New PC build project

[my2002lightning]

I'm thinking about going the Glossy-Red '02 L theme route with all kinds of mid-tower fun-stuff through-out.

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-918F.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-919F.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-921F.JPG

I'm looking forward to the modding/build.knana Thanks for the case, Tex.:tu:

Ronald

[Shiner1]

Like an artist starting with a blank canvas.:rll:

[dboat]

Putting any neon in that thing?

[my2002lightning]

I'm thinking about a Bright-Red base and several coats of Clear-Coat for the case, Dana. I'm lookng to Dremel out the Lightning logo below and put in a blue-high-capacity cooling fan either fore or aft of the logo. Instead of cutting out a simple round hole for the top- and-side fan cut-outs, I'm thinking about a stylized rendition of the '02 Frankenstein L wheel with the Dremel. :banana:

I'm looking to go with an Asus motherboard, Athlon chip, go big into RAM and a decent video-card as I'm not a gamer.

I'm looking to with a clear-sided setup - maybe acrylic, but I would like to maybe pull a tempered glass etching of my own with plenty of bling-bling neon action in the PC innards.

I'm looking fwd. to my first custom PC build with a L twist. I need to get Regan to teach me how to weld different metals, including heli-arcing.

I think I'll hit it with Zaino-Tropi-Care it before I start bolting on all the hardware.knana

Now, if I could only T-Care the L...

Ronald



Putting any neon in that thing?

[Tex Arcana]

Keep the top logo balanced, and do the blowholes at either end of the logo. Make sure you can read the logo from the glass side of the case (where the clear cover will be). Instead of cutting the metal to kinda look like L wheels, see if you can find some model Frankenstein wheels, about the size of the fans you wnat to use (like 80mm, nice standard size, easy to get), and cut the wheels down to make fan grilles out of them. Otherwise, you'll need to figure out a way to machine a set of grilles that look like the wheels.

Think about doing a watercooled rig, and see what you can come up with to put inside the case that will kinda look like our blowers. With blacklight and neon additives, the water will glow nicely.

EDIT: Go hit the NewEgg website, I saw some specials on there that would make your mobo purchase quite decent. Saw one special where they had a vidcard for sale, with a mobo tossed in for free.

[Logan]

Shizzle fo dizzle ma nizzle:

http://www.dell.com/ces

Biatches...

[Tex Arcana]

Shizzle fo dizzle ma nizzle:

http://www.dell.com/ces

Biatches...

dude, it's supposed to go like this:

"DUD, U GOT A DERR!! ONE FAST COMPUTAL! FAST LIKE SWAN WITH BROWN RUNNINESS FROM MOUTH!" (<---"Engrish" for the engrish-challenged)

Besides, Dell's are now some of the worst crap coming out of China. Given a chance, I would NEVER buy another Dell again. I'd build, AND I would use Athlons.

[Logan]

I can't comment since I work there... But, you gotta admit the paintjob is cool. :)

Based off all the industry buzz, you'll see AMD's in Dell's shortly I'm sure...

[Silver_2000]

Besides, Dell's are now some of the worst crap coming out of China. Given a chance, I would NEVER buy another Dell again. I'd build, AND I would use Athlons.

Dell is selling more than anyone in history ... You are saying that the #1 retailer and seller of corporate PC's is selling the worst PCs on the planet ?

[Logan]

This (http://sites.gizoogle.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.talonclub.com%2Fforum%2Fshow thread.php%3Ft%3D10376) is all I have to say...

[Tex Arcana]

Dell is selling more than anyone in history ... You are saying that the #1 retailer and seller of corporate PC's is selling the worst PCs on the planet ?

The feedback I've read in many places, plus the people who've gone and bought Dell's on my recommendation (mind that my system and me wife's are rock-solid, built in Austin), got the ones that were built in China, and have had nothing but trouble with them. One was able to beat the bloatware out of the system, and get it to run well (but he's not a computer dummy); another ended up forcing Dell to take the POS back and refund her money.

At this moment, I would never buy another Dell again, partially because they're poorly built in China, and partially because they're proprietary (motherboards/power supplies/who know what else), they pretty much eliminate any kind of upgrade path anymore except thru Dell, and their piece prices are pretty steep.

If they're #1 at this point, it's only because of advertising and inertia in the business sector. Is the businesses ever figure out their computers suck, they'll kick 'em out the door---aw, hell, who am I kidding??? Purchasing departments have no real clue in the first place, and corpoirate structures don't allow independent thinking, so Dell will continue to sell computers because business will *think* they're good, and blame the crashes on the users or on H4x0r5!! :evil

[Silver_2000]

The feedback I've read in many places, plus the people who've gone and bought Dell's on my recommendation (mind that my system and me wife's are rock-solid, built in Austin), got the ones that were built in China, and have had nothing but trouble with them. One was able to beat the bloatware out of the system, and get it to run well (but he's not a computer dummy); another ended up forcing Dell to take the POS back and refund her money.

At this moment, I would never buy another Dell again, partially because they're poorly built in China, and partially because they're proprietary (motherboards/power supplies/who know what else), they pretty much eliminate any kind of upgrade path anymore except thru Dell, and their piece prices are pretty steep.

If they're #1 at this point, it's only because of advertising and inertia in the business sector. Is the businesses ever figure out their computers suck, they'll kick 'em out the door---aw, hell, who am I kidding??? Purchasing departments have no real clue in the first place, and corpoirate structures don't allow independent thinking, so Dell will continue to sell computers because business will *think* they're good, and blame the crashes on the users or on H4x0r5!! :evil

The story that they are proprietary is BS - If you build a PC where do you think the parts will come from ? Austin ?:rll:

You think hundreds of fotune 500 companies purchase millions of dollars worth of PCs with no research or study ? Do you think that IBM/Lenovo are better ?

My dell is 2 years old and I have upgraded just about everything except the MB and power supply - both of which are standard size / config.
Hard drive, Video, memory, processor, Cdr

Just like every other vendor they sell some odd ball home use PCs oin weird form factors with NO slots that are not upgradeable

[Silver_2000]

quote from 2002

Dell Computer Corp. (DELL ) moved its giant PC-making facility from Kuala Lumpur to Xiamen

So chinese made dells are not a new thing

[my2002lightning]

Malaysia or China, Doug, it's all the same proverbial rice-box. :rolleyes: Low-buck labor regardless of which flag they fly on that continent.

In another mart of competetive commerce, my Hereford-ranching Grand-Dad and close Beef-Master ranching family-friends are being under-cut by low-buck/grade beef from Argentina and other international locales.:bs

Back to the original topic, I just finished drilling out the fore-aft blow-holes and wet-sanding the case. More follow-up work ahead for me. This is fun.

I've been chatting with some of the propeller-heads at work about Raid 0-2 configs. and motherboard selections with multiple drives. I'm 1/2 considering a dual AMD-chip mother-board setup for the helluv-it.

I'm SO looking fwd. to the upcoming HBAR AR-10 arrival and Picatinney-rail config. ,as well as the infusion of the whole '02 L obsession on the case-design.

Hmm.:cool:

Ronald





quote from 2002


So chinese made dells are not a new thing

[Logan]

Dell manufacture's locally gents. PC's built in Xiamen never leave Asia. PC's built in Ireland never leave the UK. PC's built in Round Rock never leave North or South America.

I guess it could happen, but if you purchase a PC and you've got a US address, I can guarantee we're not building it in Xiamen. Likewise if you're in France, your PC sure as hell isn't coming from Xiamen.

Dell build's everything on demand, to order. If they had to do that and ship across the ocean, seriously, you wouldn't see your PC for about 2 months...

[Silver_2000]

Dell manufacture's locally gents. PC's built in Xiamen never leave Asia. PC's built in Ireland never leave the UK. PC's built in Round Rock never leave North or South America.

I guess it could happen, but if you purchase a PC and you've got a US address, I can guarantee we're not building it in Xiamen. Likewise if you're in France, your PC sure as hell isn't coming from Xiamen.

Dell build's everything on demand, to order. If they had to do that and ship across the ocean, seriously, you wouldn't see your PC for about 2 months...

Dont confuse us with facts - We were having fun....

[Tex Arcana]

The story that they are proprietary is BS - If you build a PC where do you think the parts will come from ? Austin ?:rll:

You think hundreds of fotune 500 companies purchase millions of dollars worth of PCs with no research or study ? Do you think that IBM/Lenovo are better ?

My dell is 2 years old and I have upgraded just about everything except the MB and power supply - both of which are standard size / config.
Hard drive, Video, memory, processor, Cdr

Just like every other vendor they sell some odd ball home use PCs oin weird form factors with NO slots that are not upgradeable

So run out and get a new motherboard et al, and toss it right in there... and it will go up in smoke. Dell's use a proprietary mb/psu connector that is identical to those used on ATX/MATX boards, but is wired differently, which is Dell's way to keeping you locked into their way of doing things. Compaq used to do that, but since they got assimilated into the HP collective, I think their machines are just rebadged low-end HPs.

As for "research or study": I think you give most companies too much credit, as the only research they do is in price (for the most part). They buy these things straight out of the box, bloatware, spyware, and all, and attempt to "harden" them against the bad stuff--which they fail to do on a regular basis, witness the proliferation of worms, trijans, and virii throughout corporate networks.

If I build a machine, then *I* know exactly what hardware went in there, in what configuration; and if I plan it correctly, it will be stable, powerful, and will stave off obsolescence for at least 2-3 years, despite the Wintel obsolescence cycle.


Dell Dimension XPS 400 Evaluation (http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=OTI0)
By Brian Boyko ([H]ard|OCP reviewer) December 16, 2005
Dell's new "XPS Experience" includes bloatware bogging down your system and causing all sorts of gaming problems. Is Dell's support able to undo their mess and actually deliver the gaming system you bought?

They don't address the proprietary hardware issue, but their conclusions are rather damning indeed:


Our experience with the Dell, overall, was unpleasant and unsatisfactory. We cannot with good conscience recommend this computer to anyone.

[Tex Arcana]

Dell manufacture's locally gents. PC's built in Xiamen never leave Asia. PC's built in Ireland never leave the UK. PC's built in Round Rock never leave North or South America.

I guess it could happen, but if you purchase a PC and you've got a US address, I can guarantee we're not building it in Xiamen. Likewise if you're in France, your PC sure as hell isn't coming from Xiamen.

Dell build's everything on demand, to order. If they had to do that and ship across the ocean, seriously, you wouldn't see your PC for about 2 months...

In the absence of further proof, I will stand corrected. :(

[Silver_2000]

If I build a machine, then *I* know exactly what hardware went in there, in what configuration; and if I plan it correctly, it will be stable, powerful, and will stave off obsolescence for at least 2-3 years, despite the Wintel obsolescence cycle.


Quote:
Dell Dimension XPS 400 Evaluation (http://www.hardocp.com/article.html?art=OTI0)
By Brian Boyko ([H]ard|OCP reviewer) December 16, 2005
Dell's new "XPS Experience" includes bloatware bogging down your system and causing all sorts of gaming problems. Is Dell's support able to undo their mess and actually deliver the gaming system you bought?

They don't address the proprietary hardware issue, but their conclusions are rather damning indeed:


Quote:
Our experience with the Dell, overall, was unpleasant and unsatisfactory. We cannot with good conscience recommend this computer to anyone.


You post a review from a site that focuses on nothing but building up and over clocking PCs and aftermarket coolers etc ... No exactly an unbiased persepective ... :hammer:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HardOCP

[H]ard|OCP (Hardware (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_hardware) Overclockers Comparison Page) is a webzine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webzine) that offers news, reviews, and editorials that relate to computer building, modding (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Case_mods), overclocking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overclocking) and cooling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPU_cooling). The website was started in 1998 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998) by Kyle Bennett, he remains the current owner and editor-in-chief (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editor-in-chief).

[Silver_2000]

So run out and get a new motherboard et al, and toss it right in there... and it will go up in smoke. Dell's use a proprietary mb/psu connector that is identical to those used on ATX/MATX boards, but is wired differently, which is Dell's way to keeping you locked into their way of doing things. Compaq used to do that, but since they got assimilated into the HP collective, I think their machines are just rebadged low-end HPs.

As for "research or study": I think you give most companies too much credit, as the only research they do is in price (for the most part). They buy these things straight out of the box, bloatware, spyware, and all, and attempt to "harden" them against the bad stuff--which they fail to do on a regular basis, witness the proliferation of worms, trijans, and virii throughout corporate networks.

If I build a machine, then *I* know exactly what hardware went in there, in what configuration; and if I plan it correctly, it will be stable, powerful, and will stave off obsolescence for at least 2-3 years, despite the Wintel obsolescence cycle.



They don't address the proprietary hardware issue, but their conclusions are rather damning indeed:

Assuming you are correct - with the penetration of dells you can safely assume that you should be able to find a compatible PSU which you would want to upgrade for any new mother board anyway. And your concern about compatibilty is the same if you are building a PC - you have to match processor to MB, ram to MB video to slots, hardware to chipset, storage to chipset, etc etc - Nothing new here - if you cant find or dont tale the time to find compatible upgrades thats not Dells issue...

As to your comment about lack of research - I cant explain the incompetence of companies that you work for but in my expereince companies take huge cap ex purchases seriously.

Doug

[Tex Arcana]

You post a review from a site that focuses on nothing but building up and over clocking PCs and aftermarket coolers etc ... No exactly an unbiased persepective ... :hammer:

Except that the site in question is one of the (if not THE) most unbiased review site on the web. BECAUSE they overclock, and work hard to get every erg of performance from the components, they HAVE to be unflinching in their views, because only the best hardware can be 'clocked, watercooling notwithstanding. If you build a system that any one of them have built, then you can damn well guarantee that the system will be stable and powerful.

And, I will emphasize, they are EXCEPTIONALLY unbiased, to the point where they have had people try to sue them for telling the truth, instead of giving some lame positive review of something that truly sucks.

So, given a choice between your biases, and their truths, I'll take theirs, every time. :nono:

[Tex Arcana]

Assuming you are correct - with the penetration of dells you can safely assume that you should be able to find a compatible PSU which you would want to upgrade for any new mother board anyway. And your concern about compatibilty is the same if you are building a PC - you have to match processor to MB, ram to MB video to slots, hardware to chipset, storage to chipset, etc etc - Nothing new here - if you cant find or dont tale the time to find compatible upgrades thats not Dells issue...

As to your comment about lack of research - I cant explain the incompetence of companies that you work for but in my expereince companies take huge cap ex purchases seriously.

Doug

Try it. YOu can't find 'em, except from Dell! :eek2: The only way to get a Dell-specific PSU is from Dell, no other maker sells them. Why? hellifiknow, except that perhaps Dell's got a helluva legal department, and won't license the info for someone to build them.

And it still doesn't cover the issue of the bloatware: did you actually read the article, or did you blow it off because they're "overclockers"?? :nono: Combine the bloatware and the poor service, and you have a poor product.

Who can tell what goes on in purchasings' collective minds?? I'd be afraid to peel back the veneer, to reaveal the rot inherent in the system. :(

[my2002lightning]

Can't we keep this thread on topic? :D I'm Dremeling the hell out of the original blow-snouts and installing the power-supply and drives in-place for consideration of the outside-panel cutting/grinding work for the Lightning one-off case.

This is my first PC build and I'm learning the ropes and want to do all of this right the first time.

It's gonna' be one air-flowin' rig, regardless of creative case-mod paths I take..

I'm a firm believer of "measure 2x, cut 1x." school of thought. :tu:

Any thoughts - constructive, creative or otherwise? ;)

Ronald

[Silver_2000]

Try it. YOu can't find 'em, except from Dell! :eek2: The only way to get a Dell-specific PSU is from Dell, no other maker sells them. Why? hellifiknow, except that perhaps Dell's got a helluva legal department, and won't license the info for someone to build them.

And it still doesn't cover the issue of the bloatware: did you actually read the article, or did you blow it off because they're "overclockers"?? :nono: Combine the bloatware and the poor service, and you have a poor product.

Who can tell what goes on in purchasings' collective minds?? I'd be afraid to peel back the veneer, to reaveal the rot inherent in the system. :(

You are right cant find em ...
2nd link on Google http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/power_supplies/selector/dell.htm
Our Dell-specific upgrade power supplies provide 30%-100% more power than factory Dell units. For Dell owners looking to add the latest power hungry video cards, optical drives or other high-performance components to their systems, our quiet and reliable Dell upgrade power supplies are the perfect solution. http://www.pcpowercooling.com/products/assets/S41D2/t_S41D2_photo_01.jpg

tex - I read the site - there is a CLEAR bias on thier part towards boutique builders ( Read hand built or self built ). they seem to have excessive sphincter tension about stuff like cable routing
On the inside, we were concerned about the apparent disarray of the cable routing.
Only reason to worry about cable routing is if you are worried about cooling - once again ONLY a concern for overclockers - NOT for 99% or the PC using world.

The gateway they reviewed was given same review complaining about bloatware... The reality is that they make revenue from installing that stuff. Once again the only way to get a PC without it is to either build it your self or reimage it and NOT install the stuff from the apps CD. thats the same for Dell, HP, Gateway, IBM, doesnt matter.


A predominant criticism was the absence of a pre-packaged Restore Disk or full copy of the OS. Instead, instructions for creating your own Restore Disk were shipped with the system. Thats been the standard for at least 3 years now for EVERY decent sized vendor. Since once agian 98% + of people never need or use the CDs so why waste the $$.

Tex I dont work for Dell and have no reason to promote them. I just dont think that they should take shots they dont deserve.

[Tex Arcana]

Can't we keep this thread on topic? :D I'm Dremeling the hell out of the original blow-snouts and installing the power-supply and drives in-place for consideration of the outside-panel cutting/grinding work for the Lightning one-off case.

This my first PC build and I'm learning the ropes and want to do all of this right the first time.

It's gonna' be one air-flowin' rig, regardless of creative case-mods paths I take..

I'm a firm believer of "measure 2x, cut 1x." school of thought. :tu:

Any thoughts - constructive, creative or otherwise? ;)

Ronald


The more fans you have, the louder it's going to be. The larger the fan, the quieter it'll be for the amount of air it moves. For a CPU cooler, think Zalman, they have some nice coolers that have 120mm fans with variable speed control, to keep the noise down. GPU coolers are a bit more difficult, but going with a non-stock unit will net you better cooling and less noise as well.

http://www.computerpoweruser.com/ is one place to check for casemodding tips and tricks, check out [H]ard|OCP Casemodding Forum (http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13), or Overclocking & Cooling Forum (http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2) for ideas on casemodding and cooling.

[Tex Arcana]

You are right cant find em ...
2nd link on Google
http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/products/power_supplies/selector/dell.htm

tex - I read the site - there is a CLEAR bias on thier part towards boutique builders ( Read hand built or self built )

I will grant you that. I read your reply as if you thought they were biased about their reviews overall, which is not the case, as they've had their share of manufacturers try to either sue them into submission (can you say, "Phantom Gaming Console"?), or try to withhold hardware from review because they refused to roll over and kiss ass. If I misunderstood you, forgive me. :tu:

[Silver_2000]

The more fans you have, the louder it's going to be. The larger the fan, the quieter it'll be for the amount of air it moves. For a CPU cooler, think Zalman, they have some nice coolers that have 120mm fans with variable speed control, to keep the noise down. GPU coolers are a bit more difficult, but going with a non-stock unit will net you better cooling and less noise as well.

http://www.computerpoweruser.com/ is one place to check for casemodding tips and tricks, check out [H]ard|OCP Casemodding Forum (http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=13), or Overclocking & Cooling Forum (http://www.hardforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=2) for ideas on casemodding and cooling.

Look at http://www.3dcool.com/ for stuff

I visited the office when home for Xmas - They helped me get mom and dads PC fixed. Good people with some cool stuff

Doug

[Logan]

Thats been the standard for at least 3 years now for EVERY decent sized vendor. Since once agian 98% + of people never need or use the CDs so why waste the $$.

Actually, I'm pretty sure we ship them with every windows based install. I know the 6 machines I've received from the factory all have restore cd's shipped with them...

[Tex Arcana]

Actually, I'm pretty sure we ship them with every windows based install. I know the 6 machines I've received from the factory all have restore cd's shipped with them...
Yeah, but those things blow chunks, you can't do a decent repair of Winblows with them. Not to mention the bloatware you can't get rid of without major surgery. I was working on a freind's comp the other day, and the BASE installation had AOHell ***ACTIVE*** and running in the background!! :hammer: And it was actually COMMUNICATING with AOL via a port (as reported by McAffee's Personal Firewall). And people wonder why their machines run like crap most of the time. :(

[98Cobra]

Yeah, but those things blow chunks, you can't do a decent repair of Winblows with them. Not to mention the bloatware you can't get rid of without major surgery. I was working on a freind's comp the other day, and the BASE installation had AOHell ***ACTIVE*** and running in the background!! :hammer: And it was actually COMMUNICATING with AOL via a port (as reported by McAffee's Personal Firewall). And people wonder why their machines run like crap most of the time. :(

Maybe a few years ago they did, but I was able to easily do a recoery of my parents system with the recovery CD, having never used it before.

As far as just testing on price, from your earlier comment, I can tell you that is also incorrect. I have toured their QA facility in Austin, and they test six ways from Sunday. Drop tests, heat tests, power cycling tests, you name it.

[Tex Arcana]

Maybe a few years ago they did, but I was able to easily do a recoery of my parents system with the recovery CD, having never used it before.

As far as just testing on price, from your earlier comment, I can tell you that is also incorrect. I have toured their QA facility in Austin, and they test six ways from Sunday. Drop tests, heat tests, power cycling tests, you name it.

I said REPAIR, not restore. Repair means repairing the Windows installation itself, not replacing everything with what the manufacturer THINKS you have to have.

"Testing on price"??? :confused: Oh, I rememebr now... all I know is what I've been told by those who've bought Dell's recently, and they've not been happy at all. I was happy with mine from the get-go, but then again I ripped out their bloatware and tweaked out Windows to make it lean, mean, and clean. And my recent problems are because I've not been able to update my protections on dialup. :hammer:

[dboat]

I almost bought the Dell today.. they're pricing was very very good.. but I wanted to get the laserlabeling that HP and Compaq are offering on their units, and for just a few bucks more it was worth it to me.. but hey, I coulda bought a Dell.. and added a few more dollars to the Round Rock economy.
Dana

[Tex Arcana]

I almost bought the Dell today.. they're pricing was very very good.. but I wanted to get the laserlabeling that HP and Compaq are offering on their units, and for just a few bucks more it was worth it to me.. but hey, I coulda bought a Dell.. and added a few more dollars to the Round Rock economy.
Dana

Lately, when people come to me to ask about new PCs, we end up taking them to Best Buy and buying something off the shelf, with a nice LCD/printer bundle deal. For the average user, who doesn't do any hardcore gaming or mission-critical computing, that's the best deal anyone can get, give or take the dice-rolling on some of the manufacturers. :shrug:

[98Cobra]

Lately, when people come to me to ask about new PCs, we end up taking them to Best Buy and buying something off the shelf, with a nice LCD/printer bundle deal. For the average user, who doesn't do any hardcore gaming or mission-critical computing, that's the best deal anyone can get, give or take the dice-rolling on some of the manufacturers. :shrug:

:rll: OK, you just lost all credibility on this one. :nono:

[Silver_2000]

:rll: OK, you just lost all credibility on this one. :nono:
The gimme printers are usually worth less than the price of the first Ink refill that will be required VERY quickly...

But for the average PC user the cheapest PC on the shelf is a good deal and typically 3x - 5x better than what they have...

[98Cobra]

The gimme printers are usually worth less than the price of the first Ink refill that will be required VERY quickly...

But for the average PC user the cheapest PC on the shelf is a good deal and typically 3x - 5x better than what they have...

I just was laughing that somehow the quality of PCs at Best Buy is better than Dell, or that, LOL, there is less bloatware on an eMachine than a Dell.

[L-Fever]

For pure gaming performance, it's going to be hard to beat these guys:

http://www.overdrivepc.com:8080/opc/products/index.jsp?site=gaming


We bought one for my son last Christmas and are very impressed with the quality of the components, support,service and the performance rocks! :tu:

[98Cobra]

That is WAY too much money. :eek:

[dboat]

Well I agree, the off the shelf stuff is fine for me. Kim hooked my new one up to the network and I have been transferring files over to the new machine.. its nice, has a 2.93g processor vs the 1.2 that I had before. Has a 120g hard drive, I wont even hit 1/3rd of that, and the new drive is the SATA kind (supposed to be faster). Also, the 1G of ram vs 512meg of ram is good too.. I should be wrapping it up tonite with the obligatory re-installing of the software packages and their updates occurring over the next couple of days. Then the old one gets taken apart and a new hard drive installed in it, shipped to the mum-n-law to replace her 250mhz model.. It'll be a nice upgrade for her.
Mine is truly overkill for me, but I am hoping that it will last at least 6 years like this one has. I will never forget when Doug put those snowflakes out there at Christmas time and I thought that I had some kind of virus affecting my computer because it had come to a screaching halt..

The price wasnt too bad.. but for you other hard core types, I guess this wouldnt cut it for you..
Dana

[L-Fever]

That is WAY too much money. :eek:

Yeah, they aren't cheap by any strectch of the imagination..

[Tex Arcana]

:rll: OK, you just lost all credibility on this one. :nono:



The gimme printers are usually worth less than the price of the first Ink refill that will be required VERY quickly...

But for the average PC user the cheapest PC on the shelf is a good deal and typically 3x - 5x better than what they have...

Truth, 'cept for very low-end users who rarely print anything except letters. The REAL thing of value (pay attention, 98Cobra, there's a quiz later) is the bundled LCD panel, especially if it's larger than 17". :tu: The most important sensory organs are the eyes, damn skippy I preach skipping the CRT for a flat-panel.

98Cobra, think that restores my credibility? :tongue:

[98Cobra]

Hmm. Maybe.

I never disagreed that LCDs are not worth the bundle. But *everyone* bundles LCDs these days. I mean, right now Dell is offering a system bundled with a 19" LCD for $550. Its lean on RAM, yes, and has no DVD - but those are cheeeeeap upgrades.

When I questioned your credibility, it was on the basis of proclaiming Dell Sucks, going to Best Buy, buying an eMachine, and calling it Good.

:)

[Silver_2000]

That is WAY too much money. :eek:

look at the details

some of the most rediculosly overpriced PCs I have ever seen

System Warranty and Coverage : [Platinum 3 Year] Parts, Labor and Shipping Warranty
Case and Color : [Lian-Li] PC-71 (Black) Full Tower
Ultra-Quiet SureCool System and Fan Colors : (Blue) L.E.D. Fan Lights
Processor Cooler(s) : [AMD] Factory Heat-Pipe Copper Cooler (Air)
Power Supply : [Ultra] X-Connect 500 Watt (Sufficient Power Supply For Any Workstation!)
Video Adapter : (2) [nVidia] GeForce 7800 GTX 256 MB HyperClocked
Monitor 1 : [NEC] LCD90GX2 19 (4ms) (silver)
Monitor 2 : [NEC] LCD90GX2 19 (4ms) (silver)
Disk Array 1 | Hard Disk Drive(s) : (2) 150GB SATA 10,000 RPM [Western Digital]
Disk Array 2 | Hard Disk Drive(s) : 500GB SATA 7,200 RPM [Seagate]
Processor(s) : [AMD] (2) Opteron 280 (DualCore) HyperClocked
Motherboard : [MSI] K8N Master4-FAR2 nFORCE 4 Ultra SLI Motherboard
System Memory (RAM) : 8GB DDR
Operating System : [Microsoft] Windows XP (Media Center 2005) + Remote & Twin Tuner
Hot-Swap and Removable Hard Disk Drive Trays 1 : (5 Drive) Removeable SATA Hard Drive Cage [SuperMicro]
CD/DVD Disk Drive 1 : [Plextor] (Internal) 16X Dual Layer DVD Burner 52X CD Burner
Floppy/Flash Drive 1 : [Mitsumi] 13-in-1 Floppy and Flash Media Reader (1.44MB) (3.5)
Sound Adapter : [Creative Labs] Sound Blaster X-Fi Elite Pro
Shipping Options : [FedEx] 1-Day Service (Computer Only)
Floppy Disk Drive Cable Color : Rounded Cable (Steel)
CD/DVD Cable Color : Rounded Cable (Steel)


System Price : $10,902.00

the biggest rip I have ever seen
they are wildly over charging you to overclok the PC and video for you - Thats like paying Ford an extra 40k for your truck and having them Put nitrous and a 10ln pulley on it for you

[dboat]

they may be pricey but you get the mini flashlight for free!!!:evil

that sold me on it...
Dana

[Tex Arcana]

Hmm. Maybe.

I never disagreed that LCDs are not worth the bundle. But *everyone* bundles LCDs these days. I mean, right now Dell is offering a system bundled with a 19" LCD for $550. Its lean on RAM, yes, and has no DVD - but those are cheeeeeap upgrades.

When I questioned your credibility, it was on the basis of proclaiming Dell Sucks, going to Best Buy, buying an eMachine, and calling it Good.

:)
eMachines used to suck ass, but since they've been bought out by Gateway, and run AMD processors, they're not bad at all. Example #1, my friend's eMachine, pre-Gateway: pile of junk. The HD crapped out not a year after it was bought, and the elvel of hardware and features were weak, and it is a Smeleron, cost $1400 and with a crappy 17" CRT. :( Example#2, my freind's mother-in-law's machine the he and I got her: eMachine, post-Gateway, AMD 64 3200+, 512MB RAM, 250GB HD, GeForce 6xxx video, all on the nForce mobo architecture, bundled with a Lexmark scanner/printer and a 19" Mag Innovision LCD panel, all for $1100. :eek2:

Point is, for the average user, one can walk into BB, and get more system for the buck than one can get buying from Dell, and without the percieved quality problems. :tu: If it were *me*, and I ahd to choose all over again, I would've limped by with my 1.2Ghz Athlon and waited for the AMD64 procs to hit, and maybe even the PCI Express machines, and built my own. AS it stands, if I get some more work in the near future, I might haul off and upgrade to a similar setup, with Crossfire or SLi. :tu:

[Logan]

Maybe a few years ago they did, but I was able to easily do a recoery of my parents system with the recovery CD, having never used it before.

As far as just testing on price, from your earlier comment, I can tell you that is also incorrect. I have toured their QA facility in Austin, and they test six ways from Sunday. Drop tests, heat tests, power cycling tests, you name it.

Shhhh... Give up, he's quite clearly no clue what the heck he's talking about...

[Tex Arcana]

Shhhh... Give up, he's quite clearly no clue what the heck he's talking about...
Last I saw, you were using a Flintstone's computer, with a bird hacking away on a stone tablet with a chisel... :hammer: Plus, if you had RTFT, you would've noted I corrected his mistake.:tongue:

[wesman]

lol....eMachines improved because Gateway took over and they're running AMD processors? So, if you had a Yugo and Daewoo took over and would you be any better off?

Sorry but I would buy Dells base model to eMachines top of the line model.

--wes

[Tex Arcana]

lol....eMachines improved because Gateway took over and they're running AMD processors? So, if you had a Yugo and Daewoo took over and would you be any better off?

Sorry but I would buy Dells base model to eMachines top of the line model.

--wes
If I *had* a Yugo when Daewoo took over, it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference; if I was CONSIDERING a Yugo when Daewoo took over, AND it was well known that Daewoo had improved themselves before taking over Yugo, AND were applying those improvements to Yugo to make YUGO better? Then yes, if I were seriously considering a Yugo, I would be better off, because I would be benefitting from Daewoo's influence.

Case in point: Dana's purchase of the HP. Their acquisition of Compaq actually made them better in the long run, so his purchase benefitted. Capece?

[my2002lightning]

I suppose not.:D Anyway, I'm looking to skeletonize the case with clear-sides, fans and water-cooling, too. It's going to be one cool-customer with plenty of one-off Lightning work specific to my truck.:cool:

At this point, I'm still playing around with sizing/placement of my precut L templates before I begin Dremel-surgery.

The power-supply is a 500-watt Asys 14 cm fan with 2 SATA connectors and plenty of room to grow connector-wise.

The one big-fan is a 120 mm fan and the smaller-ones are 80 mms. I'm kicking around the idea of a few more mods. This "Launch the Nukes!" pwr-switch is a must-have in the line-up.;)

Ronald


http://www.ashdown.com.au/ezyedit/imagesLib/Icons/56-90021-2-3-4.jpg

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-021F2.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-022F.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-020F1.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-017F2.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-016F1.JPG

Can't we keep this thread on topic? :D I'm Dremeling the hell out of the original blow-snouts and installing the power-supply and drives in-place for consideration of the outside-panel cutting/grinding work for the Lightning one-off case.

This is my first PC build and I'm learning the ropes and want to do all of this right the first time.

It's gonna' be one air-flowin' rig, regardless of creative case-mod paths I take..

I'm a firm believer of "measure 2x, cut 1x." school of thought. :tu:

Any thoughts - constructive, creative or otherwise? ;)

Ronald

[Tex Arcana]

Nice work so far, and some nice ideas. Found any model Lightning wheels yet? And when ya gonna come over to use the chop saw?? :d

[98Cobra]

I made a mistake? Where? :confused:

Ronald - go easy on all the LEDs, or you will have to add a spoiler to your case to provide more downforce. :rll:

[Silver_2000]

Yeah, but those things blow chunks, you can't do a decent repair of Winblows with them. Not to mention the bloatware you can't get rid of without major surgery. I was working on a freind's comp the other day, and the BASE installation had AOHell ***ACTIVE*** and running in the background!! :hammer: And it was actually COMMUNICATING with AOL via a port (as reported by McAffee's Personal Firewall). And people wonder why their machines run like crap most of the time. :(

Tex the Restore CDs i have used recently run the OS bare first then typically a separate CD has the drivers and Apps ..

If you leave the second CD alone and go to the web for the drivers you are fine.

[Silver_2000]

with that many fans you will need earplugs...

[Tex Arcana]

I made a mistake? Where? :confused:
:
You said "Restore", when I said "Repair". :rolleyes:

[Tex Arcana]

Tex the Restore CDs i have used recently run the OS bare first then typically a separate CD has the drivers and Apps ..

If you leave the second CD alone and go to the web for the drivers you are fine.

Of course, that's if you know better, or if the Cdls let you do that. I don't know for sure, because I've never had to do a restore or repair (if things get that bad, I just reimage and save the data best I can, usually by using a Linux partition to rip the data off). What I *have* see, tho, is that restore disks do not give you the opportunity to run the Windows Recovery Console, and do a repair action only.

[Tex Arcana]

with that many fans you will need earplugs...
Not to mention a pilot's license! :eek2:

I tried to tell him... do'nt need too many fans... but he no lissen to meee... :(

[my2002lightning]

Thanks, I need to get a few minutes to go ouside, snap a few .jpgs of my wheels, work them over in PShop 7 and get a good '02 L template to move forward for the '02 L Frankenstein fan-grills.

I've been working late getting Production servers in place, even this evening. No rest for the wicked, I suppose.:D

Garret,

You may have a point there.:D If I don't have a well-thought-out case-fan strategery, I may have Katrina Round-Two on my hands.:tongue:

I'll know I accomplished my PC build-task when I fire-it-up for the first time and it parts my coiffure.knana

Ronald



Nice work so far, and some nice ideas. Found any model Lightning wheels yet? And when ya gonna come over to use the chop saw?? :d

[my2002lightning]

The power-supply states <32dB and I'm sure the 120/80 fans are less.


with that many fans you will need earplugs...

[98Cobra]

Of course, that's if you know better, or if the Cdls let you do that. I don't know for sure, because I've never had to do a restore or repair (if things get that bad, I just reimage and save the data best I can, usually by using a Linux partition to rip the data off). What I *have* see, tho, is that restore disks do not give you the opportunity to run the Windows Recovery Console, and do a repair action only.

Well, the Dell's do. At least the ones that came with my parents 3 year old unit do.

[StormShadow]

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-017F2.JPG



What's that lotion doing by your computer? Hmm you musta' had too much fun typing stuff in for the carwash babes. :evil
OWNED!!!

[98Cobra]

:eek2:

:rll:

DAMN

[Mark #2]

Wow after reading this thread I demand that I shall NEVER be referred to again as a nerd.
You guys are an order of magnitude higher, and nice catch on the lotion.:eek:

[Logan]

bwahahahahhahahahhah!

[Tex Arcana]

Wow after reading this thread I demand that I shall NEVER be referred to again as a nerd.
You guys are an order of magnitude higher, and nice catch on the lotion.:eek:



:cool: ...."nerd!" :rll:

[Tex Arcana]

Well, the Dell's do. At least the ones that came with my parents 3 year old unit do.

I've tried doing repairs with at least three restore sets, and each one failed because they weren't considered by WIndows to be an actual operating system disk. :shrug:

[Tex Arcana]

What's that lotion doing by your computer? Hmm you musta' had too much fun typing stuff in for the carwash babes. :evil
OWNED!!!


:rll:

[my2002lightning]

Alright, Smart-Ass! :tongue: :rolleyes: Seriously, Elaine keeps various lotions and olive-oil about the house for her shoulders, elbows, hands, footies, etc. for me to apply to her through-out the evening.

I won't forget this, Adam!:evil



What's that lotion doing by your computer? Hmm you musta' had too much fun typing stuff in for the carwash babes. :evil
OWNED!!!

[98Cobra]

Alright, Smart-Ass! :tongue: :rolleyes: Seriously, Elaine keeps various lotions and olive-oil about the house for her shoulders, elbows, hands, footies, etc. for me to apply to her through-out the evening.

I won't forget this, Adam!:evil

Thats a um, awfully big bottle...


:rll:

This is great :rll:

Adam you are one observant MF

[my2002lightning]

Guilty-Dog barks first. :D

[03LightningRocks]

http://jack-off.urbanup.com/143905

[98Cobra]

What's that lotion doing by your computer? Hmm you musta' had too much fun typing stuff in for the carwash babes. :evil
OWNED!!!


Scarier is that there is a Larry The Cable Guy DVD next to the lotion....

:eek:

[Showtime]

Scarier is that there is a Larry The Cable Guy DVD next to the lotion....

:eek:
maybe Ronald has been rubbing one out to Larry The Cable Guy

a new Ronaldjism.................... GIT-R-DONE

[03LightningRocks]

This has gotten way off topic. Let's get back on track here.

So Ronald, do you plan to intall a lube bracket on the PC? Another option you may want to consider is some type of splash shield for the key board.
Maybe a paper towel holder?

I dunno....just some suggestions, now that we know this is going to be a "purpose built" PC.


Rocks:rll:

[03LightningRocks]

maybe Ronald has been rubbing one out to Larry The Cable Guy

a new Ronaldjism.................... GIT-R-DONE


http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/ronald.gif

[Showtime]

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/ronald.gif
nice work Rocks!!!!

[Tex Arcana]

Scarier is that there is a Larry The Cable Guy DVD next to the lotion....

:eek:


*fap**fap**fap**fap* "GIT 'R DUUUUN!!" *fap**fap**fap**fap*
:rll:

[03LightningRocks]

:rll: :rll: :rll: ...........this is just too darned easy...:rll: .

Gives a whole new meaning to palm pilot.

[Tex Arcana]

This has gotten way off topic. Let's get back on track here.

So Ronald, do you plan to intall a lube bracket on the PC? Another option you may want to consider is some type of splash shield for the key board.
Maybe a paper towel holder?

I dunno....just some suggestions, now that we know this is going to be a "purpose built" PC.


Rocks:rll:
BWAHAHAHAA..:rll::rll: Would that make it the "PORNO-PC"??? :rll:

[03LightningRocks]

BWAHAHAHAA..:rll::rll: Would that make it the "PORNO-PC"??? :rll:


:rll: :rll: :rll: .... We all owe Adam a beer.

[Tex Arcana]

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/ronald.gif
BWAHAHAHAAHAA ROTFLMAOPIPSMS!! :rll::rll::rll: Dammit, Rocks, I'm laughing so hard I can't catch my breath!!

Doug, you've GOT to put this in the list!! :d

Ronald, I"m sorry, but this is PRICELESS!!! THanks for the comedy gold!

[03LightningRocks]

Now we have this one too.

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/ronaldgitrdone.gif

[Tex Arcana]

Now we have this one too.

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/ronaldgitrdone.gif
bwahahahaa... dammit, we need to make a caricature of ROnald's face and put it on a smiley...:rll:

[my2002lightning]

Hmm, I suppose I see now where the collective maturity levels of some of TALON's more frequent poster's lie.:rolleyes::evil

[Silver_2000]

Hmm, I suppose I see now where the collective maturity levels of some of TALON's more frequent poster's lie.:rolleyes::evil

Yes Ronald Im certainly much less mature than you, and as you continually remind us much less intelligent. :rolleyes:
But even with those hurdles to climb I seem to make do. :rolleyes:

[Silver_2000]

Yes Ronald Im certainly much less mature than you, and as you continually remind us much less intelligent. :rolleyes:
But even with those hurdles to climb I seem to make do. :rolleyes:

Wait, Im also less endowed than you and I have never dated a supermodel ( as you have reminded us ) so I bow ... To you .... :bows

[98Cobra]

Wait, Im also less endowed than you and I have never dated a supermodel ( as you have reminded us ) so I bow ... To you .... :bows

Doug, you also have no idea what its like to be a parent.

Just didnt want you to forget one ;)

[True Blue Aggie]

Or to care about someone you love....you know, since you're not married.

Pimp.

[Tex Arcana]

Yes Ronald Im certainly much less mature than you, and as you continually remind us much less intelligent. :rolleyes:
But even with those hurdles to climb I seem to make do. :rolleyes:



Wait, Im also less endowed than you and I have never dated a supermodel ( as you have reminded us ) so I bow ... To you .... :bows



Doug, you also have no idea what its like to be a parent.

Just didnt want you to forget one ;)



Or to care about someone you love....you know, since you're not married.

Pimp.


Geez, with all that going agin ye, might be time to hang it up and relieve us of your presence on this planet... :d












































...I mean, you *do* have that space ship of yours parked in the garage, don't you?? :rll:

[my2002lightning]

Overlooking all the rhetoric :rolleyes:, check out my progress as of last night.knana

Here it is roughed-out with the 1" hole-cut bit. I'm now straightening / smoothing out the lines and getting into the L logo for the finer-work.

While, I'm at it TALON, check your spare-tires and front-brake caliper retainer clip-thingies. I pulled my tow-hitch/spare, and the tire was completely flat having never the seen light-of-day.:confused:

The shim/clip in the left-front rotor keeps walking-out on a weekly basis as you can see below. I tap it back-in on a weekly basis.:cool: The passenger-side never does this.

Ronald


http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-030F1.JPG

http://www.svtgalleries.net/gallery/data/500/MVC-011F2.JPG

[Silver_2000]

I tap it back-in on a weekly basis.:cool: The passenger-side never does this.

Ronald


The clip is supposed to have tabs that are bent at the other end to prevent that

Doug

[03LightningRocks]

The clip is supposed to have tabs that are bent at the other end to prevent that

Doug

+1

[dboat]

+1

+1 +1
or would that be +2?

[Tex Arcana]

The clip is supposed to have tabs that are bent at the other end to prevent that

Doug

:rolleyes: I *TOLD* him how to fix this yesterday!! :hammer: Just a simple case of cranking the wheel hard right ('cuz it's the left ones), taking a screwdriver and a hammer and tapping the tabs over from behind.

We looked at mine, and they're not walking a bit, but iirc, they tabs are bent over properly. ;)

[98Cobra]

Hey Tex, I saw this on somethingawful.com and immediately thought of you! :D

---------------

Boom, another headshot. I know you didn't see that coming, I was hiding behind those exact same boxes everyone hides behind. You might have more luck finding someone with Parkinson's and letting them aim for you. Or you could blame it on your computer like every other newblet that comes in here. You have a new Compaq, huh? You might as well just take that black and beige hunk of crap back to Circuit City right now because you got ripped off. You see, I'm a smartass that built my computer from a bunch of parts. I don't call it a computer, though. It's a rig, like a truck. I spent months compiling and pricing a list of hardware and then I bought all the parts and put them together. It's not for everyone, only the most elite power users among us could possibly screw a circuit board into a metal box and then plug in a bunch of wires. Oh man, that surge of adrenaline when I watched it spin up for the first time was unlike anything I've felt since squaring off in the Magic: The Gathering Battle Arena at Comic Kingdom 2K3.

Click here for the rest:

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3549

[Silver_2000]

Hey Tex, I saw this on somethingawful.com and immediately thought of you! :D

---------------

Boom, another headshot. I know you didn't see that coming, I was hiding behind those exact same boxes everyone hides behind. You might have more luck finding someone with Parkinson's and letting them aim for you. Or you could blame it on your computer like every other newblet that comes in here. You have a new Compaq, huh? You might as well just take that black and beige hunk of crap back to Circuit City right now because you got ripped off. You see, I'm a smartass that built my computer from a bunch of parts. I don't call it a computer, though. It's a rig, like a truck. I spent months compiling and pricing a list of hardware and then I bought all the parts and put them together. It's not for everyone, only the most elite power users among us could possibly screw a circuit board into a metal box and then plug in a bunch of wires. Oh man, that surge of adrenaline when I watched it spin up for the first time was unlike anything I've felt since squaring off in the Magic: The Gathering Battle Arena at Comic Kingdom 2K3.

Click here for the rest:

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3549
Thats priceless :tu:

[Tex Arcana]

Hey Tex, I saw this on somethingawful.com and immediately thought of you! :D

---------------

Boom, another headshot. I know you didn't see that coming, I was hiding behind those exact same boxes everyone hides behind. You might have more luck finding someone with Parkinson's and letting them aim for you. Or you could blame it on your computer like every other newblet that comes in here. You have a new Compaq, huh? You might as well just take that black and beige hunk of crap back to Circuit City right now because you got ripped off. You see, I'm a smartass that built my computer from a bunch of parts. I don't call it a computer, though. It's a rig, like a truck. I spent months compiling and pricing a list of hardware and then I bought all the parts and put them together. It's not for everyone, only the most elite power users among us could possibly screw a circuit board into a metal box and then plug in a bunch of wires. Oh man, that surge of adrenaline when I watched it spin up for the first time was unlike anything I've felt since squaring off in the Magic: The Gathering Battle Arena at Comic Kingdom 2K3.

Click here for the rest:

http://www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3549


:rll::rll::rll: Dammit, that hits the nail on the head, doesn't it?? I admit it, I built all my knowledge on the shoulders of those who've gone before me. I won't ever buy something that's brand-spaking new, not 'til the reviewers I trust have gotten their hands on it and tested it out with various combos.

That was excellent, thanks for the laugh. :tu: