Buildmeasystem

There was a 970 ACX. Was only out for the initial launch stock. Discontinued before many stores received thier allotment

Don't expect to see a drop anytime soon.

I can't say anything about running the MC server as I don't play, but you can definitely use larger than 2TB drives with a Q6600. I have a 3TB and a 4TB drive installed in mine and they work just fine

I have it on 360, and I have it on XboxOne. I'm very tempted to buy another copy for PC as well. GTA5 is definitely worth buying. If you don't have a copy on console, definitely get a PC copy.

without a proper gpu you wont see much improvement in gaming. quad core is a decent upgrade otherwise.

The only thing I know of that you can do to upgrade your headset is this. http://www.edgeprogaming.com/index.php/store#!/Turtle-Beach-PX3-Headset/p/43496612/category=11012153 I have the upgrade kit on my headphones. Makes a huge difference. They use military grade materials (they actually upgrade military headsets for helicoptor pilots etc.). Not only do they feel much more comfortable, the leather cushions seal a lot of the sound in and vice versa.

welcome to the racing wheel club! Racing games will never be the same for you again. I just wish the wheel I have would work with my xbox One for Forza.... The list of racing games I have on my PC is far too long to list

I should dig out my old Maximum PC magazines and do some scans of the ads from way back when.

OK, so first off, that puke story if friggin nasty! egg puke soaked in to the foam cushion. I would have puked myself, then thrown it out. LOL. as for your option, unless you need the desk space for something more than just raising your computer off the floor, than go for the headset for now. You can easily come up with a cheap alternative to raise the PC off the ground. check craigslist/kijiji for a super cheap end table. you can probably find one for like 10-20 bucks. Make sure it's made of wood, and the legs are sturdy. Done deal. I don't have a closeup pic and I'm too lazy to snap one right now, but you can see in the back corner I have my 800D sitting on top of an old end table. It has a lower tier as well so that's where we keep our printer.

The way I see it, there are a few reasons you don't see videos of cheap hardware. because companies don't send their cheapest stuff out for evaluation. There's no point in sending stuff out to get a guaranteed negative review. reviewers aren't going to spend their own money on hardware that is likely to be complete garbage. Especially power supplies that may cause damage to other costly parts. people who do actually buy this stuff, either don't have the technical know how, have no access to equipment needed to test (PSU testing), or just simply have no desire to do anything like a review. All that aside, ECS has been making motherboards for decades. While they don't use top quality components suitable for high end gaming rigs or overclocking, there's no reason why that motherboard wouldn't work just fine in a cheap pc for doing basic tasks and light use. It is that price because it has no features. There's 1 PCI-E slot. only stereo audio. Nearly no expansion. and uses the H81 chipset. My aunt turns her PC on about 3 times a month. That board would probably be just fine for a cheap i3 for her as an example.

Eyefinity has been around for years. Look for a used AMD gpu that is at least a 5000 series and it will do the job. The older the card the more likely you'll need active display port adaptors though.

As long as I can remember I've had a PC at home. The first one we had was a 486. I didn't really care to much until my dad had his friend install a new hard drive (6GB). I watched the install and was so fascinated it bit me. I knew then I would work in IT. Would have been around 10 or so. Been hooked ever since and been through a dozen or more computers since

Great post. I lived through all of that. My first build was in '99

upgrading a case basically means rebuilding your computer. is it hard? No not really. will it take some time? Yeah, probably an afternoon/evening to complete.

This would be my vote. I know you said you didn't like the n400, but you might want to consider the n200 anyway. It's far cheaper than your budget, leaving you $20 to put elsewhere, or just save. It's also an mATX case, unlike most of the suggestions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5mro17ZgZo