slipstreaming my anachronistic surreal consciousness - sharing with you my multiple epiphanies that were spawned while sitting on my porcelain throne (these are the ones I didn't flush) "don't believe everything you think…"
Wednesday, October 22, 2003
validating my geekiness
this is my 1st tech blog
I'm about to build what is most likely going to be my last Desktop PC. My next computer will hopefully be an Athlon 64 based notebook (w/ all the latest frills).
Over 5 yrs. ago, I always wondered what it would be like to have an optimized Socket 7 PC. And now, if things work-out, I might just find out. I know, I'm building an obsolete system based on today's current technologies. But, I'm doing this mainly for nostalgia & curiosity.
This is how it looked like, when I started.
I'm using:
PC Chips M587LMR 100MHz system bus motherboard
(It's the most important part and I hope it works because I purchased this 2 yrs. ago but have never bothered to use it, till now. My other concern is that it might not be compatible with the other 2 PCI devices that I'm adding to it.)
AMD K6-2 550MHz CPU (yes, it's only 550MHz)
512MB 384MB RAM
(looks like I might upgrade the memory to its max of 1GB, if the motherboard is functioning properly and if it can truly handle that amount according to the manual)
Visiontek Xtasy 9100 128MB DDR PCI with DVI-D Video Card
(It's supposed to be the best value speed/$ for a PCI based graphics card, according to Sudhian Media's web article: "Ultimate PCI Card Round-up". The funny thing is that this graphics card has the same amount of memory that my current desktop is using.)
Maxtor Ultra ATA 100 7200 RPM 2MB Buffer 60GB Hard Drive
GWC Technology 2+2+1 Port USB2.0 and Firewire IEEE1394 PC card Model: UF400
(Delivered on 10-27-3. It causes the BIOS to hang during memory check. I have to return it.)
CenDyne (they went out of business) (which is actually a Lite-ON IT) LTR-52246S Internal CD-RW Drive 52x24x52x
(this is my 1st CD-RW)
WinXP unfortunately didn't recognize almost all the integrated hardware in the motherboard; and, the auto-setup CD wasn't designed for WinXP. I had to manually install all the hardware drivers that WinXP didn't recognize.
10-23-3
11:46am: So far, it seems that all the integrated hardware is functioning (no errors on the Device Manager but I haven't actually tested all of them; video, sound, & LAN are functioning; I'm not yet sure about the modem, I will check it later). I have a minor problem with 1 of the memory modules not being fully compatible, it's only recognizing 128MB of the 256MB, so my current total is 384MB. I'm hoping that the 2 new 512MBs that I'm about to purchase will be fully compatible with the motherboard. With only the WinXP + the drivers & some minor software for the motherboard, my current total space used is almost 2GB. I'm now about to install all the free plug-ins & media players that I know of. I'm curious how much more harddrive space its going to consume.
5:23pm: Unfortunately, the Visiontek Xtasy 9100 128MB DDR PCI with DVI-D Video Card is not compatible with my motherboard. I'm stuck with the built-in GPU (which was, at its time, the best integrated GPU). I'm hoping that the 2 512MBs I ordered won't have the same luck as the video card.
10-25-3
4:37pm: I've decided to try ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE. If it works, then I feel that I've optimized 1 of the 2 PCI slots of my motherboard.
8:08pm: I purchased the card at my local Circuit City even though I could've saved at least $25 purchasing it online because I've been impatiently curious to find out, if the card will work with my motherboard... So far so good! The ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE is compatible with my motherboard! I have yet to find out, if there's anything defective with my card. One of the few things I wish this card should have had is a MPEG 1/2/4 decoder/encoder. Its generating the most heat inside my AT case. Though the video has improved, I don't like the TV resolution.
10-26-3
4:23pm: going against my own parsimony, I've decided to try VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB. If it doesn't work with my motherboard, then I'll keep ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE. If it works, I'm hoping that the ATI Radeon 9200 SE GPU/VPU will handle all MPEG decoding (and even better, also the encoding). I want to reduce as much load as I can from the AMD K6-2 550MHz CPU.
10-27-3
10:04pm: The most interesting thing about this little proception is learning what will work with my motherboard. I'm trying to optimize the only 2 PCI & 2 DIMM slots its got.
10-28-3
11:55am: VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB arrived today. I will test it later. My 2 512MB PC100 RAM have not yet arrived and I ordered that almost a week ago.
6:55pm: It seems like VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB is working (no apparent initial BIOS conflict with the motherboard) but I'm having problems installing the driver, WinXP hangs at every attempt to install it (it could be a hardware conflict). I might have to reinstall WinXP just to figure out if its the OS or the hardware that's causing the problem.
11:34pm: I just purchased online an 8 Port Firewire 1394 / USB 2.0 ( USB 2.0 - 4 Ext + 1 Int) ( 1394 - 2 Ext + 1 Int) Combo Controller PCI Card, which is a definite upgrade to the other Combo Card that I'm returning. (I'm hoping that I have a better luck with this card.) I paid an additional $2 for 2nd day shipping because I'm expecting the 2 512MB RAM to arrive soon and I don't want to wait longer.
10-29-3
10:26am: Provided my desktop will still be around by 2007, I now have another reason to return ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE.
12:34pm: I downloaded the latest driver & software for VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB and it installed correctly. For unknown reasons to me, I couldn't install it using the CD-ROM drive. I am going to keep VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB & return ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE.
6:16pm: Circuit City definitely has a "No Hassle Returns" policy. I would definitely make them my 1st choice in retail purchasing of electronics and anything else they sell.
10-31-3
2:51pm: The2 512MB was finally delivered today but they don't work together on my motherboard; and if I only use 1 of them, each only registers as 128MB. The most interesting & challenging thing about doing this is figuring out what works with my motherboard.
5:52pm: The 8 Port Firewire 1394 / USB 2.0 ( USB 2.0 - 4 Ext + 1 Int) ( 1394 - 2 Ext + 1 Int) Combo Controller PCI Card was delivered today and so far it seems to be working. I have yet to test the 1394 ports & I need to use a real USB 2.0 device to test the ports for it. I have only tested the USB 2.0 ports with a regular USB device. I'm almost done with my PC, the only left is maximizing the RAM to 1GB. I'm hoping that the 2 512MB RAM I just purchased will be compatible with my motherboard. I have learned that 64x4 (high density) will not work with my motherboard and I was told that 32x8 is what I needed; and, that's what I just purchased. I confirmed it with the manufacturer first before purchasing it from the reseller. Now, since I purchased them from another company; I hopefully don't have to wait another week just for them to arrive. I'm wishing that they will arrive on Monday, 11-3-3.
11-3-3
12:33am: If ever there was a PCI Video Card that had a GPU/VPU that was DTT/DTTV, DTV, EDTV HDTV & SDTV ready and could decode & encode all video formats including current & future MPEG: 1, 2, 4, 7, & 21 independent from the CPU; that's when I'll replace my VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB. I want to be able to view all current & future video formats without any frame loss. I'm not into video games. Being able to view any video format (multimedia) is more important to me than the quality of 3D graphics.
11-6-3
10:40pm: The other2 512MB RAM modules arrived today. Unfortunately, it only reads half of each (which is better than the previous that read only 1/4 & couldn't be used together). I guess I will also return these modules and settle for a max of 512MB with my motherboard. Perhaps the motherboard's manual had a typo and that the maximum RAM is 512MB & not 1GB.
11-9-3
11:40am: I didn't think it was possible but assembling my future desktop is proving to be more frustrating than being autonomically platonic.
11-10-3
4:01pm: I'm about to reformat my harddrive as I've originally planned. I test installed the OS & other drivers & software just to see what would happen. Because of that, I've bravely installed a bunch of software that I wouldn't have normally done. And the results made me realize which ones to reinstall and which ones not to bother with. And, my motherboard can go up to Ultra ATA 66 but for some unknown reason WinXP only detects my harddrive to be a PIO transfer mode and that royally sucks big time! I will try to install it as a FAT32 format this time instead of NTFS and see if it makes a difference.
11-11-3
9:33pm: I've finally reinstalled WinXP Pro but had so much problems reinstalling the drivers. There apparently was a specific order of reinstalling the drivers. And it was very time consuming learning the correct sequence. I had to reinstall WinXP Pro whenever I did a wrong sequence because it would crash! I am now installing all the extras & add-ins. I don't know, if I should install Office XP or wait till I get Office 2003.
11-13-3
10:22pm: I'm actually proud of this obsolete box that I just built. I've never used a video card that had more than 32MB nor have I used a computer that had more than 256MB RAM. So my box seems to be faster than the 850MHz CPU w/ integrated GPU 8MB & 256MB RAM that I use at work. All-in-all, not bad for a 550MHz CPU. I'm considering adding an internal DVD±RW, when the technology improves and the prices drops further. It took me 1 day to get the latest drivers installed correctly. Half a work day to update all the patches. 1 day to install all the free add-ins, plug-ins, media players that I need to play all popular media formats. Now, I'm transfering data from 2 computers into it. Then, it'll finally find it's place in my room.
12-10-3
7:17pm: Just added a Mad Dog Multimedia DOMINATOR™ 4-in-1 52X CD-RW + 16X DVD-ROM Internal Drive which I just learned is actually an Artec 52x24x52x/16x CD-RW & DVD-ROM Combo Drive. So now, I can play DVDs on my PC (but it looks like I need to get a better PCI video card because it's kinda choppy).
12-19-3
5:11pm: I just found out about ATI's new "CATALYST Windows XP 3.10 - Driver" & decided to give it a try just to see if it would fix the frame loss I was getting while watching my DVDs... Bingo!!! I'm glad that I can now watch my DVDs without it being choppy. Good thing, (though it wasn't an intentional fix) all that was needed was a driver update. I don't have to buy Mad Dog Multimedia - Graphic Card CONQUERER™ FX Plus 5200 PCI - 128MB (which I was just about to buy today).
12-26-3
3:17pm:
Here's the rundown of the current hardware set-up:
PC Chips M587LMR 100MHz FSB motherboard
AMD K6-2 550MHz
512MB PC 100 SDRAM
VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB
Maxtor Ultra ATA 100 7200 RPM 2MB Buffer 60GB Hard Drive
8 Port Firewire 1394 / USB 2.0 ( USB 2.0 - 4 Ext + 1 Int) ( 1394 - 2 Ext + 1 Int) Combo Controller PCI Card
CenDyne/Lite-ON IT LTR-52246S Internal CD-RW Drive 52x24x52x
Mad Dog Multimedia DOMINATOR™ 4-in-1 52X CD-RW + 16X DVD-ROM Internal Drive
(a.k.a. Artec 52x24x52x/16x CD-RW & DVD-ROM Combo Drive)
Micro Innovations Amplified Multimedia Speakers Model: MM640D
inland u-Touch™ Multimedia Keyboard Part/Stock# 70133
inland 9 in 1 Card Reader
This is how it looks like now.
that's all folks!
I'm about to build what is most likely going to be my last Desktop PC. My next computer will hopefully be an Athlon 64 based notebook (w/ all the latest frills).
Over 5 yrs. ago, I always wondered what it would be like to have an optimized Socket 7 PC. And now, if things work-out, I might just find out. I know, I'm building an obsolete system based on today's current technologies. But, I'm doing this mainly for nostalgia & curiosity.
This is how it looked like, when I started.
I'm using:
PC Chips M587LMR 100MHz system bus motherboard
(It's the most important part and I hope it works because I purchased this 2 yrs. ago but have never bothered to use it, till now. My other concern is that it might not be compatible with the other 2 PCI devices that I'm adding to it.)
AMD K6-2 550MHz CPU (yes, it's only 550MHz)
(looks like I might upgrade the memory to its max of 1GB, if the motherboard is functioning properly and if it can truly handle that amount according to the manual)
(It's supposed to be the best value speed/$ for a PCI based graphics card, according to Sudhian Media's web article: "Ultimate PCI Card Round-up". The funny thing is that this graphics card has the same amount of memory that my current desktop is using.)
Maxtor Ultra ATA 100 7200 RPM 2MB Buffer 60GB Hard Drive
(Delivered on 10-27-3. It causes the BIOS to hang during memory check. I have to return it.)
CenDyne (they went out of business) (which is actually a Lite-ON IT) LTR-52246S Internal CD-RW Drive 52x24x52x
(this is my 1st CD-RW)
WinXP unfortunately didn't recognize almost all the integrated hardware in the motherboard; and, the auto-setup CD wasn't designed for WinXP. I had to manually install all the hardware drivers that WinXP didn't recognize.
10-23-3
11:46am: So far, it seems that all the integrated hardware is functioning (no errors on the Device Manager but I haven't actually tested all of them; video, sound, & LAN are functioning; I'm not yet sure about the modem, I will check it later). I have a minor problem with 1 of the memory modules not being fully compatible, it's only recognizing 128MB of the 256MB, so my current total is 384MB. I'm hoping that the 2 new 512MBs that I'm about to purchase will be fully compatible with the motherboard. With only the WinXP + the drivers & some minor software for the motherboard, my current total space used is almost 2GB. I'm now about to install all the free plug-ins & media players that I know of. I'm curious how much more harddrive space its going to consume.
5:23pm: Unfortunately, the Visiontek Xtasy 9100 128MB DDR PCI with DVI-D Video Card is not compatible with my motherboard. I'm stuck with the built-in GPU (which was, at its time, the best integrated GPU). I'm hoping that the 2 512MBs I ordered won't have the same luck as the video card.
10-25-3
4:37pm: I've decided to try ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE. If it works, then I feel that I've optimized 1 of the 2 PCI slots of my motherboard.
8:08pm: I purchased the card at my local Circuit City even though I could've saved at least $25 purchasing it online because I've been impatiently curious to find out, if the card will work with my motherboard... So far so good! The ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE is compatible with my motherboard! I have yet to find out, if there's anything defective with my card. One of the few things I wish this card should have had is a MPEG 1/2/4 decoder/encoder. Its generating the most heat inside my AT case. Though the video has improved, I don't like the TV resolution.
10-26-3
4:23pm: going against my own parsimony, I've decided to try VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB. If it doesn't work with my motherboard, then I'll keep ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE. If it works, I'm hoping that the ATI Radeon 9200 SE GPU/VPU will handle all MPEG decoding (and even better, also the encoding). I want to reduce as much load as I can from the AMD K6-2 550MHz CPU.
10-27-3
10:04pm: The most interesting thing about this little proception is learning what will work with my motherboard. I'm trying to optimize the only 2 PCI & 2 DIMM slots its got.
10-28-3
11:55am: VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB arrived today. I will test it later. My 2 512MB PC100 RAM have not yet arrived and I ordered that almost a week ago.
6:55pm: It seems like VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB is working (no apparent initial BIOS conflict with the motherboard) but I'm having problems installing the driver, WinXP hangs at every attempt to install it (it could be a hardware conflict). I might have to reinstall WinXP just to figure out if its the OS or the hardware that's causing the problem.
11:34pm: I just purchased online an 8 Port Firewire 1394 / USB 2.0 ( USB 2.0 - 4 Ext + 1 Int) ( 1394 - 2 Ext + 1 Int) Combo Controller PCI Card, which is a definite upgrade to the other Combo Card that I'm returning. (I'm hoping that I have a better luck with this card.) I paid an additional $2 for 2nd day shipping because I'm expecting the 2 512MB RAM to arrive soon and I don't want to wait longer.
10-29-3
10:26am: Provided my desktop will still be around by 2007, I now have another reason to return ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE.
12:34pm: I downloaded the latest driver & software for VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB and it installed correctly. For unknown reasons to me, I couldn't install it using the CD-ROM drive. I am going to keep VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB & return ATI's ALL-IN-WONDER VE.
6:16pm: Circuit City definitely has a "No Hassle Returns" policy. I would definitely make them my 1st choice in retail purchasing of electronics and anything else they sell.
10-31-3
2:51pm: The
5:52pm: The 8 Port Firewire 1394 / USB 2.0 ( USB 2.0 - 4 Ext + 1 Int) ( 1394 - 2 Ext + 1 Int) Combo Controller PCI Card was delivered today and so far it seems to be working. I have yet to test the 1394 ports & I need to use a real USB 2.0 device to test the ports for it. I have only tested the USB 2.0 ports with a regular USB device. I'm almost done with my PC, the only left is maximizing the RAM to 1GB. I'm hoping that the 2 512MB RAM I just purchased will be compatible with my motherboard. I have learned that 64x4 (high density) will not work with my motherboard and I was told that 32x8 is what I needed; and, that's what I just purchased. I confirmed it with the manufacturer first before purchasing it from the reseller. Now, since I purchased them from another company; I hopefully don't have to wait another week just for them to arrive. I'm wishing that they will arrive on Monday, 11-3-3.
11-3-3
12:33am: If ever there was a PCI Video Card that had a GPU/VPU that was DTT/DTTV, DTV, EDTV HDTV & SDTV ready and could decode & encode all video formats including current & future MPEG: 1, 2, 4, 7, & 21 independent from the CPU; that's when I'll replace my VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB. I want to be able to view all current & future video formats without any frame loss. I'm not into video games. Being able to view any video format (multimedia) is more important to me than the quality of 3D graphics.
11-6-3
10:40pm: The other
11-9-3
11:40am: I didn't think it was possible but assembling my future desktop is proving to be more frustrating than being autonomically platonic.
11-10-3
4:01pm: I'm about to reformat my harddrive as I've originally planned. I test installed the OS & other drivers & software just to see what would happen. Because of that, I've bravely installed a bunch of software that I wouldn't have normally done. And the results made me realize which ones to reinstall and which ones not to bother with. And, my motherboard can go up to Ultra ATA 66 but for some unknown reason WinXP only detects my harddrive to be a PIO transfer mode and that royally sucks big time! I will try to install it as a FAT32 format this time instead of NTFS and see if it makes a difference.
11-11-3
9:33pm: I've finally reinstalled WinXP Pro but had so much problems reinstalling the drivers. There apparently was a specific order of reinstalling the drivers. And it was very time consuming learning the correct sequence. I had to reinstall WinXP Pro whenever I did a wrong sequence because it would crash! I am now installing all the extras & add-ins. I don't know, if I should install Office XP or wait till I get Office 2003.
11-13-3
10:22pm: I'm actually proud of this obsolete box that I just built. I've never used a video card that had more than 32MB nor have I used a computer that had more than 256MB RAM. So my box seems to be faster than the 850MHz CPU w/ integrated GPU 8MB & 256MB RAM that I use at work. All-in-all, not bad for a 550MHz CPU. I'm considering adding an internal DVD±RW, when the technology improves and the prices drops further. It took me 1 day to get the latest drivers installed correctly. Half a work day to update all the patches. 1 day to install all the free add-ins, plug-ins, media players that I need to play all popular media formats. Now, I'm transfering data from 2 computers into it. Then, it'll finally find it's place in my room.
12-10-3
7:17pm: Just added a Mad Dog Multimedia DOMINATOR™ 4-in-1 52X CD-RW + 16X DVD-ROM Internal Drive which I just learned is actually an Artec 52x24x52x/16x CD-RW & DVD-ROM Combo Drive. So now, I can play DVDs on my PC (
12-19-3
5:11pm: I just found out about ATI's new "CATALYST Windows XP 3.10 - Driver" & decided to give it a try just to see if it would fix the frame loss I was getting while watching my DVDs... Bingo!!! I'm glad that I can now watch my DVDs without it being choppy. Good thing, (though it wasn't an intentional fix) all that was needed was a driver update. I don't have to buy Mad Dog Multimedia - Graphic Card CONQUERER™ FX Plus 5200 PCI - 128MB (which I was just about to buy today).
12-26-3
3:17pm:
Here's the rundown of the current hardware set-up:
PC Chips M587LMR 100MHz FSB motherboard
AMD K6-2 550MHz
512MB PC 100 SDRAM
VisionTek's Xtasy 9200 SE w/ 128MB
Maxtor Ultra ATA 100 7200 RPM 2MB Buffer 60GB Hard Drive
8 Port Firewire 1394 / USB 2.0 ( USB 2.0 - 4 Ext + 1 Int) ( 1394 - 2 Ext + 1 Int) Combo Controller PCI Card
CenDyne/Lite-ON IT LTR-52246S Internal CD-RW Drive 52x24x52x
Mad Dog Multimedia DOMINATOR™ 4-in-1 52X CD-RW + 16X DVD-ROM Internal Drive
(a.k.a. Artec 52x24x52x/16x CD-RW & DVD-ROM Combo Drive)
Micro Innovations Amplified Multimedia Speakers Model: MM640D
inland u-Touch™ Multimedia Keyboard Part/Stock# 70133
inland 9 in 1 Card Reader
This is how it looks like now.
that's all folks!
