(If ya don't feel like reading through my summary of what I got and why, and what I replaced, just peep the pics, or ignore it all, whatever lol)

This first one isn't computer related, but was a huge investment, so may as well throw it in there;

2004 Ford Mustang Cobra - 4.6L 32V Supercharged (stock) Now has suspension, brakes, car comes with an independent rear suspension, unlike 99.9% of all other mustangs, which is why it's hard to make them handle well. Only the 2003-2004 Cobra's come with the IRS, oh and the very rare 2000 Cobra R. So anyways, yeah suspension, brakes (Brembo's all around), Kenne Bell 2.2 supercharger kit (The stock supercharger is great, but I got a great deal on the KB, and they're amazing, bolt-on 100+HP. Stock wheels with nice sticky Pirelli P Zero Nero tires, although I heard they're not the best, and that bf goodwrench sells tires which are superior, and cheaper... Ima look into that, and sell the pirelli's. I left the gears stock, I love cruising at 70-80mph at under 2,000rpm, awesome. I smoked out the head lights, they're smoked stock, but I smoked them about another 5%, along with all the markers, just like on my VR6 GTI if any of you have seen it. It has full length headers, and Borla exhaust 3 inch W/ MIL eliminators. I got a custom tune, made all the difference in the world. Reasonable gas mileage when I'm not hard on it. Exterior is stock, love the car for what it is. Interior also. Car dyno'd recently in the cold weather @ 556RWHP. 0-60 in 4.2, with major wheel spin, and 1/4 mile in 11.5 on street tires. Car is full weight. That was on the race tune, and very cold air. On the street tune on a warm day my mechanic says it should push 450-470RWHP. I'd rarely load the race tune, I don't race as often, not with this car. The imports, heh, it's all I do.


I had 3 gigs of PC5300 667mhz memory, a frustrating upgrade, spending $$ just to gain a little bandwidth, but I did it, upgraded and got 4 gigs of Corsair Gaming Memory; PC6400 800mhz


I had a 8600GTOC, not bad, but the 128bit mem controller killed its bandwidth so I couldn't play new, DX10 games in my native resolution, had to run everything in 1280x800, and we all know how horrible a LCD display looks outside it's native res, so finally, I bought these;
My power supply wasn't strong enough, not by a long shot, to even run one of my new cards(the 8600 ran off the pci-e slot itself) So I grabbed this PSU at a real bargain at my local best buy:
Can't find any pictures anywhere, it's very nice, but expensive, I think 169.99. Modular design, great for keeping your case nice and tidy, very high quality it seems, all wires are covered in a braded type material. Quad 12V rails at 18a each, so 72amps on the 12V, enough to run two GTX285's!!! It looks great too, and runs, honestly, incredibly cool and quiet. 4 PCI-E 6 pin and 2 PCI-e 8 pin...maybe 4 of the 8 pin, not sure, def at least two tho. Anyways there's dope ass stuff online for great prices, but if you "had" to shop locally at a Best Buy, ya can't go wrong with it, it's my fav PSU I've owned, been gaming since mid 90's. It's the 850 Watt Black Widow Gamer Power Supply.

Lastly I had to replace my PNY 8600GT:







-WITH- 2 of these: GeForce 9800GTX+ 1GB OC: . After only 3 days I bought another lol, all at my local Best Buy, I freakin love the place. Honestly tho, just the one ran everything perfectly, but I wanted a second because I've never ran SLI before, and to make my expensive power supply worth while, and..why not put up nice 3dmarks....plus my friends were mad I didn't just get a GTX200 series. I'm not sure, it was hard, but I think my two 9800GTX+ 1GB OC's will outrun any of the GTX cars, but I can't be certain...regardless I simply love the 9800GTX+, I can't explain it. They're uber reliable, and faster than a 8800 Ultra, what more can ya ask for?
I'll have to check Toms Hardware. The 9800GTX+ is incredibly superior to the standard 9800GTX. 55nm instead of 65, runs cooler, less power consumption, = badass overclocking!!! And believe me, they OC very nicely. And they don't get hot, with no OC at all, just the 'out of the box' OC, they idle at 46-51C, under full load as high as 64C. Pshh, my 8600GTOC idled around 58-62C and full load 80-84C. Sometimes it would crash, but somehow it handled it.

Enough about that, sorry this is goin on and on, it's just that I bought a lot of stuff, they screwed my on taxes last year, plus I was finally paid other $$ owed to me by (I can't say, gov tho) and so, I'm a hardcore gamer, but I've never had the proper gear, so I decided since I'm doing well financially, well, stable, I'd get my computer setup as it should. So I went crazy with Logitech(One of my favorite brands, for many reasons)

I got the G5 mouse(OMFG, best investment I've ever made, I've never had better than a $15 mouse, hah, amazing), also the G15 keyboard, just as badass, I often need the lights turned down, I'm a night owl, stay up very late, work all day, and the keyboard is perfect for it, plus it's other abilities, especially with LFS, and a few other games. Then while heading toward checkout, I saw a set of Logitech speakers, and I badly badly needed a set of speakers, my good ones were destroyed during my last move, so I'd been using a 40 total watt speaker system, just...horrible. So I grabbed the Z-2300 Speaker System. Where I presently have the PC setup, I can't have surround sound, so the next best thing is a very nice THX certified, high power 3 piece set, with a woofer that really works. These speakers are nearly as loud as the $3,500 system I have installed in my Saab, truly amazing, and under $200, not sure, maybe like 169 I think.
Pics:
Mouse:
Keyboard:

Speakers:

Lastly, I've been holding off a long time, partly because of the format war, and partly because, I simply didn't care, I don't watch much television, and I like to wait and make smart buys.( I don't always have such patience, but lately, my patience has payed off hugely, like with the video cards) So anyways, I found an uber Blu-ray player online for dirt cheap, great brand too, but even better, the day I spent at Best Buy, where I bought virtually everything I've mentioned so far, they had the exact HDTV I wanted. I specifically wanted a 32", with really good color capabilities, uber contrast ratio, etc etc. Naturally it can't physically show a full 1080 resolution, but IMHO I can't tell, because of how far I sit exactly from it. I did a lot of research on HDTV's, and what's important, and this 32" is perfect, again I got an amazing deal. I don't understand, they had like, a sale/clearance so I grabbed it as well. Only mistake I made, was buying a 6' HDMI cable for the blu-ray player to the HDTV, but didn't think to grab a ten footer for my computer, so next time I stop by there I'll grab one. I'm dying to play LiveForSpeed, Flight Simulator X, Quake Live, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, WOOT>>> Stalker: Clear Sky; with the lights all turned down(This I have actually tried, borrowed a cable for one night from a friend that has an incredible tri sli alienware...so jealous) omfg so immersive and nerve racking.

Sorry that I carried on, but I actually bought all of this, this past monday, 4 days ago. I guess I didn't need to summorize what exactly I replaced and why, but felt like it, if ppl don't feel like reading, simple, just peek at the pics lol. Peace ya'll. And can anyone tell me what it's like to play LFS on a HDTV? I bet it's uber sick. Mine can just hang on the wall, so when I play ima just hang it on the wall in front of my computer, so I'd be about 4-5 feet away from the the HDTV, that should be plenty, cause it's not too big and has a very sharp resolution. Only reason I didn't go for a larger HDTV is because it would be completely useless for me, and how my computer room is setup, plus I saved a ton of cash, and the quality of the 32" I got is superb, it would have cost an additional $1000 or so to get a 40" or larger LCD, funk dat, and it would be too big, I don't wanna sit halfway across the living room to use it. Besides, from where I sit, it gives the illusion it's a 50-60+" TV anyways.

Last edited by DHRammstein, Fri 27 Feb 2009, 11:58. Reason : Grizammar n stufff

I think you can run most games in resolutions below that, or at least at 800*600, but if you're running games in resolutions that low, I don't think your gonna need a very powerful video card, period. An 8800GT would be enough for any DX10 game, turning options on and off may not even change frame rates, your cpu may actually be your bottleneck at those resolutions.

I gotta ask, why such low resolutions? Do you have a really small monitor, or prefer small monitors or what?

Also, not all games make great use of DX10 yet, Crysis not even, but Stalker - Clear Sky is a good example, there are specifit DX10 options that can't be enabled unless you're running it in DX10 mode. Some really nice special effects, and shader effects.

My last Radeon was a X800 Pro, didn't have any trouble with it, or the 9600XT before it. I'm going by what I hear, mostly on forums for games that I play. Most people "know" about ATI's issues with drivers, and I certainly won't argue the point.

If you want to be nasty about it and make assumptions, great, that's a fine use of the internet, and some good insight into the type of person you are.

I sit kinda close, not as close as those pics above tho, and the 720p looks just fine, if the screen were any bigger, it would lose all the quality, plus wouldn't fit well for my uses and habits. It does look pretty sharp.

Well regardless of resolution, if you want DirectX10 graphics with high frame rates, you'll still need the kind of power a GTX+ can deliver. Unless you plan to only "ever" play LFS, if so they they're kinda right, a little unecesary. But if that's the case, you can make LFS look pretty amazing! Also since you now own that card, I highly recommend getting, IMO a nice 20" LCD.

For almost a year I was recommending the 9600GT's to everyone, because they perform very well, GDDR3, 256bit memory controller, allowing good resolutions and reasonably powerful shading. But now you can get a 9800GT for the same price, and also time has passed and I'm not 100% certain if AMD/ATI has improved their drivers, or how much. ATM because of history I'd still have to recommend the 9800GT, and for a few dollars more, ppl with a very large monitor, the 9800GTX+.

Not to hijack, but quick question, now that I have a 32" HDTV (For me it's totally huge...) I'm curious if I can just race on the TV, and have guages and other important info on my monitor, kinda the way I use my G15 keyboard right now? That would be really cool...

I decided to grab a HDTV also, had a great tax year. Anyways, when I bought all my upgrades last week, I picked up a 32" Dynex HDTV, 720P. It's not the best in the world, but the quality is really good, image is very nice, and surprisingly good colors, I also got it for a great price, $289. LFS looks great, but so does COD, Quake Wars, Left4Dead< my fav right now!

Driver support should be a top issue also, another reason someone will choose Nvidia. I just bought a 9800GTX+ OC and never happier, and it runs everything perfectly fine, no "hotfixes" do download.. Go nvidia, at least for now.

Not a real car, but another of their hybrid kind of somewhat real looking things...or whatever. A RWD 390HP american style muscle car. The game has everything honestly, except that. It's not the 60's anymore, these newer one's can handle. '03/04 Cobra's have IRS, or they could base it off the N/A 385HP 2000 Cobra R, badass car, no heat, stereo, nothing, just a car for track. I'm a ford guy, so naturally, these, but if I saw a Vette I'd be just as happy, there's nothing remotely american about any of the cars. Except that with a good setup, the FZ5 feels a lot like my Cobra did when I first put the suspension on it, except my gearing, although 6 speed, is far different. Not such sporty, short gears. And I'll tell ya something else, in my experience Ford is as easy to work with as anyone when it comes to licensing. I bet they could get the same hookup they got from VW.

I've played Left4Dead, Crysis, Far Cry 2 and Fallout 3, oh and both Stalker games on it, and hte performance, I swear, is at the minimum even, but more than half the time it's better, especially minimum frame rates, which is most important. It comes out to like 5-8% improvement, although the Windows 7 is a brand new install, I dunno if that would help, I doubt it, load times won't effect frame rates. Oh also, dynamic lights seem to not be so costly on your GPU on win7, I can't think of any real explanation for it either...

Quote from pix-al :

Mk1 VW Golf Gti...

My baby:

I don't recognize where you live, but I will buy that car right now, seriously, but your in eu huh? I would sooo buy that car.

In all honesty, and Audi RS6 is the absolute perfect car IMO. If they want to go with an older car, I'd say a Ford Escort RS, or a Volkswagen Golf GTI VR6.

I just checked toms hardware, and you're right, in the sum of all benchmarks the GTX was maybe 3-5% faster, and the 9800GTX about 10-15%. Now I realize why Nvidia released the 9800GTX+, it's incredibly superior to the others. 9800GTX owners must be pissed since the release of the + version, I guess I lucked out having to wait.

My best handling car is the GTI, I've got the FK Silverline, adjustable dampers etc etc. The GTI I bought cause I just love the cars, and mostly the 12V VR6, also the way you feel driving it, like you're holding a tie rod in each hand. The Saab I got really cheap, and simply worked it to how it is over a long period of time. I love both FWD and RWD for different reasons, but I know that a true performance car has gotta be RWD. My Saab on the race tune, can't even turn, if you're getting any more than 10psi, and it'll hit 22.5, the wheels just spin, I may swap the Pirelli's for some BF Goodwrench, but I dunno, I don't think anything will help, it's just the nature of FWD cars. My Cobra on the other hand, is great, has independant rear suspension, unlike the GT's and Shelby's, and I can tune the car as hard as I like, and it doesn't take much to keep it straight, just driving skill. The Cobra is twice as fast as the other two, but the imports are still a blast to drive, they're more of a "around town" kinda car, where the Cobra is a weekend beast to get the adrenaline flowing.

Jakg, did you downgrade from the 8800GTX, or break it or? The GTX is quite a bit more powerful than the GT.

Quote from theirishnoob :

340 at the wheels/crank ?


jasus...


the head couldn't handle that let alone the gear box...

That's the race tune, the street tune is no where near that aggressive, more like 275fwhp. The bottom end is built and so is the head, a stock head couldn't handle it. The gearbox is actually stock, but it's not holding up well. The VR6 is much more solid all around, every part of the car is just stronger, hard to explain. The the VR I love too much, and it's a daily driver, that's why it's not built and tuned like the saab, hell I'm wrenching on the saab at least once per month. Just knowing where all the vaccums is a science itself.

Actually I heard the exact same thing as Jakg, and would have said the same thing. It must be a misconception, and a common one.

Edit: Just made an upgrade.

Voodoo 2 16MB I think..
Voodoo 4
GeForce 2
GeForce 3
GeForce FX5200
Radeon 9600XT
Radeon X800Pro
GeForce 7800GSOC AGP
GeForce 8500GT 512MB GDDR2
GeForce 8600GT OC 512MB GDDR3
New GeForce 9800GTX+ 1GB OC (I'll be adding a second in a few weeks)

I upgraded from a 8600GTOC, with the crummy 128bit mem interface, which kills bandwidth, very few games I could run at my native resolution. The difference is just amazing. I can max out crysis no problem, before, on medium settings at a very low res I got around 20fps lol. It sucks I couldn't have a card like this sooner, I can't believe how well it performs, the GTX2XX series cards must be absolutely insane. But I gather they're for gaming in much much higher resolutions, like 1920x1200 or whatever, and with AA maxed. I'm just not that picky, and I'd rather upgrade the pulley and exhaust on my Cobra than get a graphics card I won't need.

The memory upgrade is a nice improvement as well.

I considered that and a few others, but refused to spend that much, I wanted to keep it under $200, I put my Cobra in the shop again and am on a budget. Those look like sick speakers tho, I like the wattage. How much power to the sub? The review for that speaker set had a negative remark on the sub. Do you own this system? I'm curious, cause the sub quality is very important to be. Far to many systems have terrible subs.

Last edited by DHRammstein, Mon 9 Feb 2009, 09:33.

I just picked up a 850 watt psu (my old one couldn't handle the new card.) Anyways, I just got a BFG 9800GTX+ 1GB OC, what a card, for the price. No way I'd splurge on a GTX2XX series card, this thing runs Crysis perfectly, and every other game I own, maxed out at 1680x1050.

My only issue was, getting a higher clocked 512MB version, but since this BFG model comes with the extra memory, and OC'd out of the box, and it's the + version, it's based on the 55nm core, not the 65nm, so cooler temps and better overclocking ability, it seemed the logical choice. Overall I'm happy with the BFG 55nm model, lifetime warranty, great OC'ing, and unless you're obsessed with running Crysis in some crazy high resolution with AA maxed out, the GTX2XX just isn't worth it. Unless you have money to burn. Honestly, in 99% of games the 9800GTX+ series will do the job just as well, as with most games the GTX2XX is simply overkill, IMO.

Anyways, this card is absolutely sick, and I recommend it to anyone who can't afford the GTX 2XX series, which run about $100 more, give or take. IMO, it's overkill, unless you have a giant monitor and love maxing out antialiasing.

Also I was stuck with 3GB of PC5300/667mhz memory, which was kinda hurting me, considering the rest of my system, so I upgraded to 4GB PC6400 800mhz, actually made a difference. In doom 3, at 1680x1050, ultra quality, 4xaa, with the PC5300 memory I scored a 125fps in the timedemo, with the new memory I scored 137fps, I didn't know it could make that much difference.

Also, I've always wanted the Logitech G5 mouse and G15 keyboard, and my god was it worth it!!!! I highly recommend, especially if you're into FPS gaming. Logitech kicks ass, I also recommend the Logitech - Z-2300 2.1 Computer Speaker System. This thing is the loudest PC speaker system I've ever heard, and I've had very nice Harmon Kardon setups in the past. Not only is it loud as hell, and it doesn't crack, the quality of sound is amazing.

I've used a portion of my tax return to make my upgrades, I've waited a very long time to upgrade, I admit the video card as the only thing necessary, but I'm a producer and need a second source other than my headphones to listen and critique my music. So anyways, if you're looking for a 3 piece speaker system that can practically shatter a window with volume, yet have superb quality, at only 169.99 it's hard to beat the Z-2300 2.1 3 piece. Unless you prefer surround sound, still I'd take the Z-2300.

The rest I through in because I think they're great products and want to share my experience.

I have tons of video's of Terminator Cobra's you may be able to sample from, I can pm you a link to the youtube links if you'd like. Some are very high quality, racing with the windows up, no talking, etc etc. Just record the .wav. PM me and I'll throw together the best video links for you.

Now that I installed my 9800GTX+ 1GB OC and replaced my 3GB of 667mhz ram with 4GB 800mhz ram, my frame rates have doubled. Regular racing, it sits just under 300, in other views well above that. These video cards are no joke, I've never been happier with an upgrade, and I'm glad I waited, the prices are great. - Settings: 1680x1050, 8Xaa, 16Xaf.

Quote from Rascar13 :

Thats a nice car you got there DHRammstein. I love vr6

Thanks a lot man, I just wish you could see how it runs now. Ya know what's interesting, when I test drove the car, the single thing that sold me on it was the sound of the engine, absolutely amazing. Only the Terminator Cobra comes close, but I think the 12V VR6 takes it, the most glorious mechanical sound I've ever heard. (Yes even better than Porsch, BMW, Ferrari and Lamborghini)-IMO