MacGyver

So I found an extra present inside my mail box, to today I headed to the store to get the HP DV6-2088DX that was on clearance. This was a total steal. This laptop was a Black Friday special at Best Buy back during Thanksgiving.

• Windows 7 Home Premium
• 500GB HDD
• 8GB DDR2 RAM
• 16′ Screen

So it was well worth it for $450. So like what I do with all my computers (and I am sure you do as well…) I name them all. This one name is called ‘MacGyver’ because MacGyver fixes just about everything around and I seem to do that as well.

My computer is back up and running and I renamed the computer to one of my favorite secondary cartoon characters of the TV series ‘The Batman’: Detective Shades.

Last night folks, I went ahead and updated my desktop system to include my parts from the Intel Big Deal and the DDR3 RAM I had ordered just a few days after receiving the Big Deal (original post). This was not a very hard install for me, but it did take a few “extra” hours for me to complete the installation of both software and hardware due to the minor hiccups that we all have with technology.

I am going duel monitor setup with two 17″ screens to compensate for the loss of my 24″. At least I can program, web design, and play games again.

So.. if you remember back on the 19^th of this month, I reported that my graphics card had died. In this case, my own diagnostics of my computer was wrong. After several “test cases” using different computers hooked up to my monitor and also changing out the video card (with a temporary one) my monitor continued to flicker. So with that, it has been concluded that my video card is not dead and that it’s a problem with my monitor.

Which monitor do I have? It’s the Samsung SyncMaster 241mp. We think the VGA circuitry soldering is loose or it’s just very worn out. When color is mixed in with a pure black or pure white spectrum, that is when it flickers. I becomes very apparent during large portions of silver. So that’s the deal and with that comes decision making time.

A few friends have suggest that I ditch the idea of getting the Samsung 275T 27-inch Wide-Screen (viewed in great detail here) or to get an actual TV. The problem with the TV part of it that even though it is cheaper, I don’t get the ability to carry it around to LAN parties. It also makes it a real drag to move it from place to place. The feature I love the most of this 241mp is that it has PIP (Picture in Picture) mode so you can use your computer and have the PIP from one of the other inputs. I can not get that with a TV, but I can get it with the Samsung 275T.

I have a problem which will be solved by the end of the week. I am going to order a new one either tomorrow or Friday. I am even considering getting the 241mp fixed so I could use it as a secondary monitor for duel monitor support/setup. That has yet to be determined if it can happen.