Chris's Meccano Restoration Page - http://www.mecworld.co.za/cmrp

PC History

Handheld Games - Bandai Electronics - Dec 1982

ATARI - Dec 1984

Atari 2600
Processor	1.19Mhz 8-bit Processor MOS Technology 6507
Memory	128 bytes MOS Technology RIOT chip.
Removable Storage1	ROM (game cartridges) : 4 kb maximum capacity
Display Adapter	TIA - Television interface Adapter - Coaxial TV aerial cable using PAL connector. 192 x 160 pixels resolution. 128 colors, with max 4 colors per line (104 colors available in PAL)
Display	B/W or Color CRT TV through RCA connector (NTSC, PAL or SECAM)
Audio	TIA - Television interface Adapter - Coaxial TV aerial cable using PAL connector - MONO

Commodore 64 - Dec 1985

Commodore 64
Processor	8-bit MOS Technology 6510/8500 microprocessor - 0.985 MHz (PAL) or 1.023 MHz (NTSC) - We used PAL
Cooling	Passive, no heatsink
Memory	64 kB of RAM
Removable Storage1	Tape Cassette (Commodore 1530 Datassette, 300 baud tape interface)
Display Adapter	MOS Technology 6569/8565 (PAL), 16 colors, 320×200 pixels, 512 bytes color RAM
Display	B/W or Color CRT TV through RCA connector (NTSC, PAL or SECAM) - Coaxial TV aerial cable using PAL connector - 4:3 screen format
Audio	MOS Technology 6581/8580 SID - Coaxial TV aerial cable using PAL connector
Form Factor	Personal Computer
Controller	Built in QWERTY keyboard and Quickshot joystick

First PC - 1994 - 1995

AMD 386DX-40
Processor	AMD 386DX-40 - 40Mhz - 20Mhz FSB - Socket : 132-pin CPGA
Cooling	Passive heat sink
Memory	2Mb RAM (8x256Kb 30 pin SIMMS) Single inline memory module
Motherboard	AMD - 40Mhz FSB - 1x8-bit & 5x16-bit ISA expansion slots
Storage1	Tandon TM503 - 3600rpm - MFM FH - 15Mb - 5.25inch
Storage2	Maxtor - 20Mb - IDE - 3.5inch
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive Module
Removable Storage2	1.2mb Floppy Disk Drive
Display Adapter	VGA - 8-bit ISA slot
Display	13 inch (264mm Wide x 198mm High Display Area) - 640 x 480 (VGA) - CRT - 4:3 screen format
Form Factor	Desktop Small form factor
Input / output	Plug in Serial & Parallel card, 8-bit ISA VGA graphics card - Plug in IDE controller card, 8 Bit BNC ISA network Card
Operating System	DOS 6.22

mpatible
with PCIe x1 and x4

Upgrade - 1996

Intel 486DX4 100
Processor	Intel 486DX4-100 - 100Mhz - 16Kb Cache - 33Mhz FSB - Socket 3
Cooling	Passive heat sink
Memory	2Mb RAM (4x512Kb 30 pin SIMMS) Single inline memory module
Motherboard	Intel - 33Mhz FSB - 16-bit ISA and 32-bit VESA (Vesa Local Bus) expansion slots. (EISA was 32 bit and was replaced by PCI. I did not have an EISA board).
Storage1	Maxtor - 40Mb - IDE - 3.5inch
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive Module
Removable Storage2	1.2mb Floppy Disk Drive
Display Adapter	Cirrus Logic VGA card - 32-bit VESA slot
Display	14 inch (284mm Wide x 213mm High Display Area) - 640 x 480 (VGA) - CRT - 4:3 screen format
Form Factor	Desktop Small form factor
Sound Card	Sound Blaster 16 Value - CT2770
Input / output	Plug in Serial & Parallel card, VESA VGA graphics card - Plug in VESA IDE controller card, 8 Bit BNC ISA network Cards, US robotics ISA modem
Operating System	Windows for Workgroups 3.1 + Windows 95

486 Laptop - 1997

Intel 486 Laptop
Processor	Intel 486DX2-50 - 50Mhz - 8Kb Cache - 33Mhz FSB - Socket 3
Cooling	Passive heat sink
Memory	2Mb RAM
Motherboard	Intel
Storage1	20Mb - IDE - 2.5inch
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive Module
Display Adapter	Cirrus Logic VGA
Display	19.5" (193mm Wide x 144mm High Display Area) VGA Color LCD - 4:3 screen format
Form Factor	Laptop
Sound Card	Integrated
Input / output	Trackball, Serial and Parallel port, Stereo 3.5mm Jack
Operating System	DOS 6.22
Dimensions	Weight : 3kg. Size : 28cm(w) x 22cm(d) x 5.4cm(h)

1997 - 2005 - Various work PC's

Dell Optiplex GX200

Dell Optiplex GX260

Sound Blaster Live! (SB0060)

Logitech WingMan Extreme Digital 3D GamePort-USB Twist Handle Joystick - J-ZA10

Dell Optiplex 745

3Com Baseline 2816 Ethernet Switch (10/100/1000Mbps Unmanaged) - 3C16478US

WD-Elements SE - WDBABV0010BBK-00 - External 5400rpm - 8mb cache - USB2 480Mbs - 1Tb - 2.5inch

US Robotics External 56K Voice Fax Modem (V.92)

Laptop - 2003

Dell Latitude C610 Laptop
Processor	Intel Mobile Pentium III-M - 1000Mhz - 512Kb Cache - 133 MHz FSB - Socket BGA2
Cooling	Fan
Memory	756Mb 133Mhz PC133 SDRAM (1x512Mb and 1x256Mb Modules)
Motherboard	Dell Motherboard - Intel 830MP Chipset - USB1
Storage1	Western Digital - 5400rpm - EIDE/ATA-100 - 80Gb - 2.5inch - 8Mb cache
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive Module
Removable Storage2	CD R/W - 8x - Module
Removable Storage3	DVD - 8x - Read only Module
Display Adapter	ATI Mobility Radeon M6P - 16Mb DDR - AGP 4x
Display	14.1inch (286mm Wide x 214mm High Display Area) - 1024 × 768 (SXGA+) - Active Matrix LCD ( TFT) - 16.7Mil colors - 4:3 screen format
Form Factor	Laptop
Accessories	TP-Link TL-WN727N Wireless 150Mbps USB Adapter, Cardbus USB2.0 4 Port PCMCIA Card
Operating System	Windows 95 + Windows XP SP3 32bit
Dimensions	Weight : 2.6kg. Size : 32cm(w) x 25cm(d) x 3.5cm(h)

Bluetooth V2.0 Mini Dongle

HP Scanjet 5370c - 2003

HP Scanjet 5370c scanner
Type	Flatbed scanner - Desktop
Color Depth	42 bit color
Optical Resolution	1200 dpi x 1200 dpi
Scan Mode	Single-pass Fixed document and moving carriage
Scan Element Type	CCD with White cold cathode fluorescent lamp
Max Document Size	8.5 in x 11.7 in
Interface	25 pin D-Sub (DB-25) parallel port, 4 pin USB Type B
Adapters	XPA Slide / Negative adapter (Diffused Light Source) with templates
Scan Times (A4)	300dpi : 35 seconds 600 dpi : 2 Minutes, 21 Seconds 1200 dpi : 14 Minutes, 40 seconds

Microtower 2004

Compaq Evo D310 Microtower PC
Processor	Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor - 2.4Ghz - 512kb Cache - 533 MHz FSB - Socket 478
Cooling	Intel Cooler fan
Memory	1Gb 266Mhz DDR DRAM (2x512Mb Modules)
Motherboard	Intel 845G Chipset - 533/400Mhz FSB - IDE100/66/33 - USB2 - 1xAGP 8x, 3x32-bit PCI expansion slots - 32-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Seagate Barracuda ST3200822A - 7200rpm - Ultra ATA100 - 200Gb - 8mb cache - 3.5inch
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive
Removable Storage2	DVD Reader - Ultra ATA100
Display Adapter	ATI Radeon 9200 - 256Mb DDR SDRAM - AGP 8x (direct bus to CPU) - VGA-DVI - 250Mhz
Display	Dell M782 CRT - 17inch (337mm Wide x 269mm High Display Area) - 1280 x 1024 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA : 5:4 screen format
Form Factor	Microtower
Power Supply	220W
Operating System	Windows XP SP3 32bit

March 2005

SOLTEK SL-86MIP-L Tower PC
Processor	Intel® Pentium® 4 Processor 530/530J supporting HT Technology - 3Ghz - 1Mb Cache - 800 MHz FSB - HyperThreading - Socket 478
Cooling	Intel Cooler fan with External duct
Memory	2Gb 400Mhz DDR Ram (2x2Gb DIMMS)
Motherboard	SOLTEK SL-86MIP-L - Northbridge : Intel 865G, Southbridge ICH5 Chipset - 800/533/400Mhz FSB - IDE100/66/33 - SATA (1.5Gb/s) - USB2 - 1xAGP 8x, 2x32-bit PCI expansion slots - 32-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	IBM Ultrastar 36LZX - 10000rpm - Ultra 160 SCSI - 36Gb - 3.5inch
Storage2	Seagate Barracuda ST3200822A - 7200rpm - Ultra ATA100 - 200Gb - 8mb cache - 3.5inch
Storage3	Seagate Barracuda ST3808110AS- 7200rpm - SATA 3Gbs (1.5Gbs on soltek board) - 80Gb - 3.5inch
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive
Removable Storage2	Lite-On SOHW-1693S (DVD Rewriter) - 48x CD - 16x DVD - Ultra ATA100 - DL - 2MB Buffer
Display Adapter	ATI Radeon 9200 - 256Mb DDR SDRAM - AGP 8x (direct bus to CPU) - VGA-S-video-DVI - 250Mhz
Display	Samsung SyncMaster 20GLsi CRT - 20inch (406mm Wide x 304mm High Display Area) - 1600 x 1200 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA - .28mm dot pitch - 4:3 screen format
Form Factor	Standard Tower - Perspex window - LED fans
Speakers	Harman Kardon HK19.5 Multimedia Speakers
Power Supply	250W
SCSI controller	Adaptec SCSI Card 39160 - Ultra 160 SCSI - 160 MByte/sec
Input	Logitec Cordless Freedom wireless keyboard and optical mouse
Operating System	Redhat 6.0 and Windows XP SP3 32bit

Logitech Wireless Mouse and Keyboard set with Receiver
Wireless Keyboard : Y-RJ20
Wireless Mouse : M-RR63
Receiver : C-BG17-DUAL

Canon Selphy CP510 Dye-sublimation thermal photo printer - 2005

Canon Selphy CP510 Dye-sublimation thermal photo printer
Print Resolution	300 x 300 dpi
Print Size	Postcard Size 4" x 8"
Print Method	Dye-sublimation thermal print method with protective overcoating

Canon Pixma IP4200 Inkjet printer - 2005

Canon Pixma IP4200 Inkjet printer
Print Resolution	9600 x 2400 dpi
Print Size	A4
Print Method	5-ink FINE print head with 1 pl Micro-Nozzles

HP Scanjet 2400 digital flatbed scanner - 2005

HP Scanjet 2400 digital flatbed scanner
Type	Flatbed scanner - Desktop
Color Depth	42 bit color
Optical Resolution	1200 dpi x 1200 dpi
Scan Mode	Single-pass Fixed document and moving carriage
Scan Element Type	CCD with White cold cathode fluorescent lamp
Max Document Size	8.2 in x 11.7 in
Interface	4 pin USB Type B
Adapters	None
Scan Times (A4)	300dpi : 50 seconds 600 dpi : 3 Minutes 1200 dpi : 15 Minutes

A really slow, entry level scanner. Scan quality was indifferent.

Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro 20Gb - 2008

Microsoft Xbox 360 Pro 20Gb
Processor	IBM PowerPC (Xenon) - XCPU-ES - 3.2 GHz (Triple-Core)
Cooling	Copper base with heat pipe. Sytem fan cooled
Memory	512Mb 700Mhz GDDR3 SDRAM
Motherboard	3 x USB 2.0 (2 ports in the front hidden by a flap, and one in the back), 2 x Proprietry Memory card slots, 10/100Mb Ethernet
Storage1	20Gb Proprietry formatted Hard Disk Drive
Removable Storage1	12x Dual Layer DVD - 8.4Gb
Removable Storage2	64Mb Proprietry Memory Card
Display Adapter	Custom ATI Graphics Processor "Xenos" - 10 Mb of embedded DRAM - 500Mhz - 90nm - 240 GFLOPS - Die area : 182 mm² - 232 million transistors - 240 shading units, 16 texture mapping units and 8 ROPs - 512 MB GDDR3 memory @ 700Mhz
Display	HD-quality output (1920 x 1080) YPBPR component video (3 RCA component cable) and single RCA output. Audio is L / R RCA. (Analogue only, no Digital DVI or HDMI)
Form Factor	Game Console
Controller	RF / Radio, D-pad, 2 x Thumb stick

October 2012

HP Compaq dc7800 Convertible Minitower PC
Processor	Intel® Core 2 Duo E6550 - 2.33Ghz - 4Mb Cache - 1333MHz FSB - Socket LGA 775
Cooling	Intel Cooler fan with duct
Memory	8Gb 667Mhz DDR2 Ram (4x2Gb Apacer DIMMS)
Motherboard	Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 0AACh - Intel Q35 Express Chipset - 1333Mhz FSB - SATA2 (3Gb/s) - USB2 - IEEE 1394 - 3xPCI, 2xPCI Express x1 (PCIe), 1xPCI Express x16 (PCIe) expansion slots - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Seagate Barracuda ST3808110AS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 80Gb - 3.5inch - 8Mb Cache HP FB160C4081 - 7200rpm - SATA 1.5Gbs - 160Gb - 3.5inch - 8Mb Cache
Storage2	Seagate Barracuda ST3160812AS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 160GB - 3.5inch - 8Mb Cache
Storage3	Western Digital RE3 WD5002ABYS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 500Gb - 3.5inch - 16Mb cache
Removable Storage1	1.44mb Stiffy Disk Drive
Removable Storage2	LG GH24NS95 (DVD rewriter) - 48x CD - 24x DVD - SATA 1.5Gbs - M@DISC - 0.75MB Buffer
Display Adapter	Nvidia GEForce 8500 GT- NX8500GT-TD512E - 512mb GDDR2 - PCIe x16 - S-video-VGA-DVI - 450MHz core
Display	LG-Flatron L1719S-BF - 17inch LCD (Active matrix-TFT) (337mm Wide x 269mm High Display Area) - 1280x1024 - 16.2Mil colors - VGA Analogue - 5:4 screen format
Form Factor	Convertible Minitower PC
Power Supply	365W
Other	D-Link Wireless N Desktop Adapter (DWA-525), AGESTAR USB 3.0 PCI-Express Card.
Sound	Sound Blaster Live! (SB0060) 5.1 sound card (same one from JDG days). This card never seems to die.
Operating System	Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64Bit and Linux Mint 17 Ubuntu 64Bit

Bluetooth V2.0 Mini Dongle

Microsoft Intellimouse Optical 1.1A USB & PS2

Tenda 3G622R+ 3G Wireless-N Router - November 2012

Tenda 3G622R+ 3G Wireless-N Router
Standards	IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802.3u. WCDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA
Connection Type	3G, WirelessWAN, DHCP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, 802.1x
Encryption Mode	64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2
Max. Wireless Speed	Up to 300Mbps
Frequency	2.4-2.5GHz with 2 x 3dBi Antenna
Interfaces	1xUSB2.0 port for 3G Dongle, 1x10/100Mbps WAN, 4x10/100Mbps LAN
Features	- Wireless AP, Router, 4-Port Switch, and Firewall in one - Remote/local Web management - WMM to better smooth your voice and video - Wireless Roaming technology for high-efficient wireless connections - SSID stealth mode and access control based over MAC address (up to 30 entries) - Auto MDI/MDIX - Syslog to record the status of the Router - Auto negotiation/manual mode for 802.11b/802.11g/802.11n - UPnP and DDNS - Supports SNTP, virtual server, DMZ host - Built-in firewall for hacker’s attack prevention - Supports Auto wireless channel selection, WDS wireless network extension, URL Monitor, QoS function

June 2013

Xpredator Tower PC with Asus P8P67 Pro Motherboard and i7-2600K Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7-2600K (Second Generation) - 3.4Ghz (3.8Ghz Turbo) - 8Mb cache - 4 cores - 8 threads (Base-Clock (BLCK) @ 100mhz = (100mhz x 34x) = 3.4ghz ) - Socket LGA 1155
Cooling	Corsair H60 Liquid CPU Cooler Corsair H80i Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory	16Gb 1333Mhz DDR3 Ram (2x4Gb Transcend JM1333KLN-4G and 2x4Gb Strontium SRT4G88U0-H9H DIMMS) 32Gb 1600Mhz DDR3 Ram (4x8Gb Samsung PC3L-12800E-11-12-E3 DIMMS)
Motherboard	Asus P8P67 Pro - Intel P67 Express Chipset - SATA3 (6Gb/s)- USB3 - Bluetooth - 2xPCI, 2xPCI Express 2.0 x1, 2xPCI Express 2.0 x16, 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 (compatiblewith PCIe x1 and x4) expansion slots - Overclock capable EFI BIOS - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Corsair Force Series GS CSSD-F128GBGS-BK - SSD 560MB/s read - 535MB/s write - SATA3 6Gbs - 128Gb - 2.5inch
Storage2	Western Digital RE3 WD5002ABYS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 500Gb - 3.5inch - 16Mb cache Samsung HD503HI - 5400rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 500Gb - 3.5inch - 16Mb cache Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 1TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache
Storage3	Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 2TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache
Storage4	Samsung SM841N - SSD - 520Mb/s read - 396Mb/s write - SATA3 6Gbs - 256Gb - 2.5inch
Removable Storage1	LG BH16NS40 (Blu-ray Disc ReWriter) - 48x CD - 16x DVD - 16x BD - SATA 1.5Gbs - M@DISC - 4MB Buffer
Removable Storage2	Manhattan Multi-Card Reader-Writer (100915). USB2.0 (480 Mbps), 3.5" Bay Mount, 60-in-1
Display Adapter	Nvidia GeForce GT 640 - 2Gb DDR3 128-bit - NH-G640204C36L4N - PCIe x16 - VGA-DVI-HDMI - 901MHz AMD SAPPHIRE FLeX Radeon HD 6870 1G D5 - 1Gb DDR5 256-bit - PCIe 2.1 x16 - VGA (via adapter)-DVI-HDMI-DISPLAY PORT - 900MHz
Display	Samsung SyncMaster P2250 - 21.5inch (476mm Wide x 268mm High Display Area) LCD - 1920x1080 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA-DVI Digital - 16:9 screen format AOC-N950Sw - 18.5inch LCD (CCFL) (410mm Wide x 230mm High Display Area) 1366 x 768 - 16.7Mil colors- VGA - 16:9 screen format Samsung SyncMaster P2350 - 23inch LCD (508mm Wide x 286mm High Display Area) - 1920x1080 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA-DVI : 16:9 screen format
Form Factor	Aerocool X-Predator Evil Black Gaming Tower
Power Suppply	Aerocool E85M-550 power supply unit. 550 Watt ATX with modular cables. Plugged into Mecer ME-650-VU+ UPS
Operating System	Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 64Bit, Windows 10 Pro - Creators Update Redstone 2 - 10.0.15063 - Version 1703 - 64Bit, Windows 10 Pro - October 2018 Update - Redstone 5 - Version 1809 - Build 10.0.17763.1 - 64Bit
Sound	Sound Blaster Z (SB1500)

I overclocked the CPU to 4.7Ghz for daily use.
I overclocked the Radeon HD 6870 GPU to 940MHz (1150MHz on Memory).

xpredator_box
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CyBorg R.A.T 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse

Sound Blaster Z

Logitech K270 Wireless Keyboard with Unifying Receiver

Cooler Master SATA X-Dock

Microsoft Lifecam HD-3000

November 2013

HP EliteBook 2760p Tablet PC
Processor	Intel Core i5-2540M (second Generation) -2.6-GHz (turbo boost up to 3.3-GHz) Dual-Core processor - 3Mb L3 cache - 2 cores - 4 threads
Cooling	Fan and Conductive copper pipe heatsink
Memory	16Gb DDR3 SDRAM, 1333 MHz, two slots supporting dual-channel memory, (2x8Gb Patriot SODIMMs)
Motherboard	Mobile Intel QM67 Express Chipset - (3) USB 2.0 ports (1 charging), VGA out,(1) combo headphone/microphone jack, (1)1394a, RJ-11/modem, Sim card Slot (1) RJ-45/ Gigabit Ethernet, ExpressCard/34 slot, SD/MMC slot, SATA3 (6Gb/s), Bluetooth 2.1+EDR - 64-bit motherboard/OS - mini PCI-E WLAN card
Storage1	Samsung SSD 840 PRO - MZ-7PD512 - SSD - 540MB/s read - 520MB/s write - SATA3 6Gbs - 512Gb - 2.5inch Seagate Momentus Thin ST500LT012 - 5400rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 500Gb - 2.5inch - 16 Mb Cache
Removable Storage	SD/MMC slot
Display Adapter	Intel HD Graphics 3000 (GT2+) - Integrated with shared video memory - 1.35Ghz Clock - 1.7Gb Shared video memory
Display	12.1-inch (261mm Wide x 156mm High Display Area) diagonal LED-backlit WXGA UWVA LCD - 1280x800 pen and touch screen - anti-glare - 16:10 screen format AND Samsung SyncMaster P2350 - 23inch LCD (508mm Wide x 286mm High Display Area) - 1920x1080 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA-DVI : 16:9 screen format
Form Factor	Tablet PC, SIlver Brushed Aluminium and Plastic
Speakers	Stereo
Power Suppply	65Watt, 18.5V, 3.5A Charger - 6-cell (44 WHr) li-ion battery
Features	Fingerprint Reader - Webcam (1280x720) with face recognition login - Pop out LED light for Keyboard lighting - Touchpen. Connect via vodacom 3G Dongle
Operating System	Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64Bit
Dimensions	Weight : 1.8kg. Size : 29cm(w) x 21cm(d) x 3.2cm(h)

Targus AC0066 15.4" Laptop Sleeve

E-Blue Mazer Type-R 2500DPI USB Wired Optical Gaming Mouse

Armaggeddon Stealth Raptor MKA-7 with Blue Cherry Keys

XGR Laptop Cooler

Microsoft Intellimouse Optical 1.1A USB - Painted Gold

CyBorg R.A.T 5 Wired Laser Gaming Mouse

November 2014 - December 2014

Lian Li Pitstop T60 Test Bench PC - Core 2 Duo
Processor	Intel® Core 2 Duo E6600 - 2.40Ghz - 4Mb Cache - 1066MHz FSB - Socket LGA 775
Cooling	ZeroTherm BTF90 CPU Cooler
Memory	8Gb 667Mhz DDR2 Ram (4x2Gb Apacer DIMMS)
Motherboard	Motherboard Hewlett-Packard 0AACh - Intel Q35 Express Chipset - 1333Mhz FSB - SATA2 (3Gb/s) - USB2 - IEEE 1394 - 3xPCI, 2xPCI Express x1 (PCIe), 1xPCI Express x16 (PCIe) expansion slots - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Seagate Barracuda ST3808110AS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 80Gb - 3.5inch - 8Mb Cache
Storage2	Seagate Barracuda ST3160812AS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 160GB - 3.5inch - 8Mb Cache
Storage3	Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 1TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache
Removable Storage2	LG GH24NS95 (DVD rewriter) - 48x CD - 24x DVD - SATA 1.5Gbs - M@DISC - 0.75MB Buffer
Display Adapter	Nvidia GEForce 8500 GT- NX8500GT-TD512E - 512mb GDDR2 - PCIe x16 - S-video-VGA-DVI - 450MHz core
Display	LG-Flatron L1719S-BF - 17inch LCD (Active matrix-TFT) (337mm Wide x 269mm High Display Area) - 1280x1024 - 16.2Mil colors - VGA Analogue - 5:4 screen format
Form Factor	Lian Li Pitstop T60 Test Bench PC
Power Supply	365W
Other	D-Link Wireless N Desktop Adapter (DWA-525), AGESTAR USB 3.0 PCI-Express Card.
Sound	Sound Blaster Live! (SB0060) 5.1 sound card (same one from JDG days). This card never seems to die.
Operating System	Linux Mint 17 Ubuntu 64Bit

Lian Li Pitstop T60 Test Bench

ZEROtherm BTF90 CPU Cooler

Bluetooth V2.0 Mini Dongle

December 2014

Lian Li Pitstop T60 Test Bench PC - i5 Water Cooled
Processor	Intel Core i5-2500K (Second Generation) - 3.3Ghz (3.7Ghz Turbo) - 6Mb cache - 4 cores - 4 threads (Base-Clock (BLCK) @ 100mhz = (100mhz x 33x) = 3.3ghz ) - Socket LGA 1155
Cooling	Corsair H80i Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory	8Gb 1333Mhz DDR3 RAM (2x4Gb Corsair CMV4GX3M1A1333C9)
Motherboard	Asus P8Z68-V LX - Intel Z68 Express Chipset - SATA3 (6Gb/s)- USB3 - 3xPCI, 2xPCI Express 2.0 x1, 2xPCI Express 2.0 x16 (Blue @ x16, black @ x4 mode) - Overclock capable EFI BIOS - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Samsung SM841N - SSD - 520Mb/s read - 396Mb/s write - SATA3 6Gbs - 256Gb - 2.5inch
Storage2	Western Digital RE3 WD5002ABYS - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 500Gb - 3.5inch - 16Mb cache
Storage3	Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 1TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache
Storage4	Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 2TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache
Removable Storage2	LG GH24NS95 (DVD rewriter) - 48x CD - 24x DVD - SATA 1.5Gbs - M@DISC - 0.75MB Buffer
Display Adapter	Nvidia GeForce GT 640 - 2Gb DDR3 128-bit - NH-G640204C36L4N - PCIe x16 - VGA-DVI-HDMI - 901MHz
Display	LG-Flatron L1719S-BF - 17inch LCD (Active matrix-TFT) (337mm Wide x 269mm High Display Area) - 1280x1024 - 16.2Mil colors - VGA Analogue - 5:4 screen format
Form Factor	Lian Li Pitstop T60 Test Bench PC
Power Supply	Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus 650W
Other	D-Link Wireless N Desktop Adapter (DWA-525), AGESTAR USB 3.0 PCI-Express Card.
Sound	Sound Blaster Live! (SB0060) 5.1 sound card (same one from JDG days). This card never seems to die.
Operating System	Linux Mint 17 Ubuntu 64Bit

I overclocked this rig to 4.5Ghz for daily use.

December 2014

Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus
Processor	Intel® Core 2 Duo E7500 - 2.93Ghz - 3Mb Cache - 1066MHz FSB - Socket LGA 775
Cooling	ZeroTherm BTF90 CPU Cooler
Memory	8Gb 667Mhz DDR2 Ram (4x2Gb Apacer DIMMS)
Motherboard	Intel DQ965GF microATX Motherboard - Intel Q965 Express Chipset - 800Mhz FSB - SATA2 (3Gb/s) - USB2 - IEEE 1394 - 2xPCI, 1xPCI Express x1 (PCIe), 1xPCI Express x16 (PCIe) expansion slots - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Samsung HD321HJ - 7200rpm - SATA2 3Gbs - 320Gb - 3.5inch - 8Mb Cache
Storage2	-
Storage3	-
Removable Storage2	Lite-ON DH-20A3S (DVD rewriter) - 48x CD - 16x DVD - SATA 1.5Gbs - 2MB Buffer
Display Adapter	Nvidia GEForce 8500 GT- NX8500GT-TD512E - 512mb GDDR2 - PCIe x16 - S-video-VGA-DVI - 450MHz core
Display	-
Form Factor	Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus Mid Tower Case
Power Supply	365W
Other	None
Sound	Onboard
Operating System	Linux Mint 17 Ubuntu 64Bit

ZEROtherm BTF90 CPU Cooler

PC Wireless Gaming Receiver for Xbox 360 Controller

Works with current and future Xbox 360 wireless accessories, allowing you to game on a PC using an Xbox 360 controller.
Integrated 2.4GHz high-performance wireless technology.
Receiving range up to 30 feet with 4 different devices.
Powered by USB 2.0 port on PC, cable length approx. 6 ft. (180 cm).
Compatible with Windows (XP/VISTA/7).

Mecer ME-650-VU+ UPS

650VA line interactive UPS
• Microprocessor control guarantees high reliability
• Boost and buck AVR for voltage stabilization
• Auto restart while AC is recovering
• Simulated sine wave
• Off-mode charging
• Cold start function
• USB communication port and RJ-11/RJ-45 protection
• Overload, discharge and overcharge protection
• Supports Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/2008, Windows 7/8, Linux, Unix, and MAC

Technicolor TG588v Wireless-N VDSL Modem-Router - March 2017

Technicolor TG588v Wireless-N VDSL Modem-Router with 3G Failover
Standards	IEEE 802.11n, IEEE 802.11g, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.3 and IEEE 802.3u. WCDMA, CDMA2000, TD-SCDMA, ADSL2+, VADSL2
Connection Type	3G, WirelessWAN, ADSL/VADSL, DHCP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, 802.1x
Encryption Mode	64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2
Max. Wireless Speed	Up to 300Mbps
Frequency	2.4GHz 2x2 AP (2 x Internal omni-directional antennas)
Interfaces	1xUSB2.0 port for 3G Dongle and sharing, 4x10/100Mbps WAN, 1xRJ11 DSL Line port
Features	- Integrated VDSL2 modem. - AutoWAN Sensing - 4 FE LAN ports - Wi-Fi interface - IEEE 802.11n 2.4 GHz (2x2), optional with high power - 1 high speed USB 2.0 master port - Seamless media sharing (UPnP A/V and DLNA) - Future-proof full service platform supporting AllSeen communication framework and apps. - Enabled to support Wi-Fi Doctor (sold separately) and Wi-Fi Controller (sold separately) - Non-serivce-affecting platform software upgrades (dual bank memory) - IPv4 and IPv6 enabled Designed according to the latest ECO standards

September 2018

ASUS N53SV Laptop (N53SV-A1)
Processor	Intel Core i7-2670QM (Sandy Bridge Second Generation) -2.2-GHz (turbo boost up to 3.1-GHz) Quad-Core processor - 6Mb L3 cache - 4 cores - 8 threads
Cooling	Fan and Conductive copper pipe heatsink
Memory	16Gb DDR3 SDRAM, 1333 MHz, four slots supporting dual-channel memory, (2x8Gb Patriot SODIMMs)
Motherboard	Intel chipset HM65 3 x USB 2.0 ports 1 x USB 3.0 port HDMI out VGA out 3.5mm Headphone jack, 3.5mm Microphone jack, SD Card REader Realtech RJ-45/ Gigabit Ethernet Atheros WIFI b/g/n with physical on/off switch Atheros Bluetooth 2.1+EDR SATA3 (6Gb/s) 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Samsung SSD 840 PRO - MZ-7PD512 - SSD - 540MB/s read - 520MB/s write - SATA3 6Gbs - 512Gb - 2.5inch
Removable Storage	SD/MMC slot, Blu-Ray ROM / DVD R/W (HP CT30K)
Display Adapter	Intel HD Graphics 3000 - 1.1Ghz Clock - Shared video memory AND NVIDIA GeForce GT 540M - 672Mhz Clock - 1Gb RAM. Nvidia’s Optimus graphics switching is used to switch between graphics cards based on load
Display	15.6-inch (342mm Wide x 194mm High Display Area), LED-backlit LCD - 1920x1080 - 16:9 screen format
Form Factor	15.6 Laptop. Dark Gunmetal Brushed aluminium and Plastic
Speakers	Bang & Ollufsen ICEpower Stereo Speakers
Camera	ASUS 2MP Webcam
Power Suppply	120Watt, 19V, 6.3A Charger - 6-cell (10.8V, 4400mAh, 48 WHr) li-ion battery
Features
Operating System	Windows 8.1 Enterprise 64Bit, Windows 10 Enterprise - October 2018 Update - Redstone 5 - Version 1809 - Build 10.0.17763.1 - 64Bit
Dimensions	Weight : 2.7kg. Size : 39.1cm(w) x 26.6cm(d) x 4.05cm(h)

USB 2.0 Wireless 802.11n WIFI dongle

After a year and a half, the internal WIFI adapter started acting up. Wifi would disconnect randomly, and it got worse to the point of being unuseable.
I bought this USB 2.0 Wireless 802.11n WIFI dongle to keep on using the laptop.

Seagate Backup Plus Hub - 6Tb - STEL6000100 - September 2018

USB3 connectivity
Power Connector
Hard Disk Model : Seagate Barracuda ST6000DM003
6Tb capacity
Sata 6Gb/s transfer speed
5400rpm drive
256Mb Cache
Two front-facing intelligent USB 3.0 ports for charging and connecting two external devices

TP-Link Archer VR400 AC-1200 Wireless VDSL/ADSL Modem Router - February 2019

TP-Link Archer VR400 AC-1200 Wireless VDSL/ADSL Modem Router with 3G Failover
Standards	802.11a/n/ac 5GHz, 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz. WCDMA, CDMA2000, LTE, ADSL2+, VADSL2
Connection Type	3G, LTE, WirelessWAN, ADSL/VADSL, DHCP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, 802.1x
Encryption Mode	64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2
Max. Wireless Speed	Up to 867Mbps
Frequency	300Mbps (2.4GHz) + 867Mbps (5GHz) dual band Wi-Fi connections, 3 x External omni-directional antennas)
Interfaces	3 x RJ45 LAN Ports (1000Mbps), 1 x RJ45 LAN/WAN Port (1000Mbps), 1 x RJ11 Port, 1 x USB 2.0 Port for 3G Dongle and sharing
Features	Superfast Wi-Fi - Up to 1.2Gbps The TP-Link Archer VR400 unlocks the full potential of your internet connection by providing combined dual band Wi-Fi speeds of up to 1.2Gbps, including 300Mbps on the 2.4GHz band and 867Mbps on the 5GHz band, eliminating lag and buffering from your online experience. Two dedicated Wi-Fi networks support more devices and reduce wireless interference to create stable connections Highlights Speedy Wi-Fi – Superb wireless experience with 300Mbps (2.4GHz) + 867Mbps (5GHz) dual band Wi-Fi connections Superior Range – Three detachable antennas provide stable wireless connections and optimal coverage Versatile Connectivity – Fully compatible with the VDSL2/ADSL2+/ADSL2/ADSL standards, as well as fiber, cable and 3G/4G Internet services Beamforming Technology – Improves wireless range and performance at 5GHz band USB Port – Supports storage and print service sharing, FTP and media servers as well as 3G/4G dongle Tether App – TP-LINK Tether provides the easiest way to access and manage the router on your iOS and Android devices Features Superfast VDSL Broadband The latest VDSL2 technology allows the Archer VR400 to deliver impressive VDSL broadband speeds of up to 100Mbps, which is almost five times faster than ADSL2+. The Archer VR400 serves as a DSL modem and wireless router, combining two devices in one. The integrated DSL port supports all standard DSL connections, including VDSL2, ADSL2+, ADSL2, and ADSL Versatile Backup Connectivity With multiple inputs, the Archer VR400 provides you with a variety of options when connecting to the Internet. As a backup, the EWAN port allows the Archer VR400 to accept connections from cable and fiber modems via Ethernet cable. Additionally, the USB port supports 3G/4G dongle connections Superior Range and Stability Three high-performance external antennas help the Archer VR400 create an expansive home network. Advanced Beamforming technology* automatically locates wireless devices and forms targeted, highly efficient wireless connections. *Archer VR400 only supports Beamforming Technology at 5GHz band Blazing Fast Wired Performance To help your wired devices achieve peak performance, the router’s Gigabit Ethernet port operate 10x faster than standard Ethernet. Connecting an external drive to the USB 2.0 port allows you to share files, photos, music, and video with any device on the network. Easy Setup and Use Set up the Archer VR400 in minutes thanks to its intuitive web interface and the powerful Tether app. Tether also lets you manage its network settings from any Android or iOS device, including parental controls and media sharing. Guest Network Provide visitors with Wi-Fi access separate from your main network Parental Controls Manage when and how connected devices can access the Internet Advanced Security WPA-WPA2 encryption actively defends against security threats Specifications : Interface: 3 RJ45 LAN Ports (1000Mbps), 1 RJ45 LAN/WAN Port (1000Mbps), 1 RJ11 Port, 1 USB 2.0 Port Antenna Type3 fixed external antennas Wireless Standards: 802.11a/n/ac 5GHz, 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz Wireless Speeds: 867Mbps at 5GHz, 300Mbps at 2.4GHz Wireless Security: 64/128-bit WEP, WPA/WPA2, WPA-PSK/WPA-PSK2 encryptions, Wireless MAC Filtering Security:NAT Firewall, Access Control, IP and MAC Address Binding Operating Modes: VDSL/ADSL Modem Router, Wireless Router,3G/4G Router Port Forwarding: Virtual Server, Port Triggering, DMZ, ALG, UPnP Dynamic DNS: DynDns, NO-IP Protocols: Supports IPv4 and IPv6 USB Sharing: Support Samba(Storage)/FTP Server/Media Server/Printer Server, 3G/4G Modem Advanced Functions: Parental Control, Network Address Translation(NAT),Port Mapping(Grouping), Static Routing, RIP v1/v2(optional), DNS Relay, DDNS, IGMP V1/V2/V3

HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 2135 All-in-One Multifunction Printer - March 2019

HP DeskJet Ink Advantage 2135 All-in-One Multifunction Printer
Print Resolution	1200 x 1200 dpi Black. 4800 x 1200 dpi color
Print Size	A4
Print Method	HP 680 Black Ink Cartridge (~480 pages) and HP 680 Tri-color Ink Cartridge (~150 pages)
Scan Resolution	1200 x 1200 dpi
Scan Mode	Single-pass Fixed Document and moving carriage
Scan Element Type	CCD with White cold cathode fluorescent lamp
Interface	USB Type B, USB 2.0
Scan Times (A4)	300dpi : 15 seconds 600 dpi : 1 Minute, 15 Seconds 1200 dpi : 4 Minutes, 34 Seconds

The scan quality of this scanner is terrible, it is fine for documents, but not good for quality photo scans.

Seagate Backup Plus Hub - 8Tb - STEL8000100 - June 2019

USB3 connectivity
Power Connector
Hard Disk Model : Seagate Barracuda ST8000DM004
8Tb capacity
Sata 6Gb/s transfer speed
5400rpm drive
256Mb Cache
Two front-facing intelligent USB 3.0 ports for charging and connecting two external devices

April 2020

Xpredator Tower PC upgraded with Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Designare Motherboard and i7-7700 Processor
Processor	Intel Core i7-7700 (Seventh Generation) - 3.6Ghz (4.2Ghz Turbo) - 8Mb cache - 4 cores - 8 threads (Base-Clock (BLCK) @ 100mhz = (100mhz x 36x) = 3.6ghz ) - Socket LGA 1151
Cooling	Corsair H80i Liquid CPU Cooler
Memory	16Gb DDR4 Ram (2x4Gb 2400MHz and 1x8Gb 2134MHZ DIMMS)
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Designare (rev. 1.0) ATX Form factor Motherboard - supports Intel 7th/8th Gen Core Processors - Intel Z170 Express Chipset - SATA3 (6Gb/s) - 2 x USB Type C ports with USB3.1 support - NVME PCIe Gen3 x4 22110 M.2 and U.2 SSD support - Dual Gbe LAN (teaming) (10/100/1000 Mbit) - 1xPCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16), 1xPCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8), 1xPCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4), 3xPCI Express x1 slots - Overclock capable DualBIOS - 64-bit motherboard/OS - 64Gb DDR4 (4 Slots) up to 4000MHz support - Ambient Surrount LED - High definition Audio with Built in Amplifier - USB 3.0/2.0 ports
Storage1	Sandisk SSD X400 M.2 256GB - SATA3 6Gbs - 128Gb
Storage2	Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 1TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache
Storage3	Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 - 7200rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 2TB - 3.5inch - 64Mb cache Seagate Barracuda ST8000DM004 - 5400rpm - SATA3 6Gbs - 8TB - 3.5inch - 256Mb cache
Storage4	Samsung SM841N - SSD - 6Gb - 256Gb - 2.5inch
Removable Storage1	LG BH16NS40 (Blu-ray Disc ReWriter) - 48x CD - 16x DVD - 16x BD - SATA 1.5Gbs - M@DISC - 4MB Buffer
Removable Storage2	Manhattan Multi-Card Reader-Writer (100915). USB2.0 (480 Mbps), 3.5" Bay Mount, 60-in-1
Display Adapter	Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX580 8G (rev.1.0/1.1) - 8Gb GDDR5 256-bit - PCIe 3.0 x16 - 1xDVI-D, 1xHDMI 2.0, 3x-DISPLAY PORT 1.4 - 1340MHz (1380MHz Overclock)
Display	Samsung SyncMaster P2250 - 21.5inch (476mm Wide x 268mm High Display Area) LCD - 1920x1080 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA-DVI Digital - 16:9 screen format Samsung SyncMaster P2350 - 23inch LCD (508mm Wide x 286mm High Display Area) - 1920x1080 - 16.7Mil colors - VGA-DVI : 16:9 screen format
Form Factor	Aerocool X-Predator Evil Black Gaming Tower
Power Suppply	Aerocool E85M-550 power supply unit. 550 Watt ATX with modular cables and Proline ATX 400 Watt power supply to run the Fans and Lights. Plugged into Mecer ME-650-VU+ UPS
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro - Version 1903 - Build 18362.778 - 64Bit
Sound	Sound Blaster Z (SB1500)

My i7 2600K and Asus motherboard was constantly blue-screening (crashing). The PC was unstable for a year now, as well as Premiere Pro was battling to run after the Premire Pro CC 2020 update.
The GPU was 11 years old, and the Mobo and CPU was 9 years old. I could not run any effects in Premiere pro, as well as I was unable to play HEVC video files from my Gopro (2600k CPU has no codec for HEVC)

It was time to upgrade, and I bought a running PC with an Intel Core i7 7700 - Kaby Lake CPU, Gigabyte GA-Z170X-Designare (rev. 1.0) Motherboard, Sandisk M.2 (Nvme) SD8SN8U 256GB SSD drive and Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580 8GB GPU. I took those components out and put them into my Xpredator Box.
I also changed the power supply setup, I put in a Generic Proline ATX 400Watt power supply to run the Fans and Lights (I joined the green and black wires to have the Power supply alway on and powering the lights and Fans).
The Aerocool E85M-550 power supply powered the Mobo, GPU and HDD's (Connected to the PC Power switch as usual)

Interestingly, I ran the i7 7700 in the box I bought it with for a week until I was ready to do the swap-out. The cpu ran at 50deg Celcius average on an OEM fan cooler. In the Xpredator box with a Corsair H80i water cooler, the CPU now runs an average of 40deg Celcius.
Also, the GPU would never go into "Fan Stop" Mode in the box it came in. In the Xpredator box with better cooling, it is usually in "Fan Stop" mode if I am doing generic office work (Word, Excel, Email).

The PC as bought

Chronos PE1061 PCI-express Sata Adapder Card

\

April 2020

Rendering PC
Processor	Intel Core i7-2600K (Second Generation) - 3.4Ghz (3.8Ghz Turbo) - 8Mb cache - 4 cores - 8 threads (Base-Clock (BLCK) @ 100mhz = (100mhz x 34x) = 3.4ghz ) - Socket LGA 1155
Cooling	Corsair H60 Liquid CPU Cooler (After a while the water pump seized) ZeroTherm BTF90 CPU Cooler (Socket LGA 775 modified to fit Socket LGA 1155)
Memory	32Gb 1600Mhz DDR3 Ram (4x8Gb Samsung PC3L-12800E-11-12-E3 DIMMS)
Motherboard	Asus P8P67 Pro - Intel P67 Express Chipset - SATA3 (6Gb/s)- USB3 - Bluetooth - 2xPCI, 2xPCI Express 2.0 x1, 2xPCI Express 2.0 x16, 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 (compatiblewith PCIe x1 and x4) expansion slots - Overclock capable EFI BIOS - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	Corsair Force Series GS CSSD-F128GBGS-BK - SSD 560MB/s read - 535MB/s write - SATA3 6Gbs - 128Gb - 2.5inch
Removable Storage1	Lite-On DH-20A3S (DVD Rewriter) - 48x CD - 20x DVD - Sata 1.5Gbs - DL - 2MB Buffer
Display Adapter	AMD SAPPHIRE FLeX Radeon HD 6870 1G D5 - 1Gb DDR5 256-bit - PCIe 2.1 x16 - VGA (via adapter)-DVI-HDMI-DISPLAY PORT - 900MHz
Display	Remote access via TightVNC
Form Factor	Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus Mid Tower Case
Power Suppply	Aerocool E85M-550 power supply unit. 550 Watt ATX with modular cables
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro
Sound	Onboard Motherboard

I put the i7 2600k cpu and Asus P8P67 Pro motherboard in my Cooler Master Elite 431 Plus Mid Tower Case and I use the PC as a rendering PC.
I use it to create video proxies in premiere pro, as well as to render out the final video in projects.
This means I don't have my main PC maxed out rendering projects and I can carry on with other work while this PC sits at 100% cpu.

The PC sits under my desk and I remote desktop into it via TightVNC to open Premiere Pro and to start the render jobs. It shares the hard drive in my main PC and the files are used and created there.

September 2020

Logitech Driving Force Pro (E-UJ11) - Force feedback steering wheel and pedals

I bought this second hand, unused in the box. It connects to my windows 10 PC just fine.
The steering wheel has force feedback. There is the sequential stick shifter on the right, as well as paddle shifters on the steering wheel. There are spring actuated Brake and Accelerator pedals that connect to the Steering wheel.
The steering wheels connects via usb 2.0 to the PC. An external power supply connects to the steering wheel to power the motor for the force feedback.
The Pedals have spiked grips that grip into the carpet, and the steering wheel clamps to the edge of your desk.

Very cool and fun to use.

VOX (TTconnect) Fiber to the Home installed 10mb Download / 10mb Upload - October 2020

Fiber connects from the VOX Fiber exchange through underground pipes, into the house into the CTS Fiber Switch. The CTS Fiber Switch connects from Ethernet Port 5 to the Mikrotik WIFI Router on Ethernet Port 1.
WIFI devices and Ethernet LAN devices connect to the Mikrotik WIFI Router.

CTS HES-3106B-DR Fiber Switch - October 2020

CTS HES-3106B-DR Fiber Switch
Standards	IEEE 802.3 10Base-T, IEEE 802.3u 100Base-TX/FX, IEEE 802.3ab 1000Base-T, IEEE 802.3z 1000Base-X, IEEE 802.1p Priority, IEEE 802.1q Tag VLAN, IEEE 802.3x Flow Control, IEEE 802.1ab LLDP
Connection Type	5 x Ethernet (RJ45) and 1 x Fiber (SC Connector, 10km Distance, WDM) SC : Standard Connector
Interfaces	-TP Port: 5 x 10/100/1000Base-T RJ-45 -F/O Port: 1 x 100/1000Base-X F/O
Features	- Loop Detection - DHCP Auto Provisioning - Dual Rate Fiber - Power Down Trap - IPv4/IPv6 Dual Stack

Mikrotik hAP ac2 WIFI Router - October 2020

Mikrotik hAP ac2 - WIFI Router (RBD52G-5HacD2HnD-TC
Standards	802.11a/n/ac 5GHz, 802.11b/g/n 2.4GHz. WCDMA, CDMA2000, LTE
Connection Type	3G, LTE, WirelessWAN, DHCP, Static IP, PPPoE, PPTP, L2TP, 802.1x
Encryption Mode	64/128-bit WEP, WPA, WPA2, WPA/WPA2
Max. Wireless Speed	Up to 867Mbps
Frequency	300Mbps (2.4GHz) + 867Mbps (5GHz) dual band Wi-Fi connections
Interfaces	5 x RJ45 LAN Ports (10/100/1000Mbps), 1 x USB 2.0 Port for 3G Dongle
Features	The hAP ac² is a Dual-concurrent Access Point, that provides Wifi coverage for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies at the same time. Five 10/100/1000 Ethernet ports provide Gigabit connections for your wired devices, USB can be used for external storage or 4G/LTE modem, and device supports IPsec hardware acceleration. New design universal case allows unit to be positioned either horizontally (desktop) or vertically (tower case). Wall anchored mounting kit is provided.

Epson Perfection 3490 Photo - November 2020

Epson Perfection 3490 Photo scanner
Type	Flatbed scanner - Desktop
Color Depth	48 bit color
Optical Resolution	3200 dpi x 6400 dpi
Scan Mode	Single-pass Fixed Document and moving carriage with Micro Step Drive
Scan Element Type	6 line alternated colour CCD with On-Chip Microlens. White cold cathode fluorescent lamp
Max Document Size	8.5" x 11.7" (216 x 297mm)
Interface	USB Type B, USB 2.0
Adapters	Negative/ Slide adapter with templates with built in lamp (Diffused Light Source)
Features	- Integrated Transparency Unit : A fully integrated Transparency Unit (TPU). - Absolute Ease-of-Use Four buttons to make scanning even easier. - Colour Restoration Can be used with faded negatives, slides and photos to restore their original colour - vibrancy.High Speed Scanning - Enhanced scanning speed by incorporating innovative technologies. - High Resolution and Optical Density, 3.2 Dmax optical density with innovative 3200dpi MatrixCCD and Micro - Lens technology combination. - Powerful Bundled Software for maximum versatility, results and quality. Epson Scan 2.7
Scan Times (A4)	300dpi : 15 seconds 600 dpi : 1 Minute 1200 dpi : 4 Minutes

I bought this scanner second hand for the price of a resturant meal.
The scan quality is the same as my HP Scanjet 5370c, but it is much faster, at least twice the speed.
Unfortunately the Negative/Slide template was missing, but I primarly wanted it for scanning photos at a good quality (600/1200 dpi) with decent speed.

Seagate Expansion Desktop USB 3.0 External Hard Drive - 6Tb - ST6000DM003 - May 2021

USB3 connectivity
Power Connector
Hard Disk Model : Seagate ST6000DM003
6Tb capacity
Sata 6Gb/s transfer speed
5400rpm drive
256Mb Cache

HDMI Dummy Plug

I TightVNC to the server from my PC, but if there is no Display plugged in to the GPU, you get the wrong resolution (Can't get 1920 x 1080).

I tried the USB emulator, but Premiere Pro then looks a that USB Display adapter and cannot access the required GPU modules.
The way to fix this is to plug in a Dummy Plug that emulates a high-resolution display to make the computer run "headless" (without a keyboard, mouse, and monitor).
By simulating the presence of an attached display, the emulator allows you to use all of the power and available resolutions locked away inside your graphics hardware, which might otherwise be disabled when there is no screen available.

February 2022

HP Proliant DL380 G6 Server
Processor	Intel Xeon X5560 - 2.8Ghz (3.2Ghz Turbo) - 8Mb cache - 4 cores - 8 threads (Base-Clock (BLCK) @ 133mhz = (133mhz x 21x) = 2.8ghz ) - HT (Hyper-Threading) - Turbo 2/2/3/3 - Socket FCLGA1366 (Two processors Installed)
Cooling	Stock Aluminium heatsink, 6 x Fully redundant 60mm hot plug fans in crossflow configuration.
Memory	96Gb DDR3 ECC Ram (12x8Gb 1333MHz). Server has 18 DIMM slots supporting up to 192GB
Motherboard	HP 496069-001 PROLIANT DL380 G6 SYSTEM BOARD - 451277-001 - supports Up to 2 Six-Core, Quad-Core or Dual-Core Intel® Xeon® processor 5600/5500 sequence. - Intel 5520 Chipset - USB 2.0 support. 5 total ports: (2) ports up front; (2) ports in back; (1) port internal - Support one SATA3 (6Gb/s) device - Two HP NC382i Dual Port Multifunction Gigabit Server Adapters (four ports total) with TCP/IP Offload Engine, including support for Accelerated iSCSI - 1 internal Secure Digital (SD) slot - 18 DIMM slots supporting up to 192GB ECC Ram (1066MHZ / 1333MHz) - Insight Front display panel support (System Status) - 2 x PCIe Gen2 Riser support Mine had one riser card in the Secondary slot : 1xPCIe Gen2 x16 connector running at x8 Bus width (Full Length, Full Height Slot) - 2xPCIe Gen2 x8 connector running at x4 Bus width (Half Length, Full Height Slot) Interfaces : Front Panel : 1xDSub VGA - 2xUSB 2.0 Rear : 1xSerial port - 1xDSub VGA - 2xPS2 ports - 2xUSB 2.0 - 4xRJ45 Network ports (10/100/1000MB) - 1xiLO2 remote management port - 64-bit motherboard/OS
Storage1	6 x 2.5" 146Gb Hotplug Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drives HP DG146ABAB4 - 10000rpm - SAS 3Gbs - 146Gb - 2.5inch - 16Mb cache Server supports up to 8xSFF hot-plug drive bays 820 Gb Raid 0 configured on my server HP Smart Array Performance Model P410i Raid controller with 512 MB cache (BBWC) with battery backup (RAID 0/1/1+0/5/5+0)
Removable Storage1	Slimline SATA Optical Drive, DVD R/W (TEAC DV-W28S-RS)
Display Adapter	AMD SAPPHIRE FLeX Radeon HD 6870 1G D5 - 1Gb DDR5 256-bit - PCIe 2.1 x16 - VGA (via adapter)-DVI-HDMI-DISPLAY PORT - 900MHz Integrated ATI ES1000, 64MB video standard 16 bit color: maximum resolution of 1600 x 1200 32 bit color: maximum resolution of 1280 x 1024
Display	HDMI Dummy Plug for Remote VNC (1920x1080 video resolution)
Form Factor	Rack (2U); Height 3.38-inch (8.59 cm); Width: 17.25 (44.54 cm); Depth: 27.25 inches (69.98 cm) SFF Model (Small Form Factor)
Power Suppply	2 x HP 750W CS HE Gold Power Supply (Hotswap / Failover)
Operating System	Windows 10 Pro - November 2021 Update - Version 21H2 - Build 19044.1526 - 64Bit
Sound	None

I decided to sell my Render PC with my Intel Core i7-2600K processor, Asus P8P67 Pro Motherboard and use a HP Proliant DL 380 G6 server I bought.

There were a few issue though :
- The Integrated Graphics would not be able to run Premiere for Rendering. I needed to install a discrete GPU
- The HP Proliant DL380 G6 has six 60mm fans and the server is really, really noisy, especially when the fans ramp up to 100%.
- The battery for the 512Mb Raid cache was dead, I would need to replace the 4.8v Ni-Mh battery
- I wanted to run Windows 10 Professional on the ‘bare tin’
- There is no sound card, but that will be fine

1) GPU
Server machines are not intended for desktop use, so there is only a very weak integrated GPU, which Premiere Pro does not support.
The first problem is expandability and physical space. The DL380 G6 uses riser cards for the PCIe. It has two slots on the motherboard, which mate with PCBs attached to the PCI riser cage.
This also serves the trick of rotating the orientation of the PCI cards so that they are parallel to the motherboard, allowing the whole unit to have a low profile.

GPU Fitment :
Each riser slot serves a riser card with two PCIe-x8 slots and a single PCIe-x16 slot. There is not a lot of space inside the cage, but I managed to fit my AMD SAPPHIRE FLeX Radeon HD 6870 1G D5 GPU. I had to trim a bit of the GPU plasic cowl on the front off as it interfered with the CPU cooler, but I managed to get it to just fit.
There was not enough space on the rear panel openings in the riser cage for the GPU to fit, so I cut away the obstructing metal. I had to remove the GPU mounting plate and I used a small cable tie to hold the GPU in.

12V Power Supply :
I was not going to pay a fortune to buy the OEM cable. The OEM cable is also ridiculously short and would still require further extension cables. Also, there was no local Pattern Part supply and I would have had to go through an HP Agent.
There was zero reliable information anywhere on the web of the pinouts, and I used my multimeter to read out the voltages of the spare ten pin GPU power connector on the motherboard.
I hacked up a few spare power cables and connectors I had to make a 10 pin to 2 x 6 pin cable. I had to shave a few of the pins to a rounded shape to get them to fit.

The rediculous OEM GPU cable I was not willing to buy

The pinouts I read with my multimeter from the spare ten pin GPU power connector on the motherboard.

My home made GPU power cable and GPU in the riser board and riser cage. I had yet to discover that I needed to trim around 1cm off the nose of the GPU plastic cowl to get it to fit!

2) Noise Issues
I had read that when you plug a NON OEM HP card into the PCIe riser card, the iLO does not know how to read the power profile of the card, so to be safe it ramps up the 6 x fans speed to assume more cooling is needed. It sounds like they ramp up to 25% speed.
On top of that, whe Premiere Pro is rendering at 80% to 100% of CPU, the fans ramp up to almost 100% and the noise is extreemely loud, you can battle to have a phone conversation sitting next to the server.

I ran a CAT6 Ethernet cable from the switch in my study into my garage. I cleared up a spot in the garage at a top of a shelf to place the server.
I power off the server when I am not using it, and I use wake up on LAN to power up the server. Nice.

I VNC to the server with TightVNC. I can't use RDP, as Premiere Pro will not load certain DLL's when started in a RDP session. Who knows why?
The problem is that as there is no screen plugged in to the server (Power and Ethernet only), I could not get the correct resolution when using TightVNC. The Windows OS sees no Display plugged in, so for some strange reason it will not give me 1920x1080 to match my screen resolution.
I tried the USB emulator, but Premiere Pro then looks a that USB Display adapter and cannot access the required GPU modules.

The way to fix this is to plug in a Dummy Plug that emulates a high-resolution display to make the computer run "headless" (without a keyboard, mouse, and monitor).
By simulating the presence of an attached display, the emulator allows you to use all of the power and available resolutions locked away inside your graphics hardware, which might otherwise be disabled when there is no screen available.

HDMI Dummy Plug

3) RAID Controller RAM Backup Battery
A lot of the old Proliant boxes end up with a failed rechargeable 4.8V NiMh battery attached to the P410i RAID accelerator. The SAS drives in the front of the machine are controlled with a dedicated hardware RAID controller, that has 512Mb of DDR2 RAM-based write-through cache memory.
In order to preserve data integrity, when the operating system shuts down, there is a pause whilst this RAM buffer is flushed out to the drive array. In the event of a power fail, the cache contents are retained with the help of a rechargeable battery, so upon next boot, the cache can be flushed and the unwritten data preserved. The battery is separate from the P410i and hangs on the end of a special cable.

I don't really care about this feature, but the issue is that the system automatically disables the writeback cache until the battery is fully charged causing degraded performance. On my RAID 0 setup I was getting really slow writes.

I bought 4 x 1.2 AAA rechargeable NiMh batteries and put them into a battery pack. I removed the failed OEM 4.8v battery pack and soldered the new battery pack onto the controller board. Now my cache is enabled again. Nice.

4 x AAA NiMH Battery pack hack

4) Windows 10 Professional
Premiere Pro needs the latest version of Windows 10 to run. I did not want to install VMWARE, or Server 2012 and then run Windows 10 as a VM (Virtual Machine).
I wanted Windows 10 Pro to run on the "tin" directly. Windows 10 Home Edition will only support a single CPU socket so I installed Windows 10 Professional which supports two CPU sockets.

I managed to install Windows 10 from a USB boot key I created using Rufus. The P410i RAID drivers loaded fine, Windows saw my Raid 0 drive and installed fine.
I have an older GPU though, and getting Windows 10 Drivers to work properly is a battle.

5) Monitoring
I use the below utils to monitor the status of the server : Temps and Disk health are my priorities.
- HP Insight Diagnostics Online Edition - very limited info
- HP ProLiant Array Configuration Utility - Very nice to check on disk health as well as RAID Controller RAM Backup Battery status
- Open hardware Monitor - Nice system overview
- GPU temp - View GPU temp and GPU processor % usage
- Core temp - View CPU temp and CPU processor % usage

6) RAM
It looks like the system has some bandwidth limitations. The long and short of it that if you populate all three banks on either CPU, then the DDR3 memory bus speed drops from the maximum 1333 MHz to just 800 MHz.

I read that the server runs optimally with Twelve out of Eighteen slots filled to give maximum memory performance.
I have 12 x 8Gb memorry modules installed giving me 96Gb RAM at 1333Mhz.

Network Tester - TCT-108

- Detachable “Remote” unit for measuring at both ends of the cable.
- Indicates whether the cable is complete, broken or short-circuited.
- Indicates whether the cable is straight or crossed.
- Requires no special battery, operates on a 9 V alkaline battery.
- Connections for both TP cable (RJ45) and ISDN cable (RJ11).

Connect one end of the cable to the Master unit and the other end to the Remote unit.
The LEDs (1–8 and G) will flash in pairs on both units simultaneously.
- If the cable is OK the Master and Remote will flash in unison: 1 - 1, 2 - 2, 3 - 3, etc.
- If the connected cable is crossed, Master and Remote will start flashing out of sync: 1 - 3, 2 - 4, 3 - 1, etc.

RJ45/ RJ11 Crimping Tool

Ethernet Cat 6 Cabling

I bought 100m of Cat6 cabling on special. I then put my render PC in the garage to keep the noise down.

Cat5 Cable
For many years, most people used a Cat5 cable to connect to the internet. This type of cable is made up of four twisted pairs of copper wire.

Recently, however, new technology has replaced the Cat5 cable. Cat5E cables, for example, provide you with faster speeds. The ‘e’ in Cat5E stands for “enhanced.”

Although the Cat5 ethernet cable can handle up to 10/100 Mbps at a 100 MHz bandwidth (which was once considered quite efficient), the newer versions of Cat cables are significantly faster.

Cat6 Cable
A Cat6 cable is similar to a Cat5 ethernet cable — it consists of four pairs of twisted copper wire including a nylon spline to eliminate crosstalk. However, it provides you with much more functionality. A Cat6 cable has a bandwidth capacity of 250 MHz, for example, and it offers you speeds of up to 10 Gbps. It’s also compatible with both Cat5 and Cat5E cables.

A Cat6 cable is used mainly for computer networks reaching a GB, 1000 Mbps or one Gbps of data transfer speed (DTR) or higher.
Cat6 is a good choice. It reduces something called “crosstalk” — signal transfers that disrupt your communication channels.
Typically, Cat6 cables tend to be thicker than Cat5 cables.

CRT - Cathode Ray Tube

The CRT is a glass vacuum tube that contains one or more electron guns and a phosphorescent screen, and is used to display images. It modulates, accelerates, and deflects electron beam(s) onto the screen to create the images.
The electrons fired from the gun passes through focusing and deflection rings towards the phosphor screen.

In television sets and computer monitors, the entire front area of the tube is scanned repetitively and systematically in a fixed pattern called a raster. An image is produced by controlling the intensity of each of the three electron
beams, one for each additive primary color (red, green, and blue) with a video signal as a reference. In all modern CRT monitors and televisions, the beams are bent by magnetic deflection, a varying magnetic field generated by coils and
driven by electronic circuits around the neck of the tube.

Color tubes use three different phosphors which emit red, green, and blue light respectively. They are packed together in stripes (as in aperture grille designs) or clusters called "triads" (as in shadow mask CRTs). Color CRTs have three
electron guns, one for each primary color

The CRT uses an evacuated glass envelope filled with innert gas, which is large, deep, fairly heavy, and relatively fragile. The face is typically made of thick lead glass so as to be highly shatter-resistant and to block most X-ray emissions.

CRTs have largely been superseded by newer display technologies such as LCD, plasma display, and OLED screens, which have lower manufacturing costs and power consumption and significantly less weight and bulk.
38" to 40" was about the largest size of a CRT TV, new display technologies are available in larger sizes.
One of the major issues with CRT screes is that they suffer image burn-in when a static image is displayed on a phosphor screen for a long time.

Plasma

A plasma display panel (PDP) is a type of flat panel display common to large TV displays 30 inches or larger. They are called "plasma" displays because they use small cells containing electrically charged ionizedgases, which are plasmas.
Plasma displays have lost nearly all market share, mostly due to competition from low-cost LCD and more expensive but high-contrast OLED flat-panel displays.

Plasma displays are bright (1,000 lux or higher for the module), have a wide color gamut, and can be produced in fairly large sizes—up to 3.8 metres (150 in) diagonally. They had a very low-luminance "dark-room" black level compared with
the lighter grey of the unilluminated parts of an LCD screen at least in the early history of the competing technologies. LED-backlit LCD televisions have been developed to reduce this distinction.

The display panel itself is about 6 cm (2.4 in) thick, generally allowing the device's total thickness (including electronics) to be less than 10 cm (3.9 in). Power consumption varies greatly with picture content, with bright scenes drawing significantly more power than darker ones – this is also true for CRTs as well as modern LCDs where LED backlight brightness is adjusted dynamically.

The plasma that illuminates the screen can reach a temperature of at least 1200 °C (2200 °F). Typical power consumption is 400 watts for a 127 cm (50 in) screen.
Plasma screens are made out of glass and this may causes glare from reflected objects in the viewing area and some companies coat their newer plasma screens with an anti-glare filter material.
Currently, plasma panels cannot be economically manufactured in screen sizes smaller than 82 centimetres (32 in).

LCD (Liquid Crystal Display)

Liquid crystal gets its name in that it is similar to liquid in that it can change quickly to display different immages, and the crystal from its ability to stay in the newly arranged position.
It consists of a panel of liquid crystal molecules that can be induced by electrical fields to take certain patterns which block or allow light through.

An LCD can be Active or Passive :
- Passive-matrix uses a grid system to control each pixel, where integrated circuits control a charge sent down each column or row. Passive-matrix LCDs are usually not backlit and is used in much smaller displays such as wrist watches or calculators.
These are direct driven-driven image elements and do not require the speed and full colour that active-matrix LCDs need.

- Active-matrix (A TFT LCD is an active-matrix LCD) attach a TFT (Thin film transistor) to each individual pixel allowing for faster and more precice control. The TFT LCD display is defined by a high contrast, fast response time and high refresh rates.

Subpixels :
An LCD that can show colors must have three subpixels with red, green and blue color filters to create each color pixel. The three subpixels are usually long, evenly sized rectangular stripes forming a square.

Through the carefull control and variation of the voltage applied, the intensity of each subpixel can range over 256 shades. Combining the subpixels produces a possibile palette of 16.8 million colors (256 shades of red x 256 shades of green x 256 shades of blue).
Each subpixel uses its own transistor to control it, so a resolution of 1024x768, we multiply 1024 colums by 768 rows by 3 we get 2,359,296 transistors etched onto the glass.

PenTile:
The subpixels are not identical, but instead have different sizes and shapes. The PenTile arangement works in conjunction with a specially designed display controller that takes the irregular number and size of the subpixels into account.
The goal is to produce a greated number of effective pixels with fewer subpixels.

Types of Passive-matric displays used : STN and CSTN
STN (Super-twisted nematic display) - Monochrome passive-matrix LCD.
                                                             Twisted nematic displays contain liquid crystals that twist and untwist at varying degrees to allow light to pass through.
                                                           STN crystals are twisted from 180 to 270 degrees
CSTN (Colour Super-twisted nematic display) - Colour form of passive matrix LCD.
                                                             CSTN suffer from slow response times and ghosting where text or graphics are blurred because the pixels cannot turn off and on fast enough.
                                                                       CSTN offers 100ms response times where TFT displays offer 8ms response times.

Types of Thin film transistors used : TN and IPS
TN (TN Display) - Twisted nematic is the most common. Very fast response time but may appear low quality at akward viewing angles as well as trouble reproducing certain colours.
                              Twisted nematic displays contain liquid crystals that twist and untwist at varying degrees to allow light to pass through.
                              When no voltage is applied to a TN liquid crystal cell, polarized light passes through the 90-degrees twisted LC layer
IPS (IPS Display) - In-plane switching. Slower response time compared to TN but better viewing angles and colours.
                              Super-IPS was later introduced after in-plane switching with even better response times and color reproduction.
                              In-plane switching is an LCD technology that aligns the liquid crystals in a plane parallel to the glass substrates.
                              In this method, the electrical field is applied through opposite electrodes on the same glass substrate, so that the liquid crystals can be reoriented (switched) essentially in the same plane.
                              This requires two transistors for each pixel instead of the single transistor needed for a standard thin-film transistor (TFT) display.
S-IPS (Super In-plane switching) - Super-IPS was later introduced after in-plane switching with even better response times and color reproduction

The Liquid Crystal molecules do not generate any light, they block or allow the backlight through. The backlight can be CCFL or LED. Today, most LCD screens are being designed with an LED backlight instead of the traditional CCFL backlight.

CCFL (Cold cathode fluorescent backlighting):
The LCD panel is lit either by two cold cathode fluorescent lamps placed at opposite edges of the display or an array of parallel CCFLs behind larger displays.
A diffuser then spreads the light out evenly across the whole display. Most CCFLs have an even-white spectral output resulting in better color gamut for the display.
However, CCFLs are less energy efficient than LEDs and require a somewhat costly inverter to convert whatever DC voltage the device uses (usually 5 or 12 V) to ~1000 V needed to light a CCFL.
The thickness of the inverter transformers also limit how thin the display can be made.

EL-WLED (Edge-Lit LED):
The LCD panel is lit by a row of white LEDs placed at one or more edges of the screen lighting towards the middle of the screen. A light diffuser is then used to spread the light evenly across the whole display.
As of 2012, this design is the most popular one in desktop computer monitors. It allows for the thinnest displays as well as LEDs can be switched on and off more quickly than CCFLs.

Some LCD monitors using this technology have a feature called "Dynamic Contrast" where the backlight is dimmed to the brightest color that appears on the screen, allowing the 1000:1 contrast ratio of the LCD panel to be scaled to different light intensities.

WLED (Full Array LED)
The LCD panel is lit by a full array of white LEDs placed behind a diffuser behind the panel (LEDs shine out towards the viewer). LCDs that use this implementation will usually have the ability to dim the LEDs in the dark areas of the image being displayed, effectively increasing the contrast ratio of the display.

RGB-LED :
The Full Array LED panel can also contain an array of RGB-LED, similar to the White LED array, except the panel is lit by a full array of RGB LEDs.
While displays lit with white LEDs usually have a poorer color gamut than CCFL lit displays, panels lit with RGB LEDs have very wide color gamuts.This implementation is most popular on professional graphics editing LCDs and is extreemly expensive.

Since LCD screens do not use phosphors, they do not suffer image burn-in when a static image is displayed on a screen for a long time. LCDs are, however, susceptible to image persistence.

AMOLED

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode ):
This is a thin-film display technology that contains OLED, an organic material which emits light when current is passed through it. OLEDs display much better blacks and consume less power when displaying darker colors since OLEDs are always off unless electrified individually.

There are primarily two types of OLEDs:

PMOLED: Passive Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode uses a simple control scheme in which each row in the display is controlled sequentially. PMOLEDs are easy and cheap to fabricate but they are not efficient and their lifetime is usually less.
They are typically used in smaller displays of up to 3 inches.

AMOLED: Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode is mainly driven by a TFT, which contains a storage capacitor and can hence support larger displays. AMOLED displays have no size restrictions and work on the same fundamental principles of an OLED display.

TFT technology is very crucial to AMOLED. An active matrix of OLEDs are deposited on a TFT plane which activates on receiving electrical currents, these TFT arrays act as switches for each pixel and also contain the storage capacitor which allows for larger displays.

Typically an AMOLED display would consist of two TFTs at each pixel, one to start and stop the charging of storage capacitors and the other to provide a steady voltage of current to the pixel.

Advantages
    * Thinner and more flexible than LCD displays
    * Faster refresh rate
    * No restriction on size of display
    * Higher contrast ratio
    * Consumes less power when darker colors are displayed

Disadvantages
    * No backlight hence poor display under direct sunlight
    * Consumes more power when brighter colors are displayed
    * Organic material is used hence it has a shorter lifetime

AMOLED beats LCD display on any given day. It offers a better picture quality, faster refresh rates, higher contrast, more brightness, higher resolution, better viewing angles and it’s also more flexible and lightweight.

The only major downfall is that there is no backlight and hence poor display under direct sunlightit. This is addressed by using a Super AMOLED display.

Super AMOLED :
Manufacturers reduce the thickness of the screen by integrating the touch response layer with the display itself rather than overlaid on top of it. This allows more light through and allows for a brighter display.

Super AMOLED Plus :
Super AMOLED Plus is third generation. The most significant change is the sub pixel structure. AMOLED and Super AMOLED use a so-called Pentile Matrix where the green sub pixel is shared.
Super AMOLED Plus uses a standard RGB (red, green, blue) sub pixel structure with 50 % more sub pixels. You can see the difference in the two microscope pictures below (To the left a standard RGB panel, to the right a Pentile Matrix pane)

Retina Display :
Retina is a marketing term from Apple. A Retina display is not defined by any particular characteristic, other than that it is supposedly of sufficient resolution that the human eye can't discern pixels at a normal viewing distance (ppi).

ClearBlack :
Used by Nokia. ClearBlack is a circular polarizer that sits between the GorillaGlass and LCD/AMOLED screen, resulting in glare-elimination, higher contrast and better readability due to the elimination of reflected light.
The technology involves a pair of filters which help to reduce the amount of ambient light that the screen reflects. The filters polarize the light, changing its direction before it reflects off the screen behind.
When the light travels back it is unable to pass through the filter and is blocked. The light produced from the display itself, having not passed through a polarizing filter, is able to escape without being affected.

CPU List

Model Number

Frequency

Codename

Cores

Manufacturing Technology

Transistors / Die Size

Voltage

Cache

FSB

Multiplier

TDP

Socket

Width

Release Date

AMD 386DX-40

40Mhz

AMD AM386DX-40

1 (1 Threads)

1500nm

275 Thousand / 104mm2

None, Depends on Mainboard

20Mhz

1.05W

PGA-132

16/32-bit CISC

March 1991

Intel 486DX4 100

100Mhz

A80486DX4-100

1 (1 Threads)

600nm

1.6 Million / 345mm2

3.3V

16Kb

33Mhz

4.29W

Socket 3

32-bit
CISC

March 1994

Intel 486DX2

50Mhz

A80486DX2-50

1 (1 Threads)

800nm

1.2 Million / 81mm2

8Kb

25Mhz

4.75W

Socket 3

32-bit
CISC

March 1992

Intel Mobile Pentium III-M

1.0Ghz

"Tualatin"

1 (1 Threads)

130nm

44 Million / 80mm2

1.4V

512Kb

133 MT/s

7.5x

20.5W

BGA2

32-bit
CISC

July 2001

Intel Pentium 4 2.4

2.4Ghz

"Northwood"

1 (1 Threads)

130nm

55 Million / 146mm2

1.525V

512Kb

533 MT/s

18x

59.8W

Socket 478

32-bit
CISC

May 2002

Intel Pentium 4 HT 530J

3.0Ghz

"Prescott"

1 (2 Threads)

90nm

125 Million / 112mm2

1.4V

1Mb

800 MT/s

15x

84W

Socket 478

32-bit
CISC

Oct 2004

Microsoft XBOX XCPU-ES (IBM)

3.2Ghz

"Xenon"

3 (6 Threads)

90nm

165 Million

1Mb

21.6 GB/s

64-bit RISC

2005

Intel Core 2 Duo E6550

2.33Ghz

"Conroe"

2 (2 Threads)

65nm

291 Million / 143mm2

1.5V

4MB

1333 MT/s

65W

LGA 775

64-bit
CISC

July 2007

Intel Core 2 Duo E660

2.4Ghz

"Conroe"

2 (2 Threads)

65nm

291 Million / 143mm2

1.5V

4MB

1066 MT/s

65W

LGA 775

64-bit
CISC

July 2006

Intel Core 2 Duo E7500

2.93Ghz

"Wolfdale"

2 (2 Threads)

45nm

230 Million / 82mm2

1.3625V

3MB

1066 MT/s

11x

65W

LGA 775

64-bit
CISC

Jan 2009

Intel Core i7 2600K

3.4Ghz (3.8 Ghz Turbo)

"Sandy Bridge"

4 (8 Threads)

32nm

1.16 Billion / 216mm2

1.225V

8MB

DMI 5 GT/s

34x (38x Turbo)

95W

LGA 1155

64-bit
CISC

Jan 2011

Intel Core i5 2540M

2.6Ghz (3.3Ghz Turbo)

"Sandy Bridge"

2 (4 Threads)

32nm

624 Million / 149mm2

1.2V

3MB

DMI 5 GT/s

26x (33x Turbo)

35W

Socket G2

64-bit
CISC

Feb 2011

Intel Core i5 2500K

3.3Ghz (3.7 Ghz Turbo)

"Sandy Bridge"

4 (4 Threads)

32nm

1.16 Billion / 216mm2

1.2V

6MB

DMI 5 GT/s

33x (37x Turbo)

95W

LGA 1155

64-bit
CISC

Jan 2011

Intel Core i7 2670QM

2.2Ghz (3.1Ghz Turbo)

"Sandy Bridge"

4 (8 Threads)

32nm

995 Million / 216mm2

1.52V

6MB

DMI 5 GT/s

22x (31x Turbo)

45W

Socket G2

64-bit
CISC

Nov 2011

Intel Core i7 7700

3.6Ghz (4.2 Ghz Turbo)

"Kaby Lake"

4 (8 Threads)

14nm

1.75 Billion / 122mm2

1.52V

8MB

DMI 8 GT/s

36x (42x Turbo)

65W

LGA 1151 (Socket H4)

64-bit
CISC

Oct 2016

Intel Xeon X5560

2.8Ghz (3.2 Ghz Turbo)

"Nehalem EP"

4 (8 Threads)

45nm

731 Million / 263mm2

1.35V

8MB

1333MHz

21x (24x Turbo)

95W

FCLGA1366

64-bit
CISC

March 2009

Model Number

Frequency

Codename

Cores

Manufacturing Technology

Transistors / Die Size

Voltage

Cache

FSB

Multiplier

TDP

Socket

Width

Release Date

GPU List
Model	ATI Radeon 9200	Nvidia GEForce 8500 GT	Nvidia GeForce GT 640 DDR3	AMD SAPPHIRE FLeX Radeon HD 6870	Nvidia GeForce GT 540M	Gigabyte AORUS Radeon RX 580
Manufacturer	ATI	nVidia	nVidia	AMD	nVidia	Gigabyte
Series	R200 (8xxx, 9xxx) Series	Series 8	Series 600	HD 6000 Series	GT 540M	RX 580
Year	April 2003	April 2007	June 2012	October 2010	January 2011	April 2017
Code Name	RV280 (argus)	G86	GK107	Barts XT	GF108	Polaris 20 XTX/Ellesmere
Fab Process	150nm	80nm	28nm	40nm	40nm	14nm
Transistors / Die size	36Million / 81mm2	210Million / 115mm2	1270Million / 118mm2	1700Million / 255mm2	585Million / 116mm2	5700Million / 232mm2
Bus	AGP 8x	PCIe 2.0x16	PCIe 3.0x16	PCIE 2.1x16	PCIe 2.0x16	PCIe 3.0x16
Power (Max TDP)	28W	45W	65W	151W	35W	185W
Memory	256Mb	512Mb	2048Mb	1024Mb	1024Mb	8Gb
Core Speed (Base Clock)	250MHz	450MHz	900MHz	900MHz	672MHz	1340MHz
Max Speed (Turbo Clock)				1000Mhz		1380MHz
Shader Speed	N/A	900MHz	900MHz	N/A	1344MHz
Unified Shaders (Stream Processors / Cuda Cores)	4 Shaders / 1 Vertex (4:1:4:4 config Core)	16 CUDA Cores (16:8:4)	384 CUDA Cores (384:32:16)	1120 Stream Processors (1120:56:32)	96 CUDA Cores (96:16:4)	2304 Shader processing Units
Texture Mapping Units	4	8	32	56	16	144
Render Output Units	4	4	16	32	4	32
Memory Speed	200MHz (400MHz effective)	400MHz (800MHz effective)	1782MHz (3564MHz Effective)	1050MHz (1250MHZ Turbo Clock) (4200MHz effective)	900MHz	2000MHz
Bus Type	DDR	DDR2	DDR3	GDDR5	DDR3	GDDR5
Bus Width	128-bit	128-bit	128-bit	256-bit	128-bit	256-bit
Shader Model	2.0	4.0	5.0	5.0		5.0
Open GL						4.5
DirectX						12.0
Bandwidth	6,400 MB/s	12,800 MB/sec	57,024 MB/sec	134,400 MB/sec	28,800 MB/sec	256,000 MB/sec
Texture Fillrate	1000 MTexels/s	3600 Mtexels/sec	28800 Mtexels/sec	50400 Mtexels/sec	10752 Mtexels/sec	196600 Mtexels/sec
Pixel Fillrate	1000 MPixels/s	1800 Mpixels/sec	14400 Mpixels/sec	28800 Mpixels/sec	26900 Mpixels/sec	43680 Mpixels/sec
Outputs	1xDVI-I - 1xS-video - 1x15 pin D-sub(VGA)	1xS-video - 1x15 pin D-sub(VGA) - 1xDVI-I	1x15 pin D-sub(VGA) - 1xHDMI - 1xDVI-D	2xMini Display Port - 1xHDMI - 1x Single-Link DVI-D - 1 x Dual-Link DVI-I	Laptop Screen - 1xDVI-I - 1x15 pin D-sub(VGA)	1xDVI-D, 1xHDMI 2.0, 3x-Display Port 1.4
Max Resolution	2048 x 1536 @ 85Hz (1 Display)	2560 x 1600 (2 Displays)	4096 x 2160 (2 Displays)	2560 x 1600 (3 Displays)	3840 x 2160 (2 Displays) (Laptop screen + HDMI or D-sub	7680 x 4320 (5 Displays)
Colors	16.7M colors	16.7M colors	16.7M colors	16.7M colors	16.7M colors	16.7M colors

Intel CPU Architectures :
8086
286
386
486
Pentium
Celeron
Pentium M and Celeron M for Mobile
Pentium Dual Core
Core Solo
Core Duo
Core 2 Duo : LGA 775
Core 2 Quad : LGA 775
Core i3, i5, i7

Core Generations :
1st Generation   - Nehalem/Westmere - 45nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1156/1366 - DDR3 -
2nd Generation - Sandy Bridge         - 32nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1155          - DDR3 - Chipset : H61, B65, Q65, H67, P67, Q67, Z68    - Release 2011
3rd Generation - Ivy Bridge    - 22nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1155/2011 - DDR3 - Chipset : B75, Q75, Z75, H77, Q77, Z77             - Release 202
4th Generation   - Haswell                   - 22nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1150          - DDR3 - Chipset : H81, B85, Q85, H87, Q87, Z87             - Release 2013
5th Generation   - Broadwell              - 14nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1150          - DDR4 - Chipset : H97, Z97 - Release 2015
6th Generation   - Skylake                   - 14nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1151          - DDR4 - Chipset : H110, B150, Q150, H170, Q170, Z170 - Release 2015
7th Generation   - Kaby Lake    - 14nm - Cores (4/8)    - LGA 1151          - DDR4 - Release 2016
8th Generation   - Kaby Lake Refresh - 14nm - Cores (6/12) - FCLGA1151      - DDR4 - Release 2018
9th Generation   - Coffee Lake - 14nm - Cores (8/8) - FCLGA1151      - DDR4 - Release 2019
10th Generation - Comet Lake    - 14nm - Cores (8/16) - FCBGA1440      - DDR4 - Release 2020

K Processor - Ability to overclock the chip (Clock multiplier unlocked)

ARM big.LITTLE architecture :

ARM big.LITTLE is a heterogeneous computing architecture developed by ARM Holdings, coupling relatively battery-saving and slower processor cores (LITTLE) with relatively more powerful and power-hungry ones (big).
Typically, only one "side" or the other will be active at once, but since all the cores have access to the same memory regions, workloads can be swapped between Big and Little cores on the fly.
A chip can switch between two sets of precessor cores in order to maximise performance and battery life.
The intention is to create a multi-core processor that can adjust better to dynamic computing needs and use less power than clock scaling alone, for example the LITTLE processors are used for light duty tasks and the big processors for performance oriented tasks.

There are effectively three ways of running heterogeneous clusters of big.LITTLE CPUs:
- Clustered Switching : Switching from the “big” or LITTLE clusters. Only one cluster can be active at once.
- In-Kernal switcher : Pairing the big and LITTLE core as one virtual core seen by the app. The OS chooses which physical core is active and most efficient, without the app knowing. Again, only half of the cores are active at once, but big and LITTLE can be active at the same time.
- Heterogeneous multi-processing (global task scheduling) (HMP) : ALL physical cores are active and contributing. This could be very useful for large computing tasks, but it’s extremely unlikely that a commercial app can make use of this mode in a power-efficient way.

Most multi core ARM chips are not always X-core in the way that most people think about X-cores, which means X cores that work together on a computing task.

Frames per second:
Frame rate, expressed in frames per second (fps). This is an objective score based on the total frame time required to complete a given workload.
For example, the Manhattan test lasts for 62 seconds.If a GPU is able to render 432 frames in 62 seconds, the offscreen performance of that chip is 7.0 fps.
This means that the GPU is able to render 432 frames in 62 seconds.

Memory Bandwidth:
Memory bandwidth is the largest amount of information (measured in MB per second) that can be transferred past the external memory interface in a second. It is calculated by multiplying the bus width by its memory speed. If the card has DDR type memory, it should be multiplied by 2 once again. If DDR5, multiply by ANOTHER 2x. The higher the card's memory bandwidth, the better the card will be in general. It especially helps with anti-aliasing, HDR and higher screen resolutions.

Texel Rate:
Texel rate is the maximum amount of texture map elements (texels) that are applied in one second. This number is calculated by multiplying the total texture units of the card by the core speed of the chip. The higher the texel rate, the better the graphics card will be at handling texture filtering (anisotropic filtering - AF). It is measured in millions of texels processed in one second.

Pixel Rate and texels::
Pixel rates are probably the most important metric for all market segments and typical usage scenarios.
The formula offers you the headline million pixels per second (MPix/s) figure: Screen resolution x fps = pixels/sec
Pixel rate is the maximum number of pixels the video card could possibly write to the local memory in a second - measured in millions of pixels per second. The number is worked out by multiplying the number of Render Output Units by the the core clock speed. ROPs (Raster Operations Pipelines - also sometimes called Render Output Units) are responsible for drawing the pixels (image) on the screen.
A metric that indicates texel (texture pixels) performance is Fill. For example, the PowerVR G6400 GPU inside the Intel® Atom™ Z3460 processor offers 3225 MTexels/s.
The actual pixel fill rate is also dependant on quite a few other factors, especially the memory bandwidth of the card - the lower the memory bandwidth is, the lower the ability to reach the max fill rate.

Triangles:
Real world applications have modest triangles rate requirements, moreover, high triangle rates in mobile quickly become memory bandwidth limited way before they turn out to be GPU-limited.
GPUs today can easily support 100 to 200 million triangles per second (MTri/s), providing more than enough resources for real world cases.
This number even exceeds excessive usage cases such as one triangle per pixel at 60 fps for Full HD (1080p) resolutions.

GFLOPS:
Floating point operations per second (FLOPS) are increasingly becoming a critical parameter for mobile GPUs when it comes to graphics and compute performance.
The FLOPS metric indicates the number crunching ability of a graphics processor and can be compared to the million instructions per second (MIPS) that a CPU can deliver.
FLOPS determine ALU shader complexity level and usually impact several elements related to rendering a scene: the complexity of animation and lighting, the complexity of pixel shading, image quality and user experience.

SATA : Support devices up to 1.5Gb/s transfer speed
SATA2 : Support devices up to 3Gb/s transfer speed
SATA3 : Support devices up to 6Gb/s transfer speed

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