Thats the same board I have, love it. I also have q9550 (non oc'd) and DDR2, with single gtx285. Cant go wrong with that one, reasonably priced and solid quality
If you frequent the hardware forums enough, you do learn alot. I was a lurker until I went for my first build. I posted the rig I wanted to build on here, and took feedback from everybody. Then the things I wasn't sure about, I Googled and researched until I made up my mind. Then during the build, I researched plenty of sites about building your own pc.. Specifically Corsair, they have some system build guides with pics that were easy to follow. When I got jammed up about something during the build, I just researched that particular issue on google, and was able to find the solution. I had so much fun building my rig and starting it for the first time, it's really quite easy. In fact, I had so much fun building it, I wish it had been a little more difficult lol. I still have alot to learn, but that's why I love these forums, I surf them alot and I'm like, gawd what are these people talking about.. then do some research on whatever topic it is, and things start to make sense. And you learn... So yes, advice from the gurus on gamespot is invaluable. And to think at one time, I was considering an Alien
I think overall cooling is fine, but I agree with the posters above about installing an aftermarket heatsink... that would be a quality upgrade for very little money. I put a Zalman on my Q9550 and it keeps things nice and frosty, but alot of people swear by those Xigmateks too. Cheap and effective, do it!
I have the X-Fi extreme gamer, and I can't tell much of a difference from my on board audio.. although I don't have a fancy 5.1 setup, but running from Logitech Z-2300's.. I mean they do sound great, just not sure I would spend the $100 again for a dedicated card unless I had a nice surround system
The mic works well enough, I just don't like how heavy it is as opposed to other bluetooth headsets. As for socom? I don't know how some are saying it is lag free and bug free, that game is still broken. I gave it several shots, patch after patch, there is no smooth continuity to that game. Slant six would have been much better off delaying it another 6 months so they could at least make it playable right out of the box. Now before you start saying "yea, you must suck! That's why you don't like it!" Please, that is a juvenile statement. I know the game is more playable now, but the lack of intuitiveness and smooth gameplay is a dealbreaker. However I do think it has some nicely laid out maps. Nice concept of a game, poor execution by Slant Six. They took advantage of being the first game bundled with the official Sony headset.. They knew it was going to sell regardless, it seems pretty arrogant to release the game when its broken and have the attitude that they will just spend a half year or more patching it up
It's a marathon to the end of the lifecycles of both systems, not a sprint. I think Sony is doing it right. My PS3 gets 90% of my playtime, other 10% is Fable 2 or L4D on my 360 elite. I don't feel that Sony is trying to "catch up" with the 360 at all, the PS3 has built in wireless and BluRay, I think it would be the other way around.. Remember that software development plays a key role here too, if the next Xbox has BluRay, we may see developers putting some really awesome multiplatform stuff out there. Owners of both systems have things they'd like to see changed or new things they'd like to see implemented. Sonys exclusives that came out in late 2008 and the exclusive lineup so far in 2009 should have xbox trying to "catch up". I downloaded Halo Wars demo last week and was pretty disappointed at its mediocrity. The idea of Sony trying to "catch up" to the xbox is laughable to me at this point, and I don't see that changing anytime soon
I have heard they fixed most of the glitches in Socom, I'm just too bitter to pick it back up because it was such a pile of crap at launch and for a couple months after.. alot of guys like it now though, if you like more tactical team based action, Socom may be the game.. but for pure FPS fun, COD4 is king... at least until Killzone2 comes out. Both COD4 and Socom have plenty of people playing still
Log in to comment