Category Archives: Computer

The Switch – MacBook Pro


For this post I called “The Switch” is basically, well.. switch means a change from one state / entity to another. Yet specifically, what I meant is the switch or change of heart to a new and improve Operating System (a unix based one). Well driven by the fact that I now own a MacBook Pro.

Last December 21, 2011. I bought a Mac Book Pro, after playing tricks and doing what I do to have the money, I finally decided to have one. Not just any ordinary MacBook Pro, but a High-End 15inch Quad-Core Processor one. (yeah!)

Just to give you a history, I actually passed on an iMac as a Graduation Gift last 2007. I just told myself back then that, maybe someday, I’ll be able to buy one with my own money, and terms. This time, I did not let my chance passed.

Specifications:

  • Processor: 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
  • L3 Cache: 6MB shared
  • Ram: 4GB (two 2GB SO-DIMMs) of 1333MHz
  • Hard Drive: 750GB Serial ATA; 5400 rpm
  • Video Card: Intel HD Graphics 30005 and AMD Radeon HD 6770M with automatic graphics switching
  • VRam: 1GB GDDR5

Complete Specification Here

believe me, there are no regrets. The machine is freaking, awesome! :)

Why did I bought it? 

Investment is the term. I bought this laptop as an investment to my long term goals. 2012 is looking busy for me since I’ll be dealing with a lot of challenges (work + family business + sidelines and study) and if I want to be successful, I should have the best tool possible in my arsenal.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to return my investment within a year or 2.

The Bulging Capacitor and the search for a spare RAM


Busy day working on a strange PC issue. I was told that the PC I fixed before is now having issues again! Its not starting up.

Weird, I manage to get it up and running.

After the cleanup, even weirder! its not working again and now, with those long beeps.

According to AWARD (bios manufacturer), it seems that Long Continuous Beeps is an effect of undetected DRAM.

I guess the problem is with RAM – and since I don’t have any “spare RAMS” in here, I might as well go to a PC shop and buy one.

The PC Shop IT personnel, agrees that the cause of this is the RAM, yet after checking the motherboard, he noticed that some of the Capacitors already bulged - and concludes that we can still use the PC temporarily if I were to replace the RAM yet, it would be better to replace the motherboard instead since it will still intermittently crash and in the process, might corrupt important information.

Although I haven’t tried putting a new RAM on the PC, the point is, even though I would be able to get it up and running, It would still crash and can be very unfortunate to the user especially if there are important information stored in it.

Anyone got a spare RAM? Can I borrow please? :p