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LifestreamI have set up my new wireless accesspoint (Dlink 624 108Mbps). So far so good. More settings to fiddle around with compared to my old 604 (which is considered by most as a miss on Dlink’s part).
As of this evening, orders have been placed for the final components that will make up Work Station 2. No decision has been taken regarding Media PC 1 though. But I have a couple of ideas. It is VERY questionable that I will buy a so called barebone solution. None other than the top of the line is good enough and all in all barebones are desperately overpriced and cumbersome. Upgrading is a dead stop. And proprietary components is the name of the game. Cooling is often lousy and noise levels do not match expectations. No, that is simple not an option. But I’m open for compromises. Like the Antec Aria, a mATX case with a nice BIG 120mm rear exhaust and a sort-of silent PSU. Yes indeed, mATX is the way to go. Why did I not think of this earlier then? Well I did. But I was bound using an ATX form factor mainboard (Epox 8KHA+). What a waste of time and money, huh. But then again, cases like the Aria weren’t around when I started my little Media PC / HTPC project. If they had been, I might have reconsidered. As it stands I blew the custom case and one Q-Tec L-DT (which is reasonably crappy I can tell you). One thing is for sure though, never again a desktop model case. It’s just asking for heat related problems. Even if they can fit nicely into stereo racks and tv benches. I’ll give it some more thought. I can always get a mATX MB and use it in the L-DT while figuring out where to go from here.
Another little problem that has arisen is the apparent lack of CRT monitors. Goddamnit. They seem to be all but out of stock everywhere I look. All I want is a 19 inch trinitron / diamondtron aperture grille screen. Like the Philips 109P40 or Samsung 959NF. Same tube that is in my Mitsubishi Diamond Pro 900u monitor that I’ve been using for a couple of years now btw. Of course, the 900u was a $700 monitor. A 19 inch trinitron these days can be found for as little as $3-400.
Seems like TFT screens are becoming the standard with many retailers. So stupid. Twice as expensive and still not a snowflake’s chance in hell of standing up to a real trinitron type design. I’m gonna find me a CRT monitor if it’s the last thing I do. TFTs be damned.
Not much else to say about the project at this point. The miditower case for Work Station 2 will be the Antec SLK3700-BQE. Supposedly almost as quiet as the Antec Sonata. Also considering doing a triple switch and retiring the battered Aopen HX-08 for an Antec PLUS 1080 AMG. We’ll see. Perfection is bliss.
