Computer Setup

Is that a mouse pad for ants??

Heh, it may not look like much but it is very comfortable and functional. It is easy to reposition on a whim but also steady when using the mouse. The support for the wrist was the main reason for using it to begin with.

Hate to be that guy, but ergonomics says that typically, you shouldn't rest your wrists.

I ran into a similar problem recently. I had issues with a really sore spot on my wrist and narrowed it down to resting it on my wooden desk while gaming using a claw grip. I picked up a Razer mousepad with a gel wrest and the problem is gone. It may not be the best, but it certainly beat not having one.

You are disagreeing with the guy above...

Where is the desk from?

It is a Gallant series desk which I believe only Ikea sells. I have one of the corner pieces with an extension onto it.

I have the same one but in black--I love it!

Just a comment so I can get back to this later. I like this desk.

Just curious, have you not noticed that literally every other post features the same desk?

Is that a Zoid on your printer?

What is that thing mounted on a ledge next to your sub. And could you feed us with specs please

As another person commented, my computer is an Alienware x51. The main reason I bought one was for the small and compact size of it. Sitting next to it is a surge protecter/UPS where everything is plugged into. Here are the specs of the computer itself:

You may have just learned the hard way that there's a lot of people here who don't like alienware.

People will always have their preferences on things but it doesn’t change the fact that I love that slimmer case.

There's nothing wrong with liking smaller form factors although there's plenty of people who'd still say you could build it yourself with something like a prodigy or one of those small lian-li's.

I use to build my own PCs before so I understand the dislike for Alienware. Oddly enough, by buying this computer, my overall price came to about the same if I were to just build my own. What I like about this case is they took the power supply out so you have more room inside; thus I can use just about any video card. Sure I am limited by the power brick but since it can run a GTX 670 just fine, I should be good for quite some time.

What did you pay for it? Seriously, I find it hard to believe that this was about the same price as what it would cost to build it manually.

I bought mine early last year I believe and I would guesstimate that I spent 1200-1500 on the machine. I added in an SSD and upgraded the video card to the 670. So if you look at how much the processor, RAM, hard drives, and even video card were all going for, it was roughly even.

Also, don't buy Logitech Z5500's (or most computer speakers honestly). $500 for plastic computer speakers is a complete waste of money.

Woah dude nice, how much was it? Your specs are similar to mine execpt for cpu

The base price was maybe 1500 with what I wanted; I’m guessing here since I can’t really remember. Buying an SSD and the video card easily added on, let’s say 1k. Personally I’ve never been a fan of AMD so I couldn’t really recommend or advise on their product line unfortunately. Maybe your computer doesn’t have enough power thus getting that bottleneck feel at times; hard to say since it can be many things.

Your CPU is definitely the bottleneck. Any reason you have a high-end video card with a cheap CPU?

Its your CPU, 8350 would be perfect

Thanks I'll upgrade soon then.

Np, tell me how it goes!

What are the lights behind the computer?

Did you stick the strips onto the monitor back? What did you use to do that? Any chance of a picture of the back? :)

Awesome. Thanks! I have the same desk and the same arm :) I've just been looking for a decent backlighting system for a while. I've got some so-so led strip lights from Costco. They're very similar to the Dioder, but they're plain white. Problem is they flicker all the time. Even on a battery.

I constantly see those lights behind people monitors and such where can I get them?

Have fun. I've got one of the 16 ft LED strips traversing all over my desk. I think it's definitely worth the $30 and 15 minutes of setup.
If you can afford it, go for the color changing LEDs, if only for rave mode.

I have some similar LEDs myself and they flicker all the time. It's really annoying. I don't know if it's because of bad connections or bad LEDs (I've checked the power and the power is stable).

Oh damn. Is that the ikea desk? I'm buying that within the next couple of months. What do you think of it? Hard to assemble?

So far I absolutely love the desk. It was semi easy to install but there is one thing I should point out though. This model desk has two types of legs: A legs and T legs. If you get T legs like I did, assemble and attach them first. When you see the instructions for it, you’ll notice why.

Sweet! I was gonna get the T-legs anyways. Thanks for the tip!

Did you tie your mouse and keyboard cables together or do they become one cable? It looks like it's just one cable.

I use Velcro ties to keep them together. Glad it can give off the impression of being one cable.

Alienwares don't get a lot of love around here but i think they do fine if you are looking for a smaller computer that can still pack a punch. The x51 is a great computer (research it) Nice job OP

I agree; when I first saw them being release, I feel in love from the start. Just the fact they took the power supply out so you have more room was an interesting idea that I actually like.

Upvoted :) ! What clock or weather station is that beside your tape?

iHome. A friend had an extra and gave that one to me. I mostly just use it as a clock. :p

Upvote for no variation of "minimal" in title.

I have the same webcam! How do you like it?

Why do you put your speakers behind your monitor?

An entire thread and no one called him out for the Beats. On this day, I am proud of Coolcomputersetups.

Do you crank out gnarly spreadsheets from this?

At first I thought the PC and surge protector was a Keurig.

I would not be able to use that gaming setup for three reasons,

Not really Spacious when your legs are stuck under there with the pc and the sub

Not to my tastes, kind of minimalist, but it's pretty cool nonetheless.

I love the clean look. Nice job.

Why would you put your computer/UPS where your feet are supposed to be propped up on your sub (with a pillow!)?

The computer had to go in that corner since most of the cabling wouldn’t be long enough to reach any other spot I put it. (I am not of a fan of putting it on my desk). Over the years my subwoofer has become an ideal footrest so pillows aren’t needed anymore. :p

Is that a fucking zord?!

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