My goal, by 2011

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Dougjwjr

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 10, 2007
Messages
274
I'm trying to set up a goal for something that I've wanted for a good while now. There are several steps to it, but I have initiated the first step, which leads me to the next.

The GOAL:
Eyefinity plus a g25 wheel for gaming, with room to spare for other work

The parts
1. The graphics card. I already bought a 5850, and it should arrive tomorrow from newegg to replace my aging 8600gt.

2. A monitor. For this, I'm still looking around. I currently have a 22" 1680x1050, want 1920x1200, just 1 at first, then later get 2 more. I want 1:1 pixel mapping for using with my PS3 if I so choose. I have not decided on a size or what kind of price I want it at. I would prefer something with a good viewing angle, and a relatively small bezel, if possible. Still looking around.

3. The Desk. My current desk is very limiting, with only room for 1 monitor, and not a whole lot more. I want to find something that can help me to utilize the full area that I have. My space below. (yes, it's in my room.)(yes, it's a mess, I know, I need to clean some stuff a bit)

img0567y.jpg

img0562r.jpg

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Dimensions:
Bed Width: 60"
Bed to Window: 88"
Wall to Dresser (along window): 72"

Still looking around for desks and ideas, and want to see if I can find something lightly used for cheap rather than paying $400+ for something.

4. A new keyboard and a ratpadz. To get this, I need more space, and either no keyboard/mouse tray, or a larger one.

5. The driving wheel. The g25 wheel appears to be awesome, and will be the likely choice. Again, I need more space from a larger desk, as the wheel needs to clamp on to something it would appear.

6. additional monitors. I again havn't decided on the monitors I want but I believe they should all be the same, this simply means a good amount of money going out again, depending on the monitors. As things are now unless I get something to convert it, I would need at least one monitor that supports DisplayPort as well.


Money is my main concern. I have the money for all this, but with school I would like to try to pay as little as possible. That's why I'm posting here. I know a fair bit of what I want, but not how to get there, and was hoping for suggestions on lowering costs or making this a little more reasonable. I could go more in depth as well to give a little more detail, but I need to go, I'll do that a little later when I have time. The reason I am spreading this out over a year is to try to spread out the costs.
 
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For a desk, consider piecing together some Vika Amon tabletops from Ikea, if you have one near you.
 
Does the Bed to Window dimension include the the little bed stand?

One way or the other I think a Corner Desk of some sorts that goes from your dresser along the wall to your bed stand would be the best option. Perhaps something like this (not sure if it's too big or small).

That Galant series from Ikea could fit your needs if you can fine one used.
 
Cheapest way is to make your own desk. Pretty straightforward and allows you customize everything exactly how you want it, assuming you have some basic shop skills and the tools to do so.
 
enginurd said:
For a desk, consider piecing together some Vika Amon tabletops from Ikea, if you have one near you.
Click to expand...

No, I am not counting that. I can place that anywhere, that's just currently a convenient place for it.

Wow, I didnt realize how cheap things like that were :O I had previously been looking at something like this: http://www.staples.com/Bush-Cubix-Left-L-Bow-Front-Desk-Hansen-Cherry-Galaxy/product_570165 @ $300, but if I can get something for $100-$150, all the better.
 
Well there appears to be a way to use a DP to VGA adapter now. And if you get one that works, it's only about $20 extra. So you might not need a DP native monitor.

For Eyefinity on the cheap consider ordering 3x20" refurbished Dell 2007 Ultrasharps for $119 apiece plus shipping. shipping varies, so enter your zipcode to see how much the total would be. But that's a really good price. 3 of those monitors would yield you 4800x1200 rez or 3600x1600 in portrait mode.

http://www.affordablecomputers.com/pages/products.php/A12973

Going with slightly smaller monitors also means your desktop doesn't have to be as mammoth.
 
I went to Ikea today, didnt buy anything yet, but I like the Vika stuff. I plan on getting 2x 47x23", 1x 59x29", should give me more than enough room for whatever I need. I havnt decided on legs yet. The $4 legs are cheap, but I may go with something a bit more solid. I believe it's very similar to this one. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40105302. Sure, it might come out to be more than $90, but that's Okay, it's less than $200, and a lot of space.

edit: After measuring and considering the space available, I'm going to go with 2 of the 59x29"s instead. With that in mind, I can get brackets to hold them together no problem, my main concern with this is that I do not wish for there to be a leg right out in front. I'm wondering though, would that weaken it at all if I get good enough brackets? Basically I want to be able to turn freely in that corner and not hit a leg.
 
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Not to be a wise guy but, it appears as if you have water damage under that window where the paint is peeling. That needs to be addressed because if not, not only will you have to deal with rot and mold, it's a breeding ground for carpenter ants.
 
Simpson bracket/joint/tie at least 1/8th of an inch thick and 2.5" wide should be fine -- should hold a couple hundred pounds, according to a structural engineer.

The curry legs are good, especially if you join the two tabletops together -- makes the whole desk a bit more solid. I had them separate for a while before I got sick of that damn leg in the middle, lol.
 
Arkan said:
Not to be a wise guy but, it appears as if you have water damage under that window where the paint is peeling. That needs to be addressed because if not, not only will you have to deal with rot and mold, it's a breeding ground for carpenter ants.
Click to expand...

We looked into it a while back and it was determined that it wasnt water, though it is unknown why it looks like it does. My guess is, because I had my bed there before, and the heater running, stuff burnt? I dont know if that's reasonable or not for that sort of damage, but I have been told it is not from water.
 
Step 1 is done, step 3 is in progress. I bought 2x Vika amon 59x29" table tops and some legs, came out to $140, which I find to be alright, after all, that's for just over 24 square feet of desk space. Just did the math, before I had about 5-5.5 square feet of table space, though I had more than JUST the tabletop.

Next stop for me is finding a monitor. Looking for around 24" (23-26" fine), 1:1 pixel mapping. I want something with good viewing angles, as I often start moving around ect, and see the monitor from various angles, and want it to appear more or less the same.
 
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