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11/25/09
I'm building an i7 machine soon which will probably be $2400-2600 less. Admittedly it'll probably use a skimpier Graphics card but the margin you pay on construction for these machines is silly.
11/28/09
11/28/09
To be fair it does say it has a pair of 5970's but you're still paying over the odds for the hardware your getting. Especially since computer assembly is something that can be done in an afternoon and doesn't require any formal education or training to do.
11/28/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
$4000 and no core i7?
no thanks.
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
#tips
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
Desktops should of course always be built from scratch (if your a giz reader)
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
It might be time that I start to seek help.
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
First mistake: iBuyPower
Second mistake: Having iBP cost more than the ASUS and still choose it as top pick
Third mistake: Not looking at maingear or puget when it comes to desktops.
Fourth Mistake: Not realizing the FNW below the Velocity Micro is the better machine then tossing the VM aside...
That's just sad.
11/24/09
11/25/09
11/24/09
Clevo have already launched a newer 15" laptop (W860CU) with i7 CPU options and GTX280M.
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
Last year I figured out that I would save $290 over Newegg if I got it from them rather than slapping it together myself (first PC since my Dell P75 I haven’t put together). I wasn't keen on the idea as these computers aren't built to ship like Dell, HP, Apple, etc, but for close to $300 I threw caution to the wind. Long story short I picked out everything I wanted and had the computer in just over a week.
Back in the day I worked for a reseller shipping clones around the US and learned the hard way that when you receive a clone you need to check it before firing it up (if you don’t and something is loose you’re going to have to RMA it) because stuff does come loose.
I popped open the case and sure enough the HSF had come partially off. I reapplied some grease, put the HSF back on, and it was good to go. They put a ton of packing in the box, which I’m sure saved it from even further damage.
It was well under $2000 (keep in mind this was last year) for a Bloomfield, 6gb tri-channel corsair, 2 500gb drives, Asus P6T, GF 260, blue ray, dvd burner, Vista Ultimate, razor keyboard, Logi 2.1 sound, and more stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting.
Oh and it's been running just under 4ghz on air for almost a year now.
11/24/09
I know that these blow away the xb360, but I'm never going to have to upgrade my drivers or buy a new videocard. All the games are guaranteed to work as long as microsoft keeps its shit together. I can play it on as big of a screen as I want and ... local multiplayer anyone? try that on a PC...
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
11/24/09
Also besides FFXI there really haven't been any MMO's worth mentioning on consoles and FFXI is a terrible game. Limited harddrive space, lack of third party interface mods and the requirement of a keyboard and mouse are going to make games like WoW impossible on the Xbox/PS3.
11/24/09
PCs tend not to have a 50% failure rate from poor heat dissipation design.
11/24/09
Each platform has its strengths and weaknesses. I'm not trying to start a flamewar here with console vs pc. RTS and MMOs suck on consoles. period. Mice are probably easier to aim with too. But I think consoles are better for the average person who doesn't really know how to set up their pc, but they can plug in the colors to the same ports. Or hell an HDMI cord. The upkeep on consoles is laughably easy, I mean a few updates once in awhile is not bad.
The universal compatibility is what makes the iphone strong, and it's what makes the console platform strong as well
11/24/09
11/24/09
PCs have their place, but how much power do you need, seriously? I think we've reached a point, what with the prevalence of netbooks, that shows that our less-powerful tech still allows us to do what we want it to do. Yeah I'm not going to run CS4 on my xbox. No it can't run MW2 in 4K resolution. But it just works with whatever. And that's what I like about it.
11/24/09
Fail. Most modern plasma TVs can be hooked into a computer to act as a monitor. No local multiplayer? Where the hell have you been? It's called a LAN party.
11/24/09
Option 2: getting all my friends out of their basements and having them bring over their towers, monitors, keyboards, and mice and joysticks and routers, along with 15 cords for each peripheral. Then we'll set up each rig and connect each to a different breaker on my circuit breaker, those 1200W PSUs use a lot of power, let me tell you!
Then we'll either set up a wireless network and distribute all the WAP2 keys or WEP keys OR we'll run wires every which way all over the house.
Once everyone is up and running, start the game and run it, yell into your ventrilo loud enough to wake the neighbors so they can hear you down the hall too.
I did the whole PC gaming thing for awhile, and I decided it was not for me. I would rather simplify everything and make my life a bit easier. PCs and consoles give you just about the same experience. i think they each have a place, and neither one is going away anytime soon. They each have their diehard fans, but honestly, consoles are easier for the average person. They're a cheaper, more dedicated solution to entertainment and sales are reflecting this mindset.
YOU can run whatever you want, Mac or Windows, Xbox or PC. I honestly don't give a damn.
I think it mostly depends on whatever you value, whether its a cheap(er) system and ease of use (maybe too simple?) vs. endless customization and facemelting graphics that cost thousands of dollars.
Also, LCDs work much better than plasmas as monitors :) I know you can hook computers up to TVs too, but the vast majority of PCs are hooked up to monitors that aren't particularly exciting. My own desktop is rockin' a 17" square sony LCD from like 1999 with a dying, dimming display and it's hooked up to some cruddy $600 HP box from best buy that I had to get after i bent the processor pin on my old PC.