Lil' Viv's Computers

This is the computer setup I use at home . . . One of my hobbies is computing (assembly, programming, configuring, etc.). I enjoy it very much, and I am constantly doing my best to expand my knowledge within the field. These are the computers I use for myself at home . . . :-)

The Main Machine
Commentary: This is my general use machine. I use my portable machine to keep all my correspondence and personal files. I use this machine to store all the fun stuff like music, videos, games, and things like host a WebCam & FTP Server, Download and Exchange files and more. The RAID was important to me so I didn't lose all my files, and the reliability of the machine running continuously is nice, as well. The RAID was surprisingly easy to setup on this machine, too!

Front and Back of the Machine (Side View)

Case	Lian-Li PC-65 Aluminum Case
Power Supply	ThermalTake 480W Silent PurePower (Includes VR Fan Speed Controllers for Case)
Processor (CPU)	Intel Pentium 4 3.0E GHz (800 MHz System Bus, 1 MB L2 Cache, Hyper Threading, Socket 478)
Motherboard	ASUS P4C800-E Deluxe (Intel 875P Chipset + ICH5R, Includes Promise 378 RAID Controller On-Board)
Memory (RAM)	1 GB Mushkin PC-3200 DDR (2 Sticks)
Hard Drive Storage	Two Maxtor 250 GB Drives (Running RAID-1: Mirrored on On-Board Promise 378 Controller); External 120 GB Western Digital 7200 RPM HD
Optical Drives	Sony Black DVD+-RW Drive (Slave), Sony Beige DVD-ROM Drive (Master)
Floppy Disk Drive	3.5" Floppy Disk Drive (Connected via Round Floppy Cable)
Graphics	GeForce2 MX 200 PCI (Temporary, Awaiting AGP Pro Card)
Operating System	Windows XP Professional (Latest SP)

*Benchmark Tests*
Stock Clock Rate	CPU Arithmetic
3.3 GHz (10% Overclocked)	CPU Arithmetic, CPU MultiMedia
3.6 GHz (20% Overclocked)	CPU Arithmetic, CPU MultiMedia, Memory Bandwidth, Cache, Hard Drive Bandwidth

Picture of Parts Before Build

The Main Machine (Vivek's Laptop)
Commentary: After having an array of desktop machines for many years and the decline of prices for portable machines . . . I decided to go with a laptop that could handle my day to day tasks and a bit more than that if called for. Integrated Wireless internet, DVD Playback, CD-Writing, speed, and others were amongst things on my list for "must haves." After a horrible experience with the Dell I purchased for my younger sister (they screwed me out of the $200.00 mail in rebate and the Inspiron 8200 was of very poor quality), I turned to Gateway. I've been extremely pleased, thus far. My review of this machine on Epinions can be found by clicking here.

    Computer:               Gateway 450x
    CPU:                       Intel Pentium 4-M 2.0 GHz
    Graphics Card:         ATI Mobility Radeon w/ 32MB DDR Video Memory
    Operating Systems:  Windows XP Professional
    CD-RW/DVD:          16x/10x/24x CD-RW & 8x DVD
    Networking:            Integrated 802.11b Networking, Integrated Intel Pro 10/100 VE

I use some accessories on this machine when I am at home to make it feel more like I'm at home. I have all my USB devices plugged in through a D-Link USB hub so that when I take the laptop, I only have one thing to unplug (besides the speaker and A/C Adapter). I also use a LinkSys Wireless Access Point for the 802.11b Integrated Networking.

    Speakers:                Altec Lansing Dual Speaker Setup + Subwoofer
    Mouse:                    Microsoft Optical Intellimouse USB v. 1.1a
    Compact Flash:        IBM Compact Flash Reader (00N7537)
    Operating Systems:  Windows XP Professional
    Keyboard :          Microsoft Natural Keyboard (USB)

Other Pictures: Me Before Opening Box, Laptop In Box

The iMac G5
Commentary: With the advent of a UNIX based OS for the Macintosh (OS X), I felt compelled to stay current and learn the Mac OS. I was skeptical and as loyal a PC User as there ever was, but I am thoroughly impressed with the Macintosh in so many ways. My friend, Rob, was temporarily working at the Mac Store in Dallas, and he set aside this computer for me to buy and told me I had to try it . . . I bought it, and I love it. I haven't completely made the switch to a Mac, but it's definitely a possibility. :-)

    Computer:               iMac G5 17" Widescreen
    CPU:                       1.6 GHz PowerPC G5 Processor (512KB On-Chip L2 Cache)
    Graphics: NVidia GeForce FX 5200 Ultra (64 MB DDR)
    Operating Systems:  OS X Tiger
    CD-RW/DVD:           Slot Loading CD-RW & DVD
    Memory (RAM): 256 MB DDR SDRAM
    Hard Drive:         80 GB Serial ATA Hard Drive

There are many standard extras like Firewire, USB, Upgradeability, Networking, etc., as well. It also came with iLife, and I am very impressed with this computer overall! Here are pictures of the box: Front, Back.

My old main desktop machine was sold to a friend and can be found by clicking the following link: The Big General

Old Pictures: OfficeJet 610, Epson Stylus Color & OfficeJet, Laptop, Switches, More Switches
Various Main Machine Pictures: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

I may have forgotten to add some parts to this list, but for the most part, it is complete.

This page was last updated on June 21, 2005. If you have any questions or comments, please send an E-Mail by clicking here to express your thoughts. Thank you.