Asus E33 PC 900SD-BLK009X Netbook

Intel Celeron M 800 mhz

512 MB DDR2

8 GB SSD 8.9″ screen….

web camera

Windows XP Home

Available for $250 at TigerDirect. Here is the link.

Lenovo IdeaPad S10 433-36U Netbook

Intel Atom N270 1.6 ghz

1 GB DDR2, 160 GB hard drive

10.1″ Screen, Windows XP HOme

Available at TigerDirect for $250. Here is the link.

HP Mini 110-1030CA Refurbished Netbookl

Intel Aton N270 1.6Ghz

1GB DDR2, 160 GB Hard drive

10.1″ screen

Available (Refurbished) from TigerDirect. Here is the link.

My general reaction to netbooks is rather negative.

I believe Netbooks are really under-powered computers. They would not meet my everyday needs.

However, the Netbooks might be the perfect devices to handle Skype calls on my shows.

I believe any one of these devices would be powerful enough to handle the audio and video of a Skype call.

I could send the video to Wirecast on my Macintosh, using Desktop Presenter .

The audio can go directly into the mixer.

I could probably fit 2 of these devices on a small computer desk.

I am a bit leery about the Asus Eee PC.. I think an 8 GB SSD drive is way too small.

Shuttle SA76G2 Barebones System

Available from NewEgg for $185. Here is the link.

This barebones system looks good to me.

It would make a decent multimedia computer.

The system would likely be more powerful than the smaller ITX systems with the Atom Processors.

It comes with an on-board ATI Radeon 3000 video card. You can also install your own PCI/E video card

The motherboard will handle the AMD Phenom & Phenom II, Athlon 64 X2, or Athlon 64 CPU.

You get the on-board sound from Realtek.

You can install up to 8 GB of RAM (only 2 memory slots!)

Will handle 3 SATA drives.

I should have bought one of these instead of fiddling with my Microfly computer case.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000 CPU

Available from NewEgg for $55. Here is the link.

I’m just looking to see how I could finish off this multimedia computer.

I’m thinking I don’t need the most powerful CPU…

I already have an AMD Phenom CPU in a Quad-core Mid-tower case.

Corsair 2GB (2 1GB) DDR2 Memory

Available for $44 at NewEgg. Here is the link.

Memory is a tough for this computer.

You only have two slots for memory.

NewEgg doesn’t have any single memory module over 1 GB.

That leaves you with a maximum of 2 GB of RAM, and a 32-bit Operating system.

Chenbro SR10769-BK-T

1.0MM SECC Pedestal High-End Server/Workstation Case

Available at NewEgg for $125. Here is the link.

My buddy Ken told me about this case.

It looks large enough to handle a bunch of drives and keep everything cool.

I guess my problem would be finding room for this case.

Antec Twelve Hundred ATX Full Tower Case

Available at NewEgg for $160. Here is the link.

This case looks great.

I believe my buddy Ken has one.

This case has plenty of room.

And you also get washable air filters.

Mac Pro Desktop computer

Starting price $2,500. Available at this link.

In my estimation, the Mac Pros are fantastic.

Mac Pros are powerful.

Mac Pros are the only Apple Desktop that you can easily modify or expand.

You can install more than one graphics card.

You can install more than one hard drive.

The Mac Pros are really built to make expansion easy.

27″ iMac computer

Starting price, $1,699. Available at this link.

I’d love a 27″ iMac… with the Intel i7 processor.

Apple’s Mac Mini Computer

Starting price $599. Available at this link.

I believe the Mac Mini would be my ideal Multimedia Computer.

The Mac Mini is small.

The Mac Mini is an Apple computer.

What more would I want?!

Xitel Ground Loop Isolator

Model: GLI1-S1 | Catalog #: 55030946

Available at Radio Shack’s web site only. Price is $30. Here is the link.

This device has the “female” RCA Plug connection on one end, and “Male” connections on the other end.

Obviously, you might need the proper cables or adapters.

Ground Loop Isolator

Available from Radio Shack for $17. Here is the link.

Model: 270-054 | Catalog #: 270-054

This device has “male” RCA plugs on both ends.

Be aware of this situation and plan to buy any necessary cables or adapters.

I’m not sure if the $17 ground isolator is as good as the $30 model.

In a case like this, I might just go ahead and buy the $30 model.

I decided to look at the Member List of my forum.

I was totally shocked.

I found at least 10 known forum spammers.

You might want to know of a fantastic reference source called Stop Forum Spam. Here is the link.

You can search by user name, email address, IP address, etc..

You will see an up-to-date list of each spammer’s activity.

I went through and deleted at least 10 spammers.

Unfortunately I forgot to place most of them into my Ban List.

I will check the member list more frequently, and remedy that problem.

I’ve been concerned that my Macintosh sometimes appears to emit a hum or weird noise when it’s connected to the mixer.

I heard words like “Ground Fault” associated with internal sound cards.

It appears it’s best to connect an external sound card to a mixer?!

I’m ready to buy an external audio interface for the Macintosh in the next few months.

I did a Google Search for Ground Fault, and got some information.

The article promised a solution, but I never found it.

I tried the next best things.

I shut down the Macintosh computer, and connected it to the mixer.

I plugged the mixer into the same Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) that the Macintosh uses.

I turned on the Macintosh.

Now I’m listening to wonderful Beatles tunes, with no annoying hum.

Did it help to connect both the mixer and Macintosh to the same UPS?!

Maybe.

Did it help to connect the mixer cable when the Macintosh was turned off?!

Most likely.

Awhile ago I plugged an mixer audio cable into the Soundblaster sound card on my Beast PC.

I heard a noise that made me shudder.

The Soundblaster card no longer works.

I can’t afford to keep replacing valuable equipment because of my own carelessness.

Instead, I will share whatever hard-earned insights I might gain.

Take care!