Gav's World : Computing Power

My Computing Power

Everybody needs a computer at home these days... I just happen to have a few more than one. Some are simple set-ups, but others perform a few very handy tasks... there are a few step-by-step guides on how to do these in the pages below.

Desktop PC [picard]

Obviously, I really need a reasonably powered desktop PC for doing some serious work on... or just surfing the web ;-)

Inspiron 14 5485 Laptop [worf]

At times I missed not having a wee laptop (like my old Eee PCs), so I eventually bought another one.

Raspberry Pi(s)

Any gadget man worth his salt these days must have at least one Raspberry Pi - pictured is one of my original B models.

The Server [locutus]

This is my house server that is powered up 24/7. It's part of my house multimedia system.

Computing Power That I've Left Behind

When I left my ex-wife, her and the kids were all using my computing power, so here's what I left behind for them.

Acer Aspire R3700 [borg]

This is one of the PCs which has been my media PC and was strapped to the back of the telly. It's a mini-ITX unit that consumes no more than 25W.

Kids PC 1 [riker]

All of those spare parts from upgrades put to good use :-)

Kids PC 2 [la-forge]

All of those spare parts from upgrades put to good use :-)

Mini-ITX PC [v-ger]

This used to be the main low power house server that was powered up 24/7, but since the server has been upgraded, and I've left this behind, it's now the house server and desktop PC for the ex.

Retired Computers

Things move on... and at times so must my computing power.

Asus Eee PC 4G (701)

Initially, I was just sharing my experiences with my Asus Eee PC 4G (701) where I'd been doing some hardware and software modifications to it. Since I cribbed information from various forums and web sites, I felt it only fair to pass my information back into the community - that's the whole ethos of Open Source after all.

Asus Eee PC 901

Just after (well just before actually) I sold my Eee 701, I got an Asus Eee PC 901 which was a cracking replacement - faster, larger screen and more storage.

Nano ITX PC [data]

A low power PC that was initially my house server and then became my media PC was a Nano ITX PC that consumed no more that 25W of electricity, so was ideal as a 24/7 box!

Nook Simple Touch

Fancy a cheap Android tablet that is daylight readable (with an e-ink display)... then root a Nook Simple Touch.

Sharp Zaurus SL-C3200

What good is a gadget man with out a PDA? Well this one was a bit more special than most - a Sharp Zaurus SL-C3200. However, when smart phones came of age, this was sold to make way for my HTC Desire.

Naming My Computers

Being a bit of a geek and since my computers all run GNU / Linux ... they just have to be named.

Some people I know call their computers by malt whiskies, others by Scottish islands. I decided to go with Star Trek characters. My first PC was called "kirk" and when I upgraded it, the "next generation" of my desktop PC was naturally called "picard"... etc.