HP Pavilion DV 9000I was in need of a new notebook, and I wanted a 64 bit processor (so I could run a 64 bit version of linux and optimize my code for 64 bit operations) so I decided on the amd turion 64 x2. HP made a 17 inch widescreen notebook, so I ordered it. It was roughly $1350 after rebate. It arrived a day earlier than they had scheduled, which was impressive because it shipped from China. It has a very glossy finish, which looks great, but collects fingerprints. The screen is also very glossy, which makes it reflect light well. You can often see yourself in the screen. The notebook comes with a 'media card reader' which only reads secure digital sized media. The first problem I had with the notebook was the battery was not charging. I contacted HP support online, and they had me download a battery diagnostic program, which said the battery was defective. I remmember a similar problem I had with a compaq notebook, and I suggested reseating the battery. That fixed the problem. I consider it a bug if you can insert the battery in a way that seems to be ok, but is really not fully seated electronic. A recovery dvd cost an extra $10 or so, but I could make my own. As soon as I had access to some blank media, I started up the make a recovery dvd (Needed for all of the shovelware that HP includes with the notebook). It ejected the dvd disc tray. I put in a blank disc, and closed the tray. It bounced open. I closed it again. It bounced open again. I exited the program, but I still couldn't close the tray. I rebooted. Still no close. After trying about 60 times, the tray closed. I ran the program again, and there was a click, but they tray wouldn't open. It was jammed. I contacted HP support online, and explained the problem. I expected that they would ship me a new drive. But no, they told me to call a toll free HP support number. I called them, and explained the problem to them. I expected they would ship me a new drive. But no, they told me they had to transfer me to sales. I said ok. I heard elevator music. After about 10 minutes, the tech came on and said there would be more delay. I was getting frustraded. After about 15 or 20 more minutes on hold (while I looked up a core 2 duo notebook from Dell) I got HP sales. I told them there were two defective things with my notebook, and their service was unacceptable. I said I was returning the notebook (and the free after rebate inkjet printer). Looks like I will be getting an Intel Core 2 Duo based notebook, which seems like a higher performance cpu. HP Pavilion DV 8305Well I still needed a notebook. I looked around at some with the Intel Core 2 Duo (a great processor). They were very expensive. I decided I really needed the 17 inch screen, and not much else. I ended up getting a HP dv 8305 from a local store for $800 (after the stupid $50 rebate). It came with Windows XP Media Center Edition. I had never used Media Center Edition, but I thought it was basically the same as XP. Well the version that came with HP has lots of shovelware. There is about 2gb of 'media' files in c:\documents and settings\all users. That went quickly. HP also sees fit to have some odd directory on the C drive that seems to have a copy of all software that one might install (including trial software). I accidently deleted this odd directory before realizing that there was lots of 'useful' stuff in it. I had to reload the OS to get it back. It also had a copy of the 2gb of media files. That also went. Then there is the recovery partition which has a copy of everything (which takes up about 9gb). To make backup dvds requires 4 dvds for some reason. In addition to windows update, there is also HP update. The problem is that windows update might be running (perhaps in the background as it sometimes does), and if it is, the HP update seems to corrupt the ability of the update to work. Manually downloading the update again, just produces error messages like contact HP. I did contact HP via their internet messaging. They said to uninstall the update, and then run a microsoft install cleanup program. I got disconnected from the messaging session before I could find the specific thing to cleanup with the microsoft program. I connected again to the messaging system, and before finding out what I needed, I got disconnected again. These were the only two times I got disconnected. I did get a log of my chat session, but I was never contacted by HP to see why I got disconnected, or to resolve my problem. I decided it would be faster to reload the OS than to try to clean up HP's stupidity. In all, I think I reloaded the OS 4 times. There is an advanced option to reformat the hard drive. Do it. Otherwise the corruption that I experienced would not go away. After I got the system configured and updated, I removed the 'recovery' partition. I then downsized the OS partition by deleting as much junk, shovelware, and trialware as possible. I then installed linux and a user partition. The notebook works pretty well. I used RightMark CPU Clock Utility a program that can monitor the cpu voltages, temperature, and battery condition. I was able to lower the idle voltage by 0.05 volts (not a big deal, but it should reduce cpu power consumption by 10%). I was also able to lower the full power voltage by 0.25 volts, which should reduce the cpu power consumption by 34%, as well as reduce the cpu temperature quite a bit. Gateway 2000 p120My computer started its life as a Gateway 2000 Pentium 120 computer. Gateways prices are not the very best, but their service is top-notch. I have had two keyboards and a floppy drive fail, and Gateway replaced them under their 3 year parts warranty. I have called their tech support many times, and they have been very helpful. I would strongly recommend them, as I value their support. They are not perfect however. I have a tower case, and I bought 2 Seagate Barracuda 2 gig SCSI drives. These drives run pretty hot. I installed them in my case, and noticed the drives surface temperature was about 100F. I called Gateway, and they told me their tower case could support many hard drives, and not to worry. I installed an additional 2 case fans, as well as a Pentium heatsink/fan on each drive. This kept things from melting. I ended up buying a real case (see below). My updated Gateway 2000 p120The Pentium 120 seems pretty fast when it was new, but times change, and so does software. I decided to splurge on a dual Pentium pro system. (As an aside, the way the gateway/Intel motherboard finally died. When it was powered up a chip literally smoked, leaving a crater on top of the chip, exposing the die. The cpu still works fine.) My computer started its life as a Gateway 2000 Pentium 120 computer. I have since changed the case, the motherboard, the processor, and most other parts. I now have The Intel PR-440FX (Providence) Motherboard , with two Pentium Pro's (rated at 166MHz with 512k cache) running reliably at 200MHz. This motherboard has on-board Adaptec UW SCSI, Ethernet and 16bit FM synthesis sound. The UW SCSI isn't very useful because there is only one 68 pin connector. Since most of my devices are narrow SCSI, I would need an adapter for each one. I have 320 mbytes of ECC EDO memory, which has been plenty so far. I finally got my first parity errors, after about 2 years. Parts Video Drives |
Modem
I sold my old US Robotics Sportster 33.6 modem (like a
fool), and I now have a US Robotics V.90 Sportster Voice
modem, which doesn't work reliably with v.90 Livingston
Portmasters, using the latest USR BIOS as of Dec-30-1998).
Sound
I got rid of my soundblaster 16 ISA card, since I only had
one ISA slot on my new motherboard and it was for my modem,
and bought a Creative Ensonic AudioPCI, for cheap.
CPUS
The Pentium Pro 166 MHz has a significant advantage over
most other Pentium Pros. All of the 166's have 512k of
cache. Most 200 MHz PPro's have only 256k of cache. While
running at 200 MHz, lots of heat (up to 38 watts per CPU)
is generated. I have found a effective way to cool these
CPU's.
CPU COOLING
PPro coolers are getting hard to come by. I bought
heatsinks from All
Electronics which happen to be designed for the PPro,
made by Aavid, for $1.25 each. These heatsinks are 1 inch
high, and completely cover the PPro. I actually bought 4 of
them, because each one comes with a clip for the CPU, and I
wanted to use two clips per CPU for extra security. I also
bought temperature sensing cooling fans from ComputerNerd. These fans
are 60mm*60mm*23mm, and flow up to about 20cfm. This
heatsink and fan cool my PPro 6 to 10F lower than the
coolers that came with my system. When it is 70F ambient,
the hotter CMU is around 90F (measured on the hot part of
the heatsink).
I also have the heatsinks that my CPU's came with, which
suck, as well as some lesser 60mm fans, as well as some
monster 1.5" high PPro heatsinks, that I have decided I
don't need for now.
Well, the dual Pentium pro 200 was great in its day, but its day also has come and gone. I got a screaming deal on a ASUS CUR-DLS motherboard which came inside a Gateway 2000 6400 server. This is a real business class server which is designed for 24x7 operation. First, you get first rate Gateway support, where I have found quick and good support (except for the BIOS losing its memory every so often). Second you get a real server case. It can be adapted to be a 4U chassis if you buy some adapter plates. It has a 120mm intake fan which blows directly on the hard drive bays (which are mounted sideways, so no cables get in the way of airflow). It has a 120mm exhaust fan which is mounted near the cpu(s). This alone makes the case much better than the usual cases. What makes it really stand apart is the substantial air intakes in the front, which allow a serious amount of air into the case. It is second to none in air intake. In addition, the front panel has the usual lights and buttons. What is unusual is that there is a single multi-pin connector that connects to the motherboard. This makes it trivial to connect the motherboard, though putting a new one in would require a bit of hacking. All the wires are well laid out and don't get in the way of air flow.
If you have comments or suggestions, Email me at turbo-www@weasel.com
Created with gnu emacs and template-toolkit, not some sissy HTML editor.
No Java or javascript needed to view my web pages. They
both have significant security issues.