No, I haven't updated them too much either...
I'll eventually toss interesting stuff here. Maybe some how-to tutorials or some bitch'n tweaks...
...but for now you just get this drivle.
I'm starting to get re-occuring computer type questions in the last...oh...2 years. So, I decided to scrap all the oddles of stuff that were up here and just put up some stuff I may have moved beyond as being basic knowledge. Back to where I had started, as if to say.
(Not a review...just a look around)
Not cream of the crop these days. That shit's expensive, and utterly useless to me and my wallet. I've been a big whore in buying middle spec parts and trying to blow it up, and I've always found the middle stuff overperforming the top-teir items...up to a point. And then that snobby, rich boy part edges out the middle only due to some oddity that makes it so special in the first place (like Extreme CPU's and their ability to RAISE the multiplier). In the end, that's not worth an extra $750 of MY money. So I probably just sell it off in some rig where someone finds that attractive.
Not every machine needs a quad core, not every machine calls for 6G of DDR3, and not every machine exactly needs the best video card (dependant on screen, not what it can pump on someone else's screen!).
So, here's my machines, and basically what I run:.
Perhaps in 2000 or prior, computers were properly misunderstood and the build was a long series of trial and error. That's why buying a Tandy or Micron was such a lucritive option over building out of individual hand picked parts. I think it should STILL be thought of that way and just taken more seriously. It's more than just fitting parts where only they fit, and it's more than just calling it good once you log into your favorite OS.
So here's that list of how to build a computer:
Usage: What use to be everything I do on a daily basis, and would still recommend for those that do what I do. Mostly, it's just sitting there folding for the cure. She's still opened up most of the time as a test mule to answer for what I find average enthusiast questions or concerns in the P45/DDR2 arena..It still flies here and there for me in LoMAC and FS:X. However, she mostly holds the plug-in's for my Jackson Ax. It's somehow replaced my entire guitar rack, effects pedals, and tube head and 2x12 stack. Guitar Rig is that awesome (yet the stack needs warmed up and jammed when no one's around)
Motherboard:...........Asus Maximus II Formula (P45, DDR2, ICH10R)
CPU:......................Wolfdale E8400 (473SB, 9x = 4.25Ghz)
Memory:.................2x1G OCZ DDR2-1150 Reapers
Hard Drive:.............WD 6400AAKS
Power Supply:.........PCP&C Silencer 610
Video Card(s):.........VisionTek HD4850 [900421]
(Two, but running split, not Crossfire. I'm flying, not frag'n here)
Sound:.....................Creative X-Fi Platinum (I need the bay drive. But it crackles still)
Case:.......................Coolermaster Stacker (The original one, painted in Dupont too)
Optical:....................Samsung SH-S203B
Cooling:...................DD TDX CPU block
DD Maze5, Maze 4 GPU blocks. EnzoTech BGA sinks
Laing D5 steady state pump
1/2" Tygon tubing, JT&T sleeving (Fry's)
Chumade 29oz reservoir (stainless)
Usage: Everything I do on a daily basis. Cruise, race, build, trials, game, Rip and encode media, build game maps, AutoCAD09, burn media, watch movies, jam music, and still serve minor files and some media to the house. Everything I do, my main rig should do flawlessly.
Motherboard:.....Pampage II Extreme (X58)
CPU:.................Intel i7 940 (200Mhz x 22 = 4.4Ghz)
Memory:............3x2G OCZ DDR3-1600 (Intel i7 trip edition)
Hard Drive(s):....Two WD vRaptor WD3000GLFS
One WD 640AAKS
Power Supply: ...PC Power & Cooling Turbo Cool 860 (PPCT860)
Video Card(s): ...Two XFX GTX 260 Black Edition (Core 216)
Sound:...............Asus Xonar HDAV1.3 Deluxe
Case:.................Silverstone TJ09 (painted with DuPont Chromabase)
Optical:..............Samsung SH-S203N
Cooling:.............DD MC-TDX CPU block
DD-Tieton w/ Copper back plate
TFC X-Changer 240
Laing D5 Adjustable pump
5/8" (1/2" ID) Swagelok stainless tubing
Chumade 62oz reservoir (copper inside, nickle out)
Triple Pass Demin water (RO, DI, Distilled)
Usage: Pretty much what the others in the house need to do. Mostly a cruiser, common MP games (TF2, TW golf, some Madden), rip and burn media. No hard work here, just about average stuff.
MB:..............Asus P5Q-EM (mATX, G45, DDR2)
CPU:.............Intel E7300 (400FSB, 9.5x = 3.8Ghz)
Memory:.......2x1G OCZ DDR2-800 Plat R2
HDD:............WD 250G SE16 (AAKS)
Video Card:....VisionTek HD3870
Sound:...........Realtek ALC1200 (onboard)
Case:.............Silverstone SST-SG01-S (hey, I wanted black. I lost)
Cooling:.........OCZ CPU Block (OCZTHYDF)
DD-CPX Pro pump
DD (HW labs) M184 dual 92mm rad
3/8" Feser tubing (black)
MB............Asus P5Q-EM
CPU..........Intel E5200
Memory.....OCZ DDR2-800 Plat R2
HDD..........(2) WD Caviar GP 1TB WD10000LS
Optical.......Sony Blu-Ray BWU300S
Video Card...VisionTek HD3650 AIW (900245)
Sound.........Asus Xonar DX2
Case............Lian Li PC-C37B
Running Vista is mandatory for an HTPC, nut buts about it.
I mostly worry about how I'm setting up my hard drives, as this is really crucial to how you'll use the computer in the long run, along with how well it performs. You can have the best setup in the world and have it hindered by a poor thought process in this very initial step. If you feel you're fast, you could more than likely be much faster by setting up your discs non-typically.
My first drive must be fast, but small. Anything bigger than 150G is really a waste IMO, and that's due souly with how I'm layed out. The only thing I want on this drive is Windows and My Documents. Windows and Temp seem to take no more than 6G, and on a single user PC the D&S folder shouldn't grow much larger than that either. So given that, really a fast 64-75G drive would be just fine. Since writes to these folders aren't a huge concern, a fast reading 64G SSD would be optimal IMO. The next drive is usually a fatter array of drives, in which I seem to always have a rack of WD Raptors. Also, usually no less than 4 up until this last 300G version where I only utilize two...they're fast enough already.
I will also not partition a drive into subsections. If an array is 600G, I leave it as 600G...basically. I mention "Basically", because I DO put a 50G section at the end just for media scratch space. I rip media to there, use it as program temp files, and all the actions that will quickly frag up a hard drive. It can mess up this section all it wants, and that's the drive I de-frag the most. In this relatively small partition, I use larger file allocation size (32K or 64K) than normal since it handles larger files, like DVD/BluRay iso's.
Now the install process, which should be kept short and simple.
-Only build up the computer up to the Motherboard, CPU, Video Card, and memory. Get it to POST and set up the BIOS correctly yet basically (don't get fancy pants yet) before moving to the next part. Too many problems pop up later that can be solved now. And if you plan to water cool, save that crap for later. Just put the stock HS/F on for now.
-Now install the HDD and Optical drive, set those up in the BIOS as well, and have your motherboard driver disk or CD-R with the latest drivers on it; I prefer the later. Put the Windows CD/DVD in the drive, start the install, but have your finger ready to press F6 to install 3rd party drivers. Once pressed, install your Chipset drivers. Next, install your RAID controller drivers. Then continue with the install.
-Near the end of the install is a screen for the regional settings. I think it's the first actual step you have to take part in. Go ahead and disable the alternate language items and advanced text services. If not, you may randomly get a language toolbar on your taskbar. I have no idea who uses that but folks who don't type with standard keyboards and characters. Germans, Russians, and Chines I suppose...dunno. But it's annoying to get rid off all the time.
-At this point, you then have a new Windows install, hopefully with at least the latest service pack (Streamlined install disk tutorial forthcoming). Set the Admin account up, then immediately make an account for you with no password. When you reboot the admin account will no longer appear on the log-on page, and you won't get sick of entering a password with all the reboots about to occur. Install all your drivers, go online and get/install the latest drivers (if you don't have a CD-R with them already), and skip installing programs until later. Once you're done with this entire install, put a strong password on your account.
-My Documents, specifically Documents and Settings, is still on the default C:\ location. That sucks. Move all that to the larger set of drives by following this Tech Recipe. If that disappears, I'll make a write up here on this page. Anyway, now you won't hog %root% with movies and such.
-Program Files is also on %root%. While some will claim these should also be moved to another drive, I've NEVER found that to be of any worth. It also makes no sense to me to have 3 seperate hard drives to just run Windows. At this point, we're already complicated things enough. When you install programs, the installer automatically defaults to this location and you can just click through the process. If you move it, you're doomed to forever browse to the new location (unlike the movement of My Documents mentioned above). Just leave it there for simplicity's sake. On my fully matured install of windows, my Program Files folder is never larger than 15G.
*I feel speed is gained from using the program from one drive and the edited file on another. If gain is seen from moving Program Files away from %root%, then I can only assume that claim is due to My Documents still residing on %root%. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Just keep them seperated, and the most user friendly in actual usage in the lifespan of the install...is moving My Documents, NOT the program files..
Now, if for no other reason but for my own reference, here's a list of stuff I do inside WinXP Pro as soon as I have it installed/reinstalled on a new computer:
First, let's work in Regedit (Start -> Run -> Regedit):
-Ditch that really freaking stupid dog from search, and go back to the very simple Win2000 style search page.
1) HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CabinetState
2) Right click in the right pane -> Select "New String Value"
3) Name it "Use Search Asst"
4) Double Click on it and enter "no" into it's variable.
5) The dog is dead, yet not actually dead. Not exactly Schroeder's Cat, so we'll call it Gate's Dog.
Automatically kill tasks on shutdown. WinXP will ask you if you wish to end a process if it's running during a shutdown. Duh, right? You want to shut down, and obviously not continue to run...because that's what you just told it to do.
1) HKEY\Current User\Control Panel\Desktop
2) In the right pane, double click "AutoEndTasks" and change the value to 1
Now the simple stuff in the windows shell:
-Get some of that hard drive back! Restore and Recycle Bin takes up far too much space. 15% use to mean a gig, but now it can easily mean 150G, and you just don't need that kind of space used.
1) Windows Key + Pause/Break. This is the shortcut to System Properties.
2) Select the System Restore tab, click the C:\ drive, Settings, and slide that sucker down to 1%. This is enough space to hold a month's worth of restrore points. If you've been hosed for over a month, you're screwed...in more ways than one. I also disable restore on all other drives. Restore doesn't change files, so it's useless except on the Windows drive.
3) For the Recycle Bin, just right click on the trash can and enter it's properties.