they didn't belong where they were. They knew their place and were confused why they weren't there, and it's entirely my fault. On a slow Thursday at work, I took the plunge and began ordering computer parts online. Months of research had thrown me into analysis paralysis. It took one post - a recommended system - to snap me out of it into the purchasing mode. It was quick; it was furious; it was expensive. Twelve hours later my credit card would be locked, and I would spend twenty minutes on the phone taking quizzes about my credit history and my shopping habits over the past twenty four hours. My credit card company was staging a kind of pre-intervention before my habit spun out of control too quickly.
For the past few years I've been tossing around the idea of getting back into PC gaming. The catalyst was some free funds - after a year on the market my condo finally sold and I felt financial freedom for the first time in forever. It was time to celebrate.
It had been roughly five years since I put together a computer. Yeah, I work with computers and am typically taking them apart in some fashion all the time (except recently) but not very often do I put one together for my own uses. The last time was in 2009, when I assembled an HTPC/Server combo. After that, I would purchase a laptop which would serve as my main machine. The allure of gaming on the PC became too great to resist, and with the advent of the next generation of console systems, I knew where my path was going.
I hesitated though. It was Saturday afternoon, around 4pm. How long would this take? Would I encounter problems? Do I have all the tools?
As it turns out, it's old hat.
Clearing off some space on the table, I methodically removed all the components from their boxes, put them together and had a running machine in just over an hour. I spent an inordinate amount of time on cable management - unusual for me - but I wanted to get things in order this time around.
I ended up taking my old HTPC apart and using both the case and power supply for this new build. In 2009 I tried planning ahead, in buying better equipment - it was overkill for the HTPC - knowing it would be used later on. Turns out, I was spot on: the case is fantastic to work with, and the power supply provides enough power and connectors for everything I need. With the processor mounted, the motherboard in the case (I know, you should test it beforehand) and the RAM slotted, I powered it up. It was the moment of truth, and I was happy to see the computer hum on and stand at the BIOS. Shortly afterward, I had the SSD installed, the graphics card in place and booting into a fresh Windows 7 install. In two hours, I was at the point of downloading Windows Updates (160 updates to download and install) and my job was nearly complete. No hiccups of any kind.
With every machine I build - which coincidentally seems to be every five years - it gets easier and easier. I'm not sure it's my skill, because I build infrequently, but more of a testament to advancements in standards and technology in the enthusiast PC market that make things more accessible and easier to put together a machine.
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| MURNEY |
CPU:
Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard:
ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory:
Patriot Viper 3 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage:
Sandisk 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Western Digital Blue 1TB HDD
Video Card:
PowerColor Radeon R9 280X 3GB TurboDuo Video Card
Case:
Antec P183 V3 ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU:
Corsair Enthusiast 650W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
I wanted to get a machine capable of gaming, and would be decent for gaming for a couple of years at least. A couple of weeks ago I spent a decent sum of money in the Steam Summer Sale, picking up some titles I've had my eye on, as well as some PC versions of Xbox 360 games I've previously played. The first one I loaded was Bioshock Infinite, which is just spectacular. I had purchased a nice 27 inch, 1080p monitor off a coworker earlier this year, and to put it simple: everything came together. The graphics are incredible and the gameplay is smooth. The game is brilliant as ever. There is no shortage of games to play, and some catching up to do on older titles. Perhaps most importantly, Minecraft is flawless. I struggled along that game with frame rates dipping under 20, maxing out around 30. Now, I have it locked in at 60fps, with all the graphical enhancements turned on. Mods. Now I can get back into mods, especially for games like Minecraft.
I bought a wired Xbox 360 controller as my wireless adapter was dead - and those things are hard to find - and the controller works perfectly. The level of support by all the games I've played for the controller is very pleasing indeed. Launch the game, and everything just works, not to mention that all the on screen instructions are updated to reflect the controller.
The last step was to come up with a name, which has always been difficult. But being back in Kingston, I thought it appropriate to use something local, which brings me to the name of MURNEY, after the tower fortification. All my hard drives are named after provincial parks (or, protected areas) of Ontario, a practice I've maintained for quite a few years now. I'll be updating the names of my other computers to match the other fortifications in the area.
Now I get to build another machine, sort of. My HTPC is just guts on the table right now, with no case or power supply. I've ordered a new SSD for it as well, so I'll be able to reassemble and get a fresh install going on. It should be a good year for computing.
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