How many computers do you have?

[Munchiez 74]

I have 3 computers and they all work for the radio station. I have one Dell desktop runs XP ,that is used for the radio station automation. The one in the middle is used for the song library and can contain tons of music. It is also a Dell XP computer.

Then I have a mac pro for the Skype calls,videos,youtube videos and other thing you can use for the station.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I have only one general purpose computer, a Gigabyte GA-MA78LM-S2H enclosed in a suitable tower.  However, looking around this room alone, I can find several embedded systems.

• Telephone set (2).  The base station includes an answering system, so probably has two processors at least.  The remote probably has only one.
• Two modems, one for internet, and one for my cable TV.  Both of these have processors to sort out the packets from the cable that I am supposed to get, and both are programmable.
• My TV set has a remote tuner, which is undoubtedly controlled by a processor with LIRC chips.
• My amplifier also has a LIRC and remote tuning section.
• My home entertainment DVD/RW undountedly as at least one processor.
• My microwave oven has a rather elaaborate embedded system to supply external controls and run the thyratron tube
• My bedside alarm clock, which I have had for about 40 years, faithfully updates its display, and controls the radio and alarm in a programmed fashion.
• And, of course, several of my computer peripherals are smart:  The monitor, the printer, the scanner at least.  Probably the webcam as well.
• Heck, even my electric stove has timers and thermocouples with a control panel so there must be a processor in there somewhere.
• the chances are there are more 8080 and 8088 chips around any building than you can find.

[Sniper296 83]

My laptop: HP G70-213EM, Intel Core 2 Duo CPU P7450 2.13GHz, Samsung 3072MB 333MHz Dual Channel DDR2, NVIDIA GeForce 9200M GE/GS 550 MHz 256 MB DDR2, 320 GB WD Scorpio Blue 5400RPM, Windows Vista Home Premium SP2 & Ubuntu 10.10 on VM

Not exactly powerful but functional

My old desktop: HP D230MT, Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz, 256 MB DDR, PNY NVIDIA GeForce 6200 300MHz 256 MB DDR, 40-80GB unknown HDD 5400-7200RPM, Windows XP Pro SP3

[Munchiez 74]

Very neat all of you! I dont really know the specks, but it is just a regular dell Xp haha

[Duke87 1,070]

I only have one functioning computer. My previous two (dead) laptops are both still in my posession, though. One of them I'm still hoping to get some stuff off the hard drive of someday, the other I just haven't gotten around to getting rid of.

[Munchiez 74]

oh well that happens, did you ever plan to salvage anything from them or get them fixed?

[Duke87 1,070]

I did expend some effort attempting to get the first one fixed, but to no avail.

By now they're both out of date enough that they're not worth fixing, anyway.... and as for salvaging parts, eh, what would I do with them? At least you can recycle this sort of stuff now (though the hard drive must be destroyed first).

[Munchiez 74]

I would use the LEDS if it had any and then maybe the screen and salvage screws or what ever else could be of common use.

[Duke87 1,070]

I couldn't imagine what I'd possibly use any of that stuff for.

I mean, we do have a use for screws, but not little ones with flat tips. And we already have enough screws and nails in the house to feed an army of robots (or an army of carpenters), anyway.

[Munchiez 74]

Hmm sometimes I like to take spare parts and create things out of them and be creative.

[gio10469 24]

Right now I have one computer, a Dell XPS 1730 gaming laptop, which is sadly having a slow death. The AC adapter is faulty, and my battery just recently died out as well, but its still functional for day to day things though it struggles with the high-end stuff that it was once able to handle without any problems. In response to this little crisis of mine, I've been building a new Sandy Bridge desktop, but that project has been halted until motherboard manufacturers begin distributing motherboards with updated chipsets as a result of Intel's recent hiccup.

[Paulobergonci 673]

i have 3. What kind of? Black ones

2 notebooks and 1 desktop, im too lazy now and dont want to write the especifications, but the desktop is a-w-e-s-o-m-e

[Barbarossa 51]

.

  Edited September 8, 2012 by Barbarossa  

[hym 358]

I have one working computer and one computer that is currently waiting on parts so I can finish building it.

I have a Dell Inspiron laptop that is working towards its third year of service and is in need of some attention. Despite Dell's insistence that my laptop was built for 32-bit Windows Vista, I upgraded it to 64-bit Windows 7. Things went smooth for a while, then a bug that seemed to be only a problem when I played Guild Wars started showing up when I used the wireless adapter. Because of this and a couple other rather distressing problems, I am going to wipe out the OS and all the data and set up a dual boot Windows 7/Ubuntu 11.04 environment. However, none of this happens until I get my media server built and running. Once that happens, I can permanently transfer all my large video files off the laptop and onto that machine. Then my portable HD can finally act like a real backup drive for my laptop.

[chicah 20]

Uhm, I have... one computer? An Acer Aspire 5738Z or something. Works for my use, but the hard drive is totally stuffed so I need a new one any moment.

[cacks 41]

I have a nice HP elite book 8440p... it really fast (quad Core i7, 8 threads, 4GB of ram and the fastest nVidia mobile chipset). I have an old core 2 duo desktop PC that I only use Flight simulator - a great use in my opinion. I also have a really rubbish laptop that blue screens within 5 minutes of loading windows 7, but now ubuntu 10.04 is installed it is really good for facebook, mail and ST - all i need (apart from SC4 itself). In the corner of my room are 2 computers which are in pieces... I cannibalised them when i made my old desktop 2 years ago, I suppose I should get rid of them - but its funny.

[TekindusT 3,809]

I have two computers:

1) "The Large One", which is a 9-year-old PC that has seen its motherboard changed two times and upgraded from a Pentium IV to a Celeron D. I have a 28 GB (!) hard drive on it and I have to clean and compress the files more or less once a month. It's graphics card is a nVidia TNT2 uncapable of hosting videogames made after 2006-2007. Obviously, there's not much room to do stuff with it; SC4 and my music files take up approximately 8-10 GB and the rest is dedicated to host the operating system (Windows XP) and the rest of programs and personal files. I've had to remove all the videogames I had installed at the time of downloading plugins for SC4. It's loading time is around 5 minutes.

2) "The Small One", which is a 1-year-old netbook, I mostly surf the Internet and run programs I need for my degree with it (AutoCAD, SolidEdge, Minitab, Maple, etc.).

I guess the ideal computer would be a fusion between both...

  Edited March 3, 2011 by TekindusT  

[Alejandro24 575]

I have two computers:

1.- A desktop computer, since 5 years, Pentium IV, 1.5 GB RAM, 80 GB Hard Disk with an 1 TB HP External Disk connected. With two operating systems installed: Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Linux Mint 10. SC4 loads in 3 minutes, with 5GB of plugins. I use it as a central computer.

2.- A netbook (Dell Inspiron Mini 10), Intel Atom N450, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Disk. With tree operating systems installed: Windows 7, Linux Mint 10 and XBMC. I use this machine for everything. SC4 loads in 3 minutes too.

[Ocram's Razr 963]

I only own one computer, a Gateway with a Q6600 (discontinued gaming rig, which I bought for $1k instead of $6k, like most gaming rigs or $3k, like what most computers running Q6600 processors costed new). I use a laptop on indefinite loan from UW DO-IT Program and an iPhone 4 (which is a smart phone bought my father) so I am not sure those qualify. My Dad also owns a laptop and an iPad, which I use when I forget my UW laptop. My Dad also got me a new Dell Pentium Windows 7 laptop for me but I let my Sis use it for online school instead.

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

I only own one computer, a Gateway with a Q6600 (discontinued gaming rig, which I bought for $1k instead of $6k, like most gaming rigs or $3k, like what most computers running Q6600 processors costed new). I use a laptop on indefinite loan from UW DO-IT Program and an iPhone 4 (which is a smart phone bought my father) so I am not sure those qualify. My Dad also owns a laptop and an iPad, which I use when I forget my UW laptop. My Dad also got me a new Dell Pentium Windows 7 laptop for me but I let my Sis use it for online school instead.

Interesting about your UW programme. Do all students get a lap top, or only when they ask for one?

[Ocram's Razr 963]

All students in my program at least.

[monaliza 0]

I've one desk top and one laptop

[BlondeTwiggy 43]

I have two laptops. One is dead and I'm waiting to get my stuff off its hard drive. I might even set it up as an external hard drive. It's a Toshiba Satellite, Vista, dual processor, 400 GB hard drive, 4 GB RAM. That was a nice laptop, but a power hog. The battery lasted an hour and a half at best.

My laptop now isn't as nice but at least it hasn't died randomly, an Acer Aspire running Win7, 3 GB memory, 250 GB hard drive, 15.6'' screen. I've been very pleased with it so far.

[quicksilver991 37]

One Dell 530S desktop and one 13'' MacBook Pro.

[Yonk 2]

I have two computers. The one I am using right now is my main one, that connects to the internet, plays games, does pretty much everything one would need a computer to do. It's an HP, the absolute cheapest I could buy three years ago (about $300) in one piece and ready to go. AMD Dual-core 2.3Ghz, 2GB RAM and 350GB harddrive came standard, but with naught but integrated graphics! So I got a stronger PSU and upgraded to a Nvidia 7900GS 256mb so I could even think about playing SimCity and FSX (on medium graphics) and such. I'm currently toying with the idea of getting a newer GPU (for maximum FSX graphics and also Civ5), but there are so many options, prices vary by hundreds of dollars, and I'm not yet sure if my 450w PSU can handle something bigger. I don't really have the cash to spare right now, anyway. Maybe by the summer.

My second computer is a netbook. Cost me $50 (shipping included, from China), is a horrific shade of flourescent-green, but I only got it for one reason, and it does the job well. I'm an aspiring novelist, and it's difficult for me to eliminate distractions when I am on my main computer, with instant internet-access and all those pretty game icons on my desktop. It's impossible to concentrate for several hours to get any actual work done. So I got the little, wimpy thing, didn't even set it up for an internet connection, and all the dang thing can do besides compose word documents is play solitaire, and that gets old rather fast. So I sit down in the corner of my room with it, and with no distractions, I can put out a 2500-4500 word chapter in about three hours. It's great.

- Yonk

[Karbon 0]

By computers I assume you mean actual workstations.

I have the following in the house:

* A Gateway ec1433u laptop that dual boots Windows 7 x64 and Arch Linux x86_64;

* A custom built desktop that runs Ubuntu 10.10 x86_64 (also known as mum's computer);

* A custom built HTPC that runs OpenSUSE 11.3. It serves as entertainment in the den;

* My main workstation (Intel Q6600, 6GB DDR2 800, Nvidia GTX 285, 3x 750GB hard disks, M-Audio Delta 1010LT, 2x Apple 23" displays, 2x Genelec 8020A monitors w/ a 7050B woofer, Mackie 1202-VLZ mixer, M-Audio * Axiom 61 MIDI interface) has only Windows 7 x64 on it;

* An old HP (circa 2001) with MINIX on it currently;

* An old custom built desktop that runs eComStation 2. It's used as a music server and for web browsing

* A dead Compaq Presario desktop that ran Ubuntu (mainboard and processor clapped out, it was mum's older computer);

* A working Amiga 2000HD (it even has the video toaster software and equipment);

* A dead Apple Powerbook 5300 (it turns on, but it doesn't post, and the scent of burning solder fills the air around it)

I should note that the last five are, for the most part, useless to me and I am trying to sell them (or at least the working components) off. Don't fret, I'm not a hoarder!

I have only one general purpose computer, a Gigabyte GA-MA78LM-S2H enclosed in a suitable tower. However, looking around this room alone, I can find several embedded systems.

• Telephone set (2). The base station includes an answering system, so probably has two processors at least. The remote probably has only one.
• Two modems, one for internet, and one for my cable TV. Both of these have processors to sort out the packets from the cable that I am supposed to get, and both are programmable.
• My TV set has a remote tuner, which is undoubtedly controlled by a processor with LIRC chips.
• My amplifier also has a LIRC and remote tuning section.
• My home entertainment DVD/RW undountedly as at least one processor.
• My microwave oven has a rather elaaborate embedded system to supply external controls and run the thyratron tube
• My bedside alarm clock, which I have had for about 40 years, faithfully updates its display, and controls the radio and alarm in a programmed fashion.
• And, of course, several of my computer peripherals are smart: The monitor, the printer, the scanner at least. Probably the webcam as well.
• Heck, even my electric stove has timers and thermocouples with a control panel so there must be a processor in there somewhere.
• the chances are there are more 8080 and 8088 chips around any building than you can find.

I live for posts of this variety.

[NMUSpidey 3,956]

Newest to oldest:

Just bought my wife a Toshiba laptop. I can't be bothered to double check the specs, but it was cheap and reasonably powerful for what she uses it for.

My two-year-old Acer Extensa 4420 with 4GB RAM. Using the Aero appearance settings for Vista makes my games lag a bit.

Five years ago, I had a Toshiba A104 (maybe?) Satellite with like 500MB RAM. Haven't gotten rid of it yet.

And 6 years ago my wife bought a Dell laptop that's so small and weak that it's not even worth talking about the specs in the least. Haven't gotten rid of that yet, either.

[jj88 23]

I have an old Mesh (ugh) computer that runs XP and is now pretty much obsolete - plus the harddrive is ruined, having failed twice.

Currently using a Cyberpower Vista machine - tricore 2.6GHZ AMD processor, Nividia 9800 GT graphics card, 4GB ram - though i don't really use it for much intensive gaming!

Getting a Toshiba laptop for university soon...

[Finkle 14]

2 desktops both gateway one is old and slow, the new one I bought new right before the new line of Intel chips were announced , and 1 laptop another gateway with an i3 chip not sure about the rest, I would like a new graphic card for my desktop (the processor is a dual quad, I believe).

I like gateway, the are cheaper in price for the same stuff, if I were the richest man in the world I would go to Ibuypower and make the biggest baddest computer that would be out of date in a couple years, but I'm not.

[blade2k5 1,523]

I have a self-built pc my son put together for me [cost less than a $1100.00 for everything, including the printer/scanner, monitor and surround sound speaker system], still runs XP [i will never, ever get Windows 7] has 1gb DDR memory, 250GB HD and not sure about the rest, nor do I care. It is far, far superior to that piece of junk Gateway I had before that constantly had problems as soon as the warranty ran out. I will never buy a manufactured PC again, it's cheaper to build one.

Also, just bought my wife an ASUS laptop, one of the small ones with a 10.2" screen and she's been playing with it all night and driving me nuts as well. Also bought a 2TB external harddrive and dumped all my sc4 files on it [iE maps/regions, downloaded plugin zips I always keep and the 100+ GBs of DEM data I've downloaded over the past couple of years for map making].

  Edited March 14, 2011 by blade2k5