About Me - My Computers

Computers have been a fairly major part of my life. So it seems only fitting to tell you a bit about the ones I've owned.

• AMSTRAD 1640
• Dell 316SX (which becomes "my main system")
• Cyrix PR200
• Duron 1.2GHz
• Athlon 64
• Core 2 Quad
• Core i7
• Compaq Prolinea 575
• Compaq Evo N1015V and Compaq Presario 920US laptops
• Mac Mini 1.25GHz
• MacBook
• Tranquil PC T2-WHS-A2 server
• MacBook Pro

AMSTRAD 1640

Ah, my old AMSTRAD 1640. This was my first computer, which my Dad bought me in 1994, and on it, I learned the ins-and-outs of DOS, and also GEM.

• Intel 8086 8MHz microprocessor
• 640KB RAM
• 2 5.25" double-sided double-density (360KB) floppy drives
• A custom EGA-ish video adapter
• MS-DOS 3.2
• GEM 2.0
• Plus, an Epson JX-80-compatible Fujitsu printer of some description

This computer sadly reached the end of its life in 1998.

Dell 316SX (which evolved into 'my main system')

The next computer in the Rudge household was a Dell 316SX, which ran Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 6.2. I upgraded this a lot, and I've still got what is technically the result of all that upgrading now (although I doubt there's a single original component in it any more - Trigger's broom, anyone? ;)).

• Intel 80386SX processor at 16MHz
• 8MB RAM
• 80MB hard disk
• 640x480 (16 colours) VGA-capable video adapter (could also do low-res SVGA resolutions)
• A 10Mbit/sec SMC EtherCard ISA network card (which I later put in my Compaq P75 - I never actually used it or got it to work in the 386)
• 1.44MB 3.5" floppy drive
• Microsoft Windows 3.1 (I still have the original floppies for this)
• MS-DOS 6.2 (likewise)

At Christmas 1997, I bought an ESS AudioDrive 1688 sound card for it (later moved to the P75), and a 24x CD-ROM drive. This computer evolved in mid-1998 to the following:

Cyrix PR200

• Cyrix PR200 processor at 166MHz
• 16MB EDO RAM
• 1.6GB hard disk
• An Avance Logic video card of some description. Still using the Dell monitor, which didn't like resolutions of 800x600 or higher. Playing the Age of Empires demo was fun, as it didn't run in anything lower!
• Microsoft Windows 95 OSR2

I upgraded the RAM to 64MB SDRAM a while later, which made a huge speed boost. I also upgraded to Windows 98, and later 98 SE. I got a 13GB hard disk for this machine, and some time later, when the HD seemingly died (it sort of works today, but not for long), another one. The video card was also upgraded, to an S3 VIRGE 375 4MB video card, and a new monitor was purchased in January 1999 (sadly deceased today). July 1999 saw me get a modem and a connection to the Internet, and in November 1999, Owen's Visual Basic Workshop was born, partially based on content I wrote back in 1998. In February 2001, I bought an 8x4x32 Philips CD writer, although that's no longer in active use. I ran Windows XP RC2 on this system (even when it had 64MB of memory), and it ran, but slowly. Upgrading to 128MB helped a lot. At some point (summer 2001 maybe, can't remember) I upgraded it again:

Duron 1.2GHz

• AMD Duron 1.2GHz processor
• PC Chips motherboard (*shudder*... never again)
• New case
• Probably other stuff I can't remember

Some time after, I upgraded to 512MB DDR memory, and bought a 60GB hard disk. Since then, I've bought a DVD-ROM drive, a bunch of network cards and a network hub, a 120GB hard disk, a Pinnacle PCTV Pro TV card, a GeForce 4 MX440 graphics card, and various other bits and bobs. The specs then stood at:

• AMD Duron 1.2GHz processor
• ASUS A7V333 motherboard
• Some random generic and quite bad case (same as before)
• 1GB DDR memory
• 120GB + 60GB hard disks
• Dual-layer DVD writer: 16x DVD±R read/write, ?x DVD±RW write, 40x CD-R read/write, 24x CD-RW write, 2.4x DVD+R9 write...
• 16x DVD-ROM drive
• Acer AL1715 17" TFT screen
• GeForce 4 MX440 graphics card (64MB RAM, PCI)
• Pinnacle PCTV Pro TV card
• Windows XP Pro, Mandrake Linux, plus various other operating systems

In May 2005, I then upgraded the system further. Various other little upgrades later, and the system evolved into:

Athlon 64

• AMD Athlon 64 3000+ Venice processor
• Abit AX8 motherboard
• Quite a nice blue OC-UK Value case
• 2GB DDR memory
• 2 x 300GB SATA disks, plus 120GB + 60GB PATA disks (and I still need more storage!)
• Dual-layer DVD writer: 16x DVD±R read/write, ?x DVD±RW write, 40x CD-R read/write, 24x CD-RW write, 2.4x DVD+R9 write...
• LG L226WTQ 22" widescreen TFT, plus Acer AL1715 17" TFT screen
• GeForce 6600GT 256MB PCI Express graphics card
• Compro DVB-T200 digital TV card
• Pinnacle PCTV Pro analogue TV card
• Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card with Creative Inspire T7700 speakers
• Windows XP Pro, Windows XP x64 Edition, Ubuntu Linux, plus others
• 100Mbit university Internet connection ;)

In September 2007, an unfortunate accident involving a drink and the power supply rendered my system somewhat dead. As a result, my plan to build a new system was brought forward, salvaging what parts I could from my old PC:

Core 2 Quad

• Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (4 x 2.4GHz) processor
• ASUS P5B motherboard
• Casecom black mid-tower case
• Arctic Power 700W PSU
• 6GB DDR2 memory (upgraded from 2GB in 2008)
• 2 x 500GB, plus 120GB PATA disk (the old 60GB disk was retired)
• Dual-layer DVD writer: 16x DVD±R read/write, ?x DVD±RW write, 40x CD-R read/write, 24x CD-RW write, 2.4x DVD+R9 write...
• LG L226WTQ 22" widescreen TFT, plus Acer AL1715 17" TFT screen
• GeForce GTX260 896MB PCI Express graphics card (previously a GeForce 7800GT 256MB, and before that an ATI Radeon X1800 GTO 256MB PCI-X which was on loan from a friend)
• Compro DVB-T200 digital TV card
• Pinnacle PCTV Pro analogue TV card
• Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card with Creative Inspire T7700 speakers
• Windows Vista Business x64 Edition (previously XP x64, and before that XP Pro 32-bit)
• 8Mbps/832Kbps ADSL connection (in a private flat this year)

When I purchased my server in March 2008 (see below), the two 300GB disks that were originally in the PC were taken out and attached to the server. An extra 500GB hard disk was purchased for the machine in January 2009, bringing the total up to 1.1TB of storage.

August 2009 then brought more pain and misery for my PC - the motherboard died (although my first thought was a PSU, so I ended up buying a new one of those, too). I'd been planning some partial upgrades, so ended up making a much more substantial upgrade, resulting in:

Core i7

• Intel Core i7 920 (4 x 2.67GHz) processor
• ASUS P6T motherboard
• Casecom black mid-tower case
• CoolerMaster RealPower 700W modular PSU
• 6GB DDR3 Corsair 1600MHz memory (triple channel)
• 1.5TB, plus 2 x 500GB hard disks (the old 120GB disk was retired)
• LG GGW-H20L Blu-Ray/HD-DVD/DVD±RW/CD-RW combo drive
• LG L226WTQ 22" widescreen TFT, plus Acer AL1715 17" TFT screen
• GeForce GTX260 896MB PCI Express graphics card
• Creative Audigy 2 ZS Platinum sound card with Creative Inspire T7700 speakers
• Windows 7 Ultimate (x64), plus Windows Vista Business (x64), Ubuntu, and others
• 8Mbps/832Kbps ADSL connection

The old TV cards I still have; they're not in my machine at the moment though.

In October 2009, I moved to the US, and shipped my computer across. Alas, DHL bashed it up somewhat, and I had to replace the case and the graphics card, which now comprise:

• Cooler Master HAF 922M case
• GeForce GTX 285 OC 1GB PCI Express graphics card

Compaq Prolinea 575

I bought this computer second-hand in 1999/2000 as a PC for messing around with and trying older software. I originally ran Windows 3.1 and MS-DOS 6.2 on it, but since have run Windows 98 on it mainly, and also NT 3.51 as a dual (well, triple) boot system for the past year or so. (Where "past year or so" now refers to, hm, maybe 2002-3 or so?). This system sadly had to be abandoned in August 2005 when we moved house.

• Intel Pentium 75MHz processor
• 16MB RAM originally, upgraded to 32MB
• ~500MB hard disk (died when I accidentally nudged the power connector when it was plugged into another computer - d'oh!). I've since used an old 200MB hard disk in this, and my 1.6GB HD formerly on my main system.
• Built-in Cirrus Logic video chipset (I've used my S3 375 in this for the past few years though)
• CD-ROM drive, floppy drive

Compaq Evo N1015V laptop / Compaq Presario 920US

What I used to write this paragraph back in 2004, on a ferry. Bought in June 2003.

• Mobile AMD Athlon XP 1600+ processor
• 128MB RAM (later upgraded to 384MB)
• 20GB hard disk
• ATI Mobility U1 video adapter
• Windows XP

Unfortunately, this laptop is now semi-dead. So that's more or less that... However, I replaced it with a second-hand Compaq Presario 920US in late 2005, which is quite similar in specification and design:

• Mobile AMD Athlon XP 1700+ processor
• 512MB RAM
• 30GB hard disk
• ATI Mobility U1 video adapter
• Windows XP, Kubuntu Linux 5.10

However, it also has experienced some problems since I bought it, particularly over the summer of 2006, so I went and bought myself a lovely new MacBook (see below).

Mac Mini 1.25GHz

I bought this Mac Mini in January 2006 second-hand, for use as a "media centre" appliance in our house the following year, and for general experimentation and development use for now.

• 1.25GHz PowerPC G4
• 512MB PC2700 RAM
• ATI Radeon 9200 with 32MB RAM
• 40GB hard disk
• Mac OS X 10.3.x ("Panther")
• Apple keyboard, Microsoft Basic Mouse
• Connected to 17" TFT with main PC via a KVM switch

In the end, though, I sold this machine in October 2006 to help out with the buying of the MacBook.

MacBook

After much deliberating, I decided to plump for a shiny new Intel MacBook in October 2006. It's really rather nice, with a good battery life, sharp screen, and is pretty small and light, compared with my past laptops.

• 1.83GHz Intel Core Duo processor
• 1GB DDR2 667MHz RAM
• 80GB 5400rpm SATA drive
• 13.3" glossy widescreen display
• CD-RW/DVD combo drive
• Built in 802.11g and Bluetooth
• iSight camera, a pile of ports
• Mac OS X 10.4.x ("Tiger")

The hard disk unfortunately died in October 2009, though. The DVD drive had been somewhat temperamental for a while, too, so I ended up getting a new MacBook Pro. I may still replace the hard disk and salvage the laptop, since it's otherwise in fairly good condition.

Tranquil PC T2-WHS-A2 server

In March 2008, I purchased a T2-WHS-A2 server to store a lot of my data, and to run various servers (web, database, etc). Initially it was fitted with two 500GB hard drives, but I've added more since then:

• 1.5GHz VIA C7 processor (which typically runs at around 20°C)
• 1GB RAM
• 2x500GB drives built in, plus 4x1TB additional storage (RAID-1 configuration, around 2.3TB usable space)
• Gigabit Ethernet
• Debian Linux 5.0 ("Lenny")
• Pretty much silent!

MacBook Pro

After the aforementioned laptop death, I needed to get a new laptop pretty quickly, for work and suchlike, so I went and spent a slightly obscene amount of money on a brand new MacBook Pro:

• 2.66GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor
• 4GB DDR3 667MHz RAM
• 320GB 5400rpm SATA drive
• 15.4" glossy widescreen display
• GeForce 9600M GT graphics processor
• 8x SuperDrive (DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW)
• Built in 802.11n and Bluetooth
• iSight camera, a pile of ports
• Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard")

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