No Schild Left Behind - Updated 2/18/2007

[Cheddar]

Update 2/1/2007
OK, part list is almost done for Schilds computer.  I will probably be ordering the case next week at some point: if anyone is going to donate a part please let me know ASAP so I do not order it also!  FYI, the links for the different products are just suggestions.  Feel free to order from whomever; as long as it is the specific part I am not too worried about where it comes from.

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Parts (Schild):

Case: Zalman HD 160 - $250 - Ordered by Cheddar
Motherboard:  ASUS P5W DH DELUXE/WIFI-AP LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard - $214
CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz 4M shared L2 Cache LGA 775 Processor - $320
Video Card:  [http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16814102082]Radeon X1950XTX[/url] - $379
Power Supply:  SeaSonic M12 SS-600HM - $160 - Donated by Samwise
Sound Card:  Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 - $64
Misc:  Rounded IDE Cables - $10


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Parts (Cheddar):

Case: Zalman HD 160 - $250
Video Capture Card: WinTV-PVR-150 - $120

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UPDATES:

Update 1/27/2007

Per Trippys advice I have settled on a card for myself.  More updates to follow, we are working on parts list now.  Hashing items out now even as we speak.

Update 1/25/2007
After researching cases we have decided on this one:  Zalman HD 160.  I am inspired to build myself a media box as well; the case is too sweet to waste on just 1 person!  I am aiming for something different, though.  I am looking for a media center solution, so as such will be building one which will have less power than Schild requires.  I am not 100% sure what kind of TV card would be best for the one I want: my goal is to get TiVO type capability along with great sound capability.

----Summary---
It has recently come to my attention that Schild is using a computer that is extremely out of date, held together by duct tape and broken dreams, and unable to play the latest shiny at full resolution.  I intend to correct this.

Preface: I do this for friends (put together computers) as a hobby; as such doing this is not to garner special favor.  Also, it will take time; I am constrained by my schedule and am loathe to purchase anything I cannot find at a decent price (I am known for saving hundreds if not thousands by being patient and looking for elite deals across the 'net).  Currently goal is to mail out a working PC that can launch missles by March 20.  This assumes purchasing a major part every week and only having a couple setbacks. 

This could get expedited if people are willing to donate parts; caveat- they will be specific parts.  I am not going to take cash donations due to the annoyance of tracking who donated what along with figuring out what to do if there are extra funds.  Of course this could change but for now I am not planning on dealing with cash from others.  I will also track progress and maybe take pictures as I go along.  I will not be accepting donations from Lurkers due to the creepy factor.

This weekend I will be ordering the power supply and case, plus researching exactly what mobo/CPU combo to get.  After I consult with Schild I will post a complete list of parts needed and open up the gates for people to purchase said parts; I will track who sends what so I do not receive 4 of any one thing. 

Does anyone have advice on what video card should be included?  I have not done research on cards in awhile.

[Trippy]

Does anyone have advice on what video card should be included?  I have not done research on cards in awhile.

To DX10 or not to DX10, that is the question.

[Miasma]

This is a joke right?  You guys are sitting around in IRC all day dreaming up pranks to pull on the board.  You got me, good one.

[Cheddar]

This is a joke right?  You guys are sitting around in IRC all day dreaming up pranks to pull on the board.  You got me, good one.

Huh? 

[stray]

Schild pretty much has the same PC power as I have (though I did give him my old vid card awhile back...So mine's better at the moment). If you give him something, then think of me too. :P

That being said, I wouldn't cry if you didn't. I doubt Schild would either. There aren't any games to get on a PC that are good, need new hardware, and can't be done elsewhere. MMO's are not worth playing, RTS's don't require a new PC, and current shooters have 360 or PS3 tie-ins.

[Samwise]

I'd chip in on this, Cheddar.  If you're looking for parts advice, I'd say build the PC Morphiend described in the "$$$" thread.  It sounds pretty kickass.

[Cheddar]

I'd chip in on this, Cheddar.  If you're looking for parts advice, I'd say build the PC Morphiend described in the "$$$" thread.  It sounds pretty kickass.

I will check that out, Samwise.  I rarely check in on the PC forum, so musta missed it.  I do have the case picked out; as an added bonus, it comes with a kickin' rad power supply.  2 hit combo!  I will order it Saturday and have the parts list by sunday (if not earlier).  Hopefully people will keep their useless comments out of this thread.  Normally I am all about useless comments, but in this case would prefer we stay productive.  I figured people would enjoy the discussion.

[stray]

I'm not even sure what the thread is about. The useless comments actually make more sense.

I take it you want to build a PC for Schild? Or is it....Chart up some wishlist of sorts?

Seriously, I'm confused.

Secondly, why Schild? If anyone needs help, it's the non single guys if anything. 

[Nebu]

He'll probably just sell the new PC to buy a bunch of imported Japanese games anyway.

[stray]

And good on him! He should.

Really, PC's suck.

Cheddar told me the other day that he'd stop poking fun at me in IRC if I started playing MMO's again.....As if I was some out-of-trend destitute gamer myself.

I know he means well, but I can't help but chuckle at that.

[schild]

I have small pockets of disposable income. They happen to be pockets shaped like PS2 games. Seriously, all I spend money on is games so it looks like my disposable income is huge, I don't do much else other than run this board. I did not ask Cheddar to make this thread, I did not intend on putting a donation button up. This is an offer he made and it's hard to refuse this sort of thing. So, I didn't. Fault either one of us, whatever, I'm not gonna lie, I think it's awesome.

As for the computer... it's a nasty piece of shit. The power supply (that's hanging out the back) is held up by cardboard, most of the USB ports can't be trusted to send data - because they do it BADLY. And I think it's older than Strazos.

[stray]

If you really need help, then I'd be happy to contribute. F13 is a good source of entertainment. I appreciate it. You know me.

Couldn't promise anything near a DX10 quality card, but I could possibly donate something towards that.

However....And I know it sounds asshole-ish when saying this....

But getting an uber gaming PC of that caliber seems unnecessary *at the moment*. "Uber ready" seems more feasible (i.e. at least a good mobo). Crysis isn't even out yet....And that's about all that's worth looking forward to.

[schild]

Yes, it's fairly obvious the most important thing is the mobo. My last mobo was futureproof UP to the introduction of dual cores. It's the only reason it lasted so long. Though, most might not consider 4x AGP futureproof, it ran everything up to the last round of "latest titles."

Edit: Something didn't make sense.

[Margalis]

I have 512 mb of RAM, could someone donate me some?

Also a Wii would be nice.

[Nebu]

I think that Ched is making a very nice gesture.  I was only trying to be silly in my post.

[Signe]

[Nebu]

Signe, I swear you belong to some sort of "Smiley of the month club" or something.

[stray]

I think we could all use a donation when it comes down it. I, for one, am poor as dirt because of the PS3.  :-D

Funny thing is, it's probably 10 times more powerful than my PC, and I can't do very many PC things with it. 

[SnakeCharmer]

i've got a decent vid card (128 mb ddr ATI Radeon something or other) and a stick or two of RAM laying around somewhere.  PM me an address.

[Strazos]

Damn, what do I have to do to get handed a new PC....or HDTV....or new console?

Also, Schild....you don't have to have all the cash on hand. It's called a credit card, keke. Hell, with a Newegg account, you get something like zero interest for a year or no payments for a year (I forget which, I still haven't even activated my card).

[Sir Fodder]

I'd suggest checking the Slickdeals Hot Deals forum and snagging parts when good deals pop up, helps if you can be patient. For instance, there is a free after rebate case right now that seems decent. Here is a thread on how to  build an inexpensive gaming system.

Also good for finding parts deals is the Anandtech Hot Deals forum.

[Strazos]

There's a reason that case is so cheap, and it has nothing to do with the brand name...

[Morfiend]

Intel BOXD975XBX2KR LGA 775 Intel 975X ATX Intel Motherboard
eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card
Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600
CORSAIR CMPSU-620HX ATX12V v2.2 and EPS12V 2.91 620W Power Supply
SAMSUNG 18X DVD±R DVD Burner With 12X DVD-RAM Write, LightScribe Technology Black SATA Model SH-S183L
Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Model TWIN2X2048-6400
ASUS Silent Square 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler

This system is doing me wonders. As always most parts are interchangeable. Chedder, if you are aiming for a decent system that will run Vista well, you do not want to skimp on the PSU. I guess you know that since you said you build systems for a living, but genuinely the ones that come packaged with a case are crap.

[CmdrSlack]

Feh, if I had anything beyond a machine that was purchased in Summer 2003 (and wasn't close to top of the line then), I'd be using it.  But hey, if I get around to getting a better video card, he's welcome to my AGP Raedon 9000, which is what I'm currently using.

[Big Gulp]

All the shit I have laying around is outdated and suitable only for cannibalization to bring family members around to the 1999 era of computing.  I would donate some scratch through PayPal though.

[Yegolev]

They probably already have this in Japan.  I can just import the vending machines and the panties.  $$$

[Tebonas]

I don't get all this ruckus. If some good soul is offering to build a computer for somebody else its not our business to judge if that is a needed donation. Hell, I certainly think there are few people better off than Schild regarding disposable income, and one day when he will see that in the real world all luxury purchases are made by saving up small amounts of disposable income for some time. But that is no reason to envy him his new rig. The world is certainly not poorer just because Cheddar builds Schild a new computer. Cheddar is happier for it, Schild is happier for it, and the worst anybody else should do is not care. Its not like Cheddar would donate the computer to some poor children who really need it if Schild wasn't in the picture.

[Jain Zar]

Ehh.. if he wants to do something nice for Schild who cares?

The guy lets us make fun of him endlessly.  If someone wants to get him a thank you gift why not?

I won't donate, but I won't demonize anyone who does.

Though if anyone wants to buy me New World of Darkness RPG books it would be appreciated.  Its to run a game for a DM who isn't subjecting me to full on sucktastic D20 D&D in the Shackled City campaign so I listed RPGs I could run on my GMing weeks and he got all giddy at WoD.  A check on Wikipedia (Youtube for nerds!) and I decided to get the new ones.   

That or a new Apple Airport Extreme Basestation wireless router thingie.  Maybe my Wii will like that over the Belkin router it decided to stop paying attention to. 

No takers?  Ehh... its cool.  I pretty much stopped buying Heroclix and D&D minis.  Itll work that way.  Plus the upcoming deluge of Transformers toys aren't ones I would buy too many of so I will have the cash.

And you may be asking what this has to do with anything, and I would direct you to how Chewbacca is a Wookie yet lives with the Ewoks on Endor......

[Signe]

We should use the children as bait to trap Santa Claus.  Then we can shoot him in the head.

[Riggswolfe]

We should use the children as bait to trap Santa Claus.  Then we can shoot him in the head.

Sometimes you scare me.

[Yegolev]

All I want is The Black Hole on DVD.

[Tebonas]

And rightily so. Double Laser pistol action for the win!

[Engels]

I think this is a keen idea. I mean, after all, Schild is the boss, and he's veering perilously close to just flat out moving to Japan and playing outdated gameboy for the rest of his years. Anything to bring him back into the fold of PC gaming is a good move. I myself have nothing to donate at the moment, since I just recently upgraded to PCI-E and on a budget at that.

[tazelbain]

And he'd live on mountain.  To visit him, you must climb the mountain and pass 3 challenges.  If you do, he'll teach you the Essence of Five-Point-Palm of Pure Gaming.

[Strazos]

Meaning, he'd hand you the newest NIS game.