Very good things! *keep it clean* (big images)

[acdcfanbill]

just preordered red orchestra 2

[Pho3nix]

About to start studying at Stockholm University!

[TiE23]

About two weeks ago I made my bro's new computer, which is basically just my computer from six months ago but Intel based instead of AMD.

Antec 300 Case (same I have)
Crucial C300 64GB SATAIII SSD (same I have)
MSI GTX460 768MB (my previous card)
Mushkin 1333mhz DDR3 RAM 2×4GB (same I have)
Intel SandyBridge 2500K (stock clock at the moment)
Zalman CNPS9700LED heatsink (just like I have)
Samsung 2TB 7200RPM hard drive
ASUS DVD Burner
An ASROCK motherboard

One of my old monitors, my old piece of **** PSU, and a complimentary copy of Win 7 Pro x64 provided by my school lab.
Plus labor, some tech support over Skype, and around 3 hours worth of my professional-grade UI and file structure sprucing-up service (which was all for naught after I had to help him reinstall the OS after a freak HDD driver failure).
Oh, and I'm only charging him $220 for all the parts and help... and the ****er hasn't paid me yet... Oh well, more free shooting trips for me!

But yeah. I've extended offers to some friends to "build them a sweet computer", and this was the first time I got to do it. Was fun.

Oh, sad thing? The motherboard was by the same company that I had to replace on my own computer. I haven't seen any direct problems, but it once had the same startup graphical glitch with my own motherboard. So, thanks ASROCK, I nay have just gone and purchased another faulty motherboard. Bleh. :[

[swphreak]

I would be posting this on my upgraded PC, but one of the sticks of RAM I got doesn't work. It's going to probably be two weeks before I get a replacement from newegg.

I got a new job, so I blew some bux on some new parts:
Lancool PC-K62 case
ASRock P67 Extreme6
Intel Core i7-2600K
G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600 RAM
Kept the same PSU, HDDs, graphics card, and monitor.

I was worried that the mobo was the problem, but I'm pretty sure I got a bad stick of RAM. If I had gotten it from Amazon, they'd send me a replacement overnight, but newegg waits until you send it back.

[RoxStar]

Originally Posted by TiE23

Oh, sad thing? The motherboard was by the same company that I had to replace on my own computer. I haven't seen any direct problems, but it once had the same startup graphical glitch with my own motherboard. So, thanks ASROCK, I nay have just gone and purchased another faulty motherboard. Bleh. :[

Buy cheap, buy twice.

[Darth Avlectus]

Yesterday at a yard sale some guy was selling 2 big boxes full of comics. OLD comics. I got it for $50.

Inside: ~500 comic books in good to mint condition and much of it duplicates.
DC and Marvel dating from the 60's up to the 80's.

A 1965 Justice league of America is probably the oldest one in there. The newest is various stuff from 1986.

Marvel Fanfare, old school teen titans, league of superheores, hell even some old Star Wars comics.

Originally Posted by TiE23

Oh, and I'm only charging him $220 for all the parts and help... and the ****er hasn't paid me yet... Oh well, more free shooting trips for me!

Ah yes. Shooting things can be quite therapeutic.

But yeah. I've extended offers to some friends to "build them a sweet computer", and this was the first time I got to do it. Was fun.

Oh, sad thing? The motherboard was by the same company that I had to replace on my own computer. I haven't seen any direct problems, but it once had the same startup graphical glitch with my own motherboard. So, thanks ASROCK, I nay have just gone and purchased another faulty motherboard. Bleh. :[

After all that you're still having these issues? I'd go to Consumer Reports or something like that and get the word out.

[BongoBob]

Originally Posted by RoxStar

Buy cheap, buy twice.

While I agree with this sentiment, I haven't had a single problem with my ASRock P67 Extreme4 motherboard. Maybe you just have s***ty luck TiE?

In other news, here's my latest baby:



eVGA nVidia GTX 570

So yeah, once again living off ramen for a few weeks, but god damn was it worth it. The Witcher 2 on Ultra runs great, Bad Company 2 is absolutely buttery smooth. Also got myself a 750GB Western Digital SATA 6GB/s HDD too because I was running out of storage.

Now all I have left to upgrade is my CPU cooler and get an SSD and I'll be pretty much totally set.

Now bring on Skyrim and BF3 >:3

[Darth Avlectus]

Originally Posted by BongoBob

Also got myself a 750GB Western Digital SATA 6GB/s HDD too because I was running out of storage.

Eesh. Hope the fates are kinder to you than they were to me. Had some WD MyBooks 500GB and they died after 1 year of not even constant use for storage of just music.

[TiE23]

Originally Posted by BongoBob

While I agree with this sentiment, I haven't had a single problem with my ASRock P67 Extreme4 motherboard. Maybe you just have s***ty luck TiE?

Yeah, key phrase "s***ty luck". After my month long computer clusterf**k my phone has been giving me tons of issues lately and I'll be looking into getting it replaced in the next week and hopefully for not-too-much money. It's a hardware problem and I figure it's 99% certain that it's due to "overheating", in that as soon as it gets even a tad warm it turns off.

Oh, but I did figure out how to fix this weird tint issue with my Dell U2711 monitor where the two left-and-right halves of the screen would change their tint very slightly after 10 minutes of use. Changing the color profile in the OSD fixed that, thankfully.

Originally Posted by RoxStar

Buy cheap, buy twice.

Heh, I've learned plenty from that sentiment. I've invested properly into nice CPU coolers, a cool running graphics card, a high quality PSU, a fast SSD for the OS, and a massive super-fancy monitor.

Funny thing is that the Gigabyte mobos are still only like $15-20 more than ASRock. Now, I had only made a wish-list on Newegg for parts for my brother to buy. When he was visiting he suddenly announced "okay, I'm about to click 'submit order'", after I had told him "let me do a double-double-double check before you buy stuff". I was about to stop him and give some time to review the choices, but I think I was busy with something else and just went "eh, alright, whatever". If I had the patience I probably would have gotten a nicer Gigabyte mobo... problem was I made the wishlist a couple of weeks before finding that the mobo was at fault -and- I rationalized that a problem that occurred on an AMD board wouldn't happen on an Intel board...

New stuff:

• My Kindle's screen broke but I got it replaced free of charge in just three days with an eight minute long phone call.
• I went ahead and bought BF3 on Origin, and got Mass Effect 2 as a bonus for taking part in the Alpha (yeah, I was in it and that's all I'll say).
• I get my paycheck in two days and I've been looking at Bastion and From Dust on Steam. And from the sounds of the heaps of praise it has gotten, may look into Frozen Synapse. Shogun 2 has gotten me into a strategy game tilted mood and it seems to be a real-time Metal Gear Ac!d, which I loved the **** out of, I probably played MGA2 more than Lumines on my PSP.
• I bought a Torx screwdriver set to open up my HTC HD7 so I could replace the memory card.
• I got a 32GB MicroSD card for around $50, but unfortunately didn't solve my freezing issues as I had hoped. Luckily I was able to modify the memory of my phone without breaking the warranty seal, so I'll just hold onto this card until I hopefully get a replacement.
• I swapped my totally crap generic 2.0 desktop speakers with my simple 2.1 Logitech speakers I was using with my bedroom TV. So now my music and games no longer sound like crap coming from my computer. Now, they're still like four year old $40 speakers, but they're fantastic compared to the previous set.
• I put two and two together and realized that my 720p Vizio TV in my bedroom was crappy and not being used because I hardly touch my 360 anymore. So I moved my 360 and my PS3 to play through HDMI onto my U2711 by sticking them under the bed next to the desk. I have to swap the HDMI cable between the two consoles, though.
• I hit a jack-pot in terms of luck in media connections, though. I don't have to change around anything to get the HDMI's sound through to the computer speakers. I just used a male-to-male 3.5mm cable that is perfect length from the monitor's audio-out to the Logitech 2.1 speaker's controller where there is a line-in socket for music devices or whatever. So audio from both the PC and the PS3/360 can be pumped through the speakers.

[Pho3nix]

When did this thread turn into post-your-pc-specs extravaganza?

[IG-64]

Originally Posted by Pho3nix

When did this thread turn into post-your-pc-specs extravaganza?

Around page 4 I think.

[RpTheHotrod]

!!!11




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txjm94GnrPA

[TiE23]

Got some of my first vinyl albums. Pretty interesting experience, records. Made me realize how mind blowing the music browser on my phone could have been to people any time before 2001.

















And a sh**ty turntable that I regret buying already...

The one with the birds is "Mandala" by RX Bandits, btw.

[Darth Groovy]

This game kicks ass on many levels. I would describe it as "Blade Runner" meets MGS, and Mass Effect 2. With FPS combat, a true duck and cover system that mirrors "Gears of War", and a straight RPS story system, which allows you to choose your dialogue as well as how you plan your missions. The story takes place in 2027. You play as Adam Jensen, who was kicked off of Police SWAT, over a bogus call, and hand picked to be the chief security officer of a corporate executive who deals in experimental robotic augmentation. After a black ops espionage goes south, facing death you are augmented with cybernetic arms, and the ability to see a heads up display through cybernetic sunglasses.

The game is pretty straight forward, and allows you to choose how you want to plot out any mission given to you. You can go in stealth, guns a blazing, or hack your way through computers. The AI is stellar, and the FPS gun play is similar to that of Mass Effect 2. Even the music echoes that of Vangelis' "Blade Runner" soundtrack. This game is just all about awesome!

I originally ordered the PS3 version, but due to a last minute customer issue, I traded my PS3 for 360, which was really no different from that of the PS3. In the augmented version, there is a bonus art book, and extra disc which contains a "making of" video, several trailers, and a downloadable soundtrack. So far I give this game a solid 90%!



Somebody actually traded this in.... According to GameStop it has no different value than that of the regular edition. So I snagged up this edition and returned my other copy. The codes were already used, but all of the swag is in tact. I am actually considering hunting down a legendary edition since I am on a hopeless Halo addiction at the moment!

[swphreak]

Woot, the replacement RAM works, but I can't install Windows yet because I have to hop in a car for 8 hours to attend a relative's wedding.


@Groovy, did your store get that memo to open up new copies of Deus Ex and remove OnLive codes?

[Darth Groovy]

Originally Posted by StarWarsPhreak

Woot, the replacement RAM works, but I can't install Windows yet because I have to hop in a car for 8 hours to attend a relative's wedding.


@Groovy, did your store get that memo to open up new copies of Deus Ex and remove OnLive codes?

Only the PC version. Which we only had one of, and already sold...

[M@RS]

and

[TiE23]

$25 at Best Buy right now... and maybe for one more day.


Played only around 3.5 hours so far but getting the hang of it already. I know I've already scratched the surface but I feel I'm more prepared than others who've never played Demon's Souls because I've spent some time with Monster Hunter on the PSP. So, woo!

[Anthony]

Thinkpad W520
i7-2720
16gb RAM
SSD + 1tb HDD
Quadro 1000m w/ Optimus
1920x1080 display
6 hours of battery life

Love this damn thing, didnt even cost that much

[Darth Avlectus]

^^^How much? Friend of mine's laptop i5 processor burned up after just 1 year. He's looking for a good deal on something new. Nice specs.

[M@RS]

[TiE23]

Big update from the last month or so. I forgot a few things since my ICO/Dark Souls post.


Audio-technica LP60 Turntable
A solid turn table. I'm making it a habit to spin something once a day, which is important cause I've gotten so many more vinyls.


Battlefield 3
Because of course!


Logitech M510
Nice mouse. Since I basically re-made my bedroom with a new desk and drawer set-up, everything modern and clean, my decade-old-designed Microsoft Intellipoint mouse was just providing a terrible eye sore. So I went with this and I'm liking it.


Altec Lansing UHP326 Earbuds
I lost my previous pair... and I rarely lose stuff. So I went for slightly nicer ones, but honestly I can't tell the difference when, while from the same brand, are 250% the price of my previous set.


Logitech Z623 2.1 THX Speakers
Probably the nicest set of 2.1 computer speakers you can get, and they are nice. I run my turn table through this with RCA.


Kindle Fire
I bit the money bullet and pre-ordered a Kindle Fire, because of course I'm going to get one, and luckily the day after I got it Amazon now reports a "4-7 day delay", which, by the time you may read this, will become longer.


Knoxx Spec Ops Remington 870 Recoil Reducing Stock
Yeah, my uncle da cop is gonna give me the receiver of his old 870 shotgun, which means I've got to replace the stock, foreend (the pump-y bit), and the barrel. In a week, I'll be the proud owner of a 12 gauge. [/redneck]


Mossberg 18.5" 12ga Remington 870 smooth-bore barrel
I've fired a bunch of rifles. A few pistols. But only a 20ga shotgun. From my understanding an 18.5" barrel is gonna provide a pretty wide pattern... Now I need to buy shells and err... watermelons?


Booker T. and the MGs - Green Onions 7" single
Sick song that everyone has heard before, even if they don't recognize the title.
The song: http://youtu.be/_bpS-cOBK6Q


The Gap Band - Burn Rubber On Me 7" single
Another funky song that I heard in DiRT 3 and dug a lot. Got it on eBay for just a few bucks.
The song: http://youtu.be/bb1cpSJtIqM?t=16s


Tame Impala - Innerspeaker Limited Edition (2 CD)
Love this album so much that when a version with a second CD of B-sides was around I had to have it... Even on CD! The B-sides are so good that I had to have them on vinyl as well...
Sample song, Alter Ego: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBSropdYqtY (turn up your bass)

YouTube Video

Tame Impala - Sundown Syndrome/Remember Me 7" single
Wonderful song and yes, I recommend it to you. You may like it.


Maps & Atlases - Perch Patchwork 12" LP
While BongoBob may hate this album for bringing Maps & Atlases in a totally un-bad-ass musical direction; and initially convinced me as well to its suckage (if this song of theirs appeared in Rock Band people would be posting attempted FCs, it's pretty intense)- I ended up turning around on it and I'm now enjoying it a good deal.
Sample song, Living Decorations: http://youtu.be/XrvOXjFiD7k


Wolf People - Steeple 12" LP
If you played Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Vietnam, then you've heard and most likely dug this band, their song Village Strollin' was used as a loading song and it was pretty bad-ass.
Sample song, Tiny Circle: http://youtu.be/_SNWsJYssoQ


Valient Thorr - Immortalizer 12" Double LP
Even though my musical tastes have become softer in the last year or so, I still have room in my heart for bat-**** stupid/crazy rock. This guys are nuts and they should never stop, ever.
Sample song, Red Flag (live): http://youtu.be/LAW996cR0Ms


Flying Lotus - 1983 12" LP
I remember sitting on this album for months, I downloaded three Flying Lotus albums but just took forever before listening to it. Glad I did. Most of the songs need to listened to as a whole to enjoy, so going "hey, listen to this one" is sorta hard.
Sample song, Unexpected Delight: http://youtu.be/siRM7zdvVvU


Cut Chemist - Sound of the Police 12" LP
Second album with no track listing to speak of other than "sides". I've listened to a tiny bit of Cut Chemist so it was a surprise to me to find out about this album. When I saw that it sampled Fela Kuti's "Water Get No Enemy" (afrobeat... if you played GTAIV you've heard him... if you bought the OST for it, it's on there, the song "Zombie") I just had to have it.
Early sample of Side A: http://youtu.be/VHEx6D2BT8Q


Al di Meola - Elegant Gypsy
It always seems that the earliest works of guitar virtuosos seem to be the best. I mean, look at Yngwie Malmsteen, past his original album, it's nothing but crap. Pretty great stuff. If you've ever listened to popular guitar duo sensation "Rodrigo y Gabriela" you'll probably really dig this.
Sample song, Mediterranean Sundance (epic acoustic): http://youtu.be/hhccIfevjCU
Sample song, Race With Devil On Spanish Highway (epic guitar): http://youtu.be/Zy4K7lFFZII?t=2m2s

[Pho3nix]

Lol that mouse you bought is terrible for gaming... this would have sufficed:



The G400. Successor of the best gaming mouse ever made, the Mx518.

[TiE23]

Originally Posted by Pho3nix

Lol that mouse you bought is terrible for gaming... this would have sufficed:

[IMG]http://electronlocal.info/uploadfiles/electronlocalinfo-1295075474/logitech-s-mx518-mouse-gets-successor-the-g400_1.jpg[IMG]

The G400. Successor of the best gaming mouse ever made, the Mx518.

This was my previous mouse, if that helps.

[Pho3nix]

Still, if you've got the dough, why buy a ****ty mouse?

Originally Posted by TiE23

This was my previous mouse, if that helps.

I'm not surprised.

[Tinny]

TiE, that Floating Lotus song was incredible :O It's like green tea for the brain.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Darth Avlectus

^^^How much? Friend of mine's laptop i5 processor burned up after just 1 year. He's looking for a good deal on something new. Nice specs.

In total came to a total of about 1500, I got it at that price with a special EPP which is sadly canadian only..

Even then though, you can get a pretty damn nice thinkpad for a respectable amount of money

[Pho3nix]

[Darth Groovy]

Originally Posted by TiE23

Big update from the last month or so. I forgot a few things since my ICO/Dark Souls post.


Audio-technica LP60 Turntable
A solid turn table. I'm making it a habit to spin something once a day, which is important cause I've gotten so many more vinyls.


Battlefield 3
Because of course!


Logitech M510
Nice mouse. Since I basically re-made my bedroom with a new desk and drawer set-up, everything modern and clean, my decade-old-designed Microsoft Intellipoint mouse was just providing a terrible eye sore. So I went with this and I'm liking it.


Altec Lansing UHP326 Earbuds
I lost my previous pair... and I rarely lose stuff. So I went for slightly nicer ones, but honestly I can't tell the difference when, while from the same brand, are 250% the price of my previous set.


Logitech Z623 2.1 THX Speakers
Probably the nicest set of 2.1 computer speakers you can get, and they are nice. I run my turn table through this with RCA.


Kindle Fire
I bit the money bullet and pre-ordered a Kindle Fire, because of course I'm going to get one, and luckily the day after I got it Amazon now reports a "4-7 day delay", which, by the time you may read this, will become longer.


Knoxx Spec Ops Remington 870 Recoil Reducing Stock
Yeah, my uncle da cop is gonna give me the receiver of his old 870 shotgun, which means I've got to replace the stock, foreend (the pump-y bit), and the barrel. In a week, I'll be the proud owner of a 12 gauge. [/redneck]


Mossberg 18.5" 12ga Remington 870 smooth-bore barrel
I've fired a bunch of rifles. A few pistols. But only a 20ga shotgun. From my understanding an 18.5" barrel is gonna provide a pretty wide pattern... Now I need to buy shells and err... watermelons?


Booker T. and the MGs - Green Onions 7" single
Sick song that everyone has heard before, even if they don't recognize the title.
The song: http://youtu.be/_bpS-cOBK6Q


The Gap Band - Burn Rubber On Me 7" single
Another funky song that I heard in DiRT 3 and dug a lot. Got it on eBay for just a few bucks.
The song: http://youtu.be/bb1cpSJtIqM?t=16s


Tame Impala - Innerspeaker Limited Edition (2 CD)
Love this album so much that when a version with a second CD of B-sides was around I had to have it... Even on CD! The B-sides are so good that I had to have them on vinyl as well...
Sample song, Alter Ego: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBSropdYqtY (turn up your bass)

YouTube Video

Tame Impala - Sundown Syndrome/Remember Me 7" single
Wonderful song and yes, I recommend it to you. You may like it.


Maps & Atlases - Perch Patchwork 12" LP
While BongoBob may hate this album for bringing Maps & Atlases in a totally un-bad-ass musical direction; and initially convinced me as well to its suckage (if this song of theirs appeared in Rock Band people would be posting attempted FCs, it's pretty intense)- I ended up turning around on it and I'm now enjoying it a good deal.
Sample song, Living Decorations: http://youtu.be/XrvOXjFiD7k


Wolf People - Steeple 12" LP
If you played Battlefield Bad Company 2 - Vietnam, then you've heard and most likely dug this band, their song Village Strollin' was used as a loading song and it was pretty bad-ass.
Sample song, Tiny Circle: http://youtu.be/_SNWsJYssoQ


Valient Thorr - Immortalizer 12" Double LP
Even though my musical tastes have become softer in the last year or so, I still have room in my heart for bat-**** stupid/crazy rock. This guys are nuts and they should never stop, ever.
Sample song, Red Flag (live): http://youtu.be/LAW996cR0Ms


Flying Lotus - 1983 12" LP
I remember sitting on this album for months, I downloaded three Flying Lotus albums but just took forever before listening to it. Glad I did. Most of the songs need to listened to as a whole to enjoy, so going "hey, listen to this one" is sorta hard.
Sample song, Unexpected Delight: http://youtu.be/siRM7zdvVvU


Cut Chemist - Sound of the Police 12" LP
Second album with no track listing to speak of other than "sides". I've listened to a tiny bit of Cut Chemist so it was a surprise to me to find out about this album. When I saw that it sampled Fela Kuti's "Water Get No Enemy" (afrobeat... if you played GTAIV you've heard him... if you bought the OST for it, it's on there, the song "Zombie") I just had to have it.
Early sample of Side A: http://youtu.be/VHEx6D2BT8Q


Al di Meola - Elegant Gypsy
It always seems that the earliest works of guitar virtuosos seem to be the best. I mean, look at Yngwie Malmsteen, past his original album, it's nothing but crap. Pretty great stuff. If you've ever listened to popular guitar duo sensation "Rodrigo y Gabriela" you'll probably really dig this.
Sample song, Mediterranean Sundance (epic acoustic): http://youtu.be/hhccIfevjCU
Sample song, Race With Devil On Spanish Highway (epic guitar): http://youtu.be/Zy4K7lFFZII?t=2m2s

Something I have always wanted to ask you for years. Does money randomly fall out of your bum?

[TiE23]

Originally Posted by Darth Groovy

Something I have always wanted to ask you for years. Does money randomly fall out of your bum?

All of my cash is disposable, honestly.

And, uhhh... for new things?

• My uncle gave me the rest of the shotgun, a nice 4GB CF card, a spare Olympus FourThirds lens, and 50rnds of 12GA birdshot.
• Plants vs Zombies for my Kindle Fire.
• Bulletstorm, World of Good, and Dead Space 2 on Steam.
• A $30 b/g/n wireless router so I can get good wifi in my room finally.
• And the Kindle book "Mao's Great Famine"

As soon as I'm doing with my C++ class final on Tuesday I'm gonna be playing BF3's Return to Karkand, Shogun 2, Bulletstorm/Dead Space 2 until my face is blue. Oh, and finally buy Skyrim... it's been really hard maintaining my Elder Scrolls chastity.

[Darth Avlectus]

Well, even though the new machine is under construction but not underway, and I cannot play this... I am a proud new owner of (ah crap my digicam is nowhere to be found--not my picture but it's the same thing):

Star Wars: The Old Republic, Collector's Edition

[M@RS]

Had these gifted to me.







On top of that. I was invited to the closed beta Tribes: Ascend.

[Anthony]

the best phone.

[Sabretooth]

I got me this modest graphics card a while back:


And before that, this similarly modest pair of headphones (Sennheiser HD 201):


And in between, this ultra-modest mouse.


I am not a rich caucasian.

[Pho3nix]

Jeebus, you guys really don't care what mice you use huh. The last time I used one of those generic ones was probably back in elementary school.

[M@RS]

and

[Dath Maximus]

new dune book

[Rogue15]

got my own room in a house with heat, electricity, water, high speed internet hookup, shared washer/dryer, bathroom, kitchen, livingroom. for only 325 a month in a very good location, been looking for a place since i got out of 19d osut on the 9th of december. It's close to everything and I have my own private entrance which is sweet cause it comes with a balcony overlooking the city!!

[TiE23]

More evidence of me being an ugly American hillbilly. *Insert the "but I'm totally not, I swear" line here*

Before:


After:



http://www.flickr.com/photos/kg-23/s...793891/detail/

Took around 9 hours to pull off.

[Darth Groovy]

Kinda late to the party, but I been busy as you can probably imagine...

I got a kindle fire from Santa!



It's very sexy! I have started downloading many apps and comics for it!

Couple of cool features if you didn't know

1. supports all amazon and android related apps
2. amazon prime members can stream about as many movies as netflix!
3. Supports netflix!
4. Anything you have downloaded to Amazon.com's cloud drive past August, will download to your Kindle fire with the touch of a button!