TheFirstMonk

Heh, yeah, I did notice that the Antec Sonata had a 500W power supply, but I thought that it wouldn't be enough to power what I wanted. I think I saw a picture where someone swapped it out for another one in their build, so I thought I would do that. I was going to buy that Cooler Master for sure since I read reviews for it after you suggested it. It seems to run really cool and silent like you said. I saw a deal for this though: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811146041 The reviews I've read online pretty much recommend yours over this one, but the NZXT was cheaper and the only major problem with it that I've read is that the fans are not as good as the Cooler Master's (in terms of the number and placement of fans). I might regret the purchase later, but I wanted to limit my budget since I'm pretty sure I'll screw up the first time around building this thing; I actually spent hours on and off thinking about which one to get. I would definitely pick that Cooler Master case though if I get to build a second one (hopefully, I'll learn something from the first one). I saw that Seagate HD that you recommended on the newegg website before a couple weeks ago, and I was going to buy it earlier until I saw the description about how it's made for surveillance and DVR. It seems like a really good product, but I don't know if I can use it for gaming and such based on how it's described. I hope it can be used for gaming because I'm still willing to get it; I'll wait until Black Friday to see if it goes on sale or something. Thanks for the advice on what components to pick. I'm feeling a little more confident about the whole project, although I have serious reservations about my ability to pull this thing off. Here's hoping... EDIT: Forgot to say some stuff. I'm wondering about what quad core to get; I listed the q9400, but I'm not too sure anymore since I could save some money in the short term. Is there a big difference between the q9xxx series and the lower ones like the q6600 or q8200? Also, I read online that at lower resolutions for a game (say, for example, a 15inch monitor), the CPU is the limiting component, whereas at higher resolutions, the GPU is. I don't know if that's really true. What do you guys think?

Component list so far: DVD Player/Burner- Samsung 22x DVD+/-R with Lightscribe ($27.99): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16827151173 Case- Antec Sonata III 500 Black 0.8mm cold rolled steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case ($44.99 after coupon code): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811129024 Video Card- SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ($134.99 after MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102770 Power Supply (pending)- PC Power & Cooling S75QB 750W ATX12V / EPS12V ($79.99 after MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817703009 Mouse- Logitech MX518 2-Tone 8 Buttons 1 x Wheel USB + PS/2 Wired ($24.99 after MIR and coupon code): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16826104178 Memory- Patriot Viper 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) ($57.99 after MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220353 Motherboard (pending)- ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX ($81.99 after MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131347 CPU/Processor (pending)- Intel Core2 Quad Q9400 2.66GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 ($269.99): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115131 Internal Hard Drive: Currently unknown; greater than 200GB, less than 750GB (most likely around 500GB) Shipping cost: $12.80 Cost before rebates and coupons: $885.72 Cost after rebates and coupons: $735.72 (If I can get the Acer 19inch monitor from Best Buy on Black Friday, the extra cost would be $99 ($105.93 after sales tax), so the total would be $841.65, assuming the rebates come through for the other items) I labeled the power supply and processor with "pending" because I'm considering other alternatives. Thinking about the COOLMAX RM-750B 750W ATX12V ($49.99 after MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817159094 OR Thermaltake Toughpower W0172RU 850W ATX12V / EPS12V ($129.99 after MIR): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817153062 The processor could be the cheaper Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz 6MB L2 Cache LGA 775 ($244.99): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...3&Tpk=Q9300 , although I don't know if $25.00 would be a big deal for me. I'll have to look at the performance gap (if any) between the 2 cpus to see if there's a notable difference. I still can't find a lot of online reviews for the Asus P5Q SE Plus; I find the P5Q Pro and the P5Q-E, but not the SE Plus. I tried looking at the Asus Forums for support/ troubleshooting and did not find a lot of issues concerning the SE Plus, which could mean that there are few (good), or that it's a fairly new product (not so good for me). Will keep looking at it and thinking about other motherboards as well. I also don't really know what internal hard drive to get. I hear a lot of bad things about OEM products, but I don't know if I should take them seriously. I was going to get a Seagate HD, but they seem to have mixed reviews online; 5 year warranty is a positive thing for me though. Still thinking about Western Digital and other drives. I might be missing some parts in my list; feel free to point them out. I'll try to keep you guys updated since you gave me a lot of good advice and suggestions so far. EDIT: Forgot about OS; most likely choosing Windows Vista Home Premium 64-Bit, which should be around $100. Still under $1000, but it's close to breaking that limit.

Happy B-day. Shaft sounds less than enthusiastic. Someone should have brought cake to change his mind.

Well, Yoda tells Luke he's not ready when he tries to leave for Cloud City, so it's more likely he did not cram 20 years of Jedi training. Maybe 10 years tops; that Yoda knows what curriculum to keep and what curriculum to throw out.

Just finished watching it; I started around 30 min into it. I never got into "24" before (I watched a couple episodes of Seasons 4 and 5, but not consistently), so I can't really compare this 2-hour "movie" to previous seasons. I will say that Kiefer Sutherland gave a solid performance as expected, but I liked Robert Carlyle's as well. He's not in a lot of mainstream projects (last one I heard of was "28 Weeks Later"), but I enjoyed how the two actors played off each other. I thought one scene in particular showed Carlyle's depth; I won't say what it is because of risk of spoilers, but it takes place in the latter half, and those who watched it probably know what I'm talking about.

Oh, I get it now, Jackie. You're "bored" of L4D when I get my copy, but Shazz shows some interest, and it's time to play. Someone's going to be bait for a tank... Tag! You're it!

I really like that nade kill in the beginning on de_train; cool camera pan and such. Really fast pace though; not really a bad thing, I just had to watch some parts again.

Sorry, Shaft.

Good luck!

I've heard of Thermaltake power supplies and generally hear good things, and I trust Preacher's judgment on the Coolmax's. I don't know if I'll pick them over a PC Power and Cooling one (the only one I've had experience with, although some reviewers at newegg accuse them of lowering their quality standards since being acquired by OCZ; I bought my 2+ year old 470W Silencer before that happened, so I can't compare), but you guys reminded me that I should probably buy something bigger than 600W, so I won't have to upgrade in that area in the future. I'll most likely get one that's at least 750W now. Thanks. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on this motherboard: ASUS P5Q SE PLUS LGA 775 INTEL P45 ATX http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16813131347 I've read earlier posts by other people who use the ASUS P5Q Pro, but I'm not going to use Crossfire in the future at all. I know the one I picked would be a cheaper alternative, but I don't know if it would be a good choice (the reviews for it are fairly recent, so I can't rely on those in terms of deciding its longevity). General J advised not to buy a cheap one, so I'm just wondering if this seems like a decent board for a single video card and a quad core. Also, does anyone know anything about Patriot memory? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16820220353 I saw these in a combo deal with the Antec 900 case (my first choice so far), but I was wondering if the company is any good. The memory sticks are DDR2 1066, so I assume they work with the above motherboard. In addition, I was set to buy that 19 inch Dell monitor for $125.30, but I also saw a Black Friday deal from Best Buy for a 19 inch Acer for $99. The Acer differs from the Dell in that the contrast ratio is 2000:1 instead of 1000:1; is that a big enough difference to warrant a purchase? I'm leaning towards the Dell right now... Thanks for your input so far, guys.

Just bought it yesterday from Amazon with the deal I posted above. Shipping is free but the estimate arrival is next Friday (might come faster than that; I'm monitoring my package delivery online). Guess I'll have to wait till then. Hopefully you guys don't kill all the zombies by the time I get my copy.

Z Steam ID - 0:1:6087835 (this is all I copied for a Steam ID; don't know if more is necessary) Not really a ban request, although in the future, his conduct may need to be corrected. Took place between 10:00pm and 10:30pm Central Time on de_train. I accidentally tked him during de_train today (November 21, 2008) when my hand grenade killed him after I had just been killed by CTs. I apologized, and he responded by saying, "thank u fa****" (a lame slur). Since it was only a one time thing (I didn't hear him use any other foul or racial language), I don't know if it's grounds for a ban, but I'm posting this as a reference in case any other violations are committed by him in the future.

For those who still haven't bought Left 4 Dead, Amazon.com now sells the PC version for $39.99 with free shipping. This is a better deal than Circuit City, which also advertises $39.99 with free shipping but applies sales tax to the final price. Sorry I didn't tell you guys Amazon's price first before Circuit City's. for bad reporting on my part.

If you want to get Left 4 Dead for the PC like shaftiel and exile suggest, Amazon.com sells it for $39.99 with free shipping now as opposed to its original price of $49.99. This is a better deal than the Circuit City price I posted in another thread; with Circuit City, the price is also $39.99 with free shipping, but sales tax is still applied. (Sorry I didn't catch Amazon's price earlier to tell you guys. )

Lol at anonymo. It's not too hard to believe bushwack hasn't finished it. I haven't finished Half Life 2 yet and that came out 4+ years ago.

I'd post this stuff in a new thread, but I haven't chosen a lot of parts yet. Video Card: Radeon HD 4850 (Don't know which brand yet) Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling 610W ($69.99 after MIR)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817703005 Hard Drive: Seagate 500GB HD (maybe) ($69.99-$97.99)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....20Hard%20Drives Case: Antec 900 ATX Midtower ($94.99 on Amazon.com)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16811129021 CPU/ Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 (maybe) ($249.99)- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115043 RAM: I don't know yet (thinking over a couple brands like Maverick's Mushkin), but I prefer DDR2 to DDR3; would like to expand to 6-8GB (might be overkill) maybe in the future, but 4GB is fine for now. Motherboard: I don't know yet; I've read reviews on newegg, which are confusing since they have ones with both really positive and really negative comments (I tend to ignore the DOA ones and focus on the negative ones where they fail after a period of time). CPU Cooler: I don't know yet. DVD Player/ Burner of some kind (don't really need Blu Ray at the moment): I don't know yet; I don't really have a preference other than one that can last and is decent. Don't really need a keyboard or mouse, so I'm not listing those. I probably missed a part or two above. Haven't decided if I want to stick with the Seagate (seems WD and Seagate are the most popular internal HDs, but they seem to have reports of failure of some kind in newegg's reviews) or not; I have a Samsung 250 GB right now. CPU/ Processor might change since i7 might drop prices of the older quad cores. Motherboard is probably the hardest decision for me. Still reading articles/ watching videos on youtube on building a computer. By the way, which is the better deal here? Samsung 19 Inch for $149.99 ($163.01 with shipping and tax)? http://www.compusa.com/applications/search...wyCjCVqHCjCdwwp OR Dell 19 Inch for $125.30 (0 dollars for shipping and tax)? http://dealnews.com/Dell-S199-WFP-19-Wides...ing/261824.html Obviously the Dell is cheaper, but I was wondering about the quality comparison between the two. I don't think they should be much different, but I've only bought a 15 inch Sony that's about 3 and a 1/2 years old, so I have no experience with either brand other than looking at Samsung monitors at Best Buy. I think both monitors have a 3 year warranty. Thanks for any input on any of the stuff I've posted here. And I don't think I can afford P Chan's suggestion.

Not to be too nosy, but how is the multiplayer experience in the full version? Did they fix the server issues? Anyone play on an eight person server yet (for Versus mode)?

Thanks for the replies, guys. I guess I'll think about building one instead of buying like you all suggested. I'll do some research on finding the right parts and building for now; I'm mostly worried about parts compatibility and OS installation (putting it together seems pretty hard too, but that's a given for someone new like me ). I don't know if I'll build one before the end of the year or wait a bit in 2009, but my budget would be around or under $1000 (preferably under). Some parts have already been suggested in previous posts I've made here, so I'll probably play around with some of those ideas (Radeon HD 4850, CoolMax PS's, Intel Core 2 Duo or Quad, Windows Vista 64-Bit). I've looked at other people's recent threads on building gaming PCs on the internet, and they have some builds that are around my price range; I probably won't copy their exact specs when planning my own, but some parts keep coming up: Western Digital Caviar HD or a Seagate HD OCZ, Corsair, etc. for RAM ASUS, Gigabyte, etc. for a motherboard Nothing consistent on CPU coolers or power supplies Cases vary, although Antec 900 is considered to be decent (according to what I've read) That's probably some stuff I need to read up on in the near future. I don't intend on overclocking or having SLI/Crossfire like some of the internet builds were going for or using things like liquid cooling, so I won't have to worry about those things thankfully. I'll also wait like Preacher said for Black Friday and see if I can find a deal on a part or two; hopefully I'll know what to look for... Thanks for volunteering to give me a walkthrough in building one; I definitely need experts on my side.

I can maybe see her getting scammed out of the first $100. All the money lost after that becomes really crazy.

http://www.logicbuy.com/deals/-200-Coupon-...op-PC/9605.aspx On a related note to the recent post I made about the $400 discount off of HP desktops, what do you guys think of the HP Pavilion Elite d5100t I linked above? I made a previous post in the Hardware and Software section about getting a new graphics card only (with a better power supply), but I'm wondering if buying this HP and then swapping the video card and the power supply would be an okay idea. (I highlighted some parts that I thought were decent enough to warrant a purchase): * Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.5GHz; GeForce 9300 256MB; 500GB HDD * Blu-Ray DVD Player and Lightscribe SuperMulti DVD Burner; 3GB DDR2 800; Card Reader; Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium with Service Pack 1 (64-Bit) The total would come out to $699.99 after the $400 discount. (The above link doesn't list the $150 instant rebate that the d5100t has on the HP website. The cost of the BluRay is negated because of the rebate.) Assuming I bought a relatively cheap Radeon HD 4850 and power supply for around or under $200 total later on, the total cost would be $899.99, give or take a couple dollars. Part of me thinks it's a bad idea for me to do it since I'd be wasting money on parts I'm not going to use (the 9300 Geforce and the power supply it already has); on the other hand, I'm a bit unsure about my ability to put together a computer (I've never done it before). I've been trying to find the specific parts that the d5100t is made up of and the parts I want to put into it (Radeon HD 4850 and Coolmax 650W) to see if it would be cheaper to build a computer. I can't seem to find what motherboard or Blu Ray DVD player/ DVD burner the d5100t uses, so I can't really calculate the cost of those parts specifically or accurately (I obviously can't calculate the specific cost of the case either). The parts I listed below are mostly theoretical: Core 2 Quad Q9300 - $249.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16819115043 Sapphire Radeon HD 4850 512MB - $139.99 after MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16814102770 Coolmax 650W Power Supply (one of Preacher's suggestions) - $39.99 after MIR: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16817159082 Antec 900 Computer Case (a random case I picked; feel free to suggest a cheaper/ better one for calculation purposes) - $109.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...Tpk=antec%20900 Windows Vista Home Premium (64-Bit) OS - $99.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16832116488 Generic Blu-Ray DVD Player/ DVD Burner - $150 (some of the ones on newegg cost around there) Lowest priced 500GB Internal HD I could find on newegg - $59.99: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....20Hard%20Drives I'm not sure what motherboard to possibly list since I can't find the one the d5100t uses. I'm assuming it's at least over $100 for a reliable one; I could be wrong though since I'm not a tech expert. If I bend the prices of some components, like the computer case, I come up with different numbers for the total price. Still, I get the strange feeling that modifying the $699.99 HP and building a similar computer from scratch would not be too different in price (If I made any mistakes in adding the prices or listed the wrong component, feel free to correct me.). I could also wait a couple months and see how I feel about the whole thing then; maybe HP will have a similar deal in the future. I know that Intel is releasing the i7 and such, so prices of older CPUs may go down in the future too. Sorry if these posts seem unnecessary; I started off by asking about graphics cards and ended up making a post about possibly getting a new computer. Any criticism or advice would be appreciated. EDIT: The Corsair RAM price changed, so I'm striking that out.

Hey, I don't know if any of you guys are interested in this kind of deal, but HP is offering to take off $400 from the price of any customizable HP Pavilion Desktop over $999. I think this deal is on other sites like fatwallet.com and such; I found it on this site: http://www.xpbargains.com/index.php/send_deal/97984 It expires on November 23. I know you guys generally build your gaming computers, but you might tell a friend who doesn't game and needs a cheap computer that they don't want to build. Assuming the computer is around $1000-$1100 at its cheapest to qualify, you could get a computer for $600-$700.

Yeah, the alternate route seems pretty safe. There may be a few zombies in that building, but only a few (at least during the couple of times I've run through there). Gotta watch out at the stairway leading from the street to the safe room still; sometimes a Smoker will spawn near the wrecked car below and grab you before you can get to the door, or a Boomer will vomit on/attack you near the top of the stairway. You could also try jumping from the rooftop at the beginning to the ventilation units in the alleyway to bypass the entire apartment, but that's risky.

Hey, Quick question: I'm just curious as to what websites you guys look at for deals on computer equipment and such. I've seen people here post links from woot.com and slickdeals.net. Are there any other sites you guys would recommend? Thanks for any help.

There's some suggestions for digital picture frames in the December 2008 issue of Consumer Reports. They recommend 3 picture frames: 1. HP df800 (discontinued, but replaced by similar HP df820) - $150 "It's the only model among the three with a remote and the ability to play music with a slideshow. But it's the only one not compatible with a Macintosh. It has on-board memory, is wall-mountable, and comes with extra, detachable frames for various looks." 2. Philips 8FF3FPW/27 - $150 Does not have a remote, on-board memory, contrast control, or audio playback. http://www.consumer.philips.com/consumer/e..._27_US_CONSUMER 3. Westinghouse DPF-0804 - $120 Has on-board memory and contrast control, but no remote or audio playback. http://www.westinghousedigital.com/details.aspx?itemnum=208 "The three frames in these Ratings, all 7 or 8 inches, are recommended. They are among the best performers and least expensive. They accept all common card formats or a flash drive via USB and can handle images up to 12 megapixels. And they start a slide show automatically. All must be plugged in." I've never actually bought anything based on what Consumer Reports has recommended, although my subscription was fairly recent (about a year ago); I can't really vouch for what they say based on a purchasing experience. I tried reading some more about them on the Internet. The HP df800 did not seem to get absolutely favorable reviews on Amazon.com (although there are only 12 user reviews posted): http://www.amazon.com/review/product/B0011...howViewpoints=1 To be fair, some of the criticism posted on the Amazon review page is trivial (lack of technical support from HP), but there are also some legitimate concerns (buggy slide show when set on 1 hour interval, inability to choose picture order). The reviews are mostly from a couple months ago, as far back as May 2008. The Philips is reviewed as having good image quality but lacks certain features (as also reported by Consumer Reports) that might not justify its price. A link of one review here (I tried to find a recent one, Sept. 2008 for this one): http://www.digital-photoframes.org/philips...-picture-frame/ I can't find a lot of reviews on the Westinghouse (or maybe I'm not looking hard enough) unfortunately. Hope that helps or at least eliminates some choices.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. Some of your recommendations overlapped on the HD 4850, so I read some articles/ reviews. It seems to be slightly better than a 9800GTX (and, therefore, the 9800GT I was considering), and it looks like it could last me a while if I did buy it. The problem would be my PSU, since the 12v rail does not have enough to power an HD 4850 (I heard it needs at least 30A; mine currently has 26A I believe). I would have to buy another PSU along with the HD 4850. Another problem that I'm facing, whether or not I buy the HD4850 or even the 9800GT (or any of the other suggestions), is my CPU. I've read that I would have to upgrade to a dual core since my Pentium D would "bottleneck" the performance of the video card. I know that not many current games really exploit the full power of a dual core, but even so, the video card (according to what I've read; I could be wrong) would be limited because of my old system. So I either stick with what I have now for a little longer, upgrade to something a little better like a 9800GT (which may not increase the performance because of my current computer's limitations), or save some money and time overall and buy/ build a new computer with a really good video card from all of your suggestions. It might be time to get a new computer since I've had this for a little more than 2 years, but I don't really feel like spending a lot of money on myself in general. Hmm, decisions, decisions...