Oh No Not Again!

Posted by Stropp on March 25, 2009 It may have been the last words to flash through the mind of a bowl of petunias that had suddenly been called into existence several miles above the surface of an alien planet, but it also happened to be what I was thinking yesterday. My video card, the eighteen month old video card at that, has gone on the blink. So I currently, once again, am computerless. (Forget about video game addiction, computer withdrawl syndrome is much worse.) This post is being written at work. Shhh. Don't tell the boss. So how many hardware issues have I had in the last four years? Plenty. I've lost or had reduced functionality on at least three power supplies, lost some RAM, and a motherboard, and possibly had other problems that I haven't noticed. It seems that there is some sort of supply fault to my house, I either get power spikes (which should be blocked by the surge suppressor fitted to my house) or an undervolts which I'm told can be just as damaging. So now, yet again, I have to go out an buy some replacement hardware. What's even more ironic, or annoying, is the only shop local to where I work that sells computer parts has recently gone out of business, and the Dick Smith store recently opened next door to it (after IT Warehouse departed) which is Australia's biggest electronic chain doesn't sell video cards. Sigh. Not happy, Jan! Update: I've ordered a new MSI 9800GT 512MB card to replace the defunct 8800 768MB card. It's apparently a little better than the old one. I'm leaving work a bit earlier (the shop shuts at 5:30) and picking it up on the way home. After talking to a couple of the hardware engineers here at work, it looks like the solution will be to buy a UPS with built in surge suppression. That should cater for both over and undervolt conditions. Now to find one that won't break the bank.