Tech Bargain Thread: Post Your Deals Here!

Couperin47

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Couperin47

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Seasonic SS-660XP2 ATX 12V/EPS 12V, 660W, 80 PLUS PLATINUM Full Modular power supply
with promo code EMCYTZG486   $100 - $20 rebate = $80     til 6/17
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=17-151-121

Seasonic's rarely go on sale and this is the Bentley of power supplies, over the top in every respect: platinum efficiency is, frankly, stupid, 660w will power pretty much anything, modular, 7 year warranty. This is like wearing a Rolex or a Patek Philippe, something of far less quality will get the job done just fine...
 

Couperin47

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at the Lenovo Outlet    Tuesday morning

Lenovo G500s    refurbs  $437.92   42 in stock
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/59RF0934/445

Intel i5-32340M (2.6 Ghz, NVIDIA GeForce GT720M video)
15.6" 1366x768 LED MultiTouch screen
8 Gig ram
1 Tb, 5400 rpm HD
DVD burner
b/g/n + BT wifi
2 x USB3, 1xUSB2, card reader, vga + hdmi video out
Win 8 x64

Only weirdness ethernet is only 10/100, no gig speed.
 
 

Couperin47

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Dell Outlet continues big sale, all codes good til 6/22
 
30% off on select Inspiron laptops: use code X7HK0B2V$V$N1M
25% off on select XPS 14 Ultrabooks: use code T9SLV7V3VW$8V4
25% off on other select Inspiron laptops: use code XVX2D1FTGPJPTW
20% off on XPS 11 2-in-1 Ultrabooks: use code 9H9Z?Q$$HV8X07
 
25% off on monitors: use code 2PK39C6PSBG2T5
 
http://www.dell.com/learn/us/en/22/campaigns/gdo_consumer_sale?c=us&l=en&s=dfh&dgc=EM&cid=278924&lid=5286268
 
Free ship, full one year warranty on everything except monitors that are only 90 days now.
 

Couperin47

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Newegg combo Shell Shocker just today 6/19
 
You never see me mentioning combo build buys because whether at Newegg or Tiger, they virtually always include a deal breaker: either based on an AMD cpu which is a very poor seller because it's so weak, a really crummy obsolete (no front panel USB 3 ports) case or a true no-name junk power supply. Today is an exception:
 
Intel i5-4440 3.1 Ghz
Rosewill Redbone U3 case
Gigabyte GA-Z87-DS3H motherboard
Rosewill ARC 550 ps
Kingston HyperX Fury Red (2 x 4 Gig) 1866 DDR3 ram
 
Total cost (with $10 rebate on case) = $400
http://www.newegg.com/special/shellshocker.aspx?nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL061914&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL061914-_-EMC-061914-Index-_-MECH-_-ShellShocker-L2B
 
The CPU is mainstream (best for the buck), the motherboard is also a great mainstream budget board, the case is one of my favorite inexpensive modern designs, the memory is from the best of the majors and even an unnecessary step up from the common 1600 speed, the only weakness in this bundle is the ps, and it's OK, not junk, as long as you don't add a really high end video card. Anyway you look at this the savings are around $80...
 

NortheasternPJ

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So I ended up buying a 24" Dell monitor at the sale last week. I ended up going for the ST2421L. $119, so i figured why not. I got it yesterday and I'm pleasantly surprised. The display is clear, crisp and the viewing angles are better than I expected. As this is used 100% for office work, visios etc. it was a great buy.
 
Thanks for the help Couperin.
 

Couperin47

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Newegg this weekend:

Antec Nine Hundred case, with promo code (on page) and $20 rebate = $70    til 6/26
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

Finally, Antec is updating their case line to notice we have had USB 3 now since 2010.

3 120mm fans and a top mounted 200mm fan, all with speed control switches.
Tons of mounts for any sort of drives
Side window

 A serious case, the only knocks on it: doesn't include dust filters and less than perfect cable room behind the mb panel.
 
 
Crucial MX100 CT512MX100SSD1 2.5" 512GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

ONLY TODAY: 6/20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148821

512 Gb SSD with promo code EMCPDHP92 = $205

prices on big SSD continue to slide down, 7 mm thick, will fit all laptops, Marvell controller .


SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-MTE120BW 120GB mSATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)     $85
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147315

If your laptop has an mSATA slot, this 120 Gb SSD is what you want to make your boot drive.
 
 

bohous

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Looks like the laptop my kids share is starting to bonk. Any opinion on these deals?
 
Lenovo G500   
i5-3230M processor (2 cores, 2.60GHz, 3MB cache)
6GB (2GB & 4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
Intel® HD Graphics 4000
 
Lenovo G510  
 i3-4000M processor (2 cores, 2.40GHz, 3MB cache)
4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz SODIMM Memory
Intel® HD Graphics 4600
 
Other than homework it will be used for Minecrafting and browser based games like Club Penguin, AnimalJam and whatever they find on Nick.com etc, which can be pretty demanding. My wife will probably want to run Sims3 at some point too. Otherwise no need for a lot of storage or huge battery or HDMI. 
 

Couperin47

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bohous said:
Looks like the laptop my kids share is starting to bonk. Any opinion on these deals?
 
Lenovo G500   
i5-3230M processor (2 cores, 2.60GHz, 3MB cache)
6GB (2GB & 4GB) PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz SDRAM SODIMM Memory
Intel® HD Graphics 4000
 
Lenovo G510  
 i3-4000M processor (2 cores, 2.40GHz, 3MB cache)
4 GB PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM 1600MHz SODIMM Memory
Intel® HD Graphics 4600
 
Other than homework it will be used for Minecrafting and browser based games like Club Penguin, AnimalJam and whatever they find on Nick.com etc, which can be pretty demanding. My wife will probably want to run Sims3 at some point too. Otherwise no need for a lot of storage or huge battery or HDMI. 
 
The difference between 4000 and 4600 Intel graphics is minor, overall the i5 with 6 Gig ram will outperform the i3 with 4 Gig by enough so it it will be noticeable. Neither is going to be a gaming powerhouse, but I think you already understand that. here's the direct comparison in serious detail, also remember the 6 Gig of ram will also make that laptop faster: http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i5-3230M-vs-Intel-Core-i3-4000M
 

bohous

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Thanks, that cpuboss link is really helpful (doesn't appear that the GPUboss recognizes integrated gpus though). Hard to tell if these are really good deals since it seems like Lenovo is dramatically overstating the original list prices. The G500 with those original specs has come and gone for around $410 a few times today but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 

Couperin47

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bohous said:
Thanks, that cpuboss link is really helpful (doesn't appear that the GPUboss recognizes integrated gpus though). Hard to tell if these are really good deals since it seems like Lenovo is dramatically overstating the original list prices. The G500 with those original specs has come and gone for around $410 a few times today but haven't pulled the trigger yet.
 
Yes Lenovo list prices are inflated, look at my post for 6/9, the list prices for Helix models are absurd, otoh all that really matters is what they are selling them for...
 

Couperin47

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Newegg deals:
 
Rebates on many Corsair power supplies thru 6/30 plus and additional 10% off on many of their PS and cases:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&DEPA=0&Order=BESTMATCH&Description=PPSSHVIQHMFXCS&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL062414&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL062414-_-EMC-062414-Index-_-CasePSU-_-LEB0A
 
The Carbide SPEC-03 case in black is gamer/military styling (huge window) mid-tower, but 2 good fans, tons of cooling options, good front panel design & filters and with $10 rebate are a good buy at $50. The identical case in red trim is not as good as the shipping is an additional $8 instead of free.   http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139038
 

Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus 2014 3 Devices
$20 - $15 rebate = $5  til 6/30
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832296079
 
This is one of my favorites, cloud based, continually updating, easy initial setup, very lightweight on resources and footprint. Actually insensitive if you happen to use on more than 3 devices.. Plays well with MS Defender on Win 7. THIS IS FIVE FRIGGIN BUCKS FOR A FULL YEAR OF DECENT PROTECTION.
 
 
Syba USB 3.0 PCI-e internal card   with promo code EMCPDHF75  $13
 
Best option to add USB 3.0 to that older desktop. Here's why: cards like this are basically one chip. The original USB 3 chip was made by NEC and it's still the best/fastest. Now owned by Renesas, it's always your best option,
this card uses that chip, in addition it offers both rear ports AND a standard internal header to attach to a modern case with front panel USB 3.0 ports. You also get a 2nd low profile bracket to use in small cases. You need a mb with a PCI-e slot (the very short connector, hopefully not blocked by a large video card sitting next to it...) and must attach a standard additional molex 4 pin power connect to your PS to fully power these ports.
 

Couperin47

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PNY Optima SSD7SC240GOPT-RB   240GB SSD  with promo code EXLEMC2372 and $20 rebate = $85
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=20-178-720&nm_mc=EMC-GD062514&cm_mmc=EMC-GD062514-_-index-_-Item-_-20-178-720
 
Sata III, 7mm thickness will fit all slim laptops.
 
This allows me to mention several trends. First, we have a 240 Gig SSD priced below many 128 Gig models. PNY has been around a long time, they make a wide range of memory products and video cards, but they are and always have been a 2nd tier budget brand. When first shipped, this model got decent mid-pack reviews and at this price it's clearly a bargain. Now PNY is doing something that others have done and it's becoming ...controversial:
 
First OCZ started changing the components in existing models (the memory used and sometimes the controller) without changing model names. One of the reasons, though not the biggest (pure crap quality) that landed them in bankruptcy. Recently Kingston, a first tier maker did the same thing with some of their models, switching to a slower controller, without changing model numbers. They have been getting trashed throughout the industry for this, though several sites have (a total coincidence, of course) all produced editorials saying that "as long as the shipping product meets the published specs for that model, you consumers shouldn't be worrying your pretty widdle heads about what's inside..." Pretty much all review sites are at the mercy of suppliers for their free review examples, so this response is not totally unexpected. Consumers have pushed back, reminding them that they base their purchases on the reviews, not the specs and if this position is to be taken seriously, wtf is the point of the reviews since we can't rely on even getting the same product ?
 
In this case we know PNY replaced the original rather standard Sandforce controller with a newer model by Silicon Motion. This is actually a far newer model and actually has better speeds and features, but in a few cases, there seems to be some incompatibilities with the BIOS of some older laptops, but that's a risk as any technology evolves, for most this shouldn't be an issue.
 
Keep in mind, all but the worst crap SSD drives are so much faster than any mechanical hard drive that using one as a replacement boot drive is the single most important thing you can do to really increase the speed and efficiency of any computer. The 240 Gig size is excellent even for gamers (an SSD should never be filled to more than 80% of capacity or both speed and it's life are seriously degraded... let's do the math: most 240 Gig drives offer a real formatted c. 216. Win 7 or 8 with a decent selection of standard apps takes up 45 Gig, leaving c. 128 Gig for games or files if it's in a laptop with no 2nd drive for files.
 
Software to clone your existing drive is freely available from the makers and others, at $85 it's getting silly not to have an SSD boot drive. Also keep in mind many current laptops offer either mSata or M.2 slots which allow you to keep your existing HD and add an SSD that can be your boot drive... the best of both worlds. The bad news is pretty much no one ships with these installed, but in most cases it's only a 5 min job to find the mSata or M.2 slot and plug a card in...
 
 
Seagate 600 480Gig SSD  til 6/27   $220 - $10 coupon code CYR132319 - $30 rebate = $180
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=8037064&sku=TSSD-4800
 
7mm thickness, will fit in most any laptop... when you need lots of storage. Uses Toshiba NAND and a LankAMedia controller that is relatively new but an above average performer.
More proof of how fast prices are coming down.
 

Couperin47

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Lenovo Outlet 6/26 evening
 
A bunch of ThinkPad L540 refurb all single listing at same price so I won't link to any specific one all $401.62
 
This is pretty powerful laptop:
 
BEWARE THEY HAVE SOME WITH i3-4000m CPU AND SOME WITH i5-4200m CPU all at same price...MORE IRRATIONAL PRICING...you want the i5 of course.
15.6 displays (the i3 have 1366x768, the i5 have 1920x1080)
4 Gig ram
500 GB 7200 rpm HD
DVD burner
Trackpoints as well as trackpads cuz it's a Thinkpad
b/g/n wifi, BT and Gig ethernet
vga and displayport video outputs
card reader
6 cell battery (longer battery life)
 
They ALL have an M.2 slot that you can add a boot ssd into in 3 mins, a few already have this filled with a mostly useless 16 Gig SSD which can only be used as a cache to speed up the HD.
Amazon has 2 brands of 128Gig M.2 2242 SSD (which is what this takes) for $93 and $98 and other brands are about to ship.
If you can snag one of the i5 models.. great deal.
 
Weirder still also a bunch of L440, the 14" model, all of these with i3 cpu, all for.. $403.20...two dollars more... you figure it out...
 
There are a bunch of other Thinkpad i3 cpu models at better prices than the past month, but when they are offering i5 units for the same price... hold out for the better processor...
Also today, Thinkpad models are going for the same or even better prices than other Lenovo laptops with similar features/cpu....making them uninteresting.
 

Couperin47

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Pudge Gumley said:
The Thinkpad Twist that Coup linked to in post 184 (and gave a hearty, persuasive endorsement as well) is now at an even lower price of $325, after going up over $400 for a couple of weeks.
I bought one to replace our Toshiba that runs a perpetual fever and has to be plugged in to stay running longer than 5 minutes.  
 
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/20C4XF1/445
 
Keep in mind that comes with a 24 Gig mSATA drive installed, again too small to be anything but a semi-useless cache to sorta speed up the HD, you can replace that at any time with any of dozens of 128 Gig mSATA drives and make that your boot drive, which will feel like you added a turbocharger to it.
 

AlNipper49

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Couperin47 said:
 
Keep in mind that comes with a 24 Gig mSATA drive installed, again too small to be anything but a semi-useless cache to sorta speed up the HD, you can replace that at any time with any of dozens of 128 Gig mSATA drives and make that your boot drive, which will feel like you added a turbocharger to it.
Or maybe just use it for a speedy drive for your swap?
 

Couperin47

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AlNipper49 said:
Or maybe just use it for a speedy drive for your swap?
 
I'm under the impression the software Lenovo gives you makes it operate to accomplish that inherently in the way it caches the HD.  I freely admit I get twitchy when I'm dealing with ANY puter that doesn't have at least 2 physical drives, but then I'm just antediluvian school....
 

AlNipper49

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Weird. I guess it could work along the lines of the 3.5s that do it, but it strikes me as the type of thing that I'd lose patience with wuickly
 

Couperin47

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AlNipper49 said:
Weird. I guess it could work along the lines of the 3.5s that do it, but it strikes me as the type of thing that I'd lose patience with wuickly
 
OK a bit of snooping here https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPad-Edge-S-series/Is-ExpressCache-available-for-manual-loading/td-p/1195903 tells me the Expresscache software actually takes the 22 Gig and creates 2 partitions: a 7 Gig IFFS patition that does Intel Rapid Start and Hibernation and a 15 Gig primary that tries to buffer/cache the HD.
 

Couperin47

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At Lenovo Outlet
 
Still some i5 L540 there

Lenovo ThinkCentre M93p    New   $561  over 80 in stock
http://outlet.lenovo.com/outlet_us/itemdetails/10A8S12U00/445

Think of this as a mini-desktop (7" x 7" x 1.5"), or more like a laptop chassis sans the screen (it uses a laptop type separate ps brick).
They pack a lot into this, as long as you understand there's zlich expansion.

i5-4570 quad cpu 3.2 Ghz
Intel 4600 graphics
8 Gig ram (only 2 memory slots, both filled)
500 Gig 7200 rpm HD
DVD burner
Gig ethernet  a/b/g/n wifi & BT
Vga and mini-displayport
3 USB 3.0 & 1 USB 2.0
keyboard & mouse
Win 7 Pro (deliberately downgraded from 8.1...undoubtedly configured for some large enterprise customer)

You can literally mount this to the back of some Lenovo monitors.

If you know you won't want to add drives etc. reasonably priced and ready to run.
 
 

Couperin47

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LG Electronics 24M45H 24" 1900x1080 monitor  with promo code $110 til 7/4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824005617&

Basic cheap 24" monitor, TN screen, vga and HDMI inputs only, separate power brick, basic stand just tilts.
One 'extra': it has VESA mount which most bottom end monitors omit these days.
Seriously, your eyes deserve better which can be had easily for another $50....but some just want the cheapest.


Canon D530 Multi-function printer with promo code EMCPCPW38  $70  til 7/4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828142468

Basic multifunction: prints, copies scans. No doc feeder. Starter cart good for c. 1,000 pages, uses Canon 128 carts,
generics of this can be had easily for under $18 and it's the only consumable.


Antec TP-750C 750w 80+Gold PS with promo code & $30 rebate = $60 til 7/4
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371073

Yes, there are other brands besides Corsair. Not modular but high efficiency, excellent quality, 750w will power anything for only 60 bucks.


Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - High Air Flow Test Bench and LAN Box Desktop Computer Case  with promo code and $15 rebate   $75 til 7/7
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119265

This is a special case, a cube formfactor unlike others, very handy for testing, lans etc. Hard to describe, one look at the pix and you'll understand.
This sort of product almost never goes on sale. Because of the design, some limitations on PS and coolers you can/should use so approach without making normal assumptions.


Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus  cpu cooler with $10 rebate = $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103065

The classic 'better cooler', comes within a few degrees of $200 air or water coolers, nobody really needs anything more expensive unless
you're into competition overclocking (yeah, it's a thing... and they use liquid nitrogen). Only issue, it's tall like most tower coolers and won't fit small cases.
 

Couperin47

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Today only 7/1 Newegg Combo ShellShocker:
 
Intel i5-4690K cpu
MSI Z97 SLI Plus motherboard
Rosewill ARC 650 80 Plus Bronze PS
 
with one $15 rebate = $390
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBundleDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.1716298
 
Newegg is starting to offer better combos: In this case we have the top end i5 "K" version cpu for overclocking, a high end MSI mb featuring the latest and greatest Intel Z97 chipset,
 and the sorta weak link, but still decent Rosewill 650 w power supply, it's semi-modular and a good modern design.  Legit savings around $50 and no junk here, the basis of a serious build.
 

Couperin47

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Staples has a 20% off any one item coupon, but it can't be used for computers, laptops, notebooks or phones.  til 7/6
In store code 28521
 
At the same your local Staples also has a sale on a number of items you CAN use it with:
My fav:
 
Canon MF4770n laser multifunction, their basic 'does it all well' unit. $100 + use the coupon = $80
 
Canon MF8280Cw COLOR laser multifunction, this one also does wireless, phone and Google Cloud print  $300 + use coupon = $240
 
Also Staples has an online/phone code 69572 $75 extra off any "Clearance PC"
 
Currently this includes:
 
Lenovo G510s  $540 - $75 code = $465
http://www.staples.com/Lenovo-G510s-156-Touchscreen-Laptop/product_578111
 
15.6 touchscreen
i3-4000M 2.4 Ghz cpu
4 Gig ram
500 Gb 5400 rpm HD
b/g/n wifi (no BT)
10/100 ethernet (no Gig ethernet)
DVD burner
vga & hdmi video out
Win 8.1
 

Couperin47

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Newegg til 7/10 sales:

My 2 favorite AV programs back at rock bottom prices: I run BOTH of these together, no interference issues, total load on cpu under 3%.

ESET NOD32 with promo code EMCPCPF85 = $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832114041

Despite name for both 32 & 64 bit Windows versions, while it says good for up to 3 computers, in fact I know people who run as many as 6 on one license, they don't notice/care.


Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Plus with promo code EMCPCPF59 = $6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832296080

Cloud based, very small memory footprint, tons of extras: sandbox, privacy shields on social sites, also AV protection, theft and backup for your android or IOS phone, also while they claim you can use license on 3 devices, in fact, again, they don't notice/care if installed on 5.
 

leftfieldlegacy

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Couperin47 said:
Newegg til 7/10 sales:

My 2 favorite AV programs back at rock bottom prices: I run BOTH of these together, no interference issues, total load on cpu under 3%.

ESET NOD32 with promo code EMCPCPF85 = $20
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832114041

Despite name for both 32 & 64 bit Windows versions, while it says good for up to 3 computers, in fact I know people who run as many as 6 on one license, they don't notice/care.


Webroot SecureAnywhere Internet Plus with promo code EMCPCPF59 = $6
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1683229608

Cloud based, very small memory footprint, tons of extras: sandbox, privacy shields on social sites, also AV protection, theft and backup for your android or IOS phone, also while they claim you can use license on 3 devices, in fact, again, they don't notice/care if installed on 5.
 
Should I un-install MSE and defender before installing/downloading these?
 
Also, The Webroot link doesn't work. I checked the Newegg site and I think there's a zero missing as the last digit of the item number.
 

Couperin47

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leftfieldlegacy said:
 
Should I un-install MSE and defender before installing/downloading these?
 
Also, The Webroot link doesn't work. I checked the Newegg site and I think there's a zero missing as the last digit of the item number.
sorry
yeah the webroot link is
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832296080
 
If you are running Win 7 then you can actually keep MSE live, I run all three concurrently. As I recall NOD may complain if it sees that there but will still install. Webroot doesn't mind in the least what else is running.
Under Win 8 or 8.1 MS Defender gets unloaded as soon as you install any other, install NOD first.
 

CoRP

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Couperin47 said:
TODAY ONLY 7/8 Newegg Shellshocker
 
Canon COLOR MF 8280Cw multifunction -$180 with free ship
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16828142618
 
This one does everything...in color. Duplex doc feeder, wireless connect, scan to a USB drive, Mac AirPrint, ethernet connect.
This usually runs $260 (that's what Amazon wants today).
Bought it. Thanks.
 

CoRP

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Couperin47 said:
Antec GX500 Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case    $50 -  $5 promo code - $15 rebate = $30
Good til 7/14
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129191

Great deal on one of Antec's new line, excellent front panel (top actually) , 3 fans and controller, good filters.
This is as cheap as you can get for a decent case.
 
Serious question. What am I supposed to do with this? Buy it and slowly wait to build my dream machine?
 
Hey Nip, what do you think? Should I try to piece together a killer home-office machine from NewEgg deals over the next month or so?
 

AlNipper49

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CoRP said:
Serious question. What am I supposed to do with this? Buy it and slowly wait to build my dream machine?
 
Hey Nip, what do you think? Should I try to piece together a killer home-office machine from NewEgg deals over the next month or so?
For home office shit just buy whatever. If you want an awesome media machine for gaming, movies and other fun stuff then build. We have a guy who builds custom PCs all day long that I can help ya
 

Couperin47

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CoRP said:
Serious question. What am I supposed to do with this? Buy it and slowly wait to build my dream machine?
 
Hey Nip, what do you think? Should I try to piece together a killer home-office machine from NewEgg deals over the next month or so?
 
I mentioned the strategy in a post a while back: case is one of the things you can buy first: virtually all issues are shipping damage which is obvious so you don't need any other components to 'test'.
Things most likely to be bad: Memory and motherboard.  I always buy them last so you can do basic assemble and exchange anything within 30 days if necessary.
 

CoRP

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Ok. Thanks. I'll go back and read previous posts.
 
So, this is an ideal case for a high end rig?
 

Couperin47

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CoRP said:
Ok. Thanks. I'll go back and read previous posts.
 
So, this is an ideal case for a high end rig?
 
Ideal is in the eye of the beholder, for some unless the side panels are sound deadening and the fans are ultra low noise, etc it's not ideal. Such cases run up to $250 or more.
This case imposes no obstacles and has all the basic functionality for a serious build... for a song.
If high end means good separate video card and perhaps a 'few' drives both SSD and mechanical.. yes.
The 3 fans are placed 2 on top and one in back so it's all exhaust, which is fine unless you're seriously overclocking, in which case I'd add front fans blowing in.
In any case with any i5 or i7, even if not overclocking,  I always prefer to splurge the 20 bucks for the Hyper 212+ (see my July 1 post) when it's on sale, instead of the toy hs/fan Intel provides.
 

CoRP

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Perfect. Yeah, I don't care about noise deadening. Just want a great home/business/gaming computer that can support multiple monitors and run Bloomberg while playing Call of Duty.
 
And done.  I got a case, Nip. 
 
Now all I need are monitors, video cards, CPU, motherboard, power supply, fans, ram, HDD etc etc etc
 

Couperin47

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CoRP said:
Perfect. Yeah, I don't care about noise deadening. Just want a great home/business/gaming computer that can support multiple monitors and run Bloomberg while playing Call of Duty.
 
And done.  I got a case, Nip. 
 
Now all I need are monitors, video cards, CPU, motherboard, power supply, fans, ram, HDD etc etc etc
 
Read the "Computer Build Questions - uh oh" thread  last commented on 6/16 for tips on how to build.. and what can go wrong...
 

CoRP

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That thread frightens me. I'm going to build this thing very slowly.
 
What's my order of purchases?
 
1) Case
2) Power Supply
3) Fans?
4) ?
 

jayhoz

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CoRP said:
That thread frightens me. I'm going to build this thing very slowly.
 
What's my order of purchases?
 
1) Case
2) Power Supply
3) Fans?
4) ?
 
1) Motherboard that fits the case
2) Components that fit the MB in whichever order you choose.
 

Couperin47

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CoRP said:
That thread frightens me. I'm going to build this thing very slowly.
 
What's my order of purchases?
 
1) Case
2) Power Supply
3) Fans?
4) ?
 
If you buy from Newegg you get, basically, 30 days to return/exchange anything from them without needing to deal with the manufacturer. The strategy is to buy the things that 'might' be bad (and which you can't tell until you actually build) LAST so you can immediately build and send back only dealing with Newegg. The 2 items most likely to be bad are the memory and the mb (btw the case mentioned above will fit any current mb, no issue). So you buy everything else first and assuming the boxes arrive without looking like they were dropkicked from the 50 yard line, you buy mb and memory last and the clock starts ticking. Some items like the cpu... both Newegg and Amazon have sales that are always $20 off, you want a high end i5 probably (but not the "K" model unless you intend to overclock). The only way to beat those prices is buying at an actual Microcenter who often have these cpus for an extra $20 off...and nobody ever gets a bad cpu.
 
Everything else, you buy when there's a good sale...when you have all the rest.. then you buy the mb and ram. As it happens, there are never any huge sales on either. 2 4 Gig sticks of DDR3 1600 are going to run you $70-80 and 16 Gig of this ram will run $145-$160 and some decent brand is on sale EVERY week.
 
Scared you're about to buy something 'wrong'...just ask us. Meanwhile you watch for sales on monitors where there are some big sales and you can save $50 - $80 sometimes more on an item.  You can do on a monitor what you just did on the printer...that's where the real savings are to be found. So decide now, you say you want serious gaming: a single big monitor ? a 2 or 3 monitor setup for an "immersive" experience ? Give us a clue where you're heading and we can point you towards the brands and models you start watching for discounts.
 

CoRP

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One high quality monitor would be for gaming. 2-3 others would be for business. I am planning to run Bloomberg/BloombergTv as well as an Eze Castle OMS and MS Office simultaneously on this set-up.
 
I bought that Samsung 250GB SSD for $129.
 

Couperin47

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CoRP said:
One high quality monitor would be for gaming. 2-3 others would be for business. I am planning to run Bloomberg/BloombergTv as well as an Eze Castle OMS and MS Office simultaneously on this set-up.
 
I bought that Samsung 250GB SSD for $129.
 
Interrelated decisions you need to make: 1 or 2 video cards. Sizes and resolutions of monitors, any PS at or above 650w will handle 2 of all but the most powerful (and stupidly priced) video cards. As long as the gaming is on a single monitor, no matter what native resolution (even the biggest 30") can be driven from a single DVI dual output which any decent card will have. Decide if you intend to use Displayport at all, that will help narrow your monitor choices. Also, what's your favorite games ? AMD v nVidia can be argued endlessly... what is true is that various game houses tailor their output somewhat to one or the other. Virtually all video driver updates are irrelevant for business and common tasks, it's all tweaks for games, usually specific to new latest games, so one brand simply runs some games better than the other. If you are addicted to one game or company, it pays to go with their preferred partner.
 

CoRP

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The gaming monitor is for my son. He plays CoD, GTA V and Skyrim but if he had to pick it would be GTA. The other monitors are for me. I need at least 3 for work. Preferably 4.