Mar 13, 8:17 am
For months now I have gone on and on about how my new computer is going to be so wonderful and oh how I can’t wait to play Oblivion on it and blah blah blah. But when asked how I liked my new computer I was forced to admit that, in fact, I didn’t have it yet. It was still “in development” and had suffered several “delays” in order to make “the best possible end product.”
Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the release date for my gaming toaster. Well, it was really a rolling release over the weekend, squeezed in between GRAW practices. We have a match against the IGN editors on Wednesday and don’t want to be caught with our pants down, so to speak.
So, between GRAW practices and trips to the city to replace my nose bling, I did what I’ve been talking about for ages. I built my new computer. Prepare for the equivalent of baby pictures.
Step 1: Buy stuff. I don’t hold with the notion of purchasing a full computer. I’m too snobby for that. I think that I’m the only person in the world who could possibly build my computer the way I want it. Based on the results, I’m very much in the right. Anyway, these are the guts of the machine. Pretty, eh?
Step 2: Put stuff together. This involved more work than a traditional PC, or even shuttle. Being the snobby nerd that I am, I didn’t want a normal shuttle case. It always bothers me that there’s a square hole in the middle of a nice case where an ugly cd-rom drive glares out at you. I wanted something truly awesome and unique and beautiful. Enter the cubit 5 by hoojum, a European boutique case that required me to purchase a normal shuttle barebones kit (motherboard, cooling solution, psu, and case) and then tear everything out of it, leaving a husk where once there was hope. Merciless, I know, and I took joy in it too.
I ended up going with an Intel 3.0GHz CPU. I’d like higher, but I got it for a good price and that’s enough to run Oblivion. I originally intended to go with AMD, but the reviews for the AMD motherboard that fit inside the cubit chassis were alarmingly unkind. Intel it was.
First, fasten the PSU and CD-ROM (DVD-R, actually… slot-loading for aesthetics!) to the top slot. Second, fasten the motherboard to the bottom slot and add the RAM (2 1GB matched sticks of pc3200. With only 2 RAM slots I have to make the most of them). Third, install the CPU and ridiculously huge fan. Fourth, crack open the wireless receiver for my Windows Media Center remote and screw the receiver board to its plate. Fifth, use the provided plates to fasten the two hard drives together (2 74GB 10K RPM SATA drives in RAID0. Say it with me, seeeeeexxxy). Sixth, drop the video card (ATI x800xt AIW) in the PCI-E slot. Seventh, shove everything together and connect the wires. Eighth, shove the whole thing into the case.
I’m pretty sure there was more to it than that because it took hours and that explanation makes it sound very simple. But it was very late so I’ll forgive myself.
Step 3: Install Windows. Twice. I bought Windows XP Media Center. This way I’ll be able to make the thing pull double duty and record The Daily Show for me when I’m not around to watch it. My OS disc got scratched and came up with an error trying to install Service Pack 2. I cancelled on accident, then breathed a sigh of relief as the install continued. As it turns out, that was not a wise course of action. After the install I didn’t have Internet Explorer or, unfortunately, any way to install new programs.
Oops! Time for my first re-install! A borrowed disc quickly set things right again and the install went off without a hitch. RAID0: check. Quick format: check. Windows: check.
Step 4: Get the network functioning. You’d think this would be very simple. Plug in a working CAT5 cable and it works, right? I guess not. After reinstalling LAN drivers a couple times with no results I tried the unthinkable: test another cable. A monster cable, to be precise. It works! Looks like my new baby is discerning about its cabling.
Step 5: Install Firefox. Nuff said.
Step 6: Show it off. I named it Samus, by the way.
Final Specs:
3.0GHz Intel processor
2 1GB pc3200 Corsair RAM matched sticks
2 74GB 10K RPM SATA hard drives in RAID 0
ATI x800xt All-in-Wonder video card
Windows XP Media Center Edition
codename Samus
Big <3 to everyone who helped me out with this.
- jinx
i wish i was half as good
