Geek Nostalgia and Computer Irony
After my computer broke, Kathy talked me out of building a new one and into having someone else build it for me. Gasp! That's heresy! I've built my own systems for twenty years, and the one time I didn't I had all sorts of trouble.
But right now I'm tired, what with the surgery and upcoming treatment. I don't have three days to take out of my life to assemble and troubleshoot a new system. See, I always believe it will just be an hour or two to get everything running, but it never ever is. Not all the components work right away or there are conflicts and you can't figure out the source of the problem immediately. I have a background in testing (software testing, but you can use the same principles on hardware) so I probably approach it very anal-retentively anyway.
But back to the story, so I agreed to order a computer. I found a fabulous company called Puget Systems that would build a computer to my specs. And when I say "to my specs" I really mean it. It's a lazy geeks DREAM. I don't just get to choose regular stuff like the motherboard, CPU, and video card. I also get to choose exactly which fan I want them to use, what kind of thermal compound to put on the heat sink, and whether I want round or ribbon cables inside the case. BE STILL MY HEART! Now this is exciting!
Puget offered great sales support. When I talked to them about my order, they really worked with me to make sure I was getting just what I need. They talked me out of a couple of fancy things because I wouldn't use them. (I still went excessive on the CPU and the RAM because that's what matters.) They let me know when they were shipping the system and everything looked good.
The day before the new computer arrived, I started thinking more about my broken system. I wondered if the CPU was really fried. I got a replacement CPU fan (fancy pants Zalman quiet copper fan) but that didn't work. I thought maybe the power connection was at fault. So I went out in search of a 3-to-4 pin adapter that would allow me to plug the CPU fan directly into the power supply. (Just nod and stay with me.)
Fry's Electronics didn't have what I wanted. A sales associate suggested I try a little computer shop in a strip mall. I walked inside the place and WOW: a peak nostalgic geek moment. This storefront was packed with stacks of motherboard and sound card boxes, dozens of Iris roller carts stuffed full of cables and other supplies, invoices and manuals scattered everywhere, and old posters for video cards (featuring hot fantasy gaming women) tacked to the walls. Obviously run by men, the place needed a good dusting and scrubbing down.
I asked the guy working there (who probably owned the place) for the little cable I wanted. He stepped over and around the stacks of stuff, prying open drawers on the overstuffed roller carts, mumbling as he went. Finally, he went in a back room and came out with the cable. How much? Two dollars and fourteen cents! A deal!
When Kathy and I walked out, I could barely contain myself. "Omigod, I HAVE to make a vintage computer store in miniature! We'll have to make up a reason to go back sometime so I make notes on everything in the store to reproduce in 1:12 scale...it will be so cool, and..."
See what she has to live with?
Oh, but back to the computer. So I came home, hooked up the cable, and it still didn't work. I stared at it for a moment, then realized…wait. There is an extension that comes off the cable for the fan's power; it's used if you want to control the fan speed yourself. I never used it. What if it went bad? I took off the extension, plugged it all back in, and voila! The system started and everything was fine.
The next day, my shiny new system arrived. I felt guilty for ordering it (since my old system is back to life) but the guilt only lasted until I plugged it in. I tried to make a quiet system before, but this new system is near SILENT. I'm in heaven! Given that I like to record audio in my office, every noise is a factor. The new computer makes it easy. Yay!
I'll be putting my "old" computer up for sale soon. It served me well; may as well have it serve someone else well, too, while I enjoy my glossy black beauty. And while I'm thinking of it, maybe I can paint a gold fleur-de-lys on the side of the computer case and really make it work with my pirate office. Yeah, that's what I think I'm gonna do....
P.S. Forgot to mention-yet another reason Puget Systems has my vote, beyond a great system, good service, and excellent packaging. They also sent a box of all the leftover parts from assembling the computer! I was doing the happy dance. I actually use those things but you never get them if someone else builds your system for you. Puget Systems, you ROCK!
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