Pricewatch help...

klinky · Post by **klinky** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 2:57 am

Yeah that those can be confusing, though they won't kill the computer if it happens. Just need to flip the cables around.

:O

Dannywilson · Post by **Dannywilson** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 6:20 am

TaranT wrote:And Lain's advice to work on hardware while in your underwear...that's just interesting. I'd pull the drapes before I did that, but everybody's different .

I built all of my computers in some state of undress, from lack of shirt and shoes, to completely in the buff.

Ashyukun · Post by **Ashyukun** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 8:25 am

TaranT wrote:
Kllinky wrote:There really isn't anything you can hook up backwards or wrong that would make the computer blow up....
This is mostly true with the exception of IDE and floppy drive cables. Nowadays they are usually keyed (there's only one way to plug them in). But I have come across cables that were keyed the wrong way or which had no key at all. It pays to know where pin 1 is and that's not always obvious. Also, connecting the LED and switch wires from the case can be confusing w.r.t. polarity.

Heh. Yeah, floppy drives in particular can be a pain. Just ask the horde of people who didn't win what they should have in the AMD PC building competition last year due to the floppy drive cable being hooked up backwards.

DannyWilson wrote:I built all of my computers in some state of undress, from lack of shirt and shoes, to completely in the buff.

Besides that being way more information than I think we needed, should we start calling you Largo, Danny?

It really isn't too hard to build a computer, Anneke. Though it's probably best to watch someone else building one and see what they do to get a general idea for it first. I'd imagine if you ask around you can probably find someone near you (ideally someone you know) that can build the computer for you if you have the parts. If you generally stay out of the way, you can probably get them to let you watch how they do it, and ask questions along the way. As long as you don't try forcing anything to go where it doesn't belong, the only thing you usually have to worry about doing wrong that could really cause problems is breaking the CPU when putting on the HSF. Also, make sure all the cards and cables are all the way in and seated properly. As we found out once, computers do strange things when you don't get both motherboard power supply cables all the way plugged in...

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 10:57 am

Heh. Yeah, floppy drives in particular can be a pain. Just ask the horde of people who didn't win what they should have in the AMD PC building competition last year due to the floppy drive cable being hooked up backwards.

Haha! I remember that. We had one of those down here in Austin (makes sense since we're located here). I think *maybe* one person got theirs to post. I heard around the country very few people got their computers to post. I guess the time constraint really makes people forget things.

Ashyukun · Post by **Ashyukun** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 11:02 am

I was at the NYC one- ended up with a hat.

Both of the guys in the finals of the PC Building contest hooked up the floppy drive cable backwards. Still, I don't feel too sorry for them... while I can't remember if they walked away with any money, they both got two free CPUs and some other AMD swag out of the deal.

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 11:38 am

Ashyukun wrote:I was at the NYC one- ended up with a hat.

Both of the guys in the finals of the PC Building contest hooked up the floppy drive cable backwards. Still, I don't feel too sorry for them... while I can't remember if they walked away with any money, they both got two free CPUs and some other AMD swag out of the deal.

A hat? Does that mean you were in the "question" part? I'm not sure...I wasn't a rep. They got CPUs even though they lost? That's cool. I bet they were something like Palaminos though

. My friends back at school complain since we usually give out Palaminos instead of T-breds or Bartons. They don't understand this "cost cutting" concept. Then again, I have quite a few parts lying around that well...won't be going anyway, but I would get fired for that

Ashyukun · Post by **Ashyukun** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 12:23 pm

No- it means I have quicker reflexes than at least some of the people that were there and was able to catch one of the dozen or so hats that were thrown from the stage (along with bags, shirts) to/at the audience.

As I understand it, at each stage of the contest the contestants got a priza package that included a CPU (can't remember what kind, wanna think something 2K+). This means that everyone who was in the 'game show' portion (a total of 8 people, I believe) got a CPU+swag. The two finalists were given yet another for participating in the final competition (irrelevant of how they did). I forget if they were given some parting prize for having actually gotten the computers to post, but not without errors (one actually booted into Windoze in spite of the reversed floppy cable- most of the attendees thought he should have won the cash prize for that).

dwchang · Post by **dwchang** » Fri Mar 21, 2003 2:17 pm

Ashyukun wrote:No- it means I have quicker reflexes than at least some of the people that were there and was able to catch one of the dozen or so hats that were thrown from the stage (along with bags, shirts) to/at the audience.

As I understand it, at each stage of the contest the contestants got a priza package that included a CPU (can't remember what kind, wanna think something 2K+). This means that everyone who was in the 'game show' portion (a total of 8 people, I believe) got a CPU+swag. The two finalists were given yet another for participating in the final competition (irrelevant of how they did). I forget if they were given some parting prize for having actually gotten the computers to post, but not without errors (one actually booted into Windoze in spite of the reversed floppy cable- most of the attendees thought he should have won the cash prize for that).

Well if I'm ever at a con and someone asks, I have tons of t-shirts! Hell, I sometimes go recruit so I get some nice swag to give out then. I'm surprised they gave a model 2XXX. That's definitely a T-bred or higher. Wow!

As for not getting the cash price, I once again refer to "cost cutting"

. Although I am surprised almost no one got it to work. Given I don't know how I would perform with a time limit, but I'd like to think I can do it.

Sinime · Post by **Sinime** » Fri Mar 28, 2003 12:51 am

If you are going to the A-Kon this year I'll take a shirt.
P.S. are you an ROC?

Sinime · Post by **Sinime** » Fri Mar 28, 2003 1:01 am

Sorry for the double post, but on my cigarette break I was thinking about the K6-2 vs Pentium II and if I recall clock for clock Intel ruled but price for price AMD ruled. (I’m just throwing out figures here so don’t quote me) It seemed you could buy a K6-2 @ 100-200MHz faster then the same priced Intel chip. I guess AMD would have had negative PR Ratings (a 500MHz K6-2 might have been a 300+ or 400+)

Again sorry for the double post.