X-Arcade Dual Joystick

I've been talking for a long time now about getting a joystick for my computer so I can play all those classic arcade games I love, but never seem to have any money to get something decent. I picked up a $20 joystick from GameStop and was very frustrated with it. I'm crouching down and to the right in Black Tiger and the joystick turns left on me and I die. That frustrated me enough to finally make a good investment.

I searched the web and found some cheap stuff made overseas. They look like arcade joysticks, but doing some research the reviews are split.. some good, some bad. Having already been disappointed with the GameStop joystick I decided this time I'd just get the good stuff. X-Arcade's Dual Joystick.

Reading reviews online, they're mostly positive. They're built like a "tank" supposedly and have a lifetime warranty. Not only can this be used on my computer, but they have adapters (optional) for a bunch of popular game consoles.

The joystick comes bundled with some arcade games, which is not necessary in my opinion. I'd rather pay $5 or $10 less for the joystick. Most people who buy this probably already have MAME installed, with thousands of games, so the ones they give you are not needed.

The packaging that came with the unit, shown above (not my picture) is very nice. I wasn't expecting something like that, but I guess that's so they can sell the unit in stores also.

Setup is very easy. I'm using MAME Plus with MAME32. Just plug the joystick into a USB port in the rear and there's a built in setting for the X-Arcade. Done. Start having fun.

The unit I purchased has 2 joysticks and 20 buttons. They also make a model with a trackball for games like Marble Madness, Capcom Bowling, Golden Tee Golf, etc. Two of the buttons are on the side for pinball games. If you get the model with a trackball it's a little wider. My only real gripe with the model I purchased is I wish there was a little more room between players. Maybe they could have just used the case from the trackball model, just not have the trackball.

Everything feels responsive and solid. I play fighting games like Mortal Kombat or Dark Stalkers much better now, although I haven't played in forever so I've forgot most of the moves.The unit is pretty heavy, but it does slide around on me while playing, so I might add some suction feet to the bottom.

The joystick comes with a lifetime warranty, but from what I heard you'll probably never need it. One person told me that in 3 or 4 years he's only ever had a button go bad once. They sent him a replacement. From what I've seen so far, their support is great. I emailed them some pre-sale questions and they were quick to reply. I had a small problem with my shipment (most likely due to FedEx) and the company took care of the situation right away, no questions asked.

Enermax T.B. Silence 120mm computer case fans

I bought these fans because they were the quietest (or one of the quietest) I could find. They were $12.99 each at Micro Center and well worth it. They're 120mm and put out about 71 CFM airflow at only 11db noise! They really are very quiet. I've got 4 of them in my case! Along with these, I have THIS CPU COOLER, and THIS CASE. They all combine to make my processor run at 40 degrees celcius even after 30 minutes of gaming!

Cooler Master HAF 912 case

I'm doing reviews on the stuff I bought to build my new computer. Next up is the Cooler Master HAF 912 case. HAF stands for High Air Flow. I was originally going to puchase the HAF 922 or 932, because the pictures I see online show it as being very roomy. The HAF 922 was $124.99 at Microcenter. I reserved it online and went to pick it up, but saw the 912. I didn't even know it existed.

Obviously the 912 isn't going to be as big or roomy as the others, but the price was a lot better. At $69.99, with the money I saved, I could afford to buy more stuff.

 

The case looks really nice. Like something military like. It seems pretty sturdy. Here's what the inside looks like:

The inside isn't colored black, but that's okay with me. You'll never see that anyway. You may not be able to tell from that picture, but it's really roomy. With my previous computers the hard drives were so close to the memory, the DVD/CD writer stuck out over the motherboard. In general it was hard to plug in things and get at things if you needed. That won't happen here. I have a 2GB of memory installed and another 2GB module coming on Monday. I'll have no troubles getting it put in.

There's four bays in which you can install stuff like DVD/CD writers, fan monitors, etc. There's even one if you want to install an ancient floppy drive. They're all covered in a black mesh like texture and looks really nice. When inserting something, it does not extend over the motherboard I have at all.

Next you'll notice below that there's space to put hard drives sideways. They're very simple to get in/out and you don't need tools to do so. It gave me plenty of things to slide in 3.5" drives, 2.5", and I think SSD.

Cooling in this case is amazing and is one reason I wanted it. The power supply mounts on the bottom (farther away from the CPU) and the heat gets shot out the bottom of the case. The front has support for one 200mm fan or two 120mm  fans for intake of fresh air. The side panel can support either a 120mm or 140mm fan for intake as well. For getting air out of the case there's one 120mm fan and the top has room for one 200mm or two 120mm fans. What I like is that cool air blows in from the front and side, the CPU cooler brings it across and it goes right out the top or back.

I think the case was a great deal for the price. This case, THESE CASE FANS, and my CPU COOLER, combine to keep everything nice and cool. I started my system at 40 degrees celcius and after gaming for 30 mins I'm still at the same temp.

Thermaltake Contac 30

I recently built a new computer and didn't have much money left over for a CPU cooler. I wanted something decent, but not too pricey. I could have waited until I got paid next week, but I wanted to run this baby now. I settled on a Thermaltake Contact 30. It was $34.99 with a $10 mail-in rebate.

The cooler came with one 120mm blue fan, but you can install another on the other side. The fan is easily removed and put back on. It has rubber anti-vibration mounts. I don't think it needs the second fan. Although, that might depend on how your case is (I'm about to post a review of my new case if you're interested). So, I turned my new computer on and checked the temperature. 40 degrees celcius. After 30 minutes of gaming I'm still at the same temp! I can't say it's all this cooler, it's partially MY CASE and MY CASE FANS.

This CPU will work for both AMD and Intel processors. I'm using it with an AMD Phenom X4 9750 B3, which is 2.4Ghz.

Installation was really easy and painless. Remove the plastic thing around where your CPU goes on the motherboard. Install the plate on the back of the motherboard. It's clearly marked which way for AMD and which way for Intel. You then screw two things on the sides of the CPU. The fan needs to be removed and two little things screwed on to the cooler. After that you can apply your thermal grease and attach this sucker to your CPU. You're then free to put back on the fan.

I was going to try out the Thermaltake Frio, but that's $59.99. Why should I bother, though. I'm extremely happy with this one.