David Hingtgen

I've been looking around, and I can't find a case at all like I want/have. Here's my current case, which is IMHO perfect (and part of the reason I bought this HP years ago): http://www.amazon.com/Pavilion-Desktop-2-8...g/dp/B0000DK3KP The two optical drives are behind individual doors, that are spring-loaded with just enough pressure to keep them closed, but open by themselves when the tray pushes them out. External buttons for the tray. I do not want "bare" drives that are exposed to dust and dirt. I also do not want them behind a single big door that covers half the tower that I have to open every time I change discs. My case has "automatic" doors for each drive, which is a really nice feature. The middle of the tower's front has a door that slides up/down, for "stuff only used occasionally". Behind it are the 3.5 floppy, front USB/firewire, audio jacks, and the card reader. A small pic of it lowered is here: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Images/c00760222.jpg Again, it's just a sliding door inside the case front itself, you don't have to swing open the entire front half of the case, etc. I want at least ONE of these features (optical drive doors, door for card readers) and really would like both. Or possibly--since I like my current case so much, how high-end of a system can it support if I completely gut it and rebuild? The limiting factor is really cooling I think. No front fans, side vents are so small and oddly placed that I think they're mainly just decoration, and a single 92mm fan at the rear. A far cry from the current "standard" of a 120mm fan at rear, 80mm fans scattered around as needed, and a large side vent/duct for the CPU. It does suck in a lot of air through the lower front of the case, the front grill holes collect lots of lint, but I don't think I could add a fan/filter to the front to cool the hard drive etc---no room with the arrangement it has. I found a "92mm to 120mm" fan adapter. I never overclock anything even slightly (CPU nor graphics) as I want as utterly reliable and long-lived a PC as possible, so it never gets very hot. (and I like them quiet, so that means keeping things cool to minimize required # of fans and fan speed) Buying a second graphics card in the future may happen, but I'm thinking it'd may be better to just get a single new one. Scenario: Buy a $150-$250 card in the next year. Buy another of that same type of card 2-3 years later when it's really cheap (under a hundred) and link them together. But would that even be worth it, or would it be better to just buy a single, brand-new card then? If so, I'll never have more than 1 card in the case.

I think that scheme makes train mode look a lot better.

Wow, I was just hoping for some hints to get started, and you build a whole new PC! If you can do it that fast, then I have a request: Make one even cheaper but can still do Vista decently (and shrink the hard drive a lot), with almost no gaming capability, and one around the grand range with just a little bit more gaming, but focusing on max processing (as in, loading/filing/moving lots of files and multi-multi-tasking, and photoshop rendering etc). Specific task: website with huge numbers of small images, already in the cache. It takes more time to "find" them than to download them. What feature of a processor would minimize that web page's loading/display time? (Say, 500 thumbnails on a single page, and I want them all displayed NOW) Or, I want to simultaneously load like 10 different 6 megapixel images into a photo editor to tweak contrast, crop, etc Question: will the 775 socket be replaced with anything else soon? Sockets don't change often AFAIK, but if the 775 is already on the "back edge" of its life span, I might wait for the next one. That's the trouble I ran into on this PC. The factory processor is about the highest-end one the socket/mboard can support, there's only 1 higher I know of, and that's kind of a pointless upgrade. To get a notably better CPU requires a whole new board--which my current graphics card won't work with. Cases---I like ones with a front "door" over the ports/card readers, and prefer USB ports and card readers etc to be mounted as high up as possible. Rounded edges are nice, too. Also, does any case nowadays offer a "true" on-off switch that actually cuts power like a light switch, or are they all now the "push to reset, press and HOLD to shut down". Because I want one that I can instantly totally cut power from with a single quick flip of a switch. (boy did this conversation quickly become a lot more complicated and specific than I intended)

If I wanted to build a new PC, what's the best way to get started? As in, a list of EVERYTHING that's needed, as well as info on how to set up a PC from scratch (as in, install bios and OS on a brand-new motherboard and hard drive). Basic goal: new PC for Vista, and *light* gaming, if that. NOTHING cutting edge or expensive--goal is to be cheap, not run Crysis at max detail and res. But better than current old PC. Under a grand would be nice. 1500 absolute limit (anything over 1200 is really pushing it). Being quiet is a big plus, but it doesn't need to be any of the fancy, weird super-quiet techniques like suspended drives and fanless liquid-cooled heatsinks. However, I'd like it to be VERY upgradeable over many years, so having the best and latest possible bridges/adapters/standards etc is probably the biggest consideration of all. I do not want to be 'stuck' with having limited upgrades because the CPU socket, grahpics card slot type or something is at the end of its life cycle. I think in summary, I'd want a motherboard that has all the latest possible sockets and standards and bridges and able to accept all the latest stuff for as many years as possible, but with only "average" components tossed in to start with. Then, in a couple years, to upgrade it with what is NOW top of the line, but in 2010 will be cheap. (this will not happen for another year or so probably, but I ask this question for both my brother and I to start watching stuff, as we both plan to build our first PC to replace our current ones) PS---will be needing full versions of Vista (unless an SP3 for XP comes out), not upgrades. Can you get full versions at OEM price at all? Though, I did see SP2 is supposed to be supported until like 2014. May just go with buying a full version of SP2--is there really any reason to get Vista, besides it being "new"? I still don't see anyone praising it really.

X360 HD-DVD add-on dropped to $129.99. Apparently Amazon was selling it for $79.99 this morning until they sold out.

HD-DVD add-on dropped to $129.99. Apparently Amazon was selling it for $79.99 this morning until they sold out.

If only my dad had never sold his custom-ordered '69 Charger, I could have one now...

Ah, but I was not sent a link to that thread. I saw it be created while refreshing the page at the forum. There were no replies, I was like the very first person to see it. I could have had reply #1 if I was so inclined.

No, you don't need to subscribe or have a gold membership or anything. Just enough points to download it. Though often times, MS makes the good stuff available to gold members earlier, everybody else has to wait a few days. PS--from now on I'll post every little tidbit I hear about ME. Happy? Retroactive announcement! Click here! http://masseffect.bioware.com/forums/viewt...6&forum=104 This is the very first thread saying that SOMETHING will be ANNOUNCED to be download in the FUTURE, LATER. From yesterday.

I knew SOMETHING was coming (they announced it on the forums a little while ago that it'd be up this morning) but didn't know for sure it'd be actual DLC---the last time they announced something like this, it was just another dashboard theme. So I didn't drudge up the thread.

"Dodge already accepting orders". Wasn't the entire (very short) 2008 run sold out a month ago? Overall though--I think I like it better than the new Camaro. "Alcoa Forged" wheels, interesting. (I have forged Alcoa wheels, and they rock)

The white version is just that---like 95% white. Looks like a prototype or something. Half the figures have NO color and are translucent.

Aqua and magenta, not teal and mauve. Plus grey and pink. (And purple, but only on Overbite, the 6th "missing" Seacon) (Piranacon is one of my all-time faves, one of the few G1 toys I liked well enough to re-buy on Ebay) Personally I find the new repaint absolutely hideous, far worse than most knockoffs. Though if you use Deltastar's "gold" version of the G1 labels, that might help a little.

You can get a mint REAL Piranacon for less. I'd recommend that over "the fugliest repaint ever".

The reason Piranacon's gun never looks right is because EVERYONE does it wrong. The instructions are wrong, the artwork's wrong. Just like many other TF's. If you look at the parts/posts, it's very obvious how it SHOULD be done: You know that 3-piece black stand every small Seacon comes with? The middle part is a rifle. Use THAT piece on a "gun mode" Seacon, instead of that Seacon's individual gun. The small individual gun(s) should only be used for "attack mode", not "Piranacon's gun mode". (Seacon limbs are QUINTUPLE changers----beast mode, robot mode, limb mode, attack mode, gun mode) Then you've got a friggin GUN for Piranacon. Far larger than any other TF gun I can think of. Never seen Fort Max's gun though.

Piranacon just ROCKS. Targetmaster gestalt! Also, very unique colorscheme that MATCHES---the only other "matching" gestalts are Devastator and Computron. However, this new repaint is probably the fugliest repaint I've ever seen of any TF. Finally---I think nearly every robot mode pic we've seen from that magazine is mis-transformed. I KNOW Sunstreaker and Piranacon are, I'm better Prowl and Octane are. Prowl's arms/shoulders just don't match up to the his chest/collarbones. And Octane has to look better than that, too many hinges/bits in him not to have a better configuration. ::edit:: Just saw the Powerglide pic---now I KNOW the photographer is clueless at transformations. Same problem as US MP SS though--he's "1 gallon white, 1 drop black" super ultra very extremely pale grey. AKA "white". He looks the same exact shade of "nigh-white" as US MP SS, when both real F-15's and A-10's are the same color in their standard scheme. Which is GREY. Very, obviously, definitely grey. Not "grey if you have new-fallen snow to contrast a PURE white against". Bleh. How hard is it to make GREY airplane TF's?!?!?!?!? PS--I thought Octane looked better in all grey. Gold tanker windows? And plane mode is like a combination of Decep and arctic colors. And where's the CHROME? Octane needs CHROME! More than even Prime.

My stuff always photographs better than it looks in real life. Anyways, Wicked Ace--how about a sunburst ventral fin? May be a bit much combined with the tail's sunburst, but VF-111 did use them, though never simultaneously with a tail burst (I think they have a "one sunburst" rule) Or maybe--all red with a thin white stripe around the fin's edge. Both VF-111 and VF-1 had designs like that. Or do VF-84/VF-2 style, but in 111 colors

Thanks much, half of those I haven't seen.

Link please? I've never seen a collection of Wicked Ace's stuff, and I checked every gallery/custom thread I could find.

Ok. But asides from "temporarily stripped bare for heavy maintenance work" I have yet to see a bare metal A-10. And NEVER one painted silver. The whole "bare metal military jet" thing kinda ended with the Century series. (Thus the reason the Thunderbirds now paint their planes white, when for many years they were bare metal) PS--is that really a fireTRUCK? Looks a lot like it's based off the same thing that movie Ironhide is, just the Chevy instead of GMC version. Maybe I should have said metallic orange with yellow wheels and teal fuel tanks. (which I HAVE seen on a semi, but am even more sure no fire department uses)

I have no idea why it was locked, I came by and re-opened it when I saw it was locked. If I was really nosy, I could check the admin logs and probably see who closed it and when. Excluding a few one-off experiments, A-10's have carried two schemes: 3-tone "European 1" scheme. 2 shades of green (one rather 'evergreen' and another being a more olive version of olive drab) and a VERY dark grey. (same shade of grey on a Jolly Rogers tail, when they don't use pure black) Used from the 70's through Desert Storm. 2-tone "compass ghost" scheme. Your standard 2-tone light grey found throughout the world, from F-15's to Gripens. Post Desert Storm to now.

Except for the fact that A-10's aren't silver, and don't have red trim... It's no more "realistic" than making a purple firetruck. Sure, SOME trucks are purple, but not firetrucks. SOME jets are silver with red accents, but not A-10's...

Sundowners!

Let's hope there's a "lose 500 points each time you crash" or something option.

Personally, I like the fact that Kawamori seems to design mainly with LEGOs nowadays---it means his designs are very feasible in real life, with little to no "anime magic" used. And thus---much easier to make good-looking toys from. Though you have to wonder, what would the YF-19 and -21 have looked like, if he designed them from LEGOs?