Gamers Log I: Resurrecting My Thermaltake LANBox (Project BLACK)

New Lease on Life

The Thermaltake LANBox is easily one of the most unique micro ATX Cases ever made. With its unique modular design and carrying handle, it’s the ultimate LAN Party weapon. Unfortunately....in my case.... it’s been abandoned in a closet for half a decade. Well today that ends, as today this case will live on! Well at least it will house a new Gaming/Media Center build.

Yea....this is what it looked like brand new.

 

. This is what she look like now.

The Past 5 years have not been kind to you my friend.

I can tell you this, This PC was no slouch in its day. In fact, this was quite a formidable little beast.

At its Core:
Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo
Motherboard: Abit Fatl1ty F-190HD
RAM: 4GB ATi Branded OCZ PC2 6400
Graphics Card: ATi Radeon 3870 512 MB

As you can see from the photo above, it was all cooled by a custom water cooled setup that was put together by me and good friend. This setup kept everything inside humming along cool and quiet.

The custom loop consisted of a Danger Den CPU Block and North Bridge block.

As it is now, it won’t boot. Honestly, I’m not surprised. However the Pump still works although the reservoir is cracked. Radiator still looks good, who knows….maybe it will see new life in this new build. Honestly not sure if I will be going the liquid cooled or Air cooled route……Could always go passive……I don’t know. See this is why I love PCs, endless possibilities! 

Keep watching this space, will be posting progress reports as I go. 

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R9 Nano in pictures.

AMD has officially lifted the veil from its newest Fiji powered baby and it may surprise you as to how this card has been configured. For starters we are talking about a fully enabled Fiji core here. Nothing trimmed nothing stripped. All 4096 stream processors, all 64 ROPs….. Everything! So what makes this different from a Fury X? The Nano is designed with a 175 watts TDP and a thermal limit of 75⁰c. Once the card hits up against this barrier its starts to throttle itself down to remain within the set parameters. As for clock speeds, the Nano rated to run “up to” 1000Mhz core and 500Mhz for the HBM memory. I say “up to” 1000Ghz as the aggressive throttling will most likely keep this card from sustaining its maximum clocks, unless you have sufficient cooling to keep it humming along at a steady clip. This begs to question how this card will perform in the confines of a tiny ITX case! Not much air flow to be had in these things.

Either way, this should result in a pretty speedy card, just falling short of the R9 Fury. We will have to wait and see when the card becomes available in the coming weeks. As for price, $649 USD! Yes, you read that right. Not sure if I agree with this price point as I think AMD is missing out on a great opportunity here. Had they stayed in the $400 bracket, it would probably been a more attractive offer. At this price point, I see no reason to get this over a R9 Fury X in my opinion.

More pictures below courtesy of guru3D.

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R9 Nano coming to a PCI-E slot near you.

AMD’s third entry based on their Fiji core is nearing release. Word on the street is that the Nano should be available by late August to early September. This is probably the most anticipated graphics card release in quite a long time. AMD is promising faster performance than the outgoing flagship the R9 290x but at far less power draw, 175 watts to be exact compared to the 275 watts of the R9 290x. This card is definitely going to be a favorite among small form factor PC builders. The only thing that we need to know now is the price. Given the way the market looks right now, we could be looking at a $450+ part. That would place it between the R9 390X and R9 Fury. Would be nice if it hit at the sub $300 dollar mark but that’s just wishful thinking I guess as it would cannibalize the R9 300 series…..A guy can dream though.

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Windows 10 Blocking Bootleg Software and Hardware?

Windows users all around the world are tad bit nervous as some troubling news has come up regarding Microsoft’s new unified agreement. What this could mean for the end user is that Microsoft can scan your system for pirated software and block them. That’s all fine dandy as we are not promoting software piracy here, but this could also have dire consequences on the hardware front as well.

"We may automatically check your version of the software and download software updates or configuration changes, including those that prevent you from accessing the Services, playing counterfeit games, or using unauthorized hardware peripheral devices. You may also be required to update the software to continue using the Services"

So what does this mean for us the end users? What determines what hardware is considered Unauthorized? Hopefully the boys and girls over at Redmond will clear this matter up soon. With over 53 million Windows 10 installs recorded so far, you can understand why a lot of people are freaking out right now.

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Lian Li Introduces ASUS ROG-Certified PC-Q17 Mini-ITX Case

Lian Li has just removed the covers off its new co-branded ROG PC-Q17 mini ITX case. With its sharp lines and minimalistic design, the PC-Q17 has a very futuristic look and feel. There is even a glowing red ROG logo on the left side panel. The case is designed to go well with the ROG Maximus Impact mini-ITX motherboards.

Lots of drive options available.

Even supports large radiators.

More info can be found at Lian Li

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My Deviant Art Profile.

So Yea, I Finally Created a Deviant Art Profile.

I will be updating this Page and my DeviantArt Profile with both new and older drawings that I have done over the years. You can check out my profile here.

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LEGO Millennium Falcon

There are 2 forces in this world capable of limitless creative power, Lego Blocks and Duct Tape! Although I’m pretty sure no duct tape was used in the making of this beautiful work of art! If it exists, you can build it out of Legos I always say and this my friends is proof. This has got to be the most impressive Lego creation I have seen in a very, very long time! Star Wars fan or not, this is a masterpiece! A prime example of creativity and skill……and the awesomeness that is Lego and Star Wars mind you. The attention to detail is incredible. Every corridor, every pipe down to the very last bulkhead is represented accurately here. Even Han and Chewy fit comfortably on the flight deck! The “Lego Falcon” yea that’s what I’m calling it, took 2 months of meticulous planning and Lego stacking to complete and features LED lights strategically placed throughout the ol falcon that truly brings her to life!

Titan Creations, the masterminds behind the Lego Falcon are based out of Singapore and built the Falcon for Legoland Malaysia’s May 4^th Star Wars Day event. 

Check out the pics below to get a better sense of what the Lego Falcon looks like. If you’re interested to learn more about the brilliant people behind this amazing build, check out their Facebook page Titan Creations.

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