Hmm…upgrades…
I recently started playing FFXI again, which caused my old and busted laptop (Sony VGN-N320E) to get all cranky about it. So, I ended up throwing together a new computer. Behold!
CPU: AMD Althon™ 64 X2Dual Core 6000+ (3.00GHz)
Mobo: Biostar MCP6P-M2
RAM: 4GB Crucial DDR2 PC6400
Video: EVGA GeForce 9400GT (1GB) (2 DVI out, 1 TV out)
HDD: Western Digital 80GB SATA II (7200RPM)
Case: ChenMing Micro-ATX cube w 300W power supply
Optical: LiteOn CD-RW/DVD-ROM
Monitor: Lenovo L195W 19″ LCD
OS: Windows Vista Home Premium
About the only thing it’s missing is a media reader, which may be in the first batch of updates. The video card can access 1GB of system memory, giving it 2GB total to play with. Windows Vista Home Premium sees all 4GB of memory, so it’s not exactly squished for space. The system is not designed as a long term storage vessel, merely the speed demon to handle the heavy lifting. I’ve got a 500GB RAID 1 NAS handling the storage problem, which may go to 1TB soon. The computer is a compromise, as my self-prescribed budget for everything was $800, because that was the “I could buy this same computer for the same price and get a free printer” point, so I wanted to see if I could do it.
I want to color calibrate the LCD at some point. Yes, I know, LCDs are not the most ideal medium to view “true to life” color accurate items, but since I work primarily in digital mediums, and I’m not a highly paid graphic artist, so this is an acceptable level of accuracy. And mine does a pretty darned good job as is, I’m just curious to see how “off” it is.
What would you change/upgrade if you could? Let’s be reasonable: realistic upgrades, not “If you had $500 to spend on this one part, do it!”. No pictures because it’s just a computer. Seriously. It doesn’t glow or blink or anything. It just does stuff. And no, “You’re not getting the most out of that computer with windows, run linux, n00b” is not a reasonable suggestion.
