AboutProjectsBlog

Workstation PCs

Desktops

WBPC1 (2023-present) - "Polybutylene Terephthalate" (PBT)

The "main" desktop I use, formerly having the codename "Polybutylene Terephthalate"/"PBT". This system was originally built in January 2023 with changes over time consisting of the case, memory (RAM) and storage.

Unlike former systems which used Intel Xeon CPUs from 2010-2013, this build made use of modern components. It makes use of the ECC memory support of certain AMD Ryzen desktop CPUs and motherboards. In the past I avoided using Ryzen processors due to the uncertainty of ECC memory support. However, this time I was able to find a motherboard that I could ensure that ECC memory is supported. Others online were able to help me find out that the CPU's memory controller was configured for it with a feature within CPU-Z on Windows.

The "rebuild" of the system with the Cooler Master N200 case was mostly to make the system more portable while the motherboard was already in a microATX format. The idea to have the system more portable is from how there is the possibility of going on another long business trip or vacation. Though, bringing the desktop on trips may only be possible if traveling by road as it would be too difficult to transport the system on aircraft due to its weight and fragility. The first time it was brought with me on a out-of-town trip was in November 2024 with the annual trip to Syracuse, New York.

Starting January 2025, the system is no longer used for gaming as a Steam Deck took over this task along with the Windows + Linux Mint installation being replaced by Fedora Linux. This was mostly done to reduce distractions and to move from Linux Mint. This transistion, however, did not last long due to performance issues with certain games on the Steam Deck. Later, in May 2025, all gaming was moved back to the Steam Deck.

On March 10, 2025, the first corrected memory error occured and was discovered later in the month, further reinforcing that ECC memory is supported on AMD Ryzen and this motherboard (ASRock B550M Pro4) specifically.

Configuration

Current specifications as of January 9, 2025:

Monitors

Though not associated with the system as anything else can be connected, these are the monitors that I currently use with the desktop.

WBPC2 (2023-present) - "Polycarbonate"

This desktop was built in the need of a small but reliable PC to have on the workbench. The build was completed for less than US$150 in June 2023.

Configuration as of January 9, 2025:

Currently dual-boots Windows 10 and Linux Mint 21.1 XFCE though at some point I may switch to having only Fedora.

WBPC3 (2025-present) - "Polypropylene"

This desktop was built after I had to pull out the X8DAi motherboard from "Polyethylene" since I needed to use it as a server. An ASUS KCMA-D8 was installed in the same case. As of May 20, 2025, it is solely used for game development for mostly no other reason than aesthetics.

Configuration as of May 20, 2025:

WBPC3 (2021-2025) - "Polyethylene"

This was my first ever PC build to do entirely on my own. Planning started in December 2020 and the build was completed in February 2021.

Configuration prior to server reconfiguration in January 2025:

Laptops

These are laptops that I currently use on a regular basis.

MWDL1 (2021-present) - "Polymethylmethacrylate"

This laptop was acquired in September 2021 for about US$500 as part of a search for a laptop with ECC memory support, mostly to see if such thing existed. In 2025, it was among one of the first of my laptops to receive a display upgrade after development on MonitorCow MNC-N156KME-GNA stagnated.

Configuration as of May 20, 2025:

MWDL2 (2020-present) - "Chlorodifluoromethane"

Though not called MWDL2 until some time in 2024, this laptop was originally given to me by a friend's father in early 2020.

Configuration as of May 20, 2025:

MWDL3 (2020-present) - "Tetrachlorofluoroethane"

This laptop was presumably acquired from 2nd Life Inc. in July-August 2020. Two Qimonda DDR3 2GB modules were likely installed in October 2021 and have been used ever since. Due to the inefficiency of modern software, the laptop is not used that often.

As of May 2025, the system often finds use for storywriting, sprite editing with (self-compiled) Aseprite. I noticed that Aseprite has exceptionally good performance, using less than 100MB of RAM, barely uses CPU whatsoever and runs smoothly.

Configuration as of May 20, 2025:

Planned

These systems were planned but never built usually due to lack of funding.

"Polyethylene Terephthalate v2"

This system was planned to be built after the X9SRA motherboard of "Polyethylene Terephthalate" could no longer be used due to it causing damage to memory modules tested on it likely due to bent pins on the CPU socket.

The system is planned to use the same aesthetics as the original "Polyethylene Terephthalate" but with much more RAM and CPU. Preferably, a white case with purple lighting would be used.

Formerly, Qimonda 8GB 4Rx4 modules, in a 8x8GB configuration were planned to be used and dedicated fans would be used to aid in cooling the memory due to the amount of heat produced by the early DDR3 dual-die packages. This was changed to a 16x4GB configuration of 2Rx4 modules, which still have the same amount of dies but spread out better and would improve appearance as all memory slots would be occupied with 16 memory modules.

As of May 23, 2025, I already have the memory and CPUs on hand.

"Polyvinyl Chloride"

Anticipated since 2022, this system was planned to be built to evaluate the use of an AMD EPYC 7371 processor in a desktop environment. The system, like "Polyethylene Terephthalate v2" and "Polypropylene" would be mostly built for aesthetics.

"Polytrimethylene Terephthalate"

The idea appearing in 2023, planned to be the successor to "Polybutylene Terephthalate" several years down the road. I don't ever expect to build this system as I plan to see my current system, "Polybutylene Terephthalate" being used for at least a decade.

By the time the system would have built, many of these components would have been superceded.

CTCL 2018-2025