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The Quest for Power
Mar. 12th, 2005 02:59 pmWell, we didn't really have anything in particular to do Friday night, so after driving all the way back up to Crossroads for dinner, we stopped at Frys to get components for a new computer.
Now, Murdock hadn't made up a list of especially l33t components in the first place, but I was forced to del33t them regardless... partly because I'm cheap, but mostly because Frys was out of stock of every single specific part on his list. I got a slightly different case, a slightly different motherboard, different memory, a different fan, and a different video card... came to about $800 (before mail-in rebates), but that was without a processor or operating system.
And, when we got back to Lazar's, Murdock decided to put together the computer while Lazar and I played HeroQuest (he'd offered to assemble it, which is the only reason I was buying components at all; I'm totally cursed when it comes to messing around with hardware)... except that unlike the display model, the case didn't have a power supply. We scrutinized the box, and in addition to the label that we'd seen and gotten charged for, there was a different discount label on the back that noted it was on sale because it had no power supply.
But, well, we figured I could get the price difference back the next day, and Murdock had a spare power supply lying around. In his house, about a twenty minute drive away. He went and got it, while we slaughtered goblins and skeletons and such, and then... we noticed that it was the wrong case.
Normally I wouldn't care -- a case is a case, right? But this was a stupid ricer case with a fricking truck grill on the front and *headlights*. It also didn't have any of the font-panel connectors that were on the case I actually wanted. So, despite it all, I had to stop everything right there, because there's no way I'm getting a new computer that looks like a stupid truck. >.<
I took the case back this morning. I explained what'd happened, but the customer service rep looked at the discount sticker, then at the receipt, then at the sticker... "I can't find this item on your receipt!"
So I flipped the box around to show her the other tag. "How about... THIS item?"
So, yeah -- the two tags were for completely different items. Unfortunately, the one I actually wanted was out of stock, now, so I had to exchange it for an even cheaper case that didn't have all the ports. I'll drop it off at Lazar's a little later, and Murdock said he can put it together next Friday sometime.
Then I get to find out if the overclocked video card, suspiciously cheap modem, no-name memory, secondhand processor, and third-choice motherboard actually all work. Yay!
(on the plus side, Battlestar Galactica and SG-1 were both recorded without any problem when I got home last night, so I got to actually sleep instead of staying up 'till 3 am)
Now, Murdock hadn't made up a list of especially l33t components in the first place, but I was forced to del33t them regardless... partly because I'm cheap, but mostly because Frys was out of stock of every single specific part on his list. I got a slightly different case, a slightly different motherboard, different memory, a different fan, and a different video card... came to about $800 (before mail-in rebates), but that was without a processor or operating system.
And, when we got back to Lazar's, Murdock decided to put together the computer while Lazar and I played HeroQuest (he'd offered to assemble it, which is the only reason I was buying components at all; I'm totally cursed when it comes to messing around with hardware)... except that unlike the display model, the case didn't have a power supply. We scrutinized the box, and in addition to the label that we'd seen and gotten charged for, there was a different discount label on the back that noted it was on sale because it had no power supply.
But, well, we figured I could get the price difference back the next day, and Murdock had a spare power supply lying around. In his house, about a twenty minute drive away. He went and got it, while we slaughtered goblins and skeletons and such, and then... we noticed that it was the wrong case.
Normally I wouldn't care -- a case is a case, right? But this was a stupid ricer case with a fricking truck grill on the front and *headlights*. It also didn't have any of the font-panel connectors that were on the case I actually wanted. So, despite it all, I had to stop everything right there, because there's no way I'm getting a new computer that looks like a stupid truck. >.<
I took the case back this morning. I explained what'd happened, but the customer service rep looked at the discount sticker, then at the receipt, then at the sticker... "I can't find this item on your receipt!"
So I flipped the box around to show her the other tag. "How about... THIS item?"
So, yeah -- the two tags were for completely different items. Unfortunately, the one I actually wanted was out of stock, now, so I had to exchange it for an even cheaper case that didn't have all the ports. I'll drop it off at Lazar's a little later, and Murdock said he can put it together next Friday sometime.
Then I get to find out if the overclocked video card, suspiciously cheap modem, no-name memory, secondhand processor, and third-choice motherboard actually all work. Yay!
(on the plus side, Battlestar Galactica and SG-1 were both recorded without any problem when I got home last night, so I got to actually sleep instead of staying up 'till 3 am)
