Man United have drawn Liverpool - at Liverpool - in the 5th round of the FA cup!!
Not impossible, but it sure reduces the chances of getting to Cardiff twice this season!!
Monday, January 30, 2006
Congratulations
to Steve and Beccy Kilmister on the birth of their new son Nathen...
Born at approx 9:00 am this morning, weighing in at a healthy 8lbs, mother and baby doing well, dad exhausted!!
Born at approx 9:00 am this morning, weighing in at a healthy 8lbs, mother and baby doing well, dad exhausted!!
Hernia Surgery
I now have confirmation of my hernia repair surgery - 3rd May 12:00 noon
Should be back home same day, and have instructions to spend the first 24 hours in bed, then 24 hours in comfy chair watching TV etc... I should have a note for 2 weeks off work, and can drive again once I can climb stairs without pain.
Should be back home same day, and have instructions to spend the first 24 hours in bed, then 24 hours in comfy chair watching TV etc... I should have a note for 2 weeks off work, and can drive again once I can climb stairs without pain.
Weight Check
At 19:30 on 30-07-2005 : 14st 1lb, 26.7% BF
At 16:30 on 14-08-2005 : 13st 5lb, 26.3% BF
At 19:30 on 29-08-2005 : 13st 3lb, 25.8% BF
At 17:30 on 12-09-2005 : 13st 0lb, 25.7% BF
At 17:30 on 26-09-2005 : 12st 12lb, 25.0% BF
At 19:30 on 10-10-2005 : 12st 10lb, 24.5% BF
At 17:30 on 24-10-2005 : 12st 8 lb, 24.9% BF
At 18:30 on 07-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 21-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 05-12-2005 : 12st 6 lb, 23.1% BF
At 22:00 on 19-12-2005 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 16:00 on 02-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.5% BF
At 21:00 on 16-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 17:30 on 30-01-2006 : 12st 3 lb, 22.3% BF
Holding pretty steady, especially when you consider that I since Xmas, I have effectivly not been on a diet, and there are still quite a few cakes, biscuits and chocolates arriving at work as every one clears out there xmas excesses!!
I will probably have another push to get down to 12st just before I go into hospital for my Hernia surgery - I will be limited in the amount and type of exercise that I am able to do for some 2 months...
At 16:30 on 14-08-2005 : 13st 5lb, 26.3% BF
At 19:30 on 29-08-2005 : 13st 3lb, 25.8% BF
At 17:30 on 12-09-2005 : 13st 0lb, 25.7% BF
At 17:30 on 26-09-2005 : 12st 12lb, 25.0% BF
At 19:30 on 10-10-2005 : 12st 10lb, 24.5% BF
At 17:30 on 24-10-2005 : 12st 8 lb, 24.9% BF
At 18:30 on 07-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 21-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 05-12-2005 : 12st 6 lb, 23.1% BF
At 22:00 on 19-12-2005 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 16:00 on 02-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.5% BF
At 21:00 on 16-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 17:30 on 30-01-2006 : 12st 3 lb, 22.3% BF
Holding pretty steady, especially when you consider that I since Xmas, I have effectivly not been on a diet, and there are still quite a few cakes, biscuits and chocolates arriving at work as every one clears out there xmas excesses!!
I will probably have another push to get down to 12st just before I go into hospital for my Hernia surgery - I will be limited in the amount and type of exercise that I am able to do for some 2 months...
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Eye Test Yesterday
I was not due for another sight test till September, but have recently been finding that I need to wear my readers more and more, also the screen on the PC is starting to be a problem. I either have to sit well back in my chair, or put on my specs and lean well forward, neither approch makes using the keyboard any easier!!
Well off I went, and as expected my near sight has deteriated, and it was reccomended that I have a pair of varifocal lenses. I have 60 days to see if I can get on with them (not everyone can apparently). I have had to select new frames too, as my existing lenses are too small for varifocal usage.
I have chosen a pair of 'Police' gold rimless glasses this time, which with lenses, coatings and a pair of pescription sunglasses (for reading in the summer/ on holiday comes to a grand total of £350 - OUCH!
For those of you that understand these things:
R +0.25 -0.25 x75
L +0.25 -0.50 X10
ADD +100 NEAR +175
They should be ready next weekend, the same time that Alex get his readers!!
Well off I went, and as expected my near sight has deteriated, and it was reccomended that I have a pair of varifocal lenses. I have 60 days to see if I can get on with them (not everyone can apparently). I have had to select new frames too, as my existing lenses are too small for varifocal usage.
I have chosen a pair of 'Police' gold rimless glasses this time, which with lenses, coatings and a pair of pescription sunglasses (for reading in the summer/ on holiday comes to a grand total of £350 - OUCH!
For those of you that understand these things:
R +0.25 -0.25 x75
L +0.25 -0.50 X10
ADD +100 NEAR +175
They should be ready next weekend, the same time that Alex get his readers!!
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
New version of Quicktime available..
Apple have released version 7.0.4 of their Quicktime player, the only problem is when you go to the apple site to download it, you can only get it bundled with iTunes...
Fine if you want both, but I have no need for iTunes, I can't play the DRM protected files it supplies online, I refuse to pay almost the same price as a CD, for an electronic copy only, My file structure on the 'M' drive exactly matches that on my iRiver MP3 player, so no clever software required to manage it...
After screaming at the PC in frustration tonight, I managed to find the following link: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone.html
Seems Apple do supply Quicktime on it's own if you know where to look....
Fine if you want both, but I have no need for iTunes, I can't play the DRM protected files it supplies online, I refuse to pay almost the same price as a CD, for an electronic copy only, My file structure on the 'M' drive exactly matches that on my iRiver MP3 player, so no clever software required to manage it...
After screaming at the PC in frustration tonight, I managed to find the following link: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/standalone.html
Seems Apple do supply Quicktime on it's own if you know where to look....
Saturday, January 21, 2006
UNIVERSITY CHALLENGED
True question/Answers from THE WEAKEST LINK
Anne Robinson: In traffic, what "J" is where two roads meet?
Contestant: Jool carriageway.
Anne Robinson: Which Italian city is overlooked by Vesuvius?
Contestant: Bombay.
Anne Robinson: What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
Contestant: Crocodiles.
Anne Robinson: Wh...?
Contestant (interrupting): Pass!
Anne Robinson: In olden times,! what were minstrels, travelling entertainers or chocolate salesmen?
Contestant: Chocolate salesmen.
Anne Robinson: The Bible, the New Testament. The Four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and...?
Contestant: (long pause) Joe?
Anne Robinson: Who was a famous Indian leader, whose name begins with G, revered by millions, who was assassinated and received a state funeral?
Contestant: Geronimo!
Anne Robinson: In traffic, what "J" is where two roads meet?
Contestant: Jool carriageway.
Anne Robinson: Which Italian city is overlooked by Vesuvius?
Contestant: Bombay.
Anne Robinson: What insect is commonly found hovering above lakes?
Contestant: Crocodiles.
Anne Robinson: Wh...?
Contestant (interrupting): Pass!
Anne Robinson: In olden times,! what were minstrels, travelling entertainers or chocolate salesmen?
Contestant: Chocolate salesmen.
Anne Robinson: The Bible, the New Testament. The Four Gospels were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and...?
Contestant: (long pause) Joe?
Anne Robinson: Who was a famous Indian leader, whose name begins with G, revered by millions, who was assassinated and received a state funeral?
Contestant: Geronimo!
Thursday, January 19, 2006
End of an Era...
My one time fave Camera company - Minolta - has announced that pulling out of the camera biz altogether...
Engadget
The best 'Proper' SLR I owned was the Minolta Dynax 7000i, it was the last in a line that started with a Zenit 'E', moved though a couple of 'Chinon' models from Dixons, and the Minolta 5000. The Dynax was amazing, increadably fast predictive autofocus and an exposure system that was hardly ever fooled. I still have this camera, but the battery is flat having not used it for a number of years... I really must get a replacement battery, and give it another go: I think there is still a film in it!!
Engadget
The best 'Proper' SLR I owned was the Minolta Dynax 7000i, it was the last in a line that started with a Zenit 'E', moved though a couple of 'Chinon' models from Dixons, and the Minolta 5000. The Dynax was amazing, increadably fast predictive autofocus and an exposure system that was hardly ever fooled. I still have this camera, but the battery is flat having not used it for a number of years... I really must get a replacement battery, and give it another go: I think there is still a film in it!!
Just about the best thing..
I have stumbled across on the web this year...
Matrix PingPong (http://www.ebaumsworld.com/matrixpong.html)
EDIT: 19:00 20/01/2006
or HERE if your corporate firewall blocks access to the above page...
It really did make me laugh out loud!
Matrix PingPong (http://www.ebaumsworld.com/matrixpong.html)
EDIT: 19:00 20/01/2006
or HERE if your corporate firewall blocks access to the above page...
It really did make me laugh out loud!
More Thoughts on the new Computer Spec
There are two...
1) If I stay with the Athlon 64, I only need to fit DDR not DDR2 RAM, as the AMD processor is not capable of driving memory at DDR2 speeds...
2) I may have changed my mind completely, and instead go for the Intel Core Duo T2400. Running at only 1.83 GHz it performs 5 to 10% better than a 3.2 GHz Dual Core Pentium...!
3) I will definately hang on till the laptops from BT include Core processors....
1) If I stay with the Athlon 64, I only need to fit DDR not DDR2 RAM, as the AMD processor is not capable of driving memory at DDR2 speeds...
2) I may have changed my mind completely, and instead go for the Intel Core Duo T2400. Running at only 1.83 GHz it performs 5 to 10% better than a 3.2 GHz Dual Core Pentium...!
3) I will definately hang on till the laptops from BT include Core processors....
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Been a bit quiet recently
Not been up to much for the last week or so and haven't really been in Blogging mood, so here is a quick update on what's been happening around here ...
Amanda has been off work for just over a week, helping her mom with the funeral arrangments. Mike is to be Cremated, at Gornalwood Crematorium, today at 15:00... Amanda is hoping to get back to work tommorow, and start trying to 'get back to normal' We are picking the kids up from school at lunchtime, hope they will be OK... Alex seems to be showing a lot more emotion about it than Amy, but he always has 'Worn his heart on his sleeve'... It was their choice, and they both said they wanted to go - so they could say goodbye.
Many thanks to all our friend who have sent cards and messages of support, they are appreciated.
Onto bighter news...
We finally got around to seeing "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" at the cinema on Sunday - Excellent!!
Alex and I finally got back to the golf range this weekend, ready for another lesson next week. We were both better than we had any right to be after a month long lay-off... Well only with the 8 Iron, any other club and I was terrible!
Changed the Wireless router on my network here, from a BT Voyager 2000 to a BT Voyager 2110 (up from 802.11b to 802.11g) problem is it seems to keep dropping the ADSL line... It seems to be stable again at present, so I will hold fire from returning it under warrantee... It may yet be a, co-incidental, line fault.
Still no sign of the second Nikon (Coolpix 7900) - well they did quote 2 to 4 weeks, and it's only been 2...
Managed to completely trash my Axim PDA, so have had to reset it and reload the apps. Fortunately I don't have too much on there - TomTom 5, BatteryPack Pro, and Microsoft Reader. All the user data is on the SD card, and the entire machine is sync'd to my desktop so appointments, notes etc were recovered that way.
At long last, I got around to 'sharing' my printer on the network, and setting the laptop up with a connection to it... I can now print from the Lappy... Nice!
Got two 'New' games for the XBOX, "Need for Speed - Most Wanted" and "Burnout - Revenge"... Both driving games, both excellent. I Also got "Need for Speed" for the PSP - it's most excellent, but I do need to wear my specs to cope with that much detail on such a small screen.
Amanda has been off work for just over a week, helping her mom with the funeral arrangments. Mike is to be Cremated, at Gornalwood Crematorium, today at 15:00... Amanda is hoping to get back to work tommorow, and start trying to 'get back to normal' We are picking the kids up from school at lunchtime, hope they will be OK... Alex seems to be showing a lot more emotion about it than Amy, but he always has 'Worn his heart on his sleeve'... It was their choice, and they both said they wanted to go - so they could say goodbye.
Many thanks to all our friend who have sent cards and messages of support, they are appreciated.
Onto bighter news...
We finally got around to seeing "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" at the cinema on Sunday - Excellent!!
Alex and I finally got back to the golf range this weekend, ready for another lesson next week. We were both better than we had any right to be after a month long lay-off... Well only with the 8 Iron, any other club and I was terrible!
Changed the Wireless router on my network here, from a BT Voyager 2000 to a BT Voyager 2110 (up from 802.11b to 802.11g) problem is it seems to keep dropping the ADSL line... It seems to be stable again at present, so I will hold fire from returning it under warrantee... It may yet be a, co-incidental, line fault.
Still no sign of the second Nikon (Coolpix 7900) - well they did quote 2 to 4 weeks, and it's only been 2...
Managed to completely trash my Axim PDA, so have had to reset it and reload the apps. Fortunately I don't have too much on there - TomTom 5, BatteryPack Pro, and Microsoft Reader. All the user data is on the SD card, and the entire machine is sync'd to my desktop so appointments, notes etc were recovered that way.
At long last, I got around to 'sharing' my printer on the network, and setting the laptop up with a connection to it... I can now print from the Lappy... Nice!
Got two 'New' games for the XBOX, "Need for Speed - Most Wanted" and "Burnout - Revenge"... Both driving games, both excellent. I Also got "Need for Speed" for the PSP - it's most excellent, but I do need to wear my specs to cope with that much detail on such a small screen.
Weight Check
At 19:30 on 30-07-2005 : 14st 1lb, 26.7% BF
At 16:30 on 14-08-2005 : 13st 5lb, 26.3% BF
At 19:30 on 29-08-2005 : 13st 3lb, 25.8% BF
At 17:30 on 12-09-2005 : 13st 0lb, 25.7% BF
At 17:30 on 26-09-2005 : 12st 12lb, 25.0% BF
At 19:30 on 10-10-2005 : 12st 10lb, 24.5% BF
At 17:30 on 24-10-2005 : 12st 8 lb, 24.9% BF
At 18:30 on 07-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 21-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 05-12-2005 : 12st 6 lb, 23.1% BF
At 22:00 on 19-12-2005 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 16:00 on 02-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.5% BF
At 21:00 on 16-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
OK, so a little dissapointed that the percentage body fat has increased slightly, but it really has been another week of finishing the Xmas goodies off. The weight has stayed constant, so that's not too bad.
The only problem at the moment, is that I have got used to having treats, and I am finding it quite difficult to stop again... Now where are those Gingerbread Cookies???
At 16:30 on 14-08-2005 : 13st 5lb, 26.3% BF
At 19:30 on 29-08-2005 : 13st 3lb, 25.8% BF
At 17:30 on 12-09-2005 : 13st 0lb, 25.7% BF
At 17:30 on 26-09-2005 : 12st 12lb, 25.0% BF
At 19:30 on 10-10-2005 : 12st 10lb, 24.5% BF
At 17:30 on 24-10-2005 : 12st 8 lb, 24.9% BF
At 18:30 on 07-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 21-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 05-12-2005 : 12st 6 lb, 23.1% BF
At 22:00 on 19-12-2005 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 16:00 on 02-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.5% BF
At 21:00 on 16-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
OK, so a little dissapointed that the percentage body fat has increased slightly, but it really has been another week of finishing the Xmas goodies off. The weight has stayed constant, so that's not too bad.
The only problem at the moment, is that I have got used to having treats, and I am finding it quite difficult to stop again... Now where are those Gingerbread Cookies???
Saturday, January 07, 2006
Michael John Sainsbury
Died this morning after a 7 year long battle against bowel cancer.
The way I choose to remember him most fondly is after taking him on the 'Pepsi Max Big One' at Blackpool - he could not contain his excitment and drove every one of us almost potty with his enthusiasm. That and the episode with the Top Hat when getting measured for the wedding suits...
Who will I be able to take to concerts in the future, we went to see Jean Michel Jarre at Manchester, Eric Clapton at the NEC, The Corrs at the NEC and he was always so excited... He was the Father I never had myself. He will be badly missed by all those he leaves behind.
The way I choose to remember him most fondly is after taking him on the 'Pepsi Max Big One' at Blackpool - he could not contain his excitment and drove every one of us almost potty with his enthusiasm. That and the episode with the Top Hat when getting measured for the wedding suits...
Who will I be able to take to concerts in the future, we went to see Jean Michel Jarre at Manchester, Eric Clapton at the NEC, The Corrs at the NEC and he was always so excited... He was the Father I never had myself. He will be badly missed by all those he leaves behind.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Suit Fitting Tommorow
My Sister is getting married in September this year, and it is my duty to 'give here away' - something I wanted to do ever since she was about 5 years old!!
I have been putting it off for several months, but have finally agreed to go and get measured up for the hire-suit tommorow. Mark (Deb's intended) is going to pick me up at lunchtime, and after a quick trip to the "Jewellery Quarter" to introduce him to the stores we have used a number of times, it's off to Brierly Hill for a fitting.
I have been putting it off for several months, but have finally agreed to go and get measured up for the hire-suit tommorow. Mark (Deb's intended) is going to pick me up at lunchtime, and after a quick trip to the "Jewellery Quarter" to introduce him to the stores we have used a number of times, it's off to Brierly Hill for a fitting.
OK, not quite so well...
It was going very well, the radiator cabinet had been primed, glued, assembled and the wall mounting plates had been fitted late on yesterday. This morning I decided to finish the painting in place as it was a bit heavy a fragile to be moving around. So to protect the new wallpaper, I put a line of masking tape at the back. Glossed the whole unit, twice. I then removed the tape, and yes you guessed it - ripped the paper in several places.
I then ended up having to strip and rehang 4 drops of paper... Then caused an unsightly edge with the border, so that too had to be replaced. It looks good now it is finished, but it was touch and go for a while!
I then ended up having to strip and rehang 4 drops of paper... Then caused an unsightly edge with the border, so that too had to be replaced. It looks good now it is finished, but it was touch and go for a while!
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Decorating going very well...
I had a couple of hours out this morning, Merry Hill for Breakfast and a Latte, and dropped in at B&Q on the way back. There I saw something that should just finish the room of nicely - a radiator cabinet and at £47 not as expensive I thought...
Anyway, back home and paper hanging started at about 12:00, and was completed by 18:00 - and it is looking pretty good... The room has been re-furnished and the new Mark Spain picture is looking very at home. Get the cabinet tommorow morning, do a test fit, and then I suppose it will have to be moved for painting....
Anyway, back home and paper hanging started at about 12:00, and was completed by 18:00 - and it is looking pretty good... The room has been re-furnished and the new Mark Spain picture is looking very at home. Get the cabinet tommorow morning, do a test fit, and then I suppose it will have to be moved for painting....
Monday, January 02, 2006
Weight Check
At 19:30 on 30-07-2005 : 14st 1lb, 26.7% BF
At 16:30 on 14-08-2005 : 13st 5lb, 26.3% BF
At 19:30 on 29-08-2005 : 13st 3lb, 25.8% BF
At 17:30 on 12-09-2005 : 13st 0lb, 25.7% BF
At 17:30 on 26-09-2005 : 12st 12lb, 25.0% BF
At 19:30 on 10-10-2005 : 12st 10lb, 24.5% BF
At 17:30 on 24-10-2005 : 12st 8 lb, 24.9% BF
At 18:30 on 07-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 21-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 05-12-2005 : 12st 6 lb, 23.1% BF
At 22:00 on 19-12-2005 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 16:00 on 02-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.5% BF
So, after working very hard the week before Xmas, and indulging in anything that took my fancy over Xmas - I have ended up at no change... RESULT!
I have not eaten as much food as previously, mainly because I feel full sooner now. I have however eaten what I want, including, Jacket Spuds, Pizza, Chocolate, Crisps and finally Alcohol...
Not expecting great things from the next weigh-in , as there as still rather a lot of goodies araound the house, and I am on leave this week, so no gym visits planned!!
At 16:30 on 14-08-2005 : 13st 5lb, 26.3% BF
At 19:30 on 29-08-2005 : 13st 3lb, 25.8% BF
At 17:30 on 12-09-2005 : 13st 0lb, 25.7% BF
At 17:30 on 26-09-2005 : 12st 12lb, 25.0% BF
At 19:30 on 10-10-2005 : 12st 10lb, 24.5% BF
At 17:30 on 24-10-2005 : 12st 8 lb, 24.9% BF
At 18:30 on 07-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 21-11-2005 : 12st 7 lb, 23.9% BF
At 22:00 on 05-12-2005 : 12st 6 lb, 23.1% BF
At 22:00 on 19-12-2005 : 12st 4 lb, 22.9% BF
At 16:00 on 02-01-2006 : 12st 4 lb, 22.5% BF
So, after working very hard the week before Xmas, and indulging in anything that took my fancy over Xmas - I have ended up at no change... RESULT!
I have not eaten as much food as previously, mainly because I feel full sooner now. I have however eaten what I want, including, Jacket Spuds, Pizza, Chocolate, Crisps and finally Alcohol...
Not expecting great things from the next weigh-in , as there as still rather a lot of goodies araound the house, and I am on leave this week, so no gym visits planned!!
Decorating started off well....
started this morning, the paper came off really easily, and have managed to emulsion the ceiling already. I may have 1/2 a day out with Amy in the morning, and start the paper hanging at about lunch time.
The "Polycell Wallpaper Stripper Liquid" does exactly what it says on the bottle...
The "Polycell Wallpaper Stripper Liquid" does exactly what it says on the bottle...
Sunday, January 01, 2006
New Year - New Computer?
It is now almost 3 years since I changed my Desktop PC, OK it has had a couple of minor upgrades since - Faster DVD Writer, Second Hard Drive, Faster CD Writer and an extra 512 MB RAM, but nothing major. It is now starting to creak a little bit when Photoshop'ing and Video Editing.
I bought this PC under a benefits scheme from work - you pay no VAT, and the month payments are taken from your salary before tax, this makes it seem -almost- like getting a computer for free. In June the 3 years are up, and I have started to consider what I will do then. None of the current PC's on the available list meet my -simple, but powerfull - requirments, lots of 9.1 Dolby, 32 GB RAM on the video card, etc. but still relatively slow processors, and minimal RAM.
So, I have decided that I will take a two pronged approach this year:
1) In June I will get a replacement LAPTOP computer from BT, currently looking at a 1.7Centrino, 1GB RAM, 100 GB HDD, Wide screen format etc.
2) I will build my own replacement Desktop PC, spending the money where I want the maximum performance. The current spec I am looking at is as follows;
AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core 4400 processor
NForce4 MoBo with SATA RAID etc.
2 GB DDR2 RAM
2 x 74 GB WD Raptor HDD - RAID 0 - giving a VERY fast 140 GB OS & Apps drive (10,000 RPM!!)
1 * 300 GB WD Caviar SE HDD - for data (D Drive(150 GB), M Drive(80 GB) & P Drive (50 GB))
Re-use my 250 GB 2nd HDD as a Backup device
An Nvidia 6800 Video card (To be ready for Vista)
2 x Lightscribe, Dual layer, 16x DVD Writers
A Silverstone "TEMJIN" case and finally
A 480w Fanless Power supply
At current prices, that lot looks to be comming in at about £1300 - hopefully I can get it down to about £1000 by the time I actually start on this project
Once this machine is built, I will reconfigure the current HP machine for AMY's use, Amy's old PC will go into Alex's room (need a new LCD Monitor for that one), and the old laptop will be passed on to Amanda's mom...
I bought this PC under a benefits scheme from work - you pay no VAT, and the month payments are taken from your salary before tax, this makes it seem -almost- like getting a computer for free. In June the 3 years are up, and I have started to consider what I will do then. None of the current PC's on the available list meet my -simple, but powerfull - requirments, lots of 9.1 Dolby, 32 GB RAM on the video card, etc. but still relatively slow processors, and minimal RAM.
So, I have decided that I will take a two pronged approach this year:
1) In June I will get a replacement LAPTOP computer from BT, currently looking at a 1.7Centrino, 1GB RAM, 100 GB HDD, Wide screen format etc.
2) I will build my own replacement Desktop PC, spending the money where I want the maximum performance. The current spec I am looking at is as follows;
AMD Athlon 64x2 Dual Core 4400 processor
NForce4 MoBo with SATA RAID etc.
2 GB DDR2 RAM
2 x 74 GB WD Raptor HDD - RAID 0 - giving a VERY fast 140 GB OS & Apps drive (10,000 RPM!!)
1 * 300 GB WD Caviar SE HDD - for data (D Drive(150 GB), M Drive(80 GB) & P Drive (50 GB))
Re-use my 250 GB 2nd HDD as a Backup device
An Nvidia 6800 Video card (To be ready for Vista)
2 x Lightscribe, Dual layer, 16x DVD Writers
A Silverstone "TEMJIN" case and finally
A 480w Fanless Power supply
At current prices, that lot looks to be comming in at about £1300 - hopefully I can get it down to about £1000 by the time I actually start on this project
Once this machine is built, I will reconfigure the current HP machine for AMY's use, Amy's old PC will go into Alex's room (need a new LCD Monitor for that one), and the old laptop will be passed on to Amanda's mom...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
