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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
Hello,
My experiment with building a DreamPC has pretty much come to an end. I am now fed up with it's problems. The top 5 problems/killers a 1. Dust 2. Overheat 3. Electric shocks 4. Physical shocks 5. Insects For some reason the brand new hitachi 2 TB drive has failed according to Microsoft Windows 7, it is supposed to have bad sectors. Which is kinda strange... Perhaps the motherboard is malfunctioning again and is cause of problems. Perhaps it's windows 7 corruption but it also seems hardware wise problem. Knoppix live does work somewhat with the drives, Google Chrome is weird and cannot post. Conquerer webbrowser can post, it warns about invalid security certificates which is kinda weird. The antec 1200 is bad case, the scythe zipang cooler was way too big, the gtx 7900 overheated, the amd x2 cpu ran way too hot, some of these components were on cutting edge, and some just bad. Conclusion is: Building PC is not as easy as one would think, there are dangers some up above in short, many things can cause those dangers. Conclusion: Do not do bussiness with individual component sellers, they don't care if a system dies, it's not their problem, it will be your problem. It's probably better to buy whole systems from HP, Dell or any other big system seller, if they **** up it is there responsibility and it's going to cost them big time in warranties and perhaps lawsuits, not so with individual components. Individual components might look nice but can have many hidden defects or consequences. I am still somewhat skeptical if HP/Dell or any system seller's system is actually better. I also believe the term: DESKTOP is retarded, putting a desk on a table is just plain stupid. The chance of hitting the table while standing up, sitting down or hitting the mouse is much higher than kicking a pc case on the ground. PC's should probably be placed on ground and never on a table. It's difficult to say what the exact cause of death is in all situations... perhaps electrical system in my house plays a roll as well, I shall try and see if I can solve those problems, like a fridge always running and no earth grounding... Having a PC constantly die on my is no fun... I also did lot's of gaming maybe that plays a roll.. Here are some further thoughts on possible causes: 1. Perhaps hot/cold plays a big roll. 2. I wonder what happens to harddisk if a lot of cold air is blown over them, could that actually be a bad problem ? Maybe the harddisks died because of a mix of hot and cold air ?!? Maybe the antec 1200 caused bad sectors on the harddisks to occur because of excessive cold air being blown in... a worthy hypothesis to investigate... perhaps some strange happens to the platters inside a harddisk if it becomes to cold or mixed cold. 3. Fans attached to harddisk bays is probably a bad design decision which I already posted about in the past. Anyway for now my trust in computer technology has sunk to a deeeeeeeeeeeep low point. I will most definetly not buy phones or tables because they seems to break quite easily as reported by other people, so that option as a reliable replacement for a PC is out of the window I am also quite fed up with Windows... it's pretty dumbed down and out of control... I have little control over what it is doing... I am seriously thinking about switching to something else... perhaps Knoppix or Ubuntu... However some of my files are in windows format like windows live mail or whatever... I am not sure if that can be exported to ubuntu as well as virtual harddisks.. For now my "recovery" strategy will be as follows: I shall try and buy a cheap Dell/HP/Sony... or whatever system I can find at a local store or so and see if that can fit my needs, I kinda doubt it but it seems I have little choice... so for now my strategy will be: "Treat PC's like disposable components" but do make sure to backup data often to other systems as well, and try to sort out electrical system in house, maybe I even have to move to be sure it's ok, but moving would kinda suck. For what it's worth I will also post my last rant when my system died but it didn't get posted because of chromo but now conquerer can: Well I am not yet sure if I am gonna post that rant... it's probably on my data drive which I disconnected as an experiment to see if that would help. This is like the 4th or 5th that that I cannot access my data, it's fokking strange... so many fails lately ! WOW LOL. I guess it's time to get some new systems or something... even Knoppix also failed a little bit it has a little bit of difficulties with spaces but can stil open files with gedit/whatever.... Maybe it's better if I don't post that rant but it had some interesting thoughts in it I guess... so I would like to read it myself at least one more time to see how I see the future during bad times... I can tell you one thing right now though: Computers have become very important, people would like to store a lot of information on it and would like to depend on it, but the hardware is failing in multiple ways nowadays... because of different reasons, overheat, complexity, bugs, etc. I hope this trend changes... I fear the worst though. I see people wanting to pay with their mobile phones ?!? Why turn such a simple robust technique with real money into a super complex technology handling ? It's madness/close-to-retardeness, you drop your phone on the floor like you would money, and suddenly you can't even pay your groceries because you dropped your phone in the supermarket. I hope people start thinking more about "simplicity/robustness vs computer technology"... nowadays people apply way too much technology to things which were much simpler without it. People are making our society very vunerable to technological failures and it sux badly and it's gonna suck even worse in the future. Though I do like the new supermarket system of scanning products, stuffing them in bags and paying with pinpas and walking out store without having to repacking them... but when the device fails or whatever there is also a bit of a panick ! LOL... and the pinpas system has also failed nationality or on large scale a couple of times... fortuntely not when I was shopping - The horror ! =D This is why I care money with me when I go shopping for one electronical systems fail, so I can still pay Bye, Skybuck. |
#2
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
My dream: youre are gone
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#3
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
On a sunny day (Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:29:04 -0700 (PDT)) it happened Skybuck
wrote in : Hello, My experiment with building a DreamPC has pretty much come to an end. I am now fed up with it's problems. The top 5 problems/killers a 1. Dust 2. Overheat 3. Electric shocks 4. Physical shocks 5. Insects Probably cluelessness is number 0, real computer experts start counting at zero. I have one self assembled PC here that has been running more than 10 years 24/7 with the same harddisks (Seagate), only the power supply was replaced because replacing it was cheaper than finding the bad caps in it. But this is a top notch mobo, Tyan. Graphics card was replaced too. Every PCI slot is in use. Many [online] shops in the Netherlands sell complete systems, Norrod, Alternate, some have an online system where you can select the right components. You absolutely need a 'randaarde' (ground) on your PC, as well as your monitor, basically on anything you plug into it except for Ethernet (that is isolated), and optical audio. If you do not, then your new (next) PC will die too withing a very short time. Connect those power cables first, that makes sure everything is on the same ground, then start with the rest. |
#4
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
On 10/20/2011 4:58 PM, Jan Panteltje wrote:
On a sunny day (Wed, 19 Oct 2011 23:29:04 -0700 (PDT)) it happened Skybuck wrote in : Hello, My experiment with building a DreamPC has pretty much come to an end. I am now fed up with it's problems. The top 5 problems/killers a 1. Dust 2. Overheat 3. Electric shocks 4. Physical shocks 5. Insects Probably cluelessness is number 0, real computer experts start counting at zero. I have one self assembled PC here that has been running more than 10 years 24/7 with the same harddisks (Seagate), only the power supply was replaced because replacing it was cheaper than finding the bad caps in it. But this is a top notch mobo, Tyan. Graphics card was replaced too. Every PCI slot is in use. Many [online] shops in the Netherlands sell complete systems, Norrod, Alternate, some have an online system where you can select the right components. You absolutely need a 'randaarde' (ground) on your PC, as well as your monitor, basically on anything you plug into it except for Ethernet (that is isolated), and optical audio. If you do not, then your new (next) PC will die too withing a very short time. Connect those power cables first, that makes sure everything is on the same ground, then start with the rest. This guy just seems to buy bad stuff. His brain is basically ****ed !! |
#5
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
On 21/10/2011 12:27 AM, Rheilly Phoull wrote:
On 10/20/2011 4:58 PM, Jan Panteltje wrote: snipped Probably cluelessness is number 0, real computer experts start counting at zero. I have one self assembled PC here that has been running more than 10 years 24/7 with the same harddisks (Seagate), only the power supply was replaced because replacing it was cheaper than finding the bad caps in it. But this is a top notch mobo, Tyan. Graphics card was replaced too. Every PCI slot is in use. Many [online] shops in the Netherlands sell complete systems, Norrod, Alternate, some have an online system where you can select the right components. You absolutely need a 'randaarde' (ground) on your PC, as well as your monitor, basically on anything you plug into it except for Ethernet (that is isolated), and optical audio. If you do not, then your new (next) PC will die too withing a very short time. Connect those power cables first, that makes sure everything is on the same ground, then start with the rest. This guy just seems to buy bad stuff. His brain is basically ****ed !! He has a brain? Doesn't display much evidence of possessing such a thing! -- Krypsis |
#6
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
In Skybuck writes:
The top 5 problems/killers a 4. Physical shocks If your PC is regularly getting dropped/kicked/falling over/etc, perhaps you should look for a safer location. 5. Insects Insects? Seriously? How are they getting inside the case? -- John Gordon A is for Amy, who fell down the stairs B is for Basil, assaulted by bears -- Edward Gorey, "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" |
#7
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
On 21/10/2011 9:25 AM, John Gordon wrote:
writes: The top 5 problems/killers a 4. Physical shocks If your PC is regularly getting dropped/kicked/falling over/etc, perhaps you should look for a safer location. 5. Insects Insects? Seriously? How are they getting inside the case? You've got it wrong. The insects are not inside the case, they're buzzing round inside his head. -- Krypsis |
#8
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
Krypsis wrote: You've got it wrong. The insects are not inside the case, they're buzzing round inside his head. And are desperate to escape. -- You can't have a sense of humor, if you have no sense. |
#9
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
On 10/20/2011 1:58 AM, Jan Panteltje wrote:
Many [online] shops in the Netherlands sell complete systems, Norrod, Alternate, some have an online system where you can select the right components. You absolutely need a 'randaarde' (ground) on your PC, as well as your monitor, basically on anything you plug into it except for Ethernet (that is isolated), and optical audio. If you do not, then your new (next) PC will die too withing a very short time. Connect those power cables first, that makes sure everything is on the same ground, then start with the rest. Please.... Don't inflict StyFart on those folks. -- "**** this is it, all the pieces do fit. We're like that crazy old man jumping out of the alleyway with a baseball bat, saying, "Remember me mother****er?" Jim “Dandy” Mangrum |
#10
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DreamPC 2006 ready for it's grave...
I am not yet ready to give up on my DreamPC2006 (updates along the
years), mostly because I don't really believe in other systems from HP,Dell,Media Markt, Apple and so forth... For example they sell desktops/midtowers too mostly so that changes little, also I am not yet sure what the exact cause of death is of the harddisks and other equipment. So far my DreamPC2006 is still alive and working quite well from Knoppix DVD which is quite amazing... just browsing the internet does not seem to need a harddisk a nice lesson for Microsoft/IE to learn ! Sigh... so anyway I am going to make a list of most likely possible causes of death for all failed hardware components to make up my mind later: Motherboard 1 dead/fried, cause: overheat, obstructed airflow, bad chieftec case, two gtx 7900 sandwhiched with soundblaster. (mb replacement?) (1400 bucks wasted on gtx's) (200 bucks wasted on chieftec case) Motherboard 2 dead/fried, cause: overheat, obstructed airflow, antec 1200 case dust filters preventing airflow, gtx heatsink full with dust. (200 bucks) Motherboard 3 dead, cause: electric shock, not earthed, connecting devices caused shock. (100 bucks) Memory chip bit corrupted, cause: overheat, scythe zipang obstructing airflow, heatpipes causing overheat of memory chip. (almost free replacement, 8 bucks shipping or so) Blue led on case, dead ?, cause: unexplained, perhaps faulty connecting, perhaps electric shock related. AMD Heatsink fan pins/holes broke off, still usuable, cleaning related, dust related. Old harddisk 1 (2006), bad sectors/file system corruption, vibration/ physical shock related ?! - Could be caused by midtower, or fan vibration, or not equipting screws to fasten drive bay, could also be age related. (200 bucks) New harddisk 2 (2011), bad clusters, bad sectors, strange/unexplained, perhaps power less related/reset because of impatience/freeze, could also be electric shock related, could also be windows 7 file system corruption, could also be bad motherboard controller. (100 bucks) Creative X-Fi Elite Pro, death unconfirmed, could also be because of missing system files, could also be dead. Could be dust related, perhaps under control by setting fan inlets to minimum. (200 bucks) Additional power supply, wasn't really necessary but ok was needed for antec 1200 (200 bucks) Estimated money sort of wasted or half in use: 2600 bucks wasted. ^ That's a lot of money wasted, though the gtx's are still usuable but then again, also overheat-prone so not really worth it. These bucks are estimated numbers and might be a bit on the high side... but it still illustrates nicely how much money was wasted. For that ammount of money I could have bought 3 or 4 dell's or so, or some hp's or whatever. Though they have limited harddisk space and such. It's not really about money efficiency I just want my systems/ data to last, especially my data. So far this wasted money is not a too good sign, but I have already learned from it somewhat, so that lesson is already learned. The purpose of this posting is to focus on most likely causes of death and what to do about it. From surveying the web, it seems SSD is too unreliable, so it cannot be used as a replacement for physical shock protection/absorption. My guess is SSD could probably fail because of electrical shock, or most likely overheat. Though my system is now pretty well cooled, but could have electrical shock related issues, perhaps hard resets, or "dirty" wall power Perhaps electrical fluctuations. Some people do report some success with SSD but perhaps those people only browse the web and do very little with their SSD, the heavy users report massive failures. I do wonder how SSD would work in my system, so perhaps I give a cheap version a try to see how it works and it could allow my system to go back up a bit from a HD so I can run windows again But ofcourse it could also be a further waste of money and it's kinda tiny, but maybe for 100 bucks max I would be willing to give it a try for a few months or so... I am mostly concerned about my data, I want a safe solution for it, SSD is not it. I also though about "encrypted cloud" but my data is well within the 10's of GB's and cloud probably too small, and transferring data at 1 MB/sec or 400 KB/sec doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me, so cloud is out, plus disconnect risk. I have also been thinking about a "remote storage device" somewhere in my apperement in another room far away from me, but only 2 kinds of electric systems available in my appertment, it would share it's powersupply with was machines and dryiers, that doesn't sound to safe to me, and then I would have cable running through system, and wireless is a no-no in my book, too scared of radiation which might be a bit silly because PC's give off radiation as well, but maybe not as much as wireless signals ?!? Another possible cause of harddisk death might be: cold related, perhaps they ran too cold. Since the fans are now on low, perhaps this will not be an issue anymore, and I will fasten any new harddisk. So for now I think my best option is: 1. Buy one, two or three new harddisks. It's tempting to buy three new harddisks in case another one fails, but what if the cause of failure is the motherboard/controller ?!? Maybe it's bios had bugs or so... I should investigate that somewhat more closely because I can remember reading about problems with it. Though to me it seems unlikely that bios bugs would cause bad sectors, unless those reports are somehow fake/unreliable, for now I will have to assume the bad sectors or real for safeties sake... buying another motherboard sounds really tiring to me. However for that kind of money I could also buy a new cheap personal computer with new motherboard, new processor, new memory, new harddisk (much smaller but ok), new case. It would not be as great as my antec 1200 which has huge storage space for harddisk and doesn't vibrate sound-wise... I do kinda like my antec 1200 I will admit to that However perhaps it's a killer-dust-wise. Getting a new processor for "free" in the process sounds kinda fun, then I can try it out, but it also sounds kinda ****ty, it would not be a real/dream system, I would probably not want to use it much because of it's tiny harddisk, however perhaps I can replace it's harddisk with a bigger harddisk or the old ones. But perhaps the case will be too ****ty space-wise. The new system could also be a disaster heatwise, or it might not. Also where would I put new system... hmm... not that much space, cables kinda short so it would need to be near me... I am not yet ready to ditch antec 1200, also too much dust on ground... not good idea on ground, so maybe a special little table for it... that would be nice... so I should probably first buy or find a nice little table somewhere to place it on, away from the ground, and it should be large/ deep enough to contain the pc. Also fridge probably has to go, it causes electrical shocks on the power grid it seems... blue light spark coming from wall sockets when sticking plugs into it slowly or skewed - maybe me should not do it too slowly lol kinda fun watching the blue light sparks... I like nice light show it should not cause damage anyway, better to loose ****ty hardware immediatly then to build up on it and then later loose it Perhaps I should consider my DreamPC to be an "evolutionary" project... throwing out the junk/dead crap... keeping the good stuff lol... perhaps the antec1200 is the crap... who knows So far I like this blue light giving, somewhat dust sucking sturdy beast At least the cd/dvd/floppy disk/card reader is still working for now ! AMD cpu working too, CORSAIR memory chips working too. ASRock motherboard working too, but I have my doubts about it somewhat... it does react very slowly to pressing F11 during boot so could be an indication that it's programming is somewhat shaky. Status of soundblaster is unknown at this point, motherboard probably has audio chip could try that... still have to figure out if video cables can be used to connect it to receiver. I also have my doubts about the receiver, perhaps coffee was spilled on it by the store where I bought it... perhaps that has something to do with it... but so far it seems to be working ok, so that hypothesis seems unlikely. I should examine those pictures a little bit more on my skydrive, and if I do ever get an electrician in house, maybe he can measure it or something, but probably not so that idea can go out the window. For now I should probably figure out if it's possible to mount VHD's somehow in linux/knoppix that would be nice. I also wonder if Knoppix is maybe trying to use Nvidia audio device which is something weird ?!? What the hell is that ? Does the GT 520 have some strange audio device onboard ? or is it perhaps some strange nvidia chip on the motherboard ?!? It's quite weird how Knoppix believes there is an nvidia audio device in it... windows 7 saw it too... I should look into that... hmmm... So perhaps knoppix defaults to using that instead of creative, but the creative is probably first in list... I haven't tried to use soundblaster yet, too fed up/lazy with it sound is not a priority for now... For now I think I will probably buy a new hd first, so I can get windows back up and running and from that point I will see what I do, though I am also a little bit fed up with windows but I also need it to get more easily to me files and data, I think it's good idea to get a second drive sometime and install a different operating system like linux on it as a backup operating system and booting device. I dislike how flash is missing from knoppix though, that's my dislike about it. The web is not as much fun without flash. No flash, no fun ! =D I do like Knoppix though, it feels more like Windows XP then Windows 7 does ! How about that ! And the browser feels almost exaclt the same as IE ! So for web surfing Knoppix is almost fine, except for missing flash support ;( For now I am going to enjoy knoppix a bit more though I do keep worried about my data drive... hmmm... Bye, Skybuck. |
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