Building a computer? Need advice/suggestions? Come here!

Lately, I've been thinking about getting a dedicated sound card. This RealTek onboard chipset is okay, but I'd prefer something that's GREAT or AWESOME. So, I have a few questions.

1.) Is EAX in supported games as exciting as they'd like people to believe?
2.) Would having a dedicated sound card improve my framerate in games?
3.) Are PCI (not PCI Express x1) sound cards fairly decent? My motherboard has one free PCI slot and one free PCI Express x1 slot but the PCI Express slot is covered up because my graphics card is dual-slot wide.
4.) What brands of sound cards are worth it? I've found great reviews on Sound Blaster Audigy series and Omega Striker sound cards, but I really don't know much.

I'll be using 5.1 analog outs for my Logitech X-540 system with the sound card, if that matters.

And purely for my curiosity but unlikely to factor into the above:
5.) Can HDMI be used solely for audio out while VGA or DVI is used for the display?

Thanks for any help!

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

Looks good, I would of grabbed an i7-620M instead of the 720QM if given the choice however.

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The price difference between the 620QM and 720QM was only $20, so I decided to go with the quad core and the 2MB bigger cache. I hope to play BC2 on ultra with this thing, or close to it. Benchmarks with the 720QM and HD 5870 show I can just about squeeze an average of 31 fps. Hopefully the diamond cooling compound I added will keep everything, well, cool.

The main difference is that the i7-620M (not QM) has faster cores (2.66GHz) instead of more slower cores on the i7-720QM (1.6GHz). Unless you're going to be using lots of multi-threaded applications the fewer, faster cores will offer better results.

I know BFBC2 uses quad cores, so you may see better performance with the i7-720QM though it will probably be very similar. All your other non-multi-threaded applications will perform worse with the i7-720QM as opposed to the i7-620M.

Both are great processors though, and in day-to-day computing I doubt you'll run into performance issues.

Other than BC2, I'll also be running Dawn of War 2 and probably some CAD and photoshop down the road. So you're probably right, I'll be fine for the next few years or so.

O, and Starcraft 2 will apparently support quad cores too.

It didn't when I was playing the Beta... :S

So it look's like I'm going to be needing a over haul of my PC soon as the motherboard I currently have is only running on two cylinders so to speak.

Been looking at a few motherboards for under £100 and found this Asrock which seems pretty decent.
Anyone have any past experience with the newer Asrock boards at all?
I want to update my pc a bit but I do not want to go with Asus as the past three boards have killed themselves on me and Asus RMA service is absolute diabolical, the last board I sent to them for repairs got lost for SEVEN months in the Czech republic...
I seem to remember Asrock being a pretty solid board, was the make of the first board I ever had which was AMD at the time as well.
I plan on slowly upgrading over time so I think this board would give me a good head start.
click here;

Newegg, is there really anything else? Unless you have a local store that has prices similar to Newegg like I do, no shipping = win.

I've found video cards on eBay I want but I'm not sure if I should buy it. First, a XFX Radeon HD 5850 HD-585A-ZNFC with lifetime warranty - $260 starting bid price/$320 buy now and the other, a XFX Radeon HD 5870 XXX HD-587A-ZND9 with lifetime warranty - $305+ bid. Should I go for either of them or is buying off of eBay a waste?
(I'm looking for where I can buy new reference XFX Radeon HD 5850s but at the moment I can't find any as I have called several stores.)

Also, if I wanted to sell another computer component such as my power supply, where should I sell it? And if I sold it for $50, is it an appealing price?

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

Newegg, is there really anything else? Unless you have a local store that has prices similar to Newegg like I do, no shipping = win.

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Last i heard Newegg doesn't ship to UK.

Okay guys, I'm in a predicament need to choose something that will last 3 years:
1. Buy a non-reference XFX Radeon HD 5850 HD-585X-ZAFC from Amazon for $294.99 shipped with double lifetime warranty
2. Buy a used XFX Radeon HD 5850 HD-585A-ZNFC reference model from eBay for more than $280 shipped with lifetime warranty
3. Buy a used XFX Radeon HD 5870 HD-587A-ZND9 XXX Overclocked Model from eBay for more than $350 shipped with lifetime warranty
4. Buy a used XFX Radeon HD 5870 HD-587A-ZND9 XXX Overclocked Model from eBay for more than $320 shipped probably without lifetime warranty
5. <Insert Custom Suggestions>

Choice 2 is superior.

Is there any implication that I overclock in order to obtain HD5870 performance (as I most likely have to keep this video card for the next 3 years)?

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Originally Posted by bleach

Is there any implication that I overclock in order to obtain HD5870 performance (as I most likely have to keep this video card for the next 3 years)?

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Overclocked parts tend to have a shorter life span due to increased temperatures, there is a serious risk of severely damaging the card if you overclock the card too hard as well.

And that's what after-market cooling solutions are for. Keep your temperatures below or on par with what the stock cooling did, except do it at faster speeds.

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

And that's what after-market cooling solutions are for. Keep your temperatures below or on par with what the stock cooling did, except do it at faster speeds.

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Which is why i said about temperatures in the first place, increased speed still decreases life span even if you add a after market cooler.

No... My CPU runs cooler overclocked than it did at stock speeds with the stock fan, sure it's running faster but it's also running cooler. Lifespan will hardly be effected, at least it never has been in the last 3 PC's I've gone though.

How is the 8800gts EVGA superclocked for physx usage?

I'm getting one really cheap and was wondering what I should expect.

Should work fine, PhysX in general doesn't boost performance a whole lot from what I've seen on my PC.

Freelancer, I guess the fact that the HD5850 consumes much less power than the HD5870, has a shorter length, and has greater overclock-ability combine together to make it something I should shoot for! Also anyone have any suggestions as to bidding increments and when to bid in order to increase chance of winning an auction?

It's eBay right? Just enter the amount you're most willing to pay and it will auto bid for you until that amount is reached. Near the end of the auction you should start watching it, and "Buy It Now" if you really want it and there are still active bids.

I'm guessing that it's best that I enter the bid now; so what price do you think should be the logical and most rational amount I should pay for the video card? It is priced at $260 + $15 shipping as set by the first bidder.

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

No... My CPU runs cooler overclocked than it did at stock speeds with the stock fan, sure it's running faster but it's also running cooler. Lifespan will hardly be effected, at least it never has been in the last 3 PC's I've gone though.

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You're forgetting the increased usage throughout the entire circuit not just the core and RAM.
Also there is no "defined" lifespan, hell my old AGP ATI 9600PRO is still running in my parent's pc, my point is the more you overclock the system the more strain you will pull on the entire system not just the SMD packages.

But the HD5850 $280 will still be a better choice than an HD5870 $350 if I need to keep it as long as possible or should I choose the HD5870 instead? I mean I know that overclocking has its risks and it's just that I don't know how much strain I will put on my system because if I get the HD5850, I will overclock to match the HD5870 and if I get the HD5870, I might not because it's quite powerful without the OC but if I do, I will overclock within safe limits of the default software (I think it's Overdrive). The video card has to last up to 3 years but I don't play video games "like there's no tomorrow" as a habit.
So you guys still think I should go for the HD5850 or should I switch?

I personally would go for the HD5850, if you don't play games like it's going out the style then you don't really need to spend the extra $70 for an 5870.
That's just my personal opinion though no doubt freelancer will tell you to get the 5870 because it's faster it all comes down to bang for your buck and how much you're willing to spend.

Cool, thanks. I am now going to bid the HD5850 then.

Edit: If my first bid is outbid, I can also manually bid right?

What's a safe bid value for the card? (It says I have to enter $265 or more then I add on $15 shipping for final price).

I originally bought my pre-overclocked 5850 for 340$

From what company did you buy? The video cards from Sapphire Tech and XFX (Black Edition) that are clocked around 765 MHz core/1125 MHz memory used to cost that much. If there was a reference XFX Radeon HD 5850, I would have bought it but the thing is that in the HD5800 segment, the market is flooded with non-reference cards, which uses lower quality components compared to reference ones.

Also, how long do you plan to keep that video card?

UPDATE: Right now, my bid is placed at $280 at the moment and I'm the winning bidder (I guess the guy placed his bid at $275-$279). If I do win, the $295 better be worth it.

I bought from XFX.

I should have bought a Black Edition HD 5850 when they were $336 on Amazon (free shipping + no tax) but seeing as to how the HD 5850 overclocks, any reference one overclocked to 765/1125 should be the better buy compared to a pre-overclocked one which is priced anywhere from $20 to $40 more.
The Radeon HD 5850 can handle games maxed at 1920 x 1080 while trailing the HD 5870 anywhere from 15 to 20(?)% right?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by =sw=warlord

You're forgetting the increased usage throughout the entire circuit not just the core and RAM.
Also there is no "defined" lifespan, hell my old AGP ATI 9600PRO is still running in my parent's pc, my point is the more you overclock the system the more strain you will pull on the entire system not just the SMD packages.

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The power consumption of this CPU overclocked is on par with a stock Q9650, I really doubt anything is going to die faster than it should with my current setup.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by =sw=warlord

no doubt freelancer will tell you to get the 5870 because it's faster it all comes down to bang for your buck and how much you're willing to spend.

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I thought I already recommended the 5850 in this thread? I meant to point out that it was a good card and he should pick it up. The last part of this statement is true though.

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Originally Posted by bleach

The Radeon HD 5850 can handle games maxed at 1920 x 1080 while trailing the HD 5870 anywhere from 15 to 20(?)% right?

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A Mobile HD 5850 runs games at 1920x1080 just fine according to all the laptop reviews I've read about the card, the desktop version will be even better.

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

I really doubt anything is going to die faster than it should with my current setup.

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I had to write a entire 10 page report at college during my engineering studies as to risks and rewards for overclocking IC's and one of the results of my research while doing said thesis was that the higher you clock the hardware past it's standard limit the shorter the potential lifespan.
A lot of manufacturers know the limits of their hardware but clock the products lower to gain a medium between silicon life and part performance.
this is due to Electromigration,This is a quote taken from my one of my sources from the report I had to do:

Quote:

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When the processor is run at a speed that is higher than it is supposed to be run at, there is a chance that the internal components in the processor may break down over time. The internal features of a CPU are sized in the range of microns. It is possible that when the processor is stressed by running at too high a frequency, along with the extra heat that overclocking incurs, that the actual metal lines inside the processor may form shorts or opens and damage the processor over a period of time. How likely this is to happen, and how long it takes is really not known. The system may work fine for a while and then suddenly stop working.

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I hope that clears thing's up for you.

Like I said, it's running cooler than stock. Not sure I see how that applies.

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

Like I said, it's running cooler than stock. Not sure I see how that applies.

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Because heat is not the only issue here.
Read the quote carefully;

Quote:

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It is possible that when the processor is stressed by running at too high a frequency, that the actual metal lines inside the processor may form shorts or opens and damage the processor over a period of time.

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Heat is not the only issue here, the frequency also has a measurable effect on the circuits inside the IC.
Look up electro-migration before coming back and saying you still can't see the connection, it's a process that's been known for decades and for someone who think's of themselves as a computer enthusiast it's pretty bad that you haven't clue about it beforehand.

Sources;
here
Here
here
And here
Please, educate yourself.

I don't worry about that kind of thing, no one should unless they're doing some crazy overclocks doubling the processor speed or higher.

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Originally Posted by Freelancer

I don't worry about that kind of thing, no one should unless they're doing some crazy overclocks doubling the processor speed or higher.

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Why exactly do you think the manufacturers limit their products to a particular speed freelancer?
Do you honestly believe that the manufacturers of these products don't see electro-migration as a possible threat to the lifespan of their produce?
Honestly I'm starting to think you're simply being ignorant for the point of being ignorance.
the circuits are in the nanometre scale meaning there is less structure material to withstand the damage caused by the process, how is that not hard to comprehend?
Do you seriously need me to point you to a direct time-lapse video showing it in visual form?

I understand completely, what you're failing to understand is that you're over-examining the situation. People have been overclocking for years, with sufficient cooling the degradation on the components is negligible to the point where you don't have to worry about it. Sure the components are suffering from increased wear on their circuits due to electro-migration but I have personally never read of that being a problem in common overclocking situations.

As I said, no one should worry about it unless they're trying to break records using LN2 and overclocking from, for example, 2.4GHz to 6GHz.

What if the GPU was overclocked only while gaming and immediately after, you turn it back to default?

Holy crap, warlord, chill out.
It's not like some weird sorcery we're talking here about overclocking. Yes, overclocking to any extent can be dangerous. Yes, you are at risk when you overclock. No, you won't have much issue as long as you have the situation controlled. There are so many variables that change the particular situation like, how intensive is this particular CPU, how fast are you running it, how fast are you overclocking it, how many cores does it have, what are you using to cool it, and the list goes on and on, and its not as simple as, you clock it too high, and in 3 seconds its busted. As long as you're methodical in your ways and you KNOW what risk you're taking and what you're taking to control that risk, you should be fine.

If I overclock, it's not going to be used for benchmarks or anything like that and I'm no where near thinking about breaking records or pushing it. I was just thinking about doing a moderate overclock on my Intel Core i5 750 to 3.2 GHz 24/7 and on my possible HD 5850 only for gaming (nothing above 900 MHz Core/1300 MHz Memory for the GPU, just enough to match or beat a HD 5870).

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Originally Posted by FRain

Holy crap, warlord, chill out.I'm perfectly "chill".
It's not like some weird sorcery we're talking here about overclocking.Did I ever say it was sorcery? No? then don't put word's in my mouth.
Yes, overclocking to any extent can be dangerous. Yes, you are at risk when you overclock. No, you won't have much issue as long as you have the situation controlled.Electro-migration is not something you can "control", it's a simple bit of physics, the guy asked what the risks to overclocking were, I told him the risks as learned from my studies from college which is alot more intimate than what you might find on a random modding website.

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Believe it or not, I'm actually a qualified engineer in electronics engineering, both analogue and micro,I had to study this exact subject at college so I see no reason why I shouldn't be allowed to give a educated bit of information on a valid subject.
Honestly, It boggles the mind when someone jump's on me when I give some insight on a subject some people may not realise, so may I suggest you take your own advice Frain and "chill out".

Just to clarify, I completely understand your point warlord. I'm just saying that it's not something that overclockers generally need to worry about unless they're literally at the extreme edge of overclocking.

I won the auction.
So if I keep this video card for 2-3 years, should I crossfire HD 5850s in the future if prices ever drop below $150? Just wondering, would a Corsair HX 650 suffice for multi-GPU systems? And if you think I should just use one video card, please tell me before I buy a Corsair TX 650.

The Corsair HX series would suit you better if you're unsure about going multi-gpu. The HX series is modular so you won't need the extra cables in your case if you're only running a single GPU.

When I get a new power supply, should I install it with the fan up but the lettering upside down or install it with the fan down but lettering right-side up?
I would choose fan up but I just want to know which is better.

If your case mounts the PSU at the top, fan-down. If it's a bottom mount PSU case, fan-down if your PC has ventilation holes. If no venilation holes on the bottom for the PSU, make some and maount it this way anyways.

I'm planning a new build at the moment, but I don't do it very often so i'm a bit out of the loop and looking for opinions. I'm looking to do an AMD/ATI build since CrossFire seems a more economical option than SLI.

Current build:
Motherboard - ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe
CPU - AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+
Memory - 4GB Generic DDR
Graphics - BFG GeForce 9600 GT OC
PSU - CoolerMaster Real Power M1000 (1kW)

Planned build:
Motherboard - MSI 890FXA-GD70 £165.15 (~$250)
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2GHz £128.50 (~$195)
Memory - 4GB Corsair TwinX XMS3 Classic £120.97 (~$183)
Graphics - PowerColor HD 5830 PCS Edition £164.49 (~$248)
PSU CoolerMaster Real Power M1000 (1kW)

GTX460 is out restart recommending nvidia cards http://www.anandtech.com/show/3809/n...0-the-200-king

Competes with the 5830 and usually outdoes it at the same price

Is the 1GB worth it over the 768 MB version?

I'd go for the 1GB version unless you're running a small LCD and have no plans to upgrade it

After reading that thing about circuit degradation I was wondering. What would the lifespan of my I7 920 be if it's clocked at 3.6ghz? Is that too much or is it fine? This computer runs pretty much 24/7 and I have a bigass fan in there. (I think it was a cooler master?)

Years upon years unless you got a shitty lemon processor. There's really no way to measure it, and so long as you have adequate cooling it's not something you should have to worry about. It will probably last years past the next computer you build.

Alright. My current plan is to keep this one for the next 4 to 6 years and upgrade it about 3 years from now.

I built this computer in 2006, upgraded the CPU from an E6600 to a Q6600 around 2007. CPU has been at 3.0Ghz or 3.1Ghz since installed with no signs of failure.

The E6600 has been at 3.0Ghz since 2006, still running strong in my dads PC.

Something else will burn up before the CPU does. Always. :-3

Yea, I've seen motherboards die due to overclocking before processors. It's usually pretty extreme overclocking though

I just found out that I could pick up aLogitech G500 for a grand total of $43.49 at my local Best Buy. Which is worse: my keyboard or my mouse? Should I buy that new mouse (if yes, I'll guess it's worth the money)? even though I only have $200 at hand, the fate of my other PC is unknown and hopefully the hardware isn't damaged
http://img59.imageshack.us/i/img3412y.jpg/http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/266/img3412y.th.jpg
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8...g3413pn.th.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/5447/img3414q.th.jpg

Also, I was notified that HP is having a sale on printers. I don't think it's something I absolutely need or I will die but let's just say I've had bad luck with other printers... Anyways, if you don't think HP's budget printers are any good please let me know your suggestions.
HP Deskjet F4480 All-in-One Scanner/Copier/Printer - $59.99
HP Photosmart C4680 All-in-One Printer - $59.99
HP Photosmart C4780 All-in-One Printer - $79.99

I'd get the mouse, a keyboard is a keyboard unless you want backlighting or something spiffy.

I'll assume that the Logitech G500 is bang for the buck killer deal at $43.49 total and pick it up at my local Best-Buy later. Good decision? Picked it up for the amount said.

Well, this mouse better last 3 years or more because I am not going to be able to buy any other peripherals for that amount of time!


http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/9027/img3418a.jpg
Using my generic Dell mouse pad under the G500 at the moment because my wrist is sweating so much on the wooden surface.

My MX-518 still mostly works after having a Bawls spilled directly on it two years ago at Fragapalooza. The right-click is just hard to click and sometimes slow to rebound back up. I had it for a couple years previous to that so I'm sure that mouse will last you years if you treat it decently.

I want to upgrade my computer, and there's so many things I should do to it, but right now I only want to spend around 100 dollars.(just got some late graduation money, want to keep some though) I recently bought a graphics card, which seemed to help a lot, but i'm not sure on what to buy next. A power supply, new mobo, or a processor. I use it for gaming, and right now the processor seems kinda bad for that, since it came with it.

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Originally Posted by ThePlague

I only want to spend around 100 dollars

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Originally Posted by ThePlague

I use it for gaming

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Save up your money if you can, I'd say a good $300-$350 would be better for upgrading if the purpose is gaming. PSU should be last to upgrade unless the stock PSU is horrendously bad (e.g. 4-500W and up should be good).

Well, thing is it's a 250W. And the processor is a AMD sempron LE-1200. The graphics card said it needed at least 400W to run.

Save your money.

I'm going to buy a new video card. It needs to be able to handle my TF2 habits. And if it's possible, I'm fucking sick of ATI cards. The card I currently have is an ATI Radeon x800 Series card. It's a big pile of dog crap.

So any suggestions for cards that would be better, and relatively inexpensive, are greatly appreciated.

x800 is AGP isn't it? If so there's not really anything worth upgrading to until you get a motherboard with PCI-E.

The best AGP cards available right now are the 3850 and the 4670.

Which aren't worth upgrading to IMO.

just postin this because what the fuck 50 dollars for a 9800gt (8800gt(gts240(wtf))) http://www.newegg.com/Special/ShellS...288-_-07192010


anyways,

Which CPUs would best for gaming? Athlon II X3s or Phenom II X2s? I'm to go for a cheap 100 dollar CPU.

Intel CPU's.

I'm looking to buy a CPU for this thing still, and right now I have 130. I'm not looking to save it up, and i'm looking for something better than the POS I have right now. Now i'm not willing to spend all the 130, but anything around the 100's would be nice. I have the gfx card to play games, the processor is what's bringing my build down.

It seems like there's nothing I can do, but I got a second 2GB stick of RAM for my computer, and it only recognizes 3326MB of it. I'm running 64bit Windows 7, and my motherboard says it supports 4GB of RAM. Anything I can do with this without getting a new motherboard? Does 4GB max mean 3.3GB max?

post CPU-z information here of Mobo, RAM and Windows.

4096 Megabytes is four gigs brosef

"3.25GB usable"

I'm trying to figure out why this is.

your chipset probably uses 32 bit memory addresses. my goondolences :(

First of all, you will never be able to use all 4GB because Windows reserves space (I can use 3,86GB for instance). There are a lot of factors why this could be the case: Have you looked inside your Bios for a x64 option?

3.25GB is more than enough btw. No application will ever use that much RAM unless dedicated.

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Originally Posted by CrAsHOvErRide

3.25GB is more than enough btw. No application will ever use that much RAM unless dedicated.

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No single application, that is. You'll always want a couple hundred megabytes free...just in case.

Thinking about upgrading my gfx card and cpu to something a bit more intense. Currently running an HD4850 512mb and an AMD X2 6000+. Motherboard can handle AM3 processors, but not DDR3 ram (currently on 4GB of 800MHz DDR2). Mainly so I can play BC2 at a decent level, what would you guys recommend if i'm wanting to be pretty cheap with this upgrade?

e:Was looking at maybe a 5770 and an AMD X4 955, or would there be something else that would be better at a similar price?

^ That's going to be hard to beat. The GTX460 beats it by around 10 frames, but it also costs around $200. For $200 you can get an HD5830, which dominates the GTX460. This generation of graphics races is pretty much neck and neck, one barely outdoing the other. ATI takes the final crown though with the 5970 and the ASUS 5870 X2.

I'm presently looking at a combo deal on Newegg that gets one an ASUS motherboard with a 790FX chipset (that means Crossfire but no USB3.0 or SATA 6Gb/s), an AMD Phenom II X4 965, and a Sapphire HD5770 1GB all for $394.99. After rebate, it's $359.97. Am thinking of grabbing it and some G.Skill RAM to overhaul this six year old beast. Anybody have better suggestions?

How does the 5830 "dominate" the gtx 460? Most benchmarks I've seen of the two card's are pretty close.

Benchmarks I saw had the $200 5830 beating the 768MB GTX460 pretty easily, whereas the more expensive 1GB GTX460 closed the gap.

I'm in love with my HD5850. That's what I would recommend to anyone.

I am in love with my Phenom II X4.

I just bought a Phenom II X4 965, Sapphire HD5770 1GB, 2x2GB of DDR3 1333 RAM, an Antec 300 case, Logitech Illuminated keyboard, and this motherboard. Also had to get a new DVD drive because motherboard lacks IDE cables.

Total price before rebates: $628.89

After rebates: $571.89

:realsmug:

How much for that antec 300 case? It's kind of old now, you could have gotten a CM elite 430 or something.

I like the look of the Antec 300 though. It was $60 before rebate, and $50 after. Also a $7 off promo code, so that makes it $43. What I really wanted was the AMD Edition Cooler Master HAF 932, but I can't justify dropping $150 on a case. That right there would get me a second H5770 for Crossfire.

CM's Sileo 500 is easily the best case out there.

Maybe, but it also costs 110USD. The Antec 300 is actually one of the best cases, if not the best case, for the $50 price point.

Yeah, the Antec 300 is pretty awesome, a lot of my mates have one.

Does the 5770 show a decent performance boost over the 4850? Looking at some benchmarking stats they don't seem to differ hugely.

Six frames with Bad Company 2 maxed out with no AA or AF at 1920x1200. Not enough of a difference for you to upgrade. However, two 5770s in Crossfire also more potent than two 4850s by the same number of frames, so it takes the cake in my book with its added DX11 support. What kills the performance of the single 5770 is the 128-bit bus, otherwise it would be about on par with a 4870 or 4890.

I'm just pretty limited on money is all. Might just upgrade the CPU for now and wait for GPU prices to drop.

Probably the best thing to do. The only reason I upgraded was because Dawn of War is a slideshow with more than two AI.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Timo

CM's Sileo 500 is easily the best case out there.

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Coolmaster HAF is the best.

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Originally Posted by paladin

Coolmaster HAF is the best.

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While I don't think it's the best case, nor even the best looking case, for the price I love my 922.

I love my CM Storm case.
http://images.overclock.co.uk/produc...m_scout_01.jpg

Mines blue though.

Alright folks, I need a bit of advice/suggestions. I just inherited a 4-year-old notebook computer from my Dad. It's a Toshiba Satellite A110.

Intel Celeron M 1.46GHz single core
512mb DDR2 533MHz
60GB hard drive
Radeon XPress 200M w/ 128mb shared (I know, YUCK!)
DVD multi burner
Windows XP Home Edition.

I'd like to know if it would be worth it to upgrade the RAM in this sucker and whether laptop RAM is manufacturer specific. What I mean is, can I buy a random DIMM of 1GB DDR2 533MHz notebook RAM and will it most likely fit? Would it be worth it to use this sucker for light gaming (Deus Ex, Starcraft, HL1, that sort of thing, suggestions welcome!) or should I use it solely for running my messenger programs while I'm gaming or watching movies on the desktop?

It's not really worth upgrading the RAM on that. You could do light light gaming, but anything else would be terrible quality.

Install Windows 2000 and play old games or install Linux.