Computer work for Amber

[Jyoumon]

Yep, just as the big subject link said, i want to see what can be done for amber computer wise.

I know its tight and all, winter storms crushing homes and cars......OK not my car..but yeah....

Anyway, the idea is to try and get an idea of what Amber does normally, whether that be high end graphics and processes or simple stuff like light photo-shop stuff.

I want to know, ive been working on computers for a good while, i know where to get good equipment cheap, and i know how to get a system working at its best even with only scrap parts (mostly parts youd never expect to work together <_<)



the other note being maybe to get a little drive going for an actual working computer for the Ambarging beast that so wonderfully fills our weeks with lovely comics   

eitherway..ill just post this hear..hopefully will get maybe more than 1 view or response or something XD

[Lushin]

Ok here's what I'm thinking. Make a decent middle of the road computer. 4 to 6 gigs of RAM, 2.6 to 3.0 gig  dual or quad core processor, a 512mb video card (maybe higher depending on how severe graphic work she does). A DVD R/W would be a good idea cause it seems everything is switching over to DVD now. I would say a 200 gig harddrive is plenty big enough, maybe put in a 150 or so gig secondary harddrive as a backup drive.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

More disk space. More GPU. More RAM.

She works 8 hours a strip on the comic, guys. More, sometimes. That's not "light photoshop work".  Her current machine, as I recall, is 4G dual quad-core with 1G vid card on PCI-X or PCI-E (it's been a while, and Ambaargh herself neither knows nor cares, so finding out the precise details is a bit tricky)

It does reasonably okay, it's just that she doesn't have any way of limiting the dust that it sucks in. And nobody told her that the graphics card needed de-dusting every so often as well. Now that she knows that, she's probably okay.


... I'm not going to speak for her, though. It might be worth starting off by asking her if she'd be willing to let you organise such a gift for her. Just a thought...

[Darkmoon]

I had the same thought about this post -- she may not want such a gift, or may not be comfortable having someone build it for her and send it to her personal address.

If she is at all inclined to let people buy her a computer (and not end up feeling like that Loserz guy), I might suggest just getting a donation drive together for it, and letting her choose someone she trusts to build the computer for her. She has friends and family in the States that deal with computers and have trusted computer techs, and they could potentially get her good deals on parts, equipment, and building of such.

Also, remember, if it's built in the states, she'll need to pay taxes in Canada on the computer when it crosses the boarder. Something to keep in mind.

[Tapewolf]

Regarding the existing unit, the symptoms described make me wonder about the power supply.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

Regarding the existing unit, the symptoms described make me wonder about the power supply.

I'm inclined to agree, actually. Either that or the graphics card overheated and slightly poorly, which (since nobody told the Ambaaarg it had a fan and needed blowing out) makes sense.

Either way, we wait and see.

[Mao]

Keep in mind that she also has a few folks near to her who generally look after this computer stuff for her.  She usually asks them over us and for good reason:  They're right there.  Mason is fairly tech-savvy and so are several of their friends.

In short:  If she wants our help, she'll ask for it.

[Jyoumon]

GAh..Cold >_<, and yeah i understand all that  ^__^, and the donation drive might work too. only problem i can see is that if what llearch n'n'daCorna says is true then getting a "better" computer might not be needed >_>...those kind of specs usually breed good gaming/digital art rigs that work very well.

The power supply thing yes..as she and others have stated could be the problem with not enough power getting in >_< or not enough...or a glitch...damn Power supplies...so dang hard to diagnose half the time >_>.


eitherway..it was an idea..though..now..its not so shiny XD

[Amber Williams]

It was a shiny and nice idea, and I thank ya for thinking of me. But honestly considering how sporadic I have been updating, I am not really in a good place to actually be asking for anything.  I have not been the most reliable in the comic these past couple months so it doesn't really feel right to ask for money since I haven't been able to provide a fair enough reason to warrent it.

[Turnsky]

More disk space. More GPU. More RAM.

She works 8 hours a strip on the comic, guys. More, sometimes. That's not "light photoshop work".  Her current machine, as I recall, is 4G dual quad-core with 1G vid card on PCI-X or PCI-E (it's been a while, and Ambaargh herself neither knows nor cares, so finding out the precise details is a bit tricky)

It does reasonably okay, it's just that she doesn't have any way of limiting the dust that it sucks in. And nobody told her that the graphics card needed de-dusting every so often as well. Now that she knows that, she's probably okay.


... I'm not going to speak for her, though. It might be worth starting off by asking her if she'd be willing to let you organise such a gift for her. Just a thought...

generally every 3 months is a good time to clean the inside of your PC, 6 at the most.

also, this is a general note: invest in a small, soft paintbrush (like for interior decorating or somesuch) handy little things to have when cleaning dust out.

Truthfully for a "better" photoshop rig, adding an extra hard drive to Amber's current setup wouldn't go astray, as much as photoshop likes the ram, it also likes the scratch disk.

[llearch n'n'daCorna]

eitherway..it was an idea..though..now..its not so shiny XD

No, no. I wasn't trying to rain on your parade, honestly. Just... tempering your enthusiasm a little.

Also, it occurred to me that a donation drive, were you that way inclined, would be a neat way of providing Ambaargh with a little extra folding. If you're really sneaky, do it somewhere where she isn't going to run across it, and it's totally deniable, and simply that she's getting more donations than usual.

... wait. Mentioning that here was probably counter-productive, wasn't it? ;-]

Truthfully for a "better" photoshop rig, adding an extra hard drive to Amber's current setup wouldn't go astray, as much as photoshop likes the ram, it also likes the scratch disk.

Heh. Dropping a large disk in there, removable type, and a small-ish SSD drive, would make it much happier. By "smallish" I mean "approx 16-32G or so"; large enough to park a fair chunk on, small enough to be reasonably cheap. But that's me dreaming again...

[Mrs_A_ZeTavia]

I have not been the most reliable in the comic these past couple months so it doesn't really feel right to ask for money since I haven't been able to provide a fair enough reason to warrent it.

In my opinion, for your years of providing us with your presence, humor and the joy of the comic overall; you are long overdue for a reason. But I do understand and respect your feelings on the matter, I personally would probably feel the same way.

Although, I do wish you luck on your computer issues, Amber.

... wait. Mentioning that here was probably counter-productive, wasn't it? ;-]

Don't worry we'll just pretend you didn't say anything.