Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!:)

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

I stay away from CL like the plague.

[Durahansolo]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

I wouldn't buy high-end electronics off CL. too much to go wrong. CL is fine for lower-end items, things that are cheap and old, but newer, more expensive things will lack at least one very important thing: warranties.

^^This

People buy alot of things off of CL, one of my coworkers even bought a car off of CL since it wasn't too far away from where they live so they drove over and test drove it. However I wouldn't buy any technology off of there. For that matter, after I got ripped off last year by a computer seller company on ebay, I won't be buying anything computer related off of there either.

On a sidenote that is the basis of what I have in my computer now. However I'm getting ready to upgrade from 2x8800GT to a 295GTX.

[Feba]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

Actually, I've bought and sold things on CL without problems. I bought a good old iMac for around $75; it had problems, but for my purposes it was great. My mom got a great motorcycle off CL. Also sold a DS and piano over CL.

eBay; you'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villany. There's practically no buyer protection, and it all happens over an easily exploitable medium. CL is just like newspaper classifieds-- it CONNECTS people, and then it lets people BARTER by themselves. You meet, you test the object, you agree to your terms, and you trade. A good CL trade is practically like a good garage sale.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

CL has buyer protection? As far as Ebay goes, most transactions are done via Paypal now and Paypal does indeed have buyer protection. I've been a buyer and seller on Ebay since it started. I've ran into a handful of idiots but there was only one time that I lost any money.

My experience with CL hasn't been as kind. I've shown up to many meetings and left to sit there while whoever I was meeting sold the item to someone else. Or when the person got there and I inspected the item, it turned out to be a piece of crap or a dupe. I purchased a stereo receiver that started acting up 2 days after I bought it. My son popped it open only to find some other receivers components underneath. (I can't remember exactly but it was supposed to be a Sony, which the only the case was, and it was some cheap no name brand.)

So ya, different people, different experiences but I'll stick with Ebay. I've had better luck there.

[Feba]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

CL has buyer protection?

CL is just like newspaper classifieds-- it CONNECTS people, and then it lets people BARTER by themselves. You meet, you test the object, you agree to your terms, and you trade. A good CL trade is practically like a good garage sale.

r when the person got there and I inspected the item, it turned out to be a piece of crap or a dupe.

this is exactly how it is supposed to work.

Your 'crappy components inside good case' scenario is unfortunate, but would've happened just as easily on any other service. hell, the same thing has happened at big box stores; even their products aren't impervious to scams. I'm sure we all remember the occasional mp3 player being sold with porn on it; or boxes full of bricks, and so on. Hence mentioning that the most important thing you lose from CL (and ebay, too) is warranties.

Last I checked, ebay's 'buyer protection' policies made it very easy for sellers to ship a dud product and still get paid, with little to no recourse for the buyer. This may've changed, but then you have to deal with PayPal, which is another can of worms.

As for getting stood up, it sucks, but I've found that most people who aren't serious tend to stop replying to emails after the second or third time. Of course, calling them can also be useful.

[Durahansolo]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

CL has buyer protection? As far as Ebay goes, most transactions are done via Paypal now and Paypal does indeed have buyer protection.

Ok, here's what happened. There was a custom builder of computers on ebay who was a power seller and had sold over 100+ computers so he had all good reviews. Checked to see if paypal would cover the transaction and yes they did. Paid for the computer and waited over a month and no computer. Contacted seller 2-3 times and they said they were building it/finalizing/shipping. Well they bought a Fedex shipper and gave me the tracking code, however there was not a computer attached to it, all they had done was buy the tracker. So I filed a complaint with paypal only to notice that the transaction was only covered for $200 so that was all I was able to get since they had already removed all their money in the paypal account. I got taken for $500 with about 40 other people who had done the same thing. Pretty sure they're banned from ebay now, but they probably made another account since they skipped away with everybody's money. Since I didn't pay with a Credit Card I was screwed.

[TheGrandMom]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

Ya, not saying this was your fault Dura, but you made 2 very big mistakes. Waiting too long and not using a credit card. Sellers can say they won't accept cc's through PayPal though but if you are buying over the $200 limit then you shouldn't use that seller. Ebay should make a "this is how you do it" type guide for people to read when they sign up. I will say I don't usually buy electronics from Ebay though, especially if they are over $200. Sorry that happened to you Dura, but not all of us Ebay sellers are a-holes. ^^

[Durahansolo]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

Ya, not saying this was your fault Dura, but you made 2 very big mistakes. Waiting too long and not using a credit card.

True, if I had known the bastard was gonna pull a Houdini and ninja vanish, I probably would've done that, however my credit union is composed of idiots and limit is $1,000 which would've put me just over what I paid since I had a few balances. Instead I took out a loan and paid with my debit or checking account, I don't remember which. On top of that, I should've called it in earlier but people were saying they got their computers still and for most of them it took a month for them to get it. So since nobody had left negative feedback nobody would've known. I'm over it now, but I hope their asses get caught.

[Tipsy]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

CL isn't comparable... it's just an online classified add. Ebay is much more...

Kinda.

Anyway, I'm definitely going for the triple monitor setup, how does that work exactly? Will the mouse jump over to each screen?

[Durahansolo]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

Anyway, I'm definitely going for the triple monitor setup, how does that work exactly? Will the mouse jump over to each screen?

Unless I missed it somewhere, I don't see any reason why "you" would need 3 monitors. Anyways if you were using more than two monitors you'd probably have to have 2 cards since most cards now have 2 connections. For example I have 2 8800GTs at the moment. The back of the card has 2 monitor plugins, and when 2 monitors/tv are plugged into it they can be configured to work together. For a 3 monitor setup you'd probably need 2 cards and plug each monitor into 1 plugin on each card. If the 2nd and 3rd monitors are set up as a "Multiple Desktop Display" you could use a couple of setups including Clone (which copies the first monitor and makes them all produce the same image.) and a extended desktop style setting which will allow you to have different programs running in each monitor. When controlling the mouse, as the mouse goes off the edge of screen 1, it'll go into screen 2, and off screen 2 to screen 3.

Although I'd like to have 2x24" monitors on my desk, it would be illogical for me since I really am only gonna use 1 screen. I'll occasionally connect my HDTV to one of the cards so I can watch anime or movies on the big screen compared to on my laptop, but that's about it.

[Tipsy]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

I walked into this somewhat hidden computer repair shop, and wow. At the guy's desk were two GIANT Widescreen LCD monitors, it looked sweet. That's all the reason there is to it.

And no one ever said I "needed" them. I'm contemplating hooking up 4 , but I don't actually think anyone actually "needs" these kind of setup ups, it's entertainment.

And plus, like Feba said, EVE takes up ALOT of space, I can only fit a few windows up and it'd be extremely helpful to have all that extra space.

[Kitalrez]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

yes and yes, ray. One benefit of FFXI's hideously outdated GUI is that they at least manage windows well. That is, there aren't any fucking windows. Everything fits neatly in place. You don't have to drag things all over the place constantly in order to have a usable GUI.

But I cannot think of any app that eats window space more than EVE. Hell, I would probably run out of space to put apps on a desktop before I ran out of EVE windows to juggle.

You know, that was one of the things I disliked about FFXI when I first started playing. Here we were well after EQ's Shadows of Luclin era, and I didn't have a customizable GUI. Kept wanting to move my WHM's health bar around so I could focus on different areas of the screen. Of course, back in EQ, there were windows you needed and others you could just tell the UI not to show, like pet health if you were a cleric or wizard. Doesn't look like EVE has that option, or you need every last window display it offers. Either way, that'd get confusing fast.


Back to the OP...

Tipsy, seriously consider doing water cooling. Koolance has been at this for years, they're really good at it. I think Thermaltake is also doing water blocs. You have a list of parts, you know that there's only a handful of things in there that absolutely have to be cooled. CPU, sometimes your bridges on the Motherboard, Graphics Cards, and maybe Power Supply. I've yet to hit my harddrives enough for them to need the water bloc I have on them, I feel as though I wasted my money on that particular item. Check out Koolance and Thermaltake, they make decent products for this. If you go with Koolance, you can do either a full case, or a case mod (Exos). Either way, you'll need a water blocs that fit each of those items I mentioned earlier, some tubing (check the size when you're ordering the case/mod kit and look at the blocs themselves), and lastly, a single bottle of coolant. You can get two, but you don't change it out more than once a year or so. Once you know what components you need, check Ebay and see if you can get your blocs for cheaper than through a distributor. You can also check Pricewatch for deals on cooling components. (I'll give you the link later when I explain how to use it).

To set up a water cooled system, first build it like normal, (your motherboard will come with a manual that will walk you through step by step setting your machine up, or at least ASUS and MSI both do). Once you're set up, look at the manual for your watercooled system, and it will tell you how to put on each block and attach the Exo if you have that. Once the blocs are snapped on, measure around components to get an idea of how much tubing you need. (Cut about a 1/2" to 1" more than you need). It's like running a stream, you start at the pumps, run it through every bloc component you have, then end up back at the pumps. I'd go ahead and try to make the initial connection from the pump to the CPU, this way you protect the hottest component first. Once you have all your tubes measured, cut, and attached securely, (you usually just need the clamps, rubber cement, plumber's putty and silicon are overkill), dismantle everything but the water lines. Fill system, put in the Power Supply jumper wire, and turn it on. Two-three hours later, check it for leaks, usually you won't have any. Once you know it works, you can rebuild it as normal. A good water cooled rig will last you for years. It'll run quiet and cool, and it looks really interesting if you get decide to get the UV activated coolant and switch on a black light. Plus, most coolant is alcohol based, meaning it'll evaporate if it does leak, instead of pooling on components.

Since you're building your own, you can take advantage of your ability to buy superior parts and work with AMD's traditional edge in overclocking. Overclocking will make you run hotter, but it will also give you better CPU performance for the same price. The cost is that the CPU wears out slightly faster, and it runs hotter. If you're water cooled, this isn't a real issue. Right now, I'm running 12 F hotter in the case for a dual core AMD at stock speed than I am in the rest of the room. That's barely making a dent. I could OC the shit out of this and still have the system running pretty cool and stable.

Which brings us to your list. Skip Newegg altogether. There's a better spot to start. Fire up PRICEWATCH :: Price Comparison Tool - Find the lowest prices on computers, electronics, clothing and more. Pricewatch is like the consumer reports, want ads, and Zagaat's of computer components. It solicits ads from various computer merchants, then lists them based on price of ad + shipping. You'll also be able to browse ratings for each merchant, and see how they do business. NewEgg submits to pricewatch, so you lose nothing by starting there first. NewEgg might be cheaper, but there might be a better option. You lose nothing by double checking the stuff.

Go down your list, and see what you can find. You might be able to find a good deal on significantly cheaper items. Also, plan out what to buy and from who to buy on Pricewatch, many merchants there will cut you a deal on shipping or costs if you order more than one item.

Check Tom's Hardware or Overclockers.com for reviews on components. Some are much more robust than others. Also, some brand names are worth the money, and others are just hype.

If you are at least considering Overclocking, look at Overclockers.com for an idea of the range of clock speeds people get out of different CPUs. Whatever AMD or Intel's top of the line model is, look at what's 1-2 steps below this. This is especially important if you know they've got a new model coming out. Whatever isn't top of the line is significantly cheaper, and a lot of manufacturers will close those out as the shipping date for the new stuff comes along. You might be able to tweak the same performance level out of a much cheaper CPU if you have the hardware for it.

[Tipsy]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

Thanks for the heads up, I honestly didn't even know such a thing existed.

But man is is hawt D:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw5pEdnKjVw]YouTube - Thermaltake Water Cooled PC[/ame]

How long would it take to install all that tubage?

[Kitalrez]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

About an hour, maybe two or three if you're really doing detailed work. Most people don't realize how relatively easy it is to do water cooling. On the other hand, most people also don't realize how relatively easy it is to build your own computer...

Those blocs you see the hoses connecting to have screw on valve clamps. Longest part of setup is getting the hose to fit over the valve flange and then screwing it down.

[Tipsy]

Re: Customizing a gaming PC (Not LAPTOP, this time_!

Seems like an awesome addition, is it as effective as it is neat? :p

And I was reading about mineral water submerged PCs... it's amazing. Is it 100% safe?