Okay guys...

Sharpster · Post by **Sharpster** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 10:50 pm

Ight, is a 19" considered a Widescreen ? I cant deal with Widescreens, I hate Widescreen TVs.

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 11:25 pm

Sharp,
I buy almost all my components from www.newegg.com for my clients. Not one problem that they could not resolve yet. Probably spent over $10,000 last few years with them.

I use an Acer 19" LCD that I bought from there. You just have to make sure the response time is below 16ms for decent gaming or you get a blurring effect. I love mine. I got it for $269. and free shipping.

When you discuss 2800mhz or 3400mhz..think of number of cycles. The higher number of cycles the more data is passing through the processor. Those cycles are actually electrical waves passing through the processor representing data. But processor cycles are just a small part of the total processing power of a computer, you have Front Side bus electrical cycles, you have memory refresh cycles, etc. Too much to discuss here and pretty interesting. When you hear the term "Overclocking" it means to tweak and move these cycles higher until either the machine becomes unstable because of overheating, or the hardware just cannot support it. It is a risky game but can give you a reward of higher performance without spending any more money. My computer is an AMD XP 2500+ that I have overclocked to the speed of a 3000+ processor. But it can be flakey sometimes.

A good powersupply is worth its' weight in diamonds. It is a stable, clean, and reliable powersource for the entire machine. BUT, a good one will cost you $40-100+ depending on what you need. Yes, expensive, but you can take it with you for a long time. Mine is an Enermax 350 watt, should be bigger due to all the crap, lights, etc. that I have running on it.

Cases...metal is metal...but ventilation is a key in cases. Look for one that has plenty of fan mounts and expansion.

Memory, another biggie...don't be cheap on it either. I usually buy Crucial or Corsair brands. Kingston works great in a pinch. OCZ is top of the line.

Like I said, when you get close we can do it. We can go ahead and help you pick out a case and powersupply now, they will not really go down in value.

XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Tue Nov 15, 2005 11:34 pm

Patriot is also another good memory brand. I prefer crucial (and have several crucial modules in my machine now).

I also prefer ASUS's stuff. BUT, with some of the prices of their things, I am considering getting other brands for my next computer components.

MY computing performance needs are different than most everyone else here. The reason for that is sometimes I'll write some code to model some system (like a radio transmitter, or a fluid system, or a fusion reaction) and simulate it. That type of work needs lots of processing power and a special kind of processing power. Let's just say that you won't need to get top of the line processors or motherboards, which could run into the thousands of dollars. I didn't spend like that on mine, but I did get good quality components, which is why I went with ASUS components for most of my current machine.

Sharpster · Post by **Sharpster** » Wed Nov 16, 2005 2:21 pm

XMEN Iceman wrote:Sharp, We can go ahead and help you pick out a case and powersupply now, they will not really go down in value.

I like the case from the link you showed me of sharkys extreme site, either the blue or black one with the blue led lights. Prolly black just because you have a better chance of getting cd drives in black then that blue color, (want it to be uniform) Don't want like white cd drives in a black case or somthin

Or does anyone recommend a better case ?

XMEN Ashaman DTM · Post by **XMEN Ashaman DTM** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:23 am

Really the only reasons that you'd need a more expensive case are:

-bragging rights
-shielding if you live close to an airport or some kind of radar site
-you carry it a lot... means you'll want one that is on the lighter side
-space and layout of the internals
-cooling capability (basically how many places are there to mount fans)

Out of all those reasons, for practical purposes space and layout and cooling capability are probably primary. And shielding would be too if you live near an airport (and have line of sight to their radar equipment). The shielding requirement means that you'd want a windowless, aluminum case over one with a window or made of steel or plastic.

And do NOT skimp on a power supply. It can cause problems for your system that seem like issues with your RAM or cpu, but it's actually your power supply. That would waste more money and time in the long run to try and hunt down the problem.

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 9:04 am

I would get this combo from TigerDirect ASAP. It is a great deal for a good case and PS. That powersupply is getting great reviews and I love those type of cases. They are very well made and are nice looking. And for $49. after rebate you can't beat it.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... J-ULT31742

Ultra UV Wizard Black ATX Mid-Tower Case with UV Reactive Clear Side, Front USB & Firewire Ports and Ultra X-Connect 500-Watt Power Supply

Sharpster · Post by **Sharpster** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 1:54 pm

Ooo I like that...

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:23 pm

The clear plastic side is UV Reactive...which means when you drop in a UV tube to light up the case that whole side will glow blue. Plus the power cords are UV reactive. Add some Rounded UV hardrive cables, etc. Sweet! But that modular X-Connect Powersupply cleans up the case very nicely. You only plug in the power cords you need for each device and have none extra hanging in there.

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 3:28 pm

Dual Cold Cathode UV light kit...one on the bottom, one on the top...glow city dude!!!

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications ... CatId=1460

Sharpster · Post by **Sharpster** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 5:02 pm

Heh, Maybe ill hold off on the lef lights for now... I'd rather have all my parts and then throw in 20 bucks at the end for them

Thx for the find, I love that case, my mom just now finished putting in the credit card stuff and ordered it lol! (Rebate was only untill the 30th, and I didnt wanna forget between then and now.)

Now I will be sitting around staring at an empty case untill I get things to put it in !

EDIT: One other thing, when I eventually get those 2 light sources, do you mean on on the top of the window side and one on the bottom of the window sidE ?

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:23 pm

You mount them on the window side, behind the top and bottom metal lips. You will see them.

You want them on that side to shine down on the motherboard and cables.

Sharpster · Post by **Sharpster** » Thu Nov 17, 2005 8:47 pm

Ight that sounds good....

That case was $91 and some change after I ordered of course there is the $30 rebate but 17 bucks for shipping is outrageous...

Are they blue ? they look purple ?

Spinning Hat · Post by **Spinning Hat** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 4:02 am

It'll glow a cool blue. You can even get Blue UV case fans,... very nice. I need to get a shorter light for my case, as it doesn;t fit... LOL That combo is very, very nice, and you won't be disappointed with either, and your power problems are solved. I have Patriot memory in my system right now, and it's one of the least inexpensive brands out there right now, but also has very low ltimings to it, which can lead to better performance, but with AMD chips, it's not as important. (2-3-2-5-T1 for you uber geeks) I got a dual channel kit (2x512mb) for $126 from newegg. you'll find that we all endorse newegg one way or another here, as we've all ordered from there, and their customer service is top notch. Once you've really got some cash to spend, we'll set you up within your budget.

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:35 am

Sharp,
That case is not a light case...it is sheet metal, not aluminum. So it is heavier than the wimpy cases. You will like it. It is actually a Chieftec/Antec case made for them. I have the tall tower version of it in Yellow with a different grill pattern.

That 500-watt power supply goes for usually around $70 on its' own, Xoxide has it for $67.00 AFTER rebate: http://www.xoxide.com/ultrarebate.html, so when you put the two together with the rebate it is a really good deal.

Have fun!

XMEN Iceman · Post by **XMEN Iceman** » Fri Nov 18, 2005 8:41 am

Ohhhh...Ohh...I found you a $30 rebate on the Powersupply.

http://www.onrebate.com/OfferDetails.aspx?rebid=1223

Get a little more money back...makes your case and PS about $19 after all the rebates.