I Needed A Computer and I Got One (Asus Essentio)

While I was writing the last post about my past computer purchases, I was thinking about what I could do not make those same purchasing mistakes again.  I came to the conclusion that I needed to do some research on what kind of performance I would need for my computer.  That way I won’t be so disappointed when my computer doesn’t perform.

So I did my internet research.  I looked up performance requirements for a computer to edit videos reliably, since that’s what I wanted my new computer to be able to do.  After sifting through tons of web pages, it seemed that I would need a computer that had at least 8 gb of RAM, and an Intel Core Duo processor at the MINIMUM.  Armed with that knowledge, I set out to purchase my new computer.

I went to Best Buy, a pretty big chain of computer and electronics stores.  The closest one was in Orange, CT, which I later found out was the best one in the area anyway.

The nearest Best Buy, in Orange, CT

I went into Best Buy and I felt so incredible as I looked around at the latest electronics.  I wish I could go on a shopping spree in that place.  I remember back in the day, Nickelodeon would have these games shows on, like Double Dare and Legends of the Hidden Temple.  And their grand prizes would often be $1000 shopping sprees to places like Toys R Us.  I wished so badly that I could win those shopping sprees and I felt the same exact way as I walked into Best Buy.

I walked into the computer section, and looked around.  Based on my knowledge of what kind of computer performance I was looking for, I immediately noticed that most of their budget offerings were too underpowered.  I’m so glad I did that research ahead of time, or I would’ve most likely ended up with one of those computers.  On the flip side though, I was only willing to spend $800 – $900, and most of their computers that WERE powerful enough was $1000 +.

This Best Buy had a Mac computer section, and I’ve always, ALWAYS wanted a Mac.  They’re reliable, powerful and creative professionals everywhere use Macs as a standard.  But their Macs started at $999, and they quickly got expensive from there.  The cheapest Macs were powerful enough for what I was looking for in a computer, but this Best Buy had more powerful PCs for the same exact price.  I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a Mac this time around.  Maybe a few years down the line when I have the money to splurge and not have to worry about budgets (patiently waiting for that day)

After wandering around aimlessly for a half hour, I came across this one computer that seemed too good to be true, The Asus Essentio CG8350:

Asus Essentio CG8350 Specs:
Processor: 3.40 ghz Intel Core i7
HDD: 1 TB
RAM: 8 GB
Operating System: Windows 7 Home Premium (64 bit)
Price: $899

All that for $899?  A Mac with the same specs cost $1499.

REALLY skeptical, I went on my Droid 1 smart phone and did some on the spot research for this computer.  It was designed to be an entry-level gaming computer and it had a whole list of pros with only 1 real con.  The con was that its video card needed to be upgraded in order to do the maximum amount of gaming possible, and to upgrade the video card you need to upgrade other parts of the machine, like the power supply.  But straight out of the box, it was powerful.  Since I wasn’t a PC gamer, I didn’t care about that con really, so it seemed like a REALLY good deal.

Still a bit skeptical, I decided to consult one of Best Buy’s employees.  I forgot the guy’s name, but boy was this guy charismatic as hell.  While talking to me, he would stop periodically to flirt with his cute boss who would walk by constantly.  He talked about his life, about how he used to be a nightclub promoter.

While it was all interesting and everything, I had to steer him back to talking about the Asus computer.  Amazingly, he regurgitated everything I already read about the Asus computer, including that one big con about it being a pain in the ass to upgrade.  I appreciated him not just selling me this computer as God’s personal desktop computer, but also listing its limitations and flaws.  The gist of what he told me was that this computer could do whatever I wanted it to do, and I was sold.  I purchased the computer.

My Asus Essentio Desktop. Sorry for the pic quality, the iPod Touch doesn't have flash >_>

It looks like a beast, doesn’t it?  And guess what?  It IS a beast.  I put the poor computer through hell its first night, because if I wasn’t satisfied at ALL, I was returning it as soon as possible for a full refund.  I wasn’t playing around this time.  But I had nothing to worry about with this purchase.  Like the salesperson said, it pretty much did whatever I wanted it to do.

I did some quick art with it using Paint.NET.  I transcoded video using MediaCoder.  I edited audio using Audacity.  I played some games using my video game console emulators.  I went on the internet with Firefox and went through a ton of webpages, watched videos and downloaded lots of stuff.  It was an experienced I never ever had with my previous computers.  In fact, the experience was comparable to my university’s overpowered PCs, which I thought was amazing.

In later posts, I’ll go more in-depth about how I use my computer for creativity.  The focus of these past posts was just to tell you the story about buying the computer.

To end this post, I present to you video footage (with commentary) of me using my computer.  I used a program to record my computer screen.  Watch as I show off what my new baby can do.  Enjoy:
YouTube Video: Chimeric Muse Raves about his computer

I Need A New Computer

When it comes to being creative, I do most of my endeavors on my computer.  I write my stories on my computer.  I do my art on my computer using tools like a tablet and a scanner.  I edit photos on my computer.  I go on the internet and do research.  About 80% of my workflow is on my computer.  So I was pretty much hit when my laptop computer got the blue screen of death.

The Dreaded Blue Screen of Death. My poor computer

For those that don’t know, when Microsoft Windows runs into a FATAL error, it’ll show a blue screen telling you that it’s broken and why (it’ll give you an error code for you to look up).  While some blue screen errors are fixable, most aren’t (as far as I know.  I could be wrong).

So yea, I decided that it was time to get a new computer.  No, I was NOT excited about this.  You see, I have a history of buying computers that either suck or just didn’t get the job done, in terms of what I wanted.  Here’s a brief rundown on my past computer purchases.

My HP Omnibook 6000

HP Omnibook 6000
Release Date: Late March  2001
Processor: 600 mhz Intel Pentium III
Hard Drive (HDD): 20 GB
RAM: 256 MB
Operating System: Windows XP (upgraded from Windows 2000)

I bought this laptop back in April 2005 from a dealer on eBay.  It only cost $400, which was a far cry from its original retail price of $1,899 (!!!).  It was an okay laptop.  I was using it for light internet use, watching movies and word processing.  From what I remember, the laptop worked decent enough to do those tasks.  But unfortunately, my laptop stopped working mysteriously about 2 months after purchase.  It wouldn’t recognize the hard drive anymore.  I didn’t even get a blue screen of death, because Windows couldn’t boot up to present it.  I was SO pissed off.  I bought a lemon of a computer that worked “just” long enough so I can’t return it to the dealer (30 day warranty).  I think it was done on purpose because I’m cynical like that, even if it doesn’t make much sense.

My desktop computer: Compaq Presario SR1403WM

Compaq Presario SR1403WM
Release Date: 2/16/05
Processor: AMD Sempron
HDD: 80 GB
RAM: 256 MB
Operating System: Windows XP- Home Edition

I bought this computer in November 2005 from Wal Mart for….I wanna say $700 or so.  It came with monitors and speakers bundled.  Let me tell you, this thing worked like a piece of shit straight out of the box.  Slowest computer I EVER dealt with, I was working with a slow 1998 computer in my workplace at the time.  The computer took 15 minutes to fully boot up and about 3 minutes for a window to pop up (yes, I timed all of this).  Windows XP was FULL of Wal Mart bloatware, the pre-installed software that comes bundled with their new computers.

I felt fully ripped off by Wal Mart, and with their track record, I’m not surprised.  You see the model number in the specs section above.  You see how the last 2 letters of the number, after the dash, is WM.  Take a wild guess what that stands for.  My theory is that Wal Mart commissioned Compaq for their own line of computers to sell.  So Compaq gave WM their own special version of the SR1403 computers.  A watered down, underpowered version so Wal Mart can sell it for cheaper than the normal version, and even bundle it with a monitor and speakers (which isn’t standard).  Well you’re plan worked WM.  Ya got me with your “non deal”.

For an additional $150, I bought 2 gb of RAM for the computer, and it now works in a decent manner.  In fact, the computer still works passably to this day.  I used this computer extensively.  I heavily used the internet, and downloaded gigs and gigs of content.  I created and ran my webcomic Niece Web off of this computer, using resource intense programs like Adobe Photoshop.  I played games.  I watched movies and played music.  I edited audio and video….well actually, that’s where my computer drew the line.  It sucked at editing video, which was a motivating factor in my new computer purchase (read further down for more).  This computer became my reluctant workhorse, but it’s, without question, showing its age (almost 6 years old, and the model line itself is probably older).

My Laptop: Acer Aspire 5100-3357

Acer Aspire 5100-3357
Release Date: Late 2006/Early 2007
Processor: 1.6 ghz AMD Turion
HDD: 120 GB
RAM: 1 GB
Operating System: Windows Vista

I bought this baby as a present for landing my first full-time job back in May 2007.  I bought it for….$700, if I recall correctly.  This laptop performed average at best…about on par with my Compaq desktop, which its supposed to be superior to.  The laptop never made me feel confident in its performance.  I always had the feeling that it was underpowered for the average use I was putting it through.  I wasn’t putting it through any of the hardcore stuff I used my Compaq desktop for.  About 6 months in, the screen broke for no reason at all.  It would black out often, and it would only work if I fiddled with raising and lowering the screen for about a minute or so.

Maybe it wasn’t my laptop hardware at all that was underpowered.  Maybe it was the fact that Windows Vista SUCKS.  The operating system felt so clunky, slow and unpolished.  The laptop wasn’t powerful enough to run the full visual power of Vista, but from what I saw, it was underwhelming anyway.  Programs would frequently freeze, idle or crash with no reason, especially during its final year.  Windows XP on my Compaq wasn’t like this at all.  Months before I got the blue screen of death, my laptop was performing at an all time low and I knew its days were up.

Those were my past computer purchases.  With my new computer, I was so determined not to repeat the same mistake twice.  I wanted a computer that I would be happy with right out of the box.  In terms of performance, I wanted a computer that I could edit videos with, since my previous computers couldn’t reliably get the job done.  If my new computer could do that, then it could do ANY of my creative endeavors, which is the most important thing to me.

Did I succeed? Find out in the next post!