Mikie's Blog

Saturday 15th April 2007

What's this? Another post on Mikie's Blog...I thought it was finished.

After setting up Black-Ice, I wanted to 'tweak' Blue-Ice to run as efficiently as Bryan's PC. I also wanted to install a trial version of Vista. However, I kept being thwarted at every turn. I installed some Raid drivers because Vista would not install due to the absence of these divers (supposedly) but it did not work and Blue-Ice slowed to a crawl...then the BSOD's started.

"Enough!" I cried and promptly re-installed Windows XP - essentially starting from scratch, but I did not re-format my hard drive since I had a lot of data on there that I wanted to keep. So I have 2 versions of XP on my primary partition (a menu pops up on booting and asks me if I want to run Windows XP or...errr...Windows XP. Obviously I choose Windows XP and up pops the Tellytubbies green hill. Hurrah. 60 seconds to boot as opposed to seven minutes. I looked at the relevant sizes of the Windows folders - 1.2Gb as opposed to 7.4Gb. I can clear up some hard drive space when I delete the old Windows.

Now all I have to do is to re-install all of my applications. As always, with a new install, I intend to make everything run better than they did in the past.

The next obvious thing to try was to install Vista. I did this from within XP and previously could not get beyond the screen where you choose the Hard disk volume to install Vista on. This time - no problem - I could choose from each of my 3 Hard Disk Partitions. I always intended to put Vista on E-Drive so I chose that and sat back to wait.

Vista only took about 15 minutes to install on Black-Ice so I would not have to wait for long....

45 minutes later and Vista was ready. Great...why does my mouse not work????

Luckily, I kept my old mouse and that works O.K. Interesting concept - New Operating System, Old Mouse.

One more thing to try - Vista gives each machine an internal rating based on the Hardware it finds.

Black-Ice scored 5.0 out of a possible 5.9.

Blue-Ice scored 3.5 out of 5.9.

Wednesday 4th April 2007 (B-Day Plus 2 days and started counting again)

Back to Blue-Ice after a most successful installation of Black-Ice at Bryan's abode. Everything went swimmingly, after we fixed a glitch concerning Broadband which was due to a rogue telephone socket mysteriously appearing in the lounge. This caused initial fluctuations in the Broadband signal which only stabilised after we took advantage of the fortuitous purchase of a twin-socket Micro Filter and re-employed the seemingly redundant telephone extension lead from upstairs to the living room. The only other hiccup encountered was the hi-jacking of the Audio subsystem by a USB peripheral which was switched to the correct Motherboard HD audio, emitting clear and loud sounds from Bryan's twin speaker set-up.

Exactly two calendar months after first being requested by Bryan to design and build a new PC for him, the project has reached a successful conclusion. I wonder why it is that I have a nagging thought at the back of my mind that Blue-Ice would run so much better if I just reformatted the hard disk, re-installed Windows XP from scratch, then added the applications and tweaked them to death. I could also install a trial version of Vista on the second partition of my hard drive.

Oh well, it is the Easter holidays and I now have some time on my hands...or I could just immerse myself in The Shivering Isles.

Monday 2nd April 2007 (B-Day Minus 0 days and stopped counting...) (Happy B-Day to all our readers) (Is it just me, or does "Happy B-Day" sound like a contented piece of bathroom furniture?)

O.K. A few, final, comments, then Black-Ice will be packed up and transported to Bryan's House.

Now that Windows is all set up I thought it would be useful to see how much Hard Disk space is left to fill.

On Windows XP the 195Gb Drive has 145Gb left, so I managed to fill 50Gb. Not bad!

On Windows Vista the 177Gb Drive has 164Gb left, so I managed to fill 13Gb. Room for improvement there!

So, in total, Bryan, you have about 309Gb to fill with your stuff. Should be enough for a month or two.

I have just checked the counter on this Blog and it's up to 101 views. (50 from me and 51 from Bryan).

Thank-you to all our listeners and it's Goodnight from me, and Goodnight from him.

Sunday 1st April 2007 (B-Day Minus 1 day and counting...) (Happy April Fools Day to all our readers)

Bad news Bryan, Black-Ice has just been transported to the Moon. I suspect the Judoon.

April Fool.

Everyone's doing it - even the BBC Web site is affected.

I'm so glad that this Blog has coincided with April Fools Day. The possibilities are endless...

Saturday 31st March 2007 (B-Day Minus 2 days and counting...) (Happy New Doctor Who Day to all our readers)

Getting close now.

It is Bryan's wish to get the counter on this Blog up into three figures. It was on 90 when I last looked so 100 should just about be achievable in the time remaining.

Friday 30th March 2007 (B-Day Minus 3 days and counting...)

I am stress testing Black-Ice today, since it has been running so well, recently. Indeed it was only when Blue-Ice crashed today, that I realised that Black-Ice has not crashed Windows (neither XP nor Vista) from Day One.

During stress testing the temps are 'peaking' at around 40 degrees, so there is nothing to worry about there.

I use a little program called "Prime 95" which ties the CPU up in repeatedly computing Prime Numbers for several hours!!!

Thursday 29th March 2007 (B-Day Minus 4 days and counting...)

Q. What comes after Black-Ice?

A. Shivering Isles.

Explanation - What will Mikie do when Black-Ice has been handed over to it's rightful owner? (Aside from providing Tech Support via Skype)

Time to get colder by entering the Shivering Isles - yes, the first official expansion to "Oblivion" is out now and will be on a hard drive near me, soon...

Wednesday 28th March 2007 (B-Day Minus 5 days and counting...)

Here's a picture of Black-Ice.

Ha! Ha! Only joking.

Vista set-up is going well - It's very nice to look at.

Bryan, you will be glad to know that the Vista rating for Black-Ice is 5.0 points out of 5.9 so that is pretty good.

Tuesday 27th March 2007 (B-Day Minus 6 days and counting...)

I have decided to designate Monday 2nd April 2007 as "B Day".

Why?

Because - Bryan Day

- Black-Ice Day

- Broadband Day

etc.etc.

Sunday 25th March 2007 (Happy Clocks-go-forward Day)

What time is it? Arghhh!!!

Easy Tune 5 does not work - who needs overclocking anyway? I have been reading some bad press about Overclocking and seeing as Black-Ice has been perfectly stable for a while now I am not sure I want to introduce some unstability into the system. I will put overclocking on the back burner for now - I can always come back to it later.

I will spend the time more productively tweaking Windows (XP and Vista).

I have been neglecting Vista for a while now but I plan to give it my full attention next week.

Saturday 24th March 2007

Overclocking Today, by Mikie Scott.

Overclocking can be very techie. i.e. you have to get your hands dirty by delving into the Bios and amending Memory Clock Timings and the CPU front side bus etc. etc.

Or you can do it the easy way and install the "Easy Tune 5" application which came on the Gigabyte Motherboard CD, I wonder which option I will choose?

The original CPU speed is 1866MHz.

For starters, we will attempt a 10% increase.

Friday 23rd March 2007

With the time rapidly approaching when I will hand Black-Ice over to Bryan I have devoted this week to the Windows XP half of the Hard Disk and next week is scheduled for the Vista half. Tweaks and installs have been the order of the day, as well as adding content to the storage space. The nature of this content will remain a mystery, for now.

Thursday 22nd March 2007

The last of Bryan's PC components arrived today - a Skype Phone (£10 from SVP). "What?", enquires Bryan, "Are you telling me that this did not come from Scan?".

No, Bryan - your mouse mat came from Scan but your Skype Phone is from SVP, and another thing - It's not black...

Sunday 18th March 2007 (Happy Mother's Day Mum!)

Time for Vista.

The reason I have split your Hard Drive into 2 partitions, Bryan is to "Dual Boot" Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Your 400Gb has been divided into two roughly equal sizes of 200Gb each.

When Black-Ice is switched on you can choose to boot into either Windows XP or Vista. This gives you the chance to try out Vista but with dependable old XP to fall back on if you need it.

All (!?!) I have to do now is to re-install everything with Vista drivers (I hope I can find Vista Drivers!)

Saturday 17th March 2007

Problems, problems, problems. Although this Blog is about Black-Ice I thought I would detail my trials and tribulations with Blue-Ice to give you an insight into ... "What to do when PCs go bad".

Blue-Ice boots into windows - Crash.

Hmmmm... Try again - Crash

Right - Hit F8, on boot, to enter "Safe-mode".

Windows boots.

Look to see what was installed last. Oh it's Windows Update. Uninstall Windows update. Reboot - Crash.

Press F8 for Safe Mode again and tell PC not to reboot on crashing.

Reboot - Crash. Ahhh, but this time we get the infamous BSOD (Blue Screen of Death).

This tells me that Windows has a problem with file "lzx32.sys" in System32.

O.K. Go to Black-Ice, copy file lzx32.dll to floppy disk. Go to Blue-Ice boot into Safe Mode and copy file from floppy. Paste into Windows/System32 floder - "Windows can't overwrite this file as it is already in use". Damn!!!

O.K. How to repair Windows when it is refusing to be repaired?

Insert Windows install disk and boot from CD.

After about 50 minutes, Windows has virtually re-installed.

Boot into Windows - Success. Yippee!

Now I can write yesterday's Blog...

Friday 16th March 2007 (Happy Red Nose Day - 10p goes to charity for every reader of this Blog)

Wow. Everything is going swimmingly with Black-Ice, but I have had some major problems with

Blue-Ice. However, that is in the future as I'm typing this in the past (or vice-versa), since it's Saturday now but I want to tell you what happened on Friday...(Benchmark Day).

I wanted to lay down some benchmarks, since Black-Ice is stable now, but remember, I have not even begun to overclock it. I installed 3DMark 06 on both Black-Ice and Blue-Ice.

Here are the results:

Blue-Ice

Resolution = 1280 x 768

3D Marks = 596

SM2 = 288

HDR = N/A

CPU = 600

Black-Ice

Resolution = 1280 x 1024

3D Marks = 4736

SM2 = 1838

HDR = 2056

CPU = 1642

Notce how some results are in the hundreds and some are in the thousands!!!

Even at a higher resolution Black-Ice blows Blue-Ice out of the water. Without overclocking, it is about 8 (4736 / 596 = 7.946 actually) times faster!!!

There is no score for HDR on Blue-Ice because the graphics card is not capable of handling High Dynamic Range Lighting, however, Black-Ice has no problems.

I will refer back to these scores when Black-Ice has been overclocked.

Monday 12th March 2007

O.K. Bryan - The Big One - Connecting to the Tinternet...

Virus Checker is installed, Windows XP Firewall is on, insert US Robotics USB Wireless Adapter CD and install the software. I connect the USB adapter when requested and it immediately picks up a signal from my router. I inform the router of Black-Ice's MAC address and we are in business - Time to update Windows. In the background, Avast has already updated it's database - the Virus Checker is now up to date.

Connect to the Microsoft Website and search for updates to Windows XP.

While that is going on there is this Blog I have heard about and I must read it. I am visitor number 55.

Sunday 11th March 2007

I installed some applications yesterday, but not much to write home about, hence no blog post.

Today, I have been testing the CD writing capabilities of Black-Ice - no problems encountered.

I am now going to talk about Viruses. At the moment Black-Ice is not connected to the Internet. This is a deliberate policy on my behalf due to the dangerous nature of the World Wide Web. An unprotected PC can be made unoperable after a relatively short time connected to the internet. The solution is to add protection in the form of a Virus checker. There are some Virus checkers included on the Motherboard CD (Norton and Kapersky) but I have not installed them because they are 2006 versions. Also, all Virus checkers need to be updated regularly and what happens when the licence to the 'free' motherboard CD versions runs out? That's right, you have to pay for an upgrade. This can easily be avoided by installing a free Virus checker which is constantly updated but does not cost a penny. One such program is by Avast - it is the Virus Checker of choice for Blue-Ice and so it stands to reason that I am going to install this on Black-Ice. However, there is a slight problem. Although Avast is free you must register by providing a valid e-mail address. E-mail is not set up yet and Bryan is going to switch to Broadband in the near future but that will not help now. The solution is simple - I can set up a temporary e-mail account for Bryan using my Broadband provider (I am allowed up to something like 20 e-mail users) and once I have the reply e-mail from Avast I can type the Activation code into Avast on Black-Ice and the Virus checker will be activated.

Friday 9th March 2007

Bryan, I have to say, Black-Ice is blisteringly fast. It has gobbled up everything I have thrown at it so far - the 4 CD's mentioned yesterday, Office, PowerDVD.

I have an idea to do some comparative tests with Blue-Ice, i.e. install the same software on both machines and run some timing tests. In computer jargon this is called "benchmarking". More to come.

Up to now, I have been very impressed with the graphical side of Black-Ice, but I have hardly heard a "peep" from it. PowerDVD gave me the idea of trying a DVD movie, but which one?

Tonight, Bryan, the movie I have decided to watch is.........................(long pause)...................................The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

O.K. stick disc in and sit back.

Choose to play DVD Movie with PowerDVD, and....

No sound. Check connections - they are O.K.

Look in Control Panel at Sounds and Audio Devices - No Audio Device. Yes, that could be the problem.

I put the Motherboard CD back in and choose to install the Audio Drivers (originally I chose to install a batch of files from this CD but the Audio must not have completed properly). Black-Ice informs me that I must install Microsoft Bus Drivers first. O.K. so I will install the Bus drivers (this is surreal). Once complete, I have to reboot and I know it has worked because I can hear the Windows Shut-Down tune. I make sure everything else that should be installed has been installed then it's back to.....Oh no! With all this messing about there's no time left to watch the film. (Yeah, like I had like 3 hours anyway - NOT).

Thursday 8th March 2007

I don't have as much time during the week, so things have slowed down a bit, but Black-Ice is really flying. After taking 50 mins to format the Hard Drive Windows XP installed in around 15 mins and the start-up and shut-down times are really quick.

Time for the Driver Installs now - I have 4 CD's to load, in this order...

1. Gigabyte Motherboard Drivers

2. Sapphire Radeon Graphics Card Drivers

3. Samsung DVD Writer Drivers and Software

4. Logitech Mouse and Keyboard Drivers (although both are working fine already).

Wow - up to now the graphics have been relatively low-res but you should see the silky, glossy images from the Graphics Card CD - I think Bryan is going to like his Monitor.

Tuesday 6th March 2007

Well, that was frustrating - ever since the last post I have been in Catch 22 land. I fixed the Floppy Drive problem but even with the required drivers on a floppy disk I could not get Windows (XP AND Vista) to find a Hard Drive to install on. Eventually I figured it must be a Hardware problem (I suspected a loose lead) and sure enough, when I took the Hard Drive out I found the culprit - a loose SATA connection. Now, as I type this, Black-Ice is partioning the Hard Disk, ready to install Windows XP. This PC building lark is a bit like detective work. You have to work what is going wrong and why. Fortunately I haven't been stumped so far.

I have decided to split the Hard Disk into 2 partitions of approx 200 Gb each. The reason for this will become clear in the fullness of time - Trust Me, I'm a Designer.

Sunday 4th March 2007 (P.M.) (Post the hilarious Top gear)

Here's the Catch 22. To install windows you need to format the Hard Drive. You can format the Hard Drive from within Windows but Windows will not install because the Hard Drive is not formatted.

The way around this is to boot the PC from the Windows Install CD which will allow you to format the Hard Drive as part of the install process. However, you need some drivers which are on a Floppy Disk. This is the sole reason I suggested the purchase of a £4.00 Floppy Drive.

So, I started to install from the Windows CD and was asked to insert a Floppy Disk. I put the disk in the drive and was asked to insert a Floppy Disk. Oh Dear! Check the Floppy Disk on Blue-Ice - it's fine. Put it in Black-Ice - Please insert the Floppy Disk.

It was at this point that I noticed the Floppy Drive light was on all the time. Most modern hardware is designed so that cables, leads etc. can only be inserted one way round to avoid errors, but not Floppy Drives. I noticed that the data cable could be inserted either way. I wonder what happens if I change it round...

Success, a working Floppy.

Time for bed, said Zebbedee.

Sunday 4th March 2007 (A.M.)

Guess what? It's nearly ready. You didn't miss much, I have installed the Optical (DVD) drive, Floppy Drive, Hard Disk and Graphics Card - all very straightforward.

I just need to connect power cables to everything internally, then connect a mouse, keyboard and monitor externally - ready for the big switch-on.

The big question is - will it POST?

What's that, Bryan? You don't understand the question?

POST stands for Power On Self Test. All PC's emit a number of beeps when you switch them on and they all mean something. Since we have not formatted the Hard Drive or installed an Operating System (Windows) the first way to test Black-Ice is to check if it POSTs correctly.

Better get those power leads connected then.

Right, that took a while. I had to move the DVD drive from the top bay to the bottom because it shares power with the floppy and the Audio lead was also not long enough.

Wow, just turned it on and got.....nothing - totally dead.

O.K. Check power.

Cable to PSU - yes, light is on.

Must be internal - I suspect the switch leads from the front of the case as this is how you turn the PC on.

Whoops!!!! I have found the culprit. I mixed up the Power Switch and Power LED leads. Once I had inserted these correctly Black-Ice sprang to life. Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

Fans are working, Chip Cooler is working, Monitor and Graphics Card are working. RAM is working. The side of the case is off but it is still quite quiet and the front meter shows a temperature of about 35 degrees C in the case. This is good. I can adjust the case fans speed (they are set to slowest speed to start with). Yes, that works fine, even at full speed they aren't noisy at all.

I have left it switched on for about 10 minutes, the temp has increased slightly but nothing to worry about.

The monitor is displaying the following message:-

DISK BOOT FAILURE, INSERT SYSTEM DISK AND PRESS ENTER.

This tells you what to do next - Format the Hard Disk and install an Operating System.

Time for coffee.

Saturday 3rd March 2007 (P.M.)

Ahhh. That was a long coffee.

Time to drop the processor into the socket on the motherboard using the ZIF (Zero Insertion Force) lever. That was easy, now for the Cooler.

It's a Cooler Master Hyper TX Intel, so it's the right type of cooler for an Intel chip, but which way round does it go? I have 4 options - NESW (Never Eat Shredded Wheat). I think the fan pulls air in, passes it over the cooling metal fins and expels it out the back so I will position it with the fan towards the front of the PC case and the exhaust at the back. It goes in easy.

Thanks for the memory. Yes, next up is RAM - 2 Gigs worth. The Corsair menory modules come with heat spreaders already mounted and what colour are they? Yes, Bryan, they're Black. I did not know this when I ordered them - serendipity. 2 chips, 4 banks. I decide to populate the yellow banks, leaving red for future expansion (up to a total of 8Gb) because the reds will be easier to access inside the case. (You may thank me for it one day, Bryan).

Wow, we're really zooming along now. Time to screw the motherboard onto its tray using the 7 stand-offs, then put the tray back inside the case.

O.K. that's done, the motherboard is in the case and the side is on.

Now to make all of the connections. This is where you hope the Case maker and the Motherboard maker are both singing from the same hymn sheet.

No, that wasn't easy. HDD LED, Reset Switch and Power + and - have been connected. Fingers crossed - time for tea.

Saturday 3rd March 2007 (A.M.)

Good morning readers. Don't worry, you haven't missed much - I have put the black front bezel on the DVD drive. It was a bit 'hairy' but I managed to do it.

What's next to do?

How about fitting the Power Supply?

I must say, Bryan, when I ordered the PSU I made sure it was Black. However it is not just Black! It's a superb metallic black colour and looks fantastic. Good job your case has a side window to see all these lovely components.

The other thing to say is that this PSU is 'modular'. That means you only need to connect the cables you require as opposed to other PSU's which have a 'spaghetti junction' of wires spewing out of them. Modular = neat and tidy. This is good since it helps air flow around the case which, in turn, helps to keep everything cool. Excessive heat can cause PC's to crash so it is to be avoided. The other good thing is that you get a free lunchbox to keep any spare cables in so they won't get lost (and there should still be room for your sandwiches, Bryan).

Right, 6 connectors, 2 are pre-determined but the other 4 are standard 'Molex' which power most peripherals. Here's where the choices start. There are also long leads and short leads. A good cable management system is essential but I can always make a stab at it to get the PC working, then 'tweak' the cable routing later. I will use all six connectors.

O.K. PSU is in the case - it's a nice snug fit - I am glad I put the cables on first!

Next - the back panel i/o template. All cases come with a generic one which must be removed and replaced with the one provided in the Motherboard box. Oh it's colour coded - I didn't expect that.

Slight worry there - the generic panel screws out but the Gigabyte metherboard panel clips in. It seems to work O.K. though.

Now for the standoffs. No it's not an arbitration dispute the motherboard 'stands off' the case to avoid short circuits. The case has a convenient Motherboard tray which can be removed to allow fitting of the Motherboard and a few components more easily than within the confines of the case. This is good. Better get it out.

That was easy. I have 7 standoff mounts and 6 holes on the motherboard align with six holes on the motherboard tray - but I want 7 - time to dig out the Dremmell. It's drilling time!

All done - 7 holes, 7 standoffs. Time for coffee.

Friday 2nd March 2007 - WOW!

No text message on my mobile yesterday, so I wasn't expecting much but after speaking to Bryan on the phone, I checked the Scan website where you can track a parcel order using the invoice number and found that all of the items had been dispatched. This meant I would be receiving 3 parcels tomorrow. (well, today actually, since I am writing this Blog on Friday).

Sure enough three parcels were waiting when I got home from work (2 big parcels - monitor and case and a smaller parcel with chip, graphics card, DVD and Floppy). The first thing I did was to check that all of the correct components had been sent.

Good news - everything is in order.

Next I took the Asus 19" Widescreen Monitor out of the box and... Wow! It's impressive.

The case is next out of the box and... Wow! It's impressive.

Bryan - I can honestly say your new PC looks fantastic - and I haven't even started to build it yet.

The other parts are a Black Floppy drive, a Samsung Super Writemaster Dual Layer DVD drive, a Sapphire Radeon XT1950 Pro Graphics Card and the ubiquitous chip - an Intel Core 2 Duo E6300.

Now the fun part starts - putting it all together. ( I hope it all fits and I hope all of the components work). Keep reading this Blog to find out.

One slight problem is that the Monitor's power lead is for a USA socket - i.e. a 2-pin plug. I will have a look in my bag of spare leads to see what I've got. Oh look - a U.K. 3-pin plug monitor power lead - and it's black (Perfect).

What is the first thing to do? - Yes, Bryan, that's right (how did you know?) - put the feet on the case.

Now the case does not come with a manual because you are supposed to download it from the Website. Fortunately I did this ages ago, so I will just print it out now.

~~ Interlude ~~ PLEASE AMUSE YOURSELF FOR A FEW MOMENTS.

What? Back so early? Well, fortunately for you the printing is complete - thank-you for your patience. The manual is 7 A4 size full-colour pages.

One of the criticisms that I read in reviews of this case was that a bag of parts (screws etc.) was rattlling around inside the case when delivered. Well, the manufacturer's have corrected this and the bag is taped inside the case so it can't move around in transit causing damage.

To get at the feet inside I will have to open the case - this means removing the 'Thumbscrews'. Bryan - did you know that your new PC will be endowed with Ancient Torture items?

O.K. Feet are on (Black-Ice has landed). It took longer to type this than to put the feet on.

Let us look at the chip - ever since reading about them around November last year I have wanted an Intel Core 2 Duo processor. Oh look - a big huge fan that we don't need and a tiny piece of silicon which we do. Did you know that it's got a three-year warranty? I didn't.

I do hope Bryan has somewhere to keep all of these boxes.

Next up - the Graphics Card. Last March, when Oblivion came out, the hardware everyone 'drooled' over was a Radeon X1900, but at a price. Now, less than a year later, Bryan has the next model up (1950 is better than 1900) for not much more than £120.00.

You get an awful lot of leads with it. Out of it's box and its a thing of beauty - Sapphire Blue (Manufacturer = Sapphire). I hope you will be able to see it through the big window in the side of Bryan's case.

Finally, the DVD drive. ("What about the Floppy?" Bryan asks. There is not much to say about a Black Floppy drive - so I won't).

Back to the DVD - it is beige. Oh no! I did not want Bryan's PC to be 'boring beige'. Just as well then, that it comes with a further two interchangeable front bezels and one of them is black (the other is silver for completeist readers of this Blog). Included on the installation CD is a copy of "Nero Burning Rom". This is good because this DVD drive can write CDText to Audio CD's and Nero is the software needed to do this. This will allow Bryan to create Audio Cd's and the song title text will appear on some Hi-fi systems. Great. Super.

Thursday 1st March 2007

SEVERE WEATHER WARNING!!!

BLACK-ICE is coming....

Yes, Bryan, your PC has a name and its...

"Black-Ice".

Easy really - I always fashion my PC's out of huge blocks of ice. My PC is called "Blue-Ice", consequently, yours is going to be called "Black-Ice".

Tuesday 27th Feb 2007

I started this blog to chart the progress of Bryan's PC and its agood job I did - there's never a dull moment.

Today I took possession of 2 Gb of RAM chips, a Logitech Wireless Keyboard and Mouse and a US Robotics 54G Wireless USB Adapter.

"Hang on." (I can hear Bryan saying) "Didn't you order a US Robotics 54G Wireless PCI Adapter? What have they sent you a USB one for?"

Yes, Bryan, you are right - Scan are great and much better than that mob in Manchester but it appears they have their USB's mixed up with their PCI's. I have informed them of the mix-up although, to be honest, it doesn't make much difference.

Basically, USB (which they have sent) will be external to your PC whereas PCI would be internal.

Read this blog to find out what happens next.

On the good news front I have my fingers and toes crossed for the final six items to be delivered on Friday so that I can start building over the weekend. You never know - although you will if you keep reading.

Monday 26th Feb 2007 (Yes, I know I haven't posted for a while - typical blogger eh?):

The best laid plans and all that...

It seems that Aria have had some problems after trying to upgrade their Customer Ordering Computer System. Oh Dear! The upshot of this is I have cancelled the order with them and am currently trying to re-order everything from Scan. Apparently the graphic card had gone out of stock even though they had plenty when I ordered it. They did not communicate this to me so I heard nothing from them for 12 days. When I did eventually get an e-mail I had already decided to cancel with Aria and re-order from Scan.

The good news - I can actually save £10.00 doing this.

The bad news - I had to choose 9 months interest free finance to allow time for Aria to refund a big wad of cash and this will cost an extra £25.00.

However, looking on the bright side, the end of component ordering is in sight and I can actually get around to building this rig.

Another piece of good news is that Scan have now got Black cases in stock. I always wanted a black case from the beginning so the whole rig will be colour co-ordinated.

Hmm - must think up a name for Bryan's PC. Any thoughts, Bryan?

Thursday 22nd Feb 2007 (Sorry about yesterday's joke - I could not resist it. Just be thankfull that Groundhog Day has been and gone as I would just keep repeating yesterday's post:

I have ordered the last few components after speaking to Bryan on the phone today. The good news is that the RAM price has gone down £5.00 and is even more of a bargain at £133.94. This also means that officially the dearest item is the Monitor - as I said earlier "...as it should be".

In a remarkable U-Turn I have decided to (possibly) post pictures on this Blog to show Bryan what he is getting but I wll not reveal the Case.

Speaking of the case, Bryan asked a weird question today - namely "Is the top of the case Flat?". I told him the truthful answer - "Yes", but what I did not tell him was to beware of the chimney. It appears that Bryan wants to stand some miniature figures on top of his PC case. Well, that's all right, as long as they keep away from THE BLOW HOLE. Ho! Ho! Now Bryan is intrigued.

Wednesday 21st Feb 2007 (I'm going to give up Blogging for Lent):

Tuesday 20th Feb 2007 (Happy pancake eating to all our readers):

A big box arrived through the post today. It contained a Motherboard, Cooler, Power Supply and Hard Drive.

After 16 days we have our first components.

[Just a side note about this Blog - I have just realised that with Blogs you are supposed to put the new posts at the top - well, no-one told me!!!]

The CPU cooler is massive - I will have to check the case dims to see if it is all going to fit - good job I have the manual to hand. Oh it doesn't tell you in the manual. I will check on the Tinternet.

Dimensions(DxWxH)
19.25" x 7.75" x 17"

So the width is 7.75" and the cooler is 6" long - should be alright.

I can now confirm that the Motherboard is Rev 2.0 - Good, the latest version.

Monday 19th Feb 2007:

Received an SMS text on my Mobile to let me know that the first Scan order has been shipped and so is on course for delivery tomorrow (as per the original ETA). I have yet to hear from Aria, so it looks like Scan will win the race - another reason for a second order to Scan.

Sunday 18th Feb 2007:

Sent an updated spreadsheet to Bryan, although I have already changed my mind about some of the items on it...

I am still undecided on RAM. You really need 2GB for Vista and it it best to get two 1 Gb sticks together (matched RAM). The problem with only getting 1 Gb now and a further 1 Gb when Bryan eventually upgrades to Vista is that you are not certain of getting a perfect match. Besides Scan have got a good deal which is now in stock. I am loathe to incur more Postage but I could also order the last few components (Keyboard, mouse and Network Card) at the same time for around £7.00 P&P. This would bring the total build cost to around £900. If this is O.K. with Bryan it is the option I am currently favouring. I put PC World on the spreadsheet as a source for Keyboard, Mouse and Network Card but that was only because I was trying to save on postage.

Downloaded manuals for the Graphics Card (VPU) and Monitor. The Asus 19" Widescreen Monitor has speakers built-in, which is a bonus.

Friday 16th Feb 2007:

To cope with the waiting I downloaded the manuals for the Motherboard and case. I like to read up on hardware even before it arrives. I also read some reviews online.

Wednesday 14th Feb 2007 (Happy Valentine's Day to All Our Readers):

Got the cheque in the post from Bryan so I immediately ordered some components. However, in the time between last weekend and today, two items had gone out of stock at Aria. The good news is that they were in stock at Scan. The result of this is that I had to place 2 orders, one with Aria and one with Scan, so there will be 2 payments for P&P (£12.50 + £11.75). I would have preferred one order, but beggars can't be choosers.

I have not ordered the RAM since I have some doubts as to whether 2 Gb is necessary. Windows XP will work fine with 1 Gb but Vista certainly needs 2 Gb. It may be a year before Bryan upgrades to Vista so he could purchase an additional 1 Gb RAM at that time. Also, there are speed advantages with twin pairs of RAM sticks (e.g. 2 x 1 Gb), which I was going to order but the increase in speed is quite subtle - i.e. it does not conform to my criteria of getting the best bang for your buck. When I looked at the order, the most expensive item was the Memory - which doesn't seem right.

I will order 1 Gb from Crucial for around £90.00. This takes the total spend to £794.17 and I have still to buy a Keyboard, Mouse and Wireless Network Card (All for less than £50). Now the most expensive item is the 19" widescreen LCD which is still an absolute bargain.

Sunday 11th Feb 2007:

Posted an Excel Spreadsheet to Bryan, since his e-mail is not working hence the need for a new PC.

After reading a good article on Tom's Hardware in which an Intel E6300 was overclocked by 81% with the addition of a cooling fan, running on the Gigabyte GA-965P-DS3 Socket 775 M Motherboard, I am now convinced this is the board to go for. I was also unsure about RAM but the answer is obvious. I know it is not worth going above PC2-6400 because there is no real benefit for a lot more money - so I will use Crucial.com to determine compatible RAM at PC2-6400 speed - Simple.

I could post pictures on this blog to show Bryan what he is getting but I think it would be much better to keep him in the dark and keep the end result as a complete surprise. Besides, I'm a Designer - Trust me. I can assure you it won't be a boring beige box!

I know Bryan likes Easter Eggs (especially in DVDs) so I plan on adding a few easy-to-find and some not-so-easy Easter Eggs on that brand new Hard Disk.

Saturday 10th Feb 2007:

Decided to write a blog to keep Bryan informed on progress. He has access to the Tinternet so should have no problems reading this.

Friday 9th Feb 2007:

Read a good article on Tech-Hounds,com about overclocking the Intel Core 2 Duo E6300. Bryan does not know that he wants his chip overclocking but he does (Reason - Bang for your buck). Have not totally decided on the Motherboard yet but this article suggests a Gigabyte P965-DS3P Intel P965 motherboard. I will check on price and availability.

Thursday 8th Feb 2007:
Bryan is considering Broadband. This is good news because I can install a wireless card in the new PC which will pick up my connection to get the PC set up then be ready for the new location. Also there is SKYPE - free phone calls - must remember to include for the purchase of a Skype Phone Handset (£25).

Bryan also requested an A4 GraphPad - not a mainstream component but I will see what I can find.

Sunday 4th Feb 2007:
Bryan wants a new PC !!!
First thoughts -

(Item -Model -From -PriceEx. VAT -Price+ VAT -No. -Total -Notes)
PC Case
Aspire X-Cruiser Black Midi Tower with Window w/o PSU
Aria
£44.00
£51.70
1
£51.70

PSU
580W HiperPower Type-R Modular Black PSU Quiet Dbl Fan aPFC ATX2.2 20/24 Pin (RoHS)
Aria
£47.00
£55.23
1
£55.23

Motherboard
Asrock CONROEXFIRE-eSATA2 775
Aria
£46.40
£54.52
1
£54.52

CPU
Intel Core 2 Duo E6300, Socket 775, 1.86 GHz, 1066MHz FSB, Allendale Core, 2MB Cache, Retail
Aria
£104.95
£123.32
1
£123.32
Includes Cooler

RAM
Corsair Value 2GB Kit DDR2-533
Aria
£134.95
£158.57
1
£158.57

Hard Drive
400Gb Samsung / 7200 / 8 SATA
Aria
£62.50
£73.44
1
£73.44

VPU
Sapphire Radeon X1950PRO 256MB DDR3
Aria
£107.95
£126.84
1
£126.84


Sound Card
£0.00
Use exist

Floppy Disk
£0.00
Use exist

Optical Drive
NEC ND-5170A-0B 18x DVDRW DL Black
Aria
£17.95
£21.09
1
£21.09

Keyboard
Microsoft Multimedia and Optical
Aria
£10.95
£12.87
1
£12.87
Incl. Mouse

Monitor
19" Samsung SM941BW Widescreen
Aria
£124.95
£146.82
1
£146.82

Modem
£0.00
Use exist

Speakers
£0.00
Use exist

Printer
£0.00
Use exist

Total
£824.40

Hmmm... Seems a bit expensive - I'm sure with a bit of tinkering we can get it down to anywhere between £700-800. There will be P&P to add which is why I am favouring one supplier e.g. Aria.com and plan to get as much as possible in one go.