ordered this f131 last night...please critique

[flyingphish]

Black Brushed Aluminum Finish
Power Supply: MAINGEAR 750W Ultra Quiet Power Supply
Motherboard: NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Processor: Q6600 Core 2 Quad (2.4GHz x 4)
CPU Cooling: Intel Quiet CPU Cooler
Memory: 2GB Corsair XMS2-8500 DDR2-1066
Do you want us to RedlineT your CPU?: YES
Hard Drive One: Western Digital Raptor Enterprise
150GB 10K RPM 16MB Cache - SATA
Hard Drive Two: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB
7200RPM 16MB Cache - SATA II
Flash Card Reader: All-in-One Internal USB 2.0
Flash Card Reader & Writer
Optical Drive One: 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive w/
LightScribe Technology - black
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB PCIe
Do you want us to RedlineT your GPU?: YES
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FiT
XtremeGamer Fatal1ty
Network Card: Integrated Gigabit Network Card
Wireless Network Adapter: Linksys Wireless
802.11g WMP54G PCI Network Adapter
Game: FREE! Guild Wars: Factions PC Game
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista
Ultimate (32-Bit)
Warranty: 3 Year Maingear Warranty

as i sit here i want to change a couple things...i am open to any feedback to make this a better build thanks...Ill be playing cod4 mainly, and any other dx10 games, crysis etc.

monitor is samsung 244t (24inch) native 1920X1200.

my current system is a VM amd 3400 2X6800 ultras in sli. this system worked fine till i got this monitor, now its useless.

so on this maingear build:

1. switch sound card to basic option
2. delete wireless
3. most importantly...upgrade cpu cooling to zalman since im OCing??? or is intel cooler fine.

and, im tempted to go sli again, but im trying to keep it around $3500.00.

all i want to do is play games in high res, will i need sli to pump out the pixels i want?

jason

[spincut]

i actually had a few questions for you.

is there any specific reason you decided to go to the basic sound option (that was sans sound card right?)? Did it have anything to do with Vista?

also, you mentioned you have the Samsung 244t, i am dying to know, does that have any input lag? I was considering buying the Dell 2407HC which is relatively cutting edge, but i had heard it and any PVA paneled monitor before it as suffering from some sort of input lag, albeit diminished the newer the monitor, although since the 244t is a bit older i figured to ask.

[RottynDawg]

That system should pump out 1900x1200 just fine. Personally, I would go with the sound card since you mention that your focus will be newer games. The newer games should support environmental sounds through OpenAL. If you have a wired LAN, I would definitely ditch the wireless but if you're running a crazy long wire all over the house just to get to the computer...absolutely go wireless :) I would ask Maingear about the cooler; my guess is that they'll recommend the Zalman since you are overclocking but I could be wrong and would hate to offer incorrect advice.

Let us know what you end up with and welcome to the boards!!!

[flyingphish]

spin...i was thinking about going one sound card option down the ladder, that would be the same card minus the fatal1ty endorsement. save $50 bucks or so, at this stage dont know why im penny pinching...

yes the 244t lags a little. i fixed some of the problem with a razer copperhead mouse. hopefully a better rig will fix the rest. if i were to do it again id get the dell 24" or 27"...

hey dawg...i figured get the wireless for the hell of it, just never know where your computer might end up, my current office might wind up the next nursery...future-proofing, im keeping it. as for sound, do i need the "fatal1ty" card? maybe...ill ask MG.

and yes theyll prob rec the zalman cooler..

fun!

[spincut]

spin...i was thinking about going one sound card option down the ladder, that would be the same card minus the fatal1ty endorsement. save $50 bucks or so, at this stage dont know why im penny pinching...

yes the 244t lags a little. i fixed some of the problem with a razer copperhead mouse. hopefully a better rig will fix the rest. if i were to do it again id get the dell 24" or 27"...

hey dawg...i figured get the wireless for the hell of it, just never know where your computer might end up, my current office might wind up the next nursery...future-proofing, im keeping it. as for sound, do i need the "fatal1ty" card? maybe...ill ask MG.

and yes theyll prob rec the zalman cooler..

fun!

about the monitor, see thats the problem, i heard it was the screen tech itself (PVA) that causes input lag, getting the Dell 24" or 27" "may" not necesarily solve that since they are (well the good ones) both PVA panels.

Although i have heard from some that it may have been fixed or diminished in newer monitors like the Dell 2407HC so i was trying to verify that (and if older VA's like your 244t even had the lag more pronounced to begin with).

Anyway good luck trying to fix it, but you may want to investiage into a different monitor before replacing everything else.

--I was told that i could just get the Dell 2407HC and then return it if i really had an issue with the input lag within 30 days, only problem is the HC sale will likely be over by the time the maingear i'm about to order arrives and if i ordered it now the return period would be over by the time i could use it :(

[blindem]

I have the 27" Dell, and I have not noticed any significant input lag.

[flyingphish]

i am going to upgrade to the 27" myself. take the 224t to work to replace my aging 23" acrylic apple cinema display...

i really do think its the 224t spin, all the reviews complain badly about this one particular monitor...im done trying to fix the problem, was just going to get something else.

[RottynDawg]

The Fatal1ty card has more RAM from what I can tell. If you were getting the step up, the one with the front panel, I could definitely see the appeal but with the XtremeGamer package...I could go either way :) Good point on the wireless, if you think you might need it soon. If not, it might not be a bad idea to wait for the new "N" standard, or what ever they decide to call it once it is fully ratified, to come out. Easy card to add later...although having a G card now isn't a bad idea either.

I obviously need more coffee, I can't make up my mind either...

:coffee:

[flyingphish]

decisions decisions

[theDreamer]

Ok, skimmed through the thread to get an idea of what you need.
Drop the wireless card straight up, future proofing with wireless is not that big of a deal. If you need it down the road there will be plenty of options, and easy ways to upgrade to wireless. So save your money there.

For 1900x1200 currently you do not need SLi, but when the DX10 (if they are any good) hit the market you might still be in good range for playing at top res. Though you might not be playing at full high settings, or if you are you lose frames, choice. Though with this setup you are picking up you can easily add another GTX and be good to go.

For monitors that I do not know much about to answer.

Cooling, you need to upgrade, no choice there. If you want to OC you can go with the standard cooling, but heat might become an issue along with overheating the chip causing shut downs. Now while this should not be a problem, but you always want to keep your PC safe so throwing a little extra for cooling is always something I choose.

Great looking specs, another option (do not know) you could throw out the card reader if you do not need it, save some money, but if you do then you do.

[flyingphish]

perfect. thx dream.

ill ditch wireless.
add cooling.
my thoughts exactly concerning sli, if i need it i can always add it.

card reader is for the 4 and 8 gig compact flash cards i use for photography...

[spincut]

i am going to upgrade to the 27" myself. take the 224t to work to replace my aging 23" acrylic apple cinema display...

i really do think its the 224t spin, all the reviews complain badly about this one particular monitor...im done trying to fix the problem, was just going to get something else.

good luck with that! i would tell you to let me know how it works out in comparison to your older monitor as it would really help me but by then it will likely be too late (although i did hear that the main reason for that issue WAS because it was a PVA.....albeit an older one with the problem less taken care of i bet, which is why it was only mentioned in passing in the 2407HC review i read).

About the soundcard, the "Fatality" version does have that extra processing ram, but i'm really not sure of the benefit. Something about preloading extra game sound info to releive further performance burden, but i'm not so sure how big of a deal it is.

[flyingphish]

so i just called in and made some changes...talked to scott. very friendly and knowledgeable. looking forward to doing business with this company.

delete wireless card
upgrade cooling to zalman
upgrade power supply to 1000w

thx for the help people...

[blindem]

I'm pretty sure I dealt with Scott on my order as well, and I'll second that endorsement. He was definitely helpful, even though I'm... not too bright... when it comes to computer specs.

:burn:

[theDreamer]

Computer...what is a computer? :roll:

[flyingphish]

in it's final form.

Exterior Automotive Color: Black Brushed Aluminum
Finish
Power Supply: 1000W Enermax Galaxy Power Supply
Motherboard: NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Processor: Q6600 Core 2 Quad (2.4GHz x 4)
CPU Cooling: Zalman Ultra Quiet CNPS9500 LED 92mm
CPU Cooler w/ Copper Base
Memory: 2GB Corsair XMS2-8500 DDR2-1066
Do you want us to RedlineT your CPU?: YES
Hard Drive One: Western Digital Raptor Enterprise
150GB 10K RPM 16MB Cache - SATA
Hard Drive Two: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB
7200RPM 16MB Cache - SATA II
Flash Card Reader: All-in-One Internal USB 2.0
Flash Card Reader & Writer
Optical Drive One: 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive w/
LightScribe Technology - black
Video Card: NVIDIA GeForce 8800GTX 768MB PCIe
Do you want us to RedlineT your GPU?: YES
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FiT
XtremeGamer Fatal1ty
Network Card: Integrated Gigabit Network Card
Game: FREE! Guild Wars: Factions PC Game
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista
Ultimate (32-Bit)
Warranty: 3 Year Maingear Warranty

[theDreamer]

Looks like a solid system; not much I can add or remove to that, other than more power. :twisted:

[blindem]

Nice. :D

I think they only offer the 1000W power supply. I was suprised they didn't have a 1200, but I'm sure they know what they're doing.

[theDreamer]

Current hardware pushed all the way, Quad/SLi/4gbs of ram/raptor/5 terabytes, will probably be what pushed a 1k power supply.

Though as you can tell that system is within range of todays top end standards so quickly the 1k PSU is going to be the low end.

I remember when I bought a 420W power supply a good 3.5 years ago and it was the best you could get, now it can barely power the top AGP build.

[flyingphish]

dont tempt me.

i already changed from gtx to ultra this afternoon...didnt cost much more.

ill sli the bugger after i get it and play with it for a month or two...there is the possibility that a new gpu might come out by years end, and if thats the case ill do sli then...

[theDreamer]

Since Maingear uses the EVGA cards, does that mean the step up program is still allowed? For those who do not know, if you buy X card and a new card (or if you buy a GTS and want to go to a GTX) all you have to do I believe is send in your old card & pay the difference, at the current time, and you get a new card. Though you do have to register or something with your product, but I do not know if that works with OEM builders like Maingear.

[ginfan]

Since Maingear uses the EVGA cards, does that mean the step up program is still allowed... but I do not know if that works with OEM builders like Maingear.

I would like to know the answer to this as well :)

[spincut]

That's a pretty good question. Probably best for someone from maingear to answer (or an owner of a system so they can check the registration of their card and see if it was a retail or OEM model).

[RottynDawg]

I'm 99% certain mine is retail...I registered it just fine. Definitely worth a call to them if you want to make absolutely certain.

[spincut]

thats pretty good news, makes me feel a little more confident about the still rather high premium difference for the GTX in the system i configured.

Even though its a bit late in the game and the 9's may be announced soon, at least i could use the EVGA program around when the geforce 10's come out and get a sensible upgrade out of it (hopefully).

[theDreamer]

Well, be careful, the step up program only lasts for so long.


The EVGA Step-up™ Program is available to all EVGA graphics card customers who are within 90 days of their original purchase date (based upon their invoice date). Customers who received their EVGA graphics card as part of a complete computer system are not eligible - except for those listed on our approved system vendor list.

Direct quote from there list of terms and conditions.

Approve System Vendor List (http://evga.com/stepup/systemvendor/url)

Does not seem Maingear is on the list, but does not mean you can not do it.

[spincut]

Well, be careful, the step up program only lasts for so long.


The EVGA Step-up™ Program is available to all EVGA graphics card customers who are within 90 days of their original purchase date (based upon their invoice date). Customers who received their EVGA graphics card as part of a complete computer system are not eligible - except for those listed on our approved system vendor list.

Direct quote from there list of terms and conditions.

Approve System Vendor List (http://evga.com/stepup/systemvendor/url)

Does not seem Maingear is on the list, but does not mean you can not do it.

Wow, i guess i must have been thinking of something ATI did maybe, i didnt realize it was only 90 days, i thought it was something you can do far into the future.....it must have been someone else that did that.

[ginfan]

I'm pretty certain evga used to do this without the 90 day caveat. It must not have been good for their bottom line since they have added a condition that makes the program mostly useless.

[theDreamer]

I'm pretty certain evga used to do this without the 90 day caveat. It must not have been good for their bottom line since they have added a condition that makes the program mostly useless.

I do not know if the time limit was always there or not, but I do know that the upgrade I feel is more towards those who want to go from a GTS to a GTX or a GTX to a Ultra.

That is my reason, but also for those who buy at a time right before a new line comes to the market. Though 90 days is still a good 3 months so it still holds it wealth.

[spincut]

I'm pretty certain evga used to do this without the 90 day caveat. It must not have been good for their bottom line since they have added a condition that makes the program mostly useless.

I do not know if the time limit was always there or not, but I do know that the upgrade I feel is more towards those who want to go from a GTS to a GTX or a GTX to a Ultra.

That is my reason, but also for those who buy at a time right before a new line comes to the market. Though 90 days is still a good 3 months so it still holds it wealth.

Yeah i suppose its good for people who didnt see it coming anad bought right before a new release, but for those that wanted to upgrade, i'm sure it could be more affordable to just buy the right one in the first place (those upgrade programs i had always thought dont give the best exchanges whether they had a 90 day delay, or they're long run exchanges).

[flyingphish]

im just never satisfied...

Exterior Automotive Color: Black Brushed Aluminum
Finish
Side Window: Translucent Window Side Panel w/ LED
Lighting Bundle
Power Supply: 1000W Enermax Galaxy Power Supply
Motherboard: NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI Motherboard
Processor: Q6600 Core 2 Quad (2.4GHz x 4)
CPU Cooling: Zalman Ultra Quiet CNPS9500 LED 92mm
CPU Cooler w/ Copper Base
Memory: 2GB Corsair XMS2-8500 DDR2-1066
Do you want us to RedlineT your CPU?: YES
Hard Drive One: Western Digital Raptor Enterprise
150GB 10K RPM 16MB Cache - SATA
Hard Drive Two: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB
7200RPM 16MB Cache - SATA II
Flash Card Reader: All-in-One Internal USB 2.0
Flash Card Reader & Writer
Optical Drive One: 20X Dual Layer DVD±RW Drive w/
LightScribe Technology - black
Video Card: 2x NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra 1536MB
PCIe in SLI
Do you want us to RedlineT your GPU?: YES
Sound Card: Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-FiT
XtremeGamer Fatal1ty
Network Card: Integrated Gigabit Network Card
Productivity Software: Microsoft Office 2007
Basic Edition
Game: FREE! Guild Wars: Factions PC Game
Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista
Ultimate (32-Bit)
Warranty: 3 Year Maingear Warranty

[RottynDawg]

Is that your final answer or should I wait to comment in case another one shows up? ;)

[flyingphish]

i think the final answer is due by monday morning as this week is build week...

when i started out my budget was $4K. now its $5K.

please advise...

[nets]

i think the final answer is due by monday morning as this week is build week...

when i started out my budget was $4K. now its $5K.

please advise...

Unless you have money to burn I would say drop the ultras down to GTXs. Both hardocp and anandtech say the ultra is a waste of money.

http://enthusiast.hardocp.com/article.html?art=MTMzNiwsLGhlbnRodXNpYXN0

"Considering R600 is not looking to be an “8800-killer,” it would seem that NVIDIA has miscalculated the 8800 Ultra product and only ended up marketing against themselves and looking somewhat foolish and arrogant with this overpriced product that seems to be little more than a “PR part.” Sorry NVIDIA, your Ultra is just not worth the money."


http://www.anandtech.com/showdoc.aspx?i=2979&p=4

Final Words

Often, when reviewing hardware, it is difficult to draw a hard line and state with total confidence that our conclusions are the only logical ones that can be drawn from the facts. We try very hard to eliminate personal opinion from our reviews and provide readers with enough information to form their own educated opinions. We try to point out the downsides of the best products out there, as well as the niche uses for which otherwise disappointing hardware might shine. So often our job is about balance and temperance.

But not this time: The NVIDIA GeForce 8800 Ultra is an utter waste of money.

[flyingphish]

those are both great reads. thx for posting.

i have a dell 27" that id like to play at native res (1920x1200)...so it looks as though i am good with one ultra or two gtx's.

adding the extra card is for just for good measure...i want to be ready for anything that pops up over the next 12 months...cod4, crysis...

in the end, i am looking for overkill for 5 grand.

[nets]

those are both great reads. thx for posting.

i have a dell 27" that id like to play at native res (1920x1200)...so it looks as though i am good with one ultra or two gtx's.

adding the extra card is for just for good measure...i want to be ready for anything that pops up over the next 12 months...cod4, crysis...

in the end, i am looking for overkill for 5 grand.

That is how I thought too (I have the same monitor), until I read those articles. My new plan is to get a superclocked 8800GTX from eVGA, and then use their 3 month upgrade program (which should last until Dec) to upgrade to a g90. I dunno if my plan will work but it saves me a lot of money on a second GPU ;)

[spincut]

those are both great reads. thx for posting.

i have a dell 27" that id like to play at native res (1920x1200)...so it looks as though i am good with one ultra or two gtx's.

adding the extra card is for just for good measure...i want to be ready for anything that pops up over the next 12 months...cod4, crysis...

in the end, i am looking for overkill for 5 grand.

Well, i've been telling alot of people to be careful when operating at resolutions above 20" widescreens, since the native res is high and they probably wont be able to tweak it down the road to help extend some performance life out of a card that may be heavily taxed on future DX10 games at higher resolutions.

But my point is just make sure the overkill will help you, and not just get a small bit past where you would have ben without it (they wont last forever you know, and at some point you may be wondering if you should have saved some of that money for when they should indeed be upgraded).

[flyingphish]

good point spin...i found myself in this same situation 3 years ago when i bought my last rig from VM. it is an amd fx-55, 2g ram, 2x6800 ultra sli, machine that has served me well, and going with the best setup at that time has got me this far...but this 1920x1200 thing really puts the hurt on.

currently i have to run all eye candy off, 2x aa, 1280x1024 res to get 70-90 frame rates in cod2 right now...kinda sucks.

i figure im going to do the same thing i did last time. in 12 months when the new cards are a little more settled in, ill craigs list the 8800's and get a couple g90 seres, etc...

so anyway, youve guys have been helpful. just wanted to make sure all is in order. except the fact that im probably spending money not needed on that second ultra...

[RottynDawg]

Yeah...throw the money for the second card in the bank and buy the next gen when it releases :) Oh...and send me your 27" monitor so that I can ship you my 20" and help your gaming performance ;)

[flyingphish]

27's in the mail...

i also want to add that your guys advice is correct and true. but i am going to go against the grain on this one because i am bad like that.

so there.

[RottynDawg]

Good call...I don't blame you one bit phish :)

[spincut]

I'm still probably going to stick with the 20", especially since i've started to hear some particular PVA complaints as it relates to gaming.

And the NEC is on a rebate, which was extended unbeknownst to me, i only wish it was extended again because if i want to time it to my maingear order, september 1st is still too early :(

but the top IPS monitor for 20" is now the same as the dell (which is somtimes PVA and sometimes IPS).

--the plus for you is you probably wont feel any buyers remorse in the short term :D

[RottynDawg]

Are the complaints on the bigger monitors something most people would even notice? I have a 20" LCD with a "horrible" 18ms rating and I love it...yet most gamers would say "oh my, I couldn't stand that monitor" :)

[Charly Brown]

I'm with you on this Rottyn. I have a 20" WS monitor (my ms is not 18 but 2, but anyway it is just 20") and by the distance I sit from it, I think it is more than enough size. I have tried bigger monitors and the only thing I got for sure was a headache

But, my gamer buddy just got his 30"+ WS monitor and cannot understand how can I enjoy playing on a 20". He thinks I'm an ant collector or something :P

[flyingphish]

ant collector...i like that.

[blindem]

I can understand using a smaller monitor. While I have a (pretty new) 27" one, it definitely took some getting used to after using 20" screen forever. I can't imagine going any bigger than 27"... :shock:

[RottynDawg]

I can't tell a lie...I wouldn't mind trying out a 24" WS :) I've been using a dual-monitor setup for work lately and I have to say...I might prefer to have two monitors. So many decisions!

[flyingphish]

do the 24" dawg...youll love it, plus the prices are really good now. i had a samsung 224t, didnt like that one so dont bother...unles they fixed the input lag issue. dell seems to have their act together in the monitor department...

one other thing, i wanted to comment on how i much i appreciate MG for setting up this public forum. takes big balls for a company to do that. why? because this forum is full of well deserved accolades that i am sure have played a major role in peoples buying decisions...think about all the satisfied people who are enjoying their MG rigs at this moment based on the help of the "community", but it only takes one negative post to cause a **** storm that the boss-man himself has to step in and take charge. there is no issue too small for any boss/ceo (i too am a ceo) to handle, its just too bad that people dont take the time to consider what they post, sooo emotional. surely a tracking order snafu is no reason to go spewing crap about broken promises. that one post can take a lot of wind out of peoples sails for no good reason. i call it an over reaction. and i personally have never had any doubt nor have i lost any wind...

id only post a complaint if i were totally jacked over, rig is smoking, parts not as ordered (bait and switch), no return calls, basically the brush off...but thats just me. i dont complain, i cant afford to nor do i have the time

if your having technical difficulties, well there is a forum for that too, so get it straight.

peace.

[theDreamer]

Glad to see you are liking the community here.
Some people here I want to kick in the butt (RottynDawg :twisted: ), no I am just kidding I enjoy all of you guys.

Though it is true the comments here (good or bad) need to be taken with a grain of salt. Positive comments can make this a great place, and one bad can bring it down, but we all must remember that until the situation is fully resolved, the end is not here. Having the CEO come in and take action shows that this company as it is growing still can be brought back to its roots and show its personally care on all levels.

Also, 24" is to small...it is all about the 30 inchers. :twisted:

[blindem]

I completely disagree with flyingphish. 'Nuff said.

[flyingphish]

Nuff said? thats pretty funny. internet tough guy talk.

[blindem]

Please. I don't need to talk tough on the internet. It's called a colloquialism. Look it up, you might learn something.

Instead of being a blind fanboy and posting a rabid defense of MG, why don't you actually pay attention to what people are posting here. First, even the mods and Wallace himself have said that it's perfectly within someone's right to post here when they have a problem, not just posting praise. (See, e.g. http://www.maingearforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=661)


its [sic] just too bad that people dont take the time to consider what they post, sooo emotional

Actually, I think if you read over some of the complaints, particularly those posted by myself and AceofBen, among others, you'd see that a great deal of thought has gone into those posts. I, for one, have given MG credit where credit is due, but I also haven't pulled any punches where I thought there was a problem -- though I have actually exercised restraint in posting explicit details about the number and true extent of the issues I've had. I think anyone at MG would even agree with that. To say people aren't taking time to consider their posts that contain complaints is both ignorant and wrong.


it only takes one negative post to cause a **** storm that the boss-man himself has to step in and take charge

Wrong. What took "the boss-man" stepping in was actually the necessity of addressing a series of problems, which Wallace himself admitted in the sticky posts. You need to read more carefully. If anything, those who participated on the community and expressed issues helped do MG a favor, as Wallace has now taken some excellent steps to address issues that had been arising (such as mine and AceofBen's cases). While they obviously can't be applied retroactively to fix our issues, I recognize that they are good steps to prevent such problems in the future.


id only post a complaint if i were totally jacked over, rig is smoking, parts not as ordered (bait and switch), no return calls, basically the brush off

Exactly. That is why I posted. I rest my case.

[Plan1x]

Hello Gentleman,

We understand that there is going to be two sides to every argument. Each statement in its own respect has valid points for the different shades of opinion that are expressed here. It’s also a battle that will never be won. Let’s think of it like politics. No matter how planned out, how organized and thought out the argument, complaint, or plan maybe, the other side will most always never agree.

To be honest, I guess I am really not sure where I am going with this post, but I’m hoping this will allow for the restoration of open opinion in our forums. I do not like bickerment, although it will happen. Let’s try to respect all opinion in the forums good or bad.

Let’s also try to keep the “you’re a fanboi” and cracks against complaint opinions to a minimum. Each has an opinion and wise cracks are not needed.

[ginfan]

id only post a complaint if i were totally jacked over, rig is smoking, parts not as ordered (bait and switch), no return calls, basically the brush off...but thats just me. i dont complain, i cant afford to nor do i have the time

If I go to a diner and buy the $7.99 steak and egg special and the steak was thin and poorly prepared, It would have to be "totally jacked over" before I would complain. If on the otherhand, I'm spending $80 on a 12oz prime bone-in filet alla cart at a an establishment that came highly recommended, I'd have some pretty high expectations to meet. I would like to think Maingear is the latter of the two examples.

To extend the metaphore a bit, if the manager at this steak house found that a critical member of his kitchen staff "sucked" (quoting the MG CEO), and SEVERAL customers were either outraged or merely dissapointed (me) because of it, he would be lucky if these customers complained so as to alert him of the problem. A good establishment would then work things out with these customers and take appropriate actions with staff (it seems MG is taking this path I'm happy to say).

As far as "i dont complain, i cant afford to nor do i have the time," it takes a lot of effort imo to undercut the people that do provide feedback that does not match your own personal experience. Be careful not to put people with issues on trial, that WILL poison a generally positive forum communitiy.

[flyingphish]

you are correct gin. but wouldnt you agree that such issues are typically handled in private? you dont go spewing at the top of your lungs at the steak house "my steak sucks and i want a new one", no, you politely ask for the manager and deal with the problem, like a professional.

i dont like to air my dirty laundry in public.

just for fun i quote from blindem's last post:

"First, even the mods and Wallace himself have said that it's perfectly within someone's right to post here when they have a problem, not just posting praise."

Wallace says jump up and down..
Wallace says pat your tummy.
wallace says stick out your tongue.
Stand on one leg. oh oh, Wallace didnt say stand on one leg...

[Eternal]

I think I sprained my ankle =p.



Wallace says jump up and down..
Wallace says pat your tummy.
wallace says stick out your tongue.
Stand on one leg. oh oh, Wallace didnt say stand on one leg...

[Trashman00]

LOL!!!!!!!!

[Wendel.Santos]

hehe well back to the monitor talk...

Working with maingear in web development, wallace has kindly set me up a water cooled, dual 2900xt graphics cards, athlon 64 x2 6400+ F131, with a 30" Samsung setup (which i must say is by far the most beautiful monitor i have ever seen). as for the image quality? doesnt get better its simply amazing. I def. recommend it. (that is if you have a grand and a few hundreds to spend)

i urge anyone looking for a monitor to check it out !

[flyingphish]

you know if i were to do it all over again i woulda ordered the 30" sammy with the 131...

[RottynDawg]

Anyone have experience comparing one large LCD vs. two good sized LCDs on the same system? As an example, one 30" vs two 22" or 24" LCDs?

I lean either way depending on the day and it probably depends heavily on the intended use for the machine. I'm curious to hear real work examples...

[flyingphish]

i like the one large monitor idea, or two large! (27" or better)

two 24" would be nice too. think it depends on your situation. if you are a heavy applications guy, then it probably would be nice to have a couple monitors to run mulitple apps...

i usually only have one app open at a time, so its either gaming or email or photoshop or excel, etc. so one big one works for me, for now.

i was watching an interview with Al Gore the other day...i believe he had three 30" apples running on his desk top...dudes an animal.

bet his office is a little "warmer" than the rest our ours...

[Plan1x]

bet his office is a little "warmer" than the rest our ours...
:wink: :lol:

[ginfan]

I was on a tighter budget, so I went with the 24" Dell as stated above. I find the screen to be very roomy, and though in a perfect world, I probably would have gone to the 27", I'm not at all dissapointed. For games, it actually took me a little while to get used to the extra real estate gained over my 20" crt.

I had two 24" side by side while comparing Dell with Samsung, and there was definately a coolness factor 8) I admit, but you need a lot of desk space, especially if you think you are going to place an Ephex on the desk as well, because the case is a monster.

Some 30" monitors require two outputs, so you may want to double check your dual monitor ability if you are going that large.

I use a 20" crt as my second moniter. It is plenty big for secondary stuff. when I replace it, it will probably be with a Dell 19-20 square format lcd with a stand that matches my 24". This would be nothing more than a $250 aesethetic upgrade.

Also, you WANT two monitorsa s it is nice to split two apps on differnt screens in extended desktop mode. For example, I can run an EQ2 account, drag it to the small screen and go full screen mode, open a second and go full screen mode on my main monitor and then I just have to use 1 keyboard mouse combo for both. With extended desktop, all I nee to do is move the mouse to the other screen a click something and my controls are seamlessly transferred to the other account/screen. I can play on one screen, with vent and a movie playing on the other. I can seach quest timelines on the internet without minamizing or shrinking my main game window and so on and so on. I would take a 24"/20" combo over a single 30" any day of the week and this choice saved me $700 ( or $450 if I replaced my crt). $450! thats enought to throw in an extra terabite drive... something I think has coolness written all over it :wink:

[Wernergu]

Hey Ginfan - how do you use two monitors with Vista - is it like with XP, where you just go to Properties/Settings off your Desktop and Extend onto the other screen? I have only done this at work, with my Laptop in its docking station and a 20 inch dell next to it - off the port in the back of the docking station. Now that I will have only my desktop at home (running two video cards - Ultras) do I hook one monitor to one card, then another to the other video card? I have like you have - a 24"Dell and a 19"CRT.
Thanks again for your advice - as always!

[ginfan]

It is actually quit easy. I only have one video card so I can only speek to that config as I've never had an SLI machine. I attach both to the one card (I don't think you want to attach one to each card in SLI setup... myunderstanding is that one card is primary and the other helps takes some of the load off, but I could be wrong).

Right click the screen anywhere on the desktop that doesn't have an icon and select "personalize" (this would have been properties in XP).

Click "Display Settings"

Click the box that staes "extend thet desktop onto this monitor."

If one of the monitors is greyed out then, right click it and it should give you the option to attach it.

This is also the place where you set your resolutions. I have my24" at 1920x1200 and monitor 2 at 1280x1024

[flyingphish]

it came today

im looking at it

thank the gods

its...beautiful

[Trashman00]

Thank the god's? LOL!!! :lol: Enjoy!!!

[Wernergu]

Yes! It is a wonderful day indeed!

Ok - so get those pics on-line - we are anxious to see that beauty!! :)

[flyingphish]

ive never seen such a clean installation...Bravo MG!

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1130/1400418928_32387678f5.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1213/1400418930_965f281c16.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1411/1399581555_04ad52d369.jpg

[Trashman00]

That's very pleasing to the eye!!!! Sharp as all hell!!!! Congrats!!!! :)

[Everett]

Your PC looks nice and clean 8)

I like your desk, as it does look like a gaming area.

Enjoy your PC and you've made the best/right choice of choosing Maingear for your PC decision. :)

[XBarbarian]

Beautiful! Grats man!

yea..on the multi displays thing, I have a 37" Westy as my main, and a 19" LG LCD too, off the same card, using the Dual view in the Nvidia control panel.

It's great for EQ or wow, can have a browser up on the small satellite display, looking up quest info on alakazam's, and still be full screen on the Westy.

pure pwnage!

[theDreamer]

Awesome system, and great work on the cable management there to. :homer:

[flyingphish]

thank you gentlemen...

let the games begin.

[grundlethrop]

That mouse is on the wrong side. He's a lefty!

[flyingphish]

indeed. some call it the devils hand. better watch out!

[RottynDawg]

Dang, that is an awesome looking system...thanks for the pics!

[flyingphish]

thx dawg. ive had a great time here. learned much i have.

going to enjoy the system now...

peace

jason

[JF]

That PC looks fantastic. :homer:

I'm definitely buying a black F131 after seeing those pictures.

[flyingphish]

been a while since i posted. yes the black f131 has very clean lines. get one.

hope all is well with everyone.

i play cod4. name t0ecutter. usually on the BdG server.

http://www.bdgtactical.org/

[blindem]

That system looks fantastic.

Maybe I'll drop by your COD4 server to say hi. I play as --M--.