How it looks just after I got it back and dusted it off.
All original inside (mostly), also incredibly bare and basic.
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| Mobo | MSI PM8M3-V (LGA775, ATX) |
| Chipset | VIA P4M800CE |
| CPU | Intel Celeron D 320 (2.4GHz) |
| RAM | 512MB DDR RAM (1x512MB) |
| GPU | Integrated VIA UniChrome Pro Up to 64MB of system memory Point of View GeForce FX5500 256MB VRAM |
| Sound | Integrated Realtek ALC665 HD Audio IC |
| Storage | Unknown 20GB HDD |
| Extras | None |
| Operating System | Deprecated OpenSUSE Linux release |
What's up with it?: Not much. It’s the epitome of somebody’s first computer back in 2005 – OEM, not too expensive, modern looking, conveniently priced so that it’s entry-level enough, outdated by the time it began to be sold (parts that are 2 year old in that market, with Moore’s law running rampant, made for a hopeless combination), beautifully undersold using number talk and accessories, such as a worthless printer that stops working after a month – it’s perfect for the unitiated. If you don’t know where I’m getting with all this, it was the first computer that landed in a corner desk at our house and the first PC my family could call their own.
I hope to spin it out to a longer article/story, as there’s more to be told, but in this moment, let’s keep it short for the profile. With the power of hindsight I cannot cope with the fact that this PC wasn’t up to snuff considering the price-to-performance ratio, and had I known at that time, I would have built it 10 times better. Had I known. Frankly, I might as well take this hindsight and stick it where the sun don’t shine; there is little point in loathing over the what-ifs and reminiscing those days with anger and resentment; rather, let’s reserve a mere mention for that and enjoy it for what it’s worth.
Had I known: Back in 2005 I didn’t know jack shit about computers. I thought the computer was the screen you looked at, I used the mouse with the wrong hand and my mom took away my PS2 copy of GTA: San Andreas after playing it only once… by showing her how I cut off a ped’s head with a katana and remarking how cool it is, and saying my cousin taught me where to find the sword. Embarassing, but fond memories. And while I never saw the GTA copy again (she just took it the next day! it was there in the evening, and it was gone in the morning!), and my cousin never told me whether he got into hot water over the whole situation, I didn’t care about any of it as I had a computer at home!
Now, if I had any hand in picking the PC, it would have gone like this:
- a Sempron 64 3000+
- an AGP nForce4 motherboard
- 1GB of ram (1x1GB, or 2x512, whichever was less pricey)
- a 6600GT or thereabouts
The cost of the rest would likely have made little difference, except for the keyboard, which was this newfangled “multimedia” keyboard that was ridiculously overpriced. And the printer I could swallow – we could have split the cost with my uncle, even if it would stop printing after a month.
But alas, my parents just one day gone and went to a Vobis store, probably got sweet-talked by some store clerk, and happily walked away with their new computer. Their kids were happy.
The Mysterious Disappearing Computer: In 2010 or so, me and my brothers desperately needed an upgrade. Our parents had promised that if whatever we pooled (undoubtedly out of anger as their new dual-core laptop they bought in 2009 was promptly overrun with well-hidden games), they would double and with this budget we would get a new PC. We did, and this one kind of just… disappeared. It was nowhere to be found. A few years later (I think it was around 2014) it reappeared magically, now tasked with a new mission: to help become my grandparents computer-literate. At that time, it was tragically underpowered for most tasks, but it was just enough to show them around on how to use a PC, check out the Internet, and maybe they’d find enough old people computer uses to justify buying a computer of their own. They ended up using this guy up until 2017 or so. I guess older people have a certain immunity to sluggish computing. My uncle then hooked them up with a well-equipped Optiplex 755 (which is a hand-me-down – or hand-me-up? Either way, now I’m its proprietor), and the Vobis disappeared again. Fast-forward to the summer of 2023. I visited my uncle as I often do, and nothing remarkable could be said of the visit, except for the fact that I found the computer again. Ever since I got into more serious retro computer owning, I thought about the whereabouts of this beautiful box. I had considered it lost to time, parted out or taken away by the garbage truck on one electronic appliance collection day. But there it was – and I wasn’t going to forfeit the chance. My uncle wasn’t using it and was happy to take it off his hands. That’s why it deserves a place on the cool computer pantheon: it was my first computer, and I reunited with it after the longest time. Now let’s hope it doesn’t mysteriously disappear again.
Welcome back! It’s been a while: It’s in a sad shape. Scratches, missing and broken off parts, ugly random CD afterthought just to have something to install the OS on – in fact, it had a “PCLinuxOS” stuck inside the drive. Last time it ran, it ran some old version of OpenSUSE that ran well enough on a computer of this vintage and a disgusting-looking 20GB hard drive that worked only once – a final salute, passing the torch of computing – and died.
I only took a look inside and dusted it off thoroughly – it was caked inside and outside, it was neglected, covered with usual desk garbage and then, my uncle powered it for the last time, not knowing he’s putting the poor thing to an undefined period of sleep.
It’s a project for the future, but I have solid plans – it’s just up to me to decide what to do with it. Occasionally I sift through classifieds and I can confirm that this exact PC (or at least this exact case) can be found from time to time, and they could be my source for the missing and/or broken parts. This lends to the possibility that the rest of the parts can be found easily as well – and so far that’s true except for the mouse. I simply forgot how it looked, it’s completely gone from my memory! Anyway, the plan is to get it back and running again, fill it with the games I used to play early in my computing journey, ideally get all the parts and accessories – even a corner desk – and cherish the thing. Play Il-2 Sturmovik and Tonic Trouble. I’m toying with the idea of swapping the guts for something much, much stronger and creating a mega-powerful, cost-no-object (then and now) 2005 monster. In that case, here are the specs I’m thinking of:
| Balls-out 2005 PC | ||
|---|---|---|
| \ | Red Team | Blue Team |
| Mobo | Abit Fatal1ty AN8 (SLI) Abit BP9 Pro or ECS PF5 Extreme (single-card) |
DFI LANParty UT CFX3200-DR/G (Ati Crossfire) Asus A8N-SLI or DFI equivalent (SLI) MSI K8N Neo4 Platinum (single-card) |
| Chipset | nForce 4 | ATi Crossfire Xpress Finding a Crossfire Master card is going to be a pain |
| CPU (single-core preference) | Pentium D 820 (Socket 775) preferably Pentium Extreme Edition 3.4/3.46/3.73 (Socket 775) |
Athlon 64 X2 4600+/4800+ (Socket 939) preferably Athlon 64 FX FX-57 (Socket 939, long shot) |
| RAM | 1 or 2GB DDR2 RAM (max out the slots) ...with cool heatsinks of course! |
|
| GPU | 2x 6800GT / 6800 Ultra (SLI, nVidia) 7800 GTX (non-SLI, nVidia) |
something like 2x X1950XTX Crossfire Edition (Crossfire, ATi) X800XL / X800XT (non-Crossfire, ATi) |
| Sound | Sound Blaster X-Fi Fatal1ty or Platinum | |
| Storage | 500GB or 640GB (because it's a bit unusual) | |
| Extras | VRM heatsinks "Turbine" or copper orb CPU coolers Aftermarket GPU coolers (if possible) Lotsa fans, clear fans, LEDs Front panel LCD status panel, fan controller - you know which ones I'm talking about ;) CPU, GPU, motherboard manufacturer, CoolerMaster or similar, Windows stickers - a whole "sponsors" list. Finish it with a "flex" or other flexy-geeky sticker |
|
| Operating System | Windows XP | |
This will make for a total 160dB overkill - and I'm going to love it!
