Happenings

I'm tired...

Woke up early to go for my drivers test. 8am. Went to the place at 8:45, and asked if I can sit the test today. No, they were fully booked. There's 2 free places right there. Obviously they don't wanna let me sit the test, but since I can only go on Saturdays (and next week I might have to OT... hmmm) I asked if there was any alternative. There was free space at 10. So, I went and did some shopping, for some light bulbs. 3 x $5.08 (8 cents extra? what the...). That ate up some $$. Went back to the motor registry, and a police car pulls over this guy... I drove by them and I see the car is moving weirdly... like the suspension was tweaked. Anyways, the booking for the license was $32. The actual exam takes place all on the computer, touch screen and all. 15 mins and I was done. Checked, and passed. Quite simple really. Then I paid $96 for the 3 year option. So yeah, it was the end of morning when I got home. Then the trouble starts.

My bro had gotten 2 drives from uni, they were 'supposedly' ok. So I wanted to test them. I turned off my Server computer. Big mistake. Now, it won't turn on properly anymore. Seems like 2 capacitors had leaked, and it was running on pure willpower alone. Afterall, it's been on for nearly 1 year completely. 24x7. The invoice was 19th of April 2004, which is already past one year. I had spent the better half of the afternoon and evening trying to get the HDD to work. To no avail. It's pretty much dead, it won't even spin up. And the mobo (my trusty (or not so trusty anymore)) - my beloved EPIA-M acts up. Sometimes it detects the HDD as random characters, or a DVD-Rom as random characters, or doesn't detect them at all. I'm a bit pissed off, since there's like 3 gb worth of stuff on there which I haven't got off -_-. Well, time to redownload I guess. Except that I don't have a dumping ground to do it on.

So, I've been spending time to relocate the ADSL modem to my bro's PC. Took some time but it works. Otherwise somebody'll be a bit pissed.

I think there's only 2 options here. One is to get a Router. That way nobody will be stuck without the net. Second option, to replace the broken server with another one. Either a Mini-PC again, or I buy a new PC for myself, and put the accessories on the new machine, and dump the old one as the server. I given it alot of thought... considering I spent a lot today...

I want to get a new PC. Justifiable? I hope so. I could save up and we can pay off the mortgage earlier, but I can splash out $1500 on myself for a spiffy new machine. Which will probably last me a couple of years. I've checked 3 online computer sites in sydney... prices are around the same, some are cheaper and closer to me, and others are a little more expensive but in the opposite direction. Here's what I've come up with...

Essential:
AMD 64 Socket 939 Motherboard $153~874
AMD 64 Socket 939 CPU $222~792
$164 for Gigabyte GA-K8NF-9 - PCI-E
$222 for AMD 64 3000+

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Video:
AGP: 256mb Minimum $115~200
PCI-E: $96~300
$234 for Leadtek Winfast 256MB PX6600 TD PCI-Express

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HDD:
IDE: 250GB $194
SATA: $199
$199 for Western Digital 250G 7200RPM 8MB SATA (WD2500JD)

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Ram:
$84 for 512mb Kingston
$134 for 1GB Hynix DDR3200 400MHz
$153 for GeIL DDR400 1GB Kit Value w/Heat Spreader
$169 for 1GB KIT DDR PC3200 400Mhz KingstonChoose
$153 for GeIL.

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Case:Max $150 (I don't care as long as it's quiet)

Spending the least amount: $768 (no case, no router)

Need to get a Router. ($80~120)

Spending what I want to get: $972+120+150 = $1242. *whistles*

Spending the best: $2335... Nah I won't spend that much...

So it seems like I should put aside $1500 if I wish to go for a new computer. But first I need the router. Planning...

And the OT is limited now... oh how cruel this is...

I need sleep.