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That is the key there are gaming cards which can drive the 2560x1600 resolutions and deliver good framer rates. these are the same cards gamers are buying now days anyways so nothing changes for them. Then there are the ~$50 (1GB NVIDIA GeForce GT610 for example) cards that will not have any problem doing those resolutions and driving 2 monitors but would be worthless for gaming but would meet my needs and probably most non gamers needs. These cards also don't seem to require the auxiliary power connection

If by "cost the same" means you can get Intel with motherboard for $90 as you can get the AMD

http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

then I would love to know where you source your components. Microcenter lists the i5 3450 at $145

http://www.microcenter.com/product/388579/Core_i5_3450_31GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

which is whooping $500 more than the AMD and doesn't even include the motherbord. Newegg has it $100 more.

If by "cost the same" means you can get Intel with motherboard for $90 as you can get the AMD

http://www.microcenter.com/site/products/amd_bundles.aspx

then I would love to know where you source your components. Microcenter lists the i5 3450 at $145

http://www.microcenter.com/product/388579/Core_i5_3450_31GHz_LGA_1155_Processor

which is whooping $500 more than the AMD and doesn't even include the motherbord. Newegg has it $100 more.

At the end of the article there's a link to the AURIA EQ276W 27" LED Monitor, which is in stock at my local MicroCenter. It's 27" and 2560 x 1440 like the model reviewed and a bit more expensive, but it also has more inputs (VGA and HDMI).

There is also this if you want to pay more for a scalar and for the right of return

OK, ebay was just an example, as I assume an international audience on /. I'm not sure where you live, but you can also get these monitors at retail stores in the US at microcenter for just under $400 - still less than half of what TFA quoted.

And yes - microcenter has 20 odd locations US-wide, so you can pop in and out to your heart's content.

Yeah, this article's assumptions about pricing already seem like some quaint notions around three years out of date. These higher-res monitors are now appearing in retail:

EQ276W 27" LED Monitor

Micro Center Though the only thing I regularly buy there is blank optical media as the shipping costs offset the frugality of buying it online, unlike many other things.

If you are lucky enough to have one of thesevery cool stores near you they are a great place to shop and buy tech. The prices are good, and for a brick and mortar operation they are sometimes awesome -- and the staff is usually informed. They also sell online. But a lot of stuff is in-store only. I have to drive for an hour to get to mine, but it is worth it. You could take your sister with you.

I go into consumer coma in the store near me (Rockville MD). I imagine it is like being in an online operation's warehouse. I just bought components for an Ivy Bridge desktop build. They beat Newegg on the prices of the main components, MoBo and CPU, but Newegg was cheaper for the smaller boards. Cables etc were also reasonable at Microcenter (Unlike Best Buy where the prices of cables and cords are usurious). Laptop selection was also good, but I wasn't buying.

As for comparison tips. I look at likely products with lots of reviews to take advantage of the hive mind. Then the percentage of good to bad reviews for a given product. Then I read a few good and a few bad. Sometimes a bad review of an otherwise good product will expose a deal killer for me. This is not the end all be all of a buying decision, but not all reviews are astroturfed.

Last thing about a laptop buy. Teach your sis to take care of it. Don't run it on a pillow. Don't flop it on a table like a text book. Or slam it shut like a car door. Put it in its case to travel. And follow good practice with the battery (even Lions need some thought.) And wipe it down from time to time. Silicon has a soul and likes to be kept clean.

Micro Center now has 23 stores. Check for one near you.

But instead of the 470 Euro used Thinkpad I'd rather get a new 15" laptop for $330 with 4GB RAM, P6200, & a 320GB hard drive, personally. For example:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0382601

Need a drive in a hurry? 2tb for $130 at Microcenter, same price as Newegg. Gee, do I wanna wait a week or have the drive in my PC this afternoon? Decisions, decisions.... oh Newegg wants $7.86 shipping? Microcenter it is!

But I guess if the Forbes reporter included Microcenter that would have gone against his 5-page theory generating god knows how many banner ads. Best we just forget Microcenter exists so Forbes can make a few extra $$$ off ads. Selling out journalistic honesty to make a few bucks? You betcha!

Ummm.... doesn't Microcenter count? Guess not according to Forbes, because in 2006 they had 19 stores, 20 in 2007, 21 in 2008, and in 2012 Microcenter has 23 stores. Sure that's slow growth, but still growth none-the-less, and they're much better than CompUSA, Circuit City (is Circuit City "tech"?) and Best Buy because Microcenter actually has competitive prices.

Want a new MSI Geforce GTX 580 video card? $500 from Newegg, $520 from Microcenter. Think I'd just pay that extra 4% to have the card TODAY and have a local shop to return/exchange it to if there's a problem and judging from the 13% 1-egg reviews I'd there is a good risk there could be a problem.

Ummm.... doesn't Microcenter count? Guess not according to Forbes, because in 2006 they had 19 stores, 20 in 2007, 21 in 2008, and in 2012 Microcenter has 23 stores. Sure that's slow growth, but still growth none-the-less, and they're much better than CompUSA, Circuit City (is Circuit City "tech"?) and Best Buy because Microcenter actually has competitive prices.

Want a new MSI Geforce GTX 580 video card? $500 from Newegg, $520 from Microcenter. Think I'd just pay that extra 4% to have the card TODAY and have a local shop to return/exchange it to if there's a problem and judging from the 13% 1-egg reviews I'd there is a good risk there could be a problem.

Ummm.... doesn't Microcenter count? Guess not according to Forbes, because in 2006 they had 19 stores, 20 in 2007, 21 in 2008, and in 2012 Microcenter has 23 stores. Sure that's slow growth, but still growth none-the-less, and they're much better than CompUSA, Circuit City (is Circuit City "tech"?) and Best Buy because Microcenter actually has competitive prices.

Want a new MSI Geforce GTX 580 video card? $500 from Newegg, $520 from Microcenter. Think I'd just pay that extra 4% to have the card TODAY and have a local shop to return/exchange it to if there's a problem and judging from the 13% 1-egg reviews I'd there is a good risk there could be a problem.

Oh, believe me, the internal systems know exactly what they have in inventory, how much is there, and how much they're expecting in future orders.

Posting as an AC because I've been working for a big box retailer (not Target, though) for years. Yes, we have an inventory system. No, it cannot be relied upon. It doesn't account for damaged, stolen, or missing product, and then there's this wonderful glitch that pops up every now and then that says a store has 50 of something when it would never have more than 2! They physically wouldn't have the space to store what the computer claims. It will tell you what quantity is being shipped of an item once it's loaded onto the truck, and every week there are items the computer said were being shipped that are not on the truck and not on the shipping manifest. The store knows better than to tell customers something will be there if it's not in the store yet.

It would probably be trivial for them to hook that system into their forward-facing website, but they don't want that.

OK, assuming the chain has a good inventory system that is as accurate as you say, this still won't work. Inevitably you will get some guy who looks online, sees that the store has one item in stock, he calls the store and asks them to hold it, they tell him they don't have any, he gets pissed off because he assumes they're lying, lazy or incompetent, when in fact another customer is walking around the store with it, still shopping. It shows up in the system because it is in fact in the store, but it's not available for sale.

The best approximation I've seen of what you're describing is at MicroCenter. Their Web site will tell you how many they have in stock, and they will hold it for you without you picking up the phone, but from the time you submit your request they have 18 minutes to email you a confirmation that they either have it or they don't, because the last thing they want is a pissed off customer driving over there for something they said they had but didn't.

Micro Center is a store here in south Denver, CO. It has many other stores nationwide. Visit them to learn more.

They are selling a refurbished D-Link DIR-601 (hardware rev. A1) for something like fifteen bucks. Typical WiFi router; one aerial and four LAN ports.

That hardware is confirmed to work with current DD-WRT builds AND you can easily convert it back to OEM. There's OpenWRT support as well, but I just prefer the browser GUI over CLI.

I bought one, immediately converted it, and it's working like a champ. If you want to stay with the OEM firmware, it's IPv6 ready with QoS, traffic filters and all the typical bells and whistles. It's actually quite impressive out-of-the-box, considering the price.

My old WRT54GS is still in use... as a switch. (DD-WRT Repeater Bridge mode with radio off, WAN port bridged to switch, still hummin')

Good luck!

1st hit...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131760

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0368595

MS price on sale is newegg's stock price, and newegg has $20 off, countless other examples, ya it's only $20, but then again it's $20!

Maybe it's this one?

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0366441

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

I've done quite a few system builds using this AMD bundle deal that Micro Center has had going on for some time now. Every single system works flawlessly, even the ones with the Powerspec case/power supply (more business if the PSU does fail, and I haven't seen one take a motherboard out yet.)

Phenom II X2 560 Black edition: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347369 $87.99
Biostar A780L3G AM3 760G mATX Motherboard: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0351634 $FREE
Western Digital Caviar Blue 500gb SATA 6.0gbps: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0352164 $49.99
Micro Center branded 2x2gb of DDR3 1333: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0353218 $19.99
PowerSpec TX-381 Micro ATX Computer Case: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0330536 $24.99
Cooler Master eXtreme Power Plus 500w PSU: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0295037 $37.99
Samsung 22x SATA DVD-RW drive: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0293049 $21.99
Grand Total of $255.10 after tax.

You have an overclockable dual core CPU (I wouldn't push too far with the stock heatsink and with that motherboard, but a little bump to 3.6 GHz shouldn't be an issue.), better graphics than the system in the article, twice as much system memory (4gb vs. 2gb), an optical drive, an actual decent power supply, a case with a handle on it, and I could probably go on, but i'd hope you all get the point. A whole $45 more before tax, not including the lame $8 mail in rebate for the power supply. Definitely worth every penny, and this is all something you could pick up and have together in a couple hours assuming you have a store close to you. Most would likely pay $40+ for the convenience alone. I also didn't shop around too much. Better might be possible.

You paid too much - Take a look at these - http://www.microcenter.com/specials/promotions/AMDbundlePROMO.html I build machine in my spare time and sell on craigslist and people wonder how come you sell a quad core for 350 with 8 GB and 1 TB hard drive. I make an average of $50 per sale.

I just hope they aren't so small they get lost, like both of my sd to usb adapters: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0313669

Just this morning in a Microcenter ad, I saw a dell laptop with an AMD cpu: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0355168

I've been thinking along a similar line. I'm currently in the market for a DVR, but couldn't find one that wasn't dependent on Tivo's ridiculous subscription fee. When I first saw Google TV, I was hoping it was the answer to my prayers, but instead found an odd little device that could only play streaming video from the internet - something almost all other comparable devices have as a secondary feature.

Thus, I set out to build something comparably better - But I'm lazy, so I'm just buying the cheapest desktop with a HDMI out port and popping in a USB TV capture dongle I already had. With the right software, this may work out to being an instant DVR while doing everything a Google TV would. Or it could be a nightmare if the cheap computer can't handle the video acceleration required for this...

(currently thinking this one: http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0348958)

There are advantages that local stores have always had that online stores have not.

The biggie has always been convenience. If I have to have (or merely just want) something right now, Amazon and other online retailers are not an option. Also, if I'm looking for, say, a new keyboard, I can't really see it, touch it, feel it, find out if I'm going to like it from an online store unless I suck it up, buy it, and hope for the best. And of course, customer service for things like exchanges and returns is much easier to deal with locally instead of having to call and get an RMA, package whatever up, ship it back, wait for the replacement, etc.

One of the main reasons I like shopping online is the base price of the whatever-I'm-buying. There have been several times I've wanted something right now, and I'm willing to pay the sales tax and even a 10% or so premium on getting it. I go to the store and find that it's 25% or even 50% more expensive.

Prime example that's fresh in my mind: Right now, I need a new power supply. I'd like to pick up a Cooler Master 1200 W supply. On Newegg.com, it costs $249. If I wanted to go pick that very same item up at my local Micro Center, it would cost me $299.99, 20% more, and that doesn't have a damn thing to do with sales tax.

I realize that Micro Center has additional costs associated with having physical stores, but that's completely irrelevant to me. All I know is that unless I'm in a real hurt, there's not a chance in hell that I'm going to essentially light $50 on fire and watch it burn just for the privilege of buying locally. $5 or $10, maybe, but $50!!? Of course, if you go to the store and show them the Newegg.com page, they'll tell you that they don't match online retailer prices. Okay, fine, then you won't get my business.

I have a feeling that this is going the way of the music industry. Brick-and-mortar retailers are feeling the pinch of a new avenue of competition. Instead of responding in a sane and professional manner, they're lobbying to stick online retailers with having to account for sales tax all over creation. Incidentally, that would put an undue burden on online retailers, since unlike brick-and-mortar stores, it means that they would have to maintain an up-to-date database of sales tax rules for every place in the country, not just the area in which they operate.

Still, even if I have to pay an extra 6% on that power supply to get it from Newegg.com, it's a hell of a lot better deal than paying an extra 6% plus 20% to get it from Micro Center. What will be the next lame excuse used by brick-and-mortar stores for not being able to compete? What will they next be lobbying for to keep their old and busted business model lining their pockets?

Intel paying off OEMs for exclusivity deals is nothing new, they've done it for years and have been very forthright about it - what you seem to consider as a bribe has been spun as "loyalty discounts" for years.

MS subsidises advertising budgets for PC Mfgs. if they include Windows 95/98/200/XP/Vista/Win7 logos in the ads and ship every model advertised with the OS mentioned. They have been doing this for over 15 years (since Win95 AFAIK).

Intel makes nice chips, and some great deals can be found if you go with last gen technology. Intel has a dual core Celeron E3300 that supports virtualization that I can buy retail, with heatsink/fan, for $40 at http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0327583 - I don't really consider that a price premium over AMD, and MBs are available at comparable prices to AMD models. The cheapest dual core AMD chip I can find retail is $61 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346724 with a single core Sempron available for as low as $33 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317380 .

AMD & Intel both make some very nice chips, and with a little bit of effort you can buy a quad core CPU from either mfg. for about $100-120 (AMD 620 and Intel Q8300)

Intel paying off OEMs for exclusivity deals is nothing new, they've done it for years and have been very forthright about it - what you seem to consider as a bribe has been spun as "loyalty discounts" for years.

MS subsidises advertising budgets for PC Mfgs. if they include Windows 95/98/200/XP/Vista/Win7 logos in the ads and ship every model advertised with the OS mentioned. They have been doing this for over 15 years (since Win95 AFAIK).

Intel makes nice chips, and some great deals can be found if you go with last gen technology. Intel has a dual core Celeron E3300 that supports virtualization that I can buy retail, with heatsink/fan, for $40 at http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0327583 - I don't really consider that a price premium over AMD, and MBs are available at comparable prices to AMD models. The cheapest dual core AMD chip I can find retail is $61 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346724 with a single core Sempron available for as low as $33 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317380 .

AMD & Intel both make some very nice chips, and with a little bit of effort you can buy a quad core CPU from either mfg. for about $100-120 (AMD 620 and Intel Q8300)

Intel paying off OEMs for exclusivity deals is nothing new, they've done it for years and have been very forthright about it - what you seem to consider as a bribe has been spun as "loyalty discounts" for years.

MS subsidises advertising budgets for PC Mfgs. if they include Windows 95/98/200/XP/Vista/Win7 logos in the ads and ship every model advertised with the OS mentioned. They have been doing this for over 15 years (since Win95 AFAIK).

Intel makes nice chips, and some great deals can be found if you go with last gen technology. Intel has a dual core Celeron E3300 that supports virtualization that I can buy retail, with heatsink/fan, for $40 at http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0327583 - I don't really consider that a price premium over AMD, and MBs are available at comparable prices to AMD models. The cheapest dual core AMD chip I can find retail is $61 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0346724 with a single core Sempron available for as low as $33 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0317380 .

AMD & Intel both make some very nice chips, and with a little bit of effort you can buy a quad core CPU from either mfg. for about $100-120 (AMD 620 and Intel Q8300)

"However there is a significant cost difference that must be factored in when deciding 4 vs. 6 cores (at least last I checked, there was a huge price 'upgrade' for equal GHz +2 cores)" Not so: Newegg has the 6 core 2.8ghz AMD 1055T for $200, and Microcenter was recently offering $50 off a 1055T compatible AM3 motherboard when you bought a $200 1055T. The motherboards are only $55 so you're only paying $5 for the board. So essentially you pay $205 to get a 6-core CPU and a new motherboard. That's a very good price to make the leap to 6-cores.

I think the GP was talking about Intel pricing, where you're pretty much guaranteed to get fleeced. AMD is great on performance/$, but they don't have any chips that compete above the mid to mid-high performance market.

"However there is a significant cost difference that must be factored in when deciding 4 vs. 6 cores (at least last I checked, there was a huge price 'upgrade' for equal GHz +2 cores)"

Not so: Newegg has the 6 core 2.8ghz AMD 1055T for $200, and Microcenter was recently offering $50 off a 1055T compatible AM3 motherboard when you bought a $200 1055T. The motherboards are only $55 so you're only paying $5 for the board.

So essentially you pay $205 to get a 6-core CPU and a new motherboard. That's a very good price to make the leap to 6-cores.

"Surprisingly, even at stock speeds, the i7-875K offers better performance and power efficiency per dollar than just about any other desktop CPU out there."

-1, Inaccurate

The 2.8ghz i7-930 is $199 vs $342 for a 2.93ghz i7-875K, so almost double the price for 0.13ghz more. How did the author see that and think "better performance per dollar"? The article he linked to even shows the better performance per dollar in a chart, and btw techreport that chart is pretty piss poor, shoving $200 processors on a chart that goes to $1200 just clumps 90% of the processors in the $50 to $400 range. Learn how to make a chart: you should have left off under $50 (no processors under $50) and anything past $1000 (no processors over $1000). Because of your crappy chart the i7-875 is right next to the i7-930 despite the $142 difference.

The i7-930 is locked but it does reach 4ghz on air rather easily.

I suppose all of this is a mute because the LGA 1156 platform and LGA 1366 platform are being discontinued next year, so if you don't already have a i7 compatible motherboard you'd be buying a board that won't be compatible with any cpus made 7 months from now. I wouldn't buy a i7 cpu unless intel started selling them for $50, while AM3 boards available now are compatible with future 16-core cpus

So how about everyone everywhere assume everything is either copyrighted or patented or trademarked and just submit to "them" who ever "them" may be.

Your Linux distribution has a trademarked logo. The software is licensed. It just might include some patented technologies.

H.264 support in Ubuntu's OEM distribution, for example.

Most of the software in Ubuntu is covered under the GNU General Public License. This *is* a license agreement. Unlike most license agreements, however, it does not restrict your usage of the software, but it does restrict the terms under which you can re-distribute it.
Likewise, while most of the software is covered by the GPL, *all* the software on the system is covered by some kind of license agreement be it MIT, X, Artistic, Apache, BSD, GPL, LGPL, etc, etc.
You will find the license agreements for the various pieces of software installed on your system in /usr/share/doc/*/copyright. Ubuntu license agreement

The "Creative Commons" license is - by default - a license protected by the law of copyright:

CC's Unported licenses were created using standard terms from the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works and other international treaties related to copyright and intellectual property. FFAQ

MicroCenter.com stocks all of 13 items in Linux software, including, somewhat improbably, Slackware Linux.

Linux Software

MicroCenter catalogs about 30,000 items in all.

In hardware, 2 low-spec Ubuntu Linux [Desktop] PCs.

That the - IP protected to the max - product owns the consumer market space couldn't be made plainer.

Anandtech managed to get a stable 4.0 GHz overclock with air cooling. It makes an already great deal all that much better in my opinion.

How is a $299 6 core/6 thread chip at 4GHz a better deal than a $199 4 core/8 thread chip that can also be overclocked on air to the same speed, and benchmarks far faster at that point?

Anandtech managed to get a stable 4.0 GHz overclock with air cooling. It makes an already great deal all that much better in my opinion.

How is a $299 6 core/6 thread chip at 4GHz a better deal than a $199 4 core/8 thread chip that can also be overclocked on air to the same speed, and benchmarks far faster at that point?

Best gaming CPU for $200:

Core i5-750

The new Core i5 brings top-of-the-line Nehalem-class performance at a $200 price point. We recently awarded it our Recommended Buy honor after seeing it stand up to more expensive CPUs in games and other demanding apps.

They don't recommend spending more than $200, though.

I'm lucky in that I live near a MicroCenter store, and they are currently selling the i5-750 for $180 and the i7-860 for $200.

Since they both use the same socket, the extra $20 for a lot more performance (133-266MHz, depending on turbo-boost, plus twice the threads and better virtualization) is a no-brainer. Even with the $40 bundle discount on AMD CPU/motherboard from MicroCenter, Intel is still far and away the price/performance leader.

I used my own experience working for a company where:

1. A hour of lost Data from certain machines may mean a million dollars in lost revenue.

2. We own the raw fiber between locations.

3. We also have live systems at the backup site.

Even so, this is what I suggested for our next generation of backup hardware. 40TB of usable backup space (after RAID and hot spares) for under $16,000 is nothing to sneeze at. Being able to double that for an extra $10,000 or much less if you get the hard drives somewhere else ($16,000 for 80TB if you combine this box with drives from another source)

Before you ask, I checked. The machine comes with the empty drive trays if you don't order drives.

"If you're paying $400/yr, you're not a cheap bastard. Sorry to shatter your world-view, but you really aren't."

Agreed, who needs to spend $400 every year to keep up with games? Maybe if you throw in the price of the games I could easily see reaching $400 a year, but $400 on just hardware? Let's see, that's a new i7-920 and $200 left over for a decent motherboard and ram, so what are you going to buy next year? Ok, $400 for video card.... then what, new processor? Pretty sure the i7 920 wouldn't be outdated by 2012.

March 2008 you could have bought a Core 2 Quad Q9300 for $266 retail. That gives you $140 left for ram and mb. Let's say you went a little over, $140 wouldn't cut it, spent $240 on mb and ram, leaving you with $300 for 2009. Feb 2009 $300 would buy a Radeon HD 4850 X2 2 GB card. It's two 4850 GPUs built onto one PCI-E card, so basically it's like having two 4850 video cards. It should run everything you throw at it. So now it's March 2010, you have your Core 2 Quad 9300, your mb, your ram, and two 4850 video cards. What else do you need?

"Really? My friend spend about $1000 bucks in 2005 or 2006 for a Quad Core from Intel and has upgraded the Ram Once and it's lasted him this whole time."

Does your friend also have a time machine? Because the first quad core was released Nov 2006, the 2.667ghz Core 2 Extreme QX6700, and it cost $999 just for the processor.. In terms of benchmarks, it's about half the performance of a modern $230 i7-930.

Quad didn't become popular until the Q6600 was released April 2007 for $266.

NVIDIA has scaling (with blurriness), unless the drivers decide your monitor is an HDTV and replace the scaling options with desktop resizing options (which is annoying as hell, let me tell you)....

I have this 23" 1080P monitor currently on sale at NewEgg and Microcenter. Its scaling is better than NVIDIA and serviceable, but still somewhat blurry/smeared. Cheap though.

Strangely enough this native 1920x1080 monitor cannot support 1440x1080. Go figure.

Samsung 2343BWX for $199.99 at MicroCenter. It is an excellent display.

I can get a fairly decent PC laptop for $300 at the local microcenter. Why doesn't apple make a starter system, like that, and prove that Apple can make a decent system for the same price as a PC?

Aspire AS5516-5474 - Black
# AMD Athlon(tm) 64 TF-20 Single-Core Processor
# 2GB DDR2-667 RAM
# 160GB Hard Drive
# 8x SuperMulti Double Layer DVD±RW Drive
# Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
# ATI Radeon Xpress 1200
# 10/100 Network
# Acer InviLink(tm) 802.11b/g Wi-Fi CERTIFIED®
# 15.6" HD Widescreen WXGA High-Brightness Display
# Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic

http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0312136&utm_source=mcol&utm_medium=leader_bnr&utm_campaign=hmpg_aspirentbk158691

Microcenter. http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727

I really don't understand why anyone would buy the Phenom.. At $245 it's $46 more expensive than the Core i7 920 and performs significantly worse. The 965 isn't listed there, but 955 is, and it's passmark rating is 3,571 while the i7 920 is rated at 5,440. And that's not even considering the fact that you are using triple channel memory access versus dual channel, etc..

Granted, you can get AM3 motherboards cheaper than X58 boards, but Intel is coming out with more consumer i7 chipsets very soon.

huh? what planet do you live on to pay 350 for i7 920? i paid $199 for mine, given it was on a sale, but normal price for 920 are in the low 200 usd range.

here is a link:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0302727