A new comp for me!!!Post Date: 2010-08-25 |
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Book 
Newbie 
Joined: 25 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 10 |
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 Topic: A new comp for me!!!Posted: 25 Aug 2010 at 9:01pm |
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I am currently in the market for a new gaming computer. The 5 year old comp I am on now is nearing the end of it's life and I am looking ahead. I have retired a bit early and have money to spend. I don't like throwing money away...but will happily spend it on something that is worth it. Gaming needs aside, I will be doing a bit of photo/image editing (with Photoshop CS4) and a few other...smaller, inconsequential programs. What I'm looking for is speed at all times. Should I go to the DS site and throw a build together and post it here...or are there any useful suggestions to help me get started. Thanks in advance for your words.
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!ender_
DS Veteran 
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 25 Aug 2010 at 10:02pm |
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check out the guide in my signature, its a good launch pad for getting started
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Book
Newbie
Joined: 25 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 10 |
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Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 1:07am |
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So a first swing but I have a few questions...
Specifications: Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 Extreme Edition 980X 3.33GHz (Six-Core) (Extreme Performance) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1250W Enermax Galaxy EVO (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (600GB Western Digital VelociRaptor (10K RPM) (32MB Cache) (Model: WD6000HLHX) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (64MB Cache) (Model: Black Edition WD1002FAEX) Optical Drive 1: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) (Lite-On iHBS112) Optical Drive 2: Blu-Ray & DVD Writer/Reader (Burn + Play Blu-Ray & DVDs) (12x BD-R) (Lite-On iHBS112) Internet Access: Killer Xeno Pro (Optimized for Online Gaming) Lag and Latency Reduction Video Card: 2x CrossFire Quad (ATI Radeon HD 5970 2GB) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional (PCI-Express Slot Based) Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 6: Sub-Zero LCS Dual Loop: CPU & Dual SLI/CrossFire Video Cards H20 Tube Color:Red Tubing with High-Performance Fluid (UV Lighting Reactive) Chassis Airflow: Upgrade Chassis With LED Performance Fans (Red) (Up to 6 Fans) Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: McAfee Internet Security (Includes: AntiVirus, FireWall and AntiSpyware) Office: Microsoft Office 2010 Office Home and Business (PC Attach Key PKC) Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks Display: Hanns 28 inch (Widescreen) (Black) (High-Performance Gaming Display) Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: Logitech 2.1 System (Black Edition) (Model LS21) (Includes Subwoofer) Keyboard: Logitech G15 Gaming USB Desktop (Multimedia Keyboard) Mouse: Cooler Master Sentinel Advance Gaming Mouse (High-Speed Gaming Grade) External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Xtra Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 5 Year Platinum Care Extended Parts & Labor Warranty (Highly Recommended) 1. What is the advantage of a specialized NIC? 2. The mouse and keyboard are not really supposed to be there... 3. Have read in others that I shouldn't need the added chassis fans...which is fine...but I want to make sure that the system will run as cool as possible. 4. I do not want to overclock any item. 5. I know the 2x vid cards are a high end cards. I just don't know how far down the list I can go while not sacrificing quality. Again...thanks in advance |
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
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Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 1:12am |
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welp, your config says very, very differently if you are building a gaming rig
did you read the guide? at all?
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Dragoonseal
DS Veteran
Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
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Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 4:29am |
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Yeah, that's.. throwing a whole lot of money down the drain for a gaming rig, it looks like you just went through selecting all the most expensive options. I could write a whole page on why all the selections you made were bad, but to save some time and my sanity you should just toss that whole config out and start fresh. There's only one thing I wanted to cover for sure:
Never never never bother with VelociRaptor HDDs. A 1TB 7200RPM 32MB drive has quite literately 90% of the speed of the fastest VelociRaptors, while also having way more space and being way less expensive. You'll never notice the difference between the two and they both pale so much compared to SSDs it is silly. An Intel SSD has 80-100 times faster small file read/write performance and at least twice the sequential (large) file read performance of any conventional HDD available. Once you've had one you'll never go back to conventional HDDs for anything other than media storage. Get a 40GB or 80GB Intel SSD for OS/apps and 1TB HDD for games/music/movies/pictures. You will have enough room on the 80GB Intel for a small library of games but overall games do not benefit from a SSD's faster speeds very much so you can freely install them on the normal HDD and you won't be missing much, in case you'd like to stick with the cheaper 40GB Intel for just OS/apps. But anyway, starting over with a fresh config: What is your budget and monitor's resolution? |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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Book
Newbie
Joined: 25 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 10 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 8:39am |
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I apologize for the build...I suppose I assumed that more is better. My monitor is a 27" 2560x1440. I changed to the SSD (but a larger one than the 80)...and toned down the videocard. As far as budget...I am willing to spend 5-6k at most...
A new swing at it: Ticket 435895 Chassis Model: Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 960 3.2GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 3X SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1250W Enermax Galaxy EVO (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 2x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x CrossFire Dual (ATI Radeon HD 5870 1GB) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: H20: Stage 2: Asetek Liquid CPU Cooler HOT SELLER (120mm Radiator) (Great Value) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Blue) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my processor Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: Microsoft Office 2010 Office Home and Business (PC Attach Key PKC) Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: - No Thanks Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: - No Thanks Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: 5 Year Platinum Care Ext |
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rayfinkle
Newbie
Joined: 14 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 99 |
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Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 9:21am |
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At least get the free overclocking.
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Dragoonseal
DS Veteran
Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 9:23am |
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Then I would definitely suggest two GTX 480s over the 5870s.
Definitely much better. Still a few things of note though. So you know a 930 and 960 are the exact same chip, the 960 is just factory overclocked a tiny bit and Intel charges hundreds of extra dollars for it, go figure. Seeing as they both overclock exactly the same and perform exactly the same at identical overclock settings, as they are indeed exactly identical chips, go with the 930 and save yourself exactly $305. And then pat yourself exactly on the back. Exactly. The Asetek Liquid CPU cooler is just LC for the sake of saying it is LC. It isn't exactly known for its construction quality or reliability either. Its cooling pales terribly compared to real LCing, even good air coolers such as either of the Noctua models offered by DS will outperform it, especially the larger Noctua NH-D14. Select one of the Noctua coolers instead. If you select the larger NH-D14 you'll have to select a different motherboard, like the EVGA x58 LE. Along with that you also most definitely want to select the free CPU overclock. With a Noctua cooler even an overclocked 930 will run cooler than a stock 930 with a stock cooler, so you don't have to worry about anything, it'll last a ridiculously long time (10+ years). DS only uses mild overclocks, and their warranty their overclocks, so they won't let anything get too warm. And.. whoa whoa whoa, what in the world? That's like the really old Black|OPS configurer with the "up to $300 off" bonus gimmick thing, all the prices are wrong and way higher than they are supposed to be, and they don't even offer that Platinum warranty anymore. How in the world did you get to that, did you load up a really really old saved ticket number or something? That rig is like $1000 more expensive than it should be, discard that ticket number, it is broken. Use this for a few base to build from, much much cheaper because it uses the normal configurer prices plus fixes things like the 960 selection you had. Ticket #435900, Price: $3376 Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master HAF 932 Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1200W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty The 3 year limited warranty is 3 years labor and 1 year parts. If you want you can select the 5 year limited warranty, which is 5 years labor and 3 years parts. |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 9:37am |
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2 tb of space seems pretty rediculous for "a bit of photo/image editing "
as does 12gb of ram, 6 is plenty
everything else looks good in dragoon's suggested build
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Dragoonseal
DS Veteran
Joined: 03 Apr 2009 Online Status: Offline Posts: 2247 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 9:42am |
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Yeah, agreed. I just didn't feel like arguing with him about it, and his budget was silly high anyway, so I just left it how he had it configured. But yeah, unless you are doing some major hardcore video editing that's always maxing out your memory and taking up ridiculous amounts of HDD space then I too would recommend just 6GB and a 1TB HDD. |
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Lilim
Intel Core i7 920 @4.2GHz HAF 932 - Dual SLI Nvidia GTX 480s 3x Intel X25-M G2 (80GB) SSD RAID0 |
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 9:53am |
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haha with the amount of effort you already put in i just thought it would be cool of me to swoop in and pretend like i did something
posts like this just make me want to say >guide< tank you com again
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Alex
Admin Group 
Digital Storm Supervisor 
Joined: 04 Jun 2012 Online Status: Offline Posts: 16314 |
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Posted: 26 Aug 2010 at 1:27pm |
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Going with 12GB isn't bad for video editing and high end photo editing. We use up 12GB in Windows 7 when we do development work for Digital Storm.
It all depends on the budget as well, if you have selected all the critical items you needed and have money left over, investing in more memory and hard drive space isn't a bad idea. 
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Book
Newbie
Joined: 25 Aug 2010 Online Status: Offline Posts: 10 |
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Posted: 01 Sep 2010 at 12:32pm |
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The only changes I made to this are the case (moved up to the HAF x because I like the room...although I'm not sure if that changes the details of the build) and I'm still a bit concerned about the cooling. with only the factory over clocking, will the Noctura be enough? The comp will be in a well ventilated space and the room is kept between 72 and 75 (daily fluctuations)...AND...what should I use to check the running temps?
Thanks for all the help. Ticket Number: 437405 Total Price with Instant Savings: $3,497.00 Specifications: Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: Paint Chassis Vents and Grills (Red) Processor: Intel Core i7 930 2.8GHz (Quad Core) Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) System Memory: 12GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1200W Digital Storm Certified (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) (Silent Edition Highly Recommended) Expansion Bay: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (160GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: X25-M MLC Edition) (Extreme Performance) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: 1x (1TB Hitachi/Seagate (7200 RPM) (32MB Cache) Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card: 2x SLI Dual (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 480 1.5GB (Includes PhysX Technology) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 1: Noctua Dual 120mm Fans High Performance Cooler (Compatible With ONLY i7 Processors) H20 Tube Color:- Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: Internal Chassis Lighting System (Red) Enhancements: - No Thanks Chassis Mods: - No Thanks Noise Reduction: - No Thanks Boost Processor: FREE: Stage 1: Overclock the processor between 3.3GHz to 3.9GHz (Cooling Upgrade Recommended) Boost Video Card: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Boost Memory: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory Boost OS: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Restore Kit: Digital Storm Specialized Recovery System (DVD Image Based) Virus Protection: - No Thanks Office: - No Thanks Benchmarking: - No Thanks Install/Test Game: FREE: Hot-selling game with a NVIDIA GeForce GTS 250 or above graphics card Display: - No Thanks Surge Shield: - No Thanks Speakers: - No Thanks Keyboard: - No Thanks Mouse: - No Thanks External Storage: - No Thanks Exclusive T-Shirt: FREE: Digital Storm T-Shirt - Black (Large) Priority Build: - No Thanks, Ship Within 5-15 Business Days After Order Is Successfully Processed Warranty: Life-time Expert Customer Care with 3 Year Limited Warranty |
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!ender_
DS Veteran
Joined: 24 Oct 2007 Online Status: Offline Posts: 4219 |
Quote Reply
Posted: 01 Sep 2010 at 12:40pm |
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the noctua is enough and you can use realtemps or coretemps to watch your temps
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