has used computers for 20 of my 22 years but having never built my own.
btw I would create a reader blog on Custom PC if it wasn’t for already having my own general ramblings; they’re usually about radio (my other big hobby) and interesting things I’ve found/heard. Check it out here.