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Hm, I'm sorry was there supposed to be a link there? (referring to, "You'd have to get something like this. I'm not sure if these are solderless or not, though.") I really appreciate all of your help, Rdmarsiii! Thank you for being so patient with me too, heh. I'll go check out headfi.org and see what I can find. - Steven

Guh, then I guess I'll have to make my own. I'm just confused about how I would make the speaker wire without sodering, if I remember correctly on the 1/8" headphone plug there are two prongs at the end - but you'd have to solder the wires to them or else I'm not sure how you'd do it. I wish I could find that tutorial again that showed how to do this. :\

Ah, I saw a tutorial about making your own speaker wire that showed a picture of the headphone plug - and I know what you're talking about now. But it seems a little complicated, you need to figure out which is positive and which is negative or something, and there was just a whole lot that went into it. Are there any other brands of speaker wire that are as good as Monster Cable, maybe? And would work with the ProMedia 2.1 system? Or is it pretty much Monster Cable or on my own? - Steven

Headphone plugs, eh? Now how would that work because the lamp wire is like two wires right? So they could be made into a Y. But if it's a Y, I'm going to end up with two headphone plugs and the PM 2.1 satellites only require one plug - right? And twisting them together might be a bad idea, right? Headphone plugs are 1/8 inch, I think...I'm sure I could get some real basic headphone plugs that don't require soldering, right? Sorry for all the questions. Heh. - Steven

Hm, no soldering? Will 12g lamp wire work well on a PM 2.1 system? So how would this work? Go to Home Depot and ask for 12G lamp wire? 20 FT or so? (that sounds about right)... Cut that in half? Then what? Strip about 3/4 inch on each end? But do I need to split the wire or what? Because doesn't it need to be shaped like a Y to connect to the satellites? So wouldn't I need 4 strands of 12g lamp wire? Two for each satellite? I know nothing about speakers, heh. But this sounds like something I could figure out I'm sure. I was reading up about the Monster Cable lawsuits, I'm sorry but I will not purchase anything from them - I don't like the way they do business. Thanks again for all of your help, Rdmarsii! -Steven EDIT: Ah nevermind, I found a picture of lamp wire on Google (haha) and I see how it would work now! So 12g lamp wire for a PM 2.1 - that should be fine?

12g lamp cord, eh? But this means I will have to construct the kit myself, right? Using the 12g lamp cord? So this will require soldering and what not? - Steven

I'm glad someone started a thread about this, I'm going to be picking up the PM 2.1 package sometime this week. I was planning on ordering the Monster Cable upgrade kit from this website but if this isn't just a rumor, that Monster Cable is actually suing tv shows, furniture, restaurants, etc. just because they use the name 'monster' - then I do not want to do business with them. Are there any stores (I know someone mentioned Home Deopt and Lowes?) where I can get some high quality speaker wire for the PM 2.1s? Preferably as good as the Monster Cable kit? I'm not very handy, nor do I really have any desire - to make some speaker wire myself. So are there maybe any alternatives to Moster Cable? - Steven

I'm not sure what a 'network rebuild' is. I'm not sure if I need one. But do you mind if I play? My number will be (ponders) 74. - Steven

I can tell you this, onboard audio (audio integrated with the motherboard) is not very good. Heh. I do not have a 4.1 system so I cannot tell you exactly what sound card will be good for it. But I have always been happy with my Turtle Beach/Voyetra 'Santa Scruz' sound card. An excellent card, really - and it's a snap to install. In fact, when installing the drivers it will ask what type of system you have (2.1, 4.1, 5.1, etc.) $36 at NewEgg, http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=29-118-101&depa=0

They're really that pushy? I'm supposed to go there sometime this week to purchase the PM 2.1 system and (if they have them) the ProMedia 2.1 Monster Cable upgrade kit. That's all I want, they better not try and sell me anything else. Heh. - Steven

Whatever the case may be, Overclocking is really not a good idea anyways. I assume that this is what you are talking about when you talk about tripling the clock speed. I'd much rather have a fast and stable system then a super fast system that is unstable. You know? - Steven

Wheelman, Ok so where was I? Ah yes, computer memory absolutely makes a difference, and there really is no such thing as having too much, so the sky is the limit! Or rather, the number of memory slots on your motherboard is the limit. Heh. In fact, many of the larger computer manufacturers these days (DELL, Gateway, HP, etc.) will include at least (usually no more or less than) 512MB of RAM in their basic computer systems. More memory is of course more money but it is usually reasonable and if not you could simply buy the RAM stick and put it in your computer yourself. (About $80 per stick of 512MB) 512MB of RAM will probably be more than enough for the vast majority of computer users. I went with 1GB with my custom system because I like the comfort in knowing that it is there - just in case. This is the same reason why I tend to buy higher quality components for everything computer-related despite perhaps not ever really needing the 'power' on a regular basis. Another reason being that you get what you pay for and if you buy cheap computer parts you can't expect much. Call it spoiled or whatever you please, I just am not a patient person and when I push the button on my computer I expect everything to work right. Heh. As for your hard drive, is this a 40GB SATA drive or a 40GB IDE drive? It's important because it must be compatible with your motherboard. The SATA drives are much better, but you need a motherboard that is compatible - as they are completely different connectors. I have an 80GB IDE Western Digital hard drive. They are now going for $60 a pop, which isn't bad. a 40GB IDE Western Digital hard drive is $10 less - you might as well just go with the 80GB hard drive. Hard drives are funny that way, the better hard drives only cost a few extra dollars more. Now, I don't know what kind of computing you do but if you download a lot of music as I do (Yes, legally. Heh.) - you'll probably want an 80GB hard drive (preferably 7200RPM) which as I said before is $60. 40GB is still a pretty good size, and if you do not download much it may be perfect for you. But I notice you had said that you'd be mainly into downloading music. So I would recommend an 80GB IDE (or SATA depending on your motherboard) hard drive - 7200RPM. Anyways, if you have anymore computer questions I'd be happy to help! I'm no expert by any means, compared to friends of mine I'm a novice. But I think I know what I am talking about. Merry Christmas! - Steven

Wheelman, Yes, RAM makes a huge difference. Put a computer with 512MB of RAM next to a computer with 1GB of RAM and you will notice a difference. When building my computer I splurged and spent a bit more for 1GB of RAM, wow what a difference! You probably could get by with 256MB of RAM, but I wouldn't want to. I'd want at least 512MB. A 512MB stick of RAM will cost you about $80 at NewEgg.com Bah and there is the bell! (I'm at school!) More on this later. - Steven

Hey Grateful, My cheap GeForce FX5200 broke a while back, and I went looking for a new card. After much research, looking at reviews and what not I decided on a MSI NVidia GeForce FX5900XT - it'll be a bit more than you are probably willing to spend - about $180 I believe at www.newegg.com but it'll be worth every penny. It's an excellent card and is pretty popular. It took me a while but I soon learned that you get exactly what you pay for when it comes to computer components. There really isn't much you can do as far as cutting corners. Anyways, that is just my two cents and I am sure you can find other decent video cards for a little less - but do not expect to spend any less than $100, really. Especially if you are a gamer. Merry Christmas! - Steven