x290

Nerdcore, try it

Well, to clear up some common misconceptions here... PSU wattage is not nearly as important as efficiency. When you get an 80+ power supply, for the most part, they have been rigorously tested to perform at 80% efficiency at room temperature. A lot of power supply manufacturers will build their power supplies with low quality capacitors, then test the power supply at an extremely low temperature (think, -10* c), then list the wattage produced at the low temperature as the maximum wattage. Honestly, your system would be perfectly set with a 500w quality power supply, an 1000w power supply would be total overkill, and raise prices on your energy bill twofold. Not only is 500w enough for that system, you could also add in a GPU without any problems (so long as you're not putting in a GTX295 or 5970, lol). If you'd like to explore quality power supplies, Jonny Guru does full strip down testing, including ripping apart and testing the components and testing the wattage at different temperatures. If you don't want to get into that much depth, just grab one of these adequate power supplies. Corsair 550w Earthwatts 500w Earthwatts 500D SeaSonic 550w Just a sidenote, there are certain brands that generally put out good power supplies, being: Antec, Corsair, SeaSonic, Silverstone come to mind. There are also certain brands that can have a home run, but generally have crappy power supplies... OCZ, Rosewill, BFG, Coolermaster come to mind. Make sure to read reviews about these supplies before you purchase one. Good luck :)

Anywhoozle, now that the forums are back up, I've been playing non-stop lately with OSes. I built an Arch Linux system straight up from the ground, editing in vi and nano to installing X to configuring rc.conf, I had a lot of fun. However, I just can't find the right window manager for me, heh. Fluxbox, KDE, KDEmod (highly recommended, I don't know why...), OpenBox... I am going to try Gnome because it's more similar to what I've used before (Mint/Ubuntu), but I'm not sure if I'll like it.

Hi, this may be an introductory post... But hey, what's wrong with that? :P Since 11th grade I've been 'studying' Windows. I got into a Network Administration program, earned my MCP and MCDST, graduated with an advanced Tech diploma.. And promptly got sucked into learning everything about Windows. I can tell you how to configure Group Policy, Active Directory, anything from creating batch files to installing programs silently over a network... However, I feel like I've maxed out. I tend to be an information sponge, I can't get enough. If I'm playing a certain game, I read and can instantly memorize things. I always had mediocre grades in school, not because I didn't know the material, to the contrary, I never did my homework... Anywho, I digress. I've finally moved on from Windows, and I'd like to learn everything about other OSes. With Windows being closed source, I never really understood what a kernel was, save for that it was a core part of the OS. One of the things I'd like to learn is how to compile a kernel from scratch. I want to make and compile my own program. I want to learn what an open source community is like. I want to help design something, and be able to say "I made that integral part of this project"... I dunno, that may be lost on certain people, but I am generally a helpful type. I tend to be the regional tech support, with everyone and their mother calling me for help; TeamViewer ftw.The whole hacker mantra has been similar to what I live by every day.. If it's not broke, fix it ;) I case mod, I vold mod, I've done registry editing, I've done RockBox installs on iPods, I even put Linux on my Creative Zen, before it broke... But honestly, I never really got into the culture as much as I wanted to. I like making something out of nothing, or improving something that is seriously flawed. Over the past month, I enlisted in the Air Force. I am going in as an E-3 (after basic) into Cyber Surety (aka Network Security), and I really want to know my job BEFORE I go to the tech school. I found hak5 just messing around the net, watched a few episodes and was totally hooked. You guys are the pros. I want to learn from you. Anyway, what I'd really like to know is, does anyone have a tried-and-true website where I can branch out? I know there are a lot of experienced users here, but there aren't many tutorials to mess around with. I've learned the basics, apt-get install, chmod, how to secure a system with a good, long, complex password, video and audio codec installs, and I spent a fair amount of time trying to get my laptop to work with a MSCHAP PEAP network... However, nothing like compiling and installing a program, or upgrading a kernel :D Is IRC something I should join, just to get to know the community? I've used IRC before, and it's always been more of an invite-only group to join. Don't know if it's like that here though. I know this was long, but I appreciate anyone who reads this and gives me advice. You guys seem like a community to stay with. -x290

Well, if you're considering an Alienware, you may consider an Apple computer. Similar price premium, however the Macbook Pro computers have incomparable battery life in their class, with the horsepower behind it that works. It may not be "zOMG i7 with 8gb of RAM", but I can guarantee you will have a longer battery life. Also, it can natively run OSX, Win7 and Linux, which could be nice if you're having problems running certain apps in VMware, you've got the capability to boot natively without issues. As per, if you want a cheap, quality laptop, check out Sager. Also, Dell Precision laptops are decent, but remember, most laptops of this class are not going to have reasonable battery life, the only exception I can think of is the MBP. I may get called out as a fanboy, but to the contrary, I don't own any Apple products.. I tend to think they are trying to monopolize the industry. However, per your requests of power, battery life, and support... I can't think of a better choice.

Huge props man, this is an excellent program. Absolutely loving not having to search for music on those abhorrent sites, BT or downloading full albums for a single song, and having the ability to choose my song versus whatever Pandora wants to play ;) Thanks for all the dedication and time you put into the project, it really shows. Kind of reminds me of an automated frostwire interface, except no p2p. :D