I finally did the inevitable: I built myself a new computer. My old computer lasted me for over three years, which is a long lifetime for a gaming computer. It was an Athlon XP based system that reached the end of its upgrade path, and unable to keep up with latest generation of games, barely able to churn out playable frame rates at the absolute minimum details. I saw City 17 bathed in unholy blue and white light, I floated among the clouds vanquishing hazes of grey, I evaded Sergeant Cross in my pimped out Gallardo…all on that computer. Ah, fond memories. That computer has seen the last of its glorious gaming days and will now function for lighter and more humble purposes.
To afford my new computer, a huge sacrifice was made: I had to sell off my laptop. Yes, I sold that means of sanctuary. Oh how I wish I didn’t have to resort to this, but I have exhausted all other alternatives. It was aching trying to sell something I so wanted to keep, of something that you can’t put a price on. But the potential buyers does not understand, nor cared, for the sentimental values of the laptop, and haggled over its price, making the experience all the more agonizing. Eventually I had to accept a deal, very reluctantly and pitifully. The money from the laptop, combined with a large portion of the funds in my bank, was enough to purchase the majority of the new computer, but not everything. I salvaged a few parts of lesser importance from the old computer as well, but leaving enough left for it to still operate.
Building the computer was not without its complications. The day that the final package came and all the merchandise arrived was day one, Wednesday of this week. Piecing together the hardware was the easy part, I spent half of day one doing that. Setting up the software, however, ended up being the real challenge. After a fresh install of Windows XP, the moment I connect to the internet, I was immediately swarmed with viruses and trojans. Everytime. Fighting the malware was futile. It always ended up with more at every restart. Format was the only option. Day two was spent all on formatting and reinstalling Windows, over and over again. I needed to update Windows so that its safe from online attacks, but to update Windows, I needed to have connection to the internet. It was a trap. At the verge of extreme frustration, the solution came to me. I downloaded service pack 2 using my old computer, burned it out on a CD, and installed it on the new Windows before connecting that cable wire at the back. More updates were automatically downloaded and patched, while I scanned diligently for malware. None were found. It worked! I learned a valuable lesson: never, ever, ever, use the internet using Windows XP without service pack 2. It is far too vulnerable in its original state. If I knew that beforehand I would have saved a whole day’s time and energy. Although having the computer in safe usable condition is a triumphant achievement, I was not merely satisfied with that. I bought the computer with overclocking in mind, picking components that were a cut above the cheapest and the bare minimum. So today, day three, was spent on a preliminary overclocking effort (and typing up this account). I managed to reach 3.1Ghz easily. This is a fair overclock, and I know my computer is capable of a bit more. But that means more bios adjustments and lengthy stability testing. It would take a few more days to determine the exact settings as to push these silicon chips to their limit.
While plenty of preparatory research helped me in constructing my computer, I realized I owe a lot to my father. My father worked as a computer technician in years past, even opening up his own computer shop at one time. As I spent growing up there would be computers strewn about at home and work in various stages of decomposition, and sometimes my father would show me some pointers, or I would willingly watch him while he worked on whatever electronic part or problem. Even though the technology is vastly more advanced now, the knowledge I gained during those years still proved useful today. From the joy of a successful first test bootup, to the marvel of one’s own computer creation: I have my father to thank.
