I had just gotten a 9700pro shortly after release and wanted to learn more about tweaking it.

What do you mainly use the system for?

This system is used only for gaming. Everything else I do is on one of my other computers.

How much did you spend on the rig?

Around $800. Spread over 2 years.

How often do you update/buy a new rig?

I update as often as I can afford it.  Usually at tax refund time.

What components are used?

Abit NF7-S, lapped northbridge with Thermalright NB-1C
AXP 2600+, Thoroughbred-B core.  Running 200x11 for well over a year now.
Thermalright ALX-800, Panaflo 80mm quiet fan.
BFG 6800OC, unlocked 16 pipes running 370 core/800 ram
Intel Gigabit PCI, door prize at an ICC
Pinnacle Studio DC-10
Lite-on burner and a pioneer dvd-rom. Honestly I don’t use optical drives on this very often, I use daemon tools to mount images.
I also have an old zip-100 I use for daily backups of my email
Icute 301 case.  Cheap case, great airflow.  Blowhole, two front blue led fans, rear silent 120mm, side intake.
MS Internet keyboard, Logitech MX500, Labtec Pulse-424 2.1 speakers, CTL 17” monitor.

Why ATI or NVIDIA, why Intel/AMD?

I bought my first AMD processor in 1998 – a K6-2/350 and have never looked back. AMD has always provided more value. I mostly play Everquest and generally nVidia provides more performance in that game.

Does the system work as expected?

Very much so. I am happy with the performance and stability. I work on crappy computers all day and when I get home I want mine to just…work. (Ed: I know the feeling!)

What's the best part of your rig?

The BFG 6800OC with the dual-fan, heatpipe BFG heatsink instead of the reference design.

What sucks and should not have been bought?

Hrm. I have an analog capture card that does not have XP drivers. I use it to capture video from my camcorder.  That’s why I am still dual-booting.

Modified cases/video cards/other? Did you do it yourself? Walk us through it.

I made only minor changes to the case. It was a premod and I really, really like it.  I also lapped the north bridge on the NF-7. 

3DMark scores?

17000ish in 01, 10200ish in 03, 3500ish in 05, 52k in AM3

Future upgrades?

A tube to move the air from the side case fan to directly over the cpu.  A64 and decent overclocking ram.