I Need a Backup Solution

I’m beginning to realize I definitely need some type of data backup solution. It’s not good that I’ve waited so long to implement something. There is a lot of data and documents on my computer that is really important to me personally and professionally. It would be absolutely devastating if something happened that caused data loss *knock on wood*. There are a bunch of online services offering backup space and “online hard drives” but I don’t trust my private data/documents in someone else’s hands. I’m looking at probably an external hard drive and usb flash drive combination - basically some kind of redundant, 2-tiered backup system.

New PC System in 2Q 2007
I might pick up a USB flash drive for now to backup only the most important files. I’m saving up to purchase a new computer probably some time in the second quarter of 2007. Why then? Well, Intel’s new generation of Conroe-based processors (publicly known as Core 2 Duo) have just come out, which feature large power-consumption and performance improvements. By then AMD’s response will have come out and Intel’s own processors will have gone through a few iterations. Not only that Windows Vista is scheduled to be released sometime in January of next year and there are rumors that it may be delayed even further so I’m waiting until 2Q 2007 or whenever Vista does ship.

Need a More Powerful System
I’m going for a very high performance workstation. Even though my system right now works relatively well (P4 3.2ghz w/ HT, 1gb ram), I’m still seeing some slowdowns. When I’m working, I have a lot of programs running at once and I’m going to need serious performance to work more efficiently. I usually have Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia Dreamweaver, Firefox (w/ a LOT of tabs open), Opera, Internet Explorer (3 versions), CuteFTP, Notepad, Windows Explorer, Calculator, Windows Media Player, and a couple of other things open all at once. Needless to say this is really taxing on the system. Sometimes I see a very low amount of available RAM.

Even though I just bought a new 19″ LCD a month and a half ago, when I buy the new system next year I’m probably either going to get an even larger screen (30″?!) or get a dual-screen setup. With the number of apps I’m running and all the multitasking it would be easier if I just had more screen space.

PC Gaming
Although I do a lot less gaming nowadays, I’ll still fire up Counter-Strike or some other recently released game in my downtime every once in a while. So this system will double as a gaming platform as well. Another thing the system will definitely have is an improved cooling system. My current PC (Dell XPS 600 Gen 3) is like a jet engine, especially now in the summer. This thing is LOUD and it blows out so much hot air, it raises my room temperature a noticeable amount. I’ll likely look into some type of liquid cooling system and other noise suppression products (quiet fans, sound-proof padding).

Finding the Right Balance Between Price/Performance
I’m not sure if I’ll build this system myself or just order a configured system from Dell or another vendor. We’ll see. But you can tell this is going to be a relatively high-end, pricey system (I’m hoping I’ll have enough money for this by then). I think if you buy a high performance system at the right time, it lasts you a while without upgrades. You have to find that sweet spot where you’re not really an early adopter anymore and the prices have come down a bit but there’s still a ways to go before next generation technologies come up. I would never buy a budget PC, system performance gets left behind way too fast. I hate waiting for the stupid hourglass icon on the screen; I just don’t have the patience. I will gladly pay more for that thing to disappear as quickly as possible. Time is money! A minute there, a minute here, it all adds up.