An Animation Computer

[Q]

That is an excellent suggestion.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Since your sister seems to be doing some computing courses, you may want to ask her if her school has a partnership with Microsoft. Mine does, and provides keys for lots of their software for free, including Windows XP, Vista, and 7 Business/Professional editions.

free?!

That is an excellent suggestion.

indeed it is. i had my sister check and unfortunately, her university doesn't have anything like this.

But there are some special programs for students elsewhere that gives huge discounts off software. we'll probably get stuff from there.

 

I'll be going on holiday for the next 2 weeks and wont be able to work on the comp. (which is excruciating, since the only things left are the monitor and little things; namely wifi, bluetooth, and a memory card reader).

hopefully i should be able to do at least a little bit.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Try to find a 7200.12 if you're going with Seagate, or look for a Caviar blue or black from Western Digital. The Caviar Green is rather slow and really only appropriate for archiving. With that mobo you could also look for deals on 500-750GB drives and double them up in RAID 0, depending on which would be cheaper.

After some looking around/researching, i think you are right. the CG is indeed slow, and the .11 has a rather worrying thing going with firmware bugs.

 

its between the 7200.12 and the Caviar Black. Everywhere, there seems to be conflicting reports on which is better.

do you have any input on the selection?

[Q]

Well, I've fooled around with both of them, and I can't tell the difference speedwise. The Caviar Black uses 320GB platters and 32MB of cache, while the 7200.12 uses 500GB platters and 16MB of cache. The larger the platter capacity, the faster the drive, and the same goes for cache size.

 

Basically, it ends up being a wash, so go with whichever you can find the best deal on. Here in the States, that would probably involve getting 2x500GB 7200.12 and pairing them up in RAID 0. That would also be the fastest solution.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Well, I've fooled around with both of them, and I can't tell the difference speedwise. The Caviar Black uses 320GB platters and 32MB of cache, while the 7200.12 uses 500GB platters and 16MB of cache. The larger the platter capacity, the faster the drive, and the same goes for cache size.

eh? Seagate, Western Digital and PriceSpy say that both drives have 32mb caches...

 

also, i heard that the less platters an HDD has, the faster it is. is this true? if it is, then in theory the 7200.12 would be faster...

 

also, i think i read somewhere that the .12 is more power efficient.

 

On the other hand, the Caviar Black comes with a 5 year warranty, compared to the .12's 3 years...

 

The .12 is currently $126, and the CB $142.20.

 

I think i'll get one of either, and when my sister needs more capacity, we can get another one and i can stick it in RAID 0. (they should be cheap as chips by then, right?)

[Q]

I'm pretty sure that the 7200.12 in the computer that I recently built for my sister had 16MB cache, but it was the 500GB model. The 1TB model that you're looking at definitely has 32MB, so with its 500GB platters it should be faster than the WD. A lower number of platters for a drive of a certain size would indicate platters of a higher capacity, which makes it faster.

 

You know, Seagate drives had a 5-year warranty until recently.

 

I don't think that you could go wrong with either one.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

You know, Seagate drives had a 5-year warranty until recently.

Yeah, i think it was the 7200.11 chapter.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Only a few more things to go: Monitor, Wifi, Internal Bluetooth, and Internal Memory Card Reader.

 

Wifi: The list.

The current network in the house is 54G. I'm really leaning toward the T Link TL-WN951N. Wireless N with MIMO and all the works, at that price?!

 

Internal Bluetooth: Is there such a thing for desktops? Or do i just have to use a USB adapter.

 

Internal Memory Card Reader: All the major brands i know of (Kingston, Transcend) don't have internal readers. What are good brands for internal ones?

[Q]

Well, my card reader is a Sabrent, and it works fine. The reason I got it was because of the built-in floppy drive (what's that? ).

 

I have yet to own a computer without a floppy drive.

[Astrotoy7]

lolz, that's keepin' it old skool Q I havent owned a pc with a floppy for 5 years ! All my shuttles, and even the tablet pc boot off USB so the floppy simply isnt needed. What do you use it for ??

 

mtfbwya

[Q]

It's good to have one just in case I come across a floppy whose data needs to be transferred to something more modern.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Blegh! Caught up in more business.

 

I think we'll just get a bluetooth adapter and a memory card reader later.

 

Onward to monitor!

 

First up: Need to know which are the best brands. Samsung, obviously, but what are the others?

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

http://pricespy.co.nz/mypage.php?a=jigos&k=3556

 

^ Thats the list for monitors. I know its insisted that i get a Samsung, but i felt i had to at least check out the other stuff/explore other options. (its not my wallet funding this )

 

Asking around told me that AOC and viewsonic aren't bad brands. What are your opinions on this?

Also, check out that viewsonic VX2433wm. That price... for 24 inches seems almost perverse! And apparently, its not some cheapie either... it won some design award or something.

[Q]

That's a TN panel and it's 16:9 (like a TV) to boot, which is why it's so cheap. Normal widescreen computer monitors are 16:10, and a 24" screen would be 1920x1200.

 

I'm going to direct you here. Read through that first post to the end of the recommendations and then get back to me. It should tell you all you need to know about the different panel types.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

I'm going to direct you here. Read through that first post to the end of the recommendations and then get back to me. It should tell you all you need to know about the different panel types.

"First Post"? You mean the expert reviews for the viewsonic monitor on pricespy?

I read the expert review summaries, and subsequently, this monitor is not a finalist in my hunt.

 

[edit] Just read the wikipedia article about panel types. TN is out. Pricespy has panel type as a sorting criteria... which ones should i allow? There are bunch IPSs alone. (IPS, S-IPS, AS-IPS.) Some MVAs, and PVAs too. Whats ok and whats not? Is IPS too old? (only go for S-IPS and above?)

 

Is there something wrong with 16:9 aspect ratios?

[edit2]

Goodness, everything is TN!

 

I got it wrong: it wasnt the viewsonic that one the design award. Its the AOC 2434pw.

[Q]

For what this machine will be used for, an IPS panel would be best, but it would also be the most expensive.

 

The monitor I use is a Dell 2209WA. It's only 22" and 1680x1050, but it's an 8-bit E-IPS and I got it for ~US$225.00. It easily beats any TN panel of it's size and I would recommend it to anyone. I'd probably take it over a 24" TN. It's just that good compared to any TN panel.

 

I you want anything bigger with higher resolution, then you'll either be looking at a TN panel or a very expensive monitor. If you can get by with 22" and 1680x1050, then I'd look for a 2209WA.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

Ok, weve decided on a Samsung P2350.

The reviews seem great, and the monitor seems right up our alley.

 

Also, i received a direct order from my sister to go with a GTX 260 rather than the Quadro FX 580. I think she was influenced by friends in the know with the view that quadros aren't worth it. Looks like this is now a gaming computer. :/

[True_Avery]

Ok, weve decided on a Samsung P2350.

The reviews seem great, and the monitor seems right up our alley.

 

Also, i received a direct order from my sister to go with a GTX 260 rather than the Quadro FX 580. I think she was influenced by friends in the know with the view that quadros aren't worth it. Looks like this is now a gaming computer. :/

I can game with my Quadro on 90% of games with my performance driver on. I get smooth sailing on full detail Dragon Age, so it can easily play games as well as rock a 3d program.

 

I can tell you right now that without a performance driver, Maya and such run terribly. Whoever your sister is listening to, she is wrong. It is as simply as that from the testing I've been doing.

 

Windows don't load correctly, the opengl doesn't load well, and the 3d view lags. The performance drivers are designed to work with the program, and they are only available on the Quadros.

 

I have also been taking classes in a school full of -professional- 3d artists whom have been working in the field for upwards of 15 years+ each, and they all agree that Quadros are the only way to use these programs. My current Texture teacher has a computer almost identical to my own.

 

If you've already bought it, get a refund and get a Quadro. Also, tell your sister her contacts are idiots. They are expensive, yes, but are more than worth it in the long run if you know how they work and what exactly they help.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

I can game with my Quadro on 90% of games with my performance driver on. I get smooth sailing on full detail Dragon Age, so it can easily play games as well as rock a 3d program.

 

I can tell you right now that without a performance driver, Maya and such run terribly. Whoever your sister is listening to, she is wrong. It is as simply as that from the testing I've been doing.

 

Windows don't load correctly, the opengl doesn't load well, and the 3d view lags. The performance drivers are designed to work with the program, and they are only available on the Quadros.

 

I have also been taking classes in a school full of -professional- 3d artists whom have been working in the field for upwards of 15 years+ each, and they all agree that Quadros are the only way to use these programs. My current Texture teacher has a computer almost identical to my own.

 

Ideally, my sister said that she would like to get a quadro, but over here, they are ridiculously expensive. Take, for example, your FX 3800: Its $1800 nzd, which is unattainable for her atm. Money comes by just about the same as in the US, so its just the same as getting an $1800 card there. Spending that much on a first rig just getting into animation seems illogical. If she gets really serious and goes full steam ahead with this animation gig, then i'd be all for getting an awesome quadro.

 

But the main question is what the entry level 580 can do. How well does it handle other things like games? Your 3800 seems to be great with even new games (DAO at full?!), but how would a 580 do with it? She wants to be able to play Mass Effect 2 when it comes out. Can a 580 handle it?

What is the 580's performance like in Maya? Will it give her an advantage in her animation papers?

 

Basically, is the *entry level* card's performance in Maya worth spending double the price and sacrificing gaming performance for?

 

Understand that i'm not trying to argue here, i just sincerely want to know these things.

 

If you've already bought it, get a refund and get a Quadro. Also, tell your sister her contacts are idiots.

My sister went to some pro course to learn maya and the computers they have had geforces. She said that the 3d view lagged a little, but that was really all. The computers she used at her uni had gf 9600s and they apparently were fine too (and they were macs). A friend of hers who has been doing professional course in cad for a couple years now doesnt bother with quadros. This is why she chose the GTX 260.

[True_Avery]

Ideally, my sister said that she would like to get a quadro, but over here, they are ridiculously expensive. Take, for example, your FX 3800: Its $1800 nzd, which is unattainable for her atm. Money comes by just about the same as in the US, so its just the same as getting an $1800 card there. Spending that much on a first rig just getting into animation seems illogical. If she gets really serious and goes full steam ahead with this animation gig, then i'd be all for getting an awesome quadro.

True, mine is pretty insane I admit. The 580 should work just fine though, since it actually has the driver capability.

 

But the main question is what the entry level 580 can do. How well does it handle other things like games? Your 3800 seems to be great with even new games, but how would a 580 do with it? She wants to be able to play Mass Effect 2 when it comes out. Can a 580 handle it?

What is the 580's performance like in Maya? Will it give her an advantage in her animation papers?

Well, as far as games go the 580 probably wont do too well but that depends what she wants to do with the computer. If she wants to game, then she should be building a computer around gaming. If she wants to work in 3d programs primarily, she should build a computer around that.

 

My computer can run games, but my card is the equivalent of a low level GTX 200 series with 3D animation drivers. I spent that much primarily for the chance to be able to use the computer as a duel gaming/animation rig and I seemed to have succeeded. The difference between my Quadro and just getting a GTX 200, however, is that I have access to developer created drivers and the performance drivers.

 

(DAO at full?!)

Yeah, it sort of blew my mind as well. I have not benched Crysis, but every game I own and every recent game that has come out I've been able to play smoothly at full settings. And by full, I mean full AA as well. Dragon Age is pretty damn beautiful.

 

However, since I'm currently using a performance driver I get a few glitches in gaming graphics (Some render artifacts in DA every now and then). Those aside, yeah... I'm still sort of stunned since I did not ever expect this computer to run games -this- well. Then again, having games use 8 cores and 12gb of ram has its uses.

 

Basically, is the *entry level* card's performance in Maya worth spending double the price and sacrificing gaming performance for?

Seeing as pricing is pretty drastically different where you live, that is hard to say. If the price is simply out of the question, then you may be better off with the GTX 260.

 

But, again you're bringing in gaming performance for a computer I initially thought she was building entirely for 3d design purposes. In order to have a computer that can do both very well, a large price tag is basically mandatory. I spend effectively double the amount of money a normal card is for my 3800 because its so freaking powerful it is effectively a duel purpose card. I essentially spend $400 on a 3d design card, and $400 on a GTX 200 series card.

 

So, seeing as you have a price point to look at she has to ask herself what she is going to be doing more often on her computer; gaming, or animating. If she is going to game much more, then get the GTX 260. If she is going to animate a lot more, then consider getting a Quadro.

 

The performance drivers are, honestly, a lifesaver. OpenGL, maya windows (especially the hypershades) like to... disappear, and rendering time is cut anywhere from 25 to 50 percent.

 

Ask a friend in the states, or someone on the forum, to buy you a Quadro here and then, like, send it to you. Shipping and handling may be expensive, but I doubt it'll be $1800. I apologize beforehand if my understand of your current situation is severely lacking (like, say, exchange rate problems).

 

That, or you could turn a 9800 into a low level Quadro if you really wanted to. It honestly isn't that hard.

 

My sister went to some pro course to learn maya and the computers they have had geforces. She said that the 3d view lagged a little, but that was really all. The computers she used at her uni had gf 9600s and they apparently were fine too (and they were macs). A friend of hers who has been doing professional course in cad for a couple years now doesnt bother with quadros. This is why she chose the GTX 260.

3d view and such lag, yeah, but where the Quadro drivers truly shine is render time and compiling speed. Quality of OpenGL and such matter as well. I've also seen a boost in Photoshop speed as well, and I'll be testing out After Effect's speed since I'm getting an HD camera pretty soon.

 

But, considering your price situation you may be stuck with the GTX 260. Since a quadro is out of the question, I would, again, recommend tutorials on how to turn a 9800 into a quadro. That way you'll get a gaming rig and an animation driver.

 

Again, it really just depends what your sister wants to do more often.

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

OK, after having a good talk about it, weve decided on a course of action:

We'll go with the gtx260 now, and she'll use try it out in the first semester of next year. If she finds that its unbearable in maya, then we'll be looking at getting a qaudro. Apparently, next year's course is not all maya - there's animation, then there's video, and some other things, so this plan should be all good.

 

And by full, I mean full AA as well. Dragon Age is pretty damn beautiful.

 

3d view and such lag, yeah, but where the Quadro drivers truly shine is render time and compiling speed. Quality of OpenGL and such matter as well. I've also seen a boost in Photoshop speed as well, and I'll be testing out After Effect's speed since I'm getting an HD camera pretty soon.

IIRC, Nvidia bought mental images and theyve created a program called iray that can use normal graphics cards for rendering. (I think i posted an articel about it here somewhere, but i cant seem to find it...)

Itll be a while before it makes its way into suites like maya (might even be already there - im not sure),

 

Early on in the thread i think you mentioned quadros having better render qualities than geforces... i thought maya doesnt even use graphics cards unless theyre quadros, and uses the cpu only? Did you mean softmodding or something like iray?

 

Also, there is another program called Furry Ball that claims to do the same thing. http://furryball.aaa-studio.cz/

 

Have you or any of your associates heard of these? And what do you/they think about it?

 

The comp: Got the monitor two days ago, and the case and OS arrrived today. Looks pretty great. I saw the Cooler Master Cosmos in the shop we got the monitor from... and by golly, that thing is huge!! Looks very awesome IRL

[True_Avery]

OK, after having a good talk about it, weve decided on a course of action:

We'll go with the gtx260 now, and she'll use try it out in the first semester of next year. If she finds that its unbearable in maya, then we'll be looking at getting a qaudro. Apparently, next year's course is not all maya - there's animation, then there's video, and some other things, so this plan should be all good.

Sounds like a plan. Since she is just starting off it should be more than enough and she can always upgrade down the line.

 

IIRC, Nvidia bought mental images and theyve created a program called iray that can use normal graphics cards for rendering. (I think i posted an articel about it here somewhere, but i cant seem to find it...)

Itll be a while before it makes its way into suites like maya (might even be already there - im not sure),

 

Early on in the thread i think you mentioned quadros having better render qualities than geforces... i thought maya doesnt even use graphics cards unless theyre quadros, and uses the cpu only? Did you mean softmodding or something like iray?

 

Have you or any of your associates heard of these? And what do you/they think about it?

Actually, you cannot render without a Graphics Card. Think of rendering like a video game. A video game renders many frames ahead of time as well as renders on the spot to create motion. In the same way a camera takes 30 pictures a second, a graphics card renders as many frames as it can in a second to create the same motion.

 

Maya and other programs use this same technology, but have the possibility for a near infinite amount of detail while real time motion is limited by the power of the card. The downside of this is that a single frame can take anywhere from a few seconds, to hours, if not days to render. This, as we all know, creates graphics we call. pre-rendered scenes.

 

All shadows, lighting, coloring, rasterizing, raytracing, etc done within a 3d program must be done by using the specs of the card. This is why when you look at cards you see different shadowing, lighting, etc software being mentioned. For instance, my card runs OpenGL 3.0. This allows for 3d view to be enabled, and real-time rendering to be done in that window. My cards onboard ram also contributes to how much detail my OpenGL window will allow.

 

What this essentially means is that you can render and using any graphics card but the -quality- of the render and -speed- of the render rely entirely on the software your card uses, as well as drivers. For instance, there are 2 different Quadro drivers; graphics, and performance. Graphics is a typical graphic driver, and allowed me to fully use my Quadro basically as a GTX 200 series card. A performance driver gives me customization options for my 3d cad programs, and allows OpenGL to communicate properly with the program at the cost of a drop in gaming quality. It also changes the way the card can render, opting to put more power into a single frame and not multiple frames at once, as per gaming.

 

So, Maya absolutely requires a graphics card in order to render, or possibly to even use the 3d mode. I'm not sure if it would even boot correctly without it. The 4 views may just be blank. While it does use the CPU, but CPU is merely communicating hardcore with the card to build the frame.

 

Also, there is another program called Furry Ball that claims to do the same thing. http://furryball.aaa-studio.cz/

Actually, that is an OpenGL replacement plug-in. Instead of using OpenGL to render a real time 3d view for you to work in, you use Furry Ball and it basically uses a super, super high quality OpenGL substitute to create a much better real time render.

 

Problem with this, however, is that the program is guaranteed to be a system drag if you don't have the hardware for it. This program would actually suit a Quadro much better because of onboard memory and the performance drivers practically built around using things like 3D view to better effect.

 

Also, Furry Ball is technically already within Maya. We call it IPR rendering. In an IPR render you basically make a box selection of your render, select IPR and it will continually render the frame over and over whenever you do something so you can see your changes in real time. It is very useful if you are trying to determine what a particular texture should look like. It is also a system drag. Furry Ball just appears to be a much better quality IPR.

 

You also asked about rendering. This is what I mean:

 

In rendering, especially in animation rendering, you have what we like to call Render Artifacts. This is when the graphics card, render program, or both messed up with the math at some point and cause a glitch on the picture. Depending on the program, this usually apears to be what looks like a bunch of miscolored blocks of render, stretched areas, and so on.

 

In this Vray render, you can see the render messed up with the lighting in that edge and created some blotches of color.

 

In this render, you can see black squares in the shadow in the far back of the render.

 

These are render artifacts. A lot of render tweaking and time is caused by these. What a quality graphics card, the proper drivers, and up-to-date software helps prevent are too many of these appearing. Performance drivers, for example, change the way the card renders (from multiple frames to a single frame), which helps lower the amount of artifacting that is often seen in video games. For example, with a performance driver on when I play Dragon Age I can catch a few render artifacts from time to time, looking like little green squares on my screen for like a quarter of a second.

 

Did you mean softmodding or something like iray?

iRay is an addon program to Mental Ray that is tuned specifically for Nvidea GPU's, and is designed to use a GPU cloud to essentially do the same thing that Furry Ball is doing; IPR rendering but at such a speed and quality that it looks like a normal render. This does not mean a normal graphics card would be better; the demonstration video I watched on iRay implied a Quadro GPU cloud of 15 GPU's. Regardless of the card, as I said above, the Quadro would still edge out regular cards in speed and smoother pictures.

 

I saw the Cooler Master Cosmos in the shop we got the monitor from... and by golly, that thing is huge!! Looks very awesome IRL

Oh yeah, the case is easily twice as large as my other computer.

[Q]

Just to put things into perspective, my twin 9600GSO 768MB (96SPs) in SLI can run Dragon Age at full AA as well and they cost $40.00US apiece, for a total cost of $80.00US.

 

You're sister's doing the right thing, JIGOS. She's not a corporation, and not everyone has access to $800.00US of Mom and Dad's money to waste on a ridiculously overpriced video card. If that GTX 260 proves to be inadequate she can always Fleabay it and get most of her money back or get another for SLI.

[True_Avery]

You're sister's doing the right thing, JIGOS. She's not a corporation, and not everyone has access to $800.00US of Mom and Dad's money to waste on a ridiculously overpriced video card.

Every teacher at my 3D design school would disagree with you on that, but that is your opinion and you're entitled to it. Considering the average price for most 3D programs range anywhere from 1k to 4k, an $800 card is cheap in comparison. Autodesk Maya itself is more expensive than my entire computer from some retailers (depending on the license), meaning one of the only reasonable ways is a temporary educational edition. She is getting into an expensive hobby/career and that is plainly unavoidable and I was merely explaining why people get Quadros, and the price range for professional cards she should expect. I've already presented evidence on why I think the Quadro's are fine cards, and explained why there are differences between cards and computers designed for gaming, and computers designed for Animation, 3D design, and video creation.

 

I hardly went into buying my card blind, and had talked to a number of professionals and did my best at internet research on the topic before hand. You told me to convert a card, and I was told by people more experienced in this field that it was a poor idea. I also, as I stated in posts above, tested out normal drivers and cards with my current programs and they did -not- work correctly with the programs, leading to OpenGL glitches, program crashes, memory issues, and Render Artifacts. I am hardly trying to maliciously get JIGOS to waste his money, and am merely speaking from my own experience and the experience of professionals in the field.

 

deleted off-topic, unnecessary material. In view of the truce declared later, I'm inclined to view this without the same moderator ire I might have otherwise. --Jae

[JesusIsGonnaOwnSatan]

So, Maya absolutely requires a graphics card in order to render, or possibly to even use the 3d mode. I'm not sure if it would even boot correctly without it. The 4 views may just be blank. While it does use the CPU, but CPU is merely communicating hardcore with the card to build the frame.

Ok, that makes sense.

Problem with this, however, is that the program is guaranteed to be a system drag if you don't have the hardware for it. This program would actually suit a Quadro much better because of onboard memory and the performance drivers practically built around using things like 3D view to better effect.

Would Fuzzy Ball run better or on a less powerful quadro than a powerful geforce? (or the same?)

 

iRay is an addon program to Mental Ray that is tuned specifically for Nvidea GPU's, and is designed to use a GPU cloud to essentially do the same thing that Furry Ball is doing; IPR rendering but at such a speed and quality that it looks like a normal render. This does not mean a normal graphics card would be better; the demonstration video I watched on iRay implied a Quadro GPU cloud of 15 GPU's. Regardless of the card, as I said above, the Quadro would still edge out regular cards in speed and smoother pictures.

I'm assuming that even though quadros would outperform geforces at this, that the iRay addon improves the geforces performance for real time rendering than they would have done without it?

 

You also asked about rendering. This is what I mean:

 

In rendering, especially in animation rendering, you have what we like to call Render Artifacts. This is when the graphics card, render program, or both messed up with the math at some point and cause a glitch on the picture. Depending on the program, this usually apears to be what looks like a bunch of miscolored blocks of render, stretched areas, and so on.

 

 

In this Vray render, you can see the render messed up with the lighting in that edge and created some blotches of color.

 

 

In this render, you can see black squares in the shadow in the far back of the render.

 

These are render artifacts. A lot of render tweaking and time is caused by these. What a quality graphics card, the proper drivers, and up-to-date software helps prevent are too many of these appearing. Performance drivers, for example, change the way the card renders (from multiple frames to a single frame), which helps lower the amount of artifacting that is often seen in video games. For example, with a performance driver on when I play Dragon Age I can catch a few render artifacts from time to time, looking like little green squares on my screen for like a quarter of a second.

That's some great info there. Thanks, Avery.

 

Just to put things into perspective, my twin 9600GSO 768MB (96SPs) in SLI can run Dragon Age at full AA as well and they cost $40.00US apiece, for a total cost of $80.00US.

I wonder, hardware prices in the US are so cheap... Is it the cheapest in the world or are there countries with even less prices?

 

Comp: Just finished going through ordering hell. So. many. hickups... ugh. Thankfully, its over. Got a boatload of parts arriving on Monday, with just the RAM and wifi card lagging behind. Hopefully should be able to have the comp fully up and running by the end of next week - I can't wait!