# First Computer Build



## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

I have previous experience on taking apart computers and putting them back together, so I think building one shouldn't be that difficult. I am just looking for some advice before I go out and buy the parts I will list. I am just posting stuff from TigerDirect, but I have the ability to get the majority of the parts from amazon for %50 off the listed price, so this will help me keep the price down majorly. Now I am trying to keep this build around 1300 dollars, because I am starting college and will buy the parts week by week. Ok here is what I have come up with so far, I am getting basically everything for a comp (main internal parts, new monitor, mouse, keyboard):

Case: Cm Stacker 830 Nvidia Edition (I will be able to get this %50 off) ( I like this case because I can put in 9 fans to keep it cool, and space isn't an issue so I would like the most room in my pc to be able to get upgrades down the road so my pc doesn't get too outdated) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119146

Power Supply: X3 1000-WATT Modular Psu (I will be able to get this %50 off) ( I like this because it will give me plenty of power for when I get 2 graphics cards, and I like the idea of only using the cables you need to keep inside clutter free and increase aireflow) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2700093&CatId=2535

Mother Board: EVGA nforce 780i SLI Motherboard (I will be able to get this %50 off the price) (I will most likely get a second graphics card when it comes time to need one, and run them sli so this leaves my options open) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3523225&CatId=3495

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 (this I will be able to get %50 off the price) (now im not planning on doing little if any overclocking but I have heard a lot of good things about this processor) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2905631&CatId=2758

Video Card: XFX GeForce 8800GTS 512MB ( I can get %50 off this price) (I will eventually put two of these bad boys into my system when the time comes) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150267

Ram: OCZ SLI-Ready Edition Dual Channel 2048MB http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3079597&CatId=2368

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 500GB Hard Drive http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2795126&CatId=139

Optical Drive: LG Black 20X DVD+R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136117

CPU Heatsink: ZEROtherm / Butterfly BTF90 (I can get this %50 off) (Ive done a bit of reading up on this and so far good reviews on keeping your cpu cool, and wanted a good one incase I decide to do a small ammount of overclocking) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...u=M333-3000&srkey=ZEROtherm / Butterfly BTF90

Monitor: ViewSonic VX2240w 22" (I can get %50 off) (I have liked viewsonic brand, want to upgrade from my 19" monitor for a better resolution screen) http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=3424386&sku=V18-2216&srkey=ViewSonic%20VX2240w%2022"

the eclipse II keyboard, and the razer copperhead mouse. Now my next issue is if I wan't to change from xp that I already have or go to Vista. Now the oldest game I play is Wow, and more recent games. Any comments on what you think of this build and any constructive critisizm is welcome. thanks again.


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Hi GamerXtreme,

This system looks pretty good so far. I don't have any experience with that PSU brand- I would hope it's reliable.

The only bit of criticism I have is the GTS and the processor choice. They're very power-hungry cards that don't really measure up to the GT in some aspects of performance. I would either get a GT on sale or look at a 9600 if you're looking to save a few dollars until nvidia gets organized to actually compete with a few of the new ATi cards that have come out since. The quad core would probably be unnecessary - I think you'd get more out of an equivalently priced duo.

Also, just wondering... where are you getting your discount from?


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## Vequor (Jul 22, 2008)

I was thinking of getting 7xx board recently to. Google 780i video corruption before you buy.


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## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

Thanks Fox for your spedily reply. Ok from what I have gathered so far
Power Supply: Thermaltake 850W Power Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153043

Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 Wolfdale 3.16GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

and am having trouble picking out a graphics card (because I do want to get a sli setup in the near future)

I can get that kind of a discount because my aunt spends a lot every christmas at amazon, so she is in a class of high spenders or w/e so she has been given a %50 discount on things she gets from amazon. So everything besides the couple changes you think is good? I will go and do a google search on the 780i mobo, thanks for that tip vequor.


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Yes, definitely. It's looking pretty good.

I still think that if you're not planning on switching to an ATi card, you would get good performance with an 8800gt. There's an evga one on sale for $110 w/free shipping. That's the best deal I've seen yet on one of these cards. I bought mine in the winter and the price has dropped 40 dollars since then. 

It's up to you whether you choose to do SLI, but I don't think it's worth it for the money you end up spending.


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## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

Well if I could get better performance, what Ati card do you recomend that would be compatable with the mobo I have selected? or if you think there is a better mobo. Ive always used nvidia so I don't really know much about Ati. Now im not really the gamer that likes to max everything out, I like to be concervent because its more about the actuall game the way it looks is icing on the cake. but I would like a good card that I won't have to upgrade in the near future. I like the reviews on the 8800gt, but if you can recomend a better performance card from ati that would be awsome.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

That's a lot of power supply if your not going to SLI (I'm also of the opinion it's not worth it). If your going to run 1 video card I would go for this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Also I would go for the E8400 For .16 increase in speed I don't think the price justifies the E8500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037
Although I do see the price has dropped so it's not as bad as when it was $60.00 more.


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## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

Cool thanks. What kind of video card would you recomend. either the 8800gt, or what ati card that might out perform, like what Fox was talkin bout.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

The ATI 4870 is the buzz right now that's why your seeing the Nvidia prices drop.http://forums.legitreviews.com/about15370.html

If your going to use the an ATI card then change your MB to P35 or P45 chipset.


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Yup, it's really stirring things up. I would recommend a P35/45 even if you're sticking with nvidia, as long as you don't plan on an sli/crossfire setup. It's cheaper and I favor it for its rock-solid stability.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

ATI 4850 and an asus or Gigabyte motherboard with a P35 chipset 


the Ati 4850 even beats the 9800GTX all for $200.00 >>>>>>


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## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

Ive been looking arround, and can't find a p45 board, mabe im not looking for the right things. I know Asus, gigabyte are the ones I hear the most about. So what would you recomend, and if I switch to the new board should I look into a different type of ram also. So far I will probably go with the 4870, just wan't to make sure im getting the right things. Im not looking to do any overclocking.


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## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

sorry for double posting, but I was looking at the http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131196


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

I'm not a big fan of open box boards

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16813131225,N82E16813128086,N82E16813131196

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...2E16813131299,N82E16813131297,N82E16813128344


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Damn impressive job there *WRENCH *on the links


KUDOS ray:ray:ray:


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

Yeah, that's pretty awesome 

Xtreme, the difference between P35 boards and P45 boards is relatively minor - most notably, the p45 chipset supports PCI-e 2.0, which isn't really that huge a deal yet since there isn't really a card out today that maxes out 1.1. But if you want the best you can get, I would still look for the 45 anyway.


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## Wrench97 (May 10, 2008)

Every once in awhile I get one of these ideas


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## GamerXtreme (Jul 24, 2008)

Ok thanks for all your imput so far I have gathered all of these:

Case: Cm Stacker 830 Nvidia Edition http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119146

Power Supply: CORSAIR 650WPower Supply http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139005

Mother Board: ASUS P5K-E/WIFI-AP http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131196

Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115036

Video Card: VisionTek Radeon HD4870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814129113&Tpk=VisionTek+Radeon+HD4870

Ram: OCZ Platinum 2GB http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227089

Hard Drive: Western Digital Caviar SE16 320GB Hard Drive http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136098

Optical Drive: LG Black 20X DVD+R http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136117

CPU Heatsink: ZEROtherm / Butterfly BTF90 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835887002

Monitor: ViewSonic VX2240w 22" http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824116096

Keyboard, Mouse, and Mouse Pad. All this so far I am at almost exactly $1000, before shiping and tax. Now I have a copy of xp at home, and should I go get vista, or no? Other than that, just a last check on capatability and I will work on grouping up the parts to buy over the next few weeks. Thanks again Tech Support for all your help.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

very nice spec .......... push the buy button and enjoy!!


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## OMGmissinglink (Sep 24, 2006)

Three componets I'd suggest changing.

XFX PVT98FYDDU GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) XXX 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported Video Card - Retail $199.99 $189.00 after rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150292

GIGABYTE GA-EP43-DS3R $130.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10008666&ps=pn8


LITEON LH-20A1L-06 20X SATA DVD Burner Black DVD±RW Retail $30.99
http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10005078&prodlist=celebros

GeForce 9800 GTX(G92) beats ATI 4850

http://www.hardwarezone.com/articles/print.php?cid=3&id=2603

Kicks buckets over ATI's 4870

NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...tion=GeForce 9800 GX2 1GB&bop=And&Order=PRICE


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

that depends who's writing I guess

http://www.legionhardware.com/document.php?id=759&p=10


BTW: its the release of the ATI 48XX series that dropped the prices of Nvidea cards significantly ........... that doesnt happen when you are the victor ....... ("to the victor goes the spoils = $$$)

the 4870 even beat the new GTX280 which was over $600.00 and now can be had for a paultry $500.00

it was the release of the 4850 which sent Nvidia back to the drawing board and factory overclocked the 9800GTX to compete with the $200.00 4850 !

thus resulting in the release of the 9800GTX+ (note the PLUS)


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

NVIDIA's Counter 

If you have been following the developments, you would know that the NVIDIA counteroffensive has already been unleashed. A sign perhaps that NVIDIA is feeling nervous about ATI this time round? Since the Radeon HD *4850 simply buried the GeForce 9800 GTX in terms of its value proposition*, NVIDIA has reacted by slashing the prices of the GeForce 9800 GTX drastically to match the US$199 (at this moment, we only found two brands, EVGA and PNY on Newegg listed at this price). 

Not only that, *an overclocked version of the GeForce 9800 GTX*, dubbed the GeForce 9800 GTX+ (and here we thought NVIDIA was streamlining its product names), has been introduced. Based on a new, die shrunk G92 core, this GPU is built on a 55nm manufacturing process and will have higher clock speeds (738MHz core and 2400MHz DDR) to combat the ATI threat. Besides that, there should be no change between the Plus version and the usual overclocked GeForce 9800 GTX models that vendors have already released. The new Plus will however be priced slightly higher at US$229 and at this moment, we haven't seen any in retail yet. 

In any case, we decided in the absence of any GeForce 9800 GTX+ arriving in our labs soon, we could find out how such a card would fare against the Radeon HD 4850. Hence, we took Zotac's overclocked AMP! Edition (750MHz, 2300MHz) which is rather similar to the Plus in terms of clock speeds and compared it against the Radeon HD 4850.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

not even to mention that crossfire scalability is far better than SLI scalability


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

where did you get the info that 9800 GX2 kicks "buckets" over the 4870 ?????????


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

I don't understand those recommendations... Why a different motherboard? The P5k is just fine, and has wifi like the OP wanted. 

When it comes to video cards, never let fanboyism get in the way of a good deal.


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## OMGmissinglink (Sep 24, 2006)

P35 mobo's do not support PCI-E 2.0 thus neither Nivida & ATI hi end gpu cards are going to preform its potential.. therefore you can toss out what GPU is better for this or that reason. :4-thatsba


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

OMGmissinglink said:


> P35 mobo's do not support PCI-E 2.0 thus neither Nivida & ATI hi end gpu cards are going to preform its potential.. therefore you can toss out what GPU is better for this or that reason. :4-thatsba




Huhhhh ???? are you suggesting PCI express 1.0 (for lack of a better description) cant run two video cards and get high performance ????

please tell that to the select few that use SLI with the 8800 GTX and play in a game such as counterstrike that is more suited to SLI !!


PCI express 2.0 is much like the old 150mbs SATA drive speed / then motherboards & hard drives all went to sata-2 & 300mbs/ speeds

all that was PURE B.S. HYPE first show me any single hard drive or even two in raid for that matter that can surpass 150mbs ........ so what did 300mbs offer in REALITY to the ordinary user ........ the answer = absolutely nothing !!! but the consumer ate that up like credit card debt !

the same is true of PCI express 2.0 ......... it offers nothing for the average user running one or two video cards ......... maybeeeee when you start crossfiring 3 cards ............ but who really does that and what games support it ??????????????


always remember ............... in the world of computers "the hardware comes first, then several years later comes the software to make use of what the hardware has to offer" there is no reason to swarm to a specification which will offer the average user nothing for the next 2-3 years to come ............. its much the exact same as Quad cores !


end of rant


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

just like those that say "i want to future proof my rig" that really translates to " I am willing to pay for overpriced motherboards and video cards with the hope that two years from now my motherboard or video card will be able to be used to its full potential ....... *phoo-**ey* ................. two years after the purchase some entity will have changed the spec again which makes what you bought two years ago; obsolete !

smart buyer = buys for full value & performance TODAY ...... maybe even save $100.00 or more in doing so too........ then two years later ...... throw that $100.00 you saved back into the pot and build again !

thats performance / value COMBINED


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## OMGmissinglink (Sep 24, 2006)

linderman said:


> Huhhhh ???? are you suggesting PCI express 1.0 (for lack of a better description) cant run two video cards and get high performance ????
> 
> please tell that to the select few that use SLI with the 8800 GTX and play in a game such as counterstrike that is more suited to SLI !!


No I did not suggest PCI 1.0 and I never mentioned sli'ing gpu cards I pointed out that P35 chipsets did not support PCi-E 2.0 $$$ better spent on a mobo that does. you can buy 2.0 supported mobo same prices as the P35 chipset.


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

The fact remains that the current lineup of cards will perform almost identically, if not exactly the same, on pci-e 1.* and 2, so at a discount, p35 boards remain a better option for most people.


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## OMGmissinglink (Sep 24, 2006)

Fact remains why buy old technology P35 intel ICH9 chipset when you can buy EP43 Intel ICH10 chipset cheaper. :laugh:


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

newer is not always better than older 


975 was NOT a better chipset than the 965

the X38, X48 and P45 dont offer anything right now over the more battle tested and stable P35 IMHO

differences of opinion are always welcome


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## V0lt (Sep 14, 2002)

No doubt p45 will take over as the standard, but right now nobody's buying them. The most popular model only has 60 reviews. There are 5 star p35 boards with 5 times that, which have mature revisions and have been proven.

Why take an unnecessary risk?


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## OMGmissinglink (Sep 24, 2006)

EP43's are stable mobo's offering PCI-E 2.0 support, doubles the second PCI-E slot bus lanes over the P35' ... yes right now the EP45's are abit expencive.. depends on customer preferences.

IMHO I'd have to suggest EP43 over P35 being in the same price range.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

its all about the delivery of *mature bios *revisions

you can wait for them or you can buy a board that is know to have them ? 

gambler or non-gambler


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

the X48 is flopping right now due to the lack of really good bios ....... and each time they make a revision the whole bios changes ....... that really irks me


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

does this sound like a MUST have board to you ???????


http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/intel-p45-chipset,1961.html


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

To hide the fact that chipsets are already very mature and difficult to improve significantly,


the P35 already squeezed the lemon


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

To *hide the fact *that chipsets are already very mature and difficult to improve significantly, the industry has *shifted attention *towards multi-graphics card setups, tweaking, and overclocking—even Intel, a traditionally conservative manufacturer. Nvidia adapted its SLI technology to work with three or even four graphics chips. Intel has been supporting AMD’s/ATI’s CrossFire feature (albeit on the more expensive 975X, X38 or X48 chipsets, *which don’t really provide better performance *than their mainstream counterparts, but give more sophisticated features and support for unlimited overclocking). From this perspective, the *P35 has *been the most reasonable and powerful chipset choice, and we’re looking forward to analyzing the P45, being


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

The P45 will be the better choice when you can get the P5Q Pro for $130.00


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

when you can guy a retail gigabyte GA-EP35-DS3L for $89.00 ......... please tell what you are getting when you spend the extra $100.00 on the P45 ??????????


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Most of the results we found for the new P45 chipset are somewhat *disappointing*, as we expect a new product generation to at least match the previous one in all relevant disciplines and test categories—especially when it’s an Intel chipset. While this is the case in terms of features, we were not able to find *true additional value for the end user*, as the added features are not necessarily relevant. In addition, the *P45 failed to deliver better performance *while it increases power consumption over its predecessor—so much for performance per watt.

The latest Intel chipset for 2008 introduces a few new features, of which only PCI Express 2.0 is nice to have, because the faster interface standard is required to provide maximum bandwidth to the latest graphics cards. Chipset improvements such as Extreme Tuning and Extreme Memory Profiles (XMP) are solid, but of little use for the true enthusiast who tweaks everything manually, and with questionable relevance for beginners, who probably won’t bother with them. However, the features do make sense (up to 16GB RAM is now supported) and they don’t introduce disadvantages for the Intel platform, which continues to be a reliable workhorse for the mainstream despite *the lack of palpable progress*.


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## linderman (May 20, 2005)

Waiting for Nehalem 

Finally, our conclusion is simple: the P45 is a transitional product that makes limited sense. It is not worth purchasing a P45 platform system, unless you insist on PCI Express 2.0 and want to avoid forking out the money for an X48 motherboard or a platform based on Nvidia’s nForce 790i Ultra SLI. The P45 doesn’t deliver better performance, while it increases average power consumption. It offers some new features, but it cuts back on USB 2.0 and SATA throughput.

If you want to buy a new Intel system today, *P35 will most likely be the *best option, as real benefits such as USB 3.0 and architectural advances are still only on the horizon. If you already have a Core 2 system or a fast Athlon 64 X2 or Phenom, you shouldn’t rush now. It makes more sense to for wait for Intel’s Nehalem architecture with the X58 chipset, as well as AMD’s Socket AM3 platform. Although the mainstream versions won’t be around before 2009, the enthusiast product launches will provide a good preview of what to expect.


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