REAL ENVIRONMENT · 1998–PRESENT
A modern personal computer built around Linux
ACCESSION HCL-WS-001
This record describes the machine as observed in use. It does not imply that every part was installed at the same time; component dates and earlier configurations remain open research fields.
Installed artifacts
Platform decision record
World of Warcraft Classic is strongly CPU-dependent, and the Ryzen 7 5800X3D was selected primarily for that workload. A Gigabyte B550 Vision D was available at a good price, while moving to DDR5 was not attractive at prevailing prices. Staying with AM4 was therefore the sensible platform choice.
Configuration history
Graphics transition evidence
The white Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3060 Ti Vision OC generally worked in preconfigured distributions such as CachyOS and Linux Mint, but those were not the author’s preferred operating environments. Occasional Linux driver or compatibility issues occurred on self-configured systems. The €20 R9 380 evaluation provided a low-risk compatibility test before committing to the later primary AMD card.
Storage evidence
Last system drive before the Intel Core i7-to-AMD Ryzen transition. It preserves a Windows 10 and Debian dual-boot installation and represents the final dual-boot stage before the first Linux-only primary SSD.
PRESERVED IN LAST OPERATIONAL STATE
First primary SSD after the move to the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, and the first primary system drive in this sequence without Windows. It preserves Gentoo Linux with XMonad and was tested again a few months ago, when it still booted successfully.
PRESERVED IN LAST OPERATIONAL STATE
Software environment evidence
This daily-use stage records Gentoo Linux, XMonad, the Ryzen 7 5800X3D, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, Steam, Kitty and the B550 Vision D platform. It remained in use until software including OBS and Steam worked as required.
The date in the archive filename records archival naming, not a claimed capture date.
Record state
Current workstation photographs and verified hardware; Ryzen 7 5800X3D packaging; R9 380 evaluation artifact and packaging; RX 9060 XT original packaging; preserved operating-system SSDs; Gentoo/XMonad operational screenshot; GTX 970 illustrated reconstruction.
Exact dates for some component transitions; complete photographs of all retired hardware; the physical RTX 3060 Ti, for which no artifact photograph is currently available; later photographs of the current system interior; additional verified upgrade records.
Cthulhu is the modern working end of this environment: an Arch Linux computer used for daily computing, software development, website and Computer Museum work, World Observer work, and Linux gaming. Its AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D processor, Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16 GB of graphics memory, 32 GB of RAM, and 3440 × 1440 ultrawide display describe a machine designed to do many kinds of work without changing its role.
Arch Linux supplies the operating system; the sway window manager arranges the desktop around keyboard-driven workflows. Package management keeps software installable and updatable as a coordinated system rather than as a shelf of physical boxes.
Usually built around one processor core, modest memory, local installation media and a desktop designed for a single machine. Networking was valuable, but not assumed to be part of every task.
Many processor cores, a capable GPU, abundant memory and persistent networking let one computer be a creative workstation, development platform, game machine and client of other services at once.
Multi-core processors allow separate tasks to make progress together. GPUs have become programmable, high-throughput companions to the processor. Linux offers many desktop environments and window managers, so the interface can be adapted to a workflow. Modern tools also assume fast networks: code, documentation, services and collaborators may be elsewhere even when the work is local.