Uni Project

[Ya93sin]

Moved into uni a couple weeks back, it's been quite socially hectic so I've not had as much time as I used to, but here is my Uni room/setup. I must get a sound card and a 2.1 System hehehe

My flatmates might not be too happy though

You might notice a USB Creative X-Fi 5.1 SoundBlaster, but I can't get it to work, and it belongs to a friend, so let's see.

This is just a general look at the room:

I'm not really sure what to do with this situation, the internet cable is here, and I'm not sure where else apart from the floor that the PC could go:

Just the place where I sit:

These are my new headphones/phone:

 

[yassarikhan786]

Very nice

. How much is it costing you per month?

 

[Ya93sin]

Accomodation? About £115/wk so £460pcm

 

[sheroo]

That reminds me of the room I had at Uni.

The tech was a little different though, a box of tapes and a 286 with a green screen was all the rage then.

 

[Ya93sin]

lol, tech moves so fast

It's a good and a bad thing I suppose. My room is tidy I guess because I'm only ever sleeping in it, and even then I'm often somewhere else when I should be sleeping. The other day I was walking through Bham at 4am for some reason :/ All the rooms are really warm though :S

 

[sheroo]

The house I moved into in my 2nd year was always too warm - that's because the girls were nesh and kept the heating on all the time. The bills were hideous.

 

[fcb]

Nice system. Looks like you're tight on space for your PC. I mean if you don't use your desk to do your schoolwork, it should be fine right?

Have you tried downloading the latest drivers from Creative for the X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro? What I did was install the latest drivers before connecting the USB sound card.

http://support.creative.com/downloads/welcome.aspx?nDriverType=1#type_1

 

[Ya93sin]

The house I moved into in my 2nd year was always too warm - that's because the girls were nesh and kept the heating on all the time. The bills were hideous.

I don't think we have to pay bills? Or at least I hope not

At least I can use the PC as a heater come winter. I'm so often out of the room though, today is the first quiet night basically since Uni began

Nice system. Looks like you're tight on space for your PC. I mean if you don't use your desk to do your schoolwork, it should be fine right?

Have you tried downloading the latest drivers from Creative for the X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro? What I did was install the latest drivers before connecting the USB sound card.

http://support.creat...erType=1#type_1

Yeah it's tight, in terms of working I can just move the keyboard to the side and get the paper, just most things are online. The bit behind the PC is for me to put my feet up

Thanks for the advice with the Creative thing, I'll try it now

 

[Ya93sin]

Got it fixed, was a dodgy USB cable, drivers installed fine, I suppose that's good, the best part of £100 of equipment not sitting on the desk for no reason

 

[fcb]

Yeah it's tight, in terms of working I can just move the keyboard to the side and get the paper, just most things are online. The bit behind the PC is for me to put my feet up

Thanks for the advice with the Creative thing, I'll try it now

Got it fixed, was a dodgy USB cable, drivers installed fine, I suppose that's good, the best part of £100 of equipment not sitting on the desk for no reason

Haha....that's cool. You've also got some space above the bed. You could also try putting your PC there, but you'll probably hear system noise though.

Oh ya, sorry I forget to mention the cable. The USB cable can be a bit irritating sometimes. I have the same sound card for a smaller home theatre system and I just made sure the USB cable was straight around the connections to eliminate the chances of it acting funny.

Creative probably should have made a better designed USB cable, but that probably pushes up the cost more. In any case, it's a great little external sound card. I just realised they came out with a newer version.

Is that a Bitfenix Colossus?

 

[Ya93sin]

Haha....that's cool. You've also got some space above the bed. You could also try putting your PC there, but you'll probably hear system noise though.

Oh ya, sorry I forget to mention the cable. The USB cable can be a bit irritating sometimes. I have the same sound card for a smaller home theatre system and I just made sure the USB cable was straight around the connections to eliminate the chances of it acting funny.

Creative probably should have made a better designed USB cable, but that probably pushes up the cost more. In any case, it's a great little external sound card. I just realised they came out with a newer version.

Is that a Bitfenix Colossus?

I think it actually didn't work, used the cable which I got with the 3D kit and it worked fine, which is strange. Tbf I user that big cushion to stop myself banging my head

I don't like mess though, and the cables would all be showing, so it looks sh**

And yeah it's a BitFenix Colossus with the window, truly is huge, but what can you do hehhehe

Just need to buy a proper 2.1 system now

 

[fcb]

I think it actually didn't work, used the cable which I got with the 3D kit and it worked fine, which is strange. Tbf I user that big cushion to stop myself banging my head

I don't like mess though, and the cables would all be showing, so it looks sh**

And yeah it's a BitFenix Colossus with the window, truly is huge, but what can you do hehhehe

Just need to buy a proper 2.1 system now

Yup, I have noticed the original USB cable Creative gives us can be defective. My friend had the same problem. I gave him another mini 5 pin USB cable and it worked fine after. Must have been a faulty cable.

That's true, and you've already got it placed at a very decent spot without having it sitting on the floor. Huge cases are great, but it really makes a big of difference when your internals can fit into a case that's just the right for size while it's kept nice and cool.

I think the Corsair SP2200 2.1 speaker system isn't a bad choice with budget in mind, especially if you can get them from promotion or sales. It's not the best 2.1 out there, but offers great features for it's 2.1 range. The biggest selling point for me is probably the little to no distortion aspect of this small speaker setup. I've tried with the volume up to max and it still performs well. It's just not advisable to have it at max volume though. It'll be a fantastic bonus to have it connected to your X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB sound card. I do have the Corsair SP2200 and it's connected to the X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro at the small home theatre PC.

 

[Ya93sin]

I have expensive tastes

Was looking at the SP2500, but ofc this depends on how big my final paycheck from my previous job is, but the SP2200 do look very good. In reality I just need a decent sub, the speakers I have at the moment are surprisingly good at everything except bass

Might take a look at EBay actually, I'm sure there are good deals on there, but maybe I'll give things a bit of time

 

[fcb]

I have expensive tastes

Was looking at the SP2500, but ofc this depends on how big my final paycheck from my previous job is, but the SP2200 do look very good. In reality I just need a decent sub, the speakers I have at the moment are surprisingly good at everything except bass

Might take a look at EBay actually, I'm sure there are good deals on there, but maybe I'll give things a bit of time

I remember you saying you want to save up for the SP2500. I would also save some money for a high end sound card like the Asus Xonar Essence ST or STX. It goes together very nicely.

 

[Ya93sin]

Yeah the sound card I need to get too, especially if my mate asks for this USB thing back. He has a home cinema system so he doesn't use this one, so he figured he might as well let me use it for the moment.

 

[fcb]

Yeah the sound card I need to get too, especially if my mate asks for this USB thing back. He has a home cinema system so he doesn't use this one, so he figured he might as well let me use it for the moment.

It's not a bad little unit either. I mean if you need a sound card and don't have any space in your chasis, then I'd definitely go for 1 of these or maybe the newer version. Creative drivers have come a long way. They're a bit funky; sometimes causing problems (crash), but hasn't happened with all the new drivers I've used and helped my friends install. Even so, I'm leaning towards Asus sound cards now. They cause less migranes and less chances of high blood pressure.

 

[Ya93sin]

Yeah, tbf this card I have was free, I wasn't gonna say no

I've got space in the PC, it's just a case of making sure I can comfortably afford it before I buy it. I know too many people running out of money right about this time

 

[fcb]

Yeah, tbf this card I have was free, I wasn't gonna say no

I've got space in the PC, it's just a case of making sure I can comfortably afford it before I buy it. I know too many people running out of money right about this time

Ya, I know the feeling. At least it's being put to good use, and the best part is your friend was generous to give/lend it to you.

I'm also saving up for a new system and speakers. My 775 system will be retired and changed into a home theatre PC since it's still in perfect shape.

 

[Ya93sin]

That's the plan for my current system, sell off the board, get a mATX board and make it a HTPC, if I can underclock and passively cool it, then that's a beautiful media center. That's all I really use my PC for now, and work. The days of 50 hours of gaming a week are gone for sure

Accomodation fees were £200 lower than I anticipated, something to do with a deposit, so that's reassuring

 

[fcb]

That's the plan for my current system, sell off the board, get a mATX board and make it a HTPC, if I can underclock and passively cool it, then that's a beautiful media center. That's all I really use my PC for now, and work. The days of 50 hours of gaming a week are gone for sure

Accomodation fees were £200 lower than I anticipated, something to do with a deposit, so that's reassuring

Hey, that's a cool idea. The chasis will be overwhelming though. Maybe you could sell your case and transfer your system into something more fitting and takes less space. As much as I love my current case, I think I may just go for a mATX board and a mATX case. The Silverstone TJ08-E that Tom reviewed is a really nice case. It's so small too. I think it will be fun to build myself a small PC for a change.

Ya, I understand completely. 50 hrs a week....amazing. Gaming days are never over, just cut down to a minimal and require some personal control. I'm in university too, but I only get approx. 4 - 5 hrs gaming max. Even so, I'd rather spend time watching movies with family in the TV room.

£200 less makes a big difference in monthly rent doesn't it?

Your PC will still be a powerhouse for many yrs.