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[MeowMeow]

Found another tablet laptop on ebay for reasonable price!

Hardware Specs:
GATEWAY M275
14.1" LCD Monitor, XGA Type for best resolution and viewing angle.
1.7 GHz Intel Pentium M Processor. (very fast mobile processor)
Intel graphics chipset 64MB Intel Extreme Graphics 2 driver
1gb DDR RAM Memory (upgradeable to 2 gigs)
40GB Ultra ATA hard drive.
Integrated 24x/10x/24x CD-RW and 8x DVD combo.
Integrated Wireless WiFi 802.11b/g card (built in/internal)
Intel Pro/100 VE 10/100 Ethernet (RJ45 port).
Integrated V.92 56K modem.
1024x768 Resolution with up to 32 million colors (32bit).
Touchpad with scroll button.
VGA port for an external or dual displays.
Battery: Lithium Ion rechargeable. 3600 mA.
Integrated 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader.
2 USB 2.0 ports.
Parallel port.
Firewire port.
PCMCIA slot.
Built in speakers and mic, plus headphone and mic-in jacks.
Slot to hold tablet pen (included)
Buttons to easily access brightness, screen rotation, onscreen keyboard, email, browser, help and my computer.
Size: 12.60" x 10.83" x 1.10". weight 5.7 pounds. (VERY LIGHT!)

Software Specs:
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Service Pack 2 (NEW copy installed!)

Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gateway-M275-Tablet-1-7ghz-1gb-40gb-WiFi-14_W0QQitemZ190239042622QQihZ009QQcategoryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What do you guys think? Does anyone have this computer?

 

[SRG01]

Found another tablet laptop on ebay for reasonable price!

Hardware Specs:
GATEWAY M275
14.1" LCD Monitor, XGA Type for best resolution and viewing angle.
1.7 GHz Intel Pentium M Processor. (very fast mobile processor)
Intel graphics chipset 64MB Intel Extreme Graphics 2 driver
1gb DDR RAM Memory (upgradeable to 2 gigs)
40GB Ultra ATA hard drive.
Integrated 24x/10x/24x CD-RW and 8x DVD combo.
Integrated Wireless WiFi 802.11b/g card (built in/internal)
Intel Pro/100 VE 10/100 Ethernet (RJ45 port).
Integrated V.92 56K modem.
1024x768 Resolution with up to 32 million colors (32bit).
Touchpad with scroll button.
VGA port for an external or dual displays.
Battery: Lithium Ion rechargeable. 3600 mA.
Integrated 4-in-1 Memory Card Reader.
2 USB 2.0 ports.
Parallel port.
Firewire port.
PCMCIA slot.
Built in speakers and mic, plus headphone and mic-in jacks.
Slot to hold tablet pen (included)
Buttons to easily access brightness, screen rotation, onscreen keyboard, email, browser, help and my computer.
Size: 12.60" x 10.83" x 1.10". weight 5.7 pounds. (VERY LIGHT!)

Software Specs:
Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition Service Pack 2 (NEW copy installed!)

Here is the link:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Gateway-M275-Tablet-1-7ghz-1gb-40gb-WiFi-14_W0QQitemZ190239042622QQihZ009QQcategoryZ177QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

What do you guys think? Does anyone have this computer?

IMO, don't get a tablet unless it's 12.1".

14.1" is going to be significantly heavier.

 

[VictimOfGrief]

IMO, don't get a tablet unless it's 12.1".

14.1" is going to be significantly heavier.

This. 12.1 is perfect but 14.1 will kill your arm if carrying.

 

[MeowMeow]

Well im thinking the extra screen size would be great for giving me more space for doodling and drawing on my tablet. Plus taking better notes. I really dont think its THAT heavy. Im gonna buy that gateway either way, i will tell u guys what i think.

 

[SarBear]

I am REALLY having a fun time with this 8800 gtx card now that I finally got it into my system. Immense upgrade from the 7600gt I was screwing with. I did end up switching the power supply as well. But, I DO have a question concerning temperatures, now.

My core temps before switching things around were around 37 degrees.
Now they're all around 40 to 45. Should I be concerned?

The graphics card is clocked at 68 degrees.....idle. I've tried to do some research, and people were stating that only worry around 85 degrees or so, but that's under full load. I can only imagine what this thing is like in my rig under operation. How can I go about fixing this? I've tied off loose cords, bread-tied cables from the power supply as much as I can to avoid restricting airflow from the vent from the card.

Do I really need to worry? Or should I just have a seat and stfu?

 

[Broseybrose]

you can download a program called rivatuner from guru3d that allows you to manually set you fan speeds... the default on an 8800GTX is Auto (60% duty cycle), but i use rivatuner to have it at 80% until the temps rise above 65C, and then it kicks into 100% duty cycle... there are plenty of tutorials on rivatuner at guru3d.com and a forum to ask questions in. also, if you need help i have experience with this program and you can pm me.

also, the fan at 100% is not loud at all, if thats a concern of yours.

 

[BioHazard]

Hey guys, I just wanted to get your thoughts on the NP5796 notebook from Sager. I customized with.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P9500 2.53 GHZ
GeForce 9800M GT w/ 512 MB DDR3
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM
Vista Ultimate
160GB HDD

I'm thinking of getting it, but I am a little concerned about the processor. I don't really know much about notebook processors, but is this processor powerful, or does it seem to be "holding me back?" Otherwise I think it is a great notebook. Thoughts? Anyone order from Sager?

 

[beat]

Based on previous processor intros - what exactly will Intel release this fall with the "Nehalem" family? A full line of processors, or just processors at the high end, with Core 2 sliding down to mid-low?

 

[zoku88]

Based on previous processor intros - what exactly will Intel release this fall with the "Nehalem" family? A full line of processors, or just processors at the high end, with Core 2 sliding down to mid-low?

They're releasing what tehy're calling the extreme and the enthusiast range. (They have four categories, apparently.)

There's a nice release chart somewhere on the web, can't find it though.

 

[SarBear]

you can download a program called rivatuner from guru3d that allows you to manually set you fan speeds... the default on an 8800GTX is Auto (60% duty cycle), but i use rivatuner to have it at 80% until the temps rise above 65C, and then it kicks into 100% duty cycle... there are plenty of tutorials on rivatuner at guru3d.com and a forum to ask questions in. also, if you need help i have experience with this program and you can pm me.

also, the fan at 100% is not loud at all, if thats a concern of yours.

Thank you very much. I'll play around with that this evening. Noise is a concern, since my computer is whisper quiet. We'll see how it turns out, and I'm sure I'll have questions even after configuring it.

 

[MeowMeow]

I bought the gateway tablet computer, gonna post my tablet drawings in another thread soon lol.

 

[dude]

Here are the specs for the PC I want to buy later this week, what do you guys think?

Intel Core 2 Quad Processor Q6600 2.4GHZ BOX
ZALMAN CNPS9700 NT
GIGABYTE EP45-DS3R Intel P45
G.SKILL DDR2 4096MB (2GBx2) DUAL CHANNEL 800MHZ CL4
WD 500GB 7200RPM 16MB SATA2
LG GH20N S10 DVDRWX20 SATA BLACK BULK
GIGABYTE RADEON HD4870 512MB DDR5 PCI-E
CoolerMaster CM690 MidTower Case No Psu
OCZ 500W StealthXStream PSU Retail
MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 32BIT ENGLISH OEM

 

[Xyphie]

MICROSOFT WINDOWS VISTA HOME PREMIUM 32BIT ENGLISH OEM

Swap that for the 64-bit edition.

 

[dude]

Swap that for the 64-bit edition.

I'm a little afraid of compatibility issues, I play a lot of older games (I'm just about to finish D2 for the kzillionth time) and such. But I don't really know the 64bit edition, can it emulate 32-bit?

 

[Eiolon]

Hey guys, I just wanted to get your thoughts on the NP5796 notebook from Sager. I customized with.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor P9500 2.53 GHZ
GeForce 9800M GT w/ 512 MB DDR3
4GB Dual Channel DDR3 SDRAM
Vista Ultimate
160GB HDD

I'm thinking of getting it, but I am a little concerned about the processor. I don't really know much about notebook processors, but is this processor powerful, or does it seem to be "holding me back?" Otherwise I think it is a great notebook. Thoughts? Anyone order from Sager?

You'll love your Sager (though you should get it from PowerNotebooks or XoticPC cause they resell them cheaper).

Right now, the P9500 is the sweet spot for price and performance. Plus it uses 25w versus the 35w by the P9400.

Also, the 320GB SataII 5400RPM is one of the better drives to get for both speed, heat and power consumption.

 

[Xyphie]

I'm a little afraid of compatibility issues, I play a lot of older games (I'm just about to finish D2 for the kzillionth time) and such. But I don't really know the 64bit edition, can it emulate 32-bit?

4 GB RAM and a 32-bit OS isn't the best match. I've never had any issues with running legacy 32-bit applications on any of my computers running on either XP x64 or Vista.

 

[dude]

4 GB RAM and a 32-bit OS isn't the best match. I've never had any issues with running legacy 32-bit applications on any of my computers running on either XP x64 or Vista.

A quick check showed most of my hardware have 64bit drivers, so I guess I'll go for it. thanks.

 

[Blackface]

So I want to upgrade my videocard. I have a 9800GTX but want to use it in another computer, so I need to buy something new.

I was thinking about the 4850 but my friend has it, with the exact same setup as me, and it gets less FPS at the resolution I play then my 9800GTX.

So I was wondering what you guys suggested. I might just buy something cheap for the other computer, then upgrade during the next round of videocards.

 

[Broseybrose]

the only upgrade that would make sense is another 9800GTX and SLI them.

 

[SupraDarky]

Okay I need to upgrade my computer. I'm really bad at all this to be honest, I just want to buy a computer that will play newer PC games. I know the best thing is to probably build it all yourself and everything, but I really just want to go to a big store and buy a good one that already has nice stuff in it.

I was looking at this one from Future Shop, how is it? http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...ed=&newlang=EN&logon=&langid=FR&test_cookie=1

 

[Mikazuki]

http://www.gateway.com/systems/product/529668096.php

^ I'm looking at this laptop Would it be good for PS2/Model 2 emulation? That's what I'm most interested in. Thanks!

 

[Kamakazie!]

Okay I need to upgrade my computer. I'm really bad at all this to be honest, I just want to buy a computer that will play newer PC games. I know the best thing is to probably build it all yourself and everything, but I really just want to go to a big store and buy a good one that already has nice stuff in it.

I was looking at this one from Future Shop, how is it? http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...ed=&newlang=EN&logon=&langid=FR&test_cookie=1

You'd have to upgrade the graphics card with that thing.
That is a shocking card considering the thing has a quad-core processor.
Look at one of the gaming lines from the OEMs if you want a decent card or go for something slightly cheaper and upgrade the GFX card to a 8800 GTS / HD4850 / 9800 GTX+ then you will stomp over every game out there and those to come for a good while.

 

[SarBear]

RivaTuner:


1) Needs to stop prompting Vista to ask me to run everytime I boot my computer. How do I get rid of this?

2) I believe this program is causing my computer to boot up slower than usual, during the Vista "chime," if you will. This is before loading the desktop. Any way to analyze this?

 

[bee]

RivaTuner:


1) Needs to stop prompting Vista to ask me to run everytime I boot my computer. How do I get rid of this?

2) I believe this program is causing my computer to boot up slower than usual, during the Vista "chime," if you will. This is before loading the desktop. Any way to analyze this?

64bit i assume

command prompt > bcdedit /set loadoptions DDISABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS > reboot

 

[Badabing]

So I want to upgrade my videocard. I have a 9800GTX but want to use it in another computer, so I need to buy something new.

I was thinking about the 4850 but my friend has it, with the exact same setup as me, and it gets less FPS at the resolution I play then my 9800GTX.

So I was wondering what you guys suggested. I might just buy something cheap for the other computer, then upgrade during the next round of videocards.

That would be a good bet. The 9800GTX is a pretty solid card capable of playing everything, but if you want improved gaming performance over what you already have, you'll be paying more than $200.

The 4870 is extremely good and is certainly faster than the 4850/9800GTX, and weighs in at around $275. Thats presently your best bet.

The 4870X2, which will probably be the best high-end solution until the beginning of 2009, will cost around $500+. BUT, it will feature 2GB of GDDR5 rams, which makes its high pricetag more than worthwhile. For reference, one single 4870 only has 512MB of GDDR5 RAM, and it still performs great.

So it depends on what you personally want. Do you want top of the line? Wait two weeks and buy the 4870X2, but it'll cost you. You want improved performance over your 9800GTX? Grab a 4870 and you'll have more play-power, and you'll have two rocking gaming computers, the other with a 9800GTX.

Or, you can simply buy an overclocked MSI 8800GT , which is comparable to the 9800GTX, and comes in at $140 after rebate.

 

[SRG01]

Okay I need to upgrade my computer. I'm really bad at all this to be honest, I just want to buy a computer that will play newer PC games. I know the best thing is to probably build it all yourself and everything, but I really just want to go to a big store and buy a good one that already has nice stuff in it.

I was looking at this one from Future Shop, how is it? http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/pr...ed=&newlang=EN&logon=&langid=FR&test_cookie=1

DO NOT GET THIS.

You're better off getting one of the lower-end HP desktops, then upgrading it with a 8800GT (since I don't think the 4850 can fit in a 300W power supply).

 

[BuddhaRockstar]

Well I just ordered all my parts from newegg, time to build my first computer ever!

Proc- Intel e8400
MoBo- ASUS P5Q Pro
RAM- G.Skill 800 (2x2gb) DDR2
GPU- ASUS Radeon 4850
Case/PSU- Antec Sonata III/Antec Earthwatts 500W
HDD- 640gb Western Digital Caviar
DVD- Some Samsung drive
OS- Windows Vista 64bit
Monitor- Hanns-g 19" widescreen

All came to about $1100 after rebates. I've never built a computer before, but I will have some help building it. Is there anything I should know before I start? Any tips or known issues with any of these parts?

 

[SupraDarky]

Alright, thank god I asked you guys then! I won't buy it. I hope this isn't asking too much, but if you take a look at this list, http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/subclass.asp?catid=10607&mfr=&logon=&langid=EN&sort=3&page=1&list= (there are 3 pages, sorted by price). Which one would be the best to get? I'd buy a graphic card separately as you guys said.

I'm not looking for the best thing ever really so if any of those seem good it's perfect. If all of those suck it's alright, I'd try to look elsewhere.

 

[Blackface]

That would be a good bet. The 9800GTX is a pretty solid card capable of playing everything, but if you want improved gaming performance over what you already have, you'll be paying more than $200.

The 4870 is extremely good and is certainly faster than the 4850/9800GTX, and weighs in at around $275. Thats presently your best bet.

The 4870X2, which will probably be the best high-end solution until the beginning of 2009, will cost around $500+. BUT, it will feature 2GB of GDDR5 rams, which makes its high pricetag more than worthwhile. For reference, one single 4870 only has 512MB of GDDR5 RAM, and it still performs great.

So it depends on what you personally want. Do you want top of the line? Wait two weeks and buy the 4870X2, but it'll cost you. You want improved performance over your 9800GTX? Grab a 4870 and you'll have more play-power, and you'll have two rocking gaming computers, the other with a 9800GTX.

Or, you can simply buy an overclocked MSI 8800GT , which is comparable to the 9800GTX, and comes in at $140 after rebate.

I think I will pick up the 4870X2 when it comes out if anything. Otherwise, I will skip this generation.

 

[aznpxdd]

Well I just ordered all my parts from newegg, time to build my first computer ever!

Proc- Intel e8400
MoBo- ASUS P5Q Pro
RAM- G.Skill 800 (2x2gb) DDR2
GPU- ASUS Radeon 4850
Case/PSU- Antec Sonata III/Antec Earthwatts 500W
HDD- 640gb Western Digital Caviar
DVD- Some Samsung drive
OS- Windows Vista 64bit
Monitor- Hanns-g 19" widescreen

All came to about $1100 after rebates. I've never built a computer before, but I will have some help building it. Is there anything I should know before I start? Any tips or known issues with any of these parts?

I'd recommend aftermarket HSF for both e8400 and hd4850, both of their stock heatsinks are crap.

 

[Chris Remo]

http://chrisremo.com/bloggin/2008/07/27/ea-wants-to-sell-you-a-pc/

EA plans to market Crysis Warhead-branded PCs in conjunction with the game's release. It's a pretty good move, I think--it's all well and good for GAF to have threads like this (which are super useful for me by the way), but I like the idea of people who are intimidated by that whole process to simply be able to buy something with the game's name on it and be pretty sure everything is going to work. Plus, if you can run Crysis, you can run anything, really.

 

[Quazar]

http://chrisremo.com/bloggin/2008/07/27/ea-wants-to-sell-you-a-pc/

EA plans to market Crysis Warhead-branded PCs in conjunction with the game's release. It's a pretty good move, I think--it's all well and good for GAF to have threads like this (which are super useful for me by the way), but I like the idea of people who are intimidated by that whole process to simply be able to buy something with the game's name on it and be pretty sure everything is going to work. Plus, if you can run Crysis, you can run anything, really.

Pretty cool. But maybe you should make a thread about it.

 

[zoku88]

I agree, it should get its own thread. It's a very interesting idea.

 

[BuddhaRockstar]

I'd recommend aftermarket HSF for both e8400 and hd4850, both of their stock heatsinks are crap.

I've read that, but I don't plan on doing any OC'ing in the near future, and I've heard they do fine unless you OC. I'll look into it down the line, but for the time being I should be fine, right?

 

[SRG01]

Alright, thank god I asked you guys then! I won't buy it. I hope this isn't asking too much, but if you take a look at this list, http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/subclass.asp?catid=10607&mfr=&logon=&langid=EN&sort=3&page=1&list= (there are 3 pages, sorted by price). Which one would be the best to get? I'd buy a graphic card separately as you guys said.

I'm not looking for the best thing ever really so if any of those seem good it's perfect. If all of those suck it's alright, I'd try to look elsewhere.

I've done some shopping at FS before, and suffice it to say that their selection of desktop computers suck.

Are you Dell-avoidant? If not, you can go for this Vostro 410 deal (link may not work?):

http://configure.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=ca&CS=cabsdt1&l=en&OC=D410QV_F_1E

You can configure it to have the 8800GT for about $180 more. To be safe, you can call up Dell customer service and ask if the power supply in it is beefy enough for the video card (it should be).

edit: And yes, doing it this way is significantly more expensive than building your own. Actually, doing some quick math, it's a pretty good deal.

 

[Lich_King]

I'm going to live on campus this fall, so I will need a gaming laptop. I've never bought a laptop before, so I decided to ask for some help here
I did some research on my own and found interesting notebook at BestBuy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...+X305&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1213399955032
I wonder if it will become too hot when playing. Also, it's kind of ugly, so if there are any suggestions about other laptops, I would gladly listen to them.

Edit: I'm not going to bring it to class, I just need it to do homework, watch video and play games, but rooms are quite small, so I don't want to have desktop, monitor and all the wires taking over the place.

 

[SRG01]

I'm going to live on campus this fall, so I will need a gaming laptop. I've never bought a laptop before, so I decided to ask for some help here
I did some research on my own and found interesting notebook at BestBuy: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...+X305&lp=2&type=product&cp=1&id=1213399955032
I wonder if it will become too hot when playing. Also, it's kind of ugly, so if there are any suggestions about other laptops, I would gladly listen to them.

Don't expect to bring this notebook to class. It's 17" and pretty heavy.

 

[Kamakazie!]

Don't expect to bring this notebook to class. It's 17" and pretty heavy.

I agree. Having just finished Uni i would say that gaming laptops (or tbh anything bigger than a 14.1") are a total waste of time.

Get a desktop PC with a good card for at home and then use the saving to buy something like the Asus EEE PC (the newer one with the 8.9" screen). Way more portable, throw in your bag and forget etc. and the desktop PC will last you longer and be significantly faster.

 

[SRG01]

I agree. Having just finished Uni i would say that gaming laptops (or tbh anything bigger than a 14.1") are a total waste of time.

Get a desktop PC with a good card for at home and then use the saving to buy something like the Asus EEE PC (the newer one with the 8.9" screen). Way more portable, throw in your bag and forget etc. and the desktop PC will last you longer and be significantly faster.

Not to mention the total cost is cheaper.

 

[BuddhaRockstar]

I agree. Having just finished Uni i would say that gaming laptops (or tbh anything bigger than a 14.1") are a total waste of time.

Get a desktop PC with a good card for at home and then use the saving to buy something like the Asus EEE PC (the newer one with the 8.9" screen). Way more portable, throw in your bag and forget etc. and the desktop PC will last you longer and be significantly faster.

This. The better a gaming laptop will be, the worse it will be for classes and schoolwork. Use a desktop for games and heavy use and something like an EEE for notes and such. After my first year in college I realized I didn't even need a laptop, no one on my campus brought them to classes, plus it will never be an ideal gaming option.

 

[SRG01]

This. The better a gaming laptop will be, the worse it will be for classes and schoolwork. Use a desktop for games and heavy use and something like an EEE for notes and such. After my first year in college I realized I didn't even need a laptop, no one on my campus brought them to classes, plus it will never be an ideal gaming option.

Writing is faster with pen and paper anyway.

 

[zoku88]

Writing is faster with pen and paper anyway.

Well, it depends on the person. I type faster than I write (and I write illegibly anyway.)

That said, my laptop isn't the best for gaming anyway. It's actually a 'business' laptop.

 

[SRG01]

Well, it depends on the person. I type faster than I write (and I write illegibly anyway.)

That said, my laptop isn't the best for gaming anyway. It's actually a 'business' laptop.

So do I, but notetaking is different from general writing, I suppose. Plus diagrams are easier.

But hey, a good school computer is actually a small tablet. You can "write" on it and do diagrams at the same time.

 

[zoku88]

So do I, but notetaking is different from general writing, I suppose. Plus diagrams are easier.

But hey, a good school computer is actually a small tablet. You can "write" on it and do diagrams at the same time.

Oh, that's what I meant, since I type when I take notes. I can basically type as fast as the professors speak/write most of the time. The only thing I don't type is diagrams (and uber big matrices,) but I don't have much of those, anyway.

 

[Lich_King]

During last 2 years in college I needed laptop in classes only once to make a presentation and I used my mother's anyway, but I think I can carry 5 kg laptop to class once in 2 years :lol also, since my parents will be using my current desktop when I leave, I need something that I can carry back home on some weekends and in the winter, and taking desktop and monitor home and back to school doesn't sound like fun to me. For classes I have my PDA, which weights around 100 grams, allows me to write, type and record voice, and fits into my pocket, so no laptop would be better then it. But the problem is I will go back home probably once in a month, so upgrading my desktop or building a new one is not an option. I will starve without games on campus, but desktop would occupy a lot of precious space in my tiny room there.

 

[Artofwar420]

Question:

I've had an 8800GT 512MB for 5 months, and a 2.13GHZ dual core for a couple of years.

Would getting a faster processor noticeably improve fps in games like COD4 or Mass Effect?

Not that I don't get 30+ fps, but when there's a lot of people it gets a bit chuggy, still playable but it's bothersome.

 

[Lyon]

Question:

I've had an 8800GT 512MB for 5 months, and a 2.13GHZ dual core for a couple of years.

Would getting a faster processor noticeably improve fps in games like COD4 or Mass Effect?

Not that I don't get 30+ fps, but when there's a lot of people it gets a bit chuggy, still playable but it's bothersome.

Pentium D or something? I would say yes, the 8800GT is easily capable of playing COD4 on max @ 60fps. 30fps seems low. What is the current CPU?

 

[VictimOfGrief]

Question:

I've had an 8800GT 512MB for 5 months, and a 2.13GHZ dual core for a couple of years.

Would getting a faster processor noticeably improve fps in games like COD4 or Mass Effect?

Not that I don't get 30+ fps, but when there's a lot of people it gets a bit chuggy, still playable but it's bothersome.

You have a Core 2 Duo? How much memory for the system in general?

 

[Cheeto]

All came to about $1100 after rebates. I've never built a computer before, but I will have some help building it. Is there anything I should know before I start? Any tips or known issues with any of these parts?

Nice build. Just read the manual for the motherboard, that should cover everything you need to know.

 

[Kintaro]

Hey guys. I've been wanting a laptop for my birthday. Was curious what you guys thought of this Acer.

Acer AS6920-6973

It's $699 from Staples. With tax free weekend in my state this weekend, it's a good time to pick up something like this. I went to check it out in person and it looks like a pretty good laptop. It's $100 more than the laptop I was looking at before, but with 2 more inches on screen size, better specs and more storage.

Any thoughts?