Wilson
My computer's name is Wilson. He's served me very well over the past few years. Yeoman's work, really. I'm not a gentle computer user, but he's held up well. I'll credit a solid build, easy access, and not being quite a intent a power user as I was in college. Heinlein, my college PC... oi. That poor machine.
Heinlein was a Gateway that I bought right before Freshman year. I talked to the Gateway salesman and my parents, who were footing the bill for the computer, seeing as it was a college necessity, and we ended up with a then very powerful, nigh-on top of the line P.C. I'd almost insisted on Windows NT, but was told that DVD--still a fairly new technology--was not available on NT, no drivers. So, it was 98, and we were content. Right out of the box, Heinlein had 'issues'. I'm not complaining. These issues led in part to who I am now. Had I not spent my college years geeking out with CS majors, and rebuilding my computer I'd not be the geek I am today. Geek is by nature, so I'd still be here, but my Geek Code would be missing a few letters.
After five years of college, Heinlein came with me to the job hunt and gave me another year of hard work, until I was finally able to land a good job. 6 years is quite a lifetime for a computer, even after numerous upgrades. RAM, check. Video card, check. Peripherals, oh check and check. Hard drives, and power supplies. I even fooled around with the idea of replacing the CPU, but really at a certain point the issue is the MOBO and the case. And frankly, Heinlein was done. After the secondary hard drive (with all my data on it) head crashed, I knew it was time. I bought a new computer.
Being such a geek with rebuilding computers, you might think I built it from scratch. And in fact, I had done so many times between, but for whatever reason I ended up electing to purchase a computer again. I think it was the fact that I got a discount with Dell, and they had a sexy line of power-user computers running. The XPS. After a while that line went mobile intensive and, well, blah. But mine was kickin'.
I bought it with relatively high end stuff, particularly processor with the intent to expand it over the years with RAM and video card. Well, the video card never happened, and until this week, neither did the RAM.
I found myself shocked that it's been 4 and a half years since I bought Wilson and he's still chugging away on the same 1GB (2x512) of RAM that he had at the start. Last year around this time I did my first brain transfer. Wilson had finally slowed down to the intolerable level. The refresh did wonders. For a while. Now he's slowed down again, and in conjunction with upgrading his RAM, I'm brain transfering again. We're moving from XP to 7.
Tack on a monitor upgrade, caused because the previous monitor died after those four and a half years and would no longer turn on, and we have practically a brand new machine.
But he's still Wilson. And he's got another two years to give me before he matches Heinlein. I think we'll make it. The processor is still sound, and I can upgrade it if needed thanks to my MOBO, and I've got room for another 3GB of RAM to upgrade as well.
Heinlein was a Gateway that I bought right before Freshman year. I talked to the Gateway salesman and my parents, who were footing the bill for the computer, seeing as it was a college necessity, and we ended up with a then very powerful, nigh-on top of the line P.C. I'd almost insisted on Windows NT, but was told that DVD--still a fairly new technology--was not available on NT, no drivers. So, it was 98, and we were content. Right out of the box, Heinlein had 'issues'. I'm not complaining. These issues led in part to who I am now. Had I not spent my college years geeking out with CS majors, and rebuilding my computer I'd not be the geek I am today. Geek is by nature, so I'd still be here, but my Geek Code would be missing a few letters.
After five years of college, Heinlein came with me to the job hunt and gave me another year of hard work, until I was finally able to land a good job. 6 years is quite a lifetime for a computer, even after numerous upgrades. RAM, check. Video card, check. Peripherals, oh check and check. Hard drives, and power supplies. I even fooled around with the idea of replacing the CPU, but really at a certain point the issue is the MOBO and the case. And frankly, Heinlein was done. After the secondary hard drive (with all my data on it) head crashed, I knew it was time. I bought a new computer.
Being such a geek with rebuilding computers, you might think I built it from scratch. And in fact, I had done so many times between, but for whatever reason I ended up electing to purchase a computer again. I think it was the fact that I got a discount with Dell, and they had a sexy line of power-user computers running. The XPS. After a while that line went mobile intensive and, well, blah. But mine was kickin'.
I bought it with relatively high end stuff, particularly processor with the intent to expand it over the years with RAM and video card. Well, the video card never happened, and until this week, neither did the RAM.
I found myself shocked that it's been 4 and a half years since I bought Wilson and he's still chugging away on the same 1GB (2x512) of RAM that he had at the start. Last year around this time I did my first brain transfer. Wilson had finally slowed down to the intolerable level. The refresh did wonders. For a while. Now he's slowed down again, and in conjunction with upgrading his RAM, I'm brain transfering again. We're moving from XP to 7.
Tack on a monitor upgrade, caused because the previous monitor died after those four and a half years and would no longer turn on, and we have practically a brand new machine.
But he's still Wilson. And he's got another two years to give me before he matches Heinlein. I think we'll make it. The processor is still sound, and I can upgrade it if needed thanks to my MOBO, and I've got room for another 3GB of RAM to upgrade as well.