ahem?

[Bad Waffle]

Ok, so you all know i recently bought parts for my new computer. Pretty top of the line, etc etc--but theres one problem. Besides max, firefox, photoshop, and a few games of mine i really have no cool programs to use.

I know its out there--but they're nameless to me. Since im going to be running vista, where can i get widgets for vista? where can i get tools for monitoring my PC temps, speeds, etc?

Please help out the newbie ;)

(oh wow, im a noob for once)

Also, some reccomendations im thinking about getting to test the awesomeness of my PC (i ended up just waiting for the HD3870 on dec 7 when it becomes available, so i got some time):

Crysis
GOW (possibly ut3)
The Orange Box

anybody got any other suggestions?

[Patrickssj6]

>.>

How about benchmarking (http://www.google.de/search?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&channel=s&hl=en&q=PCmark&meta=&btnG=Google+Search)?!

[Cortexian]

3d mark for one...

[beele]

You can use rivatuner to monitor your GPU speed and temperature.
And with widgets you mean sidebar gadgets? you can find them by opening the menu for gadgets by clicking on the "+" on top of the sidebar and then click "download more gadgets".

[Bodzilla]

Bioshock :D?

[StankBacon]

what are the specs?

[Pooky]

I don't really give a shit about most new games... but if I had money and I was going to get something I would probably get Oblivion or FEAR.

[TeeKup]

EvE Online if you're into MMO's

If not that, it wouldn't hurt to still have Halo CE.

Half Life 2
Counter Strike
All the good source games.

[Snowy]

Get Prey (http://prey.com/), it won't stress your GPU too much, but boy, does it look awesome for running on the Doom 3 engine. Or at least download the demo, it's a really cool game.

[kenney001]

FEAR

[Boba]

GTA San Andreas

[X3RO SHIF7]

cool i ordered my 3870 today lol
comes with that jericho game and black box

[flibitijibibo]

Haha, the first post named my complete list of games to buy in the next month.

You'll find them Sidebar gadgets here. (http://vista.gallery.microsoft.com/vista/SideBar.aspx?a=&mkt=en-us)

If CPU/RAM usage is of importance as well, it comes with Vista.

[Rob Oplawar]

Honestly? The most important software I can think of for you to get is Windows XP. I'd say Linux but all the good software is for Windows, so if you have to have it, you might as well have a version of Windows that isn't a memory whoring, inefficient, admin hating, buggy, slow, unpopular, useless feature overloaded, fat, ugly, no good, two-bit, steaming pile of shit.

[legionaire45]

Bechmarks/monitoring:
CPU-Z (http://www.cpuid.com/cpuz.php)
GPU-Z (http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/)
Lightmark (http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/10/3d-benchmark-appears)
3dMark (http://www.futuremark.com/download/)

Shinies:
Geoforms (http://www.nzone.com/object/nzone_geoforms_home.html)

also get those games.

[Bad Waffle]

cool i ordered my 3870 today lol
comes with that jericho game and black box

WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS? ive been looking all over for a 3870 in stock. SHOW.

[X3RO SHIF7]

hmm? i said i ordered it, didint say it was in stock lol they got stock yesterday but im not sure if they were all backordered or what, but i used NCIX

heres the american version http://www.ncixus.com/search/?categoryid=0&q=3870

[Zeph]

Besides max, firefox, photoshop, and a few games of mine i really have no cool programs to use.
Crysis
The Orange Box

anybody got any other suggestions?

You need no more. Not with all the crysis mapping you'll be doing.

[Snowy]

WHERE DID YOU FIND THIS? ive been looking all over for a 3870 in stock. SHOW.


http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8636666&st=visiontek&lp=4&type=product&cp=1&id=1194053242087
:o

[klange]

you might as well have a version of Windows that isn't a memory whoring, inefficient, admin hating, buggy, slow, unpopular, useless feature overloaded, fat, ugly, no good, two-bit, steaming pile of shit.
Well, that eliminates 3.0, 3.1, 95, 98, ME, 2000, XP, and Vista...

[Rob Oplawar]

I heard that.

[answer moved to the rant thread]