Battlestation

Since computers are a hobby of mine I feel like I should share my main desktop build. I rarely build a new desktop for myself since I select components that will last not just in terms of lifespan but in terms of power. New chips and cards come out every six months but with careful selection and maybe some healthy overclocking the components can last for years and still provide great performance for cutting edge applications.

My previous rig was assembled in 2006 and lasted until 2011 at which point I decided to take advantage of the various employee purchase benefits during my time at Best Buy. The core parts from 2006 still work by the way. I am considering getting another power supply and hard drive to awaken it once more. It was built around an AMD Opteron 144 CPU. That was a server processor line which was very easy to overclock. Apparently the silicon was of great quality because I was able to bump it up to a stable 2.4GHz from 1.8GHz on the stock heat sink fan (HSF) with ease. That build originally contained an ATI X800 XT Platinum Edition graphics card. I have since replaced it with an AMD 6950 2GB reference card. This is one of the reasons I need a new power supply unit (PSU). Modern graphics cards are power-hungry beasts. The original hard drive died last year but this is okay. Five years is a decent life span for a traditional magnetic storage based hard drive. The case is made by Lian Li and is of very high quality. It has an interesting design which mounts the motherboard upside down.

On to my current rig. At the heart is an Intel i7 2600K. The K denotes an unlocked processor which allows for complete freedom when overclocking. I decided not to do liquid cooling and opted for a Noctua NH-D14 HSF which is massive! If I ever decide to overclock I know that I will not have an overheating issue. Honestly, I have not felt the need to overclock this CPU. It handles anything I throw at it without hesitation. The ASUS P8P67 motherboard contains a UEFI interface which replaces the older BIOS. It is very clean and user friendly. It even supports a mouse! It was quite a leap for me. The hard drive containing the OS and games is an Intel 320 series 120GB hard drive. It is fast as hell but obviously has limited space. With current games often using upwards of 8GB of space it is hard to have the entire games library installed. I do have a 2TB Western Digital Caviar drive inside for additional media storage.

I recently acquired the nVidia GTX 660 OEM card. It has much better performance than the previous AMD card with the original build and definitely gives gaming a nice boost. I am able to run any game at 1080p. The anti-aliasing and anisotropic filtering settings vary based on the game but are generally set at 2X and 8X, respectively.

The case is by NZXT and is nicely complimented by a white power supply and white braided cables of the same brand. I also installed three additional fans since the case only came with two that are in front. The cooling is more than adequate and the 750W PSU handles all the components with ease.

Did I mention all of this computing takes place on a 46″ LED 3DTV? The Samsung UN46D6900 is the first flat screen TV I have owned. Having this hooked up to the computer makes it easy to view multiple documents and web pages simultaneously. It also provides a nice experience for games such as Borderlands 2 and Battlefield 3. I can stream Netflix, see a life-sized friend on Skype and have a photo slideshow all in HD. I have my PS2 and PS3 plugged in also. This is an all-in-one entertainment solution. The PS3 serves mainly as a Blu-ray player but has been seeing a lot of Ni No Kuni lately. If you are a fan of Studio Ghibli work I highly recommend that game. It feels as if you are playing through one of their films. The music, which accounts for half of a game or movie experience in my opinion, is astounding.

Happy gaming!

Moar Camera Gear! (also Micro Center is awesome)

I went to the new local Micro Center to look around and I must say the store is amazing! It feels like what Newegg.com would be if they had a brick and mortar store. You can go there and pick out everything you would need to build a computer. They have a large selection of items to satisfy the nerdiest of nerds. There is nothing else like it! I could almost spend a whole day in there wandering around and playing with demo models.

I actually navigated straight to the digital imaging section once I stepped foot inside this technological haven. I was invited to photograph a small wedding and wanted to grab a better flash for my NEX-5N. I got the HVLF20S flash which is a great step up from the kit flash. I also picked up a Manfrotto MK394-H tripod and a 32GB SD card. I am happy with the build quality of the tripod and am anxious to use it to capture some slow shutter speed night shots.

All of these items put a hurt on my wallet but I consider them to be investments. I really enjoy this hobby and at some point hope to make some money putting my budding photography skills to good use. Here are a few shots from the wedding!

Sony NEX-5N Lens Addition

I picked up the SEL50F18 lens for my NEX-5N tonight and am anxious to try it out. The capabilities of this lens for portraits is supposed to be amazing. I’m sure I will find that it is much better than the SEL1855 kit lens. I’m sure to exclude that kit lens from my carrying case in the near future.

While employed by Best Buy I figured it would be a good time to get a DSLR on the cheap. It was a great idea. I have had the best time learning and sharpening photography skills with this camera. It is a well-reviewed model which receives high marks from most of the community. I also managed to get the SEL55210 lens, SEL16F28 lens and ECM-SST1 stereo microphone. I am amazed at the video quality of this camera and thought it would be a good idea to grab a nicer mic. The only accessories I have yet to obtain include an upgraded flash and tripod.

Of course, since it is made by Sony, the lenses are pricier and it has a proprietary E mount system. I don’t really mind that at this point. It does not have a built-in viewfinder or flash but has a much smaller form factor than a traditional DSLR while retaining power and features.

I am still yearning for the SEL30M35 macro lens and VCL-ECF1 fisheye converter… They would be a ton of fun!

Call me a Sony fan boy if you wish but they make great stuff. My laptop, cameras, eReader and gaming consoles are all made by Sony. I have had zero problems with them so far. Hell, I even bought one of their voice recorders that still works to this day. Customer loyalty achieved!