Stealing Content in the Year 2008

K - so let me sum up the basic premise of this post. Basically there is this guy named Jeffery Howell, he is being sued by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) because he shared music files over the old KaZaa network. Howell couldn't afford an attorney so he defended himself (never a good idea), but in any event he won a major victory last April when he presented the legal argument that just sharing a file over a network was not copyright infringement. His basic argument was that his shared folder automatically turned on the content sharing and just sharing those files did not constitute copyright infringement. Technically this is a very good argument because he argued that he did not intend for those files to be shared, and people who downloaded the music are actually the ones committing the copyright infringement because their intent is to steal the copyrighted material from him.

Everything was going pretty good until the RIAA lawyers were able to prove that he deleted his shared folder, formatted his hard drive, and utilized a file shredding program to completely destroy every last trace of evidence. Uh-huh, Mr. Howell then enjoyed himself a lovely trip to screwedville as a judge found him liable for the file sharing... oh and evidence tampering. Nice. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) thinks he may have faired better if he'd have been able to secure legal counsel (WELL DUH!!!)... but lets get to the crux of the matter shall we. If you steal content (especially music) in the year 2008 then you are stupid... damn stupid.

See there are so many legal ways to get your hands on music today... or any kind of content really... that using some ole busted file sharing network like KaZaa or Limewire is just stupid, and inreality you are just asking for trouble. Want to avoid trouble... take my advice:

1. Use iTunes. $.99 per song. C'mon already, just pony up for the content. I know that Apple utilizes some freakish DRM scheme that locks iTunes music to their player. Most people use their player anyway. Getting around the DRM scheme of on iTunes music is easier than most people think anyway. There are all kinds of converters out there that can strip the DRM off the music and convert it to MP3... Just google it and I'm sure some will pop up. In any event you can do whatever you want with it because YOU BOUGHT IT!!!

2. Go to a record store where they buy and sell used CD's. Take 50 bucks with you and load up on Albums, then take them home, rip them to MP3, turn around and sell them back to the music store, buy more albums, rip them to MP3, wash... rinse... repeat.

3. Buy a subscription to one of the webs subscription services website. Rhapsody seems pretty popular. I've never used it but I know some people have because they're still around and selling subscriptions. Investigate it... it might be the right fit for you.

4. Everyone... and I do mean almost everyone has that friend who is a freak and loves every form of music. They have a CD collection that makes the one in the Library of Congress look smallish in comparison. Ask them if you can borrow some of their CD's, rip them to MP3, and then return them and get a couple more. Most people love sharing music with other people. My brother in law and one of my best friends have huge CD collections that I can get access to at any time I want. I'm sure you know someone out there who has lots of CD's in their collection. Tap into your resources.

Now the RIAA may have beat Mr. Howell, but his case is representative of something that needs to be discussed. You see the United States Government made it so that the RIAA could sue individuals with impunity. Now most people who get sued by the RIAA settle for a couple of grand normally, but really... was this really the intent of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act. I don't think so.

The RIAA isn't going to get a whole lot from Mr. Howell... the guy can't even afford legal counsel, and though I foresee a bankruptcy in Mr. Howell's future his case is indicative of the plight of Middle Class Americans everywhere. We're screwed so shut up and deal with it. Yep, no one is going to protect us so you better grow a brain and start doing things to protect yourself. Quit stealing content on KaZaa and Limewire and start utilizing other resources. K... I'm done bitching. L8r

BUILD OF THE WEEEEEEEKKKKK.....

K... here we go with this weeks uber build... Gotta tell ya, there are some awesome back to school deals floating around out there.

On a bright note - NewEgg has stopped collecting tax for the greedy miscreants that supposedly run New York State so this week I'm gonna give the Egg some much deserved love. All of these deals are available on the NewEgg Website... lets roll!!!

FoxConn - P45A-S (Intel P45 Chipset) Socket 775. Ok... Foxconn??? Yep, Foxconn is my mobo of choice for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that this mobo has all the connections and power you need... nothing fancy, nothing destined to break or blow out... Foxconn has a reputation for sticking to the manufacturers reference designs to the letter. The fact that they don't do anything fancy and the price point make this a winner... the price... $119.00 (109.00 after a 10 buck mail in rebate)... even at 119.. a solid buy.

Core 2 Quad 6600 - Quad Core + G0 stepping = overclocking Nirvana. Intel Quad Core... less than $200.00... (189.00 to be exact)... Buy it. Today.

Antec Sonata Plus 550 (includes 550 Watt Power Supply) - Whenever I build a new system or if I spec one for a friend, if they have enough money budgeted I insist on a solid case and power supply. It doesn't get much better than Antec. We could argue the point all day, but Antec power supplies, cases, and hardware in general are simply the best. In fact currently I'm running an Antec 900 Gaming Case with a 550 Watt Modular Antec Power Supply. Quality and reliability... a steal at $179.99.

Logitech G5 Laser Gaming Mouse - 7 buttons, on the fly sensitivity adjustments, a weight cartridge for adjusting the weight and heft of the mouse (I prefer a heavier mouse believe it or not), super precise scrolling, decent software, honestly for $43.99 you can't beat this!

Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000 - Spectacular... simlpy spectacular. If you are a touch typist then you need to get one of these. Your hands will thank you for it. When your gaming or typing this keyboard is the perfect blend of comfort, responsiveness, and ergonomics.
at $54.99 its a great buy.

Kingston HyperX 4GB DDR2 800 - 4 Gigs of DDR2 for 64.99 after rebate. Yep. I'd buy it.

Seagate Barracuda 750 Gigs - Yep its $99.99. For 750 gigs... I'm serious when I say buy two. Buy two so that you can run one as your main drive and the other as your back up. Because if you ever lose 750 Gigs of data... there is no way that your life could not be screwed.

HP Black model 1070 DVD Burner - It's retail which means it comes with burning software. at $31.99 you could buy the OEM version and save four bucks but if you do then you are an ignorant fucktard and should get the fuck off my blog. I DO WHAT I WANT!!!

ATI 3870 Video card - ATI's last generation video cards are still on the pricey side but I found this one for 129.00 (109.00) after a $20.00 mail in rebate. I can no longer in good conscience recommend Nvidia products. There are way too many G8x and G9x parts failing... Even if some of it is over hyped why take a chance. The ATI parts are cheaper anyhow.

Logitech Z-5500 505 Watt 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers - Ok, so I have a friend who is a major audiophile... if he is not using these surround sound speakers then he is a total lamer. These speakers are consistently rated the best of best across a variety of different hardware websites and although I would never spend $232.99 on a set of speakers there are those that would... and if your going to go for it you might as well go for the gusto!!!!

Creative SoundBlaster Titanium PCIE 1.0 edition - I hate on board sound. You should too. On board sound has snaps, crackles, and pops because it shares the south bridge bus lanes with at least a couple of USB ports. This is the ultimate in sound production. Is it a little much. Sure. If you like lots of options for your sound then this thing is trick. It also uses a PCI-E 1.0 slot (the short PCI-E slots) which means we finally have a use for those slots. Yipppeee!!! (oh yeah... $184.99)...

HP w2207 Widescreen Monitor - I will personally vouch for this one. I own one. It is FABULOUS!!! Right now its very expensive (at over $300) but I got mine for 249.99 with free shipping so wait for a sale. If you buy this monitor... you'll hate using big CRT's or smaller monitors... yes friends... it is that good.

Windows Vista Home Premium 64X - Take the plunge dude... if you buy the components I list here and then shackle them to a 32bit operating system I'm gonna hunt you down and kick you in the nads. 64 bit is the future. The driver support has improved dramatically, you can address more than 2.5 gigs of RAM, and can expect about a 10% performance boost between the 64 bit and 32 bit editions. Legal Operating systems rock... I hate Micorsoft too, but their shit works... check it out for $109.99.

That's it folks. NewEgg thank you for not collecting taxes for the greedy state of NY. I heart you. New York needs to find some other way to make money other than to keep taxing its residents to death. How's about a pay cut for them fat, over paid, fucktards that run this ignorant state... I can't fart without being taxed for it. k, I'm done bitching... later

One Week without WoW

Today I have been off of WoW for one week. I have not played it at all in that time. I can actually say that it's quite refreshing because I am starting to realize all of the other good stuff that I have been missing out on. I picked up a copy of Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Game of The Year Edition for my PC. It comes with the original game and both expansion packs. The game is beautiful, engrossing, and large... very large... but I can hit F5 to quicksave anywhere at anytime and go do something else. It is a huge releif believe it or not.

So to add more angst to my WoW withdrawl... Gamespot posted an article featuring the Wrath of Lich King's Dungeons and Enemies. Check it out here: Gamespot WotLK. In all honesty it doesn't look bad. The forum trolls at Gamespot all hate WoW, but that's because its easy to find fault with something that is sooooo popular. It's popular because it does a whole bunch of things well. Other MMO's just can't compete with the frieght train that is WoW.

What does WoW do well? Well, for the uninitiated it is very noob friendly. The quests in the game are semi-linear, but they do an excellent job of bread crumb questing you from one major area to another. The game is frickin huge, but lovingly crafted... there are no dead zones... every zone is either lush or arid or both and brimming with enemies, friends, NPC's, and crafting items. In my estimation level's 1 - 35 offer some of the best content in the game... the quests are plentiful, the area's beautiful, and enemies are always within a level or two of your own... I think the grind from 36 - 60 sucks, and the grind from 60 - 70 redefines misery. Unless you like grinding... which some people do... so that makes 36 - 70 a great experience.

WoW is inviting, noob friendly, the enemies drop just enough loot and items to keep you coming back for more. There is also the crafting mini-game, dungeons (if you can find other people to run with who aren't complete fucktards), and the idea that anyone can become an elite player as long as your willing to invest the time and commitment. At lower levels it is attractive and friendly to casual players ( there must be a lot of them because I doubt that there are 11 million hardcore players playing WoW).

If you've never played WoW you really should try it at least once just to experience what the big deal is about. Check out the Gamespot article and give it a read... good stuff... until we meet again... l8r.

Linux for the masses

Linux, my secret love, my secret pain. I enjoy using the open source operating system, especially the Ubuntu distros. I would like to use Linux as my primary operating system - for all my mission critical needs. Unfortunately I can't use it as my primary operating system... in fact I can hardly use it as little more than a novelty before switching out of Linux to Windows XP to get real work done. Linux has come a long... and I do mean LONG way since the early days of Mandrake and Lin4Win... but it still has a long way to go... here is what I think Linux distros could do to make the transition easier.

1. Linux installs easily enough; however, if you encounter a problem you are screwed. After you get Linux installed prepare for the esoteric process of installing your videocard's 3D drivers. Not that'll do you much good since getting games to play on Linux is a god damn nightmare. Soooo... 3D drivers need to be installed from the get go by the installation program. A recovery console (GUI based) for fubar'd installations needs to be implemented, and finally someone has to come up with something better than WINE for playing Windows based games.

2. Give me something I don't or can't make Windows do. I can download free programs to make Windows look however I want. I can tinker with the start menu, sort folders, download windows search for uber fast searches, download Desktop sidebar for weather, clocks, and other widgets. I can download free firewalls, virus scanners, spyware scanners, and other tools to maximize my performance. Linux is free, and comes with some nice tools, but honestly its nothing I can't make Windows do... Linux is more secure... but c'mon... that's because about 10 people use Linux and everyone else uses Windows or Macs.

3. Esoteric command lines suck. I don't want to /dev or /bash or /mount to get something to work. Especially /mount... that is stupid. Command lines are stupid. I gave up command lines when I graduated from Dos to Windows 3.11. Using command lines does not make you cool or an uber geek, they make you a stupid lamer for not using a GUI. If Apple can make Mac OS X work on a Unix derivitive without the need for command lines then the Linux community can too. Linux should just work, there should be no need for intrusive or obtuse command line terminals to get your hardware, networking, or other necessities to work.

4. Itunes... yep I said it. Itunes. Linux does not support Itunes... I could get my music from somewhere else... Rhapsody maybe... but since I have already sunk money into itunes the thought of switching to a different service just makes me angry and sad. Native support for Itunes, that would be great.

Here is the crux of it. I can pay a premium for a valid licensed copy of Windows XP... in reality I would rather pay the $150.00 premium for an operating system that I know works with all of my hardware and software. I can shell out $150 once, then load the operating system with good, solid, and free software such as Open Office, CDBurner XP, CCleaner, AVG or Threat Fire, and still be able to play games, surf the net, and have a generally good user experience.

Yes I could pay nothing for Linux... since I am a gamer I really can't do anything with Linux so I get what I pay for. I think the biggest problem is that Linux grognards and afficiandos really want to keep Linux out of the hands of the common folk so that they can continue to lift it up and expound upon how secure and stable it is... and how easy it is to use... as long as you have a PhD in Computer Programming and are very familiar with Unix based command lines.

C'mon!!! If Apple can make a Unix derivative work for Mac OS X then the Linux community can make something just as good and stable with the ability to be compatible with more mainstream software.

K, I'm done bitching... l8r.

Intel's AMD Killer

Nehalem... that's the code name for Intel's next major core upgrade due out sometime between now and the end of the year. Officially its being called core i7. Based on some of the white papers I've seen and the information that has been leaked to the press... I think Intel's new procs are gonna cause a major price war.

See here's how I see it. Right now AMD's only attractive point is price. They can't run with Intel in terms of shere numbers and power so they compete at the price point. Now don't get me wrong... AMD's quad and dual core line of products are good parts; however, Intel's Core 2 and Core 2 Quad are better parts. When Nehalem hits the streets it's gonna cause the current crop of Penryn processors (the current 8xxx series of Intel procs) prices to drop right into the basement... maybe even the sub basement, or the cellar, perhaps the first ring of hell... who knows... irregardless its gonna cause AMD some pain.

See, if they can't compete on price... they really can't compete... and in my humble estimation they are already giving their quad cores away. Prices are hitting all time lows for the AMD Quad Cores and if Penryn comes down in price... well... the consumer will make out good... as long as AMD doesn't go out of the consumer market in the process.

PC vs MAC... Fanboys... Flame ON!!!

So I am an avid reader of MaximumPC, but if you didn't know MaximumPC has a sister publication called MacLife. Apparently the boys at MacLife were feeling a little cheeky earlier this week and posted a write up on thier website titled "25 Reasons Non Mac Users Should Shut Their Damn Pie Holes". Short of raping their mother's in front of them... there really isn't anything they could have done that would be more offensive to a PC fanboy.

Give it a read, its actually pretty funny... well... not to be out done the boys at MaxPC lobbed a grenade in their direction with this follow up post - "Mac Users are Whiny Losers, Love Maximum PC".

And so it was... god said... let their be a fanboy flame war... and so it was. Then god said let the fanboys recruit their friends, family... and oh wait... fanboys don't have any friends... and thier families have disowned them. Hmmmm. Then god said let the fanboys make scripts to run the same post over and over again like 300 times... since no one likes them and no one cares. And so it was... the flame war between Mac and PC fanboys flamed hot... and the flaming was good.

Give both posts a read their actually pretty funny stuff. L8r

Breaking WoW

Ok, so I have been playing World of Warcraft (WoW from now on) for over a year. It has been fun up until recently... let me explain what has happened to help me break my WoW addiction.

1. I have 2 level 60+ characters in Outland, and there they sit. I hate Outland. It is so far and away such a different story and landscape in Outland than in the original 60 levels of WoW that I just can't get into it.

2. I cannot find any good parties to do high end content with. I catch pick up groups (aka PUGs) every now and again but they suck and we never get very far into the raid or dungeon. Blizzard also does little to encourage more PUG's or get guilds that regularly run the high end content to pick up new guildies and train them to run the high end content.

3. Blizzard does a piss poor job of keeping griefers and gankers off the damn servers. There are way too many twinks and way too many people clogging up the trade chat with stupidity rather than selling items and trying to progress in the game.

4. I consider myself a semi-hardcore pc gamer. I work as a professional and have a life, marriage, job, and other responsibilities outside of WoW, but I have a high octane gaming rig and love to spend my free time engaging in WoW and playing role playing games, but I know that I'll never be able to do any of the high end content because the game servers operate on West Coast time, and I live on the east coast.

5. I was on the Antonidas server, and I can tell you that our economy is beset by gold farmers. I hate the games economy and even though I feel I somewhat mastered it by using the auctioneer add on I still was never able to get ahead and buy the items that I needed for my character.

6. Finally, I love WoW... but it does nothing that has not been done before by other games. WoW has no end, it just keeps going and when you run out of stuff to do or get stuck you create a new toon and just start going again. It is a horrible time sink for a game that has no end and no justifiable pay off as far as I'm concerned.

7. Honestly I've had my fill of the grind that never ends. When your not grinding mobs for xp or a quest your grinding an item or a consumable to get your profession level up. When your not grinding your profession level your grinding a mob that you know drops a rare drop item to sell at auction. When your not doing that your grinding for reputation or reward with one of the games many fickle factions.

So there you have it. I'm officially done with WoW. I canceled my subscription this morning and when I want to play again I'll buy a 60 day game card from Walmart or Sam's Club.

I plan on playing some different games. I may bust out Diablo II (especially since DIII was just announced), I'm thinking about picking up a copy of Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion and NeverWinter Nights II. There are so many games that I want to try but haven't because WoW turned into such a time sink.

That's it for now... l8r

Mini Computer... OY!

So my last blog post was dedicated to my brother in law who wants a stand alone desktop to supplement his Sony Vaio laptop. My no-brother-good-in-law of mine doesn't have a lot of space, so he needs a space conscious system that is both powerful, scalable, yet svelte and easily movable. Hmmmm... well if you want to save space the only way to go is with a Micro ATX (mATX) system, and if you want to build a powerful mATX system then you need to start with a solid foundation and a case that can accommodate modern parts (especially a modern power supply). Now he could always just order one of those slim design systems from a major retailer such as Dell or HP. The problem with this is that these slim systems are meant for small office work stations; slim line machines are not meant for home users who have a variety of tasks they need to perform such as gaming, photo editing, video editing, and gaming!

Believe it or not there is quite a few choices when it comes to building a small form factor computer, but the best of the best is Ultra's Micro Fly series of cases...

This little case is quite robust, it comes with a 500 watt power supply and all the features most people would want for only 59.99.

Now we need a mobo... I looked at a lot cases and motherboards while I was speccing this system out. I found this little gem at TigerDirect. This is an XFX Geforce 8200 mobo bundled with a retail edition of the Athlon 64 X2 5000 BE.

First I like the layout. Second I like that it has 4 RAM slots instead of the usual 2 for a mATX board, finally I like the back panel connectors which are just crazy!

Yes my friends that is a diagnostic LED panel on the back. HDMI connections, DVI, VGA, RJ 45, ESATA, onboard sound... yep their all here. Isn't it pretty... oh and bundled with AMD proc it's only 149.99 (currently it also has a 10.00 rebate... w00t).



Ok, now for the dilemna, video cardage. We need power, yet we also need to be reasonable; both in terms of power consumption/noise, and thermal management. Let's go over our options:

1. Geforce 8800 GT - the 512meg version of this card is the sweet spot. I use one personally and I love it; however this card is now officially 2 generations old with the 9 series and the 2xx series now considered the high end. The 256meg version of this card is gimped when AA and AF effects are enabled prices range from 120 - around 200 depending on the brand name and rebates.
2. ATI - Radeon 3850 ATI has finally come around with the 4xxx series of cards and have taken to slash and burn pricing when it comes to competing with Nvidia. The 4xxx cards a touch on the pricy side if your on a budget, they are hard to find for less than $180; however, the Radeon 3850 can be had with rebates for less than $100 - check this one out ATI 3850




















My choices for for hard drive, DVD burner and CPU Cooler are noted well in my previous blog post. They remain the same for this build. For those of you who are wondering I know that we could save some money by going with an OEM DVD Burner; unfortunately, I don't feel like tutoring my brother in law on how to use freeware DVD burning and CD Burning applications. If I go with the HP retail drive you get the software thrown in as a bonus.

The total on this build is around $505.00, the cost comes from the fact that you have to buy smaller components. This build also has 40.00 in rebates which should cover the shipping. Well that's all for now... Peace... L8R

Hey, Hey.. It's the Build of the Week - Titled No Sale... No Problem

Ok, so a little over ambitious on my part to have a build of the day... hows about a build of the week. So what if you want to build a machine on a budget but can't find any sales. No problem you just have to know what your looking for and be able to adjust your expectations accordingly. The general rules for building cheap are simple -

1. Buy parts that are within your budget - today we're gonna look at what 500 dollars will buy you.
2. Motherboards are very important - a good motherboard with lots of options can make up for the shortcomings in other parts of your system.
3. Cheap cases are ok, cheap power supplies are not... this is a truism
4. A fast processor is nice, but not necessary; however, being able to upgrade the proc when you can afford it is.
5. A cheap 40 dollar video card is better than integrated graphics any day of the week. This is a truism.
6. Never, ever, ever, ever... put the side of the computer on until after you've booted the computer for the first time. Putting the side on will anger the pc building gods and they will smite you for your arrogance.

Here's my 500 dollar part list... ready... this is an AMD machine...

ECS - A770M-A Motherboard - I like this mobo. 69.99, it supports phenom quad cores... PCI x16, ESATA... onboard realtek sound... this shall certainly get the job done.
AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000 Black Edition - 69.99 A perfect compromise betweem price and power. This is the retail edition boxed version of the x2 5K; however, they apparently don't sell it with a fan... which is a bummer... but no prob... we can squeak one out at the end.
Maxtor DiamondMax 21 500GB - Terabyte hard drives are all the rage; however, 500GB is the sweet spot for price/performance/storage capacity. This little OEM Maxtor unit with 16megs of Cache on board will only set us back the tidy sum of 69.99 ;)
HP DVD1070i 20X DVD-Burner - it burns cd's - it costs 39.99... it retail so it comes with the burning and lightscribe software... nuff said.
2 Gigs, PC 6400 DDR2 from Patriot. Patriot makes good stuff... its only 49.99. It goes fast. This will get the job done nicely.
PNY XLR8 8800GT Video Card - PNY makes some good stuff. I use an 8800GT personally, I got mine when they were 300 dollars... this one isn't even half that much coming in at 119.00. These video cards are inexpensive but have high end features. First of all the 8800 GT is based on G92 chipset. It has 512 Megs of memory onboard with a 512 Meg bus controller. That equal performance, power, and running games like WoW at high settings with all the eye candy turned on and games like crysis being very playable at lower resolutions.
Ultra Defender ATX Midtower case with 430 Watt Power supply. Ultra makes good stuff. Your basically paying for the power supply. The case is an extra bonus. It also comes with a 120mm case fan and while not tool free, it certainly looks to have all of the basic features you would want from a standard barebones case.
CPU Fan - el cheapo grande!!! - What the hell were on a budget here. This thing is not going to allow super fast over clocks... be grateful this thing even runs when you plug it in. Not perfect but it will get the job done for now ;)

And our grand total is: Drum roll please............................. $494.92

Tada!!!

This computer will be able to do it all and do it with aplomb. There will be no issues with gaming or word processing. Plenty of power for right now and a rich upgrade path for the future. Scalability is what you need to aim for when your on a budget. I think we've accomplished this nicely. Please leave me your thoughts. L8R

Sloppy blogging Fat Joey

So, here I am attempting a little me time to blog. I've been busy lately leveling up my WoW dwarf rogue to level 57, and I'm almost to 58 so I'm beginning to think end game. Unfortunately anyone who has played a WoW toon past level 50 knows what a time sink the game becomes. It literally can take days to level a toon to the next level.

So while this is only a quickie blog I wanted to share some of my experiences with WoW and MMO's in general. The MMO market is really starting to heat up. There are a lot of different MMO's out there looking for you to join up and plunk down your hard earned cash.

I've heard some really good things about Age of Conan. I haven't tried it yet but my understanding is that its got quite the growing fan base. I am waiting to see if it continues to grow or if it takes a hard right turn into hardcore territory. If it goes hardcore then it turns into something that is unfriendly to new players, and becomes the stomping grounds for grognards and elitists. Without being newb friendly a MMORPG won't grow. So I'm going to wait and see.

Warhammer: Age of Reckoning recently fired up its beta servers. The game is supposed to ship September 18th. Considering they just fired up the closed beta I do not know how they intend to have the game or the game servers ready by the launch date. Warhammer is a huge property... frickin huge... if Mythic pulls it off they will literally have the ability to print money. Unfortunately... I'm thinking that Mythic is going to rush the product out the door to try and beat World of Warcraft - Wrath of the Lich King out the door.

WoW is the MMO for people who don't like MMO's. It's super noob friendly, has a huge game world that was lovingly crafted, and releases content patches on fairly regular basis. So I be a thinking that Mythic has their hands full.

MMO's like Lord of the Rings Online and even Dungeons and Dragons Online have developed small niche fan bases. I would love for Warhammer to become mainstream, because the lore, history, carachters, factions, and races are all so memorable and in my mind are held in the same esteem as Tolkien, Bradbury, and Arthur Clarke's creations. So I've got my fingers crossed that Warhammer will be the new WoW of MMO's... if Mythic doesn't drop the ball, or screw up the launch, or forgets to turn on the AC in thier server room, or makes you buy the game at retail and a week later download a four gig patch to make it play... you know... the shit gaming nightmares are made out of.

Hey... Blogging Time

Whoa... check this out from Tiger Direct - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=4086974&sku=P450-9110%20C&SRCCODE=WEM1670BY&cm_mmc=Email-_-Main-_-WEM1670-_-components

Looks like a good deal right. It's got a quad core CPU, Nvidia Mobo, 2 Gigs of RAM!!! But its not such a good deal... why not... well lets start with the case - the case is el cheapo... hard core el cheapo... like its not even worthy of being called welfare.. that case is so poor it cannot afford the r on the end so its poo.

The mobo is a dirty skank - a micro ATX board with a lamo chipset (630i)... only 2 gigs crucial RAM, but its the DDR2 667 or (4800 DDR2) cmon RAM is soooo cheap! Finally there is the power supply. My guess is it would make a better boat anchor than anything else.

I can do better than this... I can do it peicemeal... watch and learn -

First off the motherboard should be robust. No cheaping out here. No if you want performance and stability and the ability to overclock then by god almighty you need a right proper motherboard. - This is a Gigabyte EP45-DS3R mobo... it utilizes the new P45 chipset. The P45 Chipset is the mainstream chipset where as the X48 chipset is the top of the line performer. This thing is only $149.99. I like it... lots of expansion ports, nice features, dual gig lan, oh its so pretty for such a low price... http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3969362&CatId=3790

Now lets stuff a quad core in there. This Q6600 is the same on as in the build that tiger direct is selling... only its OEM, so no box or fan... no worries though... well get to the fan in a bit... http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2643933

Ok, now for some RAM. I chose to stick with 2 gigs of RAM. This RAM though is from OCZ, has a wicked cool heatsink config, and is PC9200 DDR2 - thats PC1150 for those of you keeping score. For 60 bucks after rebate... sick: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3079599&CatId=2531

A heatsink and Fan - this is a golden oldie, a favorite of builders round the web - I present the Zalman 9700 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835118020&Tpk=zalman%2b9700 - Is it as cheap as I'd like, nope, but were talking about protecting a major investment here. You need a CPU cooler that can get the job done and maintain decent thermals then this is what you want. At 79.99 it is pricey, but I use the 9500 version of this cooler and it has never failed me - ever.

Now we need a case. You need to evaluate your needs when buying a case. Do you want to run a noisy machine, or silent machine, a blazing fast silent machine (these do not exist by the way), what do you want? How much room do you have? Tower or desktop (good luck with finding a decent desktop) How much power do you need? Do you want to buy your own power supply or use the one that comes with the case? What about a clear side, hows about LED's, thermal management, fan's, fan controller, how many external drive bays do you want? Yeesh!!!

Here are some basic rules that most people follow - first of all most people do not want their computers to stick out. Most people like it when their computer blends in with the rest of thier electronics equipment - so this normally means a black colored case. Most do it yourselfers understand the value of room for case fans - since 120mm fans move the most air with the least amount of noise you want to look for a case that supports 120mm fans in both the front and back of the case. Next you want to think about mobo size, most mobo's are ATX size or mATX (micro ATX), If you buy an ATX compatible case your probably safe. A power supply is the heart of a computer - bad power supply = fried equipment. Here is just a short list of the problems that a piss poor power supply can cause.

Random Lockups
Random Restarts
Poor 3D performance
Overheating parts
Poor thermal management leading to hardware failure
Ruined or zapped equipment
Miscellaneous BIOS resets
Poor overclocking performance
Inexplicable random internal component failure/crash

Yeah... don't skimp here. Behold the Antec Sonata 500 with 500 Watt Antec Power supply: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129024

It's 100 bucks with the power supply. Its not tool free, but real men don't need drive rails ;) Anyway its quiet, will fit most mobos, has room for some 120mm fans, and is well built by a reputible company.

Ok, so the I'm not even close to 299 or even 499 on this one - I am however, impressed with what you can buy and the featues that you can get for around 500 - 600 bucks. Peace!!!

August 1 - Build of the Day

As promised - its Friday, August first. I've been scouring the Internet looking at my favorite shopping sites to bring ya all a build with the best bang for the buck. Today's Build is named - Broke as a Joke. What do you do when your broke but need a new rig... check this out...

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3949938&Sku=A455-2810%20G

Your also gonna need a CPU fan - check hit the jump and peruse this one - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2604150&CatId=2545 - Oh yeah... its cheap BABY!

Yeah... 200 bucks for a complete system (give or take about 30 bucks). Is it top of the line... nope... that 3800 proc is not about to light the world on fire. Integrated video as a general rule of thumb always sucks (no matter who makes the video chipset). The hard drive is small, the case is cheap, the power supply.. generic... so whats so good about this?

Well... the motherboard is an Asus (pronounced A-Soos). They make some of the best equipment that I've ever seen. Here's a link just for the motherboard from Tiger Direct just for the mobo - this gives good shots of the overall layout and connectors -

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3574530&sku=A455-2810

For a micro ATX board this thing is feature rich... 4 USB Ports, Integrated 10/100 Ethernet, SATA that is RAID capable, a full size PCI-E x16 Slot... which means when your budget allows it you can upgrade to a Geforce 8 series or 9 series video card.

Sometimes its not about performance out of the box, but scalability later on.

This build is so scalable that you can spend as little or as much as your budget allows. Drop in a AMD Athlon X2 6000 proc, a Sound Blater X-Fi Gamer, and GeForce 9 series or ATI's new 4800 series of cards and you'll have yourself a nice gaming machine.

or

Forget about the proc upgrade, drop in a 1 Terabyte drive - I like this one: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3346290&Sku=TSD-1000AS add a TV Tuner device - http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2942132&CatId=1427

Then pick up a decent PCI-E (like an el cheapo ATI 2400 HD) video card and BAM you've got yourself an entertainment PC.

What about an operating system?

Well if your computer literate and not afraid of new things you can download a free copy of Ubuntu Linux while you save for a copy of Windows Vista Premium (the lowest version of Vista that I would recommend).

If you have an old Windows XP installation disc (that is not part of a restore disc but stand alone) you can install that and then call Microsoft's activation hotline. They have been really good about activating the operating system on machines even when its already been activated as long as you only use the OS one machine. Just tell em your last computer caught fire and you really need them to activate the OS. I haven't heard of anyone having a problem with it.

Finally - there's torrents. You know what I mean. I'm not going to explain it or link to torrents on how to get there but if you know what I'm talking about then your probably all set already.

That's it for today - l8r