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The Official PC building thread - 4th Edition
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AfterDawn Addict
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9. March 2012 @ 15:25 |
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GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 15:28 |
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Yeah, I'm not a fan of buying the cheapest brand when it comes to stuff like TVs, but the price you can get large 1080p TVs for nowadays is amazing.
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AfterDawn Addict
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9. March 2012 @ 15:40 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Yeah, I'm not a fan of buying the cheapest brand when it comes to stuff like TVs, but the price you can get large 1080p TVs for nowadays is amazing.
Sam,
Do the specs look reasonable to you, for the price? I just used the CNet site for the full specs, they have no reviews. I doubt if we watch TV more than 10 hours a week. We saved $42 by using the free shipping on store pick up. The store is on Russell's way home from work. Couldn't be easier.
In case the link won't work, here's the model number to google Sceptre X400BV-FHD
Thanks,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. March 2012 @ 15:40
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 15:42 |
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Specs look fine, but unfortunately my experience is that specs for TVs are meaningless. You can get some quite expensive units that really don't look that great even after calibration etc, and you can get some quite cheap ones that look fantastic out of the box. TVs are far from an exact science. Any TV these days will post a low response time, good viewing angles, ridiculous contrast and the likes, but the only way to truly judge is to see one yourself, properly hooked up - so that counts most A/V stores out, as they're usually connected to terrible signals that give you no bearing on what the TV is actually capable of.
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. March 2012 @ 15:43
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9. March 2012 @ 15:57 |
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I agree with Sam, and not only that Sceptre's just don't hold up either. I used to love Sceptre and had tons of them but they all died young so I'm not a fan, plus I don't think their LCD panels, and/or their driving circuitry, is that good as they are just lacking in vibrant color contrast.
You my have been able to fix your old Naga 20's as I just revived my Sammy 24" (16:10) by rebuilding the PS for a minuscule $10 in quality electrolytic's.
I'm thinking of going to 27" LED's but that would be a few months away. Actually a 40-42" might me a better idea but as a monitor they get spendy. If I got a TV then it would be cheaper but the resolution isn't as good for the size so I don't know if I'd go that route.
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4 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 16:00 |
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No matter how you set them up though, TVs always handle images totally differently to PC monitors. However the contrast is set, they're really uncomfortable to do detailed work with in a desktop or games environment, yet far superior for displaying TV/film...
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9. March 2012 @ 16:03 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
Specs look fine, but unfortunately my experience is that specs for TVs are meaningless. You can get some quite expensive units that really don't look that great even after calibration etc, and you can get some quite cheap ones that look fantastic out of the box. TVs are far from an exact science. Any TV these days will post a low response time, good viewing angles, ridiculous contrast and the likes, but the only way to truly judge is to see one yourself, properly hooked up - so that counts most A/V stores out, as they're usually connected to terrible signals that give you no bearing on what the TV is actually capable of.
Sam,
I've seen the model the last time I was at Sceptre, and the picture quality and sound are pretty decent. What I'm interested in is if the features are decent enough for the price.
Thanks again,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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Senior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 16:04 |
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Originally posted by sammorris:
No matter how you set them up though, TVs always handle images totally differently to PC monitors. However the contrast is set, they're really uncomfortable to do detailed work with in a desktop or games environment, yet far superior for displaying TV/film...
Very true, they are not suited for both, a TV panel doesn't work well for a monitor, and a monitor doesn't work well for a TV, but in a pinch you can use them either way these days.
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9. March 2012 @ 16:23 |
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Russ I would not worry about any comments or reviews on the TV you got, I'll give you a little bit of advise, I know a lot more about TV's than I do about PC's, and for $299 you stoled it, if you get 2 to 3 years out of it you made out, more than likely you'll get a lot more.
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Senior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 16:37 |
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Not totally true I can get a Sammy, Panasonic, or possibly a Sony for around the same amount +$50 to $100 dollars at my favorite Costco or Sam's Club. It's worth paying a little extra for a excellent picture, the Sceptre's I've viewed at MicroCenter were not that great.
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7 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 16:42 |
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My brother had a cheapy 40" dynex. Excellent viewing angles, and the picture was very good. It even had VGA connection. Unfortunately his kid through a sippy cup at it. It didn't fair too well ;) Now he has a 42" magnavox. He has his HTPC connected via HDMI. It has an overscan issue, but the Nvidia software deals with it ok. It also doesn't like too many HDMI's RUNNING at one time. It'll get stuck on HDMI 1, requiring him to unplug it to reset it. Rather weird...
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9. March 2012 @ 16:49 |
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Originally posted by Mr-Movies:
I agree with Sam, and not only that Sceptre's just don't hold up either. I used to love Sceptre and had tons of them but they all died young so I'm not a fan, plus I don't think their LCD panels, and/or their driving circuitry, is that good as they are just lacking in vibrant color contrast.
You my have been able to fix your old Naga 20's as I just revived my Sammy 24" (16:10) by rebuilding the PS for a minuscule $10 in quality electrolytic's.
I'm thinking of going to 27" LED's but that would be a few months away. Actually a 40-42" might me a better idea but as a monitor they get spendy. If I got a TV then it would be cheaper but the resolution isn't as good for the size so I don't know if I'd go that route.
Stevo,
Funny, I got almost 4 years of heavy use out of my Naga III 20" 16x10 monitor. I haven't worked a full time job since right after I bought it, so I used it 14-17 hours a day before any issues popped up. The screen itself was 1 step below the best LCD screens, and 2 steps above TN panels, and I liked the color rendering better than I did with the most expensive ones. I don't quite know how to explain it, but the color was on a par with the 24" high dollar NEC Sort of like comparing pictures shot with 35mm color movie film vs digital photos. To me it's the color texture difference of the two, with the Naga III seeming to have a finer grain to it. Anyway, for a then $247 delivered monitor, in 06, I got much more than my money's worth out of it, so no complaints there. My big mistake was getting it rebuilt, but it all worked out right in the end, when I bought my Asus 1080p, so it's OK!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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9. March 2012 @ 17:27 |
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Originally posted by Mr-Movies:
Not totally true I can get a Sammy, Panasonic, or possibly a Sony for around the same amount +$50 to $100 dollars at my favorite Costco or Sam's Club. It's worth paying a little extra for a excellent picture, the Sceptre's I've viewed at MicroCenter were not that great.
Stevo,
The model I bought is a discontinued model, and I compared them at Sceptre, less than a year ago to the then newer models that Sceptre had started making, and the picture quality was better than the newer fancier and more expensive ones. It's a done deal anyway as it was a one day sale. Like I told Sam, we don't watch very much TV, because there isn't anything on much worth watching. Neither of us does stupidity, so that eliminates about 80% of what's on! LOL!! I watch very little mainstream TV as all the programs I used to watch have been replaced with total garbage! LOL!! Have you seen Wipeout? Pure stupid! ROFLMSOAO!!
Best Regards,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 17:29 |
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Quote:
Specs look fine, but unfortunately my experience is that specs for TVs are meaningless. You can get some quite expensive units that really don't look that great even after calibration etc, and you can get some quite cheap ones that look fantastic out of the box. TVs are far from an exact science. Any TV these days will post a low response time, good viewing angles, ridiculous contrast and the likes, but the only way to truly judge is to see one yourself, properly hooked up - so that counts most A/V stores out, as they're usually connected to terrible signals that give you no bearing on what the TV is actually capable of.
While I agree with most of this the local WalMart actually has an amazing AV setup and I find it quite easy to compare brands. In my experience price and brand rarely make a difference. I chose my 32" TV out of several more expensive ones and it had the best image quality, featureset, and interestingly rocking sound when output to my receiver. LG display BTW purchased for $370 at Best Buy last Christmas.
Perfect size for my room and a pleasure for enjoying both newer consoles at 1080p and my PS2, Xbox and Gamecube in composite 480p(incredible). Actually makes old console games fun to play again. Wish I had gotten a 37" for the relative price but quite satisfied with my purchase nonetheless.
Quote:
No matter how you set them up though, TVs always handle images totally differently to PC monitors. However the contrast is set, they're really uncomfortable to do detailed work with in a desktop or games environment, yet far superior for displaying TV/film...
I've had an alright time using my TV for a monitor though it isn't recommended for long-term :P Cannot hold a candle to using the 23.6" 1080p monitor for desktop use. Of course if you want to get nitpicky, both of them are miles behind the Dell 2407WFP. For movies or TV though, the 32" all the way. My sound system is centered around it as well though I have separate 5.1 speakers for my PC.
Quote:
Funny, I got almost 4 years of heavy use out of my Naga III 20" 16x10 monitor. I haven't worked a full time job since right after I bought it, so I used it 14-17 hours a day before any issues popped up. The screen itself was 1 step below the best LCD screens, and 2 steps above TN panels, and I liked the color rendering better than I did with the most expensive ones. I don't quite know how to explain it, but the color was on a par with the 24" high dollar NEC Sort of like comparing pictures shot with 35mm color movie film vs digital photos. To me it's the color texture difference of the two, with the Naga III seeming to have a finer grain to it. Anyway, for a then $247 delivered monitor, in 06, I got much more than my money's worth out of it, so no complaints there. My big mistake was getting it rebuilt, but it all worked out right in the end, when I bought my Asus 1080p, so it's OK!
I have also seen and used several of the 20" 1680 x 1050 monitors and they are fantastic. My 24" 1920 x 1200 is almost overwhelmingly large in comparison though.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. March 2012 @ 17:37
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Senior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 17:49 |
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Originally posted by theonejrs:
Originally posted by Mr-Movies:
Not totally true I can get a Sammy, Panasonic, or possibly a Sony for around the same amount +$50 to $100 dollars at my favorite Costco or Sam's Club. It's worth paying a little extra for a excellent picture, the Sceptre's I've viewed at MicroCenter were not that great.
Stevo,
The model I bought is a discontinued model, and I compared them at Sceptre, less than a year ago to the then newer models that Sceptre had started making, and the picture quality was better than the newer fancier and more expensive ones. It's a done deal anyway as it was a one day sale. Like I told Sam, we don't watch very much TV, because there isn't anything on much worth watching. Neither of us does stupidity, so that eliminates about 80% of what's on! LOL!! I watch very little mainstream TV as all the programs I used to watch have been replaced with total garbage! LOL!! Have you seen Wipeout? Pure stupid! ROFLMSOAO!!
Best Regards,
Russ
You would know as you have a good eye and ear so I would trust that if you demo'd it and thought it was good that indeed it would be.
Like you I too do not watch garbage TV and yes I have seen Wipeout! LOL As a society we are being brainwashed by garbage and lies so yes, dumb & dumber....
Let us know how it all works out when you get the new prize,
Stevo
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Senior Member
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9. March 2012 @ 17:52 |
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Again Russ, don't fret, you made a great deal, by the way I was at Sams Club 3 days ago, I did not see anything cheaper for a 40in. set than $399, and thats not the cost of getting there nor was tax included, so you made out.
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AfterDawn Addict
4 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 18:03 |
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I will agree with lamenting the loss of 20" 16:10 monitors. A real technological step back when they discontinued those imo.
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AfterDawn Addict
15 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 18:50 |
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Currently a cartoon watcher myself. Maybe cartoons and some of the Discovery Science and History channels.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
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9. March 2012 @ 19:25 |
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I'm grown up now so no cartoons but Science, History, Discovery channels are fine by me.
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9. March 2012 @ 21:21 |
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Originally posted by Mr-Movies:
I'm grown up now so no cartoons but Science, History, Discovery channels are fine by me.
Mr-Movies,
I'm Grown up too, but I wouldn't say no to some Danger Mouse, or Pinky and the Brain! LOL!!
Best,
Russ
GigaByte 990FXA-UD5 - AMD FX-8320 @4.0GHz @1.312v - Corsair H-60 liquid CPU Cooler - 4x4 GB GSkill RipJaws DDR3/1866 Cas8, 8-9-9-24 - Corsair 400-R Case - OCZ FATAL1TY 550 watt Modular PSU - Intel 330 120GB SATA III SSD - WD Black 500GB SATA III - WD black 1 TB Sata III - WD Black 500GB SATA II - 2 Asus DRW-24B1ST DVD-Burner - Sony 420W 5.1 PL-II Suround Sound - GigaByte GTX550/1GB 970 Mhz Video - Asus VE247H 23.6" HDMI 1080p Monitor
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9. March 2012 @ 21:33 |
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Funny...
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15 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 22:37 |
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I watch a fair amount of cartoons. A lot of them are really well written and creative. I'd watch more adult programming if TV wasn't mind numbingly stupid. I'll probably be watching cartoons until I'm an old man. Currently been watching The Regular Show. Riot laugh that show. 80's music references throughout.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. March 2012 @ 22:43
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9. March 2012 @ 23:05 |
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The cartoons these days are pretty much mind numbing and stupid, actually really stupid!
Like Family Guy, talk about brain dead!!
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7 product reviews
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9. March 2012 @ 23:48 |
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Some episodes are bad, but others are really funny :p
I think it's pretty hard to screw up a children's movie. Fact of the matter is, I enjoy 99/100 of them. I'll probably watch them til I'm dead and buried.
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15 product reviews
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10. March 2012 @ 01:19 |
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Hate to say it but I watch a huge amount of anime(Japanimation) as well. Am not a major anime nut but I am certainly a small time collector. I appreciate writing and substance more than shock value and comedy. A little bit of each doesn't hurt though :P
Hand animation is particularly nice. Disney are the master at this but their newer films are not a good example. They heavily recycle original cels from older films.
LOL Family Guy sometimes gets braindead but most of it is really clever and funny. Some of it is supposed to be stupid, that's the joke. My dad doesn't get why it's funny either.
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 4GHz(20 x 200) 1.5v 3000NB 2000HT, Corsair Hydro H110 w/ 4 x 140mm 1500RPM fans Push/Pull, Gigabyte GA-990FXA-UD5, 8GB(2 x 4GB) G.Skill RipJaws DDR3-1600 @ 1600MHz CL9 1.55v, Gigabyte GTX760 OC 4GB(1170/1700), Corsair 750HX
Detailed PC Specs: http://my.afterdawn.com/estuansis/blog_entry.cfm/11388
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 10. March 2012 @ 01:21
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