Dragonwrath - Tarecgosa's Rest Model Preview
We already know how the legendary staff will look, thanks to the official preview from Blizzard, but I had a couple of requests from people who wanted to see it in a higher resolution and on a character so I made you a nice video!
Computers - Setup of the Month (by chaud)
Each month or every 2 months, depending on the hardware evolutions, the lovely chaud will work on a couple of hardware setups for those of you who are thinking of upgrading their computer!
This month
New SSDs are finally here, faster and more expensive than the current generation. Look for small price drops over the next few months as the last gen is put on sale. New AMD CPUs will be here in the middle of June, performance is still unknown. The new Intel Z68 chipset that allows for SSD Caching and using both the integrated GPU and overclocking the CPU will be launched later this week, with stock showing up soon after. It will only show significant performance gains in video encoding, as SSD caching doesn't make a huge difference compared to actually using a SSD.
Make sure to keep your AMD and Nvidia drivers up to date. If you experience problems after updating, roll back to the recommended Nvidia Drivers.
New to building your own computer? ArsTechnica just released a nice guide for new builders (Part 2 and Part 3). They don't talk about it specifically, but Artic Silver 5 is standard for thermal compound, avoid using what came with your heatsink. Usually it is easier to connect the case headers when the motherboard is not in the case, provided the wires are long enough. She does mention a five hour build time, two hours seems more likely.
Don't hesitate to post any feedback in the comments of that news post, and don't forget to visit the Computer Forum for any extra questions!
ComponentPuppy Dolphin MonitorASUS VW224U 22-Inch Widescreen - $140ASUS VW246H 24-Inch Widescreen - $199KeyboardMicrosoft Digital Media Keyboard 3000 - $25Cyborg V.5 - $38MouseLogitech MX518 - $38Logitech G500 - $55SpeakersLogitech S220 2.1 Speaker System - $28Logitech Z313 Speaker System - $40 ComponentNarwhal Unicorn MonitorASUS VE276Q 27-Inch - $313Dell UltraSharp U2410 24-inch (IPS Panel) - $520KeyboardLogitech G110 - $62Razer BlackWidow (Backlit)- $75 ($120)MouseRazer Deathadder - $46Razer Naga (Buttons on the Side) - $69SpeakersCreative Inspire T3130 2.1 Speaker System - $49Logitech Speaker System Z523 - $70
ComponentPuppy Dolphin CaseNZXT GAMMA Classic - $35NZXT GAMMA Classic - $35Power SupplyCorsair 650TX V2 - $80Corsair 650TX V2 - $80CPUAMD Athlon II X4 640 AM3 - $100AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - $122HeatsinkCooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30MotherboardGIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 - $89GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 - $130Memory4GB PNY Optima DDR3 10600 - $324GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3 - $62Graphics CardXFX 5770 - $105XFX 6850 or EVGA GTX 460 - $152/ $180Hard DriveSAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $61SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $61DVDLite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Total$527$697 / $725
(Replacement Info)Intel 320 Series 120 GB (Review) - $231
OR
OCZ 120 GB Vertex 3 (Faster, more expensive) - $310DVDLite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Total$1169 / $1194$1741 - $1830
The MMO Report
It's time for your weekly The MMO Report.
Blizzard Art Gallery Update
The Cataclysm Art Gallery has been updated with four pieces representing the Warcraft universe.
More...
We already know how the legendary staff will look, thanks to the official preview from Blizzard, but I had a couple of requests from people who wanted to see it in a higher resolution and on a character so I made you a nice video!
Computers - Setup of the Month (by chaud)
Each month or every 2 months, depending on the hardware evolutions, the lovely chaud will work on a couple of hardware setups for those of you who are thinking of upgrading their computer!
This month
New SSDs are finally here, faster and more expensive than the current generation. Look for small price drops over the next few months as the last gen is put on sale. New AMD CPUs will be here in the middle of June, performance is still unknown. The new Intel Z68 chipset that allows for SSD Caching and using both the integrated GPU and overclocking the CPU will be launched later this week, with stock showing up soon after. It will only show significant performance gains in video encoding, as SSD caching doesn't make a huge difference compared to actually using a SSD.
Make sure to keep your AMD and Nvidia drivers up to date. If you experience problems after updating, roll back to the recommended Nvidia Drivers.
New to building your own computer? ArsTechnica just released a nice guide for new builders (Part 2 and Part 3). They don't talk about it specifically, but Artic Silver 5 is standard for thermal compound, avoid using what came with your heatsink. Usually it is easier to connect the case headers when the motherboard is not in the case, provided the wires are long enough. She does mention a five hour build time, two hours seems more likely.
Don't hesitate to post any feedback in the comments of that news post, and don't forget to visit the Computer Forum for any extra questions!
Peripherals/Monitors
ComponentPuppy Dolphin MonitorASUS VW224U 22-Inch Widescreen - $140ASUS VW246H 24-Inch Widescreen - $199KeyboardMicrosoft Digital Media Keyboard 3000 - $25Cyborg V.5 - $38MouseLogitech MX518 - $38Logitech G500 - $55SpeakersLogitech S220 2.1 Speaker System - $28Logitech Z313 Speaker System - $40 ComponentNarwhal Unicorn MonitorASUS VE276Q 27-Inch - $313Dell UltraSharp U2410 24-inch (IPS Panel) - $520KeyboardLogitech G110 - $62Razer BlackWidow (Backlit)- $75 ($120)MouseRazer Deathadder - $46Razer Naga (Buttons on the Side) - $69SpeakersCreative Inspire T3130 2.1 Speaker System - $49Logitech Speaker System Z523 - $70
Puppy and Dolphin
ComponentPuppy Dolphin CaseNZXT GAMMA Classic - $35NZXT GAMMA Classic - $35Power SupplyCorsair 650TX V2 - $80Corsair 650TX V2 - $80CPUAMD Athlon II X4 640 AM3 - $100AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition - $122HeatsinkCooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - $30MotherboardGIGABYTE GA-770T-USB3 AM3 - $89GIGABYTE GA-890GPA-UD3H AM3 - $130Memory4GB PNY Optima DDR3 10600 - $324GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3 - $62Graphics CardXFX 5770 - $105XFX 6850 or EVGA GTX 460 - $152/ $180Hard DriveSAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $61SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 1TB - $61DVDLite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Total$527$697 / $725
Narwhal and Unicorn
All of these parts can be mixed and matched to create a build between Narwhal and Unicorn. SSDs are always optional.
ComponentNarwhal Unicorn CaseCooler Master HAF 912 - $60Cooler Master HAF932 - $160Power SupplyCorsair 650TX V2 - $80Corsair 750HX (7 Year Warranty) - $140CPUIntel i5-2500k - $225Intel i7-2600k - $315HeatsinkThermaltake Frio - $58Noctua 6 NH-D14 - $80MotherboardASUS P8P67-M PRO - $150ASUS P8P67 DELUXE - $258Memory4GB G.Skill Ripjaws F3 4GB 12800 DDR3 - $628GB G.Skill DDR3 12800 - $123Graphics CardXFX 6950 1GB OR MSI GTX 560 Ti- $235 / $260XFX 6970 OR EVGA GTX 570 - $320 / $330Hard DriveWestern Digital 1TB Caviar Black - $89Western Digital 1TB Caviar Black - $89SSDOCZ Technology 120 GB Vertex 2 3.5-Inch (Last Gen) - $210All of these parts can be mixed and matched to create a build between Narwhal and Unicorn. SSDs are always optional.
(Replacement Info)Intel 320 Series 120 GB (Review) - $231
OR
OCZ 120 GB Vertex 3 (Faster, more expensive) - $310DVDLite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Lite-On LightScribe 24X SATA DVD+/-RW - $25Total$1169 / $1194$1741 - $1830
The MMO Report
It's time for your weekly The MMO Report.
Blizzard Art Gallery Update
The Cataclysm Art Gallery has been updated with four pieces representing the Warcraft universe.
More...
The soul system they set up is very cool tho.