I'd just save money and get a non thunderbolt board. Reason being, the mobos that support Thunderbolt aren't hot swappable like they are on a mac. Everytime you connect a thunderbolt device, you're going to have to reboot your computer which makes thunderbolt rather useless.

For any that care. ME has Crucial M4 128GB for $99. Only 5 left in store and no rebates to mail in.

Crucial M4 2.5in SATA III Solid State Drive, 128GB at Memory Express

according to an anandtech article last week it's going to be addressed...but so little is known about TB on the asus side...ie will it be cactus ridge controller..is it even on the mobo or on the expansion card, availability and price etc..
AnandTech - A First Look at Thunderbolt on Windows with MSI's Z77A-GD80
shipping kind of kills it....annoying how they disable in-store pick-ups or else i'll get the noctua

Gonna buy a used 5770 for $70. Good deal?

Seems to be a good card, and it has XFX warranty.

got asus essence stx sound card. my sp2500 + pc360 sound eargasmic! :fuckyea:

Why not the 6770 brand new for the around the same price

EDIT* Corrected link:

http://ncix.com/products/?sku=63847&...e&promoid=1114

1) you linked to 6670, 6770 is not cheaper than $70, more like $100 + taxes

2) 6770 == 5770. 100% identical cards, they just changed the model name

Crap.. Here's the right link:

Gigabyte Radeon HD6770 775MHZ 1GB 4.0GHZ GDDR5 DVI HDMI Display Port PCI-E DIRECTX11 Video Card - Gigabyte - GV-R677D5-1GD

So you're saying it would be better to spend $99 + tax, then wait for a rebate which in 6 months would bring the price back down to just under $100, instead of just getting it for $70?

Yes, I decided to get the 5770 since the 6770 is essentially a rebadged 5770. With XFX transferable warranty, I thought I could save some cash.

But enough with the off-topic chat.. the 5770 is a great card for a budget build, yes? Or is there something else under $100 that you would recommend.

The competing GeForce card would be a 450, so compare that

For a brand new card? yes I would the final difference is $20. I've never had a problem with rebates which only take 2 months at most. But then again I didn't realize the original warranty was transferable so nevermind.

For around $100 I'd also consider a 550Ti

Currently:
AMD 7750 Black Edition
4GB DDR2 RAM
2x 60GB Corsair R60 - Raid 0
500GB HDD
9800 GTX+


Hoping:
i5/i7 CPU from Intel Retail Edge
Z77 Motherboard
8-16GB DDR3 1600mhz RAM
Vertex 3/4 SSD 128GB

Alternative:
27" iMac Base model
128GB SSD along side the stock 1TB drive

Don't think i'll be upgrading the video card since I doubt i'll be gaming much. Reason for upgrade is because i'm using my computer for more of a server base, requiring to do a lot of transcoding and processing remotely. Really depends what the deal is going to be for the Summer Deal 2012. The alternative iMac route is the ideal route just cause the very minimal gaming that I will be doing. Performance factor I think i'll be quite happy with either or...as the Apple OS will be crazy fast with the SSD


Price aside, what do you guys think?

I would go for PC over mac. You said you would be doing a lot of transcoding/processing/server stuff, so won't PC suit your needs better?

Either or would work really...my processor is getting old and it can still do the job, i just have some extra cash i can spend at the moment, and wouldn't mind investing in a good computer. I guess in terms of performance, the PC would def suit me, but the screen of the iMac is just beautiful...2560x1440

^ buy the cinema display and hook it up with your new PC

I don't find OSX with SSD would be much faster than Win7 with SSD, I am running dual boot, feel no special at all

Fucking shit.

Bought all my parts today. Started putting it together when I realized my Zalman Z9 case didn't come with the motherboard mounting screws (fuck you Zalman QC). So I had to run to Crystal Mall and hunt down a store for them since I didn't want to go back to Memory Express. Then next thing I know, my system doesn't POST because the motherboard is dead (despite the moving fans and USB ports working). Not sure if I shocked it or wrecked it when I tried inserting the wrong screws to the standoffs. Now I gotta RMA that shit and shell out more cash for a temp motherboard. God damn.

You probably tried this but did you check all the connections and re-seat the cpu and ram?

It could be SO many things. For instance with my Ivy Bridge CPU, it wouldn't work in any motherboard I tried it with.. I thought I had a dead CPU, which would have been a nightmare since I would miss deadline. Turns out, there was a piece of heatsink paste (the thick kind that comes pre-mounted on heatsinks) stuck to the bottom of the CPU. It was blocking a few pins, so it wouldn't boot.

It could be anything, especially when you have spinning fans, etc

I'm looking to buy an Asus G55 laptop with minor customization (RAM, Gamut screen, etc) within the next 2 months for D3.

Where is a good place to buy it customized, locally in Vancouver?
The options that I want are on XoticPC, but I'd rather buy it in person.

For NCIX, the G55 is a custom order, so I might go there
This is the first computer I've bought since 2004, so I'm not good with computer stores anymore.
Where can I get a good price? I don't mind paying in cash

Thanks in advance.

the deal details came out today..and it sucks..well the processor is a good deal but only if you can afford lga 2011 mobos...

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1691993

Thermaltake Frio OCK CPU Cooler Review

http://www.hardcoreware.net/wordpres...ock-review.jpg

If someone can get me the Retail Edge 3930K CPU, let me know! Willing to trade an SSD and/or some DDR3 for it (depends on price)

I don't think anyone locally can do this for you as nobody will stock all the ASUS components needed to customize what you want. They simply order/stock the most common standard configs. They can probably order a customized version for you from a supplier but that's about it.

Rechecked all the connections, and reseated all the components numerous times. Even tested all the components in my brother's computer (which worked). Replaced the mobo the other day and all is good.

RMA approved, so just have to send it in for now.