Update for 1/8/2013
And I'm back! It's been awhile since I posted on LJ so will keep today's update brief. Over the past couple of weeks, both of my boys have been sick. Jackson has had chronic ear infections and Isaac has been battling both a cold and a little bit of a sore throat. It's never easy to see them ill but been doing my best to make them comfortable. Hopefully, they will be well soon.
Over the holiday break, I was glad to be at home to help Diane with the kids. Not to mention, it gave me a lot of time to spend with her also. We got to enjoy my company's holiday party earlier in the month and got to go out on our own occasionally which is nice. Over the last couple of months, we have gotten away from spending time with each other and it was good to rekindle a little romance.
OK, enough of the mushy stuff. In other news, I got my new video card shipped to me. I found a deal on a ASUS RADEON HD 5450 512MB DDR3 PCIe, SILENT LP and noted the following things. First, the card actually has 1024 MB instead of the 512 listed on the box. It's possible that it may have been a misprint but heck -- I will take double the memory. Also, I noted that when I looked at the reviews in more depth from the place that I bought it from, two other people recently noted (one after my purchase) that they saw the same thing. What a bonus!
The second part was that when I received it, it was advertised as low-profile (as I have a slim computer) but it came full-sized. I was bummed and started checking all the packaging so I could send it back. Then, I noted that they included the brackets to convert it myself. Now, I've build computers for many years and this is the first time that I had ever had to modify a card. So, checked the instructions and noted that there weren't any either on the CD-ROM or the guide beyond simple how to install a video card instructions. Thankfully, I was able to figure it out.
So, took it for a test drive yesterday for both streaming video and gaming. In addition to the better graphics (obviously), I could not believe how quiet the card was. The computer that I have it pretty quiet itself but usually most cards with a fan will give a little bit more noise. Not one peep was heard. Over the first day, I was pleased with its performance.
Over the holiday break, I was glad to be at home to help Diane with the kids. Not to mention, it gave me a lot of time to spend with her also. We got to enjoy my company's holiday party earlier in the month and got to go out on our own occasionally which is nice. Over the last couple of months, we have gotten away from spending time with each other and it was good to rekindle a little romance.
OK, enough of the mushy stuff. In other news, I got my new video card shipped to me. I found a deal on a ASUS RADEON HD 5450 512MB DDR3 PCIe, SILENT LP and noted the following things. First, the card actually has 1024 MB instead of the 512 listed on the box. It's possible that it may have been a misprint but heck -- I will take double the memory. Also, I noted that when I looked at the reviews in more depth from the place that I bought it from, two other people recently noted (one after my purchase) that they saw the same thing. What a bonus!
The second part was that when I received it, it was advertised as low-profile (as I have a slim computer) but it came full-sized. I was bummed and started checking all the packaging so I could send it back. Then, I noted that they included the brackets to convert it myself. Now, I've build computers for many years and this is the first time that I had ever had to modify a card. So, checked the instructions and noted that there weren't any either on the CD-ROM or the guide beyond simple how to install a video card instructions. Thankfully, I was able to figure it out.
So, took it for a test drive yesterday for both streaming video and gaming. In addition to the better graphics (obviously), I could not believe how quiet the card was. The computer that I have it pretty quiet itself but usually most cards with a fan will give a little bit more noise. Not one peep was heard. Over the first day, I was pleased with its performance.