It's Electric! The Power Supply

To go modular or not to go modular is the biggest question I had for the power supply. I knew I was going to need some serious juice to power the 8800GTS graphics card, 4 Harddrives, and 2 Optical Drives.

138 Buttons for Fun: The Keyboard

When I began looking for a keyboard the biggest requirement I had for playing ball was possessing a backlit keyboard. After spending a year with a roommate and trying to use the computer with the lights while the he slept, I realized the value of a backlit keyboard. I came across may worthy keyboards, but they G15 caught my eye because of its LCD screen. I'm a huge fan of having information on display in un-annoying ways, and I understand that the LCD screen can be utilized to show CPU stats (temp, usage, etc.). This is the most I've ever paid for a keyboard (notice a trend here) so that LCD screen had better put itself to good use. The 15x3 macro keys should be a real time saver too.

Other Considerations:
Saitek Eclipse II
Razer Tarantula
Optimus Maximus (maybe someday...)











Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 71.99
Running Tab: 281.96 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)

Flamboyant Impuse Buy: Mousing Surface

I fell victim to the oldest marketing trick in the book: After being asked to supersize, I accepted. The handy checkout feature at newegg suggested that I look into pairing my habu mouse with a Razer eXactMat with wristpad for 34.99. Its basically a two sided mouse pad; One side is designed to be super slick for quick mouse movement, and the other is designed for precision control. The morning after I felt duped and had second thoughts on following impulse... Look for a report on 5/21 (when the pad is scheduled to arrive) if its worth it. Reviews on the web and newegg seemed to indicate it did improve mousing experience, and helped in both applications like Photoshop, and in games like Counterstirke.

Other Considerations:
None (Ouch!)

Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 34.99
Running Tab: 209.97 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)

Peripheral Vision: The Mouse

Unlike my case purchase, my mouse purchase was researched and I was 90% sure of what mouse I was going with. I decided on getting the brainchild of both Microsoft and Razer: The Habu. After owning a cordless intellimouse, I was a little hesitant to go cordless again, hence my main reason for not selecting the mx Revolution; I had too many problems with disconnections and interference. I really like the ability to switch between the DPI setting on the fly, the laser tracking will also be an improvement over the optical. It also recieved a nice review from ExtremeTech. Probably a little on the pricey side for a mouse, so I'm hoping it delivers.

Other Considerations:
Logitech G5 and Logitech MX Revolution








Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page (Microsoft)
Manufacturer Item Page (Razer)
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 54.99 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)
Running Tab:174.98 (Not Including 5.00 MIR)

A Foundation: The Case

Taking full advantage of a newegg weekly deals email, I purchased the Antec 900.

Rumor has it that LED's are out of style for computer cases, but what self respecting geek doesn't want to get flashy with the first build and make it glow? Well, not me! I was debating between several different cases, and planning on doing some pretty heavy research into my choice around the end of May, but impulse got a hold of me first. See the end of the post for the Antec's 900 opposition.

The deciding factors for this case were the top mounted tray & power buttons, the large side window, HDD fans, and the ability to support at least four harddrives (as I play around with the idea of a RAID 1+0 setup).


Other Considerations:
Cooler Master Ammo, Antec P180, Raidmax Smilodon, and Thermaltake Tsunami










Purchase Details:
Vendor Item Page
Manufacturer Item Page
Purchase Date: 5/16
Price: 119.99
Running Tab:119.99

Round One

After a week long absence from the internet while on vacation, the Apha Project received an unexpected jumpstart after getting Wi-Fi access at a Marriott in Palm Beach. I got an email from newegg that told me the case I had my eye on was on sale and shipping was free. The sale was ending the next day, so I bit the bullet and made the purchase, and the Alpha Project went from research and dreams, to a financially backed reality. See the following posts for the new components.