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Building a new PC

124

Posts

  • CentipeedCentipeed Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    I have an (IDE i think..) dvd drive and a cd burner in my dead pc...

    Would i be correct in thinking that they would plug into that there PATA slot the mobo has?

    I noticed you said that you're going to salvage from your old PC, so I changed my post accordingly. And they'll plug into the IDE slots on the Mobo. All Mobos still have them.

    EDIT: Turns out PATA and IDE are the same thing. I've NEVER heard it referred to as PATA before today :S

    Centipeed on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    kk read what i said

    Deusfaux on
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    is all the airflow really that big a deal if im not overclocking?

    KKprofit on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    is all the airflow really that big a deal if im not overclocking?

    a case is an investment, get a good one with good airflow and 120mm fans

    Deusfaux on
  • CentipeedCentipeed Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    is all the airflow really that big a deal if im not overclocking?

    A cheap case is going to piss you off much more than a good quality case. The build quality is overall worse, and the layout is generally poorer, meaning you'll have more trouble getting everything together.

    Centipeed on
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Suggestions for a better case? Keeping price in mind, of course. As a basis, I hate doors and hatches. I dislike cases that glow. I like big cases.

    KKprofit on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    antec and lian li... the latter will typically be more expensive, but not always better

    Deusfaux on
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    This is quite a bit more than I wanted to spend on a case, but I am fond of the style. 3 120mm fans. Lots of space for stuff. Good?

    KKprofit on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    yeah its a good case... but personally i dont think the signiificantly higher price is justified

    if you're willing to spend that much


    look at the antec P180

    Deusfaux on
  • The Death Of HilarityThe Death Of Hilarity Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Just ordered the following parts, plan to put it together myself and use the hard drive from my old computer. Anything I need to know?

    Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II
    Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
    CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 Conroe
    Graphics Card: BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT
    RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800(PC2 6400) Dual Channel

    Edit:

    Those parts cost me 940 total with shipping, all of them from newegg.

    The Death Of Hilarity on
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  • ToyDToyD Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Honestly, I like Raidmax cases. They balance airflow nicely, don't cost all that much, and they look good. I have no need of a $100 case when a $50 case can do the same job and look decent. I do buy my own power supply for the vid cards, but I just don't understand the price tags of the high end cases for what they do for you.

    ToyD on
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  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Deusfaux wrote:
    yeah its a good case... but personally i dont think the signiificantly higher price is justified

    if you're willing to spend that much


    look at the antec P180

    That case is quite shiny.. but I hate doors. I always break them off in the first few weeks.

    KKprofit on
  • CentipeedCentipeed Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    Deusfaux wrote:
    yeah its a good case... but personally i dont think the signiificantly higher price is justified

    if you're willing to spend that much


    look at the antec P180

    That case is quite shiny.. but I hate doors. I always break them off in the first few weeks.

    I, also, hate doors.

    Check the Lian-Li website, or just browse through the Lian-Li cases on NewEgg. All of them will serve you well enough, although some are at a preferable price, such as the PC-7B I linked earlier.

    Centipeed on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    Deusfaux wrote:
    yeah its a good case... but personally i dont think the signiificantly higher price is justified

    if you're willing to spend that much


    look at the antec P180

    That case is quite shiny.. but I hate doors. I always break them off in the first few weeks.

    there is a silver and a black model

    and just take the damn door off if you dont want to use it

    Deusfaux on
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    The black model is water cooled and like 400

    KKprofit on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    My thought... and the topic of several reviews... is that putting the psu on the bottom like that will result in a difficult time wiring. m i rite?

    KKprofit on
  • JWFokkerJWFokker Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Not at all, especially with the Seasonic PSU you listed. I have the 430W Seasonic in a P180 currently and there's no wiring problems at all. You'd only run into a problem with PSUs that have unusually short power cables.

    EDIT: Or I suppose it could be a problem if the 4-pin connector is in an odd place on your motherboard (as seen below), though with newer motherboards that use a 24-pin power connector, the 4-pin is redundant and should not be used.

    JWFokker on
  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    it is not difficult, but it is more challenging

    however i think the benefits outweigh any issues you might have

    I had to get an extension for the CPU power lead

    old setup:

    inside.jpg

    Deusfaux on
  • JWFokkerJWFokker Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Just ordered the following parts, plan to put it together myself and use the hard drive from my old computer. Anything I need to know?

    Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II
    Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
    CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 Conroe
    Graphics Card: BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT
    RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800(PC2 6400) Dual Channel

    Edit:

    Those parts cost me 940 total with shipping, all of them from newegg.

    Well, supposedly the Smartpower PSUs have an unusually high rate of failure, so you may want to think about getting a different PSU, but the figure I saw was about a 20% failure rate, so odds are you'll be fine. Everything else looks good.

    JWFokker on
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Deusfaux wrote:
    it is not difficult, but it is more challenging

    however i think the benefits outweigh any issues you might have

    I had to get an extension for the CPU power lead

    old setup:

    inside.jpg

    That... that looks scary.

    KKprofit on
  • The Death Of HilarityThe Death Of Hilarity Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    JWFokker wrote:
    Just ordered the following parts, plan to put it together myself and use the hard drive from my old computer. Anything I need to know?

    Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II
    Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
    CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 Conroe
    Graphics Card: BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT
    RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800(PC2 6400) Dual Channel

    Edit:

    Those parts cost me 940 total with shipping, all of them from newegg.

    Well, supposedly the Smartpower PSUs have an unusually high rate of failure, so you may want to think about getting a different PSU, but the figure I saw was about a 20% failure rate, so odds are you'll be fine. Everything else looks good.

    If the PSU fails is it a simple matter of replacing it or does everything in my PC fry? If it's the former I'll hope for the best, if it's the latter I will buy a 600 watt quality PSU ASAP.

    The Death Of Hilarity on
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  • Golden LegGolden Leg Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    JWFokker wrote:
    Just ordered the following parts, plan to put it together myself and use the hard drive from my old computer. Anything I need to know?

    Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II
    Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
    CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 Conroe
    Graphics Card: BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT
    RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800(PC2 6400) Dual Channel

    Edit:

    Those parts cost me 940 total with shipping, all of them from newegg.

    Well, supposedly the Smartpower PSUs have an unusually high rate of failure, so you may want to think about getting a different PSU, but the figure I saw was about a 20% failure rate, so odds are you'll be fine. Everything else looks good.

    Yeah, I just had to RMA my Antec Smartpower 2.0 PSU. Personally, I'd recommend something else.

    Golden Leg on
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    JWFokker wrote:
    Just ordered the following parts, plan to put it together myself and use the hard drive from my old computer. Anything I need to know?

    Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II
    Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
    CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 Conroe
    Graphics Card: BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT
    RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800(PC2 6400) Dual Channel

    Edit:

    Those parts cost me 940 total with shipping, all of them from newegg.

    Well, supposedly the Smartpower PSUs have an unusually high rate of failure, so you may want to think about getting a different PSU, but the figure I saw was about a 20% failure rate, so odds are you'll be fine. Everything else looks good.

    If the PSU fails is it a simple matter of replacing it or does everything in my PC fry? If it's the former I'll hope for the best, if it's the latter I will buy a 600 watt quality PSU ASAP.

    Well, I know a faulty psu can cause your pc to restart frequently. Restarting like can corrupt your data.

    KKprofit on
  • The Death Of HilarityThe Death Of Hilarity Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    JWFokker wrote:
    Just ordered the following parts, plan to put it together myself and use the hard drive from my old computer. Anything I need to know?

    Case: Antec LifeStyle SONATA II
    Motherboard: ASUS P5B Deluxe/WiFi-AP
    CPU: Intel Core 2 DUO E6400 Conroe
    Graphics Card: BFG Tech GeForce 7600 GT
    RAM: Corsair 2GB (2x1GB) DDR2 800(PC2 6400) Dual Channel

    Edit:

    Those parts cost me 940 total with shipping, all of them from newegg.

    Well, supposedly the Smartpower PSUs have an unusually high rate of failure, so you may want to think about getting a different PSU, but the figure I saw was about a 20% failure rate, so odds are you'll be fine. Everything else looks good.

    If the PSU fails is it a simple matter of replacing it or does everything in my PC fry? If it's the former I'll hope for the best, if it's the latter I will buy a 600 watt quality PSU ASAP.

    Well, I know a faulty psu can cause your pc to restart frequently. Restarting like can corrupt your data.

    Losing data won't bother me much, if I see it happen I'll know to replace it. I'm just worried about a sudden crash causing all my parts to break or something. Is that possible, or should I stop worrying.

    The Death Of Hilarity on
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  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Deusfaux wrote:


    KK - get a .10 seagate drive, not the .9

    I have no idea what this means.

    Also This says it has 2 120mm fans. Decent?

    KKprofit on
  • DashuiDashui Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Just installed an 8800 into my PC, and I figure I'd chime and give a comment about the noise level. In case you're worried about that, considering it has a massive heatsink and fan, don't be. I went from a 6800 to this and my God I can't hear any sound coming from my PC where once before it was like a vacuum.

    Dashui on
    Xbox Live, PSN & Origin: Vacorsis 3DS: 2638-0037-166
  • victor_c26victor_c26 Chicago, ILRegistered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    Deusfaux wrote:


    KK - get a .10 seagate drive, not the .9

    I have no idea what this means.

    Also This says it has 2 120mm fans. Decent?

    The 7200.9 drives are using legacy, parallel recording.

    The 7200.10 drives are using the new, safer, and denser perpendicular recording method (Remember that Hitachi disco flash movie?).

    victor_c26 on
    It's been so long since I've posted here, I've removed my signature since most of what I had here were broken links. Shows over, you can carry on to the next post.
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Ordered all that stuff, swapping in that last lian li case I posted. Added some thermal grease stuff. Wish me luck.

    KKprofit on
  • CentipeedCentipeed Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    KKprofit wrote:
    Deusfaux wrote:


    KK - get a .10 seagate drive, not the .9

    I have no idea what this means.

    Also This says it has 2 120mm fans. Decent?

    Yes, that's an awesome case. You'll not be disappointed.

    Centipeed on
  • V3V3 Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I've been looking to get a new computer and after absorbing all the info and suggestions I am going to build it myself.

    This will be my 1st time building a comp from the ground up. So I don't know all the fine details. Try to make a pretty top of the line system. I was originally planning on buying a prebuilt system for $3000 something from say vicious pc or vigor. But seeing as I can save myself about 500 bucks it doing it myself why not right.

    Case:
    RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply

    This is the case I plan on getting so far. Seems like it will make thing easier on installing everything and upgrading for later. Although if anyone knows a good Case with better airflow or Has some Sugguestion I'm all Ears.

    Motherboard:
    EVGA 122-CK-NF68-AR LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 680i SLI ATX Intel Motherboard - Retail

    CPU:
    Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 Conroe 2.4GHz LGA 775 Processor Model BX80557E6600 - Retail

    PSU:
    Thermaltake Toughpower 850W W0131RU – NVIDIA QUAD-SLI APPROVED, FOUR +12V RAIL READY - Retail

    Graphics Card:
    eVGA 768-P2-N831-AR GeForce 8800GTX 768MB GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Video Card - Retail

    Hard Drive:
    Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM

    Won't be buying it for another month or so, still got some bills to pay off. This gives me so time to figure out what else I need and read up more on the subject.

    So what else do I need for this system? Can I replace all the fans? Are there better fans out there then stock? Should I just go with a water cooling kit? Key thing I want is Silence and for the system to run cool. If I can do it with fans great. If water cooling is the way to go then ok.

    Can I just put some Kingston 2gb or (2X1gb) ram in it and have the system boot right from the start or do I need another type of ram to boot the system and then reconfigure the bios.

    V3 on
    Henshin
  • s3rial ones3rial one Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    V3 wrote:
    Case:
    RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WBP Black SECC STEEL ATX Mid Tower Computer Case 500W Power Supply
    Aesthetics aside, the thing's got a window, and windows don't dampen noise as effectively as steel and aluminum. If you're serious about noise reduction, and case with a window is out.

    Again, look at Antec, Cooler Master, Silverstone, and Arctic Cooling if you want quality case design. The Antec Sonata and P180 are both exceptionally quiet. You want 120mm fans, too.
    V3 wrote:
    PSU:
    Thermaltake Toughpower 850W W0131RU – NVIDIA QUAD-SLI APPROVED, FOUR +12V RAIL READY - Retail
    ...I'm just speechless. It's $260, ridiculously overpowered, has an efficiency rating of "up to 87%," and no noise rating. Nevermind what the draw a 850 watt PSU will do to your power bill. Thermaltake isn't exactly known for making the highest quality PSUs, either.

    If you want silent, high-output, and clean power, it's a no-brainer: Seasonic.
    V3 wrote:
    Hard Drive:
    Western Digital Raptor WD740ADFD 74GB 10,000 RPM Serial ATA150 Hard Drive - OEM
    Again, noise. 10k RPM drives sound like chainsaws, and the performance isn't significant. I mean, yeah, in terms of hard drive performance, they're top of the heap, but even 10k RPM drives are abysmally slow. Might as well save some money and a lot of noise and get some 7200 RPM drives.
    V3 wrote:
    Can I just put some Kingston 2gb or (2X1gb) ram in it and have the system boot right from the start or do I need another type of ram to boot the system and then reconfigure the bios.
    Depends on the type of RAM. If it's compatible with the motherboard, yes.

    s3rial one on
  • Mega PlayboyMega Playboy Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    This is the case I use for my rig and I must say I am happy with airflow.
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811103010

    Mega Playboy on
    Trying to help out my step dad check out his youtube channel
  • KKprofitKKprofit Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    I considered the gray one. It looks like a jet engine. I decided against it in the end tho.. looks like its made entirely out of plastic...

    KKprofit on
  • SeliousSelious Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Just to poke in here, I found that this case is very solid and completely tool-less. One thing to watch out for is the comment that a 8800 GTX won't fit, I'm not sure on those measurements.

    Selious on
  • AiranAiran Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Any folks from the UK here? I'm a bit stuck since Newegg don't ship internationally, so I'm using Ebuyer.com instead (if you guys know any other retailers that do better deals let me know, while Ebuyer is excellent value on the whole, they sometimes have little choice)

    Anyway, my proposed setup is

    [edit: changes, I may shift this over to the H/A thread if more people visit that]

    Mobo: [edit2] http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=113965
    P5B back up! Has some odd JMicron yes, but it has a FDD connector after checking the manual, so it should be okay.

    [Previously...](I'm actually a bit stuck here. The original Asus P5B mobo I felt sucked due to lack of things such as a FDD connector and some weird IDE setup using a JMicron controller. I've been looking into Gigabyte but apparently this one uses up some of the RAM, making 1GB into 800mb usable, for example. This is what I interpreted from the specs anyway. This one was not listed on Ebuyer, unfortunately.).

    I'm quite prepared to pay up to £100 for the mobo nowadays (my current one is a 5yr old Gigabyte SocketA my friend gave me when he upgraded to play Oblivion. My previous was a £20-30 piece of crap), although I'd appreciate if someone could verify it to be compatible with the stuff I've listed below. I've checked myself and I think they're all compatible, but you can't be too sure eh?

    CPU: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=112708
    C2D, no problems there. If only AMD's new chips came out faster so I could compare :p

    Graphics: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=119701
    This will be something to tide me over until I can afford some mid range DX10 card. I'm hoping it's comparable to the Radeon 9600XT AGP I have atm.

    RAM: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=63631
    I wanted to salvage my 2 sticks of 512mb RAM, but they're DDR1.

    HDD: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=115418
    Due to only 1 IDE controller on any new mobo, I'm getting a new SATA drive. I may grab the old IDE 300gb drive out with my DVD-RW drive. Anyone know if this is possible? No compatibility issues between the drives?

    Case: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=122764
    This is the case which appeals to me alot out of all that Ebuyer offers, it's sleeky black (though I prefer silver) and supports 120mm fans front and back. I'm mainly worried about power consumption and noise. Could risk quality and get a cheap £10 one and get the PSU and fit the custom fans too.

    PSU: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?rb=24684125876&action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X3NwZWNpZmljYXRpb25z&product_uid=114931
    [edit]Looks cheap enough for me, this one.

    [previously...]Here's where I'm on the fence. Is the extra £100 for this PSU worth it? Will I get a greater energy saving (a previous post reminded me of electric bills, though I don't pay them atm :?) than with a bundled PSU? I'll look into another casing (cheaper than the one I've listed, but I'm having a hard time finding one with 120mm fans both front and rear on the cheap).

    Fans: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=106661
    I'm hoping custom 120mm fans would make for quieter running.

    Excluding the separate PSU (at £92 odd) the total cost is £478.44 inc VAT, which fits just under my £500 budget :^:

    Suggestions for different choices are welcome, regardless of availability from Ebuyer.

    Airan on
    paDudSig.jpg
  • Mega PlayboyMega Playboy Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    The front panel is plastic but the rest of the case it metal and it is pretty quite.

    Mega Playboy on
    Trying to help out my step dad check out his youtube channel
  • ViscountalphaViscountalpha The pen is mightier than the sword http://youtu.be/G_sBOsh-vyIRegistered User regular
    edited January 2007
    The rumor mill says the 8600 ultras should be coming out soon.

    Here's to hoping is a month or two away.

    Viscountalpha on
  • lowlylowlycooklowlylowlycook Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Airan wrote:
    Any folks from the UK here? I'm a bit stuck since Newegg don't ship internationally, so I'm using Ebuyer.com instead (if you guys know any other retailers that do better deals let me know, while Ebuyer is excellent value on the whole, they sometimes have little choice)

    Anyway, my proposed setup is


    Graphics: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=119701
    This will be something to tide me over until I can afford some mid range DX10 card. I'm hoping it's comparable to the Radeon 9600XT AGP I have atm.

    HDD: I'm salvaging two 300gb and 60gb hard drives which are ATA interface, I'm assuming it'll work with the mobo.


    Excluding the separate PSU (at £92 odd) the total cost is £366.67 inc VAT, which fits well under my £500 budget, which is nice :^: Suggestions for different choices are welcome, regardless of availability from Ebuyer.

    Just two things. You might want to check out this video card it will cost a bit more now but you could probably use it for a good long while.

    The latest intel motherboards only have one parallel IDE port so using your old hard drives might be problematic unless they are serial.

    lowlylowlycook on
    steam_sig.png
    (Please do not gift. My game bank is already full.)
  • AiranAiran Registered User regular
    edited January 2007
    Airan wrote:
    Any folks from the UK here? I'm a bit stuck since Newegg don't ship internationally, so I'm using Ebuyer.com instead (if you guys know any other retailers that do better deals let me know, while Ebuyer is excellent value on the whole, they sometimes have little choice)

    Anyway, my proposed setup is


    Graphics: http://www.ebuyer.com/customer/products/index.html?action=c2hvd19wcm9kdWN0X292ZXJ2aWV3&product_uid=119701
    This will be something to tide me over until I can afford some mid range DX10 card. I'm hoping it's comparable to the Radeon 9600XT AGP I have atm.

    HDD: I'm salvaging two 300gb and 60gb hard drives which are ATA interface, I'm assuming it'll work with the mobo.


    Excluding the separate PSU (at £92 odd) the total cost is £366.67 inc VAT, which fits well under my £500 budget, which is nice :^: Suggestions for different choices are welcome, regardless of availability from Ebuyer.

    Just two things. You might want to check out this video card it will cost a bit more now but you could probably use it for a good long while.

    The latest intel motherboards only have one parallel IDE port so using your old hard drives might be problematic unless they are serial.

    Thanks, I might consider the card once I put the total to around £500. At the moment I'm keeping the 7300GS in anticipation for DX10 cards, and thankfully I don't play cutting edge games.

    I've taken note of the IDE thingy, and thus am stuck for the moment :(

    Airan on
    paDudSig.jpg
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