Baldr

That's not ideal, and his infra level (barely over the 1999 infra jump point) isn't ideal. But it's hardly a reason to give up on someone.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver covers Net Neutrality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fpbOEoRrHyU

I don't think it's an offensive term at all. And when they started using that name, it was to honor their coach, who was a Sioux. (Go ahead, google it, the story checks out.) As best I can tell, the vast majority of American Indians say that they aren't offended, and quite a few feel it's an honor. I think it's silly to change it. /Go Cowboys

This is about CN and its reputation. Bothering real world politicians and wasting their time is not the way to fix CN, and it will not help CN's reputation in any way.

Samus should set CarnivoreBot up to play this game. It'll be really hard for the councilors to keep up then. Oh - and "1".

I scaled back a bit, but I decided I was going to do something, and I didn't end up scaling back as much as I thought I would. Over the past couple of days I've placed several orders. This should be all the basics except a video card and maybe some additional fans. - - - - From NewEgg 1 x ($109.99) SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD120BW 2.5" 120GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) $109.99 1 x ($44.99) TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 Dual Band Wireless N900 PCI Express Adapter, 2.4GHz 450Mbps/5GHz 450Mbps, IEEE 802.1a/b/g/n, WEP/WPA/WPA2 $44.99 1 x ($4.99) Rosewill RTK-002 Anti-Static Wrist Strap $4.99 1 x ($129.99) Intel Core i3-3220 Ivy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 55W Dual-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2500 BX80637i33220 $129.99 1 x ($79.99) CORSAIR CX600M 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply $79.99 1 x ($74.99) Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive - OEM $74.99 1 x ($69.99) COOLER MASTER Seidon 120M RL-S12M-24PK-R1 Water Cooler $69.99 1 x ($62.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL $62.99 1 x ($17.99) LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS124-04 - OEM $17.99 1 x ($-8.00) DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #1269131 $-8.00 1 x ($-14.00) DISCOUNT FOR COMBO #1249468 $-14.00 - - - - Local from Fry's. Asus P8Z77-V LE PLUS ATX LGA1155 Motherboard 144.99 (Also an $8 set of speakers.) - - - - From TigerDirect Cooler Master Storm Scout II SGC-2100-GWN1 Gaming Mid Tower - ATX, 3x5.25" Drive Bays, 7x3.5" Drive Bays, 2x2.5" Drive Bays, 4xUSB Ports, 2xAudio Ports, 7xExp Slots, 1x120mm Fan, Gunmetal (C283-1227) $99.99 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium GFC-02050 Operating System Software - 64bit, DVD (M17-7302) $90.99 ADATA AC008-8G-RWE C008 Retractable USB Flash Drive - 8GB, USB 2.0, Plug & Play, White / Blue (A208-1406) $5.99 - - - - - - Quite a few of these have "rebates". I hate those things, and don't really trust companies to send the rebates, but I'll file 'em. They total out at a little over $100.

I'm old, and I resent the implication that I no longer do stupid stuff.

Online porn will never be the same.

This project just died. I got word at work yesterday that heavy layoffs are coming. I don't have an exact date yet, but I expect I'll be out of work in 3 or 4 weeks, possibly sooner. So if I do anything about getting a system, it'll be a very basic system, nothing like what we've been discussing. Most likely, I won't get a new system until I'm working again. There is a very good chance I can move back to my old job. I made a point of leaving on good terms just in case. It doesn't pay nearly as well, but I was getting by on it before, so I suspect I can again.

Purely for "bling" factor, there are some DDR3 modules with built in LED's. crucial ballistix tactical tracer http://www.crucial.com/store/partspecs.aspx?imodule=BLT8G3D1608DT2TXRG GeiL Black Dragons http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-144-563&Tpk=N82E16820144563 Youtube has videos of those. Crucial has a much better reputation of the two.

Pricing for Win 7 Pro is pretty much the same, I think, as Win 8 Pro. Samus argued for Win 8. I'd been planning to do Win 7. I'm not really set on either one, By the time I'm done, I'll be lucky if I'm under $1500 total. Having an OS is a requirement, and since I don't want to run linux.... I usually run some sort of distributed computing project. Prime 95, for instance, though I run others from time to time. Many of you will remember seti@home, which isn't one I ran, but it's a well known example of distributed computing projects. I think I need to find a different motherboard. And I'm hearing a lot of advice about "If you're using a SSD to boot, don't bother with the velociraptor, a 7200 drive is cheaper and will do what you want.".

Obviously it won't be as fast as an SSD, which is why I'll have the SSD as my primary boot disk. But it should be much faster than any other actual spinning platter hard drive at a much lower price range than a SSD. I don't plan to get it right away, until I start feeling space issues on the SSD, and if I'm lucky, SSD prices will fall by then. And that's where the velociraptor would come in, if needed. I may not need it. I don't game a whole lot, and I expect that what would happen is that I'd have 1 or 2 games I was interested in. I could install those on the SSD and play from there. If I quit playing one of those and started a new game, I could un-install the one I wasn't playing anymore, install the new one, save space that way. If I get tired of doing that (or find that I want a bunch of games already installed ready to go) then I would add the data drive. If I'm going to add a data drive, it may as well be a fast one. I'd rather have a really fast 250 GB drive than a slower 1 TB drive. I may use a lot more space if I'm gaming than I do now, but 250 GB is a lot. My current hard drive is 128 GB. I'm only using around 40 GB of that, after several years. No games, of course, and that's WinXP, not Win8, but even so, that looks like a lot of extra room. I'm hoping a 128GB SSD will keep me going for awhile.

I probably don't *need* a lot of what I'm looking at. The i3 won't be a major upgrade to the chip I have now, but I'm not going to move the CPU from my current (old) computer to my new rig, so I have to get a CPU. The only reason to get the i3 at first and upgrade later is to lower my initial cost. It does add $130 to the overall long term cost (assuming I upgrade later as expected.) The i3 will be somewhat faster than the P4 I have now. 3.3ghz compared to 2.8 is faster up front, but there are other differences. The p4 has one core, i3 has dual core. Probably more important is that the P4 has 3Mb cache while i3 has 4Mb. Extra cache on a CPU can make a big difference in overall speed. They came out with several CPU's in between the two, and the architecture gets upgraded (and faster) each time, so it should be faster, though that's not a primary concern. I'm not getting a new computer for processing speed. My old one has a fast enough processor. But it's a Dell, lots of Dell only parts. It has a small power supply, so I can't add a good video card. It has very limited memory. It's IDE based, and the CD/DVD player is dead. It's stuff like that that makes me need a new computer. I probably don't really need the i7, but I certainly want the option of moving. The motherboard needs to support it, for instance. If I start with the i3, either I'll be happy with it, or I'll upgrade to the i7. If, the day I decide "I'm buying it now", I decide that I want to spend a little more, I might get the i5, but if I do that, I'm less likely to move to the i7 later. Part of what I want is to have a hot-shot computer. And that means i7. It's not so much that you "can't" defrag them - but there is no reason to. It's memory, not a disk. Nothing has to move into place to read something that isn't stored right after the other part. With spinning platters and read/write heads that move, all of that is important. Reading memory, it doesn't really matter which order they are in. SSD's do slow down slightly as they get more and more use, and they do have limited use. But those limits are high enough I don't expect to reach them, and even a well used "slower than it used to be" SSD is still vastly faster than even the VelociRaptor spinning disk drives. I think I need more research into this. I didn't realize that using any particular motherboard would limit you to specific lines of graphics cards, as long as you had the correct slot. I don't understand Crossfire/SLI at all. I do know that eventually I want to run at lest 2 monitors, and preferably 3. Possibly 3 for gaming, even, but mainly I want a primary monitor for gaming, and 1 or 2 others on the sides for when I'm not gaming. Programming, it's very helpful to have program code on one screen, use another screen to run the program you are developing, and a 3rd screen where you can have email, IRC, a webpage, or whatever. I've used multiple montor systems before, and it's a big bump in productivity. Plus, as I've mentioned, I want a cool looking system, and 3 monitor systems look cool. I know there are at least some high end graphic cards that will support 3 monitors on one card. I also know there are some that will do 2 monitors per card, and you can plug in 2 or more cards. I don't know exactly what I'll end up with, but I need to make sure the motherboard doesn't limit me when I get to that part. I expect the graphics card(s) and adding multiple monitors will be another significant expense when I get there, which is why I'm planning to start out with on-board graphics and add all that later. It just spreads the cost out a bit.

I just realized I didn't have a wireless card on there, and obviously I'll be wanting to get online. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=33-704-133 $44.99. Not the cheapest by any means, but looks like a better one than most.

Some of you guys may have some advice. My computer is old. It's reasonably fast at 2.8 ghz, but it has 1 gig of memory, no video card (just on-board video), a small power supply, and the CD/DVD died a year ago. Replacing the CD isn't as easy as you would think - it's IDE, and nobody sells IDE drives anymore. So I want a new system and I've been shopping around. I want something that will play games, bigger, faster, better. I want a window in the case, with LED lights. Water cooling. Fast. With cool stuff. Possibly a miniature roller coaster inside the case, with tiny little shrunken people. Naturally, I want it all for $200, but the people selling this crap want closer to $1500. Ah, well. I think I'm going to start with a "base" system, and in some places where it will be easy to upgrade later, I'll cut some corners, then in a month or two, add whatever. For instance, no video card at first, but plan to get a pretty good one later. I don't actually game a lot, but I'd like to be able to at least run games - my current computer pretty much doesn't let me do that. (Even when the CD/DVD was working.) Okay, so what do I want ? And how much will it cost ? Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7348072 SGC-2100-GWN1 (gunmetal gray) $99.99 Processor Intel Core i3-3220 3.30 GHz 3MB Intel Smart Cache LGA1155 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116775 $129.99 My plan is "Get an i3 for now, and in a few months, upgrade to i7". Costs a little more, but saves money up front and lets me put off some of the expense until later. Cooler Master Seidon 120M Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7358959&Sku=&SRCCODE=MDOTTD&MobileOptOut=1 44.99 I do want water cooling. Not particularly set on this one, could swap around. Motherboard [CrossFireX] GIGABYTE GA-Z77-HD3 Intel Z77 Chipset DDR3 ATX Mainboard w/ IRST, Ultra Durable 4 Classic, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 2x Gen3 PCIe x16, 2x PCIe x1 & 2 PCI (Extreme OC Certified) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128582 108.99 Not sure if this is ideal, and it's an area I want a good one up front, so I may want to upgrade this. Everything else is pretty much built around the motherboard and case, so be sure this is the one I want. Memory 8GB (4GBx2) DDR3/1600MHz Dual Channel Memory, Corsair Vengence http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145345 $64.99 I want 16GB, or more, but 8 will get me off to a good start, can add more later. Board should take 4 modules. I'm not positive, but I think I can do 2 4GB modules now, and then add 2 8GB modules later for 24GB total if I want. Video Card None to start out. Use on-board video to get going, buy a good graphics card later. I'm leaning towards a card that can support 3 monitors, in the $300-$400 range. Corsair CMPSU-850TXV2 Enthusiast Series TX850 V2 Power Supply 850 Watts, ATX, 140mm Fan, 80 Plus Bronze, SLI Ready, Active PFC CP-9020043-NA http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=7195039&Sku=C13-2804 124.99 Check around, I think Corsair has some other 850 watt power supplies. Hard drive - SSD 128GB Corsair Force GS Series http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233395 129.99 Will eventually add a real hard drive (see below) but wills start out with the SDD only. CD/DVD 24X Double Layer Dual Format DVD+-R/+-RW + CD-R/RW Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827106289 $17.99 Microsoft® Windows 8 Pro (64-bit Edition) would cost $135 from them. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4864603 134.99 from tigerdirect. No keyboard or mouse or monitor. I have all of those, and can easily go shopping for new ones later if I want. 99.99 129.99 44.99 108.99 64.99 124.99 129.99 17.99 134.99 = $856.91 That should be roughly my total for the base system. I'll want to add at least one or two fans. I'll need to get thermal compound. (I'm told that what comes with the chip isn't very good, to get good stuff.) I'd like to add a few lights. So figure another $40 or $50 in "misc". And I think I'll have someone else help put it together. Rick, most likely. He's a casual friend who has done some of this kind of thing in previous jobs, and he's currently out of work. I figure if I pay him $100 for the help, I can sort of "do it myself", but have him there so I know it gets done right. That puts me at very close to $1,000 up front. Additional costs later for i7 CPU ($320) and video card ($100-$400 ?) and hard drive ($95.03). Possibly more memory. I haven't included a real HD, getting a SSD instead, but I want an actual drive, also. I plan to add that later, to spread out the costs while letting me get going ASAP. This one looks good. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3844179 Western Digital WD2500HHTZ VelociRaptor 250GB, SATA 6 Gb/s, 3.5 Inch, 10,000 RPM, 64 MB Cache $95.03 This sucker is faster than hell, and uses a polycarbonate window so you can see the stuff working inside. Very cool, though I don't know how visible that will be in a case. It would be worth comparing prices on their bigger versions (500GB, 1000GB) but I really don't think I need more storage. So. Suggestions? Comments?