meuge

Dayton Titanic III Kit 2 Hours of work, and a heck of a lot of sub for the money. http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&DID=7&Partnumber=300-764 $688 with FREE SHIPPING. I doubt anything under $1000 can touch it.

Well, to be perfectly sincere, AMD64 is not a true 64-bit CPU... it's a 32-bit CPU with 64-bit registers and extensions (hence the x64 name). But yes, the gains from a 64-bit operating system can be huge, but the lack of driver support and regular updates makes it the poor brother of WinXP-32... at least for now.

WinXP x64 is a pretty crappy system right now, since there are very few drivers out for it. I wouldn't use it until it becomes more mainstream anyway. As far as upgrading from XP2700 to AMD64, it's a worthwhile upgrade, depending on what you want to do. Obviously for general computing it's useless, but if you play games, it's a big jump. For example, (using Tomshardware CPU charts) the differnce between Newcastle AMD64 3200 and XP2700 is 141fps vs. 100fps... and that's using NForce3. With Venice (and its SSE3 support) and Nforce 4, I expect the difference to be as high as 50%. And that's assuming the same video card.

No kinks. Running flawlessly at 2.4GHz (from stock 2.0), otherwise known as X2 4600 speeds. Single-process applications run fine, multiple-thread applications run amazingly well, and multitasking is a breeze.

I just got this album, and have to admit it's really interesting. It was quite different from her first album, which was pleasant to listen to, but not remarkable. However, once you get through the first couple of songs (why are they there in the first place?) the album really opens up. Katie's voice is something to behold (I missed seeing her live last year, but won't make the same mistake again), and while her lyrics could use some more maturity, the musical arrangements are tastefully done, and the quality of the recording is excellent.

How about both? AMD64 X2 3800+ (OCed to 2.4GHz or 4800+) X800GTO2 (unlocked and clocked to 520/550 or X850XT) 1GB Corsair XMS @ 200MHz Antec P180 case (the Jaguar of PC cases) 3x 120mm fans @ 7V (>60CFM through the case at <40dB altogether) Thermalright XP-90 w. Panaflo L1A 80mm fan (yeah, I know - 80mm fans are so two years ago... but it's quiet... and free. Antec TruePower 430W (modded w. 1x80mm Panaflo L1A @ 10V, 10V 90mm fan mod) ~ CS:Source 1280x1024, 2X AA, 4X AF, detail to max, doesn't drop below 60 fps. Too bad I had to sacrifice my RAID array.

I got banned from a bunch of QIII servers because I kept railing everyone. Over and over... I kept trying to explain to them that I was world top 50 in RogueSpear, and can't help my aim, but they just wouldn't listen!

Here's a review that should have all the information you need: http://www.tomshardware.com/cpu/200508011/ The chip is an Athlon64 X2 3800+ At newegg.com which is my preferred dealer in hardware, the chip costs about $350. It uses Socket 939 motherboards, and a good one will run you about $105 (based on the Nforce 4 Ultra chipset). You'll also need to get a PCI-Express video card if you want to use it, since these boards no longer support AGP.

I also want to add something - systems based on AMD chips feel faster. They are just snappier in day-to-day use. Programs open faster, the system just feels more responsive. My 1.4GHz Athlon Thunderbird still boots 2s faster than my 2.8GHz P4... and feels much better overall, although it can't deliver the same frames per second, in games. For the day and a half, that I used my new AMD64 (dual-core mind you, so the benefit of dual CPUs is there too), there is only one phrase that I can come up with to describe it -> BLAZING FAST. You'd think that going from a P4 at 3GHz to an AMD64 at 2GHz wouldn't be an upgrade, and you'd be dead wrong. At 33% less clockspeed, AMD slaughters the P4.

Since the original Athlons (I had a 1.4GHz one) and especially since AthlonXP chips, AMD has killed Intel chips when it comes to performance. With AMD64, AMD has extended its lead to the point where large manufacturers are beginning to shake their committment to Wintel systems. If you need price/performance ratio, and do not require cutting-edge performance (for 3D rendering, audio editing, or modern gaming) then go with the AthlonXP chips - they are very cheap, and still hold their own against the current P4s. If you crave pure performance, or extreme I/O speeds for servers, AMD64/Opteron chips are the way to go. I cannot think of a single reason to recommend an Intel system to anyone at this point, and this is coming from someone who owned an Intel system in the last incarnation of my desktop (first a P4 1.6A that I ran at a 50% overclock at 2.4Ghz for 2 years, and my recent P4 2.8GHz which was a dud). P.S. Just my luck - my new motherboard happily died after 2 days of usage (first motherboard to ever fail on me). Now I am left without a desktop, as I await its replacement.

If you want to see beautiful, try the Call Of Duty 2 demo. Btw - I promise, it will bring your system to its knees.

Ok, so I got the new computer. and man - it screams! Now I know why people have raved about multiple processors all these years. It's just so... smooth. Modding of the X800GTO2 went without a hitch, so at this point I have a fully functional X850XT... and maybe even XTPE, but I'm waiting to get my NV Silencer cooler from a friend before I try that. The CPU is still at stock speeds (till tonight) but I fully expect to be running it at X2 4800 speeds by the end of the evening.

I was amazed that my PC was no longer able to handle modern games at medium settings with a P4 2.8 @ 3.1GHz and Radeon 9800Pro @ >9800XT speeds. But Call Of Duty 2 demo and FEAR demo brought my system to its knees. So I guess it's time to upgrade.

What mouse were you using before? I am using a Logitech MX510 and I like it... I also couldn't do without the side buttons - how are they on the copperhead?

After a long hiatus, I've finally given up and decided to upgrade. I ordered: Athlon64 X2 (dual-core) 3800+ EPoX EP-9NPA+Ultra Motherboard Sapphire ATI X800GTO2 (which is supposed to be moddable to X850PE) plus cooling: NV Silencer 5.2 (for the vid card) Thermalright SP90 (for the CPU) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16813123236'>

www.allofmp3.com I've been using it for about a year. Great selection, amazing prices... reliable and high quality... no spyware/adware/viruses of any kind.

I write both poetry and prose, and I compose for guitar and piano.

My review of the Merlin is coming later this week. I promise I'll use paragraphs and punctuation and everything. I expect to get extra credit for it.

Just substitute a pair of RB-25s for the RB-15s... and perhaps a different sub is in order.

Please, please, please stop using analog outs from a mainstream computer sound card. The degree to which they are trash will amaze you once you upgrade to something better. I would suggest getting an external DAC cheap from audiogon (<$300) and outputting SPDIF digital from your current soundcard into it. Otherwise you could purchase a pro-type sound card with much better analog outs - an M-Audio Audiophile 24/96 or an EMU 0404... or the higher up models of the same. Khorns might just be more revealing of the problem with your source. A computer is the best transport for digital music, but it must be used correctly.

---------------- On 8/25/2005 11:17:13 AM texxas guy wrote: ...and what are the specs on it? I don't find a lot of info on their site. I am asking about the 12" and 15" models. Are they comparable to SVS and HSU? Thanks in advance for the info. Larry (still weighing options) ---------------- I have the 15" model, which I've reviewed here: http://forums.klipsch.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=59175 It is an amazing sub, especially given its modest price. Check out the thread... it should contain all the information you need. The only thing that I would like to add is that I now prefer the crossover point at 80Hz instead of 40Hz. The high quality of the Titanic III and the fidelity with which it reproduces sound allow you to add punch to the mid bass without losing clarity... something I couldn't do with my HSU VTF-2.

Hmm... the upside is I have enough liquid nitrogen to freeze anything. Now if I only had a tube preamp! I guess I'll be dipping my tubes in the nitrogen... right before I use it to make some cryogenic ice cream. Yum.

Firstly, you shouldn't worry about clipping the speakers with your amp. You will never wind up putting that much power into them, except perhaps for incredibly short intervals of time during peaks at high volume. Secondly, your room is actually LARGER than my 10x16 room, and I have a pair of RF-3II floorstanders. Trust me - the 25s are NOT too big for the room. I think what you should do is purchase the speakers first, before buying a new receiver, unless you're dead set on what you want to buy. Listen to them at home, with your own equipment - that's the only real way to see how much you like them. Also, I would advise you to upgrade fronts/center together, and if a delay is necessary, upgrade the surrounds later. The fronts/center synergy is very important for a good HT experience.

---------------- On 8/23/2005 1:41:44 PM crazytubepower wrote: Cannot upload pictures! Sorry guys. ---------------- Email me the pictures at themeuge_@_gmail.com (remove underscores - they are to fool bots scanning for emails to spam). I'll host them for you. P.S. Mark - if you read this - I guess you've already sent out the first batch of Merlins for trials. I had the impression that I'd be getting one too, but I haven't heard from you. Can you let me know if there is a Merlin heading my way? I'm eager to try it out.

Another vote here for the Dayton Titanic III 15" kit. I doubt that anything in the pricerange can even touch it.