Posts by Austin Chavez6

One more thing... 😁

Is it worth spending a bit more to go with this one instead?

crimsonstag84 said:That's what I would change...

Hexa plus 400 w power supply, 80+, active, 12 cm
Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1
MSI B75MA-P33 Intel B75 LGA 1155 (PCX / VGA / DZW / GLAN / SATA3 / USB3 / DDR3) mATX motherboard
Adata DDR3 4GB 1333MHz Bulk memory
Bulk MS PHOENIX case without PSU
WD Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 3 WD10EZEX Hard Drive
Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2 GDDR5 PCI-E DVI-I / DVI-D / HDMI / DP DUAL-X WITH BOOST & OC VERSION, 11220-00-20G graphics card
Asus DRW-24F1ST/BLK/B/AS optical drive

Total: $1338+$27 shipping from Centro(free assembly)

Better to have a much stronger GPU instead of 8GB of RAM.

Thanks, but I think that R7 will do just fine. Gaming isn't my main priority anyway.

graniteharbor85 said:Those prices are mostly tied to the s775 platform.

Great, thanks.

Robert Rodriguez2 said:

Thanks. Just heard some talk about how Gigabyte boards aren't all that great. Is there any truth to that these days, or...

Back again 😁 ...thinking about grabbing everything from Amazon, but they don't have this motherboard in mATX...

1 x Asrock B75 Pro3M - Intel B75, microATX, Dual Channel 4xDDR3

What should I pick instead? link

Here I am. Been waiting on this for other reasons...

Robert Rodriguez2 said:Stay away from pre-built configurations. In this one, just like most others, you have no clue what kind of motherboard you're actually getting or if the power supply is just some cheap junk. Too many unknowns for too much money.
One Asrock B75 Pro3M—features an Intel B75 chipset, mATX form factor, and dual Channel 4 xDDR3.
One Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1. Solid choice.
Two sticks of 4GB Corsair DDR3, 1333MHz, CL9, Value series. CMV4GX3M1A1333C9.
Zalman 500-GS_II PSU, 500W, ATX12V V2.31, active PFC.
One Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427.5(H) x 364(D)mm.
One Samsung SH-224DB sat Bulk Black SATA DVD burner.
One Sapphire Radeon R7 260X with 1GB of GDDR5 OC memory. It’s got a 128-bit bus and runs on a 28nm process.
One Toshiba 1TB hard drive, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA100.

$1358
A much better solution for some. $67 Pay more, but at least you know exactly what you're getting.

Two sticks of 4GB Corsair DDR3, 1333MHz, CL9, Value series, CMV4GX3M1A1333C9.
One Zalman 500-GS_II PSU, 500W, ATX12V V2.31, featuring active PFC.
One Sapphire R7 260X. It's got 1GB of GDDR5 OC and a 128-bit bus on a 28nm process.
One Samsung 120 GB 840 evo Basic. It's a 2.5" SSD with 120 GB of capacity.
One AMD FX-Series X6 6300, 3.5GHz, 14MB, 95W, AM3+.
ASUS M5A97 R2.0. AM3/AM3+ socket. AMD 970 chipset. 5200 MHz bus speed. Uses DDR3.
One MSI A88XM midi tower case, ATX, includes a 5.25" external bay. No power supply included.
One Zalman CNPS 5X cooler. Fits sockets 775, 1155, 1156, AM2, and AM3.

$1339
Or just go that route if you're planning on using your own drives and frypan.

I'd grab some drives now—just standard HDDs for the time being—and then add an SSD later on.

mellowtiger83 said:Here’s the deal.

Athlon x4 760, 3.8GHz, FM2 quad core.
MSI A88XM, FM2, SATA3.
Patriot Viper 1866, 8GB DDR3.
MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti, 2GB GDDR5, dual fan setup.
SSD 120GB Kingston HyperX.
Fractal Design Integra R 500W 80+ Bronze power supply.
Writing to the Samsung drive.

$1267Of course, everything is brand new. It doesn't get any better than this.

I'd still go with the i5. Thanks.

Keith Wright2 said:Just grab Robert Rodriguez2's first Intel build and list only the hardware and the price since you mentioned having them available. That should do it. $1167You end up with a much stronger build again. You get a killer processor that you won't need to swap out for five years, and you can pair it with just about any GPU you want.
So, here's how it goes:
One Asrock B75 Pro3M. It’s an Intel B75 board, mATX, with dual Channel 4 xDDR3.
One Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1. Solid little chip.
Two sticks of 4GB Corsair DDR3. They're 1333MHz with CL9 latency. Value series.
1 x Zalman 500-GS_II PSU, 500W, ATX12V V2.31, active PFC
1 x Zalman ZM-T2 PLUS micro tower case. 189(W) x 427.5(H) x 364(D)mm
1 x Sapphire R7 260X 1GB GDDR5 OC, 1GB GDDR5 128bit, 28nm

$1167 I’m just waiting for Robert Rodriguez2 to tell me which shop actually put this together!

What I really need to know is where to buy it. 😁

crimsonstag84 said:You can grab an R7 265 along with an Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1 at Amazon for $1200 😉

Thanks. Aside from Amazon, any other ideas?
Ideally, I'd pick everything up from one spot so they can build it for me right then and there. Thanks for the help.

Hey,

It’s not quite a $5,000 build, maybe a bit less, but still...
Let’s just say I found a setup where I really like the components. Can anyone give me an honest take on whether this is a decent deal, or if I can find something similar for less? 😁

hiddenridge14 said:I can't make it.🙂 I happen to be busy with the Terry Fox run at the Santa Monica Pier on 09/18/11 at 4 PM. Terrible timing. 🤣 😕

Exactly.
And since this meetup was announced so late, they really should have given us more notice. I work, so I would have needed time to swap my shift. ☕

Just wondering, since when do mods on specific subforums get such free rein over site policy to just decide which chat threads get nuked from their sections? If you already pulled the chat from the US-themed section, be consistent and clear it out from the other subforums too. I'm not trying to be petty here, I'm just asking about the editorial policy of this forum—it seems like the "standard" rules are being stretched pretty thin for some people.

fadedheron892 said:Since you guys nuked all the chats on the US, why don't you be a dear and explain how you expect lonely people to actually connect and hang out—you think they're gonna do it via satellite or something?🙄

No, we'll just be sliding into DMs. Honestly, what's the point of the US subforum if we can just handle everything that way anyway.

brightridge59 said:Do you really think the other people joining the US isn't lonely?
And is the chat truly the best or only way to meet and socialize?

The whole intention here is to make the subforum a much more constructive environment.
Chatting happens everywhere, practically within almost every thread, provided it contributes to a productive discussion. That's a perfectly normal occurrence, and frankly, we even encourage it ourselves. 😬

Have you perhaps had a chance to look over the rules? There's a reason why someone might get a warning just for posting a single smiley face or for putting something in their 'signature.'

For those users who have become close friends through chatting, there is a dedicated subforum where they can continue to socialize. There's also private messaging. There are all sorts of ways to build connections without it being solely about padding your post count.

Besides, the way things are set up, it encourages users to step outside their specific chat topics and wander over to other subforums. I won't even mention how peculiar it is to see people who NEVER post anywhere else except within a specific chat topic on one particular subforum. 🙄

So why did we even open this chat then? Wasn't the whole point to keep the other threads clean and give people looking to meet up one specific spot? Not everyone has the guts to slide into someone's DMs and just say, "Hey, I'm this guy, let's get to know each other."

The goal is to make this subforum a more constructive place.
The chat is everywhere, popping up in almost every thread, but it’s part of a constructive discussion. It’s totally normal. Honestly, we actually encourage it. 😬

Are you always trying to stir up the chat in every single thread? Since when?

Did you figure out the rules yet? There's a reason people get banned just for posting a single smiley face or using a signature.

So why didn't you moderate the chats and hand out bans then? You really think you were doing your moderation jobs perfectly on them?

There's a specific sub-forum for people who’ve become friends, so you can keep hanging out there. You can also use PMs. There are plenty of ways to connect that aren't just about padding your post count.

What about all these new people looking to hang out? Does being lonely mean you just scroll down to Offtopic to find someone to meet? Isn't there already a subforum called Lonely Hearts for that?

It actually encourages people to wander away from their specific chat thread and explore other subforums. Not to mention how funny it is seeing folks who NEVER post anywhere except for one single chat topic. 🙄

Prioritizing subforum quality comes first. Bravo. As for everyone else, don't blame me if you're feeling lonely or unhappy. Figure it out yourselves.

No explanation needed on why we don't need a chat on the US platform. Just embrace the chatters, and it's done.

mistywolf17 said:All the moderators for this subforum have reached a consensus that having chats here in the States just doesn't make sense. I've included the reasoning for that decision below.

It seems our forum members need one, quite obviously, since we all rely on them. We aren't some exclusive clique; rather, we're just a group that gathered in the US sub-forum and started a chat, which even included two former US moderators. I guess any member from the US sub-forum is always welcome to join that chat.

The current US moderators aren't really participating in the chat, so I guess they feel like they don't actually need it. It seems like they’re just casually—maybe even arrogantly—pushing all the chat discussions over to Offtopic.

Well, you can certainly keep using them, but maybe just stick to the Offtopic section.

Look, you didn't start this chat. This was my idea from the beginning—I know exactly how I envisioned it—but it became immediately obvious to me that the original plan wouldn't work. I had intended for it to be more of a themed chat, specifically because certain members had been calling for meetups within their subforums. But what actually happened once the chat went live? Not a single sign of those people. It turns out they were just the ones who complain without ever actually following through. That’s why this had to evolve into a standard chat, where people can just talk about whatever they want first, and then eventually get to know each other in real life, just like any other chat on this entire forum.

There were consistently over 50 people participating in that chat.

That is exactly where the issue lies. There are over 50 people active in the chat, yet out of those 50, I guess only about five actually participate anywhere else on the forum.
I guess the US subforum is the kind of space where only a themed chat like our previous "feeling after breakup" thread could really work—you know, where people actually stepped up to comfort one another and offer support. But honestly, I suspect there isn't much of a need or even any interest in starting something like that right now.
It’s somewhat similar to how there are dedicated topical chats on ŽuD.

On these kinds of casual chats, you usually see people who don't really have any connection to the US, so I guess the question naturally comes up: what is the actual purpose of having these chats in America then? 🤷
I don't see any reason to start a revolt here. You guys can keep chatting just like you have been, provided you move it over to Offtopic.

Emma, that was my idea, so please allow me to be the one who best understands how it was intended and how it actually turned out.
It ended up just like any other chat—people talk, and then after a while, they get to know one another. There really isn't any other way for it to work. You didn't invent the concept of meeting people; plenty of others have done exactly that in various chats long before you did.

Besides, the Finger of Fate chat was largely filled with spam. It was nothing but endless posts saying "good morning," "good night," "lol," and things like that. That certainly shouldn't be the purpose of the US.
At least USPSD wasn't a spammy chat, but it also doesn't serve much of a purpose on the US, so it met the same fate.

So what's actually wrong here? Do you even realize how boring those meetups were? There weren't even enough to equal all the other forum chats combined. People travel from miles away just to meet up. Now tell me the chat isn't fulfilling its purpose.

brightridge59 said:That’s perfectly normal. 🤷

Honestly, I feel like the US subforum really doesn't need those dedicated chats. It’s as simple as that.

It’s pretty clear that we need our fellow community members, especially since they are the very heartbeat of everything we do here. We aren't some exclusive, gated clique trying to keep people out; rather, we’re just a group of folks who naturally gravitated toward the US sub-forum and decided to start a chat to keep the conversation going. In fact, two former US moderators were even part of those early discussions. Please know that any member from the US side of the forum is always more than welcome to jump into the chat whenever they feel like joining the fun.

Honestly, I’m struggling to see what difference it makes who exactly was participating in that chat. Does it truly change the substance of what was discussed? 🤔

If you find that you need them, they are right there waiting for you—exactly where they belong.

It seems like the current US moderators aren't really engaging with the chat at all lately. It honestly feels as though they don't see much value in having the conversation active there, so they’ve been quite nonchalant—bordering on arrogant, if I’m being honest—about simply pushing all the discussions over to Offtopic.

Maybe we aren't participating because we simply don't feel like it. Personally, I don't think we really need a dedicated chat feature on the US subforum. It feels like it might just add unnecessary clutter to an area that works perfectly fine as it is.?

It was actually quite impressive to see how lively that chat stayed; we regularly had over 50 people jumping in and engaging with one another at any given time.

I?

Who exactly is it that keeps encouraging these folks to stay involved and keep participating?

If the goal here is really to reduce the load on the main boards, then I honestly feel like we should just move all the casual chat threads from every single sub-forum over to Offtopic. It seems like the most logical way to keep things organized without cluttering up the more serious discussions. If everything is done with that kind of intention behind it, then I truly believe everything is perfectly fine.That being said, if the US forum is an exception to the rule, it really makes you stop and wonder about the objectivity here. It raises some serious questions regarding whether the moderators are actually being impartial, or if there are underlying motives driving this kind of behavior.

Are you really deciding that it’s okay only "if..." certain conditions are met? 😁

Personally, I don't have much of an interest in how the other moderators choose to manage the chat threads on their own sub-forums. It was a collective decision made by the US moderators to move all the chat discussions over to the Offtopic section.

Most of the people hanging out in those chat rooms don't actually contribute anything of substance to the subforum; they just seem to exist solely for the sake of chatting. Honestly, if that's all there is to it, that chat could be hosted anywhere else under the sun. It’s pretty much functioning like that right now anyway.

What kind of explanation is that? What else does he need, just another thread to complain and whine in? The US section is actually the first one among all subforums that really needs a chat for socializing and meeting people. On all the others, you just participate through threads and replies. So you're saying a single chat in Recreation makes more sense than one on the US board? 😕

Personally, I don't really care how other moderators handle chat threads on their own boards. The decision was made collectively by the US moderators to move the chats over to Offtopic.

Instead of actually doing your jobs and moderating chats when they drift off track, you're choosing the easiest way out—just pass the problem onto someone else.

Most of the people in those chats don't contribute anything to the subforum at all, except for chatting. So that chat can be anywhere else. Just like it is now.

Cleaning house, I guess. And funny timing on the move, too—doing it on a Sunday when the fewest users are online to keep the noise down.

testing

driftingcanyon88 said:You can find them at Target in West Hollywood. www.target.com
They carry just about everything, from the standard stuff to more specialized options.

thanks 👍

Where can I pick up some new 1-liter glass bottles with screw caps here in Chicago?

Daniel Doyle7 said:

And obviously, if you just want a quote without any names or links attached, a regular . does the trick.

think I finally figured it out

now I'm feeling pretty damn cool 🙂

just

now I'm feeling pretty good about it 🙂

test

Where can I pick up some okra in NYC?

Matthew Grant9 said:I’ve been sitting here wondering for the last two days if I should actually post anything at all... and well, it turns out I really wanted to.
The real issue with LJES, if you ask me, is that way too many threads immediately devolve into just mocking the person who started them. After those first few posts where everyone competes to see who can tear down the OP the most effectively, the whole thing just falls apart; the actual question being asked rarely gets answered because everything turns into trolling and mindless chatter.
Of course, you see this kind of thing on all the online forums out there, but it feels like on LJES, it’s almost the primary goal for the users. Forgive my bluntness—maybe I’m being a bit too harsh—but to me, it feels like a mob mentality where people are just itching to lynch someone. It seems like most folks find it much easier and more entertaining to attack the poster rather than putting in the effort to offer even a tiny bit of helpful advice.

Things have gone a bit too far, and I imagine it’s tough for the moderators to start enforcing strict rules now, especially since this kind of behavior has been tolerated for such a long time. I totally get that LJES is naturally more laid-back than a lot of other American message boards, but what’s happening there isn't just being casual anymore; it’s becoming blatant, inconsiderate insults. There has to be some sense of moderation.

To give you a specific example of what caught my eye recently, there was that thread about "Women who are unhappy housewives." It was basically a seven-page brawl of pure vitriol—done in the ugliest way possible—interrupted only by the occasional decent comment. Everyone was wound up to a hundred percent, the insults were flying thick and fast, and a few people even got banned... but nobody seemed to care that the original topic had absolutely nothing to do with the spirit of LJES. Honestly, you’d think the mods would care about that.
It feels like LJES is slowly transforming into a little corner for anyone who just wants to vent their frustrations on whoever happens to cross their path.

Exactly. It feels more like a designated zone for venting at the "head of state"—meaning the forum users—often in ways that are increasingly harsh or nasty. There used to be actual interesting stuff to read here. Now, it’s just a circus, especially with the chat cluttering up almost every thread. Sure, it's a more laid-back subforum, but I think the lines were crossed a long time ago. There's this loud minority on LJES that dictates whether a thread stays on topic or devolves into a mass pile-on, and the mods aren't doing much to steer them back. I get that the mods can't be online 24/7, but they have to know something has been off on LJES for a while now.