DCEmulation

15" MacBook Pro
2.4ghz Core i5
500gb 7200rpm Drive
4gb RAM
330m w/256mb VRAM
Snow Leopard and Win7 Ultimate

I was going to stick with my Santa Rosa C2D at 2.4ghz with the 8600m GT time bomb, but I was able to snag this on ebay for far under retail.

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penor: hay gusy how do i make ubuntu look cool like vista

Hm, lots of MacBook Pros.

Here's my pathetic work computer:
Dell something-or-other low-end corporate model (it was already old when I was hired four years ago)
Pentium 4 @ 2.8GHz
Intel integrated graphics
512MB RAM
40GB HDD
CD-RW drive (speed unknown), 1.44MB floppy drive (I've used the floppy drive exactly once, and it was non-work-related)
15" LCD monitor @ 1280x1024 (4:3)
running Windows XP SP2

Most of the software I use on a day-to-day basis (aside from Office) is network based, and lately it's been really struggling just to handle a normal workload. Normally I would ask for a replacement (it's 6 years old at this point), but with all the layoffs we've had lately I'd feel bad having money spent on a computer upgrade.

Sounds like it all it needs is a 512/1GB stick (1GB is all that's really needed for Windows XP to run well)... And if there's a bunch of low-end Optiplexes in your workplace, then there must be some that are laying around for parts.

New case: Corsair 600T white... and it kicks ass. Two 200mm fans, fan control knob, best construction I've ever encountered... but, of course, it's Corsair.

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

Of course, I got a new computer right before leaving my job to move to San Francisco. Beautiful little Core i3 Dell laptop; it was mine for all of two weeks.

My home computer is the same 15" Core2 Duo MacBook Pro that I've had for the last three years, and I hope to get at least another two years out of it. Just recently got it rebuilt (thanks, AppleCare!), put in a fresh battery, and installed Lion. Apparently it's not hard to install Lion over Leopard; you just have to edit a text file to make OSX lie about its version number prior to running the installer.

Just started a new job, and my work machine is a 2.4 GHz Core2 Duo with 2GB RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and (sigh) Windows Vista. Actually, Vista is fairly similar to an XP skin I used to use back in college.

If these count as computers, I've also got a Palm Pre Plus and a first-gen 32GB iPod Touch, each of which sees almost as much use as my MBP. Hoping to trade both of them in for an iPhone 5 when the time comes.

Corsair makes a damn fine case. If I would be bothered to build another computer, I'd use an 800. Tons of room for air movement/water cooling/cable routing.

I'm downgrading to a laptop though. I'm pretty much finished with PC gaming.

But... but.. but buttbuttuttbuttbut Battlefield 3... Rage... Skyrim... Red Orchestra 2... Total War: Rome 2...


Yeah, the 800D is very nice, but too big for my tastes. This thing's technically a midtower but it's huge. My Thermaltake V3 was 18x16in.. this is 23x20in... I don't do watercooling except for my CPU, which I have a Corsair H50 on. This thing would even fit a 240mm radiator up top if you needed it. It also came with the mesh screen to replace the sidepanel viewing glass, which I already have four 120mm fans shipped and on the way for.

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

As much as it hurts me to say.... the 360 will have most of those, albeit neutered versions. The con's of PC gaming have outweighed the con's of console gaming, plus most of my friends have 360's and very few of them rock gaming PC's. It's more enjoyable to just flop on the couch after a rough day of work and chill/play games, then sit in an upright computer chair in front of a 23" screen typing and clicking.



The H50 is great, I've been running one for two years now. Just make sure you clean it often dude, the fins on the rad get clogged with dust fairly quickly (a good cleaning every two months or so should be sufficient). Also, if you're going to venture into overclocking, look at buying another 140mm to run the H50 in a push/pull config, drops the temps a good amount.

Also, because I never got around to it, some old pics right after I built my current computer (it has one 9800GX2 in it in the pics, I ran Quad, got rid of them for SLi'ed GTX 460's)

Right now I'm still using the same old tired media center I built about 3 years ago (with a video card upgrade last year).

AMD Phenom X4 9550
ATI HD6850
Soundblaster ExtremeGamer
Some Asus motherboard (don't remember which)
8GB Corsair DDR2 800
Intel 40GB SSD
Western Digital Green 1TB
All inside a cheap Cooler Master desktop style case that fits next to my receiver.

I told my wife that come this next tax check, I'm taking about $1000 and building a better system because I need something that's faster with gaming and 1080p Blu-Ray files. I plan to move to a Phenom X6, 8GB of the fastest DDR3 I can afford, a bigger Intel SSD, a Black series of WD hard drive, and a more roomy desktop style case to hold it all. I'm kicking around the idea of getting a second ATI 6850 to Crossfire with, but I haven't decided yet.

The X6 is a completely pointless processor, whether you're an enthusiast gamer or hardcore AMD fanboy (not implying anything). Either wait for Bulldozer, or buy an equivalently priced Intel quad core, because I can guarantee the quad core will outperform it, it will overclock higher, and it will use less energy.

AMD's Phenom architecture is so bloody behind, they figured throwing more cores onto a die would be the solution... wrong.

Well it's not something I plan to build until March of next year so I've honestly haven't done any research on it. I thought about one of those new APU's since I heard they can Crossfire with ATI cards. But I'll probably do some heavy research looking up benchmark reviews and such once I actually am ready to buy. But I don't plan to buy an Intel. I've used AMD for years, and I refuse to ever use an Nvidia card ever again, so the ATI/AMD combo works nicely.

I think you mean AMD/AMD

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

And my four 120s arrived today...

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

I'm a little behind the curve (two years).

HP DVD+-RW burner
Antec 902 case (hey, it's very durable and has decent cooling, and ended up being under $100)
Western Digital 640 GB SATA HDD @ 7200 RPM
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 790X mobo
Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition (with a CoolerMaster Hyper212 Plus on it)
G.SKILL Ripjaws @ PC3 12800 (in theory - mobo doesn't like these at full speed, never totally stable, so they're running slower unfortunately)
Antec TruePower TP750W Power Supply
EVGA GTX260 core 216 SuperClocked Edition

Anyone have thoughts on how I'd do with newer games? Only PC game I've played that's less than a year old is Deus Ex, which is very playable but doesn't run perfect... Think I'd be pretty OK if I just upgraded the video card.

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How to be a Conservative:
You have to believe everything that has ever gone wrong in the history of your country was due to Liberals.

I think you're doing pretty well. The 260 was a good card, and seeing that you have the SuperClocked edition, I'd say it's faring quite well. As far as suggestions, I think the best deal on the market is the 6950, which can be easily flashed and made into a 6970 (of which I have two).

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

Depends on your definition of "playable". Personally, I play PC games because I want the best... best graphics, best performance. Me personally, I'd say that the 260 needs to go. It's very aged, and while it will run a majority of games decently, it won't run new games on high or above settings very well, and you will run into issues because of lack of VRAM on the card (I'm guessing it's 1GB?).

As Jeeba said, pick up a 6950 2GB, they can be had for roughly $210-220 now. Try to keep an eye out on the comments section of the card you're buying, as not all 6950's unlock. Jeeba probably bought his a while ago, I bought one a week or so ago and lucked out that mine unlocks (probably because I bought it at a local shop, it'd probably sat on the shelf for a while).

As for the rest of your system, you're great. Games these days use very little CPU resources, as most of the intense graphic and AI work has been shifted to the GPU. I'd overclock your 955 a little, try to hit 3.8-4.0Ghz, if you can't on a 212 grab a Corsair H40 or H60. As far as RAM, what you have is good, and as long as you have a minimum of 4GB you're fine. If your motherboard is slowing down the timings or speed of the RAM, replace your board.

Like most of PC building, it all depends on how cushy your wallet is, and what you're after. There is a lot you could do with your system without breaking the bank and replacing everything, but at the same time if you dont expect the best out of it, it's fine how it is.

Actually, I have two legit 6970s. I didn't find out about that trick until a week or so after. And yeah, CPU resources aren't used much by modern games. For the past couple of years there's been a steady shift towards making your video card pretty much the all-in-one game system plugged into your motherboard. It's making things a lot easier.

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe

Have you tried Eyefinity yet Jeeba?

If not, do it. I picked up a pair of 21.5" monitors yesterday (to go along with one I already have), and my fuck is it ever glorious. The 6950 holds up pretty well, however there are a few games that slow it right down (especially when trying to use any AA at all). Think I might pick up another 6950....

No, but I've had plans for it for about a year. Just been procrastinating. I have a 27" Samsung LED monitor. The plan's been to get two more of those.

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"He who cannot draw on 3,000 years is living hand-to-mouth." -Goethe