chessmyantidrug

I thought about the Lian Li case, but I decided the $600+ was better spent elsewhere. On maybe a cheaper case, video card and water cooling components. Did I forget to mention all my savings has made me want to go the water route?

I'm thinking about going down to the HD 4850 and possibly get a small PSU. I don't plan on buying my video card until I'm physically home so I'll have plenty of time to decide. All I know at this point is I want one with one 12V rail and is 80-plus certified. Other than that, I don't really see a difference among all the PSUs out there.

I'm thinking about going with this case instead. I personally think it looks cooler, but I'm not sure if it'll house a 4850 or 4870. It says it'll house a 8800GTX, but that's almost two inches shorter.

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chessmyantidrug

It would be nice if I could fit the 300GB VelociRaptor into my budget, but I can't complain over a 150GB Raptor X for a tick under $131. Western Digital's site lists the retail price at $269.99 giving me a savings of $138.01. Overall, I've saved around $335.

I'm strongly considering the NZXT Lexa Blackline to house my rig.

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grmnasasin0227

Uh, a PSU is all about the amps for video cards to an enthusiast. But if you're getting a 4850, something with like ~36A (2x12V@18A) should be more than adequate. I know absolutely nothing about water cooling, so good luck and tell me how it goes. And you're right. Spend as little as possible on a case as long as the airflow is good. It may not be pretty, but the money is much better spent on the guts of your case, not the thing that houses them.

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chessmyantidrug

That's what I love about that NZXT Lexa Blackline. It has pretty good airflow and looks great. I've heard mixed reviews about it, though. Supposedly it was built poorly and things break on it rather easily. I just want something small, but big enough to house a 4850/4870 with a side window. I'm not sure how concerned I should be with airflow if I'm going with water cooling, but I imagine good airflow will help keep ambient temperatures down and overall system temperature down as a result.

I'm going to keep looking around, but if I had to buy one right now it'd be the NZXT Lexa Blackline with red LED fans.

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chessmyantidrug

I went ahead and updated my list. I've decided to go with the NZXT Tempest as my case. I'll probably order one when I get back to 29 Palms.

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chessmyantidrug

Well, my dad just gave me the bad news. My monitor isn't a 22" display. It's the HP VP17. This simply won't do. I'm going to have to sell it and get a new one. I'm gonna need suggestions. Because of this, I probably won't be able to fit water cooling into my budget.

Ideally, I'd like a quality 24" monitor, but I don't like the idea of spending $400+ on one.

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chessmyantidrug

With price cuts on the horizon, I decided to sell my E8400. It went for $169.80 shipped on eBay and it cost me a little over $7 in posting fees and whatnot. I ended up losing a few bucks, but oh well. I bought a lapped Q6600 and I'll stick with that until prices on 45nm quads come down a little more, probably November this year to February next year. When I do, I'll sell my Q6600 to a buddy of mine for his rig I'm still piecing together.

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chessmyantidrug

I just bought my 24" monitor: Samsung 2493HM for $380.99 on eBay, $293.49 after $87.50 cash back. I believe this monitor retails for $430. Now I'll need to sell my 17" monitor I have back home. I don't remember how much I paid for it, but I'll be happy if I could get $150 back.

For curious readers, I bought it while I was in 29 Palms getting ready for deployment. I bought an XBox 360 Elite and wanted a decent-sized screen to play it on. The smallest TVs were upwards of $600 while this monitor was under $300 with integrated speakers. I spent maybe $20 on some connectors and I had myself a little entertainment center inside my secretary. The XBox 360 became a Christmas gift for one of my sisters. But I digress.

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chessmyantidrug

It's been a while and I've purchased a few things for my build.

Newegg had a free shipping deal on the Tempest along with a $10 MIR bringing the price down to $99.99. I bought a HD 4870 from Grunion. This past weekend, I ordered a T-Rad2 and a couple 92mm fans to attach to it. And before I ever played with my Q6600, I found a deal on craigslist I didn't feel I could pass up: Q9450 for $240. Now I need to get rid of my Q6600.

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