Age/Occupation/Location?
22 / Graphic Artist / Winnipeg, Manitoba - Canada

How long have you been a member of Guru3D forums?
2-3 years?

What did you first come here for?
Probably got linked to an article... I come back everyday for the enthusiast news now :)

What do you mainly use the system for?
what don't I use it for :) Gaming (of course), audio + recording (Im a DJ), internet / networking with people... and recently I threw in a DVB (Digital video broadcasting) card and now watch satellite tv on here too.

How much did you spend on the rig?
oh god, I just picked up an X-Fi elite... and that's after all the other expensive toys for this thing. Its embarrassing, I honestly lost count - its definitely in the thousands :P (I have a good job...haha)

How often do you update/buy a new rig?
A complete new platform (cpu/mobo/ram etc...) every 2 years. Updates (like the DVB card and X-fi) every 3-4 months.  Looking forward to the Agea PhysX cards in the near future.

What components are used?

• AMD64 3500+ (winchester) @ 2.7GHz 1.5v - watercooled by 1/2" DangerDen TDX
• Asus A8N-SLI Deluxe (bios 1011)
• 2GB (4x512) OCZ Platinum Rev 2 @ 450 2-3-2-7 2.9v
• 2x eVGA 6800GT @ 440/1174 - watercooled by 2x 1/2" DangerDen NV-68s
• 22" Viewsonic P225fb Professional CRT
• Creative Audigy 2 w/ GigaWorks 750 7.1 Surround
• 2x 74GB Western Digital Raptors in RAID-0
• NEC dual-layer DVD
• Matrix Orbital LCD bay
• OCZ Powerstream 600watt
• Black Ice Xtreme II Rad, 1/2" Tubing, Innovatek Tank-o-Matic Resevoir, DangerDen 12v pump
• Logitech MX518 1600dpi mouse + IceMat 2nd edition
• Logitech Elite cordless duo Keyboard/Mouse
• Logitech Freedom 2.4 Joystick

Why ATI or NVIDIA, why Intel/AMD?
I would like to think I picked the best or most premium product that was on the market at the time. I chose nVidia last year when nForce 4 had come out because there was simply nothing else like it in terms of performance - SLI is a true joy for a performance and graphics gaming junkie such as myself.  Ati has yet to knock down nvidia, and looks like crossfire is nothing special (60Hz 1600x1200 limitation anyone? arrgg.. cant imagine that on my 22" CRT :| ) As for the rest of the gear, I firmly believe Lian li makes the best cases, Danger den the best water cooling, etc... On another note, My old rig is a Pentium 4 2.4b with a ATI 9700pro... which now my dad uses after upgrading to a x800XL. :)

Does the system work as expected?
haha, not always.. Im always tweaking settings or updating bioses... Im never satisfied, but I guess that's why I guru ;) Overall its rock solid, and I ensure prime stress tests pass every time I make a switch.

What's the best part of your rig?
Anyone can have performance, but its the style that counts haha ;)

What sucks and should not have been bought?
Oh god, this time around I made sure to do my homework and every part was scrutinized and carefully selected.  The whole thing fits together like a jigsaw puzzle. (some of that was luck...) I actually did end up having to replace my 550w AC Ryan modular PSU with the OCZ 600w since it blew up :/ On my old rig what should have never been bought was the thermaltake Aquarius II ghetto water cooling kit, but hey.. foot in the door to bigger things right?

Modified cases/video cards/other? Did you do it yourself? Walk us through it.
Yeah, most of the mods were done by myself or assisted by a friend with the right tools. It mostly consisted of drilling a lot of holes for the fan exhaust / intake, as well as the water cooling fill-port / air bleed.

3DMark scores?
3DMark03 - 23,000+ http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k3=4102331
3DMark05 - 11,000+ http://service.futuremark.com/compare?3dm05=1252140

Future upgrades?
Always.  It sometimes surprises me what end up in here.

**Images on next page...