Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
Chapter Three
Yes, I know, but the story actually started in March. According to the small notebook in which I began a project log, March 18 of 2011 was the date I began to think about...how the 2GB machine I am using is NOT going to last forever...how nervous I get when the CPU monitor gets to 100% and stays there (yeah, I know...DON'T LOOK AT the monitor, or get rid of it)...how two people I genuinely treasure built this thing for me but it will not live forever and...yes...it's ABOUT DAMN TIME I built one.
My notes included really intelligent questions like:
- If the processor isn't Intel, what is it? (I learned later - AMD, my current main brain)
- Wouldn't an SSD be clever as a boot drive? (I came up with three reasons why, one drawback and a question about...how big?)
- What is the status of USB 3.0? (Alive...it's alive...)
That was about as far as I got. Then at CVS near my office, I found the Maximum PC special edition, "Build the Perfect PC." I was actually looking for "How Not to Screw This Idea Up," but this was close.
One conclusion - an Intel Sandy Bridge chip would be a good investment. In fact, by pushing it a little bit, I could probably afford a 7i.
So, gradually I learned that a 7i chip would require a certain form-factor motherboard that would require a similar-form-factor case. So, I got a little further. But not much.
I looked at ASUS motherboards (my NetBook works, after all). I was very intimidated by how many different boards they have for a single chip. But one stuck out as, well, unique. The PSP67 DELUXE has a special front-panel for two USB 3.0 plugs. There should be at least one "coolness" feature, right? This is mine. So I have an ATX motherboard and need an ATX case.
Finally, last Thursday, I somehow mentioned to a co-worker that I was shopping for an ATX case. He immediately sent me to...well, to NewEgg.COM. Kris announced that I would never find a good enough case in a store, because they would be obsolete by the time they got there. I - only half kidding - asked him to pick one out for me. He sat me down next to him in his cubicle and fired up NewEgg. [Full disclosure - there is nothing to disclose. It was his recommendation. To my knowledge, neither of us have any financial interest in NewEgg or any of its competitors. We will see over time how good a recommendation it turns out to be.]
Kris, gesturing dramatically, pointed to the "Computer Cases" line on the screen and clicked. A very nice case popped up. $5 off and $10 rebate to boot.
Kris, gently, ushered me into a few facts. Aluminum cases are less hot than steel cases. This is a steel case. I hate this case. Or do I? Kris looks around, pointing me to several cases he has used to build other machines.
Later in the day, I did a search on NewEgg and discovered there were LOTS of USB 3.0 drive cases, but ONLY ONE case with USB 3.0 built in. It's black, with red trim. I'm not sure how people will take this observation, but I do not consider myself a black with red trim computer type. Besides, it was more expensive than that one Kris didn't like because it was steel.
Actually, Kris advised me it was a pretty good case. And a very good bargain. Even if it only had two USB 2.0 plugs on the front panel. Which...seems to have a second panel above it. Yes, by this time I had forgotten about the P8P67 DELUXE front panel USB 3.0 plugs. I shuffle some of my paperwork around. Oh, yeah...it looks like this front panel could fit above the one...on the very first case NewEgg.COM showed us. A mid-tower. Less airflow space than a full tower, but I hate the full tower I have because it's just too big. I want a mid-tower. A mid-tower ATX case with...four USB ports on the front?
Then I just decide to check the price of the P8P76 DELUXE motherboard and discover...NewEGG has an open box for 40% off. And I wonder if that will work.
Saturday comes, and I head north to meet up with friends to see the minor league baseball Frederick Keys play. Ted's wife Toni promptly shows me her new home-built full tower PC. Which is built with...an Intel 7i and a P8P67 motherboard.
The DELUXE version. Toni works at a help desk and not only loads of resources at her fingertips but a lot more experience about this than I have. Still, she was convinced by pretty much the same logic I was convinced by. Right down to the USB 3.0 front panel of the motherboard.
So, here we are. The CoolerMaster Elite 430 Black case arrived today. The motherboard is on order. And I guess I'm about to start stitching the monster together.
Call me Dr. Frankenstein?
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