CrusherJ

Been holding off trying to see what would happen with the US release, but since it looks like that's been basically canceled I went ahead and ordered vol. 1 from Amazon Japan. Been wanting to see this for a while now.

@ CrusherJ, Tomshardware.com forum has a similar section for desktop builds and lots of info/review on components, but everyone here has a lot of knowledge/information as well.

Thanks for the tip Smiley424! I'll post over there and see what additional advice I get.

(not sure what happened with the quote box, ah well)

Do you have a budget?

No OC? No video processing? No photo editing? Then the i5 will be more than enough.

I'd stay away from the Z87 chipset if you are not planning on OCing or getting a non-K CPU, if you can help it (which will probably be no since many manufacturers are pushing the Z87 chipset). The non-K CPUs have Intel Virtualization Tech for Directed I/O, vPro which the Z87 doesn't support. The K-versions strip out those features but allows you to OC. The non-K versions have all those features, but locks down the CPU so you can't OC (you can OC, but it's a real PITA). You'll pay a premium for the Z87 but end up not being able to take advantage of it. A Q87 or H87 motherboard would be a better choice. If you want a Z87, I'd get a cheaper one than those, like the ASUS Z87-A or GIGABYTE GA-Z87X-D3H.

Any after-market cooler will probably be better than the stock cooler.

Budget is $2300.

i5 it is then! I was thinking the i7 would be overkill for my needs, but wanted to be sure.

I'll look for a Q or H87 board. If I can't find one I'll go with one of the boards you suggested.

I'll stick with the Corsair cooler then. Thanks!

Hey guys, I plan on doing my first build in a few months and wanted to get your opinion on the components I've selected. I want to use the computer to play some games (like TitanFall) at 40-60 fps, watching 1080p to 4k (when it becomes widely available) content, and storing my blu-ray/DVD collection (400+ mainly DVD). Aside from that, will just use it for web browsing and office work. Don't plan to OC or do any kind of video or photo editing. Any input will be greatly appreciated! I have more than one option by some components cause I haven't narrowed down which one would be best yet, thanks again!

CPU

Intel Core i5 4670

Intel Core i7 4770

Motherboard

Gigabyte Z87x-UD5H

Asus Z87 Sabertooth

Ram

Corsair Vengeance 16gb

Storage

Samsung 840 evo 250gb (for OS, games, and other frequently accessed programs)

WD Black 4tb (for storing media)

GPU

Gigabyte GeForce 770

PSU

Corsair GS700

Case

Phanteks Enthoo Luxe (should be out by the time I plan to get everything)

NZXT Phantom 530

Monitor

Asus pb278q

Optical Drive

Pioneer Black BDR-2209 internal SATA Blu-Ray burner

Cooler

Corsair H100i (not sure if I'll need this since I don't plan to OC)

So, over the Christmas weekend, I decided to re-visit this series by watching the two episodes that I missed out on over seven years ago. Now I wish I hadn't seen one of them.

Act.Zero

This is actually the prequel to the series, featuring the origin of Sailor V. However, it bears practically no resemblance to the Codename: Sailor V manga. Of course, we see cameo appearances by Ami-chan, Rei-chan and Mako-chan, but the episode presents somewhat of a plot loophole by having Usagi-chan and her classmates directly involved in one of Sailor V's crimefighting adventures. This was made merely for Artemis to discover who Usagi-chan really is, thus prompting Luna to come to Earth. Also, Tuxedo Kamen knows from the get-go that Minako-chan is Sailor V.

The episode also has two mini-episodes. One features Hina's career as an actress after breaking up with Mamoru. Another has Mamoru explaining to Usagi-chan how he came up with the Tuxedo Kamen gimmick. Pretty creepy, if you ask me.

Special Act

Four years after the events that ended the series, Usagi-chan and Mamoru are about to get married. However, a small quarrel has them calling off the wedding, while something evil lurks to take over the Dark Kingdom.

It's really unfortunate that many of our favorite shows end in a sour note. This is no exception. Bad enough that they brought back that creepy chick Mio. Worse is that the whole final confrontation was half-@$$ed, with Rei-chan injured and confined in a hospital within the first half of the special. This was supposed to be the chance for all five of the Sailor Senshi to fight together just for once (since Sailor Venus wasn't a team player throughout the series), but no - they had to put Rei-chan in the sideline. WTF happened? Did Keiko-chan have some sort of scheduling conflict during filming?

Regardless of what happened, I'm not watching this special again.

What episodes are these? I didn't think any special episodes were made after the series finished airing.

Suddenly the movie don't look so hot...

That was awesome! Funniest thing I've seen so far today!

If you watched the Media Blasters release of Tekkaman Blade, it has all of the bonus material released with the series, including this:

Ok, here's what I think then....

Finished Tekkaman Blade. It was pretty good, though I wasn't as enamored with it now as I was when I first saw it as Teknoman years ago. Considering how the series ended, I have some questions on how we got from there to Tekkaman Blade II for anyone able to answer:

Right now re-watching the Black Rose Saga of Utena.

Also, does anybody know when the next Revival of Evangelion film is coming out?

Do make sure you get the BD or a high resolution version on a nice screen. This film is eye candy of the highest order and the level of detail is awesome even for a film.

Definitely! Ever since I got Sword of the Stranger on BD when it first came out, I haven't looked back to DVD (except in the few instances when I wanted a title and it hasn't and is unlikely to ever come out on BD, ie. Utena).

sorry... it isn't mine. found the photo in a GOOGLE search.

Miss Miku♥ there most certainly is, however...

Ah man....guess I'll have to hunt and see if I can find it. I don't know how, but the movie flew right under my radar. I'll have to pick up sometime soon. The series was a welcome surprise and I absolutely loved it! If the movie is more of the same or better, I'm all in!

Dual post:

Dengeki Hobby 2011.01 issue Macross content:

Macross the Ride publications announcement:

"Macross the Ride Visual Book Vol. 2"

A4 size. ￥924

"Macross the Ride Lower Half"

B6 size. ￥1,260

Both due on 2011.12.24.

looks like it'll be a Merry Christmas (well, for those in Japan).

YES! Loved the first book, looking forward to having this one as well!

Shaorin, I'd really like to know where you got that poster.....I'd like to get one too, with or without autographs!

Yeah, there's a backup option in the PS3's system menu. Some copy-protected game saves might not transfer, though. As for trophy data, that should sync with your PSN ID.

Thanks, I'll check it out.

This may seem like a real elementary question, but can you save game files and trophy collections from a PS3 onto a flash drive? Looking for ways to back up my games just in case my PS3 gives out on me.

Nah, you're good. It's sometimes hard to convey things in text.

What I always found interesting about the Power Armor in Macross Plus was that it seems to combine the Male and Female Power Armors into one Hermaphroditic one, though closer to the N-Ger in overall appearance.

As far as the Vanquish racers, sketchley is dead on. Think of them like 1960s pre-Formula race cars. Biggest engines in the smallest, lightest, simplest frames possible, no matter how dangerous. These airframes aren't designed to handle that kind of power at all.

Ok cool, thanks Sketchley and Talos! Yeah, that powered suit does look like an amalgamation of the Q-Rau and N-Ger.

So the planes are as fast and as maneuverable as AVF's just not in frames that can handle that level of performance. The analogy with pre-Formula race cars makes a lot of sense. So it's fair to say that most of the pilots have the skill level/temperament of Isamu considering he could be pretty reckless? Man I hope this gets animated one day!

It's been stated that the Unified Forces have focused on development of VFs, and that Zentraadi were retrained to pilot VFs in numerous publications. In addition to the Variable Gluag, they're known to have piloted the VF-14 and VA-14 in the Macross 5 Fleet. By appearances, the YF-21 was designed so that pretty much only Zentraadi could pilot it.

The appearance of the Queadluun-Rhae in MF came as a surprise, as it was inconsistent with previous information on Zentraadi mobile weapons in Macross. But ultimately, as MF went and revised Macross considerably, it's possible that other Zentraadi power suits or derivatives were developed.

Ok, thanks for the clarification Sketchley. Thanks to Talos as well for responding; hope I didn't come across as rude in my reply.

Am I right in thinking that all of the VFs in the Vanquish Race basically have the speed of an AVF and that's why some (like the VF-1XX and VF-9E) are highly unstable?

They did, the Queadluun-Rhea, designed to be more survivable. It seems to be replacing both the Q-Rau and the N-Ger in UN service too, since we see a Zentradi Marine Battalion using them.

Yeah, I know about that. I was thinking a design that was completely different. The Queadluun-Rhea still greatly resembles the Queadluun-Rau except for its beam cannon and a couple of other things. I meant why haven't they developed anything that's drastically different from current designs, like how the VF-1, VF-4, VF-19, and so on are clearly different designs. The only powered suit that's a new design, that I know of, is the "Enemy" Powered Suit from Macross Plus. Just wondering if anyone's come across anything hinting at why the UN Spacy hasn't developed any new designs of powered suits.

Guess I'm a little late to the party, but I just got the Macross The Ride Visual Book 1 and have thoroughly enjoyed combing through every page! Love the designs of the Nothung and the Oryol (this is my favorite design so far).

Looking through the book made me wonder though, with all the new designs and variations of VFs that have been developed over the years why hasn't the UN Spacy designed any new powered suits for full sized Zentradi? I can understand the reasons (both in-universe and real world) for making new VFs, but wonder why no resources have been devoted to developing new powered suits. Is the Queadluun Rau as good as it gets? Has any in-universe explanation been given?

Agree with this assessment and yes I did see the Spider-man trailer. It looked better on the big screen than it did on my computer.

I was disappointed...there were only TWO trailers before my showing of Cap. I almost asked for my money back!

There seemed liked 50 trailers before my showing of Cap. It got to the point where I was getting annoyed at the movie not starting. I was a little disappointed with the Spider-man trailer, but we'll see.

I thought Cap was good. Most people consider it to be about as good Thor was and I agree. Neither were as great as Iron Man, but neither were as bad as I think a lot of people thought (feared) they would be. I was very satisfied with Chris Evans' performance. I'd thought they made a mistake casting him as Cap, but I'm glad to say he proved me wrong. He really did help make the movie....him and Tommy Lee Jones. I liked the guy who played Howard Stark, he had some good moments.

The Avengers teaser was awesome! Very excited about that movie!

Just got both movies today and they look great! I do wish they'd put them out on bluray, but this is considerably better than not having them at all, which was where I was at until today....

I had issues trying to redeem a gift card midday yesterday, but was able to redeem the card and download some DLC for Mass Effect 2 last night with no issues.

I saw it - its OK, nothing special but enjoyable.

A few little gripes. The guy who plays Magneto keeps slipping into his natural Irish accent especially near the end, and the mutants with more extreme make-up like Mystique and Azazel dont look as natural as they did in the original X-men movies.

It has a really good Wolverine cameo though.

How does it compare to Thor?

Finally have a break from school so decided to check out the first two episodes of Puella Magi Madoka Magica and I'm really liking the show so far. I'm looking forward to what the rest of the series will bring. Also checked out the first two episodes of X-Men......I don't think I'll be watching anymore of it.

Just watched episode 2 "The Kingsroad". Pretty good. I'm definitely liking how things are coming together and, except for some casting decisions I still can't get past (Michelle Fairley is a good actress and all, but she looks much too old and worn to play Caitlyn Stark) I can totally see how certain changes serve to condense the story while still providing insight into the characters.

I agree about Michelle Fairley, I hadn't envisioned Caitlyn looking as old as she does in the show. I thought the first episode was good, haven't seen the second episode yet, will watch it toward the end of the week when work settles down.

Started watching Crest of the Stars after reading a couple of favourable reviews. The character designs are really lousy but it seems the story has a lot of potential. Any fans here in MW?

I think it's excellent! One of my favorites!